An End To The SI Int'l/Serco Debacle

So, there is justice occasionally...

Some of you know the circumstances under which I walked out of my job with SI International/Serco on the 5th of May.

I finally received a call from the caseworker at the unemployment office on June 30th. We talked for about a half hour.

I told her, yes, I walked out, and I told her why.

She said I would probably get a call from a judge and do a conference call with someone from my former employer. I said no problem.

She said I would need dates and times of my meetings with admin which led to my walking out of my own free will. I said no problem; I have all that.

She said I would most likely need the testamony of at least two co-workers to confirm my statements. And once again, I said no problem. I got that covered.

So, on the 10th of July (eleven days later) I received a notice of monetary determination from unemployment.

I didn't receive the "call" from the judge I was expecting, but obviously, they talked to more than one person at my former employer.

SOMEbody blew the whistle on them loud and clear. I only wish I knew WHO, because I'd like to thank them personally for stepping up and telling the truth.

So what was the judgement? I'll quote the letter at the end here. What it boils down to is they waved my 12-week waiting period AND made those assholes I worked for pay me RETRO from May 10th.

Someone sqealed like a pig; sang like a canary; sold their sorry asses up the river. But most importantly: DID THE RIGHT THING.

Seems there is sometimes still some justice in the world. They believed me because I was telling the truth. I had been telling the truth all along.

My supervisor descriminated against me every chance she got for my religion and my personal orientation. She is a mean vindictive bitch and I'm not afraid to say that.

She made my life there a living hell knowingly and willing because she didn't "approve" of my lifestyle or the religion I practice.

All I can say is my former supervisor is the lowest form of life there is. And SHE will have to answer to HER maker when the time comes. Sure would be nice to run into her at [the local grocery store] again, though......

Had she worked for ANY other company, she would have been terminated over this. But as those of us who have worked or still work in that hell hole know -- they do whatever the hell they want.

Well, this time they didn't get away with it. I'm sure there is a mountain of paperwork good ol' J.G. had to do before she took off for Texas yesterday. And no doubt, they are being investigated in regard to their "practices" behind those locked doors.

It's about goddam time.

Finally, I have some closure to this whole effed-up debacle. This is what was written on the notice of determination that unemployment sent me:

"YOU LEFT YOUR JOB WITH THE EMPLOYER NAMED ABOVE ON 05/05/2009 BECAUSE YOU WERE HARASSED ON THE JOB. YOU HAD TAKEN REASONABLE STEPS TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT THE HARASSMENT CONTINUED. GOOD CAUSE FOR YOUR QUITTING HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. NO DISQUALIFICATION IS ASSESSED ON THE SEPARATION. BENEFITS ARE ALLOWED, IF OTHERWISE PAYABLE."

They had already deposited the check for my retro pay into my bank account.

Amen.

Feelings/Perceptions/Interpretations

All too often it seems these things called “feelings” in every day personal events go overlooked.

It’s not always intentional; there are sometimes miscommunications, misinterpretations, and on rare occasions, just plain thoughtlessness.

However, let me add the disclaimer here that I am in no way insinuating this is the case as a rule. Sometimes, well, “shit happens”, as they say. (‘scuse my French).

And although these things in life sometimes happen to you, they also sometimes happen to other people; people you care about. And the aforementioned ends up being the one “picking up the pieces,” so to speak.

There is very often a ripple-effect in these instances and the sad unfortunate fact of this is that the one “picking up the pieces” as it were, is indeed stepping in and helping with something that is in fact none of their business in the first place, except for the fact that this has happened to someone they care about.

Not making much sense, am I? Bear with me. I hope to make things more clear momentarily.

First case in point:

Recently, my son broke up with a girl because she decided to start seeing her ex again. Her reasoning for this was, “you can’t tell me who I can and cannot see.” Well, yea. That much is true.

However, the “ex” has a police record and is currently on probation for breaking and entering and theft by deception. Furthermore, his daddy is fresh out of prison for manufacture and distribution of meth.

