Sad When Respondent Is The Victim

Finley Engineering Company, Inc. I was served a summons to appear in court on April 19th, 2006 to answer to two "ORDERS OF PROTECTION" that had been filed against me by RANDALL KIM LITTLE & LONNIE JOE McFADDEN who are company officers at Finley Engineering Co. in Lamar, Mo. I wrote this paper the night before and had intended to present it to the court. Due to circumstances in the court room and things said by the judge I did not end up presenting it so I will present it now.
I was terminated from Finley Engineering Co., Inc. on 10/31/2002. Kim Little was the person to inform me that I was terminated. He would offer no explanation. I was not aware of, or informed about any wrong doing or "just cause" for this action.
I have been given a copy of an order of protection that was filed by Kim Little and one by Lonnie McFadden. These orders appear to be a frivilous filing and an " Abuse of the Law". This type of order is normally reserved for women, married or unmarried, in a relationship out of control. It is a frivilous filing to file an order and intend to use it to your advantage to attain other goals.
Mr. McFadden incorrectly states that I discussed my termination with his assistant in Nevada, Mo. fall of 2005. I did not discuss anything with her except to ask if anyone had picked up a packet of information I had left earlier. She never asked me to leave. When she acknowledged she had fouind it I left.
What I have done on occassion is to "SPEAK OUT" about the extremely harsh, brutal, and unjust theft of my "livelihood" to different people. I have stood up for the fact that I was forced out of a company without "just cause", or any cause explained to me. I requested a service letter to explain why I was forced out and the section that attempts to give reasons are vague, not descript of anything with foundation. They are attempts to walk around the facts.
I have been in and around Lamar many times since my being "forced" out of the company and I have not been harrassing or stalking anyone. What communication I have sent to the company was of the type to try to refute what happened and hopefuly others would take notice of the facts. It is sad that company officers are able to treat employees as though they have no rights and that what they feel, think, or say if of no importance.
I am the type of person that is sensitive to life in that many things matter to me. It has always been my desire to be the right kind of person and in being the right kind of person, that also includes standing up for myself in the face of injustices unfairly placed upon me.
My employment at Finleys was unique in that I had nearly 24 years with the company and my job is such that you do not just go out and get re-employed with another like company doing such like work so easily.
The AT-WILL DOCTRINE was an ill established doctrine and because of that fact it has been noticed, and over time exceptions were added to attempt to give the employee more fair treatment in cases of company abuse. There is still much work to be done in this area to bring a more harmonious balance to the interest of both the employer and employee. Lobbying and legislation are both desired to make changes of significance. What has happened to me is a prime example of officers within a company acting with supposed "impunity" and doing whatever their whims were without any regard to the damage to anothers life that their decisions might cause.
My experience is a perfect example of why much work needs to be done in this area of employment to ensure that those who are INNOCENT OF WRONG DOING cannot just be forced out of a company without "JUST CAUSE".
My statement to this court is that I am innocent of the charges against me in regards to stalking and harrassing anyone. I am not that type of person. I am in the transportation end of the health care industry and I enjoy being able to assist those who are financially disadvantaged, (for whatever reasons), on their journey back to health, or their battle to maintain their health before they lose it. It has been a new and enriching experience for me but at the same time it does not replace or remedy what I had "STOLEN" from me.
Charles Orrell was my boss for 22+ years and he would have much to say concerning all this were he here. He is a Lamar resident. Mr. Orrell worked closely at times with both of these petitioners within the framework of Finley Engineering Co. He has read and copied with my permission, the service letter I was sent. He told me it DISGUSTED him. He told me also that he attempted to talk to them about me and that their allegations against me were bunk.
I offer my two work evaluations within the last 2 years as evidence of my behaviour and person. It is in stark contrast to the allegations in the service letter. I am proud, but not surprised.
To my knowledge and research it appears that my termination did not break any laws, however that does not make it all right or acceptable. Were I guilty of wrong doing we would not be here today doing this. I have, I'm sure, gone beyond the time limits to sue the company. If the courts had any power to control events and request a severance pay if nothing else, to appease at least to some extent the heinous act that has been force upon me, that would be a step in the right direction.
I have wanted to have the opportunity to defend myself in the face of any allegations against me and I have even been deprived of that opportunity.
It has been slow, but I have moved on beyond the event that destroyed my life as I knew it, however the effects of what has happened will remain INDEFINITELY.
It has been suggested that I must feel bitter toward Mr. Little for what he has put upon me. I think there was a period where I did feel an intensity of that nature, and I think it normal in the circumstances. I do not however continue to harbor any feelings like that because to do so would be to damage myself further by being tht emotionally caught up in it and that is not someplace I want to be. It is harmful to me to be continually angry and bitter and that has no good end in itself. It is very sad that someone like Mr. Little, and perhaps even Mr. McFadden, they do not seem to have any concern as to the damage they do to others byt the use of the power they have as officers of a company. I could fire someone easily if I were a manager, but never, ever, under any circumstances would I fire anyone without first knowng I had 'JUST CAUSE".
My employment with Finley's was much more than just a job. My lifes fabric and being were interwoven wtih my job. I am more grateful than anyone can know that I have been blessed with the wonderful years I had with the company. Just the fact that I participated in the business, it ended up changing my life in so many areas and those were all positive changes. The experience of being part of their world was a great enrichment to mine and there is much I have gained that no company officer can take from me.
After all said and done it is almost depressing to have to realize that in this particular company, and the particular set of circumstances, trying to do right and be the right kind of employee didn't matter to them.
My time with the company takes me back to a few incidences that I recall. We had an employee that had many years with the company and took his notes on matchbook covers. I learned from working with him that he had developed a habit of knocking off for the day around 3:00p.m. and charging a full day for that. I complained as I saw that as company abuse.
In Brinkley, Ar. there were two employees that could not get out of bed to go to work and it was 9:00a.m. in the morning. They could not get out of bed because they weren't over being drunk from the night before. I liked these guys but that was not acceptable. Did these people loose their jobs? No they did not. Did I think they should have been fired? Not neccessarily.
My position today is that I am moving on and moving forward. I would like for people to have the chance to know what happened to me and that is part of what my efforts have been about and for. It has taken me time to get to where I am today and I have deep scars that will always remain from this. Mr. Little is more of a hinderance to the company than he is an asset. Many that work under him are troubled by his behaviour and resent him for being the type of person that he CHOOSES to be.
He truly has a way of making you realize how UNIMPORTANT you are in his eyes. It's all about mutual respect and it's a two way street. I could go on and on but what's the point?

