Trent Ruble's Blog: The Other Way It Is , page 5

The Slave Trade... Today

Unfortunately, there are a multitude of problems in modern society and not enough resources to respond sufficiently to them all. That makes it difficult to decide which ones to address first. Not only that, but what some people call a problem, others support, or even depend upon for income. But, nearly everyone can agree that the evil of human trafficking is a problem worth correcting. Only, we seldom hear about it.



A victim of this modern day slave trade might be an immigrant working off the enormous, insurmountable debt he or she incurred in order to get to the Land of Opportunity, or it could be a runaway teenager who's been forced into prostitution. As you go about your life, pay attention to people who live on the fringe. The ones working at ethnic restaurants who won't speak or make eye-contact, or the young girls who hang out at truck stops with much older men, or the foreign residents living 15 or more in the household down the street. They're the ones the other neighbors know nothing about. In the United States, pay special attention in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, Tampa, and Washington as these ten cities have the highest rates of human traffic in the country. (Manna Freedom), although the problem is not limited to these areas. Human trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world (New Mexico Attorney General). At any given time there are 2.5 million victims of human trafficking around the world and tens of billions of dollars are made in their exploitation (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime).

If you are one of the millions of men who patronize prostitutes, thus fueling the industry, stop doing this. Of course, you won't; the practice has been around since antiquity and isn't going away anytime soon. So, you are at least in a good position to discover victims of human trafficking. This being the case, I am asking that you pay attention to the girls and, if you encounter any you suspect are minors or are being held against their will, please contact your local police or the FBI's National Human Trafficking Resource Center at (888)373-7888. Although they may ask, you will not be required to give your name.

Remember, the enslaved or indentured victims of human trafficking are children of God, just like you and me (1 John 3:1) and He loves them (Romans 5:8). He must shed tears when he sees the pain victims suffer, such as the pain of Elizabeth Smart who, in 2002 at the age of 14, was abducted and held for nine months while being raped repeatedly. After her rescue she said, "I felt my soul had been crushed. I felt like I wasn't even human anymore. How could anyone love me, or want me or care about me? I felt like life had no meaning to it. And that was only the beginning." It's time to end this ugly, largely unnoticed offense against God and humanity.

Call a Spade a Spade

Why is it that the liberals, especially President Obama, resist so strongly the use of the word "terrorist?" They especially don't like to say or hear the words "foreign terrorist." Here are some examples:

You may recall the terrorist; Nidal Malik Hasan, who shot 43 US soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 4, 2009, killing 13 of them. During the rampage, he was heard shouting Allah Akbar! (KMBC-TV, Kansas City, November 6, 2009). We've since learned that the surviving injured soldiers did not receive a Purple Heart because the Obama administration classified the shooting as "workplace violence" (WTMJ News Team, Milwaukee, April 5, 2013) instead of terrorism. This in spite of the fact that the government had information connecting Hasan to Al-Qaeda (Fox News, March 18, 2010), a well-known terrorist organization that wants nothing more than the total destruction of the United States.



Of course, who can forget the clumsy manipulation of information following the deadly attack in Libya? The September 11, 2011 attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi killed four Americans, including two US Navy SEALS and the US Ambassador to Libya. The worst part was that the Obama administration clearly knew the attack was an act of terrorism (CNN, September 11, 2012) even as we were repeatedly told that it was just violence resulting from Muslim anger over an anti-Islam video (CNN, September 13, 2011). We still haven't been given acceptable reasons why the attack was allowed to unfold even though a stronger defense could have been made. The president's re-election after this obvious failure leads me to believe he would have been re-elected even if it had been discovered that he was a homicidal maniac (not that I think he is).

Another example occurred just this week, on April 15, 2013, after terrorists' bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon killing at least three people and injuring more than 160. Dreading the possibility that the bombers were foreign terrorists, liberal David Sirota said, "Let's hope the Boston marathon bomber is a white American." (salon.com). How disappointed he must be. While possessing more information about the attack than probably anyone else, President Obama held an initial press conference in which he refused to use the words "terrorism" or "terrorist." It wasn't until the following day, when it was overwhelmingly obvious, that the administration admitted the bombing was the work of terrorists. But, even if he wasn't sure on that first day about who perpetrated the attack, he certainly knew, just like the rest of us, that it was likely the result of terrorism and should have said so. He would probably say he didn't want to speculate about who was responsible. Why not? Would it be too offensive to people who have demonstrated a desire to kill us? What we need instead is a leader who, in responding to a possible terrorist attack, is strong and aggressive in our defense, not weak and unsure. When he held the conference, he needed to speak to them, not just us.

