?

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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Soaring Gun Sales Cause Crime Rate to Plummet


Following the record-setting year of gun purchases and ownership, Smith & Wesson projected increasing sales for 2016, coming in at between $150 million and $155 million for the first quarter of the new year. Once all the data was in, however, the nation’s oldest gun maker was forced to revise those numbers upward by 16 percent, to between $175 and $180 million for the next quarter.

 This squares with the increasing number of background checks, which jumped last year to 23 million, the largest number ever recorded since the federal background check system started in 1998.

 The notoriously anti-gun New York Times tried to learn what was behind the increasing interest in buying and owning firearms, and was forced to admit that political pressure on law-abiding gun owners was the primary reason, declaring, “Fear of gun-buying restrictions has been the main driver of spikes in gun sales, far surpassing the effects of mass shootings and terrorist attacks.”

The Times, which pointed out the conundrum facing anti-gunners. “This dynamic shows a Catch-22 for gun control proponents: pushing for new restrictions can lead to an influx of new guns,” the article noted. This, of course, is exactly the opposite of the intended result, made clear years ago when Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) declared: “If I could have banned them all — 'Mr. and Mrs. America, turn in your guns' — I would have!”

Read the rest here

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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Soldier Reunites With His Military Dog Months After Injuries in Afghanistan






"Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made. ” ― Roger A. Caras

FBI hacks into terrorist’s iPhone without Apple


SAN FRANCISCO — Although the government officially withdrew from its battle against Apple Monday, many observers sense the tech privacy war is just getting started.

"This lawsuit may be over, but the Constitutional and privacy questions it raised are not," Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who had criticized the Justice Department's legal effort against Apple, said in a statement Monday.

Read the rest here 


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Like we didn't already know they could have their code monkeys break into it... Man, Congressfolk think 90% of us are retarded, I swear... Issa knew they could do it too...

Monday, March 28, 2016

Pomoxis nigromaculatus



Man, we got into the slabs on Saturday...

Corked line, 5 ft deep with a minnow. 



 Give a man a fish, feed him for a day.

Teach a man to fish, and all he wants to do is sit in a boat and drink beer all day...



***Shout out to Sarthurk for the correct ID.***
 

Friday, March 25, 2016

Y'all have a good weekend...



I put my symptoms on WebMD, and it turns out I just needed to be out on the lake with a cold beer... 











Thursday, March 24, 2016

Read some Harry Browne


Harry Browne wrote this for his syndicated newspaper column, "The American Way," in 1966. It expresses the basic truth about life that no one has to do anything for you, be what you want, treat you as you want, etc., regardless of whether they "should."

Understanding this lesson is one of the key signs of emotional maturity, and understanding it so deeply that not only your intellect, but your emotions, conforming to it most of the time will save you a great deal of grief and anger in life.

You cannot control other people, especially in any way that will be satisfying for you. So accept others as they are, and look for people who already are what you want. If you dislike something about someone, don't waste time complaining about something you can't control; focus on what do you control, which is your reaction to it: arrange your own affairs so that the person's drawbacks affect you as little as possible.- Johnny Kramer


 
The American Way, Vol. 5, No. 51
December 20, 1966

To my 9-year-old daughter:

It’s Christmas and I have the typical problem of trying to know what to give to you. I know there are many things you might enjoy ~ games, books, clothes.

But I’m very selfish. I want to give you something that will last more than a few weeks or months in your mind. In fact, I want to give you a gift that will perhaps lead you to think of me on every Christmas to come in your life.

I have finally realized that if there were only one thing I could give you, I would want it to be a simple truth that took me many years to learn. If you can understand it now, it may enrich your life in hundreds of ways. And it may prevent hundreds of problems that have hurt people who have never learned it.

The truth is simply this:

No one owes you anything.


                                                Significance

Now, how could such a simple statement have any great importance? You may not realize it now, but the deep meaning behind it can bring you a thousand blessings.

