Failure is not an Option

I popped in an old DVD last night..Apollo 13. One of my favotite scenes is when Gene Krantz (played by Ed Harris) gives the marching orders to Mission Control. If you haven't seen this movie, you owe it to yourself to get the DVD. I'm old enough to remember watching it on TV as it really happened - oh well, showing my age.

March 24, 2009

On Tuesday, March 24th I attended a meeting of the Northern Lodges in Moorhead. Despite the flood risk, we had a good turn out. I am very proud of the lodges in the Northern half of our state..they are very active and continue to take care of their membership as well as police officers in general, the most recent one being Chris Dewey.

Above you will find photos of me with members of Lodge 8, 11 and 22. On hand also were State President Cayo, First V.P. Miller, Second V.P. Marichalar, and Secretary / Treasurer Anderson. We had some great dialogue and excellent suggestions.

I am humbled by the support that I received at this meeting, and overwhelmed by the strong vocalization of the same. As I told the brothers at this meeting, a silver lining to the campaign trail, it's getting out and having some good one on one with the membership. It was great seeing everyone.

I'm a Cop, You Idiot (time to lighten things up)

A prank phone call from one of our local radio producers:

Click HERE

Virtus Junxit Mors Non Separabit (translation below)

As we keep hearing the details of the death of the Oakland officers, I find myself getting back to basics regarding what our fraternity is about. Every time you hear of tragedy, or even have it happens in your back yard, it reminds us of why our fraternity exists in the first place.

In November of 2000, I sat down to watch a bit of TV one late weekday morning. I turned on the tube and immediately saw Mike Siitari at a press conference. Mike was - and still is - the Chief of Edina PD. I immediately turned up the volume. A bank robbery suspect shot two Edina officers, one critically. The Edina cops did their job and sent the robber to his final destination. I started making phone calls. The State Lodge stepped in - we offered cash and assistance.

The final result was a huge fund raiser for Mike Blood and his family...Mike was the one critically injured, and Lake Minnetonka Lodge #6 and the Edina Independent Police Association raised well over $100,000. That's what we are about.

Everyone also realizes (even though we don't like to think about it) that if any of us meets the same fate as our brothers in Oakland, the fraternity will be here for the family. It's the least that we can do, and this is our ultimate responsibility. Virtus junxit mors non separabit (What virtue has joined, death can not separate).

In Memoriam

The broken column on the left is an ancient Masonic symbol signifying an interrupted life or untimely death. Of course, the patch on the right is of the Oakland, California Police Department.

On Saturday, 3/21 Three members of the Oakland, CA Police were killed. A fourth was declared brain dead today as his family decides on what to do about organ donation.

Roll Call:

Officer John Hese

Sergeant Daniel Sakai

Sergeant Ervin Romans

Sergeant Mark Dunakin

This started as a routine traffic stop - it could have happened anywhere...it could of happened to you. PLEASE be careful. None of us need to go to any more funerals. I did send an email to the California Trustee offering condolences and assistance on behalf of the Minnesota membership.

Final Florida Story

Well, I 'm back to the grind in Minnesota. One final FOP related story about Florida: About 5 years ago My wife and I were in The City of Anna Maria - on the northern tip of the island that my mom lives. Anna Maria contracts with The Manatee County S.O. for police protection.

It was a warm evening, and I parked our rental car near a really nice beach area. We walked along the beach and watched the sunset. We then came back to our car, and we noticed the house that we were in front of had it's door open, television blaring, and no one in sight. I also noticed the parking ticket on my windshield...I didn't realize that I was in a no parking zone. As we were driving home, I spotted the Anna Maria deputy sitting in a parking lot. I stopped and walked up to the car.

I had an FOP golf shirt on. I said hello, and the first thing he asked is if I was a cop and FOP member. I told him that I was, and he told me that he was the 2nd VP of Manatee County Lodge #70. I told him about the suspicious residence - and he asked if I knew the exact address.

I told him to wait one second, and I retrieved the parking ticket that he had given me - - with the exact address. He smiled, held out his hand and said "gimme the ticket". I told him that it was only a parking ticket, and that I would gladly pay it rather than have him get into trouble explaining to his supervisor why he is voiding it. He looked at me and said "You're a fellow cop, helping me out with some information, and you're an FOP brother....gimme the ticket".

The instant strong bond that we have with brothers and sisters across the country never ceases to amaze me.