But, of course, the terrorists think the president's already aligned himself with them. In an address to the United Nations, President Obama said, "The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." (September 25, 2012, New York City). To the terrorists, those who slander the prophet of Islam is... us! They heard the president saying he's with them!

I don't believe the president is "with" the terrorists. But I do think he needs for us to believe we are defeating terrorism (politicususa.com, January 12, 2013) so we will accept his drawdown in Afghanistan. If we were to see that the terrorists haven't been defeated after all, we would recognize that he was intentionally deceiving us. In addition, I believe the president simply doesn't want us to become fully enraged at the terrorists over these attacks, thus jeopardizing relations with terrorist states with whom he is trying to connect. And, maybe he's afraid of the power of that unleashed anger come the next election when a multitude of Democrats will be trying to win seats in congress and around the country.

The Spin Zone

There are many "conservative" voices in the media, but we must be careful to distinguish between those who are speaking for us and those who are not. Recently, Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly used the phrase "thump the Bible" when describing actions by members of the Religious Right (see politico.com). It was as if he, like other labelers who use the phrase, wouldn't expect this large group of Americans to consult their moral authority on a moral issue. His use of the derogatory slur was very disappointing considering he was once thought of as a voice of the conservative movement. It's also disappointing considering his stance against media "spin." (He authored the number one best-selling book, "The No Spin Zone.") For someone so concerned about "spin," why would he use a phrase intended to negatively shape the public's perception of a large portion of his (former) base?

As I've said in the past, the labeling of those who disagree with one's position is really a control issue. The use of these labels is an attempt to relegate people of opposing viewpoints to a status of no value. Therefore, their opinions don't count (see You're Gay? So What, I'm a H8TR, September 30, 2012). It is possible that Mr. O'Reilly had a slip of the tongue, although he later defended his use of the phrase. But, even if he did, it reveals his inner thoughts, just as Jesus taught; "For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45b, NKJV)." Mr. O'Reilly is not, and never was, part of the Religious Right and, like many moderate Republicans; he is trying to win over independents. We're seeing more and more of this from RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) whose efforts will do nothing but divide the party, thus delivering the next election once again to the Democrats.

All-Expense Paid Vacation in Sunny San Antonio!

On April 12, 1980, the direction of my life changed dramatically. I had graduated from high school about a year earlier and had been working as a clerk in a drugstore. I knew that wasn't going to be a sufficient career choice so, on that day, I entered the United States Air Force. On that day I began my Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. I was 18 years old and had never been on my own for more than a few days. I wouldn't be on my own during these six weeks, either.



On that chilly Spring day, myself and several other recruits boarded a commercial flight from Indianapolis to San Antonio for our six-week get away. Immediately upon our arrival I found that the weather couldn't have been more pleasant. We were met at the airport by some friendly folks from the Air Force who directed us to the buses that would take us to the base. When we arrived, these friendly guys took us to our dormitory and told us to put our things away and get to bed early because we had a big day the next day. It was the calm before the storm.

At about Oh-Dark-Thirty, one of those friendly guys rolled an aluminum trash can down the aisle between the beds, all the while screaming at the top of his lungs that we'd better be dressed and lined up outside in five minutes. Evidently he was schizophrenic considering his nice demeanor the previous evening. I'd planned to take my time getting ready that morning because I knew appearance was important in the military. But, I'm the kind of guy that usually takes about an hour and a half to get showered, brush my teeth, shave and get dressed, so I knew something had to give. Of course we had an idea about basic training so the general consensus among the recruits was that we'd better skip all that and get out there.

