Hijacking a Movement?

Well, I knew I would eventually figure it out. I've been pondering the verbal attack I endured that sent me into the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder event. I told you the nature of the beast is to go over and over and over the "conversation," or in this case the written message that she sent me. Even though I deleted it, and haven't been back to that site, it's been running through my mind on a loop, like a video tape.

I considered the poor etiquette of posting her comment into a blog of it's own .... wasn't what did it. It made me mad at first that she diss'd my military service, but that wasn't what threw me into PTSD. She made the comment the first time she reamed me out that "they" always tell every one to demonstrate with a 50 ft "don't tread on me" flag. Who are they to "tell everyone" anyway? Are they setting themselves up as dictators of the Tea Party movement? Did they self-impose a dictatorship upon every one else? Isn't that what we're fighting?

Isn't that exactly what Glenn Beck warned us about? Someone would try to take the horns of this movement and steer it for their own purposes. Well, I think I got a taste of that. I just got told to sit down and shut up, by someone on my side. Excuse me, I'm an American. I don't take kindly to that.

You see, there stems my Post Traumatic Stress. It's not military related. About now, if she reads this, she'll lay into an attack and say I'm trivializing PTSD. I had a very good friend about 16 years ago during my first attack of PTSD, when all my repressed memories first started coming forward, who taught me about this. He was from Viet Nam. I was the only person besides a fellow friend who was a police officer who could talk him down from his episodes. We were very close, I'd say as close as 2 people could be and not be lovers. If it weren't for him, I'd have thought I was having a bad acid trip. He never once told me I wasn't a real veteran because I didn't serve in Viet Nam. I'm sorry I wasn't born until 1963. I got into the Navy as soon as I could. The cold war was on when I got in, not an armed conflict. What was I supposed to do? Start one? I had the privilege of serving during the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

My PTSD comes from childhood abuse; from a manipulative, user and control freak. My warning to everyone else is to watch for people who would try to take this movement and use it for their own selfish gain. It's like Glenn said, this is not really a "movement." We as the American People are upset with the government and want to be heard. Anyone who wants to really turn it into a movement, and want to lead it, are really turning it into something because they want something. We want to change it BACK into what it used to be. They want fame. Remember what she said...."we always tell people to do it this way...." And who are you to tell people to do anything? I'm a veteran, I know how to treat my flag. I'm an American citizen, I know how to act, I don't need a parent to tell me what to do, even in a "movement," such as the tea party movement. If you think you need to tell me what to do, that makes you no better than big brother Obama and the socialist government who wanted to take our guns for our own good, take our booze, for our own good. If someone has a problem with my free speech, he can move to Europe.


Lori Ann Smith
I fight for Freedom how I dang please and if you don't like it, leave.

It could be a mistake....

Well, it could be a case of overworked government workers. It could be a case of too many houses to look at. It could be a case of just too much to do. I'm not one to complain. Apparently it's getting fixed right away, so I'll not complain over one incident. We'll see if it happens again.

Let me explain a little background to let you know why I got upset in the first place. Back in November this household was hopping mad. You see, that was about the time that Fort Hood took place, and the health care passed the House of Representatives. That was also the time frame that our United States flag got turned upside down as a signal of distress. We also made the local news. Well, local, for Dallas, Texas; Channel 5 NBC. Apparently a Viet Nam veteran didn't agree with using the symbol of our country as a distress signal, or didn't agree that our country was in distress, I couldn't determine which. He was upset with us. I never saw him before, and haven't since. He's not from my immediate neighborhood. I had no problems with my immediate neighbors. They all waved at me when I went by. I had a few screeching tires from passers-by, but that was it. I got a lovely note from a 16 year old girl in my mail box agreeing with me. I also got a handshake from a man who stopped by. We had put a note on the door explaining that we were protesting Congress, not America, and that we were veterans, and that it wasn't disgracing the flag, and all was according to flag regulations.

Then, when Senator Brown got elected in Massachusetts, we flipped it back right side up. The Republicans were no longer locked out of Congress. I still wondered how the President could say we filibustered, but that's another argument. We put a note on the front of the house saying way to go Mass! And way to go Sen. Elect Scott Brown! It's still there, in a frame now, because we got tired of the duct tape on the front door. And we wanted something permanent in case we needed to flip it upside down again. But, we made the news again, for flipping it right-side up. Same channel, same news man as an update to the original story. He even interviewed the same lady from the first time and she was glad we were able to turn it over.

So, everyone in our neighborhood knows our stand...we're conservative. In a very liberal neighborhood.

Then today, I get a code violation. It reads: On 2/12/2010, an inspection was conducted in the area in which you live, manage or own property. The following violations of the City of Garland Code of Ordinances were noted at the property identified as: redacted

Violation: Address Numbers - Please correct by 2/24/2010
Address numbers are required on the front and rear of the property; and must be at least 3 inches tall, visible and legible from the street and alley. Address numbers must be placed on the rear of property visible from the alley or easement.

Comments: Please place address numbers at back of property. Thank you for your time.

_______________

I thought to myself, "Self, I'm pretty sure I have numbers on the back of my house." So I went out to check. I do. Big 3" letters in black and silver, stacked directly under an American flag on a huge post that's a corner post to my wooden fence. They're plainly visible from the alley. So I called the number on the form. I left an almost civil message on her voice mail. She had mentioned that I would get a better response if I emailed her, so I did.

Here is what I emailed her:

I DO have my address numbers on my back drive. If you locate the AMERICAN FLAG on the left side of the driveway, and look directly below that AMERICAN FLAG you will find my numbers. They have been there since I moved into this house in April, 2009 as they were put there by the previous owners. There are huge, at least 3 inches big.



Have a nice day
_____________

I know, slightly smart-alec, but I was upset. She did answer me, stating that she would recheck. She said she looks at a lot of properties and could have missed them. Really? Well, she was polite, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt....this time. But more than once and I'll consider it harassment. This is my way of posting it and making it a public record. As an afterthought, this was the day after a 12 inch snow storm. Why would a public official be driving around the day after a 12 inch snow storm, the day the schools were closed, looking for code violations? Things that make you go hmmmm?

Lori Ann Smith