We Rise Again -- Remembering OPD Officer Dan Bessant

I never knew Officer Dan Bessant as he was gunned down about four months before I started the Police Academy. I was about midway through the application process to become a police officer for the City of Oceanside on the night Dan was murdered. Sitting at home with my wife the night of December 20th, 2006 we could hear endless sirens from nearby College Blvd and in the distance. I knew that something big had happen. The next morning I learned what tragedy had unfolded. The loss of a human life, a warrior, an officer.

A battle was waged in heaven and Satan was cast out for his pride. The battle continues here on earth....The goodness of man's heart battling sins of the flesh. In the end good prevails but the battle must be fought, the days long, the hour dark and sometimes all will seem lost....but fight we must. When our comrades are struck down we must not forget that their souls have been ransomed and salvaged. For when Dan was gunned down in cold blood, his earthly body did die..........his flesh was bloodied and torn but his soul lives and his uniform of wool, kevlar armor and semi-automatic pistol were cast aside as he dawned his new uniform of light, armor of righteousness and God's mighty sword as he took up his new position in St. Michael's Army. He will continue to keep guard over Heaven's gates, keeping watch over his earthly brothers. The battle against evil is not yet finished, his fight continues but fear not because Satan's demons are no match for God's warriors. Sins days are numbered. In our own time we will meet Dan and the rest of God's soldiers on streets of Gold!

The Power of the Christmas Season

When I first watched this, I watched it live, it was a cloudy day and it was dark and gray in the house all morning long...there is a segment were Glenn says the following:

"I think we are missing the true power of God, the power of the season the power of Christmas. If you are just lighting a candle for the season, well then you are missing out on the point that Miracles can and do happen. And now more than ever, I think, God is crying out to us and telling us he will sustain us, he will light our way. I know it to be true."

Just as he was saying this and reached the point "he will light our way" the sun streamed in through the blinds of the window in front of me. Some will call it coincidence, but I will call it GOD!

Everyday Heroes (The Atlas Patriot)

Everything that is good about America is and always has been derived from its people. Individuals! I’m quite confident that if we look at all that is wrong with our country today we can find the answer within ourselves. We assume that everything will work out. We assume that because we have been born into greatness and lived in the greatest country in the world that it is a guarantee. The truth is many of us have forgotten that freedom must be fought for and goodness manifests itself through actions rather than thought. What is the point of your existence? Is it about acquiring as much wealth as you can, as much stuff as you can, as much entertainment as you can, while you can? Do others matter at all?

We need to change ourselves so that we put others above ourselves. We must sacrifice some of our own comforts for others; we must serve. Until we change ourselves we can’t expect our families to change, our friends to change, our communities and our country to change. It is time to jump off the bandwagon. We can’t just sit idly by anymore. It takes courage to act and act we must.

Look to the heroes in your life. Look to the people who you believe to be good people. Look to those that put themselves last. Look to those who stand by their principles. We have to incorporate the goodness of others into ourselves and vice versa. It starts with little things and the little things combine to form big things. There are many iconic heroes that have existed throughout history many of whom did nothing extraordinary in their lives but simply stood by their principles or put others first.

Our politicians are not going to fix the problems that exist in America today. It has to start with ourselves and with our families. It is not an easy task and will take work, but we must be willing to put the effort into it. Start by setting a goal for yourself, a simple goal, then repeat it on a weekly basis then once it becomes routine, expand on it with a new goal and then another and another.

I hope to in the future of this blog to tell about some of the everyday heroes in my life, the Atlas Patriots! In the meantime don’t expect things to happen, make them happen!

A Message of Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for many things. Life comes with its hardships. I am thankful. Not a day goes by that there is not some challenge to be dealt with. I am thankful. 1776 this country I love was born! I am Thankful. Many have died for her since. I am Thankful. I am thankful for my wife, my children my family. I have had a good life.

