respect | FknBucky

Posts Tagged ‘respect

Aug

BRO

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: Airport, Body, Bro, camera, Cop, crazy, drunk, Entitle, Floyd, George, Girl, karen, King, Leo, officer, Over, police, Pull, racism, respect, Rodney, video, women, Youtube

Let’s go. I have been writing my third book lately which leaves little time for blogging. I may not ever get them published, but I enjoy doing it so there you go. Maybe one day I’ll create something people will benefit from one way or another. Today I just feel like venting a bit and getting some things off my mind. There is an amazing change in our society that has gone largely unnoticed the last few years. There was this insane uprising a few years ago with riots and protests all across America then eventually led to major changes.

What are you talking about Bucky? George Floyd. Like Rodney King it is a name that most of us will remember for the rest of our lives for all the wrong reasons. I’m sorry that man passed away and I’m also sorry the world was manipulated by a media that pushed their narrative over facts with complete disregard for truth. People are in prison for what happened that day and rightfully so because they were convicted in a court of law. I don’t personally convict people in the court of main stream media but tend to stay rational most of the time. Well I do have moments.

What changed Bucky?? Great question. Body cameras. Remember when anyone that could get 30 seconds of air time was screaming all police needed them so we could finally catch these bastards beating up poor innocent citizens every single day. We could finally have evidence of the men and women in blue attacking people of color for no reason except they woke up that morning deciding to ruin the lives of minorities. We were promised this!! I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit watching videos on YouTube searching for these.

That isn’t what happened. In fact I’ve noticed all these idiots that screamed for body cameras are no longer on TV. Well they are probably screaming about something else now because that is what they do, but the exact opposite has happened and it is pretty amazing to me. For the record I have had more interaction with police than most people I know. I’ve been arrested more times than I’d like to admit and certainly have no love for the man, but I’ve learned to respect them and avoid them. I don’t commit crimes and keep my mouth shut when interacting with police.

I watch these videos and every single one of these folks ask for name and badge number, they escalate the situation WAY beyond what was needed, and continually ask “what did I do?” They don’t listen and get their law advice from a tiktoc video. Both are stupid. One more thing I must add. Girls that say the word “Bro” disgust me. Let it go ladies. No woman with class says the word bro over and over. It isn’t your word and nobody is your bro. Guys don’t even say bro anymore so let me inform you all. The bro is dead. Like Elsa Let it go.

If you have a few spare days in your life I encourage you to go down the body camera rabbit hole of YouTube. It is so satisfying to watch. I’m personally stoked these entitled assholes are getting the notoriety they deserve one 15 minute video at a time. If anything these videos have shown just how patient law enforcement officers really are and I’ve got a newfound respect for them. The patience they show in some of these videos is God like. Don’t get me wrong I’ll continue doing all I can to avoid interacting with them, but I’m happy they are out there protecting us from the crazies out there.

Lesson for today. If you have a vagina – don’t say BRO. Ever. Oh, and remember if you act like an ass with the police you got your wish and you will be videotaped. Thanks George.

FknBucky

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I realize some people will be upset on my respect for law enforcement and begin to talk about the small amount of times peace officers abuse their authority. Let me be clear. Any officer that shows racist or poor judgement should be fired and prosecuted. In a court. Not in a manipulated story for clicks.

Apr

Debate is Good

By Bucktown 1 Comment

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: Alba, boo, character, Civil, conservative, debate, fox, Greg, Gutfeld, Hate, idiot, jessica, left, liberal, love, news, respect, right, show, Spartanburg, talk, TV

My arms are worked this AM. I’ve done double workouts the last three days and when you skip leg day that adds up. I’m so committed to doing this darn pull up I might start wearing them again. If they put images of Jessica Alba on them instead of Superman, I bet more men would pull them up! Just saying. Okay let’s talk about something we aren’t supposed to talk about. How much your Mom hates you. Ha. I’m just kidding, I don’t want to talk about that, but trust me she does.

Take a joke Sally. I miss that word. This weekend I went to see a comic I enjoy, twice. You see I misread the ticket like an idiot and drove all the way to Spartanburg on Saturday for the show only to arrive to a completely empty arena. I thought “Bucky, this doesn’t look right” as I pulled into the empty parking lot. I pulled up Ticketmaster on my phone and sure enough the show was on Sunday. It had been about 3 hours since I had done something insanely stupid so I was definitely due. At least I got to drive my new Van so it wasn’t all bad.

On Sunday I got to the show and had an extra ticket. I bought them months ago and purchased the up close tickets with VIP access to the sound check. So glad I did this. I yelled out to the crowd waiting in front of the venue that I had a VIP ticket for the first person that wanted it. A lovely lady of 73 yrs young named Susan took me up on the offer. Turns out her son paid $130 for a fake ticket so she was SOL until I showed up. I gave her the extra one and felt good about myself. Sometimes being kind is really simple. I tell you this not to brag because I don’t need your compliments, I tell you only so that you might think about it next time an opportunity arrives for you to do something nice for a complete stranger. I’ll never see this woman again, but she will never forget me for all the right reasons. There is power in that.

