Who is Ghost - and why a gathering?
My Story
Who or What is Ghost!
Ghost is just a name I use for the purposes of writing these blogs. I don’t need threats against me or my family just because I made you think. Not because I hate being confronted but more for the safety and security of my family. I realize everyone has an opinion and of course while some may agree with me there will always be those individuals who will become unhinged or be “triggered” by what I write, and I simply don’t care. My self-appointed mission is to make people look at things from a different perspective. If you agree - GREAT … If you disagree … GREAT! I’m not here to make friends or enemies but to simply begin an educated discourse into topics that tend to affect or offend. Or maybe I simply have a strong opinion on a subject and want to share it with the world. Gone, it seems, are the days when we could disagree and still be friends – so this is my small attempt to bring those days back. Days where men were men and women were women and we both had our strengths, weaknesses and of course a sense of humor.
I find a well thought out and articulated opinion interesting even if I don’t agree with a word of it. What I find banal and simply boring is an opinion that is simply regurgitated bullet points from your favorite web site, source or media personality. Please don’t used terms like “we all know that…”. If we all knew something, then there would be no logical reason to discuss. Don’t come as me with a dismissive attitude simply because we don’t share an opinion. Come at me with an original and constructive solution and I’m all ears. Think of this as your neighborhood barbershop (beauty salon for you ladies) and exchange ideas. The online front porch!
I know our collective attention spans have become short and that’s fine – these posts are not going to be long missives researched and pondered on, then labored over for months or years before being committed to paper. The intention is more to share short ideas that are meant to be a starting or jumping off point to spark conversation and debate.
Most would call me, or at least my background eclectic. Good! I wear that moniker proudly.
Some facts about me and where my opinions were, and are, being forged:
I’m mostly conservative but strongly believe in voting my conscience which at times puts me at odds with many who vote the same party as me. Great, they are my opinions, and I’m entitled to them the same as you are entitled to yours. I’ve played sports from little league baseball to college football and coached several sports from junior league to college. I’ve played golf at a pro-am and held my own. I rock climb and have done both ice-training and high-angle rescue. I’ve skied with sone of the world’s finest and even occasionally raced for fun. I’ve ridden motorcycles all my life both with friends and with Brothers. I’ve been an artist and businessman – sometimes at the same time. I’ve spoken before many business groups and have sat on Corporate and Charity Boards. I’ve dined at the White House and at food trucks and enjoyed both. I give to church and charities freely and often help raise money for those who need it more than me. In my business dealings I’ve worked with anything from small business start-ups to Presidential Campaigns. I’ve traveled the world and enjoyed each cultures differences and similarities. I’ve been to churches of many different denominations and tend to look for the similarities not the differences. I have friends who are gay and have been to several of their weddings/unions and never felt out of place. I’ve discussed race, diversity, poverty and drugs with friends who are from races other than my own and usually come to the conclusion that there really weren’t that many difference between a poor country and a poor inner-city upbringing. If I find you have a different opinion than me on a subject, then I’m likely to seek you out for discussion, not for argument. I don’t want to change your opinion on matters, but I genuinely want to learn more about yours. I’ve hunted and fished most of my life and don’t believe or condone animal cruelty. I believe in the 2nd amendment – but feel it is often misunderstood. I had conversations while sitting at the corner of a country bar and I’ve facilitated debates between politicians and business owners. I’ve stood in dimly lit rooms with a crystal glass and a good scotch with Washington political elite and I’ve sat around a campfire with smores and a beer. I once went to a Monty Carlo night at the French Embassy and a backwoods biker party on the same weekend. Trust me when I tell you no one has all the answers, but the questions and opinions were fun. I have been married, happily, to one woman for over 30years. I’ve assisted in raising and launching several very successful children who I am incredibly proud of. I’ve been so poor that I had to be snuck into county fairs and had to borrow to pay my bills, yet I’ve also never wanted for anything. I believe that no one has ever lost betting on me – a streak I’m quite proud of. The point of this pontification or early eulogy is that I feel like I’m well rounded and enjoy both giving my opinion as well as soliciting others to share theirs. It’s what makes another trip around the sun so much fun, and yes at times painfully frustrating. I figure every day on this side of the grass we meant to be enjoyed and for me that brings me back to the general theme of educated discourse.
Basically, I hope I bring a well-rounded perspective to these posts. I do not intend to have all my blogs be political - but sometimes it’s just too easy. The purpose is to make you think, and to open lines of communication and start a dialogue. Please share these ideas and see where the discussion leads. My ideas and concepts are meant to promote conversation and discussion – not division and acrimony. I may not address easy topics or popular topics simply because everyone else is already addressing it. I have NO intention of blathering on with facts, figures and pie-charts. I am simply stating my opinion and the occasional uncomfortably truth. I hope you enjoy. My hope is that somehow these posts can be used to start a constructive debate and won’t simply be a form of mental “self-pleasure”. There will be no timeline or deadlines and I will simply post when I feel like it … or if current situations seems to push for more discussion.
If you like what I write … or hate it, I hope you continue to read and think. Also, love me or hate me, please follow-me on here so I know how many people actually read what I type.