In my repertoire of memories, I have a lot of things that I regret. Today, I want to talk about one such item.
I was a Senior in High School, and the prom is coming up. I had broken off with my girlfriend, and I was free and single, but I wasn’t dating. I was still too young, and I really didn’t know what was going on. Lot’s of gals were chasing me. I mean it, and some were very persistent.
When I would get with some of these gals they would immediately want me to head straight into sex, but Lordy! I wasn’t nearly ready. I was just a shy nerd, and things tended to crumble from there.
Some of the gals that perused me were quite “hot”.
What was I thinking?
Anyways, there was a girl that really liked me, from my younger brother’s class. And she was nice, and I liked her too.
And the prom was coming up.
At that time I worked in a grocery store, and forest fire fighter, and the coil mine. So I was a hard working kid.
And her (the girl that liked me) father came in to the store and spent hours trying to convince me to take his daughter out… no kidding. And he was offering generous terms.
Why did I say no, I really don’t know.
I liked the girl. She was cute and attractive, and I am sure that we both would have a great time.
But nothing happened. The prom came and went.
My buddy Sid Custer took her out. And so she did get to go out. And I stayed home that night.
Bone-headed decision made by a stupid ass kid.
But my regret is NOT of my lost opportunities. No. It is the look of pain on her father’s face when he couldn’t provide his daughter a “16 candles” moment.
That is one of my regrets. A grand one.
And one that I am sharing today. The disappointment of a father who loves his little girl.
I was s selfish, jack ass. And I didn’t realize it.
*sigh*
Today…
What was the strangest way an embezzler was caught?
My dad once opened up a truck parts business.
At the time, he got a state contract to maintain a fleet of buses that daily were taking workers to a “brownfields clean up site” – about 50 miles away – for more than a year.
The buses started getting an unusual number of flat tires – not really a big deal because the bus could keep going, then fix it while waiting for the next trip.
After a while, something smelled fishy. The flat tires were saved and inspected. They went flat because of wear, not road hazard damage. Shop records showed that new tires had been put on those buses recently.
Mysteriously, since the whole shop was in on the tire inspections, the problem went away for about three months.
Then the shop manager came to my dad and showed him some worn-out bus tires. Shop records showed that new tires had been placed on those buses.
Somebody was stealing bus tires. The state gov’t could not have cared less, by the way. They weren’t spending their own money, right?
They called the insurance company. The insurance company hired a private investigator.
He solved the case in two weeks.
A tire mechanic was going through the motions of changing the tires but was, in fact, merely rotating them, then every Friday, taking ten fresh bus tires to a truck stop and selling them for cash to truck drivers.
Interestingly, the bad guy seemed to have smelled something in the wind and stopped showing up for work.
How not to be used
Did Anne Boleyn confess to the crimes before her execution?
Anne gave her final confession 48 hours before execution to her almoner, John Skip (or Skypp.) At dawn on May 18, she called for her jailer, Sir Anthony Kingston, to come and witness something. She swore on the communion Host that she was innocent of the charges against her. She then consumed it and repeated the oath.
For a person of the 16th century, what Anne had just done was extremely powerful. Taking an oath on what they believed to be the literal body of Christ would instantly damn the soul of anyone who was dishonest. She wouldn’t have lied on the Host expecting to meet her maker within a few hours.
The execution was delayed. A large crowd had gathered to see this extraordinary event — the execution of a crowned Queen of England. Kingston hoped if it was delayed and no announcement was made, the people would drift away. They didn’t; the crowd only got larger.
Anne had to be in agony. She called Kingston to ask why no one had come to get her. He told her it had been rescheduled for noon. She settled into prayer with Skip again, but when noon came and went and no one came to get her, she called for Kingston again, and at this point, he told her it would be the following day. Unintentional though it was, this was an incredible cruelty.
On the morning of May 19, 1536, she walked out to face the huge crowd. She mounted the scaffold which had been adorned with hundreds of yards of black velvet. Until the very last moments, her status as a crowned queen had to be respected.
