Before we move on to Goober Gump’s more recent adventures of the past 25 years or so, it is time to revisit some lessons learned through the years, some politics, some faith journey observations, and “wonder what happened to…” answers from the period. Instead of meandering prose, I will go point by point. Goober’s own version of “Momma said…”.
Lessons Learned
Most of us want to live in freedom and peace. We disdain conflict and oppression as natural instincts. Our opposition knows that and uses it to their advantage until there is major pushback.
Never trust the government’s word for anything.
I am responsible for me. Pointing fingers at others solves nothing.
The first step to personal freedom is to accept you are going to physically die at some point. Accept it, then you will be more prepared for when it happens.
Many of us take human interaction too casually. Many of us simply do not realize or even care how our actions and words impact others around us. That is a choice we also make – to care about the well being of others or not.
All of us deal with something in our lives that had or is having a negative impact. Nobody is exempt from trouble.
Honest intentions matter even if we mess up the delivery of what we intended.
It is what it is. To pretend it is not, will not change what it is.
Truth is truth and does not need any of us to agree with it to be true. I learned I liked being on the side of truth no matter the cost.
Avoid interaction with people who frame all of their arguments. They are not interested in discussion or considering other thoughts, just persuading you to accept theirs.
Law enforcement and the judiciary may be mercenaries as well as controlled opposition at times.
Politicians create situations while passing and using laws to achieve personal and sometimes, nefarious ends. Law enforcement and judiciary play their parts in making it happen. At times the alphabets are used by powerful people who will move you out of their way, ruin you and kill you if necessary to achieve their goals. J6 was all you needed to see if you did not know it before. Stay out of their crosshairs if at all possible, but never back away from the truth if you believe in eternal life.
If you can retain your integrity and values while being involved in politics, law enforcement and the judiciary – America needs you desperately.
Powerful people and politicians create conflict to make even more money and gain even more power that compels average folks to go to war, figuratively and literally, to defend their families, communities and nation. Those same powerful people then take credit for the positives, if any, that come from the warfare while enriching themselves regardless of the outcome. Their names go into the history books, not yours. Choose your involvement wisely.
Sacrificing principles and truth for the sake of reconciliation or to build consensus is not a good idea.
Music can help heal the mind and soul. It may also be used to lead you astray and cause depression and even death. Choose your music wisely.
Those who have accomplished much in their careers and lives have common characteristics. They identify what they want to accomplish and what drives them to succeed. They then put in the work and do it their way. In virtually all of their cases in this BIMD series, they paid it forward in some way(s) that have provided great benefits to others. I have learned that most do it because they truly care and want to leave the world a better place.
Money can corrupt our lives if we allow it. Money is a tool, not an end goal.
Don’t overthink things.
Embrace change.
Some people delight in the destruction of others regardless of having reason to or not.
You can recover from personal disasters and be restored in a manner far beyond your greatest expectations. Never. Give. Up.
Politics
Some people are willing to sell their souls to be elected (appointed) master over others.
Many elected officials have honest intentions to serve their constituents’ best interests when first elected. I have learned this view frequently changes to one of being served and dictating what they want to have happen during the rest of their careers.
Most politicians become corrupted by special interests, so they enter office compromised in some way. They build alliances along the way to being elected and add to them afterwards. They richly profit from this activity.
The Uniparty in America is real and has run government for many years. They have a system that confuses the general public, yet is well known to them in playing their parts.
If you do not play politics well and are not willing to dance with the devil, stay out.
This country and parts of the world are ruled by The Big Club. There are a number of smaller clubs that contribute members, support and assets as needed to accomplish the desires of Big Club members. Many of the American Big Club members laugh at the mention of being Democrat or Republican. They are neither. They run in the same circles and are friends and business associates.
Election cheating has been a thing in America for over 200 years. The process utilized has evolved, but the intent is still the intent – appoint who serves The Big Club the best using whatever method is necessary.
Faith Journey
I learned the greatest of these is love, however, it is faith in Jesus that sustains me.
