I am a man who wears many hats, which is a good thing. It keeps the reflection from my hairless pate from blinding those who meet me. Among those hats that I wear, being the Channel Steward for the Business Channel on Helium.com is one of my favorites.

Back in prehistoric times, my 3rd grade teacher entered me in the UIL competitions (important doings for a 9 year old) in the story telling category. I won, and have been telling stories ever since.

That ability has enhanced my life every step of the way. In addition to talking my way out of trouble as a youth, it helped me enjoy success in the area of sales in the business world.

As I approach retirement age, I realize the value that reasonable language skills have been to me personally. I share writing credits to a book that I co-authored some years ago, "We will neither confirm, nor deny".

My music background led me to create a Spanish language children's television program which enjoyed a 7 year run on Spanish TV on XHAB, Canal 7, in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. My creative juices flowed generously in this project, in that I personally wrote all copy, produced, and also wrote some Spanish children's music as well.

Who am I personally? That question is the hardest to answer. Patriotic, opinionated, sympathetic, and caring are all descriptive of who I think that I am. If I were a car, I would consider myself to be a high-mileage vehicle that has had reasonable maintenance.

My greatest accomplishment is undoubtedly my 4 children. They are all talented, productive, and my pride and joy. I am a fortunate man, to have deeply loved in my life, and continue to find value in each day.

In closing, I offer one of my favorite quotes from Sir Winston Churchill:

"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder, and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour."

My passion is ...

the truth, don't beat around the bush

I know too much about ...

myself.

My parents always told me ...

things that I didn't think applied to me.

My childhood ambition ...

was to become someone really important.

My favorite memory ...

is too private to mention here.

Why I write ...

It makes me clean up the clutter of my mind.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Whatever is passing before my senses at a given moment

My first job ...

cutting lawns.

My best moment ...

the pride I feel in my children.

My inspiration ...

the knowledge that we all have a purpose, and the obligation to find it.

Politics, News & Issues > Political Issues Smoker's rights

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Do smokers have rights? I suppose that depends upon who you ask, but you should think about it. Every time that your government steps in, and restricts what you can, and cannot do, your personal freedoms alarm should sound an alert. Whether you smoke, or not, you should be concerned when someone imposes restrictions upon your behavior in any fashion.

Admittedly, smoking is at best a bad habit. No one should be forced to breathe unhealthy air, either. Therefore, it is easy to bash smokers, and their habit. On the other hand, the U. S. government subsidizes the growth of tobacco,...

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