She tipped the executioner to ensure a swift death and then comforted her ladies. These women, assigned to Anne because they hated her and were friends with allies of Princess Mary, now wept as though they were “bereft of souls” or the living damned. They had come to care for her deeply over the two weeks they spent with her in the Tower.
Anne turned to face the crowd and people held their breath, waiting to see what she would say. Kingston knew she was innocent after seeing her swear on the Host, and it was a situation he’d never really anticipated — executing an innocent person. He didn’t know what she would do and had speculated she might declare her innocence before the crowd.
But Anne kept her poise and held to the traditions. In the Tudor era, showing fear or reluctance to die indicated the person was afraid to face God with a guilty conscience. Anne held her chin high and made it clear she welcomed death.
Her exact words are disputed by different sources, but it’s clear they were the conventional speech of a condemned criminal. Any deviation from the pattern would have been shocking and appalling and would have had consequences for her family.
The only slight deviation from the pattern was the request that anyone who might “meddle with her cause” would use good judgement. She knew the history being made in that moment, and that people would be debating what had happened to her for centuries to come.
She submitted to the sword with grace, having done all she could to prove her innocence.
In real China, family net worth and home ownership are 50% bigger than America’s and it dominates all 21st century technologies. Help get the word out.
BITTER Feminist LOSING Their Mind Because They Have NOTHING To OFFER MEN
Weapon Systems: Ours and China’s
Godfree Roberts
You win some..
I asked a Chinese (civil) engineer friend to estimate what proportion of America’s spending on failed weapon systems China spent on its successful ones. He would be surprised, he said, if it were half as much. Here are some systems we discussed:
- Hypersonic Missiles: America’s 20-year, failed ARRW hypersonic missile defense program cost $15 billion. Chinese university science clubs have demonstrated hypersonic weapons. China’s DF-17, Mach 10 ‘carrier killer’ has been demonstrated many times. Its big brother, DF-27, can hit ships west of Guam.
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- Next-Gen Helicopter: After spending $7 billion developing a reconnaissance and light attack helicopter, the US pulled the plug in 2004. China’s Harbin Z-19 is a tandem-seat helicopter for reconnaissance and light attack, with air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and nose-mounted electro-optical target tracking turret.
- Self-Propelled Howitzer: The Crusader was to replace the Army’s aging artillery pieces, more mobile with longer range. It was canceled in 2002 after $2 billion was spent. China’s PLZ-05 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, the PLZ-07 122 mm self-propelled, self-loading howitzer, the PCL-181 155 mm wheeled, self-propelled, selfloading howitzer are all in full production.
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- Railgun: The U.S. Navy spent $500 million on the railgun program and cancelled it in 2021. China’s railgun fires 120 rounds at 4,500 mph (7200 km/hr) and strikes targets 120 miles (200 km) away.
- Laser Cannon: The Air Force spent $5 billion developing the laser cannon then cancelled it in 2012. China’s high-energy laser cannons remain powered up indefinitely without overheating, thanks to state-of-the-art cooling.
- Next-Gen Destroyer: The Zumwalt next-gen destroyer was supposed to launch missiles from its 80 VLS cells but after spending $22 billion, the Navy canned it in 2016. China’s Type 055 next-gen destroyer has 112 VLS cells, all of whose missiles vastly outrange and out-punch their USN counterparts.
- Aircraft Carrier: Construction of the $20 billion USN Gerald Ford began in 2009. Its electromagnetic aircraft launch system, EMALS, is underpowered and unreliable, thanks to the Navy’s choice of AC electric power throughout the ship. The Fujian, with a more powerful DC electric system, has a much more powerful, reliable EMALS, a bigger flight deck and aircraft elevators, a slimmer mast and a wider array of defensive weapons.
- F-35 fighters from design to retirement, will cost $2 trillion, and each jet requires 9 hours of maintenance for one hour flying. The J-20 fighter carries a bigger payload (10 tons) faster (1,500 mph), higher (60,000 ft.) and further (1100 nm.) than the F-35. The J-20’s missiles outrange the F-35’s missiles by 50%.