Now the point of today’s blog. Greg Gutfeld is a TV show host on FOX news. I get it some of you hate FOX. I don’t care about that and relax for a moment because there was a very teachable moment for all of us here. On one of his shows “The Five” there are five people that sit around a table talking about different news worthy topics everyday. Usually there are 4 conservative leaning people with one liberal leaning person. One particular liberal named Jessica Tarlov is strong in her beliefs and is usually on the complete opposite side of political issues which makes her not so popular with the conservative audience of FOX. At the show Sunday Greg put up pictures of his co-hosts and talked about “insider” info on each of them. He put up a picture of Jessica and about 25% of the crowd booed loudly!

I was close to the stage, in fact I was only about 10 feet away from Greg when put this picture up, and anyone that watches the show knows the group of people around the table are all friends regardless of their political disagreements. WHAT BUCKY?? People who disagree about politics can be friends?? What is this crazy BS you talk?? Yeah friends can disagree about things. Back on topic. I could see in his face the disgust with those in the crowd that booed. He was visibly annoyed by it, and yelled “STOP THAT!” Immediately. I was so proud of him at that moment. He said “We don’t do that. We can be civil to the other side and NEVER shut down someone from expressing their viewpoint.”

He talked about if you are right or believe in your position on a topic, you should be able to defend it civilly with words. In fact debate is great, it is healthy, and it sharpens your argument which makes us all better. Shutting down someone from speaking is kid crap. Babies scream. Adults speak. If you have to shout someone down you already lose. Facts are facts. I don’t argue politics with my friends from the opposite of me because it has no purpose. I’m not going to say some remarkable thing to suddenly change their mind and they aren’t going to drop some crazy sentence to make me say “I was wrong all my life, thank you for posting that FB meme!!” We are who we are and you have nothing to be ashamed about. Be proud of you, but NEVER think you’re so right someone else doesn’t have the right to exist.

We don’t have to agree on everything to be friends. The world is going to be just fine regardless of what 24 hour BS news tells you. Mad crazy people are easier to control. Calm thinking rational people don’t make rash stupid decisions. Don’t be a mad crazy person. If your opinion is correct you should be able to express your viewpoint with a kind demeanor and listen to others without disrespect.

I had a great time at the show on Sunday and met some wonderful people. J and S (pictured above and full names withheld) let me sit next to them and we had tons to speak about before the show got going. They are amazing people that watched my stuff while I went to the restroom, I’m so glad I made the trip (twice), and thankful I got to meet all the wonderful people there. My overall point is simply don’t be the person who tries to shut down debate. Enjoy the show, have respect for everyone, and understand it is YOUR character that diminishes every time you scream BOO.

FknBucky

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Mar

Strength

By Bucktown Leave a Comment

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: awesome, beast, bodybuild, determination, diet, friend, gym, honor, mental, motivate, muscle, obligate, respect, sacrifice, strength, strong, train, workout

Strength. Great word and it has a million different meanings. A person can have strength in their mind, in their muscles, in their stature, in their character, and on and on and on. Other people respect strength most of the time, but they can also fear it. Sometimes that fear turns into jealousy and becomes ugly, but I don’t want to go down that path today. Instead I want to shine a light on some wonderful friends of mine that should have their picture next to the word strength in the dictionary.

When you first see them you might say “that is too much”. There was a time in my life when I would have agreed with you, but that is no longer the case with me. Now I’m in awe of these wonderful people and I want to explain why I bring it up today. I’ve mentioned the last couple weeks about my new journey of health and fitness. I will say any real trip worth taking is never taken alone. You need to have others with you, either physically or mentally and I think about these friends and the incredible sacrifices they make DAILY to achieve their goals to help me reach mine.

Well who the heck are they Bucky?? Well we are in the third paragraph so I’ll do the big reveal. My friend Garrett and his amazing GF Mina. They are bodybuilders and great ones at that. I’ve known Garrett for almost 10 years now and have personally seen his transformation bit by bit. The man is a BEAST and I could not be any prouder of him. I have seen the commitment he has to get into this type of shape and you say it is too much because you lack the strength to do it.

Anyone can lift a weight. It is easy. Me lift heavy thing – said in dumb voice. That has so little to do with the actual journey these incredible people take. The mental strength to not eat crap food every day for MONTHS in order to reach their level is insane. You can’t go 3 hours without eating some potato chips or 2 days without a bowl of ice cream. I used to poke fun of gym rats because I’m an idiot, but now that I’ve had to put the work in and lose weight by changing my lifestyle I’m blown away by these unbelievable humans that deserve all of our respect.