An Oldie but Goodie

This circulated around a few years ago - it's still timely - (Rated PG-13)

Super Pete

Pete Lannon was the officer that came and calmed my mom down when her house was hit by a tree in a tropical storm. When I came down after the whole fiasco, I met Pete and realized that he was a quality guy. He started his law enforcement career in South Carolina, where he immediately joined the FOP. When Peter Fire called down to Holmes Beach, everyone told him that Pete was our guy.

Pete and I became good friends. He would take me out on the HBPD Boat, or we would drive around the beaches yucking it up.

In 2006 I found that Pete was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. He went on sick leave shortly after that. When I was visiting my mom in May of 2007, she told me that things were not looking good for Pete. Because of his weakened immune system, he could not see visitors, so I called him on the phone. His wife answered, and said that he was extremely tired and somewhat incoherent. She didn't think that it would even be a good idea for me to talk to him. In the background I heard "Is that Chuck?" - she turned the phone over to him. We spoke for a few minutes. I told him that he was my friend and brother, and that everyone was praying for him - what else can you say? We both knew that this would be the last time (in this world, anyway) that I would speak to him. He died June 1 of 2007.

He was an Officer Friendly and extremely popular with the kids at Anna Maria Elementary School. Above are the various tributes to him.

I said that I would only be doing fun stuff....well, I guess you could say that this was maybe not fun, but good in the sense that it pays tribute to a brother who truly was a great guy. It also shows that - through our fraternity - we are truly blessed to be brothers and sisters with some outstanding human beings.

Tropical Storm Gordon - and the Meaning of Fraternity

As I visit my mom on Anna Maria Island, I remember something that happened in 2000 that showed me truly what our fraternity was all about.

In December 2000 Tropical Storm Gordon came up the Gulf Coast of Florida. My mom and her cat had evacuated, and came back after the all - clear, only to find a tree smack on the middle of her roof. She called me, and I made several arrangements with insurance adjustors, etc. I offered to come down, but she insisted that she would be fine.

Well, the insurance adjustor turned out to be a reincarnation of Joseph Stalin. He was a total dink, and my mom was getting more rattled. I called Florida Trustee Pete Fire, and explained everything to him. He told me that someone would be dropping in on my mom shortly. He also suggested that I just mention the name of an attorney that the Florida FOP worked with, who apparently is an expert in elder law and who has cost insurance companies who prove to be jackasses a lot more than if they had just paid the claim.

He wasn't kidding - within an hour my mom had a knock on the door. It was Holmes Beach Officer Pete Lannon - a transplant from South Carolina, and a 20 year FOP member. He quickly became my mom's personal cop. Pete Fire's suggestion worked also - I told the adjustor that I was getting very frustrated, and that if things continue, I would just turn it over to this attorney. Well, wouldn't you know it - things went real smooth after that. I cancelled my plans to fly to Florida.

Pete Lannon became a great friend of my mom's and mine - more on him on the next blog.

Lodge #9 Endorsement

On Thursday, March 12th I attended the regular monthly meeting of Lake Superior Lodge #9. They had a great showing - at least 30 brothers and sisters. We actually met in Superior, and had several brothers and sisters from the Wisconsin lodge there.

I am honored to have received the unanimous endorsement from my brothers and sisters of Lodge #9. I will not take it for granted.

Thanks to President Chris Smith, Past President Gayle Holton and all of the brothers and sisters for what always is a great evening on the North Shore.

And Now for Something Completely Different

This is from my blog a few years back - a break in the politics about a far more important subject: cigars.


In my recent trip to Mexico I had the opportunity to sample - at length - Cuban cigars. I had smoked what someone told me was a Cuban a couple of years ago. I highly doubt that it was Cuban, as you couldn't read the label, and it was by far one of the worst cigars that I had ever had. It tasted like dried horse crap, and drew like a broomstick. To say that it was rope would be a complement. Cuban cigars have been a hot topic by American cigar smokers - since they're outlawed here. I would submit that they are not all that they are cracked up to be. The Cubans that I had in Mexico were definitely good cigars - but I've had better from the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Honduras - even the good ol' U S of A. They had a strong flavor that was very good, but they weren't worth the 110 pesos (about 10 bucks) that I paid for them. As I puffed on these products of Latin - American - Castro - Marxist- Leninism, I recalled a box of cigars that I bought a few years back - La Gloria Cubana. Literally - "The Glory of Cuba", there is a communist version on the Island of Palms, but don't confuse these with the new ones. This brand was started in Miami by a group of Cuban refugees that came across the water on the hood of a '54 Buick, so they know what they're doing. The started a factory in Miami, and recently opened a new one in Dominica. They are as good - if not better - than Castro productions. If you have a jones for a Cuban, don't waste your money or risk breaking the law. In my humble opinion, a Gloria Cubana will be your smart choice.

