Do you need to see a man stand firm in the face of tyranny, as a Black man during the Civil Rights era and the Vietnam War?
Muhammad Ali has a message from 1967 for all people of the United States and for humanity as a whole. Listen to the video below to hear how he says “NO” to going to Vietnam to kill poor people in the mud:
Remember, friends, during the Civil War, many people fought and died to keep Black people in chains. Can you imagine that? These are different times with different circumstances, that’s true, but it’s the same dangerous mentality.
Ali was the greatest man to ever walk the face of the Earth.. Let’s use his strength to propel us forward and through this period of tyranny and fascism.
Sometimes you just walk out of the house and your life changes forever. You don’t remember your life before that day. That’s what happened eight years ago, on May 10th, 2017, when I first encountered Lucky on the street in Puerto Rico. This boy took my breath away. I was electrified by him from the onset. Lucky and I share the same heart.
Let me tell you our story:
It was a ordinary Wednesday evening on May 10th, 2017 in Puerto Rico. I was feeling kind of restless and hungry and went to a local eatery for a sandwich. As I was eating, I started gazing out the window very spaced out and preoccupied. I felt agitated and unsettled. Then I noticed this sweet boy in the cover picture with me living alone on the street.
I brought him some food and sat down with him. I was so enamored with him that my head was spinning. Meeting this boy was a life changing experience. I decided to pull him off the street and have him boarded at a very fun place for 5 weeks with a lot of other dogs. Every Saturday and Sunday I would go visit him. I started to realize that he and I were forever. Now, I just had to convince my wife at that time in order to bring him home. But, luckily for Lucky (pun intended), the only answer I was willing to accept from my wife was, “Yes.” Guess what her answer was? You got it. The next day Lucky moved in with my human family and pack.
Lucky and Scott at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in Puerto Rico
In September of 2017 Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico. As many of you might remember, I launched the “Lucky In Love Relief Fund for Stray Animals in Puerto Rico.” We raised $7,000 and bridged a fair amount of stray animals back to life. When Patrick was killed in August of 2018, Lucky would press his head into my chest several times a day. He knew that’s where the pain was. He did the same when Sammy died on January 30th, 2020.
The world was not big enough for Lucky and myself to not find each other.
I am so in love with Lucky that I coined the phrase and created a t-shirt that says “I Love My Dog Like A Crazy Potato” on the front. And on the back it says, “Love Doesn’t Have To Make Sense.”
We have been through some tough times together. Hurricane Maria, the loss of Patrick, the loss of Sammy, Covid, losing our home in 2021 and so on and so on. Lucky is a professional escape artist as you all remember from back in Puerto Rico. Well, he continued the same here in South Florida. He has serious separation anxiety with me when I leave the house. He has been this way since I pulled him off the street back in Puerto Rico on May 10th, 2017. When I left him in Puerto Rico for 6 months in 2019 while I was getting set up in Florida, it hurt him very badly. I was absolutely destroyed leaving him, Rocky and Polar Bear behind during that time also. I did find a family to take them in at that time for $800 a month.
Lucky and Scott in Florida. We share the same heart.
A lot of people would have said goodbye to them right then and there. But, the second I landed in South Florida on March 28th, 2019, I had one thing and one thing only on my mind: To bring my boys over to Florida. Six months later, I pulled off mission impossible and had us all back together under one roof in Florida. As such, Lucky’s seperation anxiety was very continued his escape artistry here in South Florida. He’s calmed down a lot at this point. But, one day in December of 2023, he got out and got himself in a very serious predicament. I was actually in discussions about giving him up. As I have gotten older, It was becoming more difficult keeping up with him. Fortunately, I backed out of those discussions because I could never live without him. Lucky is my forever heart. We will finish our lives together as a family. And that includes BabyLady too.
In May of 2017, I told the world “This is No ordinary Love.” And that still holds true today. Lucky is my soulmate. I did not say soulMutt. No. I said “Lucky is my soulmate.” I will always be lucky in love with Lucky.
One of the greatest men to ever walk the face of the Earth, Houston-born George Foreman, passed away on March 21, 2025, at 76 years old. The world said goodbye to one of its greatest just a little over two weeks ago. My heart is broken.
