Monday, April 15, 2013

Why?!

I asked the rhetorical "why?!" question and got plenty of answers when I posted it in several spots on Facebook. I think we all know "why" but none-the-less, frustration sets in and it seems to be one of the first questions that comes to mind after another tragic act of terrorism in a metropolitan U.S. city.

Someone was even charged up enough to call me a "dumb ass," as if I was really that naive. 

Boston MA's marathon was as good as any for an opportunistic terrorist (whether domestic of foreign) and I'm sure there will be other targets. Sadly or better, "tragically," our semi-complacent and free lifestyle will be attacked again and again, and despite our law enforcements best efforts, they cannot plan for every contingency. 

Where's that leave us? Raise your hands American's your all about to be deputized. We are fighting an ongoing battle here and it's up to all of us to evolve neighborhood watch into America's Watch. Example: You see a foreign national or other suspicious looking person drop a backpack into a trash container or leave it near a building and take off....don't leave and call the cops....start evacuating and clear the area...it's not natural. If early evacuation can occur, with a portable explosive of this size, lives can be saved and injuries greatly reduced by clearing them from the blast radius.

We are our nations law enforcements eyes and ears. We are the "tipsters" for our nations first line of defense and we owe it to our fellow American's to step up and take action. We owe it to all 8 year old American's to provide them with a safe environment at all times. Is it the bystanders faults for not noticing what this terrorist did in Boston? No. You can't blame innocent bystanders for believing that security precautions are in place during events like this, but you can include them in your contingencies by telling all visitors or participants to keep their eyes open for things that look at of place. I believe acts like these in Boston cannot go on completely unnoticed. Someone saw something that didn't look right.

Again, bystanders are not to blame here nor are the plans of law enforcement for events like these. There are just not enough officers to see everything they need to see...so that leaves us to be their eyes and ears whenever possible.

Take a simple thing like driving an automobile in the U.S. as an example: I personally drive like someone ahead of me will run a red light, swerve into me or pull out of a side street into my path. It's defensive driving and I have had no accidents over the past 35 years because of it. Should we not do the same when we are in public places or at events where thousands are gathered? We can be in a defensive mode and still have a good safe time.

We can't stop terrorism completely in America...but I think if we all put ourselves in a more defensive mode when at large gatherings, we may be able to reduce the fatalities and injuries should that one place we happen to be, become a target for these heartless cowards.

Just my thoughts....my heart goes out to all those who were injured or killed in Boston today.


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The Sponsorship That Gives Back

What is a $911 Sponsor and how does it help our non profit organization as well as your company? The short answer is that it is a program initiated by the 9/11 Patch Project to help fund the project. Those who step up to become a $911 Sponsor receive a lifetime of promotion!

In these uncertain economical times, Fire/EMS and other companies are looking for the best bang for their buck. Ad's in major fire magazines can cost thousands and you never really know who sees it or how many sales are generated because of it. And, the Ad can be buried in the magazine--a magazine with a relatively short life span.

CASE STUDY: TheBattalion.TV has been one of $911 Sponsors for nearly 2 years now. You can see them on our sponsor page and even on display at the various trade shows we attend. For instance, during the San Diego Firehouse World show, the 9-11 Patch Project and our partners, Hero Industries and Xtreme Valor, had a 10X20 booth. Our non profit effort to remember the heroes of 9/11 and raise funds for 9/11 charities attracted the interest of the local San Diego KUSI Channel 5 News. We were the only exhibitor at Firehouse World to get the news coverage and this also brought attention to our sponsor, TheBattalion.tv. As you can see in this news clip, they received a few exposures due to their large poster we had on display at our booth.

As an admin to the Facebook NeverForget911 page, we also have the opportunity to post info on our sponsors to over 444,000 fans. We also promote those who step up to become our sponsors through our other 3 Facebook pages, Twitter and this BLOG that has well over 35,000 reads.

The $911 Sponsor is a one time donation and we will promote your company for a life time. Spend thousands on magazine articles, newspaper ads or even television ads; or put some of your advertising budget towards a worthy non profit organization and let us promote you through our social media sites as well as events and trade shows we hold or attend. More information on the $911 Sponsor program HERE.