Off On The Right Foot

Finley Engineering Company, Inc. I was thinking that I need to expand a little more on what I have started and am doing in relation to what happened to me at Finley's. Writing has always been something I do and enjoy. In reading, which I do a lot of, I never waste time with fiction. If it isn't factual, I just don't see the point to wasting time reading it. I am just one person with my own view of things and just as I am entitled to my view, so is everyone else and some of you will view things differently, and that is ok. This is personal information that will be shared but I am choosing to do so. Please don't attempt to judge what or who I am until you have read enough to make a reasonable judgement. I will sound like a lot of different things and those can be misinterpreted easily. For instance, there may be times I sound arrogant or egotistical, I am not that type of person, but in reviewing where I have been, and what has happened, I do have some harsh emotion there that I feel anyone would experience after having the rug yanked out from under them and not even a warning of it coming. Writing with me comes from the heart. I can just sit down and it all just flows out without even really taking much time to think about it. What I see myself as is a peaceful man with some talents and artistic slants. I definitely believe we have a master creator and he is with me everyday. My writings will be parts of my life with Finley's. It will be interesting and I hope once you start reading that you will come back and enjoy my information and offerings which will be the facts as I lived them. People are invited to comment or contact me if you wish. I just want to share this part of my life and maybe it will have some positive effects in just laying things out on the table. Sharing is getting it off my chest. It is good for me and my health to vent this and I have chosen venting in this way so that everyone can have the opportunity to learn of what has happened, and can happen in life. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND FOR YOUR TIME.

