Wow, how beautiful these trees south of studio

Anyone know what these are? I do! Does that tell my age??

Happy Birthday Phillip Shane Moffat

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHIL
AND MANY MANY MORE!

Happy Birthday Phillip Shane Moffat... wow... On July 20, 1969, man walked on the moon for the first time... and I was blown away... from the dreams of many, man achieved... and then on November 6, 1969, my life changed forever! I will never forget the first time my eyes met yours, when I saw you for the first time, the awe in my heart and soul... my dream of you had come true, and all the amazement all these years later increases with all you do and have accomplished... Happy Birthday Phillip, and many many more.

Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people. 

 

1. First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor

gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student

and had breezed through the questions until I read

the last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the

cleaning woman several times. She was tall,

dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question

blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if

the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers,

you will meet many people. All are significant. They

deserve your attention and care, even if all you do

is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her

name was Dorothy.

2. Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain.

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American

woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway

trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had

broken down and she desperately needed a ride.

Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally

unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s. The man

took her to safety, helped her get assistance and

put her into a taxicab.

She seemed t o be in a big hurry, but wrote down his

address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a

knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a

giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A

special note was attached..

It read:

"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway

the other night. The rain drenched not only my

clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.

Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying

husband's bedside just before he passed away... God

bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving

others."

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3. Third Important Lesson - Always remember those

who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,

a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and

sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in

front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and

studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the

waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on

the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice

cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress

came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the

table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,

were two nickels and five pennies.. 

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had

to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4. Fourth Important Lesson. - The Obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a

roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if

anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the

king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by

and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the

King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did

anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of

vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the

peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the

stone to the side of the road. After much pushing

and straining, he finally succeeded. After the

peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed

a purse lying in the road where the boulder had

been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note

from the King indicating that the gold was for the

person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The

peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve

our condition.

5. Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a

hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who

was suffering from a rare &serious disease. Her only

chance of recovery appeared to be a blood

transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had

miraculously survived the same disease and had

developed the antibodies needed to combat the

illness. The doctor explained the situation to her

little brother, and asked the little boy if he would

be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a

deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will

save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in

bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did,

seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his

face grew pale and his smile faded. 

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a

trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the

doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his

sister all of his blood in order to save her. 

"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt and dance like you do when nobody's watching."

WHY MR. ROGERS WORE A SWEATER

Never Would Have Guessed   WHY MR. ROGERS WORE A SWEATER?  Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 at age 76 , which is odd,  because he always looked to be 76. (DOB: 6/27/27 )  His death reminded me of the following story.  Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee Marvin, is buried in a grave alongside 3 and 4-star generals at Arlington National Cemetery His marker gives his name,  rank (PVT) and service  (USMC). Nothing else.  Here's  a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time, why the heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer:  I always liked Lee Marvin, but didn't know the extent of his Corps experiences.  In a time when many Hollywood stars served their country in the armed forces often in rear echelon posts where they were carefully protected, only to  be trotted out to perform  for the cameras in war bond promotions,   Lee Marvin was a genuine hero.   He won the Navy Cross at Iwo Jima There is only one  higher Naval award...  the Medal Of  Honor!  If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man,  he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.  Dialog from "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson":  His guest was Lee Marvin...   Johnny said,"Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are  unaware  that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima .. and that during the course of that  action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."                                                             "Yeah, yeah... I got shot square in the bottom and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys getting shot hauling you down. But, Johnny, at Iwo ,  I served under the bravest man I ever knew... We both got the Cross the same day,  but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in comparison. That dumb guy actually stood up on Red beach and directed his troops to move forward and  get the hell off the beach..   Bullets flying by, with mortar rounds landing everywhere and he stood there as the main target of gunfire so that he could get his  men to safety. He did this on more than one occasion because his men's safety  was more important than his own life.  That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to me, lying on my belly on the litter and said, "Where'd they get you Lee?" "Well Bob.... if you make it home before me, tell Mom to sell the  outhouse!"     Johnny, I'm not lying,  Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man  I ever knew.  The Sergeant's name is Bob Keeshan. You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo."                                                       On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who passed away) on PBS,  gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect  of being anything  but what he now portrays to our youth. But Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat-proven in   Vietnam with over twenty-five confirmed  kills to his name.   He wore a long-sleeved sweater on TV, to cover the many  tattoos on his forearm and biceps.   He was a master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat,  able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat    After the war Mr. Rogers  became an ordained Presbyterian minister and therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and  also dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on the right path in life... He hid away the tattoos and his past life  and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm..  America's real heroes don't flaunt what they did; they quietly go about their day-to-day lives, doing what they do best.   They earned our respect and the freedoms that we all enjoy.  Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your midst.  Often, they are the ones you'd least suspect, but would most like to have on your side if anything ever happened.  Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our freedom. With encouragement they could be the next Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers..