Obviously, this would concern my son on several counts. First of all, this girl (who is only 18 years old) is putting herself in an extremely risky situation. Secondly, my son cares for this girl, although he is not seeing her anymore, and thirdly, he deserves better than this girl who refuses to stop seeing the ex even after being informed of his (and daddy’s) police record.

The boy is on probation and has been making terroristic threats toward my son and his friends. This, in itself is grounds to throw the boy back in jail, which is exactly where I believe he belongs. But then, that is only my opinion in a situation which is none of my business. My son is 23 years old and perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

So, mom (and that would be me) gets to pick up the pieces that he doesn’t let his friends see. Furthermore, he gets to pick up my pieces of this because I actually liked the girl, too, before all this came to light.

My current fear is that this ex boyfriend will use this girl to point out my home and attempt his proven M.O. of breaking and entering. More than one person has been affected by this girl’s selfishness. The boy and his “buddies” and his daddy have already taken to staking out my son’s house waiting in the dark to “kick his ass,” as they say. And for what? For WHAT??

My son will survive and so will I. Once again, the point: Shit Happens.

Second case in point:

This example is different but still the same in those feelings/emotions have been crushed due to someone else’s thoughtlessness. And, once again, in spite of the fact that this, too, is none of my business, I get to pick up the pieces. This is extremely awkward for me. I try to stay out of family situations which do not involve my own family.

Recently, my partner’s sibling was married in a state which same-sex union is (currently) legal. This was discussed between my partner and her sibling, in which she was asked to stand up with them.

She said she would be glad to, but when asked if she and myself planned to do the same thing (get “married”), her response to this was, “No. I believe marriage, as it is defined, is intended for a man and a woman.” This, incidentally, is something I agree with, as well.

I’ve had discussions in the past with her sibling which I was under the impression went quite well; were quite positive. My belief is that a different word should be used, i.e. union, joining, etc.

I will stand by my belief that “marriage” is defined by a man and a woman. I won’t sway from that opinion. I will also defend to the end the rights of same-sex union, joining, etc. But not “marriage.” It’s the wrong term. Period.

Unfortunately, views such as mine are horribly misunderstood and condemned. I have been accused by some (not the people mentioned in this blog) of not being “gay.” My response to that assumption has always been this:

If my belief makes me not gay, then fine, I’m not. I am not ashamed of who I am. I believe people are born gay or NOT born gay. It is NOT A CHOICE. Anyone who tells you different is wrong. Dead wrong.

I am also a conservative, which is another point which seems to make me “not gay.” So be it. I am me. And I am one hell of a lot more that whom I choose to love. There’s not much more I can say on that matter. I tend to jump on my soapbox about this subject and I apologize for that.

My partner unfortunately learned of her sibling’s union online in a blog. No emails to myself or to her. Nothing. So now, I am “picking up pieces” at the moment. She will handle this her own way; this is her sibling; her family; not mine. It is none of my business.

I do however, for whatever it is worth, wish her sibling and partner much happiness and congratulations of their public commitment of their love and devotion to one another. I am very happy for them.

Life is very short, sometimes too short, and very often unfair and cruel. I wish them all the happiness they deserve. Most sincerely, I wish this for them.

Another wish I have for the world in general, which I will not kid myself, will never happen is this:

That people will take into consideration what they do will in some cases, affect more than only themselves. We all have the right to live our lives as we see fit to live them.

On the other hand, we do not have the right to hurt those who love and care for us in our endeavor to do so.

And at the very least, we owe it to ourselves and to the people we claim to love or call friends to take the personal responsibility to say, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Sadly, no one seems to do that anymore.

Yes, It's True

There have been some of you whom have expressed an interest as to whether or not I quit my job with Serco -- a contractor for Homeland Security.

I have to say that, yes, it is true. There are extenuating circumstances to my quitting that I cannot reveal at the current time. However, I will when the time is appropriate.

This is the first time I've really been able to breath for the past six years. Especially as of late.