Since I have opened this window I will go ahead and just ramble a little from the heart. After I had sort of gotten up off the ground from being suddenly and unexpectedly terminated, and dusted myself off, I went in to collect my profit sharing, that to me I had coming. Every year the company sets aside an amount of their profits and they distribute that amongst the employees. It is a wonderful thing to do for your employees and was originally designed by caring leaders from years ago to be good to those that work and make things happen. The amount is a percentage of your yearly earnings. The percentage is decided each year at the end of it and is based on how well the company did that year. 10% seemed to happen a lot and so if you earned $40,000 then your profit sharing amount would be $4000. By my calculations I figured I had $3000 coming. I had worked most of the year (Jan. till Oct. 31st). When I went in to see about collecting this I was told I would receive no profit sharing for that year because I did not complete a whole year. What happened to pro-rating? What happened to fairness? What happened period? What happened to a company I had been very comfortable with for a long time?
Not only did they not share the "profit sharing" with me, but after the "attempted annihilation of my livelihood", they tried to block my ability to draw UNEMPLOYMENT as well.
In 2002 Mike Donaldson and I were talking and a subject came up. Mike mentioned it and it was news too me. It was made known to me that some employees owned Finley shares of stock in the company. I questioned him as I did not even know of such a thing. I had been there 22years and no mention of this was ever made in my presence till now. He said he owned shares and knew a few others who had some. He said they had been making 30-35% return in past years. I was blown away by this information. I wonder how many people at Finley's know (know, or rather don't know) about this. As Mike put it you have to "Be Invited", in order to buy shares of this stock. Well, God, how many years do you have to work there to be invited? Well I sat back a moment and let that soak in. " How much are these shares to buy Mike? " " Well, last I knew they were around $1200 a share." Once again I was stunned! Mike said, "Some people have even gone and borrowed money to buy these shares and you can't buy just one, you have to buy 5 at a minimum." Well $1200 x 5 = a lot of money. Mike is a resident engineer. He was invited. I got the picture I think. This is for particular people in the company. Isn't this discrimination if you have to be invited? Isn't this taking advantage of the general population of Finley employees who come to work everyday, or those in the field who put in great effort to their projects and suffer the enviornment to do so? What this smells like too me is that a lot of us never attain those certain positions within the company that cause us to "BE INVITED TO BUY STOCK." It seems that some folks have figured out how to "ensure" their futures by using the fruits of the sweat of their employees to build and fatten their upcoming retirement years. It is true that the bulk of employees have and are in a retirement fund all ready and so there is that element of the company doing good for the employee. In 2002 the stock market was not doing very well and everyone I knew was losing money like crazy, including me. It seemed that if you knew the right people, and if you were "IN", and if your position had a certain status to it, then you were probably going to "BE INVITED." Well I am a Rich Hill boy, and I did not go to school in Lamar, so I guess I am just one of those people in the shadows. The unfairness of this hit me and later when I had occasion to talk with Kim Little I asked him about these Finley shares. He admitted pretty much what Donaldson had said except they were more like $1500/share. I asked about the present rate of return on them and he said, "About 15%." Actually 15% was pretty damn good while the rest of us were losing money right and left during that time. Now I realize that you would have to own quite a few shares of this to earn really big money but I guess the "You have to be invited", just sort of got me. I really never desired to be a supervisor and so I never tried. I had a unique position that filled my needs and enriched my life so I didn't need the headaches that come along with moving up the ladder. As Carl Finley put it-----"Gentlemen, you are an Elite group in what you do."
I have a few other short items and then I am out of here as a bunch of leaves are waiting for me. When I was on loan and working for Kim Little we were working on the Stella and Powell, Mo. projects for Le-Ru Telephone. Clay Beard and I were a working team as we had many years off and on with doing different projects. It so happened that most of Kim's people were staying at the Big Spring Lodge in Neosho, Mo. and driving from there to the job site each day. Depending on where you were working, this could be quite a drive. Clay and I chose a different location closer to the job and found clean and upbeat places to stay and were more economical than the $53.00/night charged by the Big Spring Lodge. I mean we liked places like that and eventually we did stay there when we worked closer to there. I pointed this out to Kim that it was saving some money that we didn't stay at the Lodge and he said it was "irrelevant", as the phone company paid for the motel. So, since the phone company picks up the tab, you go stay somewhere pricey and plush. I bet the phone company would have appreciated hearing his statement that saving money was "irrelevant". As I figured it Clay and I saved them about $2500 over the length of the project. Not a lot but worth mentioning. We are supposed to be working for our clients in their best interest. I fail to see how taking advantage of their niceness is in their best interest. Are you listening Bob Hart?
Laser guns for measuring. What a wonderful invention. We were issued them by Charles Orrell. In discussing the Laser guns with Charlie after I was terminated he mentioned something I thought was of interest and it reflects the mental workings of a manager. Charlie stated that he DID NOT agree with it but Kim would not allow his field people to have Laser guns to use because it would make them "TOO EFFICIENT." What this sounds like too me is that the longer you can keep people working on a project for a phone company, then the MORE MONEY you can take from them. Once again this is not in our clients best interest. It isn't appropriate for a company like Finley's or any other company to line their pockets with money not fairly earned.
Another thing of many things that bothered me in relation to our client was that Clay and I had neither one been Plow Inspectors. We both served that function on the projects with no previous exposure to the position or training. What we got was a crash course trimmed down to a few sentences by the resident engineer, Mike Donaldson. In other words we were presented to Le-Ru as competent professionals and they were being charged AS IF we were and once again we see MONEY here. We became Plow Inspectors over time, but we were green, and Finley's were charging Le-Ru as if we had years of experience. In my title of www.ripoffreport.com I state that they cheated an employee, (me), and screwed the customer even more. The customer is the client and as you can see the client certainly has been taken advantage of. Well this is enough for today.