Once outside I noticed that, just like me, everyone else looked as if they'd just gotten out of bed. That is, except for the drill sergeants, or Technical Instructors (TI's) as they're called in the Air Force. Their sharp appearance was a stark contrast to ours and, using especially loud and explicit language, they made sure we knew it. They labeled us "Rainbows" due to the variety of colors of our civilian clothing. The TI's; Sergeant Pichon and Sergeant Roberts, then led us directly to the base barber shop where everyone received the same buzz cut.

In the first few days we were issued uniforms and a military identification card, and then spent a lot of time learning to march. During one of our marches, Sergeant Pichon noticed one of my fellow recruits wearing a watch, which was strictly forbidden. He told the young man, whose name I can't remember, that if he wanted to wear a watch so much that he would violate the rules, then he would wear one everyday and, whenever the TI would want to know the time, he would simply say, "Time!" The recruit with the watch would then say, "Sir, ding-dong, the time is..." It seemed that Sgt. Pichon always wanted to know the time whenever we passed a flight of females.

On a Saturday, about mid-way through the training course, it was my 19th birthday. I celebrated by working KP (Kitchen Patrol) duty. That evening I opened a birthday present from my mom; a box of homemade cookies. When Sergeant Roberts saw what I had, he told me to pass them around the room so everyone could share in my celebration. When the box got back to me there were none left. A note to mothers and girlfriends of military recruits - Don't send packages to basic training.

In addition to KP, another duty we performed was that of Dormitory Guard. The shifts were scheduled around the clock for two hours each. The guard was to stand at parade rest reading the "Dormitory Guard Instructions," which were posted on the wall next to the entry door. The instructions indicated that, when someone came to the door, they could not be allowed into the dorm until they showed their military identification card. The guard was required to match the person's face with the photograph on the card, even if they recognized the person.

On one of my shifts there was a knock on the door. I came to attention, turned and faced the door. I recognized that it was Sgt. Roberts. I said, "Sir, may I see your identification card?" He said, "You know who I am, now let me in this door." I repeated my request for his ID card per the instructions. He said in a loud agitated voice, "Ruble, if you don't open this door, I'm going to kick your a**!" I again repeated my request and he flashed his identification card quickly and with his thumb over the photo. I said, "Sir, I was not able to see the photograph on the ID card." After some more loud complaining, he displayed his ID card and I was able to confirm that the photo matched. I let him in and he said, "Good job. Do you want to see the first card I showed you?" I said, "Yes, Sir." He then showed me a card with a photo of Mickey Mouse. He said, "It's a good thing you didn't let me in after showing that card, Boy." I knew that was right.

As the weeks passed, I found myself in the number one position for the Honor Graduate ribbon. This was awarded to the trainee with the best academic score. However, the graduate could not have failed any inspections. Unfortunately, I failed our last inspection. It was obvious I'd failed when I saw Sergeant Pichon pull my wardrobe down, spilling the contents everywhere. I had been diligent to prepare for the inspection just as I always had but, this time, it wasn't good enough. I've always wondered if there was another reason I failed that inspection.

Our six-week "vacation" neared its end on Memorial Day weekend. The only remaining training day was the Tuesday following the holiday, which was graduation day. Because of this, the TIs gave us the weekend off. I chose to spend a large portion of it at the base pool where I fell asleep in the sun. Unfortunately, by the time I woke up, I had the worst sunburn of my life, before or since. That night I got up to use the latrine and passed out on the floor. No one wants to lay on a bathroom floor but, of all the latrine floors in the world to pass out on, this would be the one I would choose. Not only is it the cleanest, but it's one of only a few to have a 24 hour a day Dorm Guard just outside the door. The guard heard me fall and came to check on me. He quickly summoned help and I ended up in the hospital with heat exhaustion. When Sergeant Roberts stopped in to check on me I asked only that I be allowed to graduate. He assured me that, provided I followed the doctor's order that I drink eight quarts of water a day in order to replenish my fluids, I would be able to graduate on time. Eight quarts is a lot of water, but I was able to do it long enough to graduate.

On May 27, 1980, I graduated from Basic Training and soon was on a bus across Texas to my tech school, peeling my dead skin along the way. I was so glad to have basic training behind me that I decided I would never do anything like that again. Evidently "never" isn't a very long time because, in September, 1985, I entered the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.

