Navy Yard Shootings: Terrorist, Crazed Gunman, or Victim? Anything's Possible!

Having been the victim of whistleblower retaliation three times in the last 5 years, I would NOT be surprised if the Navy Yard shooting suspect was a victim of harassment, discrimination, and/or retaliation, what I call "Institutional Terrorism".

My core values are selflessness, loyalty, integrity, compassion, excellence, dignity, and respect, and I believe in DOING THE RIGHT THING, something that has caused me a great deal of personal and professional grief over the course of my life as many of you know. Telling the truth and feeling obligated to report wrongdoing are not qualities everyone appreciates as I have found out. Currently, neither I nor most of the world know what prompted the suspect in today's Washington DC shootings, Aaron Alexis, at the Navy Yard to lash out indiscriminately, killing a reported 12 souls and injuring at least as many. But I can speculate as I have in previous recent articles.

From reporting my bully of a boss at one of the country's largest general contractors to human resources in 2009 to filing a discrimination and retaliation complaint against a University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC) associate dean in 2011 to reporting whistleblower retaliation by a government contractor and the Department of the Interior just this year, I had no choice but to act if I were to be able to look at myself in the mirror each morning.

Unfortunately, neither private business nor government institutions care about employees or customers (people) and do not hesitate to lash out at those they see as a threat. Why? Because they can!

They, the individuals and institutions that will not hesitate to ruin a person's life if we do not conform to their expectations or, God forbid, threaten their existence or livelihood in the case of the gross fraud, waste, and abuse I and many others have witnessed and reported, are not concerned about being held accountable for their actions or inaction. Discrimination and retaliation laws in this country, particularly whistleblower retaliation law and policy, have been degraded since the Bush (II) administration and are rarely if ever enforced because of the high costs involved with investigating or prosecuting cases and because attorneys will not touch a case unless there is a high probability of success and six to seven figure settlements. Pro bono you say? Yea ... right!

Lawyers will do nothing "for nothing" unless forced to or unless there is national media attention in the cards. Corporations and other large institutions know they can get away with attacking employees and customers because they know, in all probability, that they will get away with it.

Back to Alexis and the tragic massacre in Washington DC. I have no idea what compelled this man to lash out at coworkers, but based on my own experience, other mass shootings (aka "going postal"), and knowledge of human behavior, there is a chance that this man had been persecuted by a fellow employee or supervisor and was let down by a system (supposedly) designed to protect him. Having experienced the frustration that comes with that firsthand, I can tell you that retribution against attackers, at least the thought of such, is a distinct possibility. Add anxiety, depression, and loss of job, home or relationship to the thought of retaliating against our attackers and you have the making of a time bomb waiting to explode.

Most of us have the positive values and resilience to deal with such thoughts or temptations to act more humanely, more reasonably than others in those situations. But a small minority of the population, those overwhelmed by stress for example, do not.  Was Alexis one of them? Only time will tell.

One thing is for sure, Alexis, a Navy Reserve veteran, will undoubtedly be categorized and condemned, as are most Veterans, as being "aggressive" and "threatening", and has already been labeled as having "anger problems" in a Fox News (@FoxNews) report just hours after the attack. I have written extensively about false perceptions among the civilian sector about Veterans, lumping us all together and generalizing that Veterans are "all angry, aggressive, and threatening" because that is how we have been portrayed in the media for decades, if not centuries.

Murder has declined sharply over the last 20 years, but mass murders have increased significantly since 2002. On average, 14,000 Americans die by the hand of an other each year and mass murder (shootings) has spiked with dozens murdered each year in 6 of the 7 most recent years (Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, Sandy Hook, Navy Yard). A total of 167 souls have died through mass murder in the last decade. Considering the fact that mass murders have become more prevalent recently, it appears to me that the stresses of war, the aftermath of 9/11 and threat of terrorism, a faltering economy, and degradation of whistleblower retaliation protections may play a critical role. The chances are astronomically AGAINST being the victim of mass murder, but proportionally MUCH HIGHER (when compared to murder in general) than just a decade ago.

When will this madness stop? Most likely, never. Until Institutional terrorism is addressed and laws protecting citizens from the powers that be are given more than "lip-service", there will always be those who feel their only course of action is violence when their back is against the wall. Or maybe Alexis was just a nutcase. That is a distinct possibility and, as more information is released, appears to be a very likely "part" of the story.

God bless the dozens of men and women killed or wounded in this horrible tragedy and God bless the families left to deal with the resulting grief and loss from a life cut short or severely disrupted by such an event, including the Alexis family. My prayers are with each and every one of you.

Key Words: Aaron, Alexis, Navy, Yard, shooting, violence, Washington, DC, NavyYardShooting, killed, murder, mass, murderer, shooter, military, Veteran, reservist, wounded, dead, institutional, terrorism

Lawyers: Selfless or Narcissist … What Do You Think?

Here is a great example of the difference between selfless people, those who go into the caring professions (veterinarians, nurses, social workers, etc.), and narcissists (the antonym of "selfless"), those who go into other professions, usually more prestigious and lucrative.  Can you say attorneys?  Sure you can!

I have seen literally hundreds of clients (I am a licensed psychotherapist) free of charge, "pro bono", hundreds, over the last 22 years, yet I have not and will not brag about it and would never think of mentioning it publicly except to highlight a poignant example, as I am here.

This particular lawyer, who I am sure is not an evil person and in-fact helped my wife get her attorney in her recent successful lawsuit, bragged about HIMSELF on Facebook yesterday (see referenced post below) about how he "waived" an amputees expenses "AND" ONLY CHARGED HIM HALF OF HIS NORMAL FEE ... ONLY HALF OF WHAT, $250 AN HOUR?  This poor man with only one leg had to pay just $125 an hour!

