The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

A high school friend of mine recently created a Facebook page, dedicated to her twin sister, who sadly passed of brain cancer. All proceeds will be going to the National Brain Tumor Society, to help further research and treatment, in order to save people's lives moving forward. All donations would be greatly appreciated, but if you're unable to do so, simply reposting this would be quite helpful as well. Thank you, in advance, and best wishes to any/everyone fighting cancer. We're all in this fight together. https://www.facebook.com/donate/2137849060071477/2137849086738141/

I’m reaching out to ask for your support on behalf of a resilient and determined single mother who has been fighting a complex legal battle for over a year to secure the child support her child is legally owed. Despite having a court order in place for child support payments, she has yet to receive a single dollar. The legal process has been slow, frustrating, and exhausting—and it’s clear that enforcement action is necessary. However, because this is an inter-country child support case, payments have still not been transmitted. This mother has done everything right. She followed the legal process, complied with every requirement, and patiently waited for the system to work. But the delays have taken a real toll—not just on her, but on her child. This young boy is exceptional. He’s consistently at the top of his class—bright, motivated, and full of potential. Due to the financial strain caused by the legal fees and by the lack of child support, sacrifices ...

Like I did for Hurricane Harvey victims, I wanted to pass along links to some reputable organizations which are doing everything in their power to help the victims of Hurricane Irma. Here they are: UNICEF USA :  https://www.unicefusa.org/donate/disaster-relief-help-protect-children-harm/32787?utm_campaign=2017_misc&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=0178/2/_Google&utm_content=irma&ms=cpc_dig_2017_misc_0178/2/_Google_irma&initialms=cpc_dig_2017_misc_0178/2/_Google_irma Catholic Relief Services :  https://www.crs.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6NjNBRDKARIsAFn3NMq_aVsORCc8J8SkxA_DN5RglnC4-9bAgXvYG-D4UGGu38LF2tV8Z0UaAnd3EALw_wcB World Vision :  https://donate.worldvision.org/hurricane-irma-disaster-relief The Red Cross :  https://www.redcross.org/ns/apology/disaster_homepage.html Operation USA :  https://give.opusa.org/checkout/donation?eid=34510 Americares :  https://www.americares.org/ GoFundMe :  https://www.gofundme.com/irma PayPal :...

It's being reported that Hurricane Harvey will go down as the costliest such storm in this country's history at approximately $160 billion. Millions have already been raised, blood has been drawn, thousands upon thousands of people are attempting to do all they can to help the recovery-and-rebuilding process in Houston, Texas and surrounding areas. While, as sad as it is to say, we should all be on the lookout for scams, here is a list of reputable and trusted organizations to which you can donate your time and money to this cause. No matter if you live in the area and want to volunteer some of your time, you have some old clothes you'd be willing to part ways with, or you are able to donate even just $1, every little bit helps. American Red Cross ($10 donation minimum):  https://go.crowdrise.com/donate/project/arc-hurricane-harvey-relief/americanredcross?scode=RSG00000E017&utm_campaign=Harvey&gclid=Cj0KCQjw557NBRC9ARIsAHJvVVOuUs039DGadUBwjCNB_2ctt8cPVadXQdGJS-b8Y...

We're making some changes at The Tracy Fort Show . She and I will move our show from Thursdays (3:30 to 5:30 pm EST) to Tuesdays and Saturdays (3:30 to 5:30 pm EST). We're uncertain what we'll officially call the show, but are working on some ideas and may include our listeners in the decision-making process. We've also been working on some additional segments we may try out in the weeks to come to help diversify the show and hopefully garner more listeners. To add yourself to the ever-growing list of 30,131 followers the has on its Twitter page, go to the following site and then click follow : https://twitter.com/TracyFortShow To listen to the show's live broadcasts, go to this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thetracyfortshow Lastly, as Tracy and I have been paying for the show out of our own pockets and can't continue doing that if we want to grow, we'd greatly appreciate any money you (or another) could donate. As she continually says on the ...

I just received word from the host of The Tracy Fort Show , a personal friend of mine and my co-host on at least one show per week, is looking to improve the quality of our equipment on the show, so she's trying to raise money in which to do so. If you or anyone you know can spare a little for this cause, it would be greatly appreciated. To donate, just go to the link below. Thanks for taking the time to read and consider this, and I hope we can continue to grow as a show, a community, and with that, help to move this country forward. Thanks again. https://www.gofundme.com/2fn2r2s

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...