The crisis
The West is suffering a crisis, not only of confidence, but of competence. Boeing’s failed shuttle is in the headlines but, less visibly, CERN’s $20 billion attempt to sustain nuclear fusion is collapsing under the weight of its own complexity. It will probably be abandoned now that a private Shanghai company has sustained fusion–for $1 billion.
Instead of continuing with this embarrassing list, I will devote the next post to consider more implications of the fusion breakthrough for world leadership.
American style corruption
Iran Receives Nuclear Threat Over Pending Retaliation Against Israel
Former Iranian diplomat Amir al-Mousavi told Al-Mayadeen news that Iran has been threatened with a nuclear strike.
Mousavi stressed that Iran has made it clear any nuclear attack will be met with a proportional response.
He further noted that those issuing the threats received even stronger replies.
He also urged people to ignore baseless claims of alleged Iranian “cowardice” circulating on social media, over the still-delayed retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran weeks ago.
Mousavi concluded by asserting that Iran, together with its allies, is fully prepared to confront the Zionist entity (Israel) with full force.
Hal Turner Analysis
In the ongoing Soap Opera of the Israel-Iran troubles, we have finally reached the apex threat stage: nuclear attack.
I call it a “Soap Opera” because like old the TV Soap Operas, you can walk away from it for a whole week and when you get back, you find you haven’t missed anything substantial.
As readers are aware, today (August 15, 2024) is my first day back at work from my vacation last week, and, as I peruse the available Intel and news, I realize I haven’t missed much!
What I have missed – or rather been relieved of for a week — is all the stress that had come with the ongoing situation.
As usual, folks in the Middle East are all hyped-up and ready to blow each other up . . . again . . . . as usual. It’s been this way for decades and shows little sign of abating.
As I look at the nuclear strike claim, I realize the only thing different about this situation is that the threat was actually made.
For decades, it was the quiet part . . . the part no one said out loud. It was always known, and presumed, that no one could hit Israel without the real possibility of being nuked by Israel.
But now that the actual threat has been made – interesting things are happening.
First, there is no abatement of the retaliation by Iran. Iran says it __is__ coming and __will_ be delivered.
So what did the nuclear threat accomplish?
Looking at the situation as the outsider I actually am, Iran faces a very simple reality:
If they do not hit Israel back for the assassination, then they don’t have a country anymore. Israel will be free to kill whomever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want.
If they DO hit Israel back, and very VERY hard, it __may__ give them pause before they think about undertaking such an act again. BUT . . . .
It will also unleash the very war that Israel has been looking at waging since the Iranian nuclear program became public knowledge.
Israel simply will not tolerate any other nearby country being equipped with nuclear weapons the same way the Israelis have nuclear weapons. If any neighbor country has nukes, that would DETER Israel from its ongoing military abuse of neighbors.
It was this reality, for decades, that actually created today’s troubles because somewhere inside Israel, they got the idea they could do whatever they want, to whomever they want, whenever and wherever they want, and no one would dare do anything for fear of being nuked.
Many MANY sources have repeatedly told me that Iran already has nuclear weapons; they allegedly got them via their own research and with help from North Korea.
None of us knows for certain if this claim of Iran nukes is true.
But back to the issue at hand, Israel has apparently made an actual, direct, nuclear attack threat.
So again, for Iran, the issue is simple: Does Iran hit the Israelis back (HARD) for assassinating Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, or not?
In my analysis, this is a no-brainer. I think Iran __must__ hit Israel back, and very hard.
Remember, back in April of this year, Israel bombed the Iran Embassy Compound in Damascus, Syria. An open act of war!
Iran made a retaliation, with force, much of which was shunted by Israeli defenses, with assistance from allies like the US and UK.
But in that retaliation, deadly weaknesses in Israel’s defenses were exposed. Several Iranian ballistic missiles, got through Israeli defenses, and struck Israeli military bases. It proved that Israel __could__ be successfully hit, and the Israelis now know they are nowhere near as “invincible” as they thought they were. They don’t like this reality and so they have upped-the-ante to actual nuclear threat.