I was on life support in May of 2024. I was dead and somehow didn’t stay that way, but I was also 270 lbs, paralyzed, had a rotten kidney inside of me, and most of all angry. My situation sucked and it wasn’t fair, but it was reality. No amount of crying was going to change it. I had a therapist named Dana that is also a bodybuilder. I put her in touch with my other friends and now they are planning to take over the world together. Okay maybe not the entire world, but in that process I’ve started to see her journey on IG as well. She works full time, is about to get married so don’t get your hopes up boys, and still finds the time to kick some ass on the stage. All I have to do is stop eating candy for a few months to reach my first goal.

These three individuals are overflowing with strength, so much that they can give me some thru their IG page. Imagine that. Garrett takes the time to work out with me anytime I ask. Mina lets me makes jokes about her name all the time. Dana is just stupid hot. Every little bit helps… As you spend your days crying about Trump this or Biden that, chasing every new fad diet, or driving by the gym on your way to COOK OUT these real workout gangstas are out there getting shit done. Pay attention to the world and read, but don’t get so wrapped up in the BS you forget to live. Stop letting the TV or pansies dictate what you can be or do. Be OBLIGATED and not motivated.

I want as many of you as possible to come with me on this journey of health and happiness. It is no fun to show up alone. I want an army. Find people in your community already getting after it and study them. Imitate them. Become them. And most importantly…. Respect them. They have earned it.

FknBucky

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P.S. I purposely left their IG names on the tops of the photos. They gave me permission to use their names in this blog. Follow them. Learn from them. Respect them. These 3 people have helped me more than they know and truthfully this blog is my way of saying thank you to them.

Jul

Americans

By Bucktown 1 Comment

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: American, brave, dog, fail, free, freedom, great, hancock, happy, Hate, kind, love, planet, punch, respect, sad, sex, vote

Most of us that read this blog are Americans. I have readers all over the world actually and I love everyone of you. I listened to someone talking about everyone coming together after the failed Trump assassination who repeatedly said that America is the greatest country in the world. It made me wonder if people in Moldova are like “We are the 47th greatest country in the world!!” Some guy in Uzbekistan screaming to a crowd “When I was elected we were the 107th greatest country in the world and now we are 102!!! Suck it TrapZisteianistan!!!” I would literally fly there and pay to watch that.

Jokes aside. I have friends of all flavors. We argue at times. We disagree about some things. Not my fault though. Some of them still think women should vote. I know right. What can you do. We can laugh in America. We have the freedom to do so because brave, VERY BRAVE men and women died so that we could have that luxury. I for one will never forget or take my freedoms for granted. What happened on Saturday can not happen here. We are looked upon by others in the world as something to strive to, a place people want to try to be like, and for many out there simply knowing it exists makes the planet a better place. If America fails the world fails.

R or D. They mean nothing. There are 24 other letters. We need them all to spell TrapZisteianistan. Haha. Thought I forgot about them. Seriously though it takes everyone to make us the greatest country in the world. All colors, all sexes, all sexuality, all strengths, all personalities, born here, immigrated here, all incomes, and most importantly all abilities. We all play a role. That role can only be played with love. Hate and anger have no place. The moment anyone compares anyone to Hitler walk away. That conversation is over. There was only one Hitler and he was truly evil. Never fall for stupid arguments and don’t waste the energy. You are loved and welcome to vote however you want in America.

I’ve said this before “you can’t out hate someone.” You can only overcome hate with love and kindness. If someone hates you simply because of skin color, sexual preference, gender, or ______________ the best way to change that is to become the greatest person you can, one of character, substance, and love so they MUST respect you. That is how you change the world. I promise you don’t change anyone by an act of violence. Unless they earn a punch in the face for talking BS. I’m still okay with that.

Love yourself and each other.

FknBucky

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Apr

My Friend named Grandma

By Bucktown Leave a Comment

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: anger, bad, blog, call, Celebration, family, farm, friend, garden, Grandma, grandparents, happy, Hard, hartd, Hate, help, Iowa, Life, love, Mom, personal, phone, respect, sad, strength, wife, work

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Just boarded another airplane for another flight home. I’ve done this dozens actually hundreds of times before, but today is different. I’m flying home to say goodbye to one of my dearest friends. I’m so thankful for the time I was able to spend with her and will remember all the wonderful conversations we had over the last 20 years. For those of you that know me personally you know I have friends all over the world and I’ve been blessed to have so many of them. This friend was all alone in her category simply because of her name. Grandma.

I have always been close to my Dads father. I was named after him and that was a small club to be in. I probably don’t deserve his name as he was one of the greatest men I’ve ever known. When he was 80 yrs old I watched him carry a large metal tub filled with corn down to the hog barn to feed the chickens. Ha. Just kidding. There are pigs in the hog barn you fools!! When I would visit my Grandparents, Grandpa and I would sit at the table having tea and thoseamazing chocolate chip cookies only Grandma could make, while G-ma waited on us. Naturally most of the conversation was between us men. It was just the way it was. I mean we all know the golden rule. Women have to be quiet while the men are talking.