The three kings are now gone: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and most recently, George Foreman. The world feels empty without them. All three were larger than life and far larger than boxing. It was priviledge for all of us to live in their time. They were bright lights in a very cruel world.
There has been so much chaos in the news over the past couple of weeks that many missed the fact that this larger-than-life legend just left this life. Apparently, he died of natural causes. Towards the end of this tribute, I will share one of George Foreman’s quotes that went largely unnoticed, but it might be one of the greatest quotes ever spoken. It was a quote about Muhammad Ali at 38 years old after his fight with Larry Holmes in 1980, highlighting how it was Ali’s worst boxing performance ever. Don’t miss that quote. It’s a life-changing kind of quote for all of us as we move through life.
“Some beings are so lit up on the inside that they shine on their exterior. George Foreman was like that.” – Scott Smith –
Most people think of George Foreman as the legendary boxer, especially remembering the “Rumble in the Jungle” against Muhammad Ali in 1974. Foreman was one of the greatest boxers of all time, winning the heavyweight championship of the world at just 24 years old in 1973.. But as Foreman said to Gayle King in a CBS interview eight years ago, he was really a preacher and minister moonlighting as a boxer and grill salesman. Foreman was a man of the people. A man of the community. He spent his whole life being positive, smiling, and lifting people’s spirits.
Throughout George’s life, most people just wanted to talk to him about Muhammad Ali.. One would think he would’ve gotten tired of it, but George never did. He was always gracious when people asked about Muhammad Ali. The reason is because George felt the same way about Ali as the rest of the world did. George said that he wished everyone had a chance to meet Ali, so they could see and feel his presence.
Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. Picture by The Guardian
Here is a perfect example of how positive George Foreman actually was: In 1989, at a press conference in London with Ali and Frazier, Foreman, at 40 years old, said, “I’m going to prove to the whole world that age 40 is not a death sentence at all.” Fast forward to the 11:20 minute mark of the video to hear him say that. And wouldn’t you know it, just 5 years later, at 45 years old, George Foreman became the heavyweight champion of the world again and the oldest person to ever win the heavyweight championship title.
Foreman’s boxing life was that of a giant. But, let’s remember, this is also the man who created the George Foreman Grill; one of the most successful products of all time.
I have written many times that to me, Muhammad Ali was the greatest man to ever walk the face of the Earth.. Well, also to me, George Foreman might be the second greatest man to ever walk the face of the Earth.. Well, either him or Smoking Joe Frazier. These three men were literally kings. But not tyrannical types of kings. They were kings of boxing and humanity as a whole. It is no surprise a documentary was made about their lives in 1996: “When We Were Kings.”
Now, I will share with you one of the greatest quotes I have ever heard in my life. The reason Foreman said what he said is because the media was really coming down on Ali for taking such a beating from Larry Holmes in 1980. The media was referring to him like he was a “has-been” or something. Did they forget that he came out of retirement for that fight at 38 years old? And back then, 38 was very old for a boxer. But more importantly, did the media forget what this man did for the world? Did the media forget that Ali was the people’s champion?
Well, George Foreman did not forget who Muhammad Ali was and will always be. And below is what he said, referring to Ali after that loss:
“Heroes will always be beautiful because of what they’ve done.” – George Foreman –
To me, that is one of the greatest quotes in history, said by one of the greatest men in history, about the GREATEST man in history. This quote above is for all of us as we age through life. Pass Foreman’s quote alone. It makes people feel better.
George Foreman lived one of the fullest lives a man could live. But, at the end of the day the most important work he did throughout his life was that of a preacher and minister at the “Church of the Lord Jesus Christ,” which he founded in 1980.
Former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and current U.S. Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, suggested on a podcast this past week that missing Social Security checks are no big deal. He went on to use his mother-in-law as an example.
Read below what this prick actually said:
“Let’s say Social Security didn’t send out their checks this month. My mother-in-law, who’s 94, wouldn’t call and complain… She just wouldn’t. She’d think something got messed up, and she’ll get it next month. A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling, and complaining.”