National Board Meeting - Jacksonville

To the left is a picture of yours truly, along with National President Chuck Canterbury to my right..the little guy to my left is Mike Burnett, Chair of the Trustees. Chuck Canterbury remarked that this picture looked like an AT&T commercial.

The Jacksonville meeting was not as eventful as most of us had anticipated. For those who don't know, there is a bit of turmoil on the National Board. The Trustees had one pretty tense meeting, but it sound like one issue (for now) is resolved. We're waiting for the other shoe to drop. I would rather not get into it here, but if anyone would like a verbal account, please call me at 612-581-4747.

I won't bore you with the details of the meeting - that's for my report at the State Conference. We ARE hosting the Fall 2010 National Board Meeting and probably the State President's Meeting. 250 people come in from all over the country, and these are the movers and shakers of the FOP. It will be an excellent way to showcase our state and our lodges, and further elevate the Minnesota FOP in the hearts and minds of our membership, both national and local.

From our Aussie Colleagues

This is an actual commercial played on Australian Television - rated PG-13

Events of March 11th

This is a picture from Lodge # 3's appreciation dinner about 3 years ago...I dredged it out of my files. It's a horrible picture, but it's the only relevant one that I have! Also in the picture is Lodge #3's President Chuck Donaldson and some unidentified officers.

Tonight I met with the brothers (there were no sisters present) at Metro Lodge #3. We had great discussion and dialogue, and it was great seeing some familiar faces.

Since I was attending Lodge #3's meeting I could not attend Lodge #6's. In my absence my brothers and sisters unanimously endorsed me for re-election. As I say with every endorsement, I do not take it lightly or for granted, and am very grateful.

The 2003 National Conference

The 2003 National Conference was held in Providence, Rhode Island. Prior to this conference, I set out a plan to put Minnesota on the map. Our previous showings and performances at past conferences was marginal at best, so we had to make an impact to prove to the rest of the country that we were serious.

We had enough size to send a little over 30 delegates to the conference, and we were able to fill the slots. We made our expectations clear: You are here to do the business of the Lodge - party until Hell won't have it on your free time, but at 0900 you are expected to be in your chair. We also had shirts made for two days...everyone had the same attire.

The first day of the conference we all met at the main door of the convention hall, and walked in together at 0855. As we were sitting down, one of my fellow trustees from a larger state came up and asked "where in the hell did you guys come from ?" It was just the reaction that I was looking for. From that point on, Minnesota had arrived - and come of age.

My ever present graphic for this posting is the Providence Police patch. One of my best friends on the National Board is a Major with Providence P.D. I always tell him that I think that his patch is one of the coolest in the country.

A Better Description

This is a better description of our emblem than the previous post. It comes compliments of Rhode Island Sheriff's Lodge #24.

Vice President Instruction in the Mysteries of the Emblem:
My friend(s), this Emblem, as adopted by the Fraternal Order of Police, will always remind you of the duties that are expected of you as a citizen, a police officer, and a member of this Order. First, the five-cornered star, the same that is found in our National Emblem, and tends to reminds us of the allegiance we owe to our Flag.

The star is also the symbol of authority with which you, like all police officers, are more or less invested. This authority conferred upon you by the people is a token of honor, for in this act they recognize in you a man (or women) of ability and power, and equal to the task set before you; they also place in you their confidence and trust. Let us hope that you will never abuse this confidence or betray this trust, and that your actions will always be such as to command an honorable opinion of all those with whom you come in contact.

Midway between the points and center of the Star is a blue field. The points are of gold, which indicates the position under which we are now serving; the background is white, white being the virgin or unstained color, representing purity; among our many efforts, one is to allow nothing of a corrupt nature to be injected into our Order; therefore blue, gold and white are our colors. In the three uppermost blue fields are the letters F.O.P., which is the monogram of our Order, the “FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE.”

In the blue field, in the lower left-hand corner is the open eye, the eye of vigilance, the ever-watchful eye, which notes the danger, and offers protection to the public, asleep or awake. In the blue field, in the lower right-hand corner, is the handclasp, which denotes friendship. This, my friend(s), is a very important item. The hand of friendship always has its effect and should always be extended to a worthy Brother (or Sister). The hand of friendship with good advice and a few kind words, often has a wonderful influence; in many cases it relieves a burden, cheers, a heart, strengthens the ability, renews the determination, and sets aright the footsteps of an erring Brother or Sister.