My Grandpa passed away 17 years ago and while back visiting Grandma she mentioned she is awake until 2-3 am most nights. I started volunteering at the children’s hospital in San Diego around this time. Every Tuesday night I would open and run a playroom for the kids to get out of their rooms and have some fun. My drive home was 30-40m min and almost always after 9 PM. I like to talk to people when I’m driving, but 9 PM is a little late to call friends to just say “hey”. One night I thought Grandma is awake, I’ll call her. I called, she was up, and we had a great talk. As time went on, week after week, I would continue to call G-ma on my drive home. She looked forward to it and so did I. Something happened during those calls. My Grandma became my friend.

She told me so many stories. How she first knew my Grandfather was the man she would marry. He was at her place to help do some sort of work and as he left the house with the others, my grandma handed him a pair of gloves and their hands touched. Not a quick touch, but long enough to gaze into each others eyes and decide I’m going to marry this person. Simpler times. A hand lingering just long enough to relay the message, but not too long to be creepy.

She told me about her wedding day. They were going to “honeymoon” in Waterloo planning to eat a fine dinner and then going to see a movie. For reasons not discussed the young married couple were running late and had to smash a couple burgers quickly so they could still make the movie on time. The best part was the happiness in her voice as she relived these memories with me. I felt and still feel honored she shared these stories with me. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to know her so well.

Grandma had so many pictures and was a rock within the family. Doing all she could to keep the family together having family reunions and always encouraging everyone to let go of the anger, be open to kindness, and forgive when necessary. It seems fitting that our whole family will be brought together one more time by Anna Pearl. I can envision her and Grandpa (together again!) looking down at us all with smiles knowing they did their best for their family and I’m not alone when I say THANK YOU to both of them.

Just part of Grandmas super army. Love you forever Grandma.

I will say this. MAKE the time to talk with people you love. None of us are that busy we can’t put forth the effort. Well so and so never calls me, why should I reach out to them??? Why shouldn’t you?? Whatever happened let it go. It isn’t worth dragging that anger anchor around with you. Don’t you want to be free of this pissed off attitude that sucks up all your energy so you can stay mad???

I loved my Grandmother without question. She was a remarkable woman. All that came natural. I’m happiest though knowing I took the time to make my amazing G-ma my best friend while I had the opportunity. She taught me so many lessons that I will use the rest of my life. Many times people will say I didn’t know what I had until it was gone. I have learned very hard lessons that way, but this one time I got ahead of the game. I made sure to appreciate my friend everyday.

The world lost a bright shining light of a human, but heaven gained an angel that will forever be looking down at our families.

That is what I wrote on the flight out. I’m currently on the flight back to Charlotte. At the visitation I went by, but purposely didn’t look into the casket directly. I used a bit of side eye, then closed my eyes, and said a private prayer between Anna Pearl and myself. I didn’t want the vision of her in my head overwhelming all the happy mental pics I’ve taken of her during my life.

My family is far from perfect. My Grandma wasn’t perfect. I am so far from Perphekt that I have to spell it wrong. I might name one of my kids that actually…. Truth is like all families there is some drama and blah blah. I don’t involve myself in that. Some people need conflict and thrive on it. I’m not one of those. I prefer if something has your panties all wadded up, say something, get it off your chest, and then move on.

The celebration of life was awesome. Many of my family members made the trip home and we got to visit, laugh, and enjoy the moment. Anna Pearl got us all together one last time.

We are all going to miss her, but I’ve promised myself to replay the great times in my head and share the advice, family history, and the wisdom my dear friend Grandma passed to me.

I love you Grandma and Grandpa. So happy you are together again. I promise to do my best to encourage everyone to drop the anchors and be happy again. At this stage of the game no body is changing. Just accept your family members for who they are and simply love them unconditionally.

Thank you,

FknBucky

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PLEASE comment, like, and share. So important to get great information out to people that might need it. I write in hopes to change peoples lives. If I can help one person with these words my life will be considered a success by me.

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Aug

“I’m Lovin You”

By Bucktown 1 Comment

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: alabama, bacon, cherish, chicken, cream, Crush, food, fried, gain, God, heaven, hospitality, ice, love, Mom, momma, pain, respect, safe, salad, smiles, Sunday, wise

This isn’t how I envisioned my next blog to go. I haven’t published anything since writing about Ryan. Not that I haven’t had things to say, it just felt so trivial once I started putting it into words. We lose the purpose of existence in a moment. 9/11 – We are one!!! A few years later it is a Facebook post that catches your eye so you share it saying never forget as you grab another Truly from the cooler. I’m not saying it is right or wrong. It simply is what happens. The best way to honor the people we love that left us to soon is to cherish the moments we have with the people still here. That is the purpose.