That was foolishness on the part of Israel that is psychotic in its origin. If Israel nukes Iran over any conventional attack, what does Israel think Russia will do? What will North Korea do? What will Pakistan do? I think one or more of those countries would launch nuclear strikes at Israel! Much of Israel would be annihilated.
Now, the U.S. would be in a real pickle if any of this happened because, as Israel’s co-dependent enabler, the US would be obligated to come to the aid of their psycho-bully-little-brother, Israel.
Would US political leaders risk all-out nuclear war, for a bunch of psychotics-from-inbreeding over in Israel?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Which brings us all back to Israel’s nuclear threat. If I was in Iran, I would realize the nuclear threat is __possible__ but not probable.
If I was in Iran, I would also realize that Israel has wanted an excuse to go after Iran’s nuclear program for years, and this situation, right now, was intentionally created BY ISRAEL, to cause that exact war. It is coming and nothing will stop it.
So if I was an Iranian political leader, I would resign myself to the reality that a big war __is__ here, and I would go for the gusto; I would order a massive attack upon Israel in response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, and the total violation of Iran sovereignty the assassination actually was.
Iran is either sovereign or they’re not.
If they want to be sovereign, it seems to me they __must__ hit Israel. Since the Iran retaliation after the Embassy Bombing did not deter Israel, this retaliation for the assassination of Haniyeh must be at least ten times larger.
The longer Iran waits, the more time Israel has to prepare. The more time the US and UK have to move assets into theater and move weapons into Israel.
So, I ask the leadership of Iran: Are you sovereign, or not? Are you going to allow the Israelis to murder people in your capital city, or not?
I think that if Iran rolls-over and does not attack in response to the Haniyeh murder, then Iran is no longer sovereign.
When She Expects Princess Treatment But You’re In the Friendzone
Taquitos
These are the best taquitos! I like to serve them with guacamole and sour cream for dipping. They’re certainly not traditional taquitos, but they are delicious.
Ingredients
- Pork, beef or chicken
- 1 can Mexican beer
- Garlic salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Cumin (comino), to taste
- 1 envelope onion soup mix
- 1 can or jar chile verde
- Corn tortillas
- Melted cheese for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except melted cheese to a slow cooker.
- Cook for 8 to 10 hours on LOW.
- Drain juice.
- Put filling on corn tortillas and roll up. Secure with a wooden pick.
- Fry until tortilla is crispy. Remove wooden pick to serve.
- Drizzle with melted cheese, if desired.
Life on the high seas
As a police officer, what is the kindest thing a suspect ever said to you?
OMGosh…
I got a call for a domestic disturbance, once. When I got there, I saw two guys fighting in the yard. I got out, and ordered them to stop. I was by myself, so I cuffed one guy and put him in my car while I talked to the other one. Then, I switched them to interview the other guy.
I found out they were brothers but one had been messing around with the other brother’s girlfriend. I talked to them about family and the total mess they were making of each other over a female. I took the fellow that started the fight to jail and left the other at the house. All the way in, I continued telling him not to do this over some girlfriend—it wasn’t like they were married—he’s your brother…
By the time we got to the booking office, he was thanking me.
Eight months later on patrol I happened to see the two brothers in a parking lot. I stopped and said, “Hey! How’s it going?”
They turned around and said, “Deputy, thank you so much for how you handled that mess months ago.”
“Great,” I said, “how are things now?”
They said they both got rid of the girlfriend, started a landscaping business together, and business was going great! “Had we not met and talked that day, one of us might be dead by now.”
I felt really good about my job that day. 🙂
NOTE: I want to add the backstory for this girlfriend that some had wondered if she got the short end of the deal. She did, but there was a reason. She was not a long-term girlfriend with any history connected to the brothers. She had only been around for a few months and was clearly using the brothers for her own selfish gain (house, drink, food and apparently a little more…). I imagine that the stories ending would be different had the brothers been dirt-bags, but they weren’t.