A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste!

Finley Engineering Company, Inc.
FINLEY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

Fred and Mary K. (Jimmie) Finley were both born in Barton County and graduated from Lamar High School in 1937. They married in 1941 and they were a team who worked together to make the world a better place for their having been here.
Fred received a degree in electrical engineering from University of Missouri at Rolla in 1941. He was an Army Officer in World War II and participated in D-day at Normandy Beach in 1944, and he retired from the National Guard with a rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After military service, he returned to Lamar and was one of the founders of Finley Engineering Company.
Jimmie returned to college in 1964 and eventually earned not only her Bachelor’s degree, but also two Masters’ degrees, and she worked as Lamar Elementary School Counselor for many years.
They were both enthusiastic supporters of education and they took every opportunity to assist students in any way they could, whether by offering advice, encouragement or financial assistance.
Jimmie died in 1990 and Fred died in 1996. In 1993, Fred established the Finley Charitable Foundation and limited its mission to contributing to charities or individuals in or benefiting Barton County.
In 1998, The Trustees announced their intention to award $1,000 renewable scholarships to the top 25% of the graduates in Barton County, which numbers about 40 per year. Other awardees include Lamar Community Betterment (Plaza Theatre, TATS, Art Council, Lamar Community Theatre), Lamar Swim Team, Liberal Recreation, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Barton County Senior Citizens Center, and AOK Youth Development Services.