It means that no one else is living for you, my child. Because no one is you. Each person is living for himself; his own happiness is all he can ever personally feel.

When you realize that it is no one’s duty to make you happy or give you what you want, you will be freed from the chains of expecting what can never be.

It means that no one has to love you. If your mother loves you, it’s because there is something special about you that gives her happiness. Find out what that something special is and try to make it stronger in you, so that she’ll love you even more.

She doesn’t have to fix meals: she wants to. Aren’t you proud to know that? If you want her to continue to do so, make sure you’re the kind of person that will always inspire her to want to do things for you. And remember that this is an exchange between you ~ each of you is giving happiness to the other. Neither of you owes anything to the other.

No one has to like you. If your friends want to be with you, it is not because it is their duty to be with you. Find out what makes others happy so they’ll want to be near you.

And no one has to respect you. Some people will even try to be unkind to you. But once you realize that people do not have to be good to you, and may not be good to you, you’ll learn to avoid those who would harm you. For you do not owe them anything either.


                                                 Living your life
 
No one owes you anything.

You owe it to yourself to be the best person possible. Because if you are, others will want to be with you, want to provide you with the things you want in exchange for what you are giving to them.

Some people will choose not to associate with you for reasons that have nothing to do with you. When you know that this is true in a given case, look elsewhere for the relationships you want. Don’t make someone else’s problem your problem.

Once you learn that you must earn the love and respect of others, you will never expect the impossible and so you will never be disappointed. Others do not have to share their property with you nor their feelings nor their thoughts.

If they do, it is because you have earned these things. And you have every reason to be proud of your mother’s love, your friends’ respect, the property you have earned. But don’t ever take them for granted. If you do, you’ll lose them. They’re not yours by right: you must always earn them.


                                                 My Experience

A great burden was lifted from my shoulders the day I realized that no one owes me anything. For so long as I’d thought there were things I was entitled to, I’d been wearing myself out — physically and emotionally — trying to collect them.

No one owes me moral conduct, respect, friendship, love, courtesy, or intelligence. And once I recognized that, all my relationships became far more satisfying. I’ve focused on being with people who want to do the things I want them to do.

That understanding has served me well with friends, business associates, lovers, sales prospects, and strangers. It constantly reminds me that I can get what I want only if I can enter the other person’s world. I must try to understand how he thinks, what he believes to be important, what he wants. Only then can I appeal to someone in ways that will bring me what I want.

And only then can I tell whether I really want to be involved with someone. And I can save the important relationships for those with whom I have the most in common.

 
It is not easy to sum up in a few words what has taken me years to learn. But maybe if you reread this gift each Christmas, the meaning will become a little clearer each year. 


I hope so, for I want more than anything else for you to understand this simple truth that can set you free.

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Man, what a great message. We need a lot more of this brutal honesty, way less emotional catering, and way less bullshitting kids about life and what to expect from it as we parents help them learn to live it. I can appreciate a good dose of truth from time to time... 



 

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Why smart people are better off with fewer friends



Hell might actually be other people — at least if you're really smart.

That's the implication of fascinating new research published last month in the British Journal of Psychology. Evolutionary psychologists Satoshi Kanazawa of the London School of Economics and Norman Li of Singapore Management University dig in to the question of what makes a life well-lived. While traditionally the domain of priests, philosophers and novelists, in recent years survey researchers, economists, biologists and scientists have been tackling that question.

Kanazawa and Li theorize that the hunter-gatherer lifestyles of our ancient ancestors form the foundation for what make us happy now. "Situations and circumstances that would have increased our ancestors’ life satisfaction in the ancestral environment may still increase our life satisfaction today," they write.

Story here 


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There's a reason why you cringe and absolutely loathe certain people when they open their suck...

At times, I exclude myself from line of sight and ear shot when I see certain people coming because I already know the suffering I'm about to endure trying to explain something to them. 