Here is his post:

"I am so humbled by the faith people put in me. I am also overwhelmed by the perspective my clients have despite facing the worst tragedies. I just settled a case today for a man who suffered a leg amputation when a car pulled in front of his motorcycle. Over the time I have been his lawyer, I never heard him complain ONCE about how he felt or how his entire life has been re-written. He was surely in pain, scared, frustrated -- but his attitude was always shockingly positive and upbeat. This client trusted me sight-unseen on the recommendation of a mutual friend. He lives half a country away, and could have picked any of the lawyers knocking on his door. But he chose me. His attitude and spirit prompted me--after our very first conversation--to waive his case expenses AND more than half of my usual attorney fee. So I am thankful to know this client, and I extend boundless appreciation to him  and our mutual friend who put us on the other's path."

When I think of pro bono, I think of the legal profession.  We always hear about attorneys who take pro bono cases for the poor or disabled right?  The problem with that is those cases are usually high-profile cases, the ones that make it on television, shows like 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, or one of other well known programs.  The others are usually during highly publicized trails like Casey Anthony, Jodi Arias, or Robert Zimmerman to name a few recent examples.  Why is it that only these people get “pro bono” defense?  PUBLICITY, that is the reason, tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars in FREE PUBLICITY … how altruistic those lawyers are!

This guy sees himself as a hero because he reduced his fee by half and ate the expenses, which normally do not add up to much or are highly inflated in the first place.  Here is a poor guy who lost his leg and probably cannot work, and the lawyer probably ended up with between $60,000 and $140,000 of the man’s money!  They probably settled out of court too, saving the attorney a hundred or more hours work while raking in the same (or more) than he would have if it had gone to trial.

Let me tell you a brief, "hypothetical", story.  A law firm takes on a case for national origin discrimination.  The big cheese, the guy the firm is named after makes only rare appearances, during the first meeting and when they go to mediation.  The rest of the time his “staff” works on the case only when they have time, rarely returning phone calls or emails from the victim because they are focused on bigger issues, other cases.  The entire firm spends minimal time, all the while telling the victim “you have a great case, we’re going to get you close to $500,000!”, which is a pittance compared to what she should receive for having her reputation ruined and losing her career.

As the trial date approaches, the lawyers realize that they have not done enough work, also called due diligence, and dropped the ball, so they ask for a five month extension from the court and it is granted.  Five additional months of stress for the victim and her family, needless stress because the law firm had higher priorities elsewhere.  Only then do the depositions begin, depositions that should have been happening months ago.  They have not even contacted the victim’s top witness yet and do not do so until she insists.  This is just a week before the mediation, which comes out of nowhere to the victim only a month before trail!

In the interim, the big honcho (he even wears a cowboy hat) is taking care of other cases and not even thinking about the victim’s case.  Now, finally, in the few months directly before the mediation and trial, his cronies (low-wage lawyers – compared to the honcho anyway) are finally spending some time on the case.  They probably spent no more than  50 to 60 hours total, and that is probably a stretch, on the case before the surprise mediation (an event the victim was told nothing about until last minute).

As they go into mediation, the honcho is finally there with his crisp brown Stetson, along with his two cronies.  The mediator comes in, a retired judge, and it is like “old times”, the honcho and mediator obviously knowing each other rather well.  The mediator admits that he knows little if anything about the case because he “just received it”, so the honcho starts laying out the victim’s case, a very complex case with hundreds of pages of evidence, over a just a fifteen minute period?  Honcho even forgets several extremely critical points and it is not his cronies that chime in to correct him, it is the victim’s husband!  And that is it, the judge says “got it” and scurries off to meet with the defense team across the hall.

The negotiations start off just below the figure mentioned above, but the numbers quickly drop as the mediator goes back and forth like a ping pong ball.  As time goes on, even though he knows little about the case, the mediator is making judgments, saying “you don’t have a very strong case” and “only 38% of plaintiffs are successful in Missouri”, and the victim’s attorney is agreeing with him!  What?  What happened to the great case the victim had?  Well, then it was time for lunch.

The honcho was gracious enough to offer to buy lunch for the victim and her husband at a French restaurant downstairs.  While the victim’s husband used the restroom, Honcho and his male crony ordered Maker’s Mark whisky on the rocks, in a glass the size of the Hulk’s fist, filled to the brim.  Must have been at least a triple shot!  Honcho’s wife, the other crony, ordered a glass of wine, so when the husband returned, Honcho said “we’re having one, you might as well order one too”, so he order a glass of wine   The victim does not drink and stuck with just water.  Less than half way into lunch, Honcho has already polished off his whisky, orders another, as did his sidekick, and here come two more tumblers full of alcohol.  There must have been AT LEAST 6 ounces in each glass, for a total of 12 ounces EACH over lunch…in less than an hour!

Things started heading downhill, to put it mildly, after lunch as the mediator became more negative and offensive and honcho getting more impatient with every minute, becoming hostile, raising his voice, and stomping out of the room at one point.

Looking back, it seems like a big production, a well rehearsed one at that, as honcho and his cronies started to insist the victim had a poor case and that she should think seriously about accepting an offer that was a fraction of the starting number.  They said “you’ll be lucky to get this much in court, if you can win at all”.  Wearing her and her husband down over several hours, which seemed to be the goal, honcho became enraged when the husband stated “I thought you said we had a good case, we were hoping that you would advocate for seeing this through to trial, we wanted to hear you say “let’s fight this and beat the bastards!’.”  At that point honcho stood up, cussed at the husband, saying “we’ll do whatever you want”, while his cronies kept pushing the victim harder and harder toward a settlement.

It all made sense now, “good cop, bad cop”, wear the subject down until they cannot take it any more, then go in for the kill!  Honcho and his cronies had everything to gain and nothing to lose by settling now.  They would receive 40% and much more than their hourly rate based on the small amount of work they had obviously put in, and would save themselves a great deal of work during the most intensive period, just before and during trial.  Win-win for the lawyers!

In the end, the victim received a little more than 10% of what she was told would be an equitable result, “making her whole”, an amount that would barely pay for a mid-priced car these days.  And that was supposed to make her whole after having lost a $65,000 a year job and a 20-year career?  I think the lawyers came out on top in this case, them and the mediator who charged thousands for a days’ work.