The circle surrounding the Star midway, indicates our never ending and never tiring efforts to promote the welfare and advancement of this Order, and within its bounds we are all a one great and powerful unit. In a half circle over the centerpiece is our motto, written in Latin, Jus, Fides, Libertatum, which translated means Law is a safeguard of Freedom. In the center of the Star is the seal of Fort Pitt. This, my friend(s) tends to remind us of where the first efforts were put forth to establish this highly necessitated Order.

Letters from Roseau (actually, Greenbush)

The following is from a letter sent to me by Mike Siems, Vice President of North Star Lodge #22. He asked that I put it on my blog. Thanks, Mike - all of you at Lodge #22 are great brothers and sisters.

Dear Chuck: I just want to thank for all the hard work you have done over the past year. You have brought about a real change within the law enforcement community in northern Minnesota by helping us form Lodge #22 of the FOP.

Your dedication to the organization and the amount of hours that you expended to make us succeed is a credit to yourself and to the department that you work for as well as the office that you hold. On a personal note I wish to thank you for the help that you have given our president who found himself being attacked by his employer because he had taken the other side of the issue. And how you have repeatedly driven for 7 hours straight, attended meetings, met with our FOP board and then driven back to the twin cities for work the following day, only to say that it is your job. I can only say that you bring the true meaning of what it means to be a brother in the FOP, for I know of very few organizations that would go to help a person out such as you have done. It is with great pride and humility that I am able to call you brother and to know that where ever I might be I can always count on you in the time of need.

Mike Siems

Vice President, Lodge #22

Deadburb - Where Beaver Cleaver meets The Stand (a re-run)

(This is an entry from a couple of years ago, but since : a) I thought that it was pretty good, and b) It's the only entry to generate 2 comments from outside people, I though that I would run it again.)

(click on the stuff link)

More stuff from Lileks. Actually, a pretty sad commentary. Richfield seems to have it's share of this type of thing. I remember when an 8 square block neighborhood was bought out for runway expansion at 28th Ave. and 66th St. - I think that it was around 1995. I used to drive through that neighborhood when I worked at Page Airways in the late 70's, making runs to Beek's Pizza. I drove through it about three nights before the bulldozers went through....it gave me the heeby jeebies

August 1, 2007

Of all the things that came over the internet after the bridge collapse, this was one of the better ones.

Live from Jacksonville

I am currently at the National Board Meeting and State President's Meeting in Jacksonville. There's lot's going on, so I'll have long reports - but maybe not until I get back on Sunday. Keep checking in - I may put some entertaining stuff up just to keep you coming back for more!

Support of Lodge #13

(Above photos: Meeting place of Central Lodge #13 on 3/3/09 - The Board of Lodge #13 with your's truly.)

Tonight I had the privilege of meeting with Lodge #13 in Litchfield. I am honored to have received their support for my re - election bid. As always, I do not take it for granted.

I learned that Lodge #13 has a lot of great ideas - one fund raiser / statewide social event in particular sounded like a great idea. So as not to steal their thunder, I will let them talk about it when the final touches are put on.

This lodge grew from 30 some members to over 140 members after the Wright County Deputy's Association became their own bargaining unit and joined the FOP Labor Federation.

Again, always good to see my brothers and sisters from the middle of the state, and thank you again for your endorsement!

What our Emblem Means

This is from our ritual, written in 1917. I like to read it every once in awhile to remind me what our organization is all about.

The emblem adopted by the national Fraternal Order of Police is designed to remind the membership of the duties that are expected of them as a citizen, a police officer and a member of the lodge. The five-cornered star tends to remind us of the allegiance we owe to our Flag and is a symbol of the authority with which we are entrusted. It is an honor the people we serve bestow upon us. They place their confidence and trust in us; serve them proudly.
Midway between the points and center of the star is a blue field representative of the thin blue line protecting those we serve. The points are of gold, which indicates the position under which we are now serving. The background is white, the unstained color representing the purity with which we should serve. We shall not let anything corrupt be injected into our order. Therefore, our colors are blue, gold and white.
The open eye is the eye of vigilance ever looking for danger and protecting all those under its care while they sleep or while awake. The clasped hands denote friendship. The hand of friendship is always extended to those in need of our comfort.
The circle surrounding the star midway indicates our never ending efforts to promote the welfare and advancement of this order. Within the half circle over the centerpiece is our motto, "Jus, Fides, Libertatum" which translated means, "Law is a Safeguard of Freedom." In the center is the coat of arms of Fort Pitt, where our order was formed.

National Standing - and now we mean it.