It is on me to investigate and consider all information and data to determine truth or lies. I choose to do that through the instructions of Jesus. That is my world view. Others may choose to take different routes. That choice is theirs to make. You own your choice.
You gotta serve somebody, just like Bob Dylan sang. If you don’t choose who, the choice will be made for you.
God’s natural creation is beautiful.
I chose one day who me and my house would serve just like Joshua. Joshua 24:15.
Life is in the blood. COVID is a current reminder. The Cross is the permanent reminder. No greater love has ever been expressed than at Calvary.
As a citizen you either believe America was dedicated to God in its founding documents or you do not. It should be obvious why that is important. Nations have risen and fallen throughout history based on that belief and choice.
There was no known Jewish presence among the framers and signers of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. There was a total population of around 2500 Jews in America’s population of 2 million people during those days. Only about 100 served in our military during the fight for independence. As a result the God that is referenced in those documents is attributed to the Christian view of same. Just an observation to ponder and one I will be bringing back when the Civilized War series returns.
My life and those of my loved ones, friends and co-workers changed noticeably for the better when I made the choice to totally give all of me to Jesus and follow Him. More to come on that subject in the near future.
You can KNOW that He is God and that He loves you, forgives you and will never forsake you. It is entirely up to you. He will not force Himself into your life, you have free will. However, he will respond if you do.
Wonder What Happened To…
My ex? Married to her third husband, the local banker dude her parents targeted before me many years ago. Wish they had succeeded. Her parents have passed away.
Many of my friends in Arkansas who were not tied to the area by family associations moved away. The SAC AF base was closed and with it went a thousand related area jobs and dozens of businesses who could no longer survive. Many farming families in the region sold out to corporate farming operations. The community has declined significantly in population and become a blip on the radar screen of life. Fortunately for the locals, the Bush’s Beans canning operation remains.
The banking officers and staff I worked with in East TN back in those days have also moved on via relocation, leaving the industry and retirements. It was a tumultuous time in the industry with mergers and acquisitions all of the time. Gone are the older, experienced bankers who had seen the goods and the bads; the ups and downs of the economy who could help guide their customer bases through the dangers. They were replaced with lower paid younger, inexperienced versions who were trained to be order takers with all decisioning made via computers from input of people located hundreds to thousands of miles away. Cookie cutter banking became a thing. Decentralized main street banking gave way to globalist controlled. It extended to government controls and regulation through various acts of Congress and the White House that have led to the bubbles and bursting of same that wrecked havoc on average Americans. Community banks did not die out as the feds and globalists wanted. It was difficult for many due to the compliance needed to satisfy the regulators, so some sold out to larger institutions. However, many flourished and grew stronger as customers became highly dissatisfied with globalist versions. Many other customers found refuge in using credit unions, which exploded in number nationwide. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Equipment Company
The shisters fell victim to the weight of their lies and criminal activity over time. It was totally shuttered back in the debt market and economic collapse of 2008. They began closing locations a couple of years after we settled the lawsuits in the late 1990s. The bank that held their debt finally woke up to the fact they had been conned and began to systematically squeeze them by making them comply with their loan agreements with no waivers. During our lawsuits they believed the lies to some extent until the truth became apparent. Like most bankers they needed to reserve enough potential loss on their own financial statements, so they stalled until it could not be stalled any longer as the regulators could see the company was a fraud. After which they deemed themselves insecure per the loan agreements and called their loans due immediately. The company chose reorganizational bankruptcy that allowed them to liquidate over time and cease existence. Good riddance.
Shocker – FIB, DODGE, IRS, EPA, etc. did nothing to the company and its owners and operators despite all of the criminal activity. I presume their attorney/Chairman called in favors or bluffed his way through it. The only difficulty they faced while still operating came from the Chairman of the state’s Underground Storage Tank governance; a long time local friend and business during those days. He made sure they were audited and tested regularly for the period they remained in business, which made me smile.
The company’s attorney/Chairman lost his golden goose that laid the golden egg and it was not long thereafter, his law firm went with it. Our referral to the Board of Professional Responsibility dinged his record and word spread within the legal community that alerted many to the snake he really was. The firm lost clients and could not attract new ones. Other attorneys in the firm left until there was only he and his son. They closed it down soon after as he could no longer milk the equipment company for any income. He is in his 80s and still resides in the area, albeit in poor health.