Hi!
I ran across this and wanted to insert it and point out something in it. I met Fred Finley once in the breakroom at the office. I talked breifly with him and told him I had been an employee for a few years and that I had heard his name but never actually met him till then. We shook hands and he said, "Well son, sounds like you been doing right by the company to have been that busy that we never met till now." Seemed like a good man. I never met Mary (Jimmie) but she must have been quite a person from her achievements. They were both enthusiastic supporters of education and they both took every opportunity to assist students in any way they could, whether by offering advice, financial assistance, or encouragement. Being this was the type of people they were, and were they still alive, and if they had both known me better to realize that I had an ambition to absorb knowledge of the world I live in, I can't help but feel that they would have harbored some ill feeling about the "theft of my livelihood" by Randall Kim Little. Not bragging but I was blessed with a very active and eager mind which makes this a very "damaging assault" on my life that Mr. Little delivered. As Mr. Orrell put it in conversation to me----"William, Kim was an idiot to get rid of you." "He probably couldn't even do the things that you do."
One time in talking to Charlie in the office I had made reference in wondering if my drawings were good enough. I had done some work for the Independent Telephone Dept. as a loaned out employee from the Bell Dept. Charlie said, "William, don't ever worry about your drawings---I will tell you right now that I would put your field notes up against anyones back there in ITD without any doubts whatsoever." Thanks Charlie!
I'm out of here for now.

ABUSING THE LAWS OF THE LAND

Finley Engineering Company, Inc.
home : local news
9/26/2005
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Judges say misuse of adult abuse law is increasingDanielle ZielinskiCourthouse ReporterMissouri’s adult abuse law was established in 1980 as a court tool to help domestic violence victims break the cycle of abuse. But with no fee to file a case, and no costs ever assessed to those that do file, local judges say some are trying to exploit the law for other purposes, or use the court as a wrestling ring for relationship problems.“If (you are) an adult in an abusive relationship, don’t hesitate to come up here and use the relief under the adult abuse law to remove yourself from that situation,” Buchanan County Circuit Judge Randall Jackson said. “If not … don’t run up here and waste your time, and the clerk’s time, and the court’s time, because that’s not what the law is all about.”An adult abuse suit is started with the filing of a petition for an ex parte order, which can temporarily bar someone from communicating, abusing, threatening or stalking another. A judge reviews and rules on the order immediately, and regardless of whether it is granted, sets a hearing within 15 days where the respondent can consent to a full order or request a trial. If a case goes to trial, the petitioner has the burden to prove he or she is in continued danger of abuse or stalking, and the respondent is given the opportunity to refute the allegations.In 2004, 833 adult abuse cases were filed in Buchanan County courts. Of those, 578 — or 69 percent — were dismissed, either by the parties or the court. Statewide, 62 percent of 43,886 cases filed were dismissed.“The majority of cases never get to any relief, because they never show up, or they dismiss the case,” Mr. Jackson said.Judges point out that a case where the petitioner fails to show or dismisses wastes the time of clerks who help fill out the forms, and judges who must drop what they’re doing to review ex parte requests. But Kim Carroll, director of victim services at the YWCA, said there are real reasons — such as threats or financial concerns — that cause victims of violence to drop a case.“There are really good reasons why people do decide that this is not a good thing to do,” she said. “When you look at it, it can put the woman in more danger.”Mr. Jackson said that in the cases that do go to trial, those involving physical abuse — like many the YWCA is involved with — are the most clear-cut. But in many other cases — roughly half of those heard — the petitioner fails to meet the burden of proof required under the law. Overall, he said, full orders of protection are granted in only about 25 percent of cases filed.By statute, judges can only grant an order of protection if there is “an immediate and present danger” of physical harm, coercion, or substantial emotional distress as a result of harassment or stalking. Petitioners must prove both that they have been victims of abuse or stalking in the past and that they are in continued danger of abuse or stalking.“A lot of people use the terms abuse and stalking with a colloquial or lay meaning,” Circuit Judge Weldon Judah said. “I have to follow what the law says.”Unfortunately, Mr. Jackson said, many law enforcement officers and social service agencies frequently advise people to file adult abuse cases, even when they may not qualify for relief. Many people also mistakenly use the law as an “upset adult” law rather than an “adult abuse” law, filing suits against each other in attempts to gain the upper hand in disputes.“There’s been an increase in unmeritorious cases,” Mr. Jackson said. “The basis of their complaints deal with relational problems, not abuse problems.”Judges also say they see many people looking for a cheap way to accomplish other legal objectives through the adult abuse statute. These can include landlord-tenant disputes, creditor problems, child visitation or custody disputes, sibling disputes over inheritances and neighborhood feuds.“There seem to be a lot of cases filed that have nothing to do with adult abuse,” Mr. Judah said. “That’s the frustrating part.”When orders of protection are granted by the court, domestic violence advocates say they often don’t do enough to help the victim. Sometimes, the abuser is allowed to remain in a shared residence, and other types of relief available under the law — such as child support, rent or mortgage payments, or possession of personal effects — are seldom granted.“If you don’t have any means of income, the chances are you’re more likely to move back,” Ms. Carroll said. “The economic consequences of abuse are sometimes the most difficult obstacles to get over.”Mr. Jackson said extra relief is rare because parties often fail to meet the burden of proof on those counts. Matters such as child support are complicated, and often cannot be sorted out without the help of an attorney.“The court cannot step out of its neutral role and become the attorney or the advocate for the party,” he said.Mr. Jackson said if a litigant wants to pursue additional relief, he always offers them the option of a continuance, giving them time to get legal counsel and evidence to support their claims.Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney Dwight Scroggins said more relief might result in fewer cases for the system overall. “If they did a better job with them, they’d get a whole lot less orders of protection,” he said. “We get multiple abuse cases because we get re-abuse cases.”


