"The Thugs of Olive Garden"

More and more often I see this. Uniformed officers asked to leave because they're carrying guns (TGIF Franklin,TN and Olive Garden Kansas City,MO) being told "we don't serve cops" (Dunkin Donuts Hartford,CT), and being refused service (Arby's Pembroke Pines,FL).

Just this past week, in Baltimore, an officer was punched and knocked to the ground by a guy while several citizens stood around and watched him wrestle with a female officer afterward. Someone even videoed the whole thing. Did anyone offer assistance? Nope. They can video and "oohh and ahh" but no one will step up to help. Situations like this are occurring more often. 

Some have said that the tension between citizens and officers started after the Michael Brown case. They escalated again after Freddy Gray. Both incidents resulting in riots and looting. Videos surface that incite rebellion against police officers, people threatening the lives of law enforcement. 

I've spoken with people about this while at truck stops. Some have said it's racially motivated. Except, apparently, when a black guy puts on a badge they quit seeing him as black. Interesting twist but I don't buy it when they play the race card. Videos surface wherein people try to claim all cops are racist regardless of a cop's color. Again, I call nonsense. 

Let me put this as simply as I can, folks. We live in a society. We have rules and laws. The police are law enforcement. Don't blame the cops for enforcing laws you don't like. Not their fault. You want to show your unhappiness about having to live by laws, tell the law makers. Looting your own village is stupid. Here, I'll say that again: looting. your. own. village. is. stupid. 

"We don't like that we get in trouble with the cops when we break the law." Yeah yeah. So quit breaking the law, moron. Or move somewhere that encourages lawlessness. Pillaging like a bunch of angry pirates is NOT how laws get changed. Acting like an angry 3 year old towards law enforcement officers isn't going to go well for you. When your restaurant is getting robbed who are you going to call, your fellow looters? 

These big restaurant chains that are starting to kick out uniformed officers and soldiers carrying their side arms, their corporate offices issue apologies later. The corporate mouthpiece says something like, "our manager made an error in judgement." No. Me wearing spandex, that would be an error in judgement. A bad, bad, bad one. Kicking out the person you'd call for help because you don't like their uniform? That's just idiotic. Don't confuse that with "an error in judgement". What they SHOULD be doing is making those employees apologize. Then firing them for "blatant stupidity". Look, if these managers have to be retrained on the restaurant's gun policy so they know "good guys with guns, good. Bad guys with guns, bad" then maybe these chains should consider the people they're hiring. These people are clearly at the bottom of the intellectual gene pool. 

I know times are tough. I get it. But there are plenty of actual intelligent people available to hire instead of these nitwits. If any employee of mine makes an armed officer leave then the only "training" that employee will get will be instructions on how to file unemployment. It's just that simple. 

These officers put their lives on the line every day. Not just the days they reach for their uniform but every time they walk out their door. They may have done things that resulted in saving your life without you even knowing it. Yet they get shunned and disrespected by the very people they're here to protect. They get their lives threatened simply for doing a thankless job many people are too cowardly to do or simply aren't bright enough to do. The very same people who would call 911 demanding justice. 

Get your act together people! Don't blame the police for doing their job. Don't like the police? Don't break the law and you'll deal with them less. 

The same goes with you folks who seem to have a problem with military personnel. They put their lives on the line to fight for your freedom. Give them the respect and honor they deserve. Remember, among the freedoms they fight for is your freedom to leave. You want to disrespect the flag they are fighting for, leave. It's that simple. Go to a lawless country without freedoms. I'll help you pack, I've got no problem with that. 

As a kid I never imagined I'd grow up in an America where cops and soldiers were treated like criminals while criminals and thugs were regaled and treated like martyrs. 

These soldiers, just like the police, do a job these ignorant thugs aren't brave enough to do. These people who disrespect soldiers and our country's flag? I doubt they have the aptitude to sort an 8 pack of crayolas without aid. 

I see posts wherein people are openly insulting our armed forces. Or posts where one liberal or another will refer to vets as trained killers not to be trusted. Or war mongers. Etc etc. "Why do we need soldiers here? No one attacks us here." 

You buncha Chowderheads, you're safe BECAUSE of these soldiers and the police. They're the entire reason you have the freedom to act as stupid as you do. 

I'm not saying that insulting the people who live to protect you is stupid but...wait. Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. These people kicking out the cops, the ones insulting soldiers, those stepping on our flag..you guys, have you been tested for mental retardation? I mean if you're genuinely disabled then I might understand the depth of your stupidity. Otherwise, you guys have no excuse. 

It's almost as though our society was bent on proving deterministic chaos is thriving and that scares the hell outta me. I've never wished for an alien invasion so badly. (E.T. Aliens, not illegal immigrants. That one's been happening for decades). 

"Life Behind the Counter"

I live my life in 15 minute increments. I'm a truck driver and with that come certain rules as dictated by the Department of Transportation. I have to justify my whereabouts. Every 15 minutes, 365 1/4 days a year. 

Now, that doesn't mean I've gotta check in on Facebook every 15 minutes. But I do have to state where I've started my day, (city and state), and where I stop every time I stop longer than...you guessed it 8 minutes or longer. Gotta round up. 

To try to explain all rules behind how long I'm allowed to drive each day, "on duty", "off duty", etc. would bore you to tears. I do this every day and it still bores the hell outta me. 

Some truck drivers are paid on salary, some local drivers in daycabs (itty bitty trucks with nothing but seats) get paid hourly. Most of us get paid by the mile or by the load. To translate that for you: we ain't got time to waste. 