I would tell you about my personal experience with lawyers, an experience even less positive than this, but I will save that for another article, a book maybe.  All in all, I think Shakespeare was right when he wrote:

“
The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.” - Henry The Sixth, Part 2 Act 4, scene 2, 71–78

I do not mean that literally, but maybe the world would be a better place if there were not any in the first place.  Which brings me to the question: Selfless or narcissist?  Every lawyer I have ever met, with one exception out of hundreds were selfish, arrogant, narcissists.  Have you had a different experience?   I hope so.  If you have or have not, let me hear your opinion, about your experience with the legal profession.  

Key Words: lawyer, attorney, legal, court, mediation, case, trial, victim, plaintiff, defendant, defense, judge, narcissist, selfless, arrogant, viral, institutional, terrorism, InstitutionalTerrorism, CombatActivist

Copyright 2013 - 3rd Wave Publishing, A Subsidiary of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC - All Rights Reserved

HALL OF SHAME INDUCTEE: LANDWORKS - SPRINKLER REPAIR - KANSAS CITY, MO

HALL OF SHAME INDUCTEE: LANDWORKS - SPRINKLER REPAIR - KANSAS CITY, MO

I should have known there would be a problem when woman on the phone refused to provide a "free estimate" when I called at the end of July, 2013, stating we only do that for "big jobs" even though they advertise free estimates.  She was a bit snotty as well.

Having had no luck finding a dependable, competent, reasonably priced lawn sprinkler company in 5 years (I have gone through 5 or 6 and my system is still having problems), I decided to give them a try.

The worker arrived on-time and spent EXACTLY 2 hours digging up and repairing a leak in one of the lines as well as replacing a head and valve.  He said he was going to inspect and adjust all of the heads, but here it is less than six weeks later and I have more problems than before he arrived.  

I was charged for 3 hours when the bill arrived, so I called to complain and the woman quickly agreed to subtract the EXTRA hour from my bill, indicating to me that they likely inflate bills routinely.  I was also charged $36+ for the head and valve, parts costing $10 at Home Depot and a HUGE MARKUP ... CAN YOU SAY RIP-OFF?  The most absurd charge was for the PVC pipe, $36.81 for something that probably cost them less than $3.00 ... A 1000% MARKUP!  Then they have the gaul to add a $3.00 GAS SURCHARGE even though I was within their service area.

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY AND IF YOU DO USE THEM, ANNOTATE EXACTLY WHEN THE TECHNICIAN ARRIVES AND DEPARTS SO YOU CAN CHALLENGE THE BILL WHEN IT ARRIVES.  $65 AN HOUR FOR A TECHNICIAN WHO IS LUCKY TO BE PAID $15 AN HOUR (400% MARK-UP) AND 1000% MARKUP ON MATERIALS?  I'M OBVIOUSLY IN THE WRONG BUSINESS!

Key Words: Sprinkler, Landworks, repair, service, head, valve, PVC, rip-off, Kansas City, MO, installation, scam, overcharge, markup, snotty, combat, activist, institutional, terrorism

Copyright 2013 - 3rd Wave Publishing, A Subsidiary of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Stop Enabling Murderers and Rapists ANDERSON COOPER!

You have to murder, rape, or both to receive national media attention and, possibly, justice in this country. How many hundreds, thousands of hours do you and your peers waste every year providing prime nationwide television coverage to scumbags Anderson?

I recently lost my business, home, and most possessions BECAUSE I CHOSE TO DO THE RIGHT THING and report government fraud, waste, and abuse ... WASTE IN THE HUNDRED$ OF MILLION$!

I am just a retired military officer, disabled Veteran, and licensed professional counselor providing therapy to military and Vets (and their families) with PTSD. Do I have to kill someone, many, or myself to get attention and possibly justice in this country? Well, THAT DOG WON'T HUNT Anderson, ain't gonna happen because that is not the way I roll, NOT MY MO brother.

And we, American television viewers, citizens, wonder why middle-aged white men GO POSTAL? Many times it is because they were abused, bullied, discriminated or retaliated against, or otherwise harassed AND NOBODY GAVE A CRAP, NOBODY CARED BECAUSE STRAIGHT WHITE MEN HAVE NO RIGHTS. So the killer(s) feel as though they have no choice, other than taking extremely drastic measures, to receive (what they see as) JUSTICE.

As a middle-aged straight, white male who has experienced severe bullying, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation over the past 5 years and who has been completely ignored by my elected officials, government employees, lawyers, and the media, I can understand, intellectually, how some of those individuals felt. The only difference between me and them is that I have well defined personal values and the clarity of mind to know between right and wrong. Have I had fleeting thoughts of vigilante-type retribution? YOU BET! But I understand the difference between a short irrational thought and a course of action based on selflessness, loyalty, integrity, compassion, excellence, dignity and respect (my values). Those pushed to the brink of insanity cannot always make that distinction.

DO THE RIGHT THING ANDERSON! Stop prostituting yourself to Nielson Ratings and commercial advertisers, and tell the stories of real people, people struggling to serve their community, their country, leaving things better than they were before they arrived. Stop giving the narcissists, the sociopaths like Jodi Arias the attention they so desperately require and focus on telling the story of real Americans, those who deserve justice and cannot receive it unless something drastic happens ... DO SOMETHING DRASTIC ANDERSON ... TELL AMERICA HOW THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RUINED A MAN'S LIVELIHOOD FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN WANTING TO DO THE RIGHT THING.

Key Words: Anderson Cooper, Anderson, Cooper, enabler, enabling, murder, murderer, rape, rapist, justice, go postal, going, postal, values, harassment, bully, bullying, whistleblower, retaliation

Copyright 2013 - 3rd Wave Publishing, A Subsidiary of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Home Depot (Lawrence, Kansas) Pulls Bait and Switch on Disabled Vet

We are moving to Lawrence, Kansas after losing my business, our home, and most possessions after the federal government and government contractors retaliated against me, illegally cancelling a $50,000 contract this past January and blacklisting my service-disabled veteran-owned small business because I "BLEW THE WHISTLE" AFTER WITNESSING AND REPORTING FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE ON A GRAND SCALE LAST YEAR.