Shorpy
Man DESTROYS Woman Recording Him During Date! #2
How are China’s current economic troubles (2024) affecting its global economic influence?
Look. China is an 18t dollar economy.
It is the world’s largest trading nation.
LARGEST.
No. 1.
Between 2019 and 2023, Chinese mercantile exports increased by almost 1t, and would have certainly been far higher had American-led sanctions and restrictions not curtailed normal trade. That’s more than double the increase in US goods exports, at 400b.
[Note: There are ~2,000 Chinese entities on the sanction list today.]
Yet it is growing like a developing economy, which it is, structurally as a whole.
China is an unprecedented economy. There has never been anything like it, and equivalence with any economy in the present or past fail at some point, often superficially.
~5% growth is a china in economic trouble?
Now, China is in the ~13,000 gdp per capita bracket, similar to Mexico, Malaysia, and turkey, all in the structurally vulnerable middle income “trap”.
What were their growth and inflation numbers in 2023?
China: 5.2%, 0.2%
Malaysia: 3.7%, 2.5%
Mexico: 3.2%, 4.7%
Turkey: 4.0%, 53.8%
And the kicker?
The other 3 have devalued massively relative to the yuan this century, particular post GFC.
There isn’t a developing country who won’t kill to be in china’s shoes today.
NONE.
The disparity would have been starker were the global south not given carte blanche to depreciate their currencies in a follow-the-yen reverse plaza accord begun in 2012-2013.
There was no political blowback, and the silence turned deafening when it was China and Singapore (of all actors) inexplicably singled out for designation as currency manipulators, despite appreciating versus the dollar.
It was a sharp message to China. Do NOT join in the festivities. We have different rules for you.
China today has low domestic inflation and interest rates. Given that the yen has devalued 100% in the past decade, along with a host of other currencies, what would it hurt if China devalues the yuan by 10% to 7.8-7.9 to the dollar? Even then, it will only be a fraction of the yen’s colossal dislocation in recent years.
That move alone can boost growth by at least 1–2%.
Economic troubles?
Far from it.
China hasn’t brought out the elephant gun, not even during covid.
That, my friends, is something to chew over.
The Problem With Society is: Most men don’t own anything, so they don’t give a F*ck.
Ownership is the key.
Cosmic Catastrophe: A Space Adventure Gone Awry
Submitted into Contest #247 in response to: Set your story on a spaceship exploring the far reaches of space when something goes wrong.… view prompt
Kayla Flemming
But their efforts were in vain as another jolt shook the vessel, this time more violently than before. Panic gripped the crew as they realized they were hurtling towards a nearby planet, their trajectory set on a collision course that spelled certain doom.
With time running out, Captain Jackson made a split-second decision – they would attempt a risky maneuver to evade the planet’s gravitational pull and regain control of the ship.
“Brace yourselves!” he shouted, his hands gripping the controls with steely determination.
As the ship plunged towards the planet’s surface, the crew held their breath, their hearts pounding in their chests. But just when it seemed all hope was lost, Captain Jackson’s daring maneuver paid off, and the ship veered away from the planet at the last possible moment.
Cheers erupted throughout the cockpit as the crew celebrated their narrow escape from disaster. But their relief was short-lived as they realized they were now adrift in the void of space, their navigation systems fried and their chances of survival dwindling by the second.
As they frantically searched for a way to repair the ship and plot a course home, Captain Jackson couldn’t help but wonder what other dangers lurked in the darkness of space, waiting to test their courage and resolve.
Despite the chaos that ensued, the crew of the spaceship refused to let fear dictate their actions. With determination in their hearts and a spirit of camaraderie that bound them together, they set out to explore the planet they had narrowly avoided crashing into. As they descended through the atmosphere, they were greeted by a breathtaking landscape unlike anything they had ever seen before – towering mountains, shimmering lakes, and lush forests stretching out to the horizon.
Eager to uncover the secrets of this alien world, the crew donned their spacesuits and ventured out onto the surface, their eyes wide with wonder as they took in the sights and sounds of this new frontier.