I drove to Alabama today. I meant to drive over 2 days ago, but kept getting caught up with this and that. I believe looking back now I was looking for things to delay my trip because I knew when I got here things would become real for me. It has been real for my family here in Lower Alabama or LA for the locals. We lost Momma last week. She was everyone’s Momma. The first time little brother introduced her to me he called her Momma and said I should as well. That was that. She embraced the stereotype and simply was everything people say about Southern hospitality. There are never guests in Mommas house. Once you cross that threshold you are family. Grab a plate, load it up, and find a safe place to sit down.

Chances are you will be run over by a dog or kid at some point while eating. Some people have beautiful houses filled with expensive neat stuff. It can be impressive, but not for me. I want to be in a home. A dwelling that is filled with love, amazing smells of pound cake baking, and hopefully a muddy dog chasing a 7 year kid down the hall. I feel sorry for people that don’t get to know what that type of love is like. It simply didn’t matter who you are outside of these walls because while you are inside of them you always had food to eat, a family right here, with a large helping of love for dessert. Okay that is not true because dessert is a ginormous bowl of ice cream that Dakota has to scoop or it doesn’t taste as good.

I stayed here in Alabama with little brother and his family for a long while after I left Cali. I decided I was going to lose some weight and started eating salads for meals. Not an easy thing to do with Momma making fried chicken, fried pork chops, potato salad (MAN I LOVE THIS), pound cake, and pretty much everything. Collard greens with bacon, jalapeños with bacon, hell I think some mornings we had bacon wrapped bacon dipped in melted butter. I would eat my salad only to have Momma hand me a plate with bacon wrapped bacon on it saying it ain’t right just eating a salad. Who am I to argue??? I can lose weight next week.

I pulled into the driveway tonight about 8:30 PM. I was supposed to leave on Friday, then Saturday, then Sunday morning, but it was almost 1 PM by the time I was leaving Charlotte. In my defense I do have a job and had to handle a few things before being gone this week. Pulling in I noticed the lawn was littered with cars. Sunday dinner. Every week there is a big meal and everyone eats. I smiled and thought this is what Momma left us. She didn’t leave us stuff, money in a mattress (although I’m checking first thing in the AM), or some big inheritance. Nope, she left us each other to lean on, laugh with, and share the pain with in hard times. We don’t have to face anything alone because we have this beautiful family Momma gave us. She was wise many times teaching lessons without pointing out the incredibly obvious.

We won’t need a crafty Meme to remember Momma. It won’t come around once a year to throw up a never forget picture of Momma. Nope. Every get together, impromptu Wednesday night we decide fuck it and have a few more that a couple while building a fire, and the Sunday evenings sharing food, laughs, and love with the people that are important to us. The truth is she never left. Her physical body stopped holding her back and now she can watch over us all. Momma didn’t go to bed without telling everyone she loved them. You didn’t walk out her front door without her saying she loved you. She understood how precious moments are and without shoving it down our throats she simply taught us by doing it. I’ve pondered what to write for a week now. I really didn’t have it until I pulled into the driveway tonight. I was met with 20 voices telling I was late, fat (thanks Shannon), ugly, and most importantly a tiny voice asking where did I want all my precious pictures a certain young lady drew for me. One of them is scary she said so I have to be careful when I look thru them.

It doesn’t seem fair that she is gone. I know it is incredibly hard on my sister in law. I can’t imagine the pain she is in and I never like to think about the day when well you know. We will keep Momma right here with us everyday. Every time someone leaves we say “Love you!” Every time we hand an idiot eating a salad a plate full of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and collard greens with bacon there will be Momma looking down on us proud that she left a legacy of love, respect, and a few extra lbs….. She also is one of one that passed every level of Candy Crush and became a God to the game.

We all love you and miss you Momma. We cherish the wisdom and kindness you showed us.

Always tell those you care about that you love them. Don’t wait for a perfect moment or time. Just do it every time. I can still hear the words.

“Alright, I’m loving you.” Then Momma walked up the stairs. This time Momma had a few extra stairs to climb to be with her maker.

“Goodnight, We all love you too Momma.”

FknBucky

May

The Families

By Bucktown 2 Comments

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: accident, America, beer, brat, brother, danger, family, freedom, harm, Hate, helicopter, Life, love, Memorial, respect, sacrifice, sister

Army SPC Jeremiah Collins, says goodbye to his wife Angela (R) and daughters Skkye Collins (L) and Shyla Collins (2-R)

Yesterday I talked about respecting those that gave up everything for the idea of freedom. You can disagree with anything you want in America because you are free to do so. You don’t have to blindly agree with everything our government does, has done, or will do in the future. In fact it is your job as a citizen to question them, all of them, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, just because your “guy” or “gal” is in charge doesn’t mean they get a free pass to do whatever they want. I read a lot. I’ve read so many stories about incredibly brave men and women from all kinds of backgrounds that I know strength has nothing to do with race, gender, age, sexuality, or physical ability. I can’t do a push up, but I’m the strongest person you might ever meet. Or not.