The Future Falls to the Little Ones

We say we love our children, but do we really? Look at what we'll be leaving them: the United States is currently more than $16 trillion in debt and the country is morally bankrupt. But, it was the same way for us, wasn't it?

Although it will become our children's problem to solve, the decline began before our parents' generation. The debt wasn't as big and the moral decay wasn't as dramatic, but the tide had turned. Our downturn in both areas continues to be caused by our entitlement mentality; our selfishness. Now we're in a free fall that no one has the courage to stop because, due to the power of special interests, stopping it would require certain defeat come the next election.

Because the interest on our debt is constantly increasing, we will not see the complete economic recovery we're all hoping for. And, because we continue to kill our unborn babies by the millions and promote as normal the unnatural lifestyles that He calls abominations, God will surely not have mercy on us as He has in the past.

I challenge this generation of politicians to do what is necessary in order to salvage this once great nation, regardless of the political ramifications. I also challenge the voters to elect only those who will commit to our recovery, even if it is painful. Think of your grandchildren and the third world nation they'll inherit should we do nothing (see What Comes After, January 06, 2013).

The Devastation of the Palatinate

In the mid 1600s, my ancestors, the Rubeli family of Switzerland, lived in the Swiss towns of Aeschlen, Langnau im Emmental and Oberdiessbach, which are near Bern. But, because of their Mennonite religion, they were eventually banished from their beautiful and beloved homeland. A large number of them resettled in an area of Germany known as die Pfalz (the Palatinate). In particular, they settled in and around the town of Otterberg. They chose this area because the ruler of the land was Elector Karl Ludwig (King James I of England's grandson) who was generous to them; allowing them to practice their religion freely. Once there, they began what they thought would be centuries of peaceful farming life. But, this wasn't to be.



The Catholic French king; Louis XIV, also known as le Roi-Soleil (the Sun King), felt that everyone should share his devotion to the Catholic faith and made it his mission to eradicate protestants. Nearly all the residents of the Palatinate, which lies entirely outside France, were pacifist Swiss Mennonite protestants who were no threat to the king. Even so, they drew the king's attention which led to his dreadful, decades-long "Devastation of the Palatinate" campaign. Beginning in 1689, at the order of the king, French general Malec repeatedly administered the "Scorched Earth" policy and burned the villages of the Palatinate until nearly every person was killed or forced out. Many of the survivors found their way to ships sailing from Europe to America; a place then known for religious liberty. My own ancestors; Hans Peter Rubel, and his son; Ulrich, as their names were recorded, landed on American shores in 1727 aboard the Winter Galley.

When the travelers disembarked the ships hundreds of years ago, most of them didn't read or write. They would say their name to the person recording their immigration and he would spell it however seemed best to him. So, today my family is known as "Ruble." Other decendants of the Rubelis are known as Rabel, Raubel, Reble, Reibell, Ribbel, Rubbell, Rubel, Rubi, Rubin, Rubly, Rupley and Rupy. There are likely many more variations. Most of the Mennonites, including my family, settled in Pennsylvania before moving further inland and became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, though they weren't Dutch at all. The misnomer came from the inability of the Americans to pronounce Deutsch, which is German for "German."

If not for King Louis' Devastation of the Palatinate, I might be living in Germany today. In fact, I think there's a piece of land in Otterberg that belongs to me. That works out well because, if the American Indians, whose ancestors once lived on my land, are ever successful in regaining it, at least we'll have a place to go. But, a word of warning to any Indian or king, French or otherwise: Our family is no longer pacifist and our property is protected by a GLOCK security system.

Much of the information contained in this article is derived from "Das Messerschwanderhof," by Herman Karch, and "The Wars of Louis XIV (1667-1714)," by John A. Lynn.

International Incident, Part 2

From 1980 to 1984 I was an aircraft loadmaster assigned to the United States Air Force's 20th Military Airlift Squadron in Charleston, South Carolina. From there, our C-141 Starlifter crews delivered people and cargo to airports and air force bases all over the world. Occasionally, when visiting these exotic locations, our crew members would run afoul of local procedures with which they weren't familiar. I previously wrote of the International Incident (November 4th, 2012) I nearly caused in Berlin, but that wasn't the only one.