 

Tom Clancy's The Division



So, I started down this road last night on the XBone. I'm letting BF4 take a breather for a while.

This kind of freaked me out a bit. Imagine some asshole putting small pox or some other God awful germ in the money supply around Black Friday... Yeah, kind of a scary thought isn't it?





If you play on Xbone, add me and I'll play with you...  

Tag is Stackz O Magz

Why Playing Video Games Can Actually Be Good for Your Health

 

 

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Creepy photos show a fake 1950s city filled with mannequins to test nuclear bombs


Upon entering the unprecedented atomic age with the successful testing of the most powerful weapon known to man, the world lived in paranoia.

In order to better understand the blast and thermal effects of a nuclear bomb, the US dropped a 16-kiloton bomb on a fake town in the middle of the Nevada desert.

The mission, dubbed "Operation Doorstep," was used to determine if wooden-frame homes, cars, and mannequins — in place of people — could survive a nuclear blast.

Below are the haunting images from the March 17, 1953, test from the US Department of Energy digital archive.


See the rest here 

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Marine makes patriotic tribute each night in Galveston


GALVESTON – The sights and sounds on Galveston Island are punctuated these days by a patriotic tribute thanks to a Marine taking on one last mission.

“And this started almost four years ago, I guess,” said Guy Taylor. “Doing taps at sunset.”

For Taylor, now 83 years old, it all comes down to Cpl. Dave Champagne, a fellow Marine he served with during the Korean War.

“He was from Providence, Rhode Island. He and I were good friends,” Taylor said.

He pointed to a picture taken 10 days before their squadron was ordered to take hill 105. Champagne never made it out alive.

Read the rest of the story here 



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Monday, March 21, 2016

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

All is well


  • Interstate 10 westbound NOW CLOSED:
    • Louisiana State Police closed IH-10 westbound
  • Interstate 10 eastbound is CLOSED at Hwy 62
    • Traffic will be diverted at Hwy. 62 in Orange County.
    • Traffic will be diverted at U.S. Hwy 69/96/287 in Jefferson County
    • ALL lanes are closed at Hwy 62. It is unknown at this time the time frame for the reopening of the interstate. 
    • SH 12 and SH 63 to Louisiana are CLOSED. Avoid them.
     
     
Where I need to go is wide open. The Backyard Camp did not have any flood damage due to our distance and elevation from the Sabine River. There are plenty of folks not too far from us that have lost everything though.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Governor Abbott Declares State Of Disaster In Texas Counties; Elevates Activation Of State Operations Center


As flooding continues to impact parts of East and Southeast Texas, Governor Greg Abbott today declared a state of disaster in the following counties: Angelina, Erath, Gregg, Hardin, Harrison, Hood, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Newton, Orange, Parker, Sabine, San Augustine, and Tyler. The Governor also elevated the activation level of the State Operations Center (SOC) in Austin, and is urging Texans to stay on high alert and immediately heed any warnings from their local officials related to this severe flood threat.

“Flooding resulting from historic rainfall in East Texas is having a significant impact on residents,” said Governor Abbott. “The State of Texas continues to do everything it can to assist all the counties affected by this severe weather, and my thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted. I want to thank the first responders for their quick response to this disaster and ask that residents heed the warnings of local officials, particularly concerning evacuation notices.”

To read Governor Abbott’s disaster declaration, click here.

The State Operations Center continues to coordinate with the National Weather Service and their West Gulf River Forecast Center to monitor river conditions – which has indicated that the significant threat at this time is near the Sabine, Trinity and Neches rivers and their tributaries.  The SOC also continues to coordinate with the Texas Emergency Management Council and is providing state resources and assistance to local leaders as requested. At the request of local leaders, the state is currently assisting with evacuations in Newton, Jasper and Orange counties. Additionally, the state continues to provide assistance for swift water rescues in the impacted areas as requested by local officials.