To call me strong is easy. You see a wheelchair, think about how much it must suck, how sad or depressed you would be if it happened to you, and then label me as strong because I have a smile on my face. That isn’t strength, it is survival. I only have so many days left on Earth. It could be 1 more day or 10,000 more days, but I’m not going to waste them feeling sorry for myself about things I can’t change. Want to know real strength?? Go talk with the mother of 3 young children who’s husband is in harms way serving our country 6,494 miles from home. Yes I googled the distance from Charlotte, NC to Fallujah, Iraq. Keeping it real on FknBucky.

The families of our heroes need to be remembered on this Memorial Day as well. A friend of mine growing up lost her brother who was serving the USA when he was killed in a helicopter accident. I don’t know if she reads this blog or not, but I dedicate today’s blog to her brother and their family. His name is John Kaye and he was a hero. I bring it up to let her know a lot of people acknowledge the huge sacrifice he made to make sure the rest of us are safe and free. I didn’t know him well on a personal level, but I vow to never forget his name or sacrifice.

It is easy to forget the real reason for Memorial Day, but the families left behind to try and make sense of it all don’t have the luxury to forget. Commenting on a Meme in between beers 2 and 3 is not honoring those that gave their life in defense of our country. You don’t have to agree with the war, the military, or any of it, but you must understand these individuals believed in America enough to die for it. The sadness and the loss never really go away. It is impossible to understand the pain associated with loss like that unless you’ve been through it. We all hope you don’t experience that kind of grief.

Memorial Day is more than brats on a grill. More than having your first beer at 9 AM. It is important to take a few minutes, look around your life, and appreciate all that you have. Regardless of the hardships you have going on in your life, you are still here with the opportunity to change your life. The opportunity to read a book, start a business, have a family, or anything else you would like to do. Those that gave up their lives so we could be free don’t have the opportunity to do any of those things. Show your respect by living a full life. Chase your dreams. Hold those you love and tell them you love them often.

I’m very sorry that John Kaye lost his life serving our country. He was way too young and I know how much his sister and family loved him. He is missed by many and never forgotten. So remember him today, remember all of our fallen heroes, and don’t forget to honor the families that have lost their brother, son, Uncle, sister, daughter, or Aunt. Those labels came long before we called men like John a soldier, a Marine, a sailor, or any of the other terms used to describe service members.

I try to write about things that are meaningful and tell some jokes along the way. With a country so divided I hope that regardless of where you fall left or right you can take a moment to remember a hero that didn’t give his life to democrats or republicans. He gave his life for Americans. The least you can do is spend the day being just that. An American. An American that can see all the good we do together as a country. You have 364 other days to hate and trash the USA. Just for today drink your beers, eat the brats, and embrace the idea of freedom so many brave men and women died for.

FknBucky

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May

Memorial Day

By Bucktown Leave a Comment

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: appreciate, bad, Balboa, dream, Emny, fantasy, fknbucky, friends, good, happy, Hate, Holiday, land, Lee, love, Memorial, Park, R, respect, right, San Diego, surprise, trust, wd-40, wrong

Life is pretty awesome when you allow it to be. We live in America (most of us as I have some very distant readers) which is the greatest country in the world. Mainly because I’m here. There are a lot of people, millions of people in fact, that we will never get to know. They are impossible to meet. They laid their lives down to protect future generations in this country. In my opinion you owe them the respect to understand exactly how big that price was they paid. I love reading history. There is so much we didn’t learn in high school or college. Simply posting a photo on social media of a widow at a gravestone is not showing the respect all of those fallen soldiers deserve. You are free to stand on a street corner and yell “America Sucks”, “America is racist”, or “America is the devil” because of brave men and women you will never meet.

This country isn’t perfect, but no where is. Simply look at where we used to be compared to where we are now. Eventually we get it right, but it never happens overnight. I say this A LOT because it is true. You can’t HATE something or someone into changing. You can love someone so much they have no choice to trust you and learn from you. You take the most racist white power asshole out there and when you scream HATE at him/her you only fuel that hatred. Set that same person down with a black person that only shows love and compassion to them for a real conversation. That changes things. Even the biggest of ignorance can not ignore that all those feelings of hate are based in fantasy land.

Being wrong is okay. It is okay as long as when reality slaps you in the face, you learn the lesson and change your heart. On this Memorial Day weekend please take the time to understand the freedoms we enjoy 365 days a years did not come cheap. America isn’t perfect, but we have the freedom to change. We have the freedom to lead by example. We have the freedom to chase our dreams. Ignorance, evil, and just crap people are never going away. No matter how many laws you make, catchy slogans you come up with, or how many people you hate for good these type of people will always be there. Learn to identify them and then forget about them.

On another note I wanted to share a cool story. Years ago on Memorial Day I wanted to honor those that gave up all for my freedoms so I drove to Balboa Park in San Diego. Awesome place by the way. They have numerous museums for this and that. I had no plan and just went. I ended up at a military museum that honored some remarkable people who did extraordinary things when the need arose. I am fascinated at the strength some people have in the hardest of situations. Without a doubt stories like this help me daily to deal with my own challenges. Remember people don’t judge you on the problems you face, but they do form opinions about you from the attitude and strength you have facing those problems.