Time, as this industry and life itself has taught me, is a non-renewable, precious commodity. That means my time is valuable to me, just as yours should be to you. When I'm off work for a week or so, as I am most months, I enjoy myself and my time with my kids as much as possible. When I'm at work? I'm here to work, not play. 

So, here's today's complaint. Yeah yeah.."honey, he's gonna hop up on his soapbox. Get the popcorn; there's about to be a scene again. I wonder where he got kicked out of this time."

Don't worry, I actually don't get kicked out of places often. I usually get that look like "I can't believe you just said that!" Then, usually, there's a few people around cheering me on because I say what others are thinking but are too afraid to say. This was one of those days:

I pull into a Flying J truck stop in Indiana, get fuel and pull forward so the truck behind me can fuel. (That's supposed to be a courtesy for other drivers so they can still get fuel while waiting but we'll get into that another day). I get inside, grab a coffee and go to the register. And wait. While I stand there I see 3 cashiers at the other end of the counter talking about Mary's new tattoo. On and on they drone as another guy gets in line behind me. And another. Oh goody, I've formed a line. I look outside and it appears the truck behind me has finished fueling too. And now I also have the intimate details of why Mary got this rose tattoo. 

Personally, I couldn't care less that it's her favorite flower. In fact, is Mary suffering dementia or something and needs the tattoo to remind her in case she gets confused at the florists? Maybe that dementia has spilled over and she forgot she's at work. So I gently remind them:

"Um, excuse me, is anyone on this register?"

Nah. That one's closed. And they keep chatting away. 

"Ok, well, Mary, which register IS open? You've got a conga line forming down here and you guys are just chatting away. Any of you folks work here, or do you just think the name tag is a fashion statement?" 

Excuse me?! 

"You're excused. Now, how about us customers? Any chance we can give you some money today?"

Sir, I don't like your attitude. 

"That's cute. I don't recall caring. I DO recall that I've been here for 5 minutes too long to buy a cup of coffee and get a fuel receipt while you guys ignore your patrons."

By then the guy behind me was getting riled up too. Time. We don't have it to waste for free. 

So Mary starts ambling her way over to the register while Jeff checks his cell phone. He's mumbling just loud enough for me to hear that I should "get the hell over it" with my "shitty attitude". 

"Oh? Ya wanna see 'shitty', Sparky? Why don't you bring your manager out here? You guys get paid to sit around and ignore your customers?"

Well, you truck drivers get cranky and I'm tired of it. 

"Oh. Well I understand. You know why we get cranky? Because we have a deadline and you asshats put us behind schedule because you wanna socialize instead of work. I don't get paid by the hour. I don't get to clock in, do a piss poor job of customer service and then clock out, go home and relax. Some of us out here don't see home for weeks or months at a time and you people, YOU make our timelines difficult! Why? Because running a register is too stressful and you need to take time out in the middle of your shift and talk about Mary's shitty little rose tattoo that, honestly, looks like the tattoo artist was stoned and tried to carve out a butterfly in an oak tree. 

And you, Mary, should never use that cross-eyed Jackson Pollock wannabe again. I've got better artwork on my fridge from my kindergartener. Sorry, but someone's gotta be honest with you."

Silence throughout the truck stop. I was waiting for a manager, a bouncer or even a sheriff to show up. Instead I just got "here's your fuel receipt. The coffee is free. Please, just leave now.", from a shocked Jeff and a dumbstruck Mary. 

Ok. So maybe I was a little harsh, I'll admit that. That incident took place back in the beginning of December and I WAS on a tight schedule and had personal issues stressing me out. Yeah, I could've been nicer. My point at the time though was that our time is valuable out here. We aren't on vacation; these aren't RVs. Yet it happens often, people just boopydooing around with no sense of urgency. Oh, but let your UPS package run a day late and they raise hell. Sorry your Christmas package missed the delivery flight but a whole trailer load was late because Mary needed to show her friends her new ink. 

Now, I've heard talk of fast food workers wanting $15 an hour. That would set a precedent wherein these cashiers would potentially get $15 an hour and cry for more. 

Well here's an idea: how about people actually get paid for the work they manage to do? You want more money? Work harder. I periodically go places where hourly employees go above and beyond in the performances of their duties. Those folks should get paid more than Mary and her gang. People that approach their job with a sense of urgency should get paid more. People who just ride the clock? Less hours and less hourly wages. 

Yeah yeah, "fairness and equality" and all that hullabaloo. Except we don't all do the same job with the same work ethic. 

I know some people are gonna cry that "it's not fair. Minimum wage for fast food workers isn't enough to live off of." True. However, the fast food industry is for kids in high school. It's not an actual career path intended for raising a full Brady Bunch type family. Sorry, I know that sounds harsh but it's true. I've only ever heard a few people talk about their "dream job" being the fry guy at McDonald's and the few that I HAVE heard say that...their parole officers are quite proud of the amount of "swag" that they have. 

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with fast food workers, cashiers or anyone else. I've worked the grill many times, registers, they've even let me work as a waiter at some places. And regardless of your job I believe you should exercise work ethic. I don't care if you want to grow up to be an ice cream man...be the best damn ice cream man out there. Show up to work and do your level best. If people got paid on their merit and earned what they were worth then maybe everyone's self-worth would improve. Maybe our quality of life as a whole would improve in this country. But don't do minimum work and expect maximum wage.