Who Can Explain The Inexplicable?

We've seen this kind of violence before. Most people are temporarily mesmerized when a story like this hits the press, but it eventually slips into the past and we go on. Most of us have that luxury, I suppose. On Christmas Eve, while we were going about our daily lives and making last minute preparations for the gathering of families and friends, a man who had recently closed a sordid chapter in his life was making plans of his own.

Bruce Pardo encountered a neighbor earlier in the evening, and with no hint to his actual intentions, related that he was preparing to leave his home to attend a Christmas Eve gathering. That exchange will likely haunt the neighbor for the rest of his life. Was there a hint to Pardo's intentions in that conversation, and did he miss something that might have prompted him to prevent in some way what ultimately happened?

Bruce Pardo donned a Santa Claus suit, got into a rented car that was filled with guns, ammunition, and even a pipe bomb, and headed to Covina, California, where approximately 25 family members of his his ex-wife had gathered for a night of festivities. As he got out of the car, he strapped on his back a device wrapped as a Christmas present, containing a mixture of oxygen and racing fuel, then walked up the driveway and rang the door bell.

When an 8 year old girl answered the door, he immediately shot her in the face and then began firing at others in the house. At one point he is reported to have actually stood over some of the relatives, shooting them execution style.

It is still not know how many were hit by gunfire, because what he did next was even more sinister and deadly. He started spraying the fuel mixture inside the house. The fuel was ignited at some point by a candle or a pilot light inside the house, and a back flashed occurred to the hose in his hand and tank that Pardo had on his back. There was then an explosion of some sort, and those still trapped by this angry man in the home made a last ditch attempt to exit from the house, because fire was everywhere.

Those who were still alive and desperately fleeing the home saw Pardo on fire. They ran for their lives to homes within the cul-de-sac, and a succession of 911 calls were made. For most of an hour, those who were huddled in homes nearby had no idea to the fate of other family members. Mothers didn't know where their children were, the mother of the first victim shot as she opened the front door was desperately pleading with a 911 operator to send help for her child. Husbands were equally dreading the fate of their wives and children. Children didn't know what had happened to parents and siblings. The trauma that the survivors were going through had to be indescribable.

Bruce Pardo managed to survive the explosion and the fire, and although the Santa suit was literally melted to his body, he left the house that was now totally engulfed in flames, drove his rented car to the Sylmar area of Los Angeles, broke into the home of his brother, and at some point shortly thereafter, he took his own life with a shot to his head. Pardo's brother found the body early Christmas morning when he returned to his home. But his brother's rampage was still not over.

He had taken off the remnants of the charred Santa suit, laying it gently on top of a trip wire device, that when disturbed, would ignite a flare and black powder and then set off the rest of the unused ammunition and other explosives left in the car. When detectives later found the car, parked a few blocks from his brother's home, the Santa suit was indeed moved, the device went off, and the car was destroyed in the fire and explosion that soon followed. Thankfully, no one was hurt. They had time to retreat before the entire vehicle was involved.

The aftermath has revealed that nine people, and reported to all be former in-laws of Pardo's, were found in the charred remains of the home. The victims ages range from 16 to 80 years old. His ex-wife, Sylvia Pardo, and her parents, Joseph and Alicia Ortega, are unaccounted for and presumed to have died. Sylvia Pardo's two children survived, but the oldest girl was briefly hospitalized for superficial injuries.

The eight year old girl who was initially shot, was released from the hospital Friday. Her mother, whose voice can be heard on the released 911 tapes, was still in the hospital suffering from extreme trauma. Other victims suffered sprained and broken ankles fleeing the home.

Found on Pardo's body, was $17,000 in cash and a plane ticket to Canada. There's no question that all that what he did on Christmas Eve was planned well in advance, short of his own injuries that included third degree burns to his torso.