It’s easy to lose sight; our focus blurred. The world seems so evil. America seems to be failing. The world we recognized as children is not the same today. I am still thankful. Increased crime, increased terror, increased heartache. I am still thankful. I am still thankful because in spite of it all there are still miracles….still people who believe, who love, who care for others, put others above themselves, put principles above themselves…selflessness STILL exists. I am still thankful.

Each day I put on a uniform, a gun and a badge. Oh the hardships that comes with it. I am always thankful. I don’t always like it. There are days I’d rather walk away from it all. Days I don’t want to go to work. I am always thankful. A molested child, A dead body, A battered woman, A broken home, A broken marriage, A broken family. Blood, tears, screams, hate! I am always thankful. There are helping hands, people who heal, shoulders to cry on. Heroes…in uniform and out. I am always thankful. Giving of money, of time, of heart, mind and soul……giving of everything! SACRIFICE……I am always thankful.

Salvation! He died for our sins! A second chance! A chance to live life the best we can in a fallen world so we can spend eternity in heaven. An unrivaled plan! A fallen world where miracles happen. A God who loves. An amazing plan for each one of our lives. Earthly failure is not heavenly failure. Man created in HIS image….the glory that is evident in his creation, even with the presence of sin. LIGHT will cast out darkness. Good prevails, we win. HE wins! ETERNAL LIFE………..

THANK YOU! FOR ETERNITY

Hypocrisy

I’m willing to bet that every person who has ever lived has been guilty of being a hypocrite at one point or another during his or her own lifetime. As for myself, I know for a fact that I have not only been a hypocrite at some point in my life but am probably guilty of hypocrisy on a daily basis. Most the time I probably don’t even realize it. What happens when I do realize that I have been a hypocrite? Do I brush it off? Do I make excuses? Do I reflect on it? Do I attempt to fix it? Do I apologize?

I am a hypocrite and I’m also a Christian. Christians often come across as the most hypocritical people on the planet. Ivory tower preaching while living sinful lives can be hard for others to accept. Christians are often the biggest enemy of Christianity. In a fallen world, no human is without sin but the expectation is that the religious should be, the power on the microscope is dialed up for us and rightfully so. Christians are expected to live up to the “Gold Standard” the teachings and standards set in the Bible.

Hypocrisy of non-Christians….

There is no separation of church and state clause in the U.S. Constitution, yet the attack on Christianity has been staggering. Remove crosses from public lands remove prayer, remove God and any references and images of religion. U.S. started as place people would come to for religious freedom and now religion itself is under attack.

In California, creationism and religion is not taught in public school but now a block of education will be dedicated to the topic of homosexuality. Why is one considered ok and not the other? Why is it ok to attack Judeo-Christian beliefs and symbols? Why can people attack the religious through labeling, stereotyping and name-calling? If somebody attacks or vandalizes based on sexual preference, race or religion it is considered a hate crime however it has become acceptable to erase Christianity from public view and public ear.

It’s easy to look back on history and see what Hitler did with the Jews. We all acknowledge the attempted eradication of anything Jewish. Some of us even ask how they could not see it coming or why didn’t they stop it. It’s happening here in the United States. Jews and Christians are used as a scapegoat. There is an increased attempt to make us appear evil, uneducated and antiquated.

I urge everyone reading this post, both religious and atheist to look in a mirror before putting others under a microscope. Be watchful those who speak in absolutes, be watchful of hypocrisy.

Satire and Subterfuge!

Thank God for humor! Without it most of us probably couldn’t tolerate the nonsense that we encounter in our day-to-day lives. Comedy takes the edge off of more serious topics by presenting things in an entertaining manner. Comic Relief!

Satire especially, is used to poke fun at people and ideas through the use of exaggeration and sarcasm. Satire is a great source of entertainment, especially in the arena of politics and current events. Lord knows we can’t take life too seriously or we are all likely to go insane.