You can make a difference...,

November 3^rd, 2010

Dear Friends,

The Stillwater City Council has stated they will have to layoff Police Officers if forced to grant the recent arbitrators decision.  The councilors have refused to acknowledge the existence of available revenues as described in the decision and proven during the hearing.  The City Manager has directed the Chief of Police to layoff FOUR officers January 1st.  Due to three officers being deployed to Afghanistan and four current vacancies besides the four to be laid off this would drop us to staffing levels not seen since the early 90’s.

There have been rumors and misinformation that the layoffs are due to the Stillwater FOP asking for wage increases.  This is absolutely false.  In our offer to the City of Stillwater, that was eventually selected by the impartial arbitrator, our officers agreed to concessions.  Our officers all lost compensation in our proposed contract.  The “net” increase in cost to the city is $6,960!  This is due to merit steps that are part of the compensation plan that increases for our most junior officers as they gain experience.

The City Manager, Dan Galloway, is now claiming that the Chief of Police needs to find $216,000 in savings!  The huge discrepancy in these numbers comes largely from the City Manager not planning to fund programs and compensation they agreed to pay.

The Stillwater FOP has shown the City of Stillwater there is $173,000 in budgeted money that can’t be used by law to pay for a judgment against the city (see page 2).  Additionally, officers have agreed to take compensatory time instead of pay for overtime up to forty hours per year.  This would save the City of Stillwater an additional $109,070.

The arbitration ruling, quotes from Dan Galloway’s and Chief McNickle’s sworn testimony, and other information the citizens of Stillwater need to know can be found on our website www.foplodge102.org.   You will also find links to e-mail for the Stillwater City Leadership on our site.

Please take a few moments to send an e-mail, make a phone call, or write a letter to the City Manager, the Mayor, and the City Council members voicing your strong opposition to these unjustified cuts. 

Your support is VERY IMPORTANT!!  On the following page, you will find a form letter you may send to the Stillwater leadership or you may write your own. 

Thank you for your support,

Stillwater Fraternal Order of Police #102

Todd Parry, President

Please email the following message and attend the Council Meeting....     please send to

mayor@stillwater.org; councilorweaver@stillwater.org; councilorbartley@stillwater.org; councilorhopkins@stillwater.org; councilordougherty@stillwater.org; dgalloway@stillwater.org; mrupp@stillwater.org

Dear City Leader,

I am voicing my support for the Stillwater Police Department.  I am NOT in support of your decisions to lay off four officers on January 1^st, 2011.  During the recent arbitration hearing on September 22^nd, 2010, evidence was provided showing that the City of Stillwater plans to pay out $174,000 to a former officer as part of a judgment.  You have been shown on several occasions that this would be contradictory to Oklahoma State Law (62 OS 365.5, 1979).  This money is available to meet budget.  This amount more than covers the expenses from the contract selected by the arbitrator.  Additionally, the officers have given you another mechanism to fund their budget through up to $110,000 savings through the use of compensatory time.  Bear in mind, the contract selected by the Arbitrator had a “net” cost to the City of Stillwater of $6,960.  For most officers, this is the second year they have seen a decline in their overall compensation.

The City Manager and the Chief of Police both agree the Stillwater Police Department is already understaffed.  With looming military deployments, there is already a crisis of manpower without the loss of four more officers.   Here are a few quotes from their sworn testimony on 9-22-2010.

                Dan Galloway:

“I hate to say that in front of the negotiating team, but we’d love to have a whole lot more police officers than we have because of the growth of the city.  What I’d like to have, what the city council believes we should have is probably a larger police department.” 

“The economy of the country and the unemployment, when you have a society that’s restless about the economic conditions, you tend to have an increase in burglary, in theft, but also just in human attitudes.  I think that the conflict creates a much heavier demand on the police department than you do in good economic times, and so the police officers have a tremendously tough job.” 

“…it just frightens me to think that we have three officers who are going to serve military duty.  I’m glad they can serve military duty but how I’m going to cover that lack of staff hours to deliver police service to the public is a huge problem, you know.”

Chief McNickle:

“…we had five people out on light duty, we had the prospect of three people being activated for duty in the Middle East, and three frozen position, and admittedly, understaffed – an already understaffed police department, and it just becomes problematic from a whole lot of perspectives.”

“The fact of the matter is, and I don’t think it’s any secret to anybody in this room,  we’ve been understaffed for quite some period of time.”

Reconsider your decision to lay off four Stillwater Police Officers.  It is not in the best interest of my family, my friends, or my community. 

Respectfully,

(sign your names, please)