The mystery in all of this, and quite often in other cases, is why someone would do such a thing. This man had absolutely no history of violence, and no criminal history at all. The only factor in this that begins to explain what led him to do it, is the fact that one week prior, a final settlement had been reached in the divorce between Bruce and Sylvia Pardo. His Attorney reported that on the last day that he saw him, that Bruce Pardo was upbeat, did not express any sense of bitterness, and was pleased with the outcome of the settlement. This was in spite of the fact that apparently, Bruce Pardo had not had a job in at least six months and was desperately seeking employment. The initial settlement terms were re-amended in Bruce Pardo's favor on the 18th, eliminating spousal support previously awarded earlier in the year.

Pardo was an avid church member of a local Catholic Parish, always volunteering to usher people to pews, and was involved in other activities as well. He was always smiling and friendly to all who knew him. Those who knew him well have been totally shocked and mortified to learn that this gentle man could have done the things he did. Another indication that all was well, was the fact that he had taken time to decorate his home for the holidays, including an outdoor display of lighting, and a line of candy canes hung on the fence surrounding his neatly manicured lawn.

The phrase, "You just never know what someone might do" doesn't begin to quantify this series of events. Because in my mind, if a man who exhibits no clues or behavior leading up to a night of carnage can do what he did, then there is not one person safe in this nation today. We are all potential victims, just one minute away from being victimized in a similar event.

For the survivors of this horrible tragedy, Christmas will forever be tainted and ruined. They will never be the same, and my heart absolutely goes out to each and every one of them. I pray that they will find a way to get through this somehow. And to the nine family members, whose lives were taken the way they were, on an evening that was to be a relief from the stresses of life and to be with those they love, may they all rest in peace. This should not have happened.

I equally pray for the soul of Bruce Pardo. What led him to do that which he did, must have seemed to him his only way of dealing with whatever troubled him. How sad it is that he did not seek help for any thoughts he was hiding from those around him, before he carried them out.

I'm lost for a way to tie this one up in a final sentence. So...

Could Corporate America Be On It's Way Out?

Given the current state of affairs, I think it safe to assume that there is a certain amount of distrust by many people with the financial management system of our nation at the moment. I'm certainly one of those who has become totally disgusted with certain aspects of this thing called capitalism.

They say that money is the root of all evil, and we seem to be witnessing that firsthand. From banks who took extremely stupid risks by investing in products without understanding what they were, to financial institutions investing borrowed cash into overinflated markets to try and make some quick cash, to financial leaders lobbying politicians and successfully pleading with them to disarm protections put in place early last century that were meant to prevent irresponsible exchanges of assets, to acts by formerly responsible people who developed relationships of trust with clients, then transforming into common thieves, the quest to amass wealth is completely out of control.

And let's not overlook the fact that many of the people who are at all levels of management of assets, who absolutely have a full understanding of what irresponsible financial management can lead to, are looking like 16 year old kids handed their first credit card. It's very hard for me to listen to these people discussing issues that led up to what happened, when I know that they of all people, should have had their fingers on the pulse of the nations wrists -- checking the financial vital signs for decades, and failed to do so.

Corporate America has come a long way in this nation. They have also taken a very hard fall. I've never been a fan of corporate entities, simply for reasons that customer service takes a second seat to growth and profit...every time. Whether it's a retail establishment, or that related to banking, customers are sacrificed if the bottom line suffers in the least.

For instance, the largest financial institutions have been handed cash by our Government to keep them afloat, and to bail them out of the mess that they created, yet they are so grateful to the general public for the use of our tax dollars, that they do what? They have adopted policies of squeezing George Washington until his face turns blue. They are raising consumer fees on those stupid enough to continue to do business with them. They are turning away people left and right, and sitting on those recovered assets. And this is supposed to help our nation recover from the financial crisis?

I've avoided doing business with Corporate America most all of my adult life. In the few instances where I departed from that resolve, I have been left extremely unsatisfied in almost every case. I have banked with local institutions my entire life. I have never been one to make my purchasing decisions based on price alone. I am a 'Mom & Pop' person. I like local businesses, owned by local people. For sure, there is no way to totally avoid Corporate America, but by doing business within my community, the wealth is definitely spread around a bit.