I was in this museum for about 15 minutes when some guy came up and asked if I wanted to meet “Gunny”?? I had no idea what the heck he was talking about, but of course I said yes. He took me into the back room where all the drugs were. Wait wrong story. When the door opened I rolled thru it and there he was. R Lee Emny. Mr Full Metal Jacket himself. I thought well this is a cool surprise. Turns out he was there as a spokesman for WD-40 to give a check to some Veteran charity. I believe it was Wounded Warrior Foundation, but not 100% on that. Point is I had no idea, but I was able to talk with him for almost an hour in that back waiting area.

He was awesome and had some great stories to share. Fun how sometimes things just happen. The world is a pretty amazing place full of incredible people. Take the time to learn from individuals outside of your circle. As we get older our circles seem to get smaller. My favorite thing in the world is talking to people from somewhere I know nothing about. I didn’t even know Estonia was a country until I met a girl from there. I think it is in Australia. Ha.

Use this day to show respect and appreciation to those that gave their lives for an idea of freedom. Learn their stories, teach those that look up to you to have respect, and mostly simply lead by example.

Get your FknBucky shirt ordered! I appreciate you all.

FknBucky

Read * Think * Live Free

Apr

Respect One Another is the only way.

By Bucktown 1 Comment

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: big, black, bold, brown, calm, child, Confrontational, Earth, escalate, fair, fear, George, Hate, hope, justice, martyr, parent, police, race, respect, sides, solution, tension, white

I have so much going on that I am having trouble finding time to write. I either try to slam something together or just don’t have the motivation. Maybe motivation isn’t the right word. I let my fingers type out the thoughts that are going thru my mind allowing me to vent certain things out or relay a message that I happen to be thinking about at the time I start to write. I have a lot of trouble commenting on the George Floyd matter because it is completely one sided. Either you agree 100% or you’re a racist bigot that should be killed. I’m not sure why there was a trial at all. They should have just dragged him out into the street and executed him in public. There was zero chance that verdict would come back any other way. Those jurors were scared for their lives and the lives of their families. I don’t blame them.

The mob got what the mob wanted. Now on to the next one. The thing about mobs is once they start getting their way they don’t stop. They get bigger, bolder, and sooner or later everyone realizes it is a problem. Well not really I mean history has taught us, the angry mobs never make poor decisions. Do not twist my words as I don’t give a shit about the cop who had his knee on Georges neck. I can’t for the life of me figure out what he was thinking or why he did that. I also don’t understand why George Floyd escalated that situation for 20 minutes and didn’t just sit down in the back of the cop car either. So many crap decisions were made that day and truthfully I wasn’t on the jury so I don’t have all the facts. I do know that a sitting Congresswoman made comments about being more confrontational if the verdict wasn’t guilty. Yeah I know. If you’re a Dem it is no big deal and if you’re a Repub then she should be censored. The President said it had to come back as guilty. I didn’t realize you and him were in court everyday.

It is a slippery slope. People of color have not always had any kind of “fairness” in the justice system, but every year we get better. If you don’t believe that then you’ve lost hope and we must blow the whole thing up. I see the world thru the eyes of optimism. It is sad to me to see so many pissed off people that think everything is against them for one reason or another. For any one of you I will trade this wheelchair for black or brown skin in a heartbeat. I have my own history and learning curve when it comes to race. I’ve always thought I was a pretty good person, but I had no clue about black struggles. I had my own struggles. White I got, privilege skipped me. I dare anyone tell me how “easy” of a road I’ve had.

You can’t DEMAND respect from the world. It simply doesn’t work that way. You can’t angry mob respect from the people you claim to want it from. Respect is given when it is received. Watching 22 year old white chicks screaming in the face of a black police officer calling him a “racist pig” is not going to make the world better. Maybe instead of running her big fat mouth she should sign up to become a police officer. Why don’t all of these protestors sign up and show the rest of us how easy it is??? The way that police are demonized in this current environment there will be a lot of openings. You couldn’t pay me enough to do that job. It is really easy to judge from the sidelines never putting your own ass on the line.

I told my brother I didn’t want to write about this because it is too emotional. After thinking about it I realized that is why I should write about it. There has to be a lot of changes made in this world before this problem will ever go away. There are two sides. Why on Earth would people who believe every cop in America is out to kill black people everyday, give them an opportunity to do just that by resisting arrest or not complying with an officers commands. As a parent why would you not tell your child to simply do as the police ask and then fight whatever it is in court. Becoming a martyr doesn’t help. You are dead. No coming back.