After being forced to give up our 4,200 square foot lakefront home, we are moving to a 1,000 square foot "fixer-upper" in Lawrence . We desperately need to install new floors in the Lawrence house after years of neglect, so we went to Home Depot (Lawrence, Kansas) to look for flooring.

The salesman, Robert Jenkins, a seemingly nice person of British descent, told us they were having a special on installation ... JUST $399 FOR A WHOLE HOUSE! We could hardly pass up a deal like that, particularly in our present financial situation, so we picked out the flooring we wanted and scheduled a measurement appointment for the next day (8/6/2013 - we were charged $50 that would be refunded upon completion of our order). 

I called the day after the measurement, being told that I would receive a call "as soon as the measurements were taken" (which never came), wanting to schedule installation as soon as possible because Robert had told me that installations were running three weeks out and we wanted to have the work done before we move-in.

Here comes the old "Bait and Switch"! I finally got a call at 8:30PM last night (8/7/2013) from a salesman stating that he had my quote. One of the type (of salesman) that love to hear their own voice and cannot listen to save their life, he started rattling off prices for the job that I estimated, based on what I was told in the store on 8/5/2013, at $2,200 after military discount (10%) and taxes.

He said the flooring was actually $300 cheaper than I expected because I had overestimated the square footage by 100, so things were looking good ... UNTIL HE STARTED LISTING THE THINGS WE WERE NOT INFORMED ABOUT IN THE STORE!

He went on: "you're going to need sub-flooring at 25¢ a square foot" ... Hey, wait a minute, nobody ever mentioned having to put in a sub-flooring at the store; he continued: "the installation of the sub-flooring and the quarter-round baseboards are an additional $400" ... baseboards? "Yes, THEY ARE REQUIRED and will cost an additional" ... I tuned-out at that point due to the shock of what I was hearing. When he said "that brings the grand total to $4,500" and change ... What? What happened to the $399 installation? "Oh, your order does not qualify for that special pricing". And I have to pay for baseboards and their installation that I never asked for? "You bet, we do not install flooring without new baseboards". At that point I was so pissed-off that I told him to take his bait and switch tactics and put them where the "SUN DON'T SHINE" in so many words or less.

I called Mr. Jackson this morning (8/8/2013) and told him what happened. He said their was some kind of mistake and that he would sort it out and get back to me shortly, knowing we were on a tight schedule and needed the floor installed BEFORE we move-in next week. Six hours later, Mr. Jackson called me and said "I was able to have the installation reduced to just seven hundred and some odd dollars, so now we are at only $4,000". After asking him why installation WAS NOT $399 as I had been told and to please itemize the bid, he had some information wrong, had to "fix" our estimate, and would get back to me in a few minutes ... THAT WAS OVER TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AGO!

I have been a loyal Home Depot customer for decades, driving past Lowes on dozens of occasions to spend tens of thousands over the past 25 years. The new house, which is over 100 years old, neglected, and in a desperate need of repair, we will likely spend tens of thousands of dollars more in the near future (if we can afford it) AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I WILL NOT BE PASSING BY LOWES ANYMORE!

Lowes also has a 10% discount for military and retirees, so they will be the recipients of my business and hard earned money from now on ... UNLESS ... Home Depot has the integrity to DO THE RIGHT THING and honor the promises made during our initial visit on 8/5/2013, which I highly doubt based on previous experience with large companies who could care less about customers, focusing on short-term greed and profit more than repeat business.

You KNOW why they think they can get away with treating us like shit? Because they do ... ROUTINELY ... and because most people do not have the backbone, the discipline, THE NUTS, to follow through with a commitment ... EVEN IF IT COSTS THEM MONEY ... THEIR SELF-RESPECT ... THEIR DIGNITY ... THEIR INTEGRITY!

That is exactly why the airlines treat us like crap ... THEY KNOW WE ARE GOING TO BUY THE CHEAPEST, MOST CONVENIENT TICKET NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO ... NO MATTER HOW BADLY THEY TREAT US! They act with impunity because they can, because people let them get away with it ... IT IS CALLED Institutional Terrorism and is the reason I started this blog ...

WELCOME TO THE "HALL OF SHAME" HOME DEPOT, YOU HAVE A DISTINGUISHED LIST OF NEIGHBORS, INCLUDING:

Verizon Wireless

CenturyLink

KMart

Best Buy JE Dunn Construction

Greater Kansas City YMCA

The Diocese of Kansas City, Missouri University of Missouri - Kansas City YMCA Governor Jay Nixon, Missouri

Missouri Department of Higher Education

US Department of Education Congressman Sam Graves (MO 6th District) Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt US Department of Interior MHN Government Services

Magellan Health Services Etc ... Etc ... Etc ...

Join me ON THE FRONT LINES IN THE BATTLE AGAINST INSTITUTIONAL TERRORISM ... THE FIGHT FOR OUR DIGNITY AND THE RIGHT TO STAND UP AND SAY "WE ARE MAD AS HELL AND ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!"  DO YOU HAVE THE BALLS TO JOIN ME? WITHOUT THE MUTUAL, ORGANIZED SUPPORT WE CAN PROVIDE EACH OTHER, LARGE INSTITUTIONS WILL CONTINUE TO CRAP ON CUSTOMERS ... CITIZENS ... ANYBODY THAT GETS IN THE WAY OF POWER ... MONEY ... AND GREED.

UPDATE ...