Credit Unions are the rage these days. I like them for one simple reason: Credit unions differ from banks because the members who have accounts in the credit union are essentially one of the owners of the business. They can participate to elect their board of directors in a democratic one person - one vote system, regardless of the personal amount of money that they have invested in the credit union.

And don't rule out your local, home town bank either. Most of these people who own and manage them, live right there in the communities they serve.

Personally, I have had one bad encounter in all my years with a member of management of a community bank, who was less than responsive to my concerns when they lost a very large insurance draft for a few weeks, after it was mistakenly sent to the wrong institution in another state for verification and cashing. And of course, the very minute I did finally receive my funds, I took them and everything else I had to another local bank, and have been with that other local bank for many years now, in spite of the fact that it is a little out of my way to visit one of their three branches.

A couple of years ago, my employer's bank had an extremely rare issue occur, where some of the direct deposits for the company's payroll failed to make it's way to some of the banks throughout the country. I split-deposit my payroll check into three different accounts, with one used specifically for automatic bill payments. Well, the money was not there when it was tapped, and two bill payments bounced big time, but were paid on my behalf by my bank, despite the funds not being present at the time. A branch manager related to me later that they were honored due of my banking history of having never previously bounced a thing. Wow!!! Was I honored.

My employer's bank made everything good the following Monday, faxed a letter of explanation and apology to my bank, and the overdraft fees were then rescinded by my bank. All of this happened before I even knew a thing was amiss. I seriously doubt that any of the big box banks would have paid my bills, much less waived any fees. It has definitely strengthened my resolve to stay right where I am, despite the fact that there are many offers out landing in my mailbox by other banking institutions, another sign that things are really bad for banks at the moment.

But I'm loyal to those loyal to me. I'm getting tired of taking out the trash.

Credit cards? I'm proud to say that it has been nine years since I last had an open credit card account or one of them in my wallet. I shred every offer that makes it's way into my mailbox. My wife and I adopted a simple strategy a long time ago. If we can't pay for it, we save up for it, or we do without it. Our rainy day fund is for rainy days...only.

It doesn't take much to avoid being trapped like flies into spider webs, that are constantly weaved by financial institutions. All it takes is a little common sense, and a resolve to live a meager, but comfortable lifestyle. And trust me...there's a lot of peace of mind in knowing that you have no balances or debt lingering in the background to deal with every month. The only thing I would ever come close to financing would be real estate.

Okay...it's commercial time.

New kitchen faucet to replace a leaking one...$65.00

Tile for the home office....$125.00

A six month reserve of income for life's little emergencies....priceless

Need a new home? Time to visit the Credit Union...

For everything else...there's cash.

Master Card...eat your heart out.

And People Wonder Why There Is So Little Trust...

Meet Keele Maynor, now a former Chattanooga city employee, who has worked in the zoning department for seven years as a Senior Office Assistant. Until December 12, 2008, she was a highly praised employee who apparently had developed close relationships with her supervisors and fellow co-workers.

You see, until Friday the 12th, those supervisors and co-workers, along with organizations tied to a local Chattanooga hospital, several physicians who raised funds for various outeach campaigns, one national charity organization, and even this woman's three children...thought that Keele Maynor was fighting cancer. It was a cleverly designed hoax to bilk people out of time and their money.

Believing that Ms. Maynor was undergoing chemotherapy at various times over a seven year period, co-workers donated thousands of hours of their vacation and sick pay, and often filled in for her with no pay. Friends opened a bank account at a local bank, and solicited donations that were to go towards medical expenses. Her co-workers raised more than $4,000 for her at one event. Over the years, people made car payments for her, bought her groceries, and looked after her kids, all while thinking that Ms. Maynor was facing the prospect of dying.

She appeared at fundraisers, testifying to her "fight to live." She appeared on religious radio programs, often praising God for another day. She claimed on on broadcast, that "the breast cancer went into my brain and was actually found during a rountine exam by my dentist, who during the x-ray, notice there was a spot in there." She even blogged on a site, relating various "treatments" she was undergoing.

