Charest Family on the Web Posts

Published February 17, 2025 by

Profiles in Courage

No system of ordered liberty can allow the Government to use the carrot of dismissing charges, or the stick of threatening to bring them again, to induce an elected official…

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Opinions & Commentary

Courage Integrity

Published February 24, 2025 by

Musk Demands All Federal Workers Report to Him

A rat resembling Elon Musk is attacking a piece of cheese in a trash can that resembles trump's face.
Musk Eating Trump’s Face

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

This past weekend I had a front-row seat on the latest Elon Musk-driven insanity of screwing with federal workers. It seems that Musk decided, all on his own, to task three million federal workers to report their current work assignments directly to him. On a weekend. With no prior warning.

The good news is, various federal agency heads slapped Musk down. Hard. Which possibly portrays the wheels falling off Musk’s ability to destroy the federal government. And embarrassing Pres*dent Trump in the process. A double win!

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Opinions & Commentary

Donald Trump elon musk Government Workers

Published February 5, 2025 by

Review: Pelican Clipper 100X Kayak

Ron paddling his Pelican Clipper 100X kayak on Lake Wylie
Ron Paddling his Pelican Clipper 100X Kayak

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

This kayak review is on the Pelican Clipper 100X, a ten-foot one-person sit-in recreational kayak. This kayak is one of a series of recreational kayaks with common features, produced under the Pelican brand.

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On The Water Reviews

kayak Pelican Reviews

Published February 3, 2025 by

Senator, Why Do You Come To Work?

The United States Capitol aka the Capitol building. Washington DC, United States
The United States Capitol Building

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Way back in Elementary school civics classes, I learned the supposed genius of American government was “checks and balances.” That the separate but equal branches of our government, Legislative, Executive and Judicial, would guard each other against overreach. In theory, if one branch attempted to take actions in violation of our constitution, the other branches would block those actions.

But, recent events have shown that those checks and balances only work if government officials actually take action. So, today, I wrote another letter to my senator asking why he even bothers to come to work.

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Opinions & Commentary

Letter to my Senator Politics

Published January 20, 2025 by

Our American Day of Shame

A torn and tattered american flag set against a gloomy sky.
Our American Day of Shame

So today, the 47th president of the United States of America will be sworn in. This should be a day for celebrating our American tradition of a peaceful transfer of political power from one leader to another. Our peaceful transfer of power that has been the foundational principle of our nation for 233 years.

With one exception. That exception was our last presidential transfer in 2001. During that transfer, the outgoing President launched an autocoup to overturn election results and remain in power, against the will of us voters. That president failed to overturn the results. But he was never held accountable for destroying our legacy of peaceful transfer of power, nor of attempting to overturn the will of us voters.

Today, that man is once again taking power as our president. In any other nation, he would be in jail – or executed. That he is now returning to power is our American day of shame for those of us who still believe in Democracy.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

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Opinions & Commentary

Donald Trump Mourning President

Published January 18, 2025 by

When Karma Really Bites

Crosswalk RRFB sign. Karma does work even in a crosswalk
Karma In A Crosswalk

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

I’ve recently added another seemingly popular answer to my Quora account. This time, I had the opportunity to describe one of the very few instances when I was happy to see a police officer. My story also describes when a person received a very direct, and very sudden, Karma response to their actions.

My story is one example of a case when Karma really bites.

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Family Stories Quora Re-Posts

Karma Police quora

Published January 11, 2025 by

Making A Navy to Civilian Life Transition

On Making A Navy to Civilian Life Transition. Join modern mobile mighty Navy by Library of Congress is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0
Our Modern Mobile Mighty Navy

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Another one of my Quora answers seems to have hit the mark. Given the number of upvotes, and response comments, I thought it was worth sharing on this humble blog.

The question was “Is it true that the longer you stay in the military, especially as an officer, it will be harder to transition to the civilian world when you get out?”

My answer described my difficulties in making my transition from Navy to Civilian life. Spoiler alert: My answer is a resounding “Yes!“

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Family Stories In the Navy Quora Re-Posts

navy life quora Transitions

Published January 8, 2025 by

When Nothing Is Good Enough

Shame, John Hain, https://pixabay.com/users/johnhain-352999/
The Shame of Failure

Estimated reading time: 16 minutes

As I get ever closer to retirement, in what sometimes feels like running up a down escalator, I continue to mentally replay career flashbacks both good and bad. Part of replaying these flashbacks is gaming out how I could have changed bad events to come out different. For some events, as often as I’ve replayed them, I’ve never been able to game out how results could have been different.

One of those events was dealing with a client who openly scorned me from the first day we met. Over the ten months I worked for her, I was never able to gain her trust. Nothing I did was ever good enough.

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Career Management

Consulting Career

Published December 24, 2024 by

Jamming Christmas Eve

Free peach and berry jam, courtesy Openverse images
Not This Christmas Jam

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Yes, it’s Christmas time again. Another season of being jolly and having good will towards men. And being we’re in a post-patriarchy world, lets have good will towards women also. But we’re doing all of this goodwill in a Silent Night while Santa Claus flys through the skies.

So, I think it’s time for some Christmas Eve jamming music.

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Just For Fun

Christmas Music Video Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Published December 17, 2024 by

Living in Fear: Authoritarianism vs Democracy

Fear by Hugo Steiner Prag, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, licensed under CC-CC0 1.0
Fear by Hugo Steiner Prag
Licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Until now, I’ve never had any direct experience with living under authoritarianism. However, through both my first and present wife I’ve learned what that life is. Although I grew up in a democracy, I now recognize the key difference between authoritarianism and democracy.

It’s all about living in fear.

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Opinions & Commentary

America Dictatorships trump