To their credit, Home Depot contacted me shortly after writing this piece, offering to sell me the flooring at the price quoted by the salesman, nearly $2,000 less than they tried to get me to pay. I was quite impressed by their willingness to do the right thing. Unfortunately, they failed to tell me that the flooring was a "special order" and could not be installed until 2-3 weeks after we moved into the house. Being disabled and unable to move the heavy furniture and concerned about placing our furniture outdoors for two days, I had to refuse their offer and asked for a refund which they quickly processed. It was unfortunate that we could not get the new floor we wanted, but Home Depot went above and beyond in their willingness to make me, the customer, happy.

Home Depot has been removed from the HALL OF SHAME and I continue to shop there (unlike Best Buy, Verizon and others who were not willing to satisfy the customer).

CombatActivist ... OUT!

Copyright 2013 - 3rd Wave Publishing, A Subsidiary of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Lawyers: Selfless or Narcissist ... What Do You Think?

Here's a great example of the difference between selfless people, those who go into the caring professions (veterinarians, nurses, social workers, etc.), and narcissists (the antonym of "selfless"), those who go into other professions, usually more prestigious and lucrative.  Can you say attorneys?  Sure you can!

I have seen literally hundreds of clients (I am a licensed psychotherapist) free of charge, "pro bono", hundreds, over the last 22 years, yet I have not and will not brag about it and would never think of mentioning it publicly except to highlight a poignant example, as I am here.

This particular lawyer, who I am sure is not an evil person and in-fact helped my wife get her attorney in her recent successful lawsuit, bragged about HIMSELF on Facebook yesterday (see referenced post below) about how he "waived" an amputees expenses "AND" ONLY CHARGED HIM HALF OF HIS NORMAL FEE ... ONLY HALF OF WHAT, $250 AN HOUR?  This poor man with only one leg had to pay just $125 an hour!

Here is his post:

"I am so humbled by the faith people put in me. I am also overwhelmed by the perspective my clients have despite facing the worst tragedies. I just settled a case today for a man who suffered a leg amputation when a car pulled in front of his motorcycle. Over the time I have been his lawyer, I never heard him complain ONCE about how he felt or how his entire life has been re-written. He was surely in pain, scared, frustrated -- but his attitude was always shockingly positive and upbeat. This client trusted me sight-unseen on the recommendation of a mutual friend. He lives half a country away, and could have picked any of the lawyers knocking on his door. But he chose me. His attitude and spirit prompted me--after our very first conversation--to waive his case expenses AND more than half of my usual attorney fee. So I am thankful to know this client, and I extend boundless appreciation to him  and our mutual friend who put us on the other's path."

When I think of pro bono, I think of the legal profession.  We always hear about attorneys who take pro bono cases for the poor or disabled right?  The problem with that is those cases are usually high-profile cases, the ones that make it on television, shows like 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, or one of other well known programs.  The others are usually during highly publicized trails like Casey Anthony, Jodi Arias, or Robert Zimmerman to name a few recent examples.  Why is it that only these people get “pro bono” defense?  PUBLICITY, that is the reason, tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars in FREE PUBLICITY … how altruistic those lawyers are!

This guy sees himself as a hero because he reduced his fee by half and ate the expenses, which normally do not add up to much or are highly inflated in the first place.  Here is a poor guy who lost his leg and probably cannot work, and the lawyer probably ended up with between $60,000 and $140,000 of the man’s money!  They probably settled out of court too, saving the attorney a hundred or more hours work while raking in the same (or more) than he would have if it had gone to trial.

Let me tell you a brief, "hypothetical", story.  A law firm takes on a case for national origin discrimination.  The big cheese, the guy the firm is named after makes only rare appearances, during the first meeting and when they go to mediation.  The rest of the time his “staff” works on the case only when they have time, rarely returning phone calls or emails from the victim because they are focused on bigger issues, other cases.  The entire firm spends minimal time, all the while telling the victim “you have a great case, we’re going to get you close to $500,000!”, which is a pittance compared to what she should receive for having her reputation ruined and losing her career.

As the trial date approaches, the lawyers realize that they have not done enough work, also called due diligence, and dropped the ball, so they ask for a five month extension from the court and it is granted.  Five additional months of stress for the victim and her family, needless stress because the law firm had higher priorities elsewhere.  Only then do the depositions begin, depositions that should have been happening months ago.  They have not even contacted the victim’s top witness yet and do not do so until she insists.  This is just a week before the mediation, which comes out of nowhere to the victim only a month before trail!

In the interim, the big honcho (he even wears a cowboy hat) is taking care of other cases and not even thinking about the victim’s case.  Now, finally, in the few months directly before the mediation and trial, his cronies (low-wage lawyers – compared to the honcho anyway) are finally spending some time on the case.  They probably spent no more than  50 to 60 hours total, and that is probably a stretch, on the case before the surprise mediation (an event the victim was told nothing about until last minute).

As they go into mediation, the honcho is finally there with his crisp brown Stetson, along with his two cronies.  The mediator comes in, a retired judge, and it is like “old times”, the honcho and mediator obviously knowing each other rather well.  The mediator admits that he knows little if anything about the case because he “just received it”, so the honcho starts laying out the victim’s case, a very complex case with hundreds of pages of evidence, over a just a fifteen minute period?  Honcho even forgets several extremely critical points and it is not his cronies that chime in to correct him, it is the victim’s husband!  And that is it, the judge says “got it” and scurries off to meet with the defense team across the hall.

The negotiations start off just below the figure mentioned above, but the numbers quickly drop as the mediator goes back and forth like a ping pong ball.  As time goes on, even though he knows little about the case, the mediator is making judgments, saying “you don’t have a very strong case” and “only 38% of plaintiffs are successful in Missouri”, and the victim’s attorney is agreeing with him!  What?  What happened to the great case the victim had?  Well, then it was time for lunch.

