Introduction

Hello, my name is Todd.  I figure if I am going to share my opinions in this blog and if you are going to read them then you should probably know the author.  I am a Christian, U.S. Marine (formerly active duty), and a blessed husband and father of three beautiful boys.

I am a man that came from humble beginnings in East Tennessee.  My father was a deadbeat who cheated and beat my mother, brother, and me.  Luckily he ran off!  My mother was a hard worker who tried her best to provide for my brother and me; before eventually being crushed under the weight of her responsibility.  She did try the dating scene once after my dad ran off but he broke my fingers so mom didn't think it was going to work.  :)  She did eventually remarry only to find out that he was abusive but his strikes were apparently so weak the he couldn't beat her away.  Thankfully I only fell to his wrath between the ages of ten to twelve years old.  I was blessed when he eventually kicked me out of the house.  

With my new found freedom I walked to the store and grabbed a pack of smokes and purchased a motorcycle.  Now on the open road with the wind in my hair I could go anywhere.   Are you crazy people, I hope you didn't believe that, I was only twelve years old and you would have to be at least thirteen to do those things in Tennessee.  OK back to the story.

At this point, I think it best to tell you about the woman who took me in and whom I was blessed by the grace of God to have in my life; my grandmother, or mamaw as I refer to her.  I say blessed not because she provided shelter, which she did, but because she helped forge me into the man I am today.  Mamaw was a strong woman all five foot six of her. She was raised on a farm in 1920s and 1930s and her family lived through the great depression.  She had a love for horses and was known to break horses for her family and neighbors. She was a woman who was raised to take care of her own, thankfully.  She raised three of her five kids after my grandfather passed away. She was a devoted to her husband and never remarried.  Mamaw was gritty type woman that could put a man inline no matter how big he was, believe me we had a many a pow wow and she always won.  She never allowed alcohol in her house.  I once saw her threaten a guy who joked about bringing beer into her home, although he was joking she didn't joke about such matters. She was a selfless woman who gave to anyone who was in need and that included me. Now that you know a little about her I, I think you can imagine how she probably raised me.  She raised me to be strong, independent, polite (I struggled at this one), and a hard worker. Mamaw didn't really get caught up in measures of success; jobs, money, titles, and other fancy things.  She didn't care if I went to college or had a high paying job or dug ditches but she did care that I was a decent man who was respectable. She gave me a roof over my head and food in my belly but if I wanted more then I had to work.  Many today would probably think this is child abuse but this was how she was raised and lets be honest it works.

I don’t want people to think I am some broken human being who is desperate to cry all my woes on the web because this is not the case.  I don’t consider anything about my life to be woeful but unbelievably blessed by the hands of the almighty God.  I also have a great sense of humor, if I do say so myself.

It was this rearing that made me not accept that my education had to stop at high school graduation or when I was told I couldn't come back to college because I had unpaid tuition after two years.  I am proud to report that the tuition was fully paid.  It was this rearing that told me to dig, try harder, and led me to enlist into the greatest fighting force in the world; the United States Marines.  The Marines focused me and made me realize to succeed you just have to be willing to sacrifice more than the other schmo.

Well this sums up the introduction. Now that you know a little about me and what makes me...me, you will better understand my views about, well, everything.