HOWEVER, if we never take life seriously we are likely to be lulled into a trance and led away like children by the Pied Piper of Hamelin. There comes a time where we must face reality and, in a conscious state, address real issues.

The dangers of an over reliance on comedy are two-fold. First, we are likely to miss the message of how the real story impacts our lives. We lose the ability to make informed decisions because we get so caught up in being entertained. The importance of a given topic is downplayed and thus easily forgotten. Second, we get an even more opinionated view of reality. Spin, slant, agenda, bias or whatever you want to call it. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of bias that goes into non-comedic presentations but at least you get a clearer picture of what is going on, especially if you get your information from a variety of sources.

Beware the subterfuge of satire! Looking specifically at politics, both sides (Liberal and Conservative) use this tactic a lot. They make the other side sound absolutely ridiculous by presenting their views in an over-the-top and highly exaggerated manner. Additionally, by making the opposing side’s argument sound silly they are attempting to discredit them.

It’s true no matter what side of the aisle we are on we often see the views of the other as being off in left field, but its important to know the real reason why! We must be able to rationally argue our beliefs and discredit our opposition’s in a respectful manner. This allows us to more clearly see the flaws in our own arguments, find middle ground if it exists or checkmate the opposition. The Federalist Papers are one of the best examples I can think of how to effectively argue a point.

Fight fair and don’t let your zeal for a certain topic cause you to belittle your opponent…something I am guilty of from time to time! Embrace comedy for what it is but don't rely on it. Don't fall asleep!

Innocence Lost: The betrayal of a father

I have been formulating in my mind a blog about subterfuge, however that will have to wait until next time as there is a more pressing matter to discuss; the parent/child relationship and more specifically, the father/son relationship.

Dispatch: “7B be in route XYZ location for a seven year old suffering from an emotional disorder running away from his mother.

7B: “in route”

Dispatch: “7B be in route code 3. Call has been upgraded to an 11-45, child made threats of killing himself and has jumped over a fence and into a pool”

7B: “10-4”

I arrive on scene, flagged down by mom at the community pool. The seven year old, is thankfully not in the pool, but on top of a slide on the adjacent playground inside the pool complex. A sigh of relief as I realize it was just another case of a parent overreacting and communication error with police dispatch…..WRONG!

What I encountered over the next hour was emotionally heart wrenching. It was tragic. I realized that in the pool or not, this child was drowning and what’s worse, he may have been under so long that irreparable damage had been done.

The long and short of it the child’s father is in prison. In prison for sexual abuse. I’ve seen it before, taken many reports of molestation by family members of kids of all different ages. Generally, as a police officer, you bury those cases down deep with in you, using bad humor and whatever you can so that it doesn’t destroy you. Something about this kid and this situation was different.

As I entered the gate and started approaching the child at the top of the slide I could see him watching me, waiting for me to cross some imaginary line he had drawn that meant I had come too close. “Get away from me!” He yelled repeatedly and tried to talk to him, comfort him and get him to come down. Get him to trust me just enough. An impossible task, even doubly so because of the uniform I was wearing. “I hate police officers! Leave me alone! You took my dad away!”

The boy eventually climbed off the play structure, making a futile attempt to climb a tall fence, then running around before he was snatched up my Sergeant who he hadn’t seen. The boy fought and screamed and kicked but a seven year old boy is no match for a full grown police officer…..no match for his father either.

I took hold of the boy and he battled me for the better part of a hour as I tried to comfort him until our psychological response team arrived, and then a private ambulance. A seven year old struggled without relent and I was physically and emotionally drained by the end of it and still had an entire shift to endure.

Holding that child he felt so much like my son who is just a few years younger. Innocence lost! I felt a momentary rage towards this boys father and wanted great harm done to the monster. My anger was only momentary; the child’s would be indefinite. I prayed numerous times while he was in my arms. I still pray that he will not become like his father.