State agencies activated and responding to this event include the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Division of Emergency Management, Texas Military Department, Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas General Land Office, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service/Texas Task Force 1, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Park and Wildlife Department, Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Animal Health Commission, and the American Red Cross.

Texans are urged to follow these safety tips during severe weather events:


  • Remember that dangerous waters can seem deceptively calm, and if you encounter flooding, move to higher ground – turn around, don’t drown.
  • Avoid areas already flooded and avoid any fast-flowing water.
  • Be extremely cautious of any water on roads or in creeks, streams, storm drains or other areas – never attempt to cross flowing streams or drive across flooded roadways and always observe road barricades placed for your protection.
  • Monitor weather radios and news broadcasts for updated information on current and anticipated severe weather, and heed warnings by local officials - when in doubt, get out!
  • Keep in mind that flood dangers are even harder to recognize at night. 

 http://gov.texas.gov/news/press-release/22058



Disaster proclamation For Severe Storms And Flooding in March 2016

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:

I, GREG ABBOTT, Governor of Texas, do hereby certify that the severe weather and flooding event that began on March 7, 2016, has caused a disaster in Angelina, Erath, Gregg, Hardin, Harrison, Hood, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Newton, Orange, Parker, Sabine, San Augustine, and Tyler counties in the state of Texas.  Those same conditions continue to exist in these and other counties in Texas.

THEREFORE, in accordance with the authority vested in me by Section 418.014 of the Texas Government Code, I do hereby declare a state of disaster in Angelina, Erath, Gregg, Hardin, Harrison, Hood, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Newton, Orange, Parker, Sabine, San Augustine, and Tyler counties in the state of Texas.

Pursuant to Section 418.017 of the code, I authorize the use of all available resources of state government and of political subdivisions that are reasonably necessary to cope with this disaster.

Pursuant to Section 418.016 of the code, any regulatory statute prescribing the procedures for conduct of state business or any order or rule of a state agency that would in any way prevent, hinder or delay necessary action in coping with this disaster shall be suspended upon written approval of the Office of the Governor.  However, to the extent that the enforcement of any state statute or administrative rule regarding contracting or procurement would impede any state agency’s emergency response that is necessary to protect life or property threatened by this declared disaster, I hereby authorize the suspension of such statutes and rules for the duration of this declared disaster.

In accordance with the statutory requirements, copies of this proclamation shall be filed with the applicable authorities.

GREG ABBOTT
Governor


View a PDF of the Proclamation click here

http://gov.texas.gov/news/proclamation/22057 


LDOTD preparing closure of I-10 at Sabine River

 

LAKE CHARLES, La. —The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said it is closing Interstate 10 at the Sabine River near the Texas state line due to flooding.

The closure is estimated to begin about 10 a.m. It initially slated the closure to begin between 6:30 a.m. - 8 a.m.

DOTD said it will continue to monitor weather conditions and will advise of any changes.

Travelers going through Louisiana should stay on I-20.

Although it is not advisable to travel during inclement weather, the DOTD suggested detour routes for I-10 traffic are as follows:

I-10 Westbound

• I-10 to I-49 to I-20 (into Texas) to I-10

I-10 Eastbound

• I-20 (into Louisiana) to I-49 to I-10

http://www.wdsu.com/news/local-news/new-orleans/dotd-preparing-closure-of-i10-at-sabine-river/38521314

 

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***Update 11:45AM***

As of right now it's a 4 hour drive for me to go 24 miles home since they rerouted I-10 E/W traffic. And don't think we are getting off work early to deal with it either... All alternate routes home that I've checked are closed as well and open only to residents who live on those roads.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Report Warns that Autonomous Weapons in Action Could be Rendered Uncontrollable

By John Markoff, New York Times

A new report written by a former Pentagon official who helped establish United States policy on autonomous weapons argues that such weapons could be uncontrollable in real-world environments where they are subject to design failure as well as hacking, spoofing and manipulation by adversaries.