As terrorists struck Paris on Friday, like many Americans, I thought back to what happened on our soil 14 years ago. While I was only 20-years-old at the time of the 9/11 attacks and quite ignorant and indifferent to the world of politics, I'll never forget that day, and the days, weeks, and months thereafter. I was in college at the time, a night owl, and insistent on taking classes during the afternoon hours so I could maintain my atypical sleeping habits. Just as the Twin Towers were struck, my father raced to my room, woke me up, and told me something was transpiring which I had to see. When I first saw video showcasing the attacks, I was left speechless, perplexed, frightened, and wondering if I was still sleeping and experiencing a surreal nightmare of the worst kind. Unfortunately, as I fully awoke, I started to realize it was no dream, no film; it was real. The surreal sensation I experienced initially never fully escaped me. Here I was, a 20-year-old college student...

The NFL's image has been significantly marred in recent weeks due to a number of cases surrounding domestic violence. While the league's commissioner Roger Goodell has attempted to take a few steps in the right direction on this front, the league still has a long way to go. Fortunately for Roger Goodell, whose image has gone from bad to downright sickening during this time, he has stand-up players like Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to aid him on the matter. While I'm fairly neutral when it comes to teams in the NFL, or any sport for that matter, it's difficult not to like and pull for Russell Wilson, who came into this league as an undersized quarterback, wasn't given much of a chance to be an elite-caliber quarterback in this league, has led his team to a Super Bowl victory in his short time there, and continues to showcase that he's a good, decent human being away from the field as well. Wilson continued that do-good trend when he recently in...

While I proudly call myself progressive and tend to lean Democratic as far as party affiliation goes, I still can't stand the political system in this country. More than two parties should be able to have a legitimate chance at winning on election day. Voting should be encouraged and made easier, so that every eligible voice can be heard and counted. A national holiday should be implemented so more people are able to take election day seriously and make certain to go and vote. Corporations should not be able to donate unlimited dollars to certain candidates. Misleading ads should not be permitted. Every candidate should have a voice during debates. "News" personalities should not be able to persuade the public through lies (if they do, it should be made mandatory that the program is referred to as opinion and not "news"). Fact-checkers should be given more time after debates (and speeches) to sort through the questionable comments, as opposed to party representa...

From the outset, I felt that all of this Obama impeachment talk was just a way to fire up the bases, especially given the coming mid-term elections. I honestly felt it was being used by both sides to prompt donations and persuade people to vote in a little over three months. Republican House Speaker John Boehner, however, has a different take on things, as he just recently stated the following: "This whole talk about impeachment is coming from the president's own staff, and coming from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Why? Because they're trying to rally their people to give money and show up in this year's elections. We have no plans to impeach the president. We have no future plans. Listen. It's all a scam started by Democrats at the White House." While Boehner may be partially accurate with his commentary, let's be honest for a moment here - both sides have been using "impeachment" for political means. In fact, when it comes to the game of pol...

If anyone's interested in providing some aid for the tornado victims in Oklahoma, here's some information on how to do so at the link below, with contact information to the: American Red Cross, Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief, Salvation Army, and Feeding America. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/20/18381508-how-to-help-tornado-victims?lite

Not long ago, Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul sent this e-mail on behalf of the National Association on Gun Rights: "Dear fellow Patriot,     Gun-grabbers around the globe believe they have it made.     You see, only hours after re-election, Barack Obama immediately made a move for gun control…     On November 7th, his administration gleefully voted at the UN for a renewed effort to pass the “Small Arms Treaty.”     But after the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut — and anti-gun hysteria in the national media reaching a fever pitch — there’s no doubt President Obama and his anti-gun pals believe the timing has never been better to ram through the U.N.’s global gun control crown jewel.     I don’t know about you, but watching anti-American globalists plot against our Constitution makes me sick.     This Spring, the United Nations went back into session to finalize their radical so-called “Small...

The People Elect, The Money Directs Promises are made, Money is gathered, Voices are heard, Delusional in making a difference, Ideas abound, The heart yet corrupted, Naïveté and denial prevalent, Until one enters office, Bills are proposed, Denied by the other side, Compromises are then made, But it’s of no matter, Donating large sums of money, Corporations have the loudest voice, Elected to office by the people, Seemingly ignored thereafter, The endless stalemate cycle, Electors suffering in the process, Clamoring for compromise, To receive some semblance of the promises, Money continues to pour in, From lobbyists and special interests, Now of more importance than the people, The hearts slowly being corrupted, Sound bites are aired, To help rile the base, Pointing fingers at the opposition, Seeking a re-election, Pure in heart and mind, Until one steps into office, As money clouds and corrupts, All ideals and principles are lost.