Asa Jay's weblog

Watching and listening to so many arguments over “entitlement” programs, I sat back one day and penned this little quote:

“It’s not up to society to -grant- the standard of living; it’s up to the individual to strive for it themselves.”

I’m all for charitable giving and trying to help others. However, the point at which a society is simply using my moral ethic to milk me of my hard earned standard of living, I may just give up my ethic and live off yours. Then who will be the provider?

I think that’s about as basic as it gets. If I really need to explain it further, I don’t know you’ll ever really “get it.”

Asa Jay

I recently came across this article on the BBC that talks about the Casio F-91W watch. It reminded me of a similar watch I have in my pocket at this very moment. It’s a Casio Data Bank Telememo 50, from 1986.

In 1986, I was attending a military technical school for the AN/TSC-60 Communications Facility (another story in itself). One of the class members had this really cool Casio watch that had a touchscreen. He showed me how he could enter names and phone numbers by writing on the screen with his finger. Being a technology geek of heavy proportions (and little money) at the time, I was intrigued.

When I returned home from that school, I began looking for that watch. After a few months of no luck, I ended up buying a Casio Data Bank Telememo 50. This had the same basic functionality but without the touchscreen. I’ve owned it ever since. I used to keep lots of names and phone numbers in it, but they always got lost when I replaced the batteries. Eventually, with technology changes, I keep that info in my cell phone now.

I’ve had to replace the batteries in it a few times since 1986. The most recent time I had it apart to replace the battery, I cleaned all the contacts for the buttons and treated them with DeoxIT. After years, the contacts had become nearly useless from oxidation, so the buttons were difficult to operate. After applying DeoxIT, it’s like the watch is brand new again.

Many, many years ago, I took the original watchband off and put it in a military style woven webbing strap style band with an integrated fold-over cover. I wore it that way for many years, until it really no longer fit. Then it migrated to my pocket and it now serves as a protective case for the watch, and a money clip, if you can believe that. I’ve not worn a watch on my wrist in probably better than 15 years.

After 25 years, this watch is still going strong. It’s hard to tell if it’s really losing any time. I use it as my alarm clock religiously. I take it on all my trips. It’s been to the deserts of the United Arab Emirates, and to the shores of Japan. It’s outlasted many things I own, except perhaps the Casio calculator I purchased in 1972 that still works and I still own.

Now I’m waxing nostalgic about that comm shelter……..

Asa Jay

Please let me be perfectly clear about this, I am -not- anti-vaccine.

My son has Autism and I know there is a large body of individuals who believe vaccines are a primary cause of Autism. I also know my son’s behaviors appeared to change after a huge battery of vaccines were administered. Does that mean vaccines are causing Autism?

I recently read an article in which Bill Gates indicates those who are buying in to the anti-vaccine theory are putting their kids at great risk. I happen to agree. But if vaccines aren’t causing Autism, why is there so much anecdotal evidence indicating there is? I would like to explore my own observations and questions that make some people think I’m anti-vaccine (but I’m not).

I am not a doctor, or a chemist, or even a behavioral specialist. I’m an engineering and troubleshooting type; analyzing and collating data to come to logical conclusions. I’ve been using the Kepner-Tregoe method of problem solving since High School, though I didn’t know it at the time. I don’t wish to spend days researching answers to these questions; they are meant to be taken at face value for the reader to ponder and react accordingly.
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Sometimes it seems like God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want him to. That simple statement seems true but we should analyze things deeper before we allow such an idea to permeate our thinking. Sometimes we don’t get what we prayed for but what we do get is an answer to prayer.

Those who have been following this blog know about our son Sam and his dual struggle with Autism and Hirschsprungs disease. Since September of 2009 we have been praying that we might be able to reverse the Ileostomy he was given so he might lead a more normal life. That year of prayer was recently answered but not necessarily how we had wanted it to be.