So, in other words, people who frantically call Social Security to report their missing checks, according to Howard S**tnick, they must be fraudsters.
If anyone ever wanted to see an example of hubris, gumption and arrogance all wrapped into one, Mr S**tnick is the perfect example. He should resign as the Secretary of Commerce.. He is not in tune with the American people at all.
Being a billionaire does not make someone an _sshole. But, acting like an _sshole, does make them one.
By the way, this is the same man who just last week told Americans they should be buying Tesla’s crashing stock on Fox News.. You can see it on YouTube for yourselves. Did Howard S**tnick forget he’s Not the CEO of a Wall Street firm anymore? Did he forget that he’s the 41st Commerce Secretary of the United States?
Did he forget that 70 million people receive Social Security checks each month, earned through their professional blood and sweat over a lifetime? Did he forget that millions of those people rely solely on their Social Security income?
You would think Howard S**tnick would have learned compassion after his brother and all of his employees at Cantor Fitzgerald either burned to death or jumped to their deaths on 9/11.. But no, he did not learn a thing about compassion.
About two weeks ago on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Elon Musk said, “Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
That is factually false. Americans become eligible for Social Security benefits starting at 62 years old. Most people take it at 65, when they can receive slightly larger direct deposits.
These benefits come from a lifetime of work, with all of us paying into Social Security throughout our professional lives. In other words, we fund the benefits we eventually receive in our retirement years. There are 70 million people on Social Security, and millions of them rely on it as their only source of income. Nothing else. Ponzi scheme? Nope.
Do you know what a Ponzi scheme looks like? It looks like a CEO of a crashing car company having the President of the United States do a car commercial for his company at the White House.
Never think Elon Musk is “taking one for the team.” He’s not a humanitarian. Musk is a natural selectionist: crush the poor, the weak, the disabled, and minorities. That is who he is.
Regarding his indisputable two Nazi salutes at Trump’s inauguration—I don’t think he’s a Nazi. I just think he’s a click-baiting whore who paid $44 billion for Twitter, a platform that loses money and hardly anyone even uses anymore. I have read that Musk’s grandparents were Nazi supporters. So, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he is one.
It just goes to show us that no matter the wealth or achievements of Elon Musk, it doesn’t change the fact that he is a colossal douchebag.
Even in death, the bond between Sammy and me cannot be broken. We are unbreakable and unshakable. He is the wind beneath the surviving pack’s wings and mine too.
Today marked what would have been Sammy’s 20th birthday. His life was cut short on January 30th, 2020, just five weeks shy of his 15th birthday. I’m not sure what happened, as he was completely fine the day before. I thought about that for years, but the pack and I had to press forward, carrying the torch for Sammy as we continue trotting ahead.
We put it all on the line and left it all on the field back in NYC and Puerto Rico.. Sammy did make it to Florida with us, but nine months later, he decided to never wake up again. I died with him that day.
In spite of all this fame and notoriety, he was just my best friend. Sammy was my little Budski. That is what I called him when we were alone or in our close circles.
Before I had Sammy, I could not even write a check. The ladies in my life over the years wrote them for me. But I became so inspired by Sammy and how much I loved him—and still do—that he turned me into a good writer and an incredible storyteller. He did that, not me. Now, all of my dogs have inspired me to take storytelling to a whole other level, which I have done. I am nothing without these animals. They have given my life purpose. And in return, I offered them a life of love, family, and protection.
Sammy is the reason the “Everybody Loves Sammy” online community became what it became—and still is. Sammy is the reason the DriveWithCompassion movement was formed for stray animals living in the streets of Puerto Rico and around the world. If it weren’t for him, we would’ve never ended up in Puerto Rico, where the DriveWithCompassion movement was founded.
There have been times when I ask myself if life would offer me Sammy and Patrick back, would I trade the current wolfpack for them to be alive again? And then my mind just goes blank. That is not something I could ever answer. I love my current wolfpack like a crazy man, just as much as I did and do love Sammy, Patrick, and BabyLady.
Some beings are so lit up on the inside that they shine on their exterior. Sammy was like that. And just like my lifetime hero, Muhammad Ali, shook up the world, so did Sammy.
