WisdomWorld

written by Cyber5

By sheer coincidence I was witness to a really touching event the other day!

The day had started with a quick run to the local grocery store, and ended with an enlightened and happier heart. I was on my way back from the grocery store trip, when I was diverted by local police. They had set up a traffic-direction cop that was waving traffic down a detour route. I assumed it was an accident, as there were flares and blinking lights.

While I sat at the stoplight waiting for my turn to be detoured, it occured to me that there were a bunch of motorcyclists turning in the direction I wanted to go, and where I was being deterred from going. The “bunch” turned into “a whole bunch” and then it was my turn to detour. While cruising at an unusually slow pace of 23MPH on a 40MPH street, I noticed that ALL of the oncoming traffic was motorcycles and cycle-like vehicles!

About a mile down the road, I needed to turn left. This was hindered by the fact that there were at least 12 others in front of me that were attempting the same thing. Everything was a standstill. A quick head-pop out the window showed me that another cop was prohibiting all left turns and that he was waving on a never-ending stream of motorcycles. My foot stayed on the brake for a fw minutes, and that turned into me putting the car into park and opening my door. This stream of cycles never-ended, so I started actively watching.

Each and every cycle had a bear or other stuffed animal strapped to it in some fashion! Some bears on the front, under the headlight. Others above the headlight, on the “chopper-style” handlebars. Even more were adorning the back rails of cycles. I saw Harleys, and Kawasakis, superbikes and long-road cruisers. Custom bikes and experimental bikes went past. I even saw a single moped! All had animals (stuffed) in tow, or in the arms of the back-seat passengers who were spending their time grinning and waving.

This continued for 3 minutes, then 5…8…12…30.

Finally it dawned on me that this was the “toy run” I had heard about on the news days before. The person behind me asked what was going on, and I related to him what I had overheard on the news days before. He smiled and lit a cigarette. We sat there watching motorcycles drive by with toys for tots (I’m not sure it was a Toys For Tots drive – so don’t confuse my observation with the actual Toys For Tots drive that is popular this time of year).

I’m sure I spent close to an hour sitting at that light, car door open and waving to the cyclists…not worrying about the things I had to do. This parade definitely took precedence over my tasks, even though I was bringing home diapers for our own disabled son.

I gleefully sat thru every cycle that passed by, as did at least 2 miles of cars behind me, and waved them on! Had we all known about it, we would have had lunches packed and flags to wave, I’m sure! So, we all sat there – outside of our cars, on the median – joyfully waving on our newfound passion (it really touched everyone’s heart, I’m sure), while they waved back and honked.

I saw some bikes that were probably worth $100, and some that were probably worth $100,00 – no joke! Each and every rider and bike though – evoked an emotional response that was priceless. They carried Barney’s and paddington’s, and “Fluffy White Xmas Bears”, Tiggers and Poohs…the list was endless.

I don’t know how many bikers there were, but I estimate that I sat thru 17,000 of them – right up until the the 12 police cars behind them signalled the end of the parade – and I arrived late!

I don’t know where they were from, or where they were destined for…but I can tell you this – on their journey to wherever, they touched hundreds of people and arrived in Heaven at least a thousand times.

I wish those bikers who drove through Melbourne, Florida a wonderful holiday – and a fantastic life. Whether they were wearing santa suits, elf hats, or studded leather – their heart was clearly displayed upon their sleeves that day!

There will be a lot of kids that have a Merry Christmas around here because of some caring bikers. So please – next time you see some scraggly looking biker pulling up at the light next to you, just think that come Xmas time, he might be doing more for the spirit of the holiday then you can even imagine, and cut him/her some slack. Also, pay attention to looking out for motorcycles and bicyclists all-year ’round, because one mistake from a driver might cost a life or two – and, it might also prevent a toy from being delivered to a needy kid at the holidays!

Happy Holidays to Everyone!
Be an angel and help some needy kids next year – your heart will benefit from it.

Cyber5

Sometime this week an ignorant, insensitive moron, obviously with an I.Q. no bigger than his or her inseam, decided that it would be a good idea to unload his shotgun in the direction of the Simpson’s Hollow Interpretive Site, a national historic site commemorating the 1857 military face off between the U.S. Army and the then territory of Utah. In the process this person damaged a piece of history that local residents have worked hard to make sure will always be remembered. Without a doubt, what this person did was a crime, and when he or she is caught, this person should be punished.

The question becomes, however, just what is this person guilty of? Doubtless, this person is guilty of vandalism, destruction of public property, and just plain stupidity, but is he, as Mike Brown of the Bureau of Land Management asserts, guilty of a “hate-related crime against Mormons”?

First of all, I have to ask: Why does every dumb thing that some whack job does these days have to be considered a hate crime? Are we so insecure in our accusations against society’s criminals that we need to further explain their actions to ourselves? Isn’t a crime just a crime?

Well, if it is explanations we need, try one of these on for size.

The federal government would explain the aforementioned act as a hate crime against Mormons. Why? Since the memorial represented a moment in history important to the Mormon church, this is the most obvious, and easiest, solution to accept. Or is it?

The Simpson’s Hollow Interpretive Site was made possible through a collaboration by the Rock Springs Stake of the LDS church and the Farson 4H Club. Maybe the perpetrator had something against the 4H’rs? Maybe he had a bad experience at the Sweetwater County Fair when he was young and nobody bought that prize pig he had spent so much time feeding and cleaning up after. Maybe, after a calf that he raised for slaughter was actually slaughtered, thus breaking his heart and forever corrupting his delicate state of mental balance, he swore to destroy all things 4H!

The other party that was involved in the face off at Simpson’s Hollow back in 1857 was the U.S. Army. Maybe the perpetrator is an anti-military protestor who was idiotic enough to use a violent act to voice his cause of peace? Maybe he is a closet homosexual who was denied entry into the Army when his recruiting officer learned his deep dark secret? Heck, maybe he just hates camo green? Regardless of the reason, could this have, just maybe, been a hate crime against the U.S. Army?

Since this was a national historic marker that was victimized, owned by all Americans, could it be that this cretin was really striking out against Americans! Could it be that he had a bad experience as a toddler in which he almost choked to death on a United States map that he just happened to be snacking on? Was he visiting the Lincoln Memorial as a child when he walked into a marble pillar and broke his nose? Maybe he’s a communist who has vowed to destroy all things American?

It is said that “history belongs to the world”. If this is the case, is it possible that the foul little creature hates the whole world? Is he angry that he was born with a not so sound dose of common sense? Is he ugly, unliked, unwanted and just plain dumb? Is he on a mission to destroy everything that represents the humanity of the world?

Maybe, just maybe, it isn’t anything so complicated. Humor me here, but I think I have a good explanation for you. Could it be, just possibly, that the weasel who did this was just a moronic vandal who was bored with bird hunting and in his delirium, and lack of mental capacity, decided that it would be a good idea to shoot up a few inanimate objects? Could it be that he was motivated by nothing so noble as hate, and was just a simple criminal?

If we read hate into every crime that is committed, then we must assume that the guy who shoots at highway signs is really committing a hate crime against the highway department, and the guy who litters in a national park is really committing a hate crime against the Sierra Club, and the guy who poaches an animal out of season is really committing a hate crime against legal hunters everywhere. That is the problem with hate crimes. They are subjective, and they depend on the perceptions of everyone but the person who commits the crime. The thing is, the person who commits the crime is usually not smart enough to have articulated such a great reason to commit it. Is the guy who pulled this stunt guilty of a hate crime? Doubtfully. More than likely he’s just a dumb, dim-witted, simple crook.

Peace,

Wisdom