The job was beginning to affect my health and I cannot have that. No job is worth it. Not even this one.

So.

This is the first decent summer I've had in six years. I got the tomatoes in today, with still more planting to go. The herb garden is finished and I'm already working on my second batch of drying tarragon. (Anybody want some tarragon??? LOL).

I feel at peace for the first time since I can remember, and I really should be freaking out because I am unemployed. But I'm not.

I promise to get back on here as my "old self" ASAP. Right now, I'm just enjoying getting to know *myself* again. I've been gone for too long...

Every End Is A New Beginning

I wrote this last night on another site I blog on and it was posted for all of an hour. Then I took it back down. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do this, but I knew that soon some of you who really care (in spite of my thinking no one does) would start wondering what happened.

This isn’t really an explanation at this point. It’s more of a prelude to what I will write in a day or two when my head is a bit clearer, and my emotions not quite so high.

I want to relate this story with logic, facts, not emotion. Because emotion distorts the truth. This story deserves to be told accurately, and as a writer, that is what I intend to do.

So for the moment, I’ve re-posted what I took back down last night. This is the prelude to the story.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I’ve always said, “You’ll know you’ve had enough when you’ve had enough.”

You can’t plan it; you can’t anticipate it; you don’t know the moment is there until it is. That’s just the way it works.

Well, I finally had enough. This was it. Tonight was the night. And I’ll be ok. I’m just a little in shock at the moment. But I’m not alone; for the first time in my life, I’m not alone.

I’ll talk more about it later; about the details of what happened. But, for now, I just wanted to say I’m still here; I’m still alive.

I’m scared as hell and excited at the same time. But mostly, and this is the weird part, I’m relieved. A huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders that I just couldn’t carry anymore. And now it’s gone.

As bad as I’m feeling this morning with the weather in my bones, there’s one pain I’m missing: the lump in my stomach. The constant feeling of being sick, the feeling of dread..it’s gone.

I’ll take some time to think, tie up loose ends, and move forward. Because it’s time.

I love you all, all the friends I’ve made over the years at NSC. I know what I’ve done will make me look like a fool to some of you. After all the peps talks, the coaching, the encouragement I’ve given to my few friends here on this site and to the countless of my co-workers at NSC to keep hanging on, don’t quit, no matter what, I want you to know I still mean every word I’ve said to you over the past months.

And as I said, I’ll get in to more details later. But for now, I’d just like to get another cup of coffee, take the dog with me into the back yard, and breathe in the beginning of my new life. I’d like to revel in the fact that the lump in my throat, the lump in my stomach, the panic attacks are finally, mercifully, gone.

But mostly what I’d like to say is, "I love you", to my partner. You have stuck by me this entire time. You have weathered the storms with me; you have believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself; you saw my self-worth even when I couldn’t see it anymore.

You’ve endured this battle with me, for me, and beside me. You never wavered; you never gave up hope. You got frustrated as hell with me at times but you never gave up on me. That’s something no one else has ever done.

And you’re right, it will be ok. This road I’ve been on has come to an end. This part of the journey is over. It has served its purpose and now it’s time to move on. It doesn’t always happen in the way one would expect, but it does happen. There is something better waiting and I’ll find it.

I have closed one door and another will open. I believe that. And I can’t wait to see what life has in store.

Operation Shield

Ok, readers. I need some help on this one.

I've included the entire article (copied and pasted -- sorry. I've yet to learn to hyper-link) from wikipedia. Seems to be the only place I can find anything....

Even Serco's website has nothing about it, and the Brits are the ones doing it. It's weird. No information whatsoever. I feel like I'm living in a Steven King novel.

We were told at a meeting tonight that "Operation Shield" was coming to our site. They didn't know whether they would show up when we were there or not, only to NOT touch or talk to the dogs. (Give me a break.)

I have the feeling that if they do this while we are on the clock -- in the building -- this would be a violation of our civil (American) rights. Illegal search. They've been doing this on the other side of the pond for quite some time. But now they're doing it here?? What are they so afraid of?