There are a lot of things we can do better in this country. There are also a lot of things we have gotten right overcoming the “old ways” of doing things. We will do better on this policing issues, but it has to come from both sides. Simply screaming at one side demanding they change will never get it done. The attacks on police and constant disrespect that is ignored by the media and politicians does nothing to help solve the problem. ***A moment of truth here.*** Pay attention to the next sentence. These people that benefit off of racial tension DON’T WANT to solve anything. They are only relevant if there is a problem. Problem goes away so does the fundraising, the angry mob willing to do your bidding, and the power they acquire while the world burns. There is no way they will willingly allow the flames to be put out. Regular people like you and me have to calm down, take emotion out of our thinking, and realize that we are all the same. Give respect and respect will be given.

I understand the hot button this issue is. No real change comes from allowing these assholes that benefit off of the chaos to manipulate us into hating each other. I say it all the time because it is true. Angry people are easier to control. Educated, calm, and people that think for themselves don’t fall for the fake outrage every three days.

Learn to Respect each other and that is when you see real change.

FknBucky

P.S. I don’t know what the solution is, but I do know hating each other is never going to give us one or even the opportunity for one. Everything is based on respect. If you give none you will get none. That is just the way it is.

Apr

Farming is the Life for ME!!

By Bucktown 1 Comment

Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: cow, dog, farm, German, happy, idea, kid, mad, marriott, mickey, milk, pig, pole, Poop, punch, respect, sad, Shepherds, shirt, smile, smoke, Smokey, Stipper, trash, work

Dog week. I’m stuck in a Marriott tonight. My home away from home most of the time. I spend a lot of time in hotels so I pick Marriotts. They all have good and bad parts about them. I will say that I mysteriously got another free night added to my account about a week after I wrote that blog and had the fighting with them. I’ll take it, but I’m still mad at them. Honeymoon is over. I am however in room 130 at my favorite Courtyard. The one that they renovated and then set up how I asked them too. Still kinda surprised they actually put the stripper pole in, but I do spend a lot of money at Marriotts. I also spend money at the nudie bar. Now I can do both at the same time. I dare you to say you hate America. Not on my watch hippie.

None of that first paragraph had a dang thing to do with a dog. Awesome. I had intentions to get there, but stripper pole popped in the mind. All down hill from there. For the record I’m kidding. I don’t spend lots of money on Marriott. Sorry Mom. So I got to thinking about different dog stories I could use for tonight and about 3 minutes before I started typing I thought about the dogs we had on the farm. Some of you may know that I grew up on a dairy farm in Nothern Wisconsin. I did go to high school in Iowa, but until I was 12 years old I scooped poop everyday. Cow poop, calf poop, pig poop, My own poop, and the best part was even after doing it all day, the next day there was all new poop to scoop. So awesome.

Those cows were work. Milking every morning and every evening. I used to get up early with my sister and Mom to go do the morning milking before school. I’d head to school for some learning, my daily beat down from classmates as I was not cool and smelled like poop, only to come home and milk cows again. The next time your kid complains about taking the trash out, I need you to calmly walk up to them, and then punch them in the face. Twice. Once is boring and sends the wrong message. Two times lets them know you really freaking mean it. I don’t have kids so obviously my parental skills are perfect. Remember that.

Dogs. Okay. Fine. Stop whining. We had German Shepherds growing up. The first one I remember is Mickey. That dog was awesome. She knew where each cow was supposed to be. When the cows came in for milking they have assigned parking spots and when a cow went to the wrong one Mickey was there to help get her straight. You know these were working dogs that didn’t come in the house ever. It is a different kind of relationship with a dog like that compared to a Murphy or Annabel. Working dogs like Mickey are more like a co-worker. They have a job to do as a protector, referee (keeping cows in line), and command a type of respect that is admirable. Nobody would mess with us kids when Mickey and later Smokey were around. Our next dog was named Smokey because she would steal Dad’s Camel cigarettes and smoke them behind the barn. Oh shoot, my bad, that was Jeremy.

No Smokey was named that because she was a gray color. Hey I know a kid that had a Dalmatian named Spotty so don’t give me a hard time. You know who you are Weaver!! Ha. One way to find out if he reads this blog. I also had a pig that I named Miss Piggy. It was a boy pig. Ha. Just kidding. I only name girl dogs boy dog names. Ever wonder how Murphy got her name?? I plead the fifth. As a kid it is often very difficult to appreciate just how special somethings are simply because it is all you know. Those farm dogs were pretty amazing.

I’m very curious if any of you have a cool working dog story. I don’t think I remember any specific story about either of those dogs, but that’s okay. Please let me know if you do as I’d love to hear it. So remember Dogs are like stripper poles. It doesn’t matter where they are, they are always awesome.

Be kind to a dog today. Extra walk, extra treat, or just one more belly rub. They are worth it.

FknBucky

P.S. FknBucky shirts were officially ordered today. I have a couple of cool ideas for them so please be patient. Most likely around Mid-May I will be reaching out to all of you to make sure you have the newest coolest shirt just in time for Summer!! A little teaser. More info coming soon!!