In recent years, low-cost sensors and new artificial intelligence technologies have made it increasingly practical to design weapons systems that make killing decisions without human intervention. The specter of so-called killer robots has touched off an international protest movement and a debate within the United Nations about limiting the development and deployment of such systems.

The new report was written by Paul Scharre, who directs a program on the future of warfare at the Center for a New American Security, a policy research group in Washington, D.C. From 2008 to 2013, Scharre worked in the office of the Secretary of Defense, where he helped establish U.S. policy on unmanned and autonomous weapons. He was one of the authors of a 2013 Defense Department directive that set military policy on the use of such systems.

In the report, titled “Autonomous Weapons and Operational Risk” (pdf), set to be published on Monday, Scharre warns about a range of real-world risks associated with weapons systems that are completely autonomous.

Read the rest here

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Oh, you thought Samsung only made Phones, TV's, Tablets, Appliances, and Cameras ????




Friday, March 11, 2016

U.S. Army Intelligence Officer Reveals Clinton Email Criminality

 

WHAT ALL AMERICANS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON’S ALLEGED SAP COMPROMISE


                                                  MAJOR ED COET, USA


                                              (RETIRED)


My name is Ed Coet. I am a retired US Army Intelligence Officer. In my last job in the army I was the Chief of the Human Intelligence Branch for the US European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. In that capacity I was also the Designated Program Manager for a Special Access Program (SAP) like the SAP that Hillary Clinton is alleged to have compromised in the most recent State Department Inspector General report to congress and which has been widely reported in the news. Here is what I personally know about SAP’s and what I can attest to in an unclassified forum:


1. The names of each SAP are themselves classified Top Secret because the information within the SAP are far and above Top Secret.


2. SAP’s are so sensitive that even people who have security clearances giving them access to Top Secret Sensitive Compartment Information (TS SCI), an enormously high security clearance level, cannot have accesses to a SAP’s unless they receive a special indoctrination into the SAP based on an operational “must know” that exceeds all other “need to know” standards.


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Hillary: How long am I going to be in there?

Judge: At this point, what difference does it make?



Wednesday, March 9, 2016

A simpler time right?




Texas Flood


We may as well enjoy some good tunes while we get monsooned today... Be safe out there Texans.





I would recommend sending anything our way on UPS Next Day Air Boat for at least the next week...

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Monster Monopile


Monopile: A single, generally large-diameter, foundation structural element to support all the loads (weight, wind, etc.) of a large above-surface structure.



This monopile weighs a total of 1,302.5 tons, its diameter is 7.8 meters, and it is 82.2 meters long - making it the World’s Heaviest Monopile ever produced for an offshore wind project!

Made at EEW SPC Rostock Germany.

 

Monday, March 7, 2016

Naked dancing woman shuts down Highway 290



HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - ​A standoff with a naked woman dancing on top of a big rig finally ended Monday morning when police and firefighters took her into custody.

Highway 290 westbound was shut down at Huffmeister for more than two hours due to the crash and the standoff.

Views from Air 11 showed the woman twerking and gyrating for passing vehicles just after 9 a.m. Monday.

Story here 

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Great job Houston. Eye Bleach Station ahead...

Friday, March 4, 2016

Crashing and Burning they be...




Are you seeing now what I've been telling you the entire time that I've been here?

THEY ARE ALL IN ON IT!!! 

Those in power are desperate to stay in power. They are freaked the fuck out right about now. 

Trump is most likely going to fuck around and get Hillary elected. 

Brokered Convention anyone?

Imagine the chatter and whispering going on in the World Power Halls right now...



Thursday, March 3, 2016

Zoom to Mars in 6 weeks with new Russian nuclear-fission engine

 
A nuclear power propulsion system could propel a spacecraft to Mars in just over a month, a huge step forward from the current 18 months required. Russia might test a nuclear engine as early as 2018, the head of the Rosatom nuclear corporation revealed. 
 