A few moments of light in a dark time….I heard my Sergeant speaking with the mother and as she was relaying what the father had done my Sergeant interrupted and refused to let her call him “father.” He looked into her eyes and said he’s not a father, then looked at the grandfather who was standing nearby who you could tell had taken on that role, and he said that’s a father!

Last week I saw the Christian movie, Courageous, which if you don’t know is specifically about fathers. There is a dialogue in the movie where the lead character’s friends tell him you’re a good enough father and he replies that he does not want to just be a “good enough father.”

There are plenty of bad fathers out there; enough fathers who are good enough and one perfect Father. We have a responsibility to our children to try our best to be great fathers, to model The Father and, if we can, help the fatherless as well. If I was a better blogger, I’d be able to throw the statistics out there of the failure rate of children without fathers. We can’t do it alone. We need the support of mothers and other fathers, if one stumbles the others help him back to his feet.

Do not violate the innocence of any child and make sure that your children can trust you. Raise your sons to be men. Any male can impregnate a female. It takes a man to be a father.

What is your ZOMBIE plan?

Today I went to the Gun Show with some friends and it caught my attention the variety of different people I saw there. Men, women, children, military, hunters, law enforcement, collectors, marksman…..Zombie Killer. What? Zombie Killer? Really?

For each type of person attending there were at least four times the amount of products catering to that person. Yes, even the Zombie Killer. I noticed this trend starting several years ago with a surge in zombie movies coming out of Hollywood, leaving zombie movie enthusiasts with the burning question…..What if zombies come, will I be ready? What is my zombie plan?

Naturally, people would have to begin preparing for such an apocalyptic nightmare. They must acquire the weapons to kill these creatures and hone their skills in the mean time. Praise to the capitalist for seeing this demand and providing a vast supply of zombie targets to meet it. Now people can adequately prepare for the zombie apocalypse and God bless our fellow Americans they want to help others prepare as well. One individual was wearing a t-shirt, which read, “Ask me about my Zombie plan!” No doubt excited to share his expertise with the next brother or sister ready to take up arms against the enemy.

As silly as it all seems, and how paranoid you may think the people are who attend gun shows, I saw something entirely different.

Our Creator provided us with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our Founding Fathers were smart enough to know that these things must be fought for and defended at all times…..they gave us the Constitution and it’s Bill of Rights. More specifically they gave us the 2^nd Amendment.

“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

The threat of a Zombie Apocalypse is right around the corner. There is always a risk of losing our unalienable rights to evil people and tyrannical governments. The whole zombie killing phenomenon is just a pop-culture inspired way for people to lighten the mood. Society today makes mere gun ownership seem taboo and having multiple guns, learning about those guns and actually shooting those guns regularly makes you a right wing nut job! The mindset is wrong! You do not want a plumber who owns one wrench and replaces a sink drain 2-3 times a year to re pipe your house. You would prefer the veteran surgeon over the med-student when having your triple-bypass heart surgery. Why does a familiarity with firearms make those individuals more risky? Answer: it doesn’t.

Being prepared should not be synonymous with being paranoid. You don’t have car insurance because you are paranoid about getting in a wreck. You most likely have it just in case but the key is, you have it. There is not a one policy fits all approach by insurance agencies either, a wide range of policies exist to fit different peoples situations. Your neighbor may have a more expensive car or a teenage driver or likes the peace of mind of a little bit more coverage.

Our Founding Fathers knew The People were the key check and balance to government’s power, not only with their votes and ability to petition the government for redress of grievances but the ability to defend their God given rights.

If you don’t have a zombie plan, you should think about getting one. If you don’t know where to start, Ask me about my Zombie Plan!

Personal Responsibility vs. External Locus of Control

The Devil made me do it! The blame game! It’s not my fault! Recently my five year old has been struggling with personal responsibility. I throw him a perfectly thrown ball and he drops it. The ensuing response…”That was your fault!” “You didn’t keep your eye on the ball,” I say. His reply, “I did!” Try to explain why something happened the way it did and be ready for an excuse. The frequent excuses and blame shifting drives me crazy.