After months of waiting, we were finally contacted by the Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee Wisconsin. They were now ready to bring Sam in for motility studies; to determine the condition of his colon and see how it was functioning. Shelley and I were elated to finally be on the list so we could find out Sam’s progress. We had been praying for nearly a year for his colon to recover and become fully functional so we could hook him back up. We began our planning and looked forward to Sam being tested.

Unfortunately I had already been scheduled for a company trip during that time, however it didn’t really matter as we had made the decision early on that only one of us would accompany Sam on this trip. Off I went to Austin Texas while Sam and Shelley flew to Milwaukee Wisconsin. As parents we were both anxious to learn the outcome of the testing to know if we might be heading down a new chapter by getting Sam hooked back up.

At this point, it is crucial to understand how Sam’s quality of life has improved immensely. Since his operation last September he has been healthier, more energetic, less disruptive, doing better in school and in general exhibiting -less- autistic behaviors. A quick generalization of the situation would indicate having the Ileostomy was the best thing we’d ever done for him. And now we were seeing if we could reverse it.

Sam's 7th Birthday

So I’m going through my inbox. Shamefully it has over 8,000 stored emails. You read that correctly, just my INBOX has over eight THOUSAND saved emails. I have some other folders that collectively boast over 4,000. Good grief. I started at the beginning, which from appearances, looks like I started saving emails in 1999.

I just ran across a reply to an email I posted to the DeTomaso Email Forum on September 12, 2001. It was the day after the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York. I was at work, mulling over all the network commentators predictions of reduced freedoms and liberties in order to preserve our security.

Bullshit!

… and this is what I wrote then. Today it’s just as valid:
____________________________________________________________________

I know we’ve all said much, thought much, and are still contemplating our
own thoughts and what we as individuals and a nation, should do.

I pass my condolences to those families and friends who have lost loved
ones in this tragedy. I had the misfortune of needing to attend a funeral
for a friend who recently retired from my squadron. He was young, 44 and
died last week. I was awaken, some what in horror, by Shelley calling me
on her cell phone, early in the morning on her way to work, telling me I
had to turn on the TV. By then, one tower was gone, and I watched in
silent horror as the other crumbled at the top, then slowly sank to the
ground. All I could think of, is that those two pinnacles of trade,
freedom and world cooperation, were gone. And no one knew how many people
might be inside.

Four planes. Four major airliners. Not some puddle jumpers, not some
commuter special/banana republic turbo-prop airplanes. These were major
air carrier jumbo jets ( I use jumbo only to convey size, not to confuse
with 747 ). A coordinated effort to Hijack each one. At this time, it
would appear that no firearms were used. No firearms, no handguns, no
hand-grenades, no rifles, no uzis, no assault weapons, no explosives. I
look around my cubicle at work, and I have already found half a dozen items
I could personaly use to incapacitate a person. These are common office
products, any of which I could use to instill fear by stabbing. And this
is allegedly what they did.

I’ve heard recently this morning, that the one plane that crashed in the
Pennsylvania field, had the passengers attempting to overcome the hijackers.

I commend their effort, and say Bravo. For they, of any, realized the
worth of freedom and were willing to sacrifice personal safety to insure
that freedom for others, whether on that plane, or on the ground. They
were not going to sit idly by and let someone else determine their future.
I am only sorry they were not entirely successful.

And this brings me to what I personally feel. That the security of these
United states, is NOT insured by the Government, it is NOT insured by the
Military, it is NOT insured by the Border Patrol, the State Patrol, the
Sheriff, or the local Policeman. They are simply tools, individuals who
have elected to be on the front lines, to help protect and defend the
freedoms of those Americans who desire to be free. They can not, and never
will, insure freedom for all. Only the citizen can insure that.

We do NOT need gun control
We do NOT need wiretaps on all homes
We do NOT need constant surveillance
We do NOT need restrictions on our freedom of movement

However, Read the rest of this entry »