But their sense of adventure soon turned to apprehension as they encountered strange and wondrous creatures lurking in the shadows – creatures with scales as hard as steel, eyes that glowed with an otherworldly light, and voices that echoed through the caverns like whispers from the void.
Undeterred, the crew pressed on, their curiosity driving them ever forward in their quest for knowledge and discovery. And though they faced countless challenges and obstacles along the way, their indomitable spirit carried them through, guiding them on a journey of exploration that would change their lives forever.
As they prepared to leave the planet behind and return to the safety of their ship, Captain Jackson couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude for the adventure they had shared together. For in the face of adversity, they had found strength in each other, forging bonds that would withstand the test of time.
Amidst the chaos and excitement of their unplanned detour, the crew found moments of levity that brought much-needed relief from the tension of their predicament.
From Lieutenant Ramirez’s failed attempts at fixing the ship’s malfunctioning systems to Ensign Johnson’s comical mishaps during their explorations on the planet’s surface, there was never a dull moment aboard the spaceship.
Even Captain Jackson, typically stoic and reserved, couldn’t help but crack a smile as he watched his crew stumble their way through one misadventure after another. But amidst the laughter and camaraderie, there was a sense of camaraderie that bound them together, a shared sense of purpose that gave them the strength to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
And as they finally set course for home, their ship repaired and their ship repaired and their spirits buoyed by the memories of their cosmic escapades, they knew that no matter what trials awaited them in the vast expanse of space, they would face them together, united in their quest for adventure and discovery.
The journey back to their home base was filled with moments of reflection and gratitude. Each member of the crew took the time to appreciate the bonds they had formed and the experiences they had shared during their time in the far reaches of space.
Lieutenant Ramirez, with her quick with and unwavering determination, became the heart and soul of the crew, guiding them through even the most challenging of situations with her calm demeanor and steady hand.
Ensign Johnson, despite his tendency to stumble into trouble, proved himself to be a valuable asset to the team, his ingenuity and resourcefulness saving them on more than one occasion.
And Captain Jackson, with his leadership and courage, inspired his crew to rise above their fears and doubts, leading them through adversity with unwavering resolve. As they neared their home base, a sense of anticipation filled the air. Though their journey had been fraught with danger and uncertainty, they had emerged stronger and more united than ever before.
And as they docked their ship and stepped onto solid ground once more, they knew that their adventure was far from over. For as long as there were stars in the sky and unexplored corners of the universe to discover, they would continue to journey forth, together, in search of the next great adventure that awaited them in the cosmos.
The Snow White Trailer – Nightmare Fuel
1960’s era Toys
Mostly the stuff that I encountered. GI Joe and Major Matt Mason.
What goes through the mind of Chinese citizens when they travel out of China and end up on the internet seeing uncensored speech and negative factual news about the CCP?
What goes through the mind of Chinese citizens when they travel out of China and end up on the internet seeing uncensored speech and negative factual news about the CCP?
They love China even more and decide to go back China to build a better modern China with the unique Chinese Characteristics.
The Chinese American scientists and engineers who have worked and studied in the US for years have read and seen all the fake news and real life stories their whole life. They have endured enough discrimination and unfair treatments that they decide to return China and start up their high tech companies.
That is the fact.
Stop making fake narrative harassment and bullying hate speeches on China wastefully.
Hollywood Is Abandoning “The Message”
Swiss Steak with Tomato Gravy
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 large slice round steak
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large cans tomatoes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large onion, diced
- Kosher or sea salt and pepper
- 1 cup water (for gravy)
Instructions
- Spray slow cooker with Pam. Turn on LOW.
- Heat oil in large skillet.
- Cut round steak into serving-size pieces.
- Put flour into a shallow pan. Add salt and pepper to flour and flour steak well.
- Fry steak in hot oil until brown.
- Pour a few tomatoes into the slow cooker. Add pieces of browned steak and remaining tomatoes in layers. Add diced onion.
- Cook for 4 hours on LOW heat.
- Remove meat from slow cooker.