Then again he is only five years old. I still have time to establish a sense of personal responsibility. What about adults who have an external locus of control? I mean we all do to some degree, but some of us are in the advanced stages of this disease. I think politicians must be particularly susceptible to it but I digress.

The lack of personal responsibility is a major problem with society today. Think of the people you admire most, bosses you have enjoyed working for, leaders you have respected…where were they on the spectrum of personal responsibility? Blame shifting has never been an admirable quality yet so many people do it. To make matters worse we have people and programs, which foster an external locus of control. These enablers are not necessarily bad people and their intentions may be good…but as the saying goes: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

We have an obligation to teach personal responsibility and model it for others. A strong sense of personal responsibility also leads to positive self-image and sense of accomplishment when we do achieve something. We need to invest in our own self-worth. This is why social programs that offer a hand-up ad not a hand out are so much more successful in the long term. “If you teach a man to fish….”

This is why the Founding Fathers got it right when they penned the unalienable right, “the PURSUIT of happiness” and not simply “happiness.” The struggle in life is what makes it satisfying its what makes you feel proud of your accomplishments. It’s why a class system from poverty to elite is necessary. It’s why concepts such as “Social Justice” are wrong. This does not mean however that we as individuals (not a collective) do not have a responsibility to help those less fortunate. But we must target our charity to the can nots and not the will nots. We must teach personal responsibility.

For us to have a truly productive, flourishing successful society and nation we must be willing to recognize our INDIVIDUAL mistakes and be honest with ourselves. We need to learn from the past and not live in it.

9/11 -- Have we Forgotten?

Has America Forgotten???

The ten-year anniversary of 9/11 has come and gone and sadly it has left me thinking that Americans have already forgotten. The days and weeks leading up to the anniversary were filled with various television specials about the tragic event. Unfortunately many networks saw the anniversary as an opportunity to attempt to get ratings by airing conspiracy theories rather than making it about somber remembrance, heroes and the American spirit.

I wonder how much of the “We will never forget,” mantra is simply a fashionable saying and less reality. I love America and Americans. I think we are a unique and strong willed people that value freedom and will come together in times of crisis. But the truth is we do forget. We get comfortable with routine, involved in our own lives, our own interests and own concerns. Yes we are charitable and loving but we are also distracted. Sure we may never forget the events of 9/11 but I think we forgot along time ago how it made us feel that day and who we were on 9/12.

As you may or may not know I am a police officer. 09/11/11 was a workday for me and I felt honored to put my uniform on that day, placing our department’s 9/11 commemorative badge on my chest. I began my shift in the afternoon and at that time there was one tray of cookies with a card from one family and their young children thanking us. (Which I always find awkward being thank collectively but it is much appreciated). I did not see any additional cards at the conclusion of my shift 10.5 hours later. As I went through my shift I had a box of small American flags (made in the U.S.A. of course) that I had planned to hand out to kids I may have come across during my shift. Unfortunately the radio had other plans for me and it was business as usual. Call to call, contact to contact, house to house and business to business. 9/11/11 and outside of a much appreciated card and tray of cookies, there was not one thank you, not one hand shake, not one appreciative horn honk as I drove by. A full box of American flags on the seat next to me that I didn’t get to hand out and I wondered if it even mattered.

I don’t enjoy being a Police Officer because I want special attention or people to come thank me for the job I do. I don’t look for praise. The lack of it on the ten-year anniversary however; stung me to the core. Has America forgotten?

No! That one card with scribbled handwriting and misspelled words and tray full of cookies tells me that as long as one person remembers all is not lost.

A Simpler Time: What can you offer?

Imagine for a minute that the world was reset to a “simpler” time. Much of today’s technology does not exist. If you want food you have to grow it, hunt it, gather it OR trade something tangible for it. The Barter System. You have to provide something that people want or need to get what you want or need because money does not exist. What can you offer?