The honcho was gracious enough to offer to buy lunch for the victim and her husband at a French restaurant downstairs.  While the victim’s husband used the restroom, Honcho and his male crony ordered Maker’s Mark whisky on the rocks, in a glass the size of the Hulk’s fist, filled to the brim.  Must have been at least a triple shot!  Honcho’s wife, the other crony, ordered a glass of wine, so when the husband returned, Honcho said “we’re having one, you might as well order one too”, so he order a glass of wine   The victim does not drink and stuck with just water.  Less than half way into lunch, Honcho has already polished off his whisky, orders another, as did his sidekick, and here come two more tumblers full of alcohol.  There must have been AT LEAST 6 ounces in each glass, for a total of 12 ounces EACH over lunch…in less than an hour!

Things started heading downhill, to put it mildly, after lunch as the mediator became more negative and offensive and honcho getting more impatient with every minute, becoming hostile, raising his voice, and stomping out of the room at one point.

Looking back, it seems like a big production, a well rehearsed one at that, as honcho and his cronies started to insist the victim had a poor case and that she should think seriously about accepting an offer that was a fraction of the starting number.  They said “you’ll be lucky to get this much in court, if you can win at all”.  Wearing her and her husband down over several hours, which seemed to be the goal, honcho became enraged when the husband stated “I thought you said we had a good case, we were hoping that you would advocate for seeing this through to trial, we wanted to hear you say “let’s fight this and beat the bastards!’.”  At that point honcho stood up, cussed at the husband, saying “we’ll do whatever you want”, while his cronies kept pushing the victim harder and harder toward a settlement.

It all made sense now, “good cop, bad cop”, wear the subject down until they cannot take it any more, then go in for the kill!  Honcho and his cronies had everything to gain and nothing to lose by settling now.  They would receive 40% and much more than their hourly rate based on the small amount of work they had obviously put in, and would save themselves a great deal of work during the most intensive period, just before and during trial.  Win-win for the lawyers!

In the end, the victim received a little more than 10% of what she was told would be an equitable result, “making her whole”, an amount that would barely pay for a mid-priced car these days.  And that was supposed to make her whole after having lost a $65,000 a year job and a 20-year career?  I think the lawyers came out on top in this case, them and the mediator who charged thousands for a days’ work.

I would tell you about my personal experience with lawyers, an experience even less positive than this, but I will save that for another article, a book maybe.  All in all, I think Shakespeare was right when he wrote:

“
The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.” - Henry The Sixth, Part 2 Act 4, scene 2, 71–78

I do not mean that literally, but maybe the world would be a better place if there were not any in the first place.  Which brings me to the question: Selfless or narcissist?  Every lawyer I have ever met, with one exception out of hundreds were selfish, arrogant, narcissists.  Have you had a different experience?   I hope so.  If you have or have not, let me hear your opinion, about your experience with the legal profession.  

Key Words: lawyer, attorney, legal, court, mediation, case, trial, victim, plaintiff, defendant, defense, judge, narcissist, selfless, arrogant, viral, institutional, terrorism, InstitutionalTerrorism, CombatActivist

Copyright 2013 - 3rd Wave Publishing, A Subsidiary of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC - All Rights Reserved

ExpressScripts ... We Don't Care, We Don't Have To!

ExpressScripts is another government contractor out of control. We, Tricare beneficiaries, are forced to use this monopoly by Tricare and they could care less about customer service ... BOTH TRICARE AND EXPRESSSCRIPTS!

I needed 9 prescriptions filled prior to a 90 day business trip to Europe counseling military and their families, so I had receive needed medications prior to departure. I sent ExpressScripts the prescriptions via certified mail and they received them with 10 days to process, more than enough or so I thought.

I literally begged them to expedite my order and told them the consequences of deploying without my medications. I am 80% service-disabled and have two potentially life threatening conditions.

Rather than expediting my order, ExpressScripts sat on my prescriptions even after I called and emailed several times to help the expediting process.

Bottom line: They had more than enough time to process and ship my prescriptions, but it appeared obvious to me that they were deliberately stalling.

When a woman called me 3 days prior to my departure and "curtly" told me that I had to go to a local pharmacy and have them filled, I was beside myself. I begged her, again, to please process them, indicating that it would cost me much more to get them from a local pharmacy and that they still had plenty of time to fill and ship them overnight, BUT SHE RUDELY REFUSED IN A TONE OF VOICE I FOUND OFFENSIVE AND APPALLING! It was like a spoiled child saying "nanny, nanny, nanny ... I can do this just because I can".

In the end, I had to go to the local pharmacy and instead of it costing between $9 and $27, I PAID OVER $200!

That is not only horrible customer service, it is unethical in my opinion. ExpressScripts have us over a barrel and they abuse that power.  As Lily Tomlin used to say ... We're ExpressScripts, "we don't care, we don't have to!" ExpressScripts ... YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!

Copyright 2013 - 3rd Wave Publishing, A Subsidiary of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Clean Green Lawn ... Do Not Let the Competent, Clean-Cut Facade Fool You!

Clean Green Lawn
102 NE 82nd Terrace
Kansas City, MO 64118
(816) 506-2790

http://www.cleangreenlawn.net

I hired Clean Green Lawn to do some mowing for me last year and, unlike most contractors and service providers in Kansas City, they seemed friendly, competent, hard working, and, above all dependable. Integrity in business ... WHAT A CONCEPT!

We have been disgusted by company after company after company that either does not care or is too lazy or unconcerned about doing what they promise to do. Whether it is showing up for an estimate appointment, actually providing an estimate after coming to the house and surveying the work required, or following through with other promises, there are few businesses around with the professionalism, the pride, the integrity we as paying customers deserve.  That is correct...WE DESERVE QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR PAYING OUR HARD EARNED MONEY FOR A SERVICE OR PRODUCT...THAT SHOULD BE A GIVEN!

I thought I had finally found such a company in Clean Green, even going to the length of asking them to keep an eye on things and being "on call" for my wife during a recent extended consulting trip "in case of emergency".

Our lawn was in terrible shape after last summer's intense heat and drought, along with neglect by a housesitter who eventually abandoned our home (and animals) two weeks before my scheduled return.