We have all worked hard to increase our national standing and respect. From what I told you in my previous post (Basically being a laughing stock), we grew into being tapped to hold a press conference with the Secretary of Labor at the time - Elaine Chao. She was very gracious, and I was honored to have a long and productive conversation with her. Below is the text of her speech. Again, this was working toward my ultimate goal: Improving the lives of cops and their families.

Remarks Prepared for Delivery by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Fraternal Order of Police/Minnesota, Marriott City Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Friday, May 21, 2004

Thank you, Chuck [Schauss, National Trustee-Minnesota, FOP], for that kind introduction. It is good to see you.
I want to recognize Gary Cayo, the Minnesota State President of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Thank you both for joining me here today and for all you do to help police officers throughout Minnesota.
You and your officers put your lives on the line every day to serve and protect your cities, communities and neighborhoods. You keep Minnesotans and other Americans safe.
At the U.S. Department of Labor we recognize that. And we also understand that police officers are often called upon to work long hours and take double shifts. So, when the Department began the long overdue process of updating the nation's overtime rules, your needs were a priority.
Thanks to the constructive engagement of the Fraternal Order of Police in the rulemaking process, the right to overtime for police is clearly protected and strengthened in the new rules the Department announced in late April.
Fraternal Order of Police National President Chuck Canterbury was instrumental in helping the Department of Labor craft well-informed and fair overtime rules. Chuck and the FOP are well known for bringing facts and constructive solutions to the table.
As a result of working together, and for the first time in history, the overtime rights of law enforcement officers on the front lines-firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and public safety employees-are fully protected.
These new rules strengthen and guarantee overtime rights for more American workers than ever before. 1.3 million workers will gain overtime protection when they take effect in August. And another 5.4 million workers, whose protections were ambiguous, can now be certain that they are entitled to overtime pay.
Under the old regulations, only workers making less than $8,060 were guaranteed overtime. Now, workers earning up to $23,660 are guaranteed overtime-regardless of their job title or responsibilities.
These new rules modernize and clarify overtime regulations. The old regulations-which haven't been updated since 1949-were so outdated that they created a legal nightmare. They're so confusing that many workers have to go to court to determine whether they are eligible for overtime. In fact, this area of law is responsible for more employment class action lawsuits than workplace discrimination complaints.
Now, with these new updated and clarified rules, workers will clearly know their rights and employers will know their responsibilities. And this Administration-which has set new records for aggressive Wage and Hour enforcement-will have strong new standards in place to better protect workers' pay.
Unfortunately, these new rules have been unfairly characterized as taking away overtime pay from millions of Americans, when the exact opposite is true.
In fact, the new rules also ensure the overtime pay of licensed practical nurses. And they make clear that all blue-collar workers, such as construction workers and factory workers, as well as union members, technicians, cooks, and all workers paid on an hourly basis who receive overtime, will continue to receive overtime.
Everyone can learn more about these new rules by going to our new overtime security Web site at www.dol.gov/fairpay. The Web site also tells workers how to file a complaint with the Department of Labor if they believe they are improperly being denied overtime.
While I'm here, I'd also like to say a few words about the great economic news in Minnesota this week. Minnesota's unemployment rate plummeted last month to 4.1 percent, which is well below the national unemployment rate at 5.6 percent. This represents the biggest drop in Minnesota's unemployment rate since the state started keeping records back in the 1970s! The number of Minnesotans who are out-of-work dropped by 18,000. That is also a new record.
Minnesota added more than 12,000 jobs last month. This is the largest gain since October 1999.
Job growth occurred in several industries, including professional and business services, manufacturing, and construction. In fact, the 4,500 new manufacturing jobs represent the biggest monthly jump since the state started keeping records in 1992.
These numbers track closely with the nation as a whole. They show that the economy is getting stronger and stronger and the President's jobs and growth plan is working.
We've seen 8 straight months of job growth, producing 1.1 million new jobs since last August. Nationally, the unemployment rate is at 5.6 percent, which is lower than the national average in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The number of long-term unemployed and the median duration of unemployment have both fallen. At the same time, average hourly wages rose 2.2 percent over the past 12 months. All of this is good news for America's working families.
Together with our new overtime reforms, the strong showing in our economy will ensure continued opportunities for our police forces, first responders and other law enforcement personnel.
Thanks again, Chuck and Gary, for being here today.

Our Counterparts in Iraq

You gotta love this - click here . By and large, you have to admire the Iraqi Police..we complain about our jobs! Apparently, this contingent made the U.S. Commander working with them a little, oh shall we say, perturbed.