Ms. Maynor did have a diagnosis of breast cancer in 2000, prior to her starting to work for the city. She had radiation treatment, and a follow-up mammogram cleared her of the disease. That same year, Keele Maynor was arrested and plead guilty to charges of food stamp fraud, and to acts of fraudulently obtaining aid for dependent children, both felonies in Tennessee. She also had a prior conviction for passing bad checks two years prior to that.

She likely would not have been hired by the city had her past been known, but she escaped scrutiny because those crimes were committed while using another last name, and she lied on her application for employment to the felony convictions.

Estimates are that she bilked those around her of more than $37,000 in cash donations, along with what could be tens of thousands in unearned pay and benefits, donated by co-workers, some of which was paid to her by the city.

Many people are angry at the moment, for obvious reasons. One anonymous person wrote on a site that solicited comments, that they had donated $637.00 at one time, and was incensed to learn the truth. One local fundraiser felt "betrayed". Needless to say, a story like this tends to harden people's hearts, and it certainly can lead people to refrain from giving to those truly in need.

There is evidence that what was a small effort on her part to obtain assistance, snowballed into something larger than she ever imagined, and that the woman did realize that it was out of control, and was looking for a way out. She confided to a couple of people just before the story hit the press that she wanted to end the lies. But at the same time, it's hard to overlook intentional acts, such as taking time off from work, knowing that people were donating time and compensation to her when she knew she had no medical appointments to keep. It's hard when you think of it on those terms, to excuse her in any way for what has been done.

She may well be facing some serious charges, including theft, theft of services, fraud, forgery, official misconduct, and tampering of government records, the most serious charge - for filling out a scholarship application for her son, awarded by an organization to children of parents currently under treatment for cancer.

Whatever may happen to her, my hope is that somehow, some way, that some good can come of this. And I additionally hope that people take this for what it was...an isolated instance of fraud. You see...I'd rather donate to an undeserving person every now and then, rather than to ignore anyone who may well be truly in need, if I can offer something to them. It's their sin to live with if I have been defrauded in any way for doing what I can to ease someone else's suffering at a time when they are having difficulties.

Am I naive? Probably, but the alternative is something that I cannot live with. It wouldn't be the first or last time that someone did all but pickpocket me, and in each case...it's shame on them.

I've done the right thing, even if it was the wrong thing to do.

America Is About To Be Duped!!

As complicated as this issue of bailing out the American auto industry has become, there is absolutely nothing complicated about it. There are three companies, all based in Detroit, Michigan with their hats in hand, begging for the American people to bail them out of their financial mess.

What led them to be where they are now is of no consequence. What's done is done. The task at hand is to prevent any assistance given to them from perpetuating any of the conditions that have brought them to beg the American people for money.

As painful as it is, this bailout plea is about saving jobs. And while jobs do need to be saved, it should not be at the expense of those who quite likely make far less than those workers who are at the core of this debate, and who have far fewer benefits paid on their behalf by their employers. And let's not mention that most taxpayers being asked to fork over cash to these workers and their employers, are not guaranteed that their own job will be there tomorrow.

The bill to bail out the big three died in the Senate, and it did so specifically due to the fact that the United Auto Worker's Union refused to face stark reality. The day has arrived when the compensation packages that they have negotiated over the years for those on the assembly lines have brought the big 3 to their knees.

For years, workers paid not one dime for health care costs, enjoyed guaranteed wages for years with cost of living adjustments, were awarded "job bank" programs where some workers have been paid for literal decades for simply showing up at a nice cozy lounge to do nothing but work crossword puzzles, because these displaced line workers refused to relocate to another plant for reassignment, not to mention full retirement pensions that a politician would envy. And let's not forget that over the years, the base wage has increased to more than $60,000 a year. On the surface, that amount doesn't sound very outrageous, but the fact is they make this working only 40 hours a week.