Another of our trips was a routine passenger mission called the "Eagle," which staged in Frankfurt and Athens. Staging meant the aircrew would rest while the plane continued with a new crew. Then, usually the next day, the original aircrew would pick up another plane coming through, already loaded, and continue on. After staging in Athens, an Eagle crew would take the plane to three stops in Turkey and return to Athens in one day. We called that day the "Turkey Trot." One of those stops was at Izmir Air Base near Istanbul, Turkey.



Because Izmir was our first stop in Turkey, we were always met by Turkish customs agents. It was their job to ensure we weren't carrying any of the items prohibited in Turkey: pork, Coca-Cola, or pornography. Any US military aircraft or vessel is considered by the United States to be sovereign US territory regardless of where it sits and, therefore, not subject to search of any kind. But, rather than cause unnecessary conflict, we used a more diplomatic approach. Upon our arrival we always offered the agents coffee and American snacks and they, in return, would not ask us to drag our bags. It was a nice arrangement that worked well.



It was part of a loadmaster's job to make sure there was enough coffee and food on board for the sometimes very long and crowded flights. Unfortunately, on one of the Eagle missions to which I was assigned, we were running low. Upon our arrival at Izmir, the agents came on board as they usually did and started to pour themselves coffee. I stopped them and explained the situation thinking that, based on our long history of cooperation, they would understand. But, they didn't. The agents became unreasonable insisting that we remove all of our personal luggage. The Aircraft Commander gathered the crew and asked if any of us had any of the prohibited items. None of us did, unlikely as it was. So, at the commander's order, we removed our bags and allowed the customs agents to search them. When they were finished we loaded the bags and continued with our mission. The international incident was diffused. But, because I was perceived by the rest of the crew to be the one who allowed the coffee and food to run low, thus allowing the situation to unfold, I was not the most popular guy the rest of the trip.

More recently, a fellow loadmaster with whom I flew several missions, a loadmaster who'd made the job his career and is still flying today, told me that all crew members on USAF cargo planes now fly armed (in the 1980s we usually didn't) and no foreign nationals are allowed on board the aircraft. He said there have been incidents in which crew members have had to draw their weapons in order to prevent customs agents from coming on board. I'm glad it didn't come to that during my encounter, especially since we weren't armed. Oh, how the world has changed.

From Airman to Officer to Writer

What follows is based on my response to Helena Kaufman of militarysuccessnetwork.com to questions about my transition from military to civilian life, and the process of writing my books.



My transition from the Air Force to civilian life occurred many years ago in April 1984 after a nearly uneventful peacetime enlistment. Please understand that I am fully aware that my transition was quite easy when compared to the difficulty experienced by wartime veterans, especially those with physical injuries or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

At the time of my military separation I was 22 and married with a little girl. As I look back on it, I really had it made as an aircraft loadmaster, traveling the world for free. But, at the time, I missed my hometown and felt like all the practice missions we flew weren't "real life" like back home. So, I made a stupid decision that turned out OK. I decided to leave the Air Force after four years and head back to Indiana. The only job I had waiting for me was at the drugstore where I'd worked as a clerk before I left home. Although I was thankful to have a job, it certainly wasn't a career and wasn't even sufficient for supporting my family, hence a "stupid decision." But, after about a month, a friend helped me get a job in a factory and then, after another year, I was hired as a police officer in my hometown.

As I made the transition from the military to life at home, I encountered problems in my two and a half year old marriage. While in South Carolina, where I had been stationed, all my friends were her friends and vice versa. But, once we got home, which was her home as well, we had separate sets of friends. When we would have a dispute, it seemed that her friends validated her feelings while my friends supported me, thus making compromise difficult. After we were home for about a year, we divorced.



Another issue related to my transition was in my expectations of fellow police officers and the department as a whole. As a paramilitary institution, I expected that it would operate much like the military with the same respect for superiors and mission, etc... I was wrong. There were, and are, some very good officers, but nearly all of them were type A personalities and could be difficult to work with. The ranking officers carried much more responsibility than the others without the necessary respect that should have come with it. In addition, it seemed there were several officers just there for the paycheck, which wasn't an issue in the military because we were paid so little. Now, after 26 years of police work, I've found that the way I do my job has changed, with much more emphasis on people and their problems than on their compliance with the law. I wonder if I would look on those officers of many years ago differently if I worked with them today. Maybe they weren't just there for the paycheck after all. Maybe they just did their jobs differently.