I asked Clean Green's frontman Aaron to propose a seeding, fertilization, and weed control plan last fall.  The proposal was fair, so we started with seeding, $120 to verticut and seed about 1/4 acre.

When they arrived, the verticut machine they were using to prepare the ground for seeding appeared old and useless, because it was barely making a dent in the hard ground. I was not instructed to prep the yard or water prior to their arrival, so I asked if the shallow and, in some places, non-existent cuts in the ground would be enough to allow the seed to germinate.  I was ensured that it was and given an aggressive watering schedule, watering daily at first, then religiously every other day for two weeks for about an hour per zone (15 minutes more than instructed).

I asked Aaron what I could expect before winter and in the spring, so the owner pointed to the lawn across the street (which is quite thick, lush, and green) and said it should be fairly thick, something like that (pointing to the same lawn) "in a few weeks" and should grow in fully by May.

As spring sprung and March of this year (2013) came and went, our lawn looked as bad as it did, maybe worse, than it did BEFORE SEEDING LAST FALL!  All of our neighbors lawns were thick and green by mid-March, while ours looked like the surface of Mars.

I had sent an email to Aaron at Clean Green early in the New Year to double check on the spring fertilization, weed control, and mowing schedule. Being an 80%-disabled Veteran, I have difficulty mowing a portion of our lawn along a steep slope, approximately 1/8 of an acre, so I wanted to ensure everything was "good" for the Spring because I had lost a lucrative contract in January and knew that we might have to sell our beautiful home. I also wanted them to trim some bushes and get rid of the leaves that had accumulated over the winter, but never got the chance.

When I did not receive a reply by March and saw the state of our lawn compared to our neighbor's, I became anxious and sent Clean Green another email. Aaron apologized, stating that he "had not received my earlier email" (what if I had been away as was planned and my wife did in-fact have ah emergency?). I asked him why our yard looked so bad compared to other's and what he would do about it, stating that we were putting our home on the market and curb appeal, which was currently non-existent, WAS CRITICAL!

The answer I received was less than professional and not what I expected from a firm that seemed to be so reliable!  I was told that it was too late to do anything for this season and that they were "booked solid" anyway. Excuse me? What happened to the false promises of a "full, green lawn" not to mention our agreement to fertilize, apply weed control, and mow this season?  To paraphrase his response, he said "Sorry pal, we made no promises, so you're on your own".  He added "I'll refund your $120", which, compared to most of the thieves running businesses in the area, was gallant, but not what I was looking for. I pleaded with him to see if there was anything else he could do to help us sell our home, but I was declined ..."good luck bub!".

I just spent over $300 on equipment, seed, soil, fertilizer, and weed control, in addition to the $120 I paid Clean Green Lawn, bringing the total to close to $450 for a lawn that still looks absolutely horrible. On top of that, I pray that my back and knees hold out long enough to make the yard presentable in order to sell before the season is over and we, possibly, lose our home as so many have done since 2008.

BOTTOM LINE: If you need reasonable lawn mowing, Clean Green Lawn MIGHT BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT ... MAYBE NOT (IN OUR CASE). If you need anything more challenging done in your yard, I recommend you find someone else for the job. But then again, will you find a business with integrity, quality customer service, dependability, fair prices? I WISH YOU LUCK!

I will be posting more horror stories involving Kansas City businesses, services, and contractors as time allows because there are in-fact so many, I do not believe I have the time to address them all ... guess I will have to prioritize!  All reviews will be posted on those business's AngiesList accounts as well, but in my experience AngiesList is about as reliable as Clean Green Lawn, or Best Buy, or Ryan Lawn and Tree, or Verizon, or kMart ... etc. ... etc ... etc. ... You get the idea!

Title: Clean Green Lawn ... Do Not Let the Competent, Clean-Cut Facade Fool You!

Key Words: CombatActivist, fertilization, fertilizer, clean green lawn, landscaping, clean, Green, Institutional, InstitutionalTerrorism, kansas city, landscaping, Lawn, MO, mowing, seeding, Terrorism, yard, 64118, www.cleangreenlawn.net

Copyright 2013 - 3rd Wave Publishing, A Subsidiary of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Best Buy or Big Lie ... You Decide

If you saw my video about Microsoft Windows, you know I was thinking about making a move to MAC ... I DID! That is through good news. Here is the bad ...

I had been researching Apple computers online when I decided to go to Best Buy to see them in person, u close and personal. As I approached the Apple display, a young salesman approached and asked if he could help. Almost immediately, another salesman approached with an Apple MacBook Pro 13 in his hands. That was the beginning of the end if my customer relationship with Best Buy.

I only started shopping at Best Buy again in 2008 after a 15-year hiatus for an "integrity" problem I had with a store in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After moving to Kansas City in 2008, I decided to give them another chance, spending several thousand dollars there over the last 5 years.

Back to the story. The salesman with this "new" computer told me it had a small blemish, but was a new computer and had been checked out internally, passing with flying colors.

Intrigued, I proceeded to ask specific questions about the computer. Remember, I only went to the store to look, not buy.  I ask hill specifically about the size of the hard-drive, telling him I needed a 500GB hard-drive for my business. He assured me that it was in-fact a "new" model with a 500GB hard-drive.

I have never purchased used or slightly used electronics before, except for deeply discounted floor models with a full warranty, which HE ASSURED ME WAS THE CASE with this particular computer. He added "it has a 1-year warranty, parts and labor. If you have a problem with it in the next 12 months, simply bring it back to the store".

I verified AT LEAST one more time with both salesmen present:

1. New computer? - "Yes!"

2. 500GB hard-drive? - "Absolutely, no doubt!"

3. Bring it BACK TO THE STORE if I have ANY PROBLEMS in the next year? - "Yes sir, bring it back and we'll take care of it!"

SOLD!  After all, these clean cut young men are not working on commission and have no reason to lie, so I left the store with my new Mac!

I noticed over the next several weeks that the battery did not seem to last as long as I had heard Apple batteries did, so I found the user manual online. The manual stated that this model's battery was supposed to last 10 hours, but mine was lasting only 2 hours or so.