What the UAW and most of their workers seem to be in complete denial of, is the fact that the world has changed around them. All was well and could be sustained while they enjoyed protection of their turf. For decades they had their hands in the pockets of our Government, who did their best to stave off competitive forces. Imports seriously began to change things, and over the years they have all but taken over the market. And as sorry as I am to type this, that is not a bad thing. Competition forces people to stay on top of their game, and it prevents monopolies.

The American people are not as stupid as some think. For decades, I have listened to the UAW boast about their superior workmanship, their ability to build a better product, and have pleaded with the public to support them by purchasing what they make. After all, it's the "American" thing to do. I have for the most part done that. I prefer American cars for other reasons, but right now...today, I have a two year old Dodge pickup sitting in my driveway with 14,000 miles on it - the transmission is completely trashed at the moment, and I have been fighting Chrysler for some assistance in getting at least part of the cost to repair it paid for by them, all to no avail. Needless to say, I am less than thrilled at the moment. It appears that I am going to have to fork out 20% of the value of the truck to repair it, so that I may be able to enjoy driving it again. That's some value.

This is not my first experience with the "quality" of my American made automobiles. My wife drives a 1994 Ford Thunderbird that she refuses to give up, that has been through three transmissions since it was new. The first two went out while under warranty, the third at 55,000 miles, and only after installing an aftermarket replacement transmission, have we managed to see one last for what now is close to a 125,000 miles. Sadly, the day is coming when my wife is going to have to give up that car, and it's really a tossup as to whether my next purchase for her will involve an American nameplate.

My wife and I work very hard at our jobs. Together, we probably make what one auto worker makes. I'm hardly jealous, because I wouldn't trade my job for twice the pay, but the fact is that I have steadily watched my income diminish to half of what I made in the 80's due to competitive forces. I pay 50% of the cost of my benefit package, and I pay high deductibles and co-pays for our health care coverage. I could probably find a better deal within my industry, but I wouldn't like the job. To me...money isn't everything. I do all of this because I understand the reality of the situation.

My digression aside, in spite of the bill to bail out the auto industry not passing through the Senate, and despite intense negotiations with the UAW to obtain concessions that would at the very least, reduce the cost of manufacturing automobiles so that they could BEGIN to be competitive, it seems that over this weekend a patsy has been found who has announced his intention to side-step the process altogether, and who is willing to grant the big 3 some cash. And it's a complete reversal of the position he took months ago. But then, he has nothing to lose either.

Our lame duck President, George Walker Bush, has announced his intention to use part of the money approved to bail out financial institutions, whose situation was so dire a mere 60 days ago, to be used to bail out the auto industry. Isn't that special? What a fantastic way to pull the wool over the eyes of America, relieve elected politicians of any culpability because the consensus is against bailing out the UAW, and it will give GWB a legacy...at least in some eyes. He will be revered by some as the man who saved to auto industry when no one else would.

The more things change, the more things stay the same.

One Man's Immeasurable Grief

It's hard to imagine the grief that Dong Yun Yoon is enduring today. His pain can be seen in every word he manages to utter, and I know that there are even tougher days ahead for this man. To lose everyone in your immediate family in an instant, and to try to measure or quantify that kind of grief is impossible.

What caught my attention, and that of so many more I am sure, was the fact that despite his own grief, he offered assurances to the pilot of the aircraft that he held no ill will or blamed him for what happened. He in fact called for people to pray for the man.

Nothing I could write would have a deeper or longer lasting impact, than the words by a man who is slowly trying to come to grips with this tragedy and who is attempting to deal with the loss of his entire family, and yet...he has the mindset to think of someone else at a time like this.

There is a lesson in this for each and every one of us, while we are witnessing his selfless act of compassion and thinking of someone else at a this time. And I say with no reservation..."point taken." I don't think I will ever feel sorry for myself again, nor will I find it easy to ever think that I am worse off that others.

God bless Dong Yun Yoon, and may he find his way through this awful maze of pain and grief.

Note: Anyone desiring to send cards or donations, should send them to:

Dong Yun Yoon
c/o Rev. Kevin Lee
Korean United Methodist Church
3520 Mount Acadia Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111