Happy Birthday Sammy, my little Budski.. When it’s my time, I look foward to seeing you at the Rainbow Bridge so we can run and play together again.
No lives will go in vain. No pain will go unnoticed.
Sincerely,
Scott Smith, Animal Defender and founder of DriveWithCompassion(dot)com
Grasshopper loves to find little spots to get all nestled in. Today, he chose to get sandwiched into his dog bed upside down; he is a very creative nester.
My favorite thing about Grasshopper is that he’s very happy about being happy. What I mean by that is when he feels happy, his mind recognizes the moment, and then he becomes happy about that too. In other words, his happiness has two levels. How cool is that?
I rescued Grasshopper on June 23rd, 2021, off the train tracks in North Miami Beach. Now, he is the leader of the pack and the love of my mother and sister.
We are all just a bunch of crazy grasshoppers over here.
By the way, the dog bed is made of faux fur. We would never have fur in this household, and we recommend the same for all of you. Also, remember, please Drive With Compassion. There are stray animals in the streets.
Towards the end of this video, you can watch when I introduced BabyLady to the world. Even the late great Patrick Swayze made a cameo appearance to help me introduce her to the world.
My sweet Patrick was killed by the front and back tire of a car on August 19th, 2018.. I was madly in love with him. I died with him that day. I’ve never been the same. Being Patrick’s human Dad was the greatest Job that I’ve ever had, or will have. My life was about making him happy. As I’ve written many times, I would’ve moved mountains and swam across oceans for him.
I’ve made a lot of new friends in the past year and have been reacquainted with old ones. A lot of people have asked me “Who is Patrick and what happened to him?” – Some even call me Patrick not realizing that anything happened.
This video is about my life with Patrick, his death, animal rescue in Puerto Rico, Patrick Swayze (yes, Patrick Swayze), and the introduction of rescue dog, BabyLady. The message is sad, moving, inspiring and ends up on a big up note. It was published on October 17th, 2018, sixty days after Patrick was killed.
Her sheep held the line until she returned -Video from the Daily Mail.
In the midst of the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, this woman’s sheep held the line and survived the California fires. They stood their ground until she returned. And in the midst of the rubble and destruction, Vanessa García Schindler of Los Angeles and her animals remind us of what really matters in life. It’s the “Us” that matters—both people and animals.
When we are faced with life-changing devastation, we learn real quick that everything else is just things. Important things, yes. But, things that can be replaced. When we have “Us,” we have everything.
Love and loyalty are a powerful combination. And that combination is stronger than the California fires. Love is the universal langauge. All species speak it.
I have been very involved with animal welfare, rescue and social media the past 15 years. This is one of the most moving videos illustrating the human-animal connection that I’ve ever seen.
My name is Scott Smith. I am 55 years old and live in South Florida (originally from New York). I am not a kid, and this is not a rant. This is the first employee review I have ever given in my life, and it will be my last, as this is not something I typically do. But working at GoHealth was the worst professional experience of my life. They are the most unethical company I have ever encountered in any business sector whatsoever. I am planning on taking a legal action against them.
I will leave my contact information at the bottom of this review article for anyone who would like to contact me. I am also going to share an email that I sent to the Chief Revenue Officer, Michael McMahon, on 01/07/2025.
GoHealth’s business model regarding their employees is quite simple: “Run as fast as you can until you die. And when you die, we will immediately replace you with another horse willing to die just a few months later.” Now, it’s true that it’s not uncommon for public companies to run their employees into the ground while kneeling to shareholders.
But GoHealth is even shadier than that. They are literally stealing money from sales agents who are on their way out. They do it every year and disguise it under redevelopment and performance improvement plans that they dish out. What kind of company writes up employees only 7 days from the starting line? I will answer that question in the paragraph below:
The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) starts on October 15th each year. GoHealth was already writing people up by October 22nd—just 7 days into AEP.. Then, they wrote people up again on November 1st, only 14 days into AEP.. The reasons for the immediate write-ups are meant to serve as a pre-digital footprint for the termination quotas they need to fill by the end of AEP.. Don’t get depressed; those layoffs are good news for GoHealth, as they keep the second half of AEP’s enrollment commissions generated by the terminated agents. And the beat goes on year after year.