As I was learning how to use this new operating system, I did some digging and found out that it only had a 250GB hard-drive (this as just a few weeks after I bought it), but because it seemed to be working well and still had plenty of space on the hard-drive, I decided to let the salesman's "little white lie" go ... BIG MISTAKE BECAUSE, AS I FOUND OUT TODAY, I WAS STILL WITHIN BEST BUY'S RETURN POLICY LIMITS AT THAT TIME.

A week or so ago, I unplugged the power charger, which was lit green at the time, meaning that the battery was fully charged, to use the computer while watching TV. When I unplugged the cord, the computer displayed a message saying something like "battery critically low - attach power". However, when I plugged the computer back in, the display indicated that the battery was "98%" charged!  I decided to check and see if the display was correct, so I unplugged the computer once more and IT WORKED ... 98% power, so I continued to use it remotely for an hour or so.

No problems until this morning, April 30th, 2013, only 50 days after my purchase AND WELL WITHIN THE ONE-YEAR "RETURN TO STORE" WARRANTY PERIOD. Again unplugged the (lit green ... battery fully charged) power cord, sat down, and tried to turn the computer on ... NOTHING, NADA, NIENTE!  I returned the computer to its power supply and after it finally came on, taking longer than usual, the battery indicator displayed only an "X", indicating that there was no charge in the battery. In-fact, when I checked the battery's status using one of the System Tools, the report indicated that the battery was 0% charged even though it had been plugged in overnight. The report also stated that there was "no battery detected" ... UH OH!

While I was digging through the system report, I saw the model number of the computer for the first time ... It read "MacBook Pro 13 - Model 2010 Mid-Year". WHAT? 2010? NOT 2012 OR 2013 AS I WAS TOLD?

That was the last straw! I backed-up my hard-drive, contacts, emails, and so on, gathered my receipts, and left for Best Buy to return my faulty, misrepresented computer that I had purchased less than 60 days prior. I should not have a problem, after all, I am well within the one-year Best Buy  warranty period ... right?  Wrong!

When I arrived at the store, I asked the man at the front door if I could please see a manager. After receiving the "third degree" as to why I needed to speak to a manager, Darnell Dixon, Customer Support Manager came strolling nonchalantly up, looking as if he was baffled as to why a customer would want to talk to a manager. It took all if the self-control I could muster, I calmly explained exactly what I just told you, every detail. I recorded the conversation as I do all conversations (telephone and otherwise) where there is a chance that the person on the other end could be confrontational or "less than totally honest". After all, Darnell's employees lied through their teeth to get me to buy this three year-old piece if junk, so why should I expect any less from him?  I was right, I should not have!

All Darnell could say is "you are outside of our return policy limits and need to deal with Apple". But Darnell, your employee lied to me, misrepresenting a product and your warranty limits, and you that is all you can do ... REALLY?  But all Darnell could say is "you are outside of our return policy limits and need to deal with Apple".  Come on Darnell, surely you have some authority to do the right thing and stand by your employees claims when he coerced me into buying this computer UNDER FALSE PRETENSES?  But all Darnell could say is "you are outside of our return policy limits and need to deal with Apple".

I asked Darnell Dixon, Customer Support Manager, fir his card and told him exactly what I thought of his integrity, or lack thereof, and that I would contact his corporate headquarters and, most likely, NEVER SPEND ANOTHER PENNY AT BEST BUY!  I probably threw a few other expletives in there as I walked out the door, BUT I WAS PISSED ... HOW DARE THEY LIE TO ME ... HOW DARE THEY!

When I returned home, I immediately called 888-BEST-BUY just as Darnell told me and was connected to Brittany in the Complaints Department. I explained the while story, very calmly, to Brittany, which seemed to be sympathetic and compassionate. After 15 minutes or so, Brittany said "let me call the store and see what I can do".  I told her "thank you Brittany" and waited ten minutes while she called Darnell Dixon, Customer Support Manager.

When Brittany came back in the line, she said "you are outside of our return policy limits and need to deal with Apple".

Should I have been surprised?  Probably not. After all, customer service has become a thing of the past even though businesses are closing daily because in an economy in turmoil. I have been harassed, abused, and discriminated and retaliated against more times than I can recall over the past 5, 10, 15 years, So much so that I started a website called InstitutionalTerrorism.com, documenting story after horror story of large organizations treading on the rights, the emotions, the lives of innocent American citizens ... Verizon ... Century Link ... J.E. Dunn Construction ... Holiday Cruises ... Kmart ... Ryan Lawn and Tree ... Ace Tree Service ... Clean Green Lawn ... Kohl's ... Go Green ... University of Missouri - Kansas City ... Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ... Missouri Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt ... Missouri State Senator Rob Schaff ... Missouri Attorney General Koster ... the Missouri Department of Higher Education ... an "unnamed" school district that discriminated against a woman for being Italian ... the U.S. Department of Education ... the Greater Kansas City YMCA ... St. Therese Catholic Parish (Kansas City, MO) ... Kansas City's Catholic Bishop Finn (convicted protector of a child molester priest) ... TO NAME JUST A FEW!

Remember the movie NETWORK and the aging newscaster who wailed "I'm sick and tired and am not going to take it anymore! ... I'm sick and tired and am not going to take it anymore! ... I'm sick and tired and am not going to take it anymore!"?  Well, let me just say that I CAN RELATE ... I'm sick and tired and AM NITE GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

If you are sick and tired, please let me know your story.  If nothing else, you can cathart a little, releasing some of that pent-up tension before you explode and do further damage to your body as stress does. Maybe we can even do something as a group that we as individuals cannot. These businesses, companies, organizations, bureaucracies, institutions DO NOT CARE ... THEY DO NOT HAVE TO!

V3 is a Trademark of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC - Copyright 2013 - All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2013 - 3rd Wave Publishing, A Subsidiary of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC - All Rights Reserved