I asked myself this question and the answer I got was luke warm at best. Sure there are plenty of things that I can do. Plenty of things that I’m good at in the current service oriented America we live in. What if I had to be a producer though? What if I needed to create something that was an absolute necessity? Heck, I can’t even keep a cactus alive, let alone grow my own food. Every Spring I tell myself, OK this year I’m going to grow some vegetables. You know nothing crazy, I’m not a farmer or anything and like many of you I don’t live on a huge chunk of land. By grow vegetables I mean a tomato plant in a pot and maybe some zucchini and a pepper plant or two. Every year it seems I end with the same result…. A plant with one shriveled zucchini and a few small peppers. Thank you tomato plant! Some how tomatoes I have found moderate success with. I can buy a tomato plant and actually get my money back in tomatoes, by shear luck no doubt and the clever biologist who found ways to engineer idiot proof tomato plants.

My grandfather was an amazing woodworker. Every year he would make some truly amazing toys for children’s hospitals at Christmas time. Each of his creations had the upmost attention to detail and quality. He could do anything with wood. I can remember him reworking a piece of wood, repainting it and in many instances starting over if it was not perfect. He took pride in it and the completed product was something to be proud of.

It used to be that everyone in America was that way. Creating things with their own hands and valuing the quality of their work. Things were created here in America. We live in a different world today but I think it’s important to hold on to a little bit of the past. I would encourage everyone to learn to create or do something tangible. Knit, woodwork, metalwork, brew, farm, sew, grow, fish, hunt, build, create!

Find that old art form that appeals to you and invest just a little time each day or week to it. Pick a small project to start and don’t stop until its perfected.

I’m reminded of something Tom Cruise’s character Algren said in the movie, The Last Samurai reference the Samurai:

“They are an intriguing people. From the moment they wake they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue. I have never seem such discipline.”

This is America and we are intriguing ourselves. We are great!

In the beginning ...

Welcome to Atlas Patriots and thank you if you have found your way here and are reading our very first post. This site, this blog, this THING; is simply an idea. It is fluid. It will be defined by your contributions, your involvement; along with my personal ideas, beliefs, thoughts put into type. Atlas Patriots, I hope, will become a forum for civilized discussion on a wide range of topics. Discussion I hope will lead to action. The one thing I would ask, the thing that defines an Atlas Patriot, at least at this point in time, is to “Produce what is needed.” More on this later.

I should let people know that I’m not a writer. I’m not even a blogger. I don’t have eloquent and articulate things to say or points to make. I have thoughts. I have a series of things that I believe based on life experiences and information I have gathered from sources in which I find credible. Common sense has been critical in the forming of my beliefs. That being said, I also know that one’s beliefs can change. Often times maturation leads to change in beliefs and maturity comes through knowledge. It is completely acceptable for a child to believe in Santa Claus for instance but as he becomes more knowledgeable his belief in St. Nicholas changes. Children also learn the truth about Santa Claus at different ages, so it is not so strange that adults will change their views as they garner more knowledge about certain subjects. We must not belittle one another for our views, but educate others about why we believe what we believe, back it up with as much evidence as we can AND be willing to change our beliefs if it makes sense.

Admittedly, part of the reason Atlas Patriots was created was selfish. I needed an outlet to express whatever topic I wanted to discuss. Additionally, I want to become an active participant in restoring America’s greatness. Alexis de Tocqueville said: “America is great because America is Good.” The “People” are what set this country apart; the “People” make America great and the goodness in people comes from the Almighty.

Some of what I have said may have turned some people off already to this forum and that is understandable. I would ask that you venture outside your comfort zones, into enemy territory if you will. Take risks! Be willing to share your ideas and learn new ones. Your foundations may be shaken, your ideals tested to the core. What is built on stone will remain while what is built on sand will wash away…regardless you will emerge a stronger person; a better person. More to come…