My name is Tom Koecke. I have always seen things a bit differently than most people. I have also written many short articles and posts over the years. Many of those articles were lost when content farms that I wrote on closed down without notice. Many of them are still on paper and haven't made it onto my blogs.
I identify as progressive when it comes to politics. I think that many problems would resolve themselves if we pulled money out of politics. Lobbying should be illegal. It is bribery, and those who offer bribes should go to prison along with politicians who accept bribes. I am outspoken politically for the benefit of my grandchildren and children. I wrote about not being aligned with old white people in an article titled If You are Over Forty, We are Likely Political Enemies. It is on my newest blog to which I have moved my political posts from my philosophical blog. The new blog is called A Progressive Voter's Opinion.
I am an Air Force veteran. I served during peace time in the 62nd Civil Engineering squadron. The highest honor I served was as a member of the Honor Guard, the primary duty of which is to fulfill our nation's final promise to its veterans. I was most often assigned as a pall bearer which meant we folded the flag. We were the group that folded the flag for presentation to the family. I wrote an article about that high honor titled My Duty as an Airman and Veteran.
Another blog called Conceptual Thoughts is a compilation of my writing that has been salvaged from previous sites along with my current posts about philosophy and history. The difference between me and most people is that I think conceptually. It has been both a blessing and a curse throughout my life, but that is just the way things work. I describe coming to terms with it in an article titled Welcome to My Nightmare. I told the group of executives that I was with that the word I would use to describe myself is "iconoclast," and then had to explain to the group what the word means.
I took advantage of an opportunity to write a series of satirical articles about Facebook jail by creating a blog for satire called Satirically Speaking. I use satire to criticize capitalism, to explain creative insulting, and even draw attention to social issues. If you don't understand what satire is, I wrote Seriously: How and Why Satire Works to explain it.
If I am still alive when you read this, I live near Tacoma, Washington where I grew up in the south end of town. I have in the past worked in consumer finance for thirty years, and non-emergency medical transportation for ten. I found it difficult to deal with the greed in the corporate realm and the unaccountability of that which is publicly provided. However, I loved the training I did during both careers.
Some of my favorite training came at the expense of authority figures who were conspiring against a CEO that I liked who ran a credit union that I loved, while some other training was given to those who wanted to wait me out. That is the training I give as an iconoclast.
I got an insatiable thirst for learning from my father who you can read more about in my Remembering Dad series. I also have a series about Remembering Mom. I have written about my struggles with mental health, some of the people and pets that I've lost, some of my thoughts on economics, and even more of my thoughts about philosophy.
Maybe it will all mean something to someone someday.