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Folks, in the above article please take note of what it is saying. I refer to this as it applies to the actions of LONNIE JOE MCFADDEN & RANDALL KIM LITTLE against me on 04/19/2006 in Lamar, Mo. Please take time to read and then relate that to my situation of having TWO "Orders of Protection" filed against me. RANDALL KIM LITTLE is 52 years of age and LONNIE JOE MCFADDEN is 53. I am 54. They are both officers at Finley's. McFadden is the office manager. Little is the manager of the "Independent Telephone Dept.". These two men as I said in another post have exposed themselves to be " Women" in their actions to attempt to silence me. I would like to insert at this time my journaling from a visit I paid to McFadden and it is dated 02/17/03.

I went to the office to see Lonnie McFadden. I was informed he is office manager. Lonnie had to be paged. I had been instructed to come in the front door and to contact only Lonnie with any communication I might have. I visited with the receptionist and by the time Lonnie arrived I was in a relatively calm state. He greeted me with a smile which seemed a little pale. It was a distance from the front entry to his office. I followed him and noticed how he walked with his head hung over. He did not walk upright. I'd not noticed that about him before. We entered his office and I took a seat. I told him I had not come to blow up at him. I was plenty upset inside but what I wanted to know was why I had been terminated. He attempted to be evasive and went to legal aspects and I interrupted him and said, "lets bring this down to a simple level." " I am not here because of legal matters." "I was terminated from this company and I want to know exactly why that occurred. He finally said, "It started with that tape you made in Tennessee. The letter you wrote to Mark Ogle was the wrong way to handle that. I replied, "I never said I do everything right Lonnie." "I am human you know." He softened. "I only reacted to what he handed me." Kim had problems with hours, miles, you not following orders, and there were instances that you could not have been where you claimed to be." I brought up some things from the past and he softened again. He didn't remember at first the subject I brought up but it got him to thinking. I saw him drop the bold business front and become a person in the past for a moment. I pretty well finished our visit. I told him that it was possible to come and sit before him like this because I knew I was guilty of nothing. He was upset. He said, "that's great William, that you feel that way." He was upset it seemed, by the fact that I felt innocent. "You don't know what you have done." " I have received damage that cannot be taken back." "You have destroyed my life." "This conversation is coming to an end as I am ending it," he said. "This is in the past as far as I'm concerned and it should be for you." "This is the end for you Lonnie, but for me it is the beginning." I got up and left.
In the beginning of my career I used to work off and on with Lonnie some and so it wasn't like we were strangers. He was in the "Rights of Way" dept. More later.