Things keep getting weirder and weirder all the time where I work. And now that Serco has their dirty little paws in the pie I feel like I'm living in Little Britain. It's getting downright scary.

Information, please, if anyone knows anything. Thanks.



Operation Shield
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009)
Operation Shield is a nationwide initiative led by British Transport Police, where security scanners are to be deployed at major railway stations with the aim of discouraging criminal activity on the rail network.
The initial trial of the portable equipment was undertaken by BTP in the London area and has been used in a number of towns and cities such as Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh.
The initiative came after the use of metal detectors at several London Underground (tube) stations led to 100 arrests and the seizure of 68 knives after around 10,000 passengers were checked.
Police Resources include;
Both uniformed and plain-clothes police officers
sniffer dogs
mobile scanners
These were deployed at stations where robbery was known to be a problem. As well as catching those carrying weapons, officers were able to spot individuals shying away from the detectors and made a number of arrests for other offences such as possession of drugs and stolen goods. The equipment is easily moved from one location to another making it ideal to target locations with an element of surprise.
• Operation Shield is separate to the Department for Transport's high-profile security scanning trial at Paddington Station which was set up as part of the response to the July 7 bombings.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Shield"

God, This Man Pisses Me Off

Disclaimer: This would be "Ed (thanks, Reboy. ;))Citizen" talking here. Not the college educated middle-aged woman I am in reality. Ok? Just wanted to clear that up.

Ok, readers. Help me out here, will ya?

I've watched this Presidential News Conference tonight twice now (I DVRed it for my partner so she can watch it when she gets home from work), and this man just pisses me off to no end. And I KNOW you're going to laugh when I tell you why.

Can't this moron speak WITHOUT his TelePrompter??

I mean, I've gotten to the point where I don't hear what he has to say anymore (because he keeps saying the same thing using different words, as far as I'm concerned). I pay more attention to the fact that his sentences are broken; incomplete; fragmented. And that just drives me nuts.

Does anyone else notice this or is it the fact that I was an English major and this type of thing just bothers me?

I have great issues with people whom are incapable of clearly articulating their thoughts. Does this make me a snob? I certainly hope not. Seriously. I hope not.

I just have problems, it would seem, with someone who calls himself the *leader* of our country and he appears incapable of giving a speech from his own brain (note cards are allowed). He relies on the assistance of a TelePrompter. What is this?

And this man disses on people he claims are "criticle, but offer no solutions." Where does that come from?

He doesn't listen to us. We are screaming at the top of our lungs and he doesn't listen to us. He listens to the tax evaders he elected to his cabinet.

Just my personal opinion here, but I think Pelosi needs desperately to be tarred, feathered, and run out of town on a rail. Desperately. (Note: I am old enough to know what being "tarred and feathered" means. I also know what being "run out of town on a rail" means.)

Are these his words or the words of someone else? Is this man truly a puppet? Who is pulling the strings?

These things truly bother me.

I'm Tired

I'm tired.

I'm tired of the bullshit.

I'm tired of people whose opinion of me means a lot (I know, I shouldn't take life that seriously) affecting me in ways that I allow it to.

"No one can make you feel inferior without your permission." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt.

I've lived my LIFE by that quote. It means a lot to me and speaks volumes.

After tonight, I believe I will leave my political opinions to THIS site, as opposed to the ever-loving MySpace. Because I've had it.

Liberals, it would seem, no matter whom they are, will [attempt] to tear you apart if you do not think as they do, speak as they do, or act as they do.

I, for one, am above that.

We are turning upon each other, it would seem. Which is exactly what the messiah would have us do.

I refuse to fall into that.

I am still a conservative.

I still believe that the only thing(s) we are entitled to is that which we EARN.

I will not back down.

I will not apologize for that.

Never.

I may explain further the motivation for this disjointed blog at a later date. And I may not.

Sleep well, my readers. We are all we've got...

GOD BLESS AMERICA.