Introduction

I'm tired. Tired of yelling at the talking heads on the cable news shows. Tired of the onslaught of lies and propaganda being distributed by the environmental activist groups. Tired of the crap being spewed by our politicians and government officials. And I'm tired of only reaching a handful of people when debating and educating on today's hot topics. But mostly, I'm tired of everyone seeming to blame others and nobody is taking any personal accountability for things. There are many arguments to be made and I hope this forum will allow me to do that on a larger scale.

So, who the heck is Scott? Nobody really. Just another member of the human race. Why should my opinions matter? That is to be decided by each individual, but why should my opinions be any less valuable than any of the public figures our media tries to shove down the throats of the masses? I am educated with a genius IQ (blah, blah, blah), but the key piece is having some common sense and a wide background of real-world experience in a variety of topics. I spent 4 years in the US Army right out of high school, then used the GI Bill to pay for college. In the Army, I was given the nickname "JOAT" which means Jack of All Trades.

A few of the jobs and activities I've been involved in throughout my life include fish processor at a salmon cannery, laborer at a salmon hatchery, self-propelled howitzer mechanic, mechanized infantry scout, warehouse worker at a furniture retailer, steel fabrication welder/fitter, aluminum fabrication fitter, marine electrician, fireman/EMT, heavy equipment mechanic, wildland firefighter, HazMat Operations tech, fire prevention programs, fire services instructor, CPR/First Aid instructor, industrial instrument tech, 4H shooting sports instructor, security officer, tactical firearms instructor, and industrial Paramedic. OK, that list is more than a few and there is plenty of other stuff, but the point is that I've been around and have gotten my hands dirty.

Now if we dive into hobbies and other personal interests, there is stuff like computers, electronics, metal machining, snowmobiles, firearms, model rocketry, and the list goes on. My education focus in high school was on industrial arts including metals, drafting, electronics, and computer programming. My college work focused on small business management for my first degree and later I returned and got a degree in Paramedicine as well. So, that one piece of advice my dad gave me about finding one thing you do well and becoming the best at it didn't really stick. But contrary to the old adage jack of all trades, master of none, I have mastered a wide variety of subjects. I just get bored too quickly and move on to something else.

Originally from a small town in Northeast Oregon, I have lived in Alaska since I was about 10, excluding my world travels with the US Army. They took me to places like New Jersey, Maryland, Georgia, and South Korea. I travel all over Alaska with my current job as well as travel back down to America several times a year. I will not go into details of my current work since it is closely related to Homeland Security (I can't go into that further). I started my current position shortly after September 11, 2001 and it has actually been some of the best work I’ve ever done. At least I'm not bored yet.

I provide this introduction simply as a brief outline of my background so that anyone reading my future posts might have a little information on the writer when they are trying to figure out, who the heck is Scott? Regardless, it will be up to you as to whether you listen to me or not.