In the end I became accustomed to civilian life. I married a wonderful lady after I'd been divorced for three and half years and we're still happy together. We have four children, including the little girl born in South Carolina, plus the four grandchildren she and her husband have given us. It's a wonderful life.


Harrison Davis: Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt




Gunar Hamilton: Vigilante on the Lam



As for my writing, I started in 2004 and, after about two years, my first novel; "Harrison Davis," was published. The second, "Gunar Hamilton," also took about two years and was published in 2011, the same year I started this blog. The inspiration for the books has come from my time in law enforcement. But, my purpose for writing was to share my faith in a non-confrontational way. I'm not an in-your-face kind of guy and I don't appreciate it when people try to push their beliefs on me. Even so, I think it's necessary to share what is so important to me and, in this way, people can read it or not. And, like many writers, I'd always had a story inside just waiting to get out. One day I just sat down and started writing. I wrote the story from beginning to end before any editing, but it was only about 18 pages long. Then I started the process of fleshing it out with the final product still on the short side at 118 pages.

The scariest part of being published is putting my work out in the public eye and hoping not to embarrass myself. It's difficult to know if the books are good because no one tells me when they think they're bad. Thank you for being concerned about my self-image but, (gulp) I'm ready to hear the truth if any of you would like to share.

The Lost War

I am opposed to the recreational use of dangerous drugs and, for 28 years, I've been actively involved in the all out war against them. I don't regret my involvement as I've seen first-hand the death and destruction caused by these illegal substances. The people I've arrested on drug charges over the years generally cared little about the damage they caused to themselves or anyone else. They were fully aware that what they were doing was illegal. In addition, the illegal drug trade fuels other crimes, such as burglaries and robberies, which severely reduces our overall standard of living. Even so, I'm wondering if the decriminalization of drug possession and the state control of drug distribution wouldn't serve us better. Those who know me are likely shocked to read this.



Unfortunately, we simply can't afford to fight the battle any longer. It seems that someone who wants to abuse drugs or, more correctly, abuse themselves, is going to get it done regardless of legal consequences. As a result our jails and prisons are overflowing with drug violators, costing us millions of dollars we don't have. In addition, the extremely violent culture in which these drugs are made and sold is costing us thousands of lives. And, the profits from their sale is making some very bad people very rich. These are the same reasons the 18th Amendment was annulled in 1933, ending Prohibition in America.

If drugs were state controlled, the cartels would go out of business thus eliminating the violent world in which they operate. As it is, that violence too frequently spills over into civilized society. At the same time, drugs could be taxed adding a new source of revenue for our desperate state budgets. Also, instead of addicts blindly trusting sleazy street dealers, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could oversee the safety of the substances people put into their bodies.

Unfortunately, when those involved in the drug trade, who are not exactly good citizens, become "unemployed," they will soon find their way into other crimes. But, it would be unlikely we could fail in the new fight as badly as we've failed in this one.

If It's Too Good to Be True...

With the inauguration of the President of the United States last month came the end of the election season and I'm glad it's over. It was the repetitive, deceitful political advertisements that made it so difficult to endure. How can we trust our government to people whose ads clearly reveal their lack of integrity. They will absolutely say and do anything to get elected. It's disgusting.



Maybe in just this one area we could override the Constitution's First Amendment and prohibit these ads completely. With the president attempting to override the Second Amendment, it seems to be the season for such things. OK, maybe we shouldn't do that and neither should the president. But, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has already been granted the power to control the content of advertisements so, if we add to that the restriction that no political advertisement can refer to a person other than the one paying for the ad, we'd all be a lot happier. In addition, we should allow the FCC to retroactively enforce a standard of truthfulness in the ads. If a politician doesn't do what they promise, they should be held liable. The manufacturers of products are punished when it is discovered that they have misrepresented their product, so why should politicians be any different?

I'm already dreading the next election season. Please, someone, just give us some relief!