- Put 1 cup of water in a pint jar. Add 3 tablespoons flour. Shake well. Add to tomato mixture in the slow cooker. Cook and stir until gravy is thickened.
- Put meat back in long enough to heat.
- Serve with mashed potatoes.
What is the strangest experience you ever had firing somebody?
“With all due respect, you’re not paying us $5,000 so I can carry out quick revenge.”
I’ll never forget that line, spoken by a fully armed contractor hired for my personal protection on the strangest day of my career.
The year was 2014 and Dan is falling apart again.
Dan (not his actual name) shows up in many companies. Dan is intelligent, capable of spectacular results but is incredibly inconsistent. Our Dan once led the entire company in our sales rankings and had four President’s Club plaques in his office.
The only thing Dan was consistent at was being a nice guy. Everyone loved him. He gave his time freely to everyone in the office. Whether you were an intern or a manager, he raised his hand if you needed help.
Dan was in his early 50s and was a family man. Married with two kids in high school, he lived a simple life.
Dan drove us crazy. He could be running along with incredible results for the first six months of the year and then look like a completely different person in the second half. He was either sensational or a complete disaster. There was no in-between with Dan.
Most of the time, it just took a stern conversation. He had four different direct managers in his time with the company. I was several levels above him but saw the same three-step process play out every time.
New manager loves him. Dan is helpful, hustles, delivers great results and is a great team player.
Manager is concerned. Dan is missing deadlines, seems overwhelmed and we’ve had some customers complaints.
Manager is done. The entire office is distracted in putting out Dan’s fires and he just lashed out at a teammate (or some similar incident).
Throughout this process, Dan’s manager talks with him about his performance and encourages him to get his mojo back. Dan agrees and commits to improvement while performance keeps getting worse. Each time, a last straw is added to the figurative camel’s back when Dan erupts on a teammate or manager.
We then put Dan on a written performance plan with the direct language of “If Dan fails to achieve the results in this plan, he will be terminated.”
The performance plan always flips a switch in Dan. He would tell us how much he loves the company and needs the job. He would apologize, promise to improve and then deliver on that promise. Results would go from terrible to great.
I am talking about worst to first kind of turn-arounds. We would go from customer complaints to receiving love letters from his customers.
One year later, the process would start over again.
After this cycle happened too many times, I had a conversation with him.
“If it goes downhill again Dan, there won’t be another written performance plan. We can’t afford to keep disrupting the office. You have to get it together and keep it together. Is there something outside of this office that we can help you with?”
He paused for a long time and opened up. He suffered from depression. He drank too much. His family had confronted him. He was in a bad place.
Our company partnered with a counseling organization for just this type of situation. I offered him a leave of absence if he would enter the program, of which we would pay for 100%. He had to attend every session and stay in the program or we would terminate his employment.
He graciously agreed.
We gave him two months of paid leave and he entered the counseling program. He came back energized and we saw the best of Dan.
For a while.
Soon, the process started again as complaints started surfacing, both from his teammates and customers.
This time, it ended with Dan sending an explosive email to a customer at 2AM. This cringe-inducing email was four paragraphs long and all but called the customer an idiot. It was totally out of his normal character.
This happened on a Friday. The customer forwarded his email to me and several other managers the next morning with Dan copied on the email. This customer shared her plans to post it on her blog and social media accounts.
Dan left me with no choice but to fire him and he knew it.
On Sunday evening, I got a call from Dan’s manager. She was rattled.
Dan knew what was coming on Monday and confided in several people in the office, in the worst of ways.
He told one person that he expected to be fired. He went on to say he deserved it and probably didn’t deserve to be alive. Maybe, he should just end it all.
Startling, but it got worse. He called another employee who happened to be an avid hunter. Without talking business, he asked her questions about handguns and which caliber he should look into.
Damn.
This was the summer of 2014 and two school shootings had just taken place on the West Coast within a week of each other. Hints like this couldn’t be ignored.
