Terrorism came as a helluva shock to many people, and left them feeling enraged and vengeful. I know how that feels, and anyone who has read my articles, and has an ear for tone, would instantly recognize that my finger is always on the trigger. The word “terrorism” comes from the Latin “terrere,” to frighten, and from the Greek “trein,” which means to be afraid, and that’s how I feel when I’m doing inspections. Why, not because I’m a lousy inspector but because there are wicked people in the world who put the pursuit of money above all else, and certainly above the pursuit of truth and justice? Let me illustrate what this could mean to the average inspector by relating a parable. Please notice that I said “parable,” because I don’t want to go through the dreary process of documenting a sequence of cases. An innocent inspector is named or dragged into a lawsuit. How he ends up in the lawsuit is immaterial. The point is, he is innocent, absolutely innocent, and under British common law not only would he be found innocent his accuser would have to bear the full costs of the lawsuit, including attorney’s fees and compensating the inspector. By the way, I’m not extolling the virtues of British common law, only pointing out the need for tort reform, and the need for common sense to prevail once more. Sorry, I digress, but let’s get back to the parable. The inspector is not like me, and doesn’t dream that he is tracking terrorists with his finger on the trigger of a British machine carbine. He‘s emotionally stable and secure in the knowledge that he has insurance, and even though he is totally innocent he shrugs it off. Then, he’s sued again. And, although he is totally innocent, his insurance company once again elects to settle for economic reasons, only this time the insurance company cancels his policy. He is forced to seek insurance elsewhere, and is obviously asked if he been sued before. Unlike some attorneys, he elects to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and is startled to see that his premium has doubled, maybe even tripled, and this is beginning to impact his livelihood. Then, believe it or not, he is dragged into yet another lawsuit. The entire stressful process is dignified as being “legal,” only now he is becoming paranoid, feeling “frightened” and “afraid.” Need I say more? This, indeed, is terrorism. I admit that the connotation of “terrorism” took on special meaning on 911, so perhaps I’ll just say “legal extortion,” by which I mean the “stealing” of money from inspectors, money that could be spent on enriching the lives of families, and not on enriching the bank accounts of the wicked. This begins with clients, but is sanctified by attorneys. P.S. One of my heroes is an attorney, who has given me reason to respect him, but that is more than I can say for many other attorneys.
Keith,
I’ve read many of your posts and I want to thank you for them.
I really enjoy inspecting and if I ever get to the point where I’m afraid all the time doing them, I will find something else to do…life’s too short.
Thank you, and may the great Gods bless you.
I greatly appreciate your posts, Keith, because they are extremely educational.
However, by using the T word, you know that King George II is now tracking all that you do, say, and think. Big Brother is here, albeit 22 years late. 
There’s a great deal of truth in what you say, but I have nothing to hide, and the truth will set me free. Let “them” check me out on the way to tracking terrorists. Hell, my American Express card alone would be enough to tell the world that I eat out a lot, and generally have a Seven-and-Seven with dinner, sometimes two. I believe in the innate goodness of mankind, and in the capacity of most people to love. Tell that to King George. P.S. I used to be a philosophical Marxist, and now I’m a born-again-capitalist, as you are, I assume. Rejoice in your freedoms, and God bless America.
I worry about that, too. I don’t want the powers that be (or wanna be) to take Ms Margarita and Dr Cuervo away.
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I believe in the innate goodness of mankind
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I still believe that. Then I came to understand that hate is instilled in people by religions. Ergo, no more religion for me.
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Tell that to King George.
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I understand there is a picture at the King George I library at Texas A&M University with me in it with him, King George II, Jeb, and others when the King George I Monarchistic Library was being wooed by Texas A&M.
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God bless America.
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I really despise that phrase. If there is a God out there, I want him to bless the Universe and the World, not some country of 300 million in a world of 6 billion people. That’s like my stepsister, a Mormon, when asked why all my cousins had thirteen or more children: “Well,” she said smugly, “we believe the Lord will always take care of us.”
Okay. 10 million rather than 6 billion. Not the Lord I wanna be associated with.
Religion is taboo subject. I was raised a strict Catholic in an English boarding school, with corporal punishment and all the other nasties, and I’ve made an extensive study or world religion, but I don’t follow any particular one. The early corrupted papacy and other power mongers made a mockery of the non-violant ethos, hence the atrocities of the crusades, but I can cite equal atrocities caused by other religions. Religion truly has been responsible for horrendous human suffering, and we continue to kill in its name. One manifestation of human consciousness that spoke of harmony with nature and all sentient creatures, was wiped out right here in the homeland by righteous Americans, but we’re not taught that in school; read The Trail of Tears. On second thoughts, dont read it, read The Ends of the Earth, by W.S. Merwin.
Virtually ditto here except for the English boarding school.
My grandmother put me in a Catholic school after she adopted me. The first time Sister Ruler popped my knuckles with her ruler, my knuckles accidentally snapped back and laid her out on the floor. The Catholics didn’t want me after that. Hey, do unto others as they have already done unto you. :mrgreen:
I have the destinction of having decked the choir master. Went on to be trained as a killer in the British army. P.S. you’re worried about King George 11, but methinks you could just as easily be stoned on the message board by religious zealots. (I must learn how to use the little emoticons).
I’ve been stoned by religious political extremist fanatics here at NACHI, in Texas, in Michigan, in Pennsylvania, in Ohio, in Florida, in Louisiana, in Oregon, and even here in California. We are a very tolerant nation, as long as we all think, act, dress, and look the same. :roll: With that said, though, although we have a lot of work ahead of us, work that will outlast me and will not be completed in my lifetime, we’re still better than anything else I see out there.
Hallelujah, if you’ll forgive the religious cliche.
Whens the last time Catholics went about destroying another religion in recent times? Seems to me Catholics have less guilt than the Jews, or Hezbolah, Sunni’s, Sh ites and all the other mideast religions.
How about Pius collaboration with Hitler?
Perhaps the Catholics taught them well and they are now trying to catch up. They try harder. 
By the way, where are the “terrorists and attorneys” that this thread used to be about? Joe? Where are you? Having a Scotch? Checking to see where Notre Dame might be ranked in the preseason polls?
I think depending on what you read that Pope Pius and or the “church” actually helped with the Jews fleeing. I think the “church” stood by as did many regarding the holocaust?
No, Ray, actually **PARTS **of the R.C. church did quite a bit more than stand by during the war, including supplying Vatican passports to help certain well known personages from the third Reich escape europe and flee to south America, the United States and Canada.
Not a time of which to be proud.
You mean like how the Americans helped those Nazi’s who worked on the rocket program to be located to America, and become American Citizens? 
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/pius.html