The patriarch owner of the equipment company passed away soon after the termination of the lawsuits to very little fanfare. He was a miserable human being. His wife is still alive and in her early 90s. Her GM son, now in his early 60s, is still around doing nothing along with his older brother. When their mom dies they will probably sell the family farm and live off of the proceeds.
My attorneys from the lawsuit are nearing retirement, yet remain active in the firm. Good guys.
The FIB agents retired and moved away from the area. The assistant US attorney retired and remains in the area.
Arkansas Mafia
The Arkansas mafia deserves a special section. Several from the cast of characters bit the dust and aged out. A few went to prison like Jim Guy Tucker who was governor after Slick. He was convicted in Whitewater and had to leave office. Mike Huckabee followed him as Governor. Note: it took nearly 20 years for Ken Starr to take down some of the Whitewater participants from the time the mess began as I was leaving my Little Rock bank employer. A summary version that would satisfy Democrat viewpoint is provided in the link below.
Tucker was another of the Harvard educated crowd of politicians and globalist business people in that state. This was a common denominator along with other liberal college and graduate school grads as we have seen play out over the years. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Northwestern, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, etc. are all listed on resumes. A handful also came through West Point and Annapolis. The Harvard educated politicos included Tucker and Wilbur Mills (of Fanne Foxe stripper fame) as well as Sen. Cotton today. As the older heads left the scene, their younger lieutenants stepped onto the stage. Slowly over time many were fired by voters as Mike Huckabee, a wealthy businessman/attorney named Sheffield Nelson and others remade the GOP. The same Sheffield Nelson who was a Dem during the Clinton rise to power who switched to the GOP and became a mortal enemy of the Arkansas Mafia and its wealthy kingmakers; patriarch, Witt Stephens, and brother, Jack, that I featured in a previous BIMD. Not only did he pizz off Witt and Jack, he switched to support the GOP when the Stephens had just switched horses to the Dems and Clinton. It’s highly doubtful Sheffield was ever invited into membership at Augusta National by Jack as he had cut himself out of membership in The Big Club. I doubt he lost any sleep over it.
For a more fair link on Sheffield Nelson see below.
To add more “color” to Whitewater and Nelson’s anti-Clinton and supporters position, this Newsweek article from those days provides it.
https://www.newsweek.com/source-whitewater-190308
It took a lot of principled men and women to turn Arkansas around politically. When they did America began to be served well. Which led to this lady bursting onto the scene as a future leader with whom many Americans can identify.
By being loyal to President Trump and never backing down from the fake news media, she earned her place in American history. The citizens of Arkansas voted her into the governor’s mansion by a 2:1 margin in her first run for public office. The move away from liberal politics and politicians has been completed in that state and the remaining Establishment types are next on the removal agenda. Once the general public recognized the indoctrination and brainwashing of students by liberal colleges and graduate schools, their presence on a political candidate’s resume in the state became disqualifying. Other than Cotton, the vast majority were educated in the state.
Sort of a strange and ironic observation is that three Arkansas governors were born in the same small town of Hope, AR; one of which who became POTUS. Even Clintonites Mack McLarty and Vince Foster were from the town. The town has a population of less than 9K today and is located in a rural nowhere in the southwestern corner of the state. With their elections, you could not pick two families and supporters that are more polar opposite in their morals, ethics and politics. Which is similar to the rest of America. The good news in that state is the white hats replaced the black hats.
Conclusion
We will resume the steady march toward DC and Wall Street with the next BIMD. Of course Goober will need to make a left turn to Cali along the way. He wouldn’t be Goober if the journey went without incident. Oh well…
I know this is a work of fiction and comedy, but it SHOULD be true….
And she’s going to be a FANTASTIC Governor!!!
🤣 🤣 🤣
With Mike as a backstop I have no doubts. She has been involved in politics most of her life and is razor sharp. It would surprise me if she does not go on the national stage down the road.