When I was notified that I was written up so quickly, I immediately reached out to manager, Christopher Browning, and requested a meeting with him and three other higher-ranked managers. Of course that meeting never happened. Not even with one of them. I told Christopher that I could not believe GoHealth was writing me up after knowing I had been in the hospital in Aventura, Florida on October 5th, 10th, and 28th.. I was having serious complications with my esophagus, throat, and diaphragm. The entire company knew about this. I struggled with this condition on and off throughout November as well. It was causing me to stutter; sometimes I was not even able to get words out of my mouth, and I struggled to breathe.
If anyone already has a suit against GoHealth, or is thinking about pursuing one, I am willing to testify about my experience with them for your case. I will not change my story for your case, but I am willing to share my story about this most unethical company, GoHealth.
There were moments when I could not get air in or out of my lungs—in other words, a drowning sensation while not being under water. That happened to me on my last call for the evening on November 20th, 2024, a little after 6 PM EST.. I had to hang up on a beneficiary. Once I got oxygen flowing in and out of my body again, I called the client back and apologized for hanging up on her. I went on to explain that I had been having health complications for the past 7 weeks by that point. On Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and Friday after Thanksgiving, the symptoms came right back again. It was very on and off in November. But as my health bounced back, my performance improved. That was well known throughout the company as well.
An agreement between e-telequote (owned by GoHealh) and Reliancematrix regarding the American Disability Act with a start date on October 4th, 2024.. The very next day on October 5th, I was at Aventura Hospital regarding my condition. I was then in hospital again on October 10th and October 28th for the same condition..
Furthermore, as if it weren’t bad enough already, GoHealth will unilaterally change your starting schedule from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., showing no regard for single moms, single dads, people with health conditions, those with sick family members, or various other personal responsibilities. Then, they will change your starting schedule from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.—a three-hour swing that turns your life upside down again.
It should be known that my start date was June 17th, 2024….. I did not miss one minute of work until Friday, October 4th, 2024, when my health condition started wreaking havoc on my life.
It’s no surprise that GoHealth was hit with a $29.2 million judgment in favor of the plaintiffs in May of 2024 for failing to disclose a strategic business shift which negatively impacted its financial metrics before its Initial Public Offering in July 2020… Rhetorical question: Wouldn’t investors want to know about a change in a company’s business strategy before investing in it? – Well, GoHealth conveniently forgot to mention that before they sold over $900 million worth of stock to the public. They are shady to the core.
It is also no surprise that GoHealh has a long long list of horrible employee reviews on Indeed. And a long list of horrible reviews from their customers on the BBB’s Website.
I offer my review as a preventive measure for people to stay away from GoHealth for the sake of their own lives and the lives of their families. I will leave my contact information at the bottom of this article if anyone would like to reach me. Below is an email I sent to Chief Revenue Officer Michael McMahon on 01/07/2025:
——————————————————————————————————————–
“Mike
I am not signing anything. This was a wrongful termination. I spent 20 years on Wall Street and was a journalist in Puerto Rico for several years. This is a clear case of wrongful termination. It has also destroyed my family and other families as well. But, it’s not all bad news. Please continue reading until the end of this email.
It is well known throughout GoHealth and e-Telequote that I was in the hospital on October 5th, October 10th, and October 28th, 2024.. I was sick all the way through November as well. Just listen to my calls during those two months. You will hear it for yourselves. As my health improved, so did my performance.
None of you would have been able to work through AEP with the health conditions I was facing. All of you would have requested a leave of absence, but I did not do that. I pushed through the whole way, even though it was killing me in the process. I should have received an award for actually finishing AEP with any enrollments. But no, instead I was handed a wrongful termination
The good news is that I am 55 years old and I’m the one person who knows how to deal with a public company like GoHealth, who was writing people up only 7 and 14 days into AEP… I will elaborate on why GoHealth does that in future legal letters.
In the early 2000s, one of the major investment banks pulled something very shady with me as well. I beat them in a 6-day arbitration with all their high-profile attorneys, winning $350,000… What GoHealth did is 10 times more unethical than what the investment bank did.
