The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I just learned of the awful, tragic news that a former high school classmate and friend of mine passed away on Christmas night, after battling brain cancer for 3 years. She was just 40 years old.  It's come to my attention that she was heavily involved with BrainTumor.org, an organization whose mission it is to fund research to prevent any victims of brain cancer in the future. Cancer isn't a partisan issue. We've all unfortunately been affected by it at some point or another, and this sad trend will continue until we find a cure. Cancer isn't prejudice; it affects all age groups, races, genders, orientations, etc. This is one time where we can all come together to support a common cause and hopefully be able to finally put an end to this horrific, heart-wrenching, debilitating disease. Please, if you have $1, $5, $10, or more to spare, donate to this cause, so that we can finally say cancer won't kill us, for we killed cancer. - https://secure.braintumor.org/site/D...

Sadly, someone very close to my family and I passed away today. He was my son's maternal grandfather. His family is struggling with finances and is need of some help for his cremation. This family means a great deal to me. Any donation, no matter how much it is, would be greatly appreciated. Every little bit helps. Thank you. https://www.gofundme.com/dad039s-final-rest?fbclid=IwAR0pO12eE7B8aR2QLCjZFFOcu4vdflnYd89LOmvWMvrE4q8557705HrGlqo

If you're interested, here's a GoFundMe page for the victims of the Las Vegas massacre (and their families). We've already reached over $3 million, and every little bit helps. https://www.gofundme.com/dr2ks2-las-vegas-victims-fund/donate

I'm growing increasingly more amazed by the number of people I personally know who have family members that have been diagnosed with autism. Just recently I was notified about a reputable organization whose main intent is bringing awareness, hope, and aid to those affected with autism. The organization is called "Autism Speaks," and more information can be found at this link: https://www.autismspeaks.org/ways-give?gclid=CjwKEAjwqJ67BRCzzJ7Hy-LYlFYSJABwp9PGxaScEO-GR1UYadoZfPjp7j0qMG0ve23zrUNUbF_NDhoCERzw_wcB Ways you can help include: - Buying merchandise - Becoming a corporate partner - Workplace giving - Matching gifts - Donating your vehicle - Wedding favors - Bequests and planned giving - Earning money for the organization while walking, running, or biking - Installing the We-Care app and donating through shopping online Once again, you can read about all this and more at this site: https://www.autismspeaks.org/ways-give?gclid=CjwKEAjwqJ67BRCz...

A friend of mine posted this on her Facebook page (https://www.gofundme.com/buya5us4). It's a link to a GoFundMe fundraiser page, asking for donations to help "Jessica." The write-up was authored by Danielle Andersen-Jeppesen, and reads as follows: "Jessica is a beautiful young woman facing a tremendous battle. She came to my family at 8 years old after many years of foster care. Her adoptive dad, Scott, had cancer as a child and the treatments he received damaged his heart, liver, and kidneys. He died one year after her adoption. She continued to be the best daughter and sister she could as we all grieved his loss. Health issues continued to plague our family and she was so strong for all of us.  Fast forward to a month ago and she got the terrifying news that her young (21 year old) body is facing a cancer battle of her own. She has breast cancer. She's already underwent surgery to remove the tumor and is needing genetic testing to determine her future. P...

Zach Anderson is a 19-year-old from Elkhart, Indiana. He graduated from high school a year ago and was aspiring to go into computer science. Like an increasing number of people throughout the years, Zach joined a dating app - this one by the name of Hot or Not . He began talking to a 17-year-old woman off the site, whom he decided to meet. She lived about 20 miles away from Zach, in Niles, Michigan, where Zach picked her up and the two of them wound up having intercourse. Unfortunately for Zach, the person he picked up and had sex with was only 14-years-old, her mother had called the police about her disappearance, and he had to spend 90 days in jail as a result, not to mention will be a registered sex offender for the next 25 years (http://abcnews.go.com/US/19-year-spend-25-years-registered-sex-offender/story?id=32783206 and http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/03/us/dating-app-sex-offender-registry/). The 14-year-old girl who lied about her age on the dating app, now 15, and her mother both ...

Jack Hoffman is a 7-year old boy from Nebraska who has unfortunately been battling brain cancer the past couple of years. After two go-rounds of brain surgery, approximately 95% of the tumor was removed, but the other 5% has been declared inoperable and has altered in size since the second operation. The youngster has made a few headlines in recent weeks. In Nebraska's spring game, he was handed the ball on a play and ran for a 69-yard touchdown, before being picked up and cheered on by the team, the fans in the the crowd, and people all across this country. If you've yet to witness this heart-warming and tear-inducing event, it can be viewed at this link - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/07/jack-hoffman-touchdown-nebraska-spring-cancer_n_3033583.html President Obama then invited he, his family, and former Cornhuskers tailback Rex Burkhead to visit him at the Oval Office this past week. That touching photograph and story can be seen and read here - http://www.cbsnews....

Home Depot founder and human teddy bear, Bernie Marcus, said the following on a recent conference call: "If a retailer has not gotten involved with this, if he has not spent money on this election, if he has not sent money to Norm Coleman and these other guys, they should be shot; should be thrown out of their godd**n jobs." Yes, Mr. Marcus is all about the government not impeding on retailers' freedoms, but if a retailer doesn't agree with Mr. Marcus' politics, he should be shot. That makes so much sense! A picture suddenly appeared in my noggin of one Mr. Bernie Marcus standing inside a Home Depot, holding a sign with his left hand which reads, "I Love Freedom," a gun in his right hand, asking every person that walks by if they're an Obama supporter and if any say yes, he shoots them. That's freedom at work right there! Well done, Mr. Marcus! Well done! ://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/19/home-depot-founder-retail_n_144863.html?utm_hp_...

Alright, so that's not true. I receive at least one e-mail per day suggesting I donate money to a Democratic candidate. I'm then told of a single poll which showcases the Republican opponent as being tied with or ahead of the Democrat and that he/she needs my donation asap! Of course, I've often found that these very panic polls are outliers or they were released a couple months prior. I'm certain that both parties are guilty of this, as they want to raise as much money as is possible to run ads and defeat their opponent. However, as understanding as I am about that, it's also dishonest. I received an e-mail just today about a Pew Research poll which showed that Mitt Romney is ahead of Barack Obama by 4 points among likely voters nationwide. Of course, every other poll has the two candidates tied or at worst, Romney ahead by 1 among likely voters and Obama up by between 3 and 5 points among registered ones. This isn't even mentioning Obama's advantage wh...