Another advantage of a nuclear engine is that it enables a spacecraft to maneuver throughout the flight, whereas existing technology only makes a defined trajectory flight possible.


Read the rest here 

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Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Approved for adsense...



Good news! You could earn up to $14.14 per month by placing ads on your blog using Google AdSense. Your blog has been approved for AdSense fast-tracking, a simplified sign-up process for established bloggers with good traffic. Join millions of other blogs making money using AdSense.

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Not gonna happen Google. Y'all ain't messing my shit up...

I'll decide who is worthy of being advertised here. I don't do this shit for money anyways, I have a yob mang...

A whopping $14.14 a month? Audible gasp!

Now that I'm "established" with good traffic, I think I'll have a beer and celebrate... 
 

Big shout out to my friends at Vortex Optics



Thanks guys. You really know how to make someone feel special...










If anyone else would like to send some merch my way, I'll wear it and blast how bad ass you are to the masses and send quite a bit of traffic in your direction.  Hit me on the email for details... 

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

‘Unlocking cellphone is trivial, FBI should stop deceiving public & tell truth’ – John McAfee

The US public doesn’t need a Digital Security Commission, they need the FBI to stop deceiving everyone and tell the truth that it wants to spy on Americans, John McAfee, developer of the first commercial anti-virus program told RT’s Ed Schultz. 
Republican Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and Senator Mark Warner, a member of the Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence have introduced a draft bill that would create a ‘Digital Security Commission.’ It is supposed to help the US federal government better manage issues with encryption and better control the competing interests of law and technology companies.

The proposal came amid the ongoing legal standoff between Apple and the FBI over a San Bernardino attacker’s cellphone the feds want to decrypt.

Read the rest here 

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Any backdoor is an engineered compromise to the underlying OS and kernel. If one phone is compromised, ALL phones are comprised. The hardware is all the same. There may be serial numbers and such that are unique to one phone, but any software that will work on one phone can be easily modified to work on any other. The FBI is telling Apple to purposefully create an OS w/ a security flaw. Hackers are highly adept at finding even the most subtle of unintentional security flaws. How long do you think it will take them to take advantage of one that was actually designed into the OS? Seems like they intentionally locked themselves out of the Icloud so they would have a completely contrived case for why Apple needs to help... This is getting comical now. They may as well just say: we should bug every house in the states so we can get everything from everyone to help us solve the case. Let's be honest folks, the real smart cookies are out in the private sector and not in a financially capped GS position.

But, somehow, we have celebrity nudes being released and phones being hacked... Riiiiiiiiggggggghhhhhhtttt.

Bring on the new encryption laws for 2016. Mark it...

St. Landry Sheriff’s Capt. Clay Higgins, popular for Crime Stoppers segments, resigns: 'I'd die rather than sacrifice my principles'



Clay Higgins, the St. Landry Parish sheriff’s captain who gained viral fame online through his weekly Crime Stoppers segments, announced his immediate resignation on Monday.

Higgins announced his departure on the steps of the St. Landry Parish courthouse and posted a video of the news event to the “Capt. Clay Higgins Gear” Facebook page, a social media outlet for the merchandise venture he began during his course as the lauded television lawman.

“I was not forced to resign. The sheriff didn’t ask for my resignation. Rather, I’ve turned in my badge as a matter of conscience,” Higgins said, wearing civilian clothes and a cowboy hat.

“I would die rather than sacrifice my principles. I would leave my wife without a husband, my children without a daddy, rather than kneel to the very forces of evil that I have so long stood against,” he said.

For the little more than the year he held the role, Higgins’ persona as St. Landry Sheriff’s Office spokesman has sparked positive responses from Acadiana-area television viewers and Internet users from around the world, with his videos clocking in millions of YouTube hits and earning him speaking engagements, advertising work and his own line of merchandise.

Read the rest here 

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So, he calls out scumbag gang bangers and his boss couldn't handle it. I can appreciate a man of principle. Stick to your guns...