Carl Finley of Finley Engineering Co.

Finley Engineering Company, Inc. " Carl Finley " I would like to begin by making it clear that Mr. Finley was in no way a part of what happened to me at the company he helped found and was part owner of. Carl was a man I admired from the start. He had a way about him that just made you like him. In my entire time of dealing with Carl & Charles Orrell, they both treated me very well. It was in 1974 that I decided to attend college. I had tried a number of jobs and wasn't getting anywhere. I went to NWMSU and after almost completing one semester, my father passed away. I dropped out that winter and took care of his estate. I never returned but instead went back to working for a living. I had grown tired once again of seeming to be not really getting ahead and I strongly considered going back to college. I was in fact making mental plans to put into action attending spring of 1979. In 1978 Finley's business was booming and they needed help. They needed people so bad that they put ads in the local papers for help. I noticed the ads and responded. I went to the office to talk to someone and I was very impressed with the office. It was clean and very cheery. I met with Charles Orrell and after an interview he hired me (never even filled out an application). "Come to work Monday morning", he said. Well it was tough as I now had a fork in the road of life. Do I go to work here or go to college? I decided to give this a try as it was different from anything I had done. I was issued a pick up truck to drive, credit card to pay for fuel and expenses, reimbursed for some of my food and all of the motel. I gave it a try and it really fit me. I was hired on as a field surveyor in the Bell Telephone dept. Charles Orrell was my boss. I was sent out on my first job with a trainer. Ron Arft was the man who gave me guidance and training. We had a good time over the years and worked hand in hand on many projects. I appreciated in him his desire to do the best he had in him. I too had that philosophy. Had I known Dec. 18th, 1978 (the day I started work for Finley's) that someone was going to STEAL MY LIVELIHOOD in 2002 I would have gone on to college. At this point I want to insert something I wrote straight from my heart dated---------07/07/2003
I want to say that as of this date I am left with the realization that unless I get lucky I am probably going to be stuck with having to accept some very menial, boring job where I use my body to earn a living, rather than my mind. I have a very active mind and with Finley's I was able to be independent and to be using my mind to create and design. I also used my body so it was a combination of both. I have cut brush with a hand held machete in temperature of 107 degrees, pulled a 200 foot steel chain in a blizzard and braved temperatures below zero at times. I have walked from Kansas City to St. Louis and part of the way back again on an AT&T project. I have waded through the swamps and rice fields of Arkansas and climbed unbelievably steep terrain. I have been stung by bees and wasps, picked off many ticks after work, and been eaten alive by mosquitoes and swamped by gnats in New York. I have waded time and time again through all types of briar bushes and at night in the motel room ,was able to remove most of the stickers. I have been in underground manholes that contain not only telephone cables, but we have removed as many as 23 snakes from a manhole before entering. I have pictures. I have gone in holes that were near a service station that had the powerful stench of deisel fuel and you couldn't get rid of it no matter how long you pumped fresh air into it, and we went in there when we shouldn't have. Being a field engineer isn't just about using your mind, it's a wonderful mix. A healthy mind is a terrible thing to waste and I feel this company has created just the right situation to do just that. I am handicapped as I have described earlier in that I only have knowledge to do what I have been exposed to. I have not had exposure to the technical end of the business and that fact prevents me from walking into another like company and filling a position unless it operated like Finley's. I chose NOT TO go back to college and to work for this company and I think it is criminal to rob someone in the manner that I was and I did nothing to cause it. It is a real problem to try to get re-employed at the age I am and especially in the economic mess we are in.

I am closing for now and will be back.