My first responsibility as a leader is keeping employees safe. Was Dan likely crying out for help? Probably. Was he going to bring a gun to the office? Highly unlikely. Could we take that assumption to the bank? Absolutely not.
I told our manager to sit tight and I got on the phone with my boss. We were not going to take any chances. He had experience with a security firm and knew the owner.
He arranged for an “armed specialist” to be with me the next morning in the office. To this day, I appreciate how quickly my boss worked to arrange everything. I have fired many people but never in a situation like this.
For the first time in my life, I was headed to a business meeting with a loaded gun.
I talked with our manager in the office and asked her to arrange an office meeting at our satellite office across the street. In essence, I asked her to get everyone out of the main office to start the morning. If something happened, I would be the only employee in the office with Dan that morning.
Next, I called Dan and asked him to meet me the next morning at my office.
I didn’t sleep that night. My imagination kept taking me to dark scenarios. I wanted to tell my wife more of my fears but kept them to myself. I didn’t want her to start imagining all the crazy stuff I was dreaming up.
I met with my bodyguard two hours before I was scheduled to meet with Dan. He was an older gentleman, short and lean. He wore a dress shirt tucked into jeans with a leather bomber jacket on. He gave me his credentials. Twenty years in the military and another twenty years in private security, both overseas and domestic.
He wanted to know where all the entry points to the office were. We walked the perimeter of the building and did the same inside. We walked back to my office where I planned to meet with Dan.
“Too many doors to get here. Also, what if one of your employees comes back to the office and is back here with us? I like the offices in the lobby.”
“OK.”
We walk up front and sit down in one of the lobby offices. He asked me how I planned to conduct the conversation and what I am expecting.
“Well, I can meet with him in this office. I will leave the office door open since no one will be here yet. You can sit right outside the office on that couch.”
“With all due respect, you’re not paying us $5,000 so I can carry out quick revenge.”
It takes me a few seconds to comprehend what he is saying.
“Ian, I won’t do you any good on the couch if he brings a gun into that office with you. I’ll be sitting right next to you.”
“Of course.”
“I will have my gun covered by my jacket but trust that I can get to it quickly. I don’t want to show it and get him more nervous than he already is.”
We agree to announce him as an “HR specialist” hired to assist in the discussion. This sounds much more comforting than telling Dan that my bodyguard will shoot to kill should Dan pull out a gun.
Dan walks through the door on time. I am anything but calm. I am not sure if I am worked up because of potential danger or simply because I am sitting next to a trained killer.
Dan knows what the meeting is about. He sees the paperwork in front of me. I introduce the person on my right who smiles and shakes his hand. I immediately get to the point.
“Dan, today is your last day with the company. We tried to make this work but feel that we need to move on without you.”
“I understand.”
I walk him through the paperwork. All standard stuff. When his benefits end, who to call in HR to learn more about Cobra, severance details, etc. He signs everything quickly. Next, I pivot.
“Dan, you said some things to people in the office that concern me.”
“Oh, that. Is this why you have someone here with you?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not going to do anything crazy.”
“Dan, we want to help you continue with the counseling if you are interested.”
“Thank you. I am interested. I’m sorry for scaring everybody.”
I took his computer and access keys to the office, shook his hand and he left without incident. We paid for additional counseling and an outplacement service that helped him find new employment.
Since Dan had already been enrolled and worked with the same counseling organization, we alerted them as to what had happened and they reached out to him immediately after our meeting. He started counseling again that day and they continued to work with him for several months.
Our security detail remained in the lobby the rest of the day, guarding the front door. We took it a step further and paid for him to show up every day for the rest of the week, watching the front entrance.
Excessive? Maybe, but it gave our local managers peace of mind. As an organization, we had the safety of 30 employees to worry about. Many were nervous as word got out about the calls he made over that weekend.
Count me as one of the nervous employees. Scared is a more honest word. Scared he might hurt himself, other employees or me.
It was an incredibly difficult situation as you want to do right by the employee while also protecting the people he works with.
I left work early that day. I went home and hugged my wife and kids for a long time.
Then I poured a tall glass of Scotch.