And now we have read a page in history that just a few years ago would have been considered not only unlikely, but by most accounts, impossible. A president of color with a charm and charisma that we have seen in too few politicians over the past many decades. As I watch and read the many accounts of this young man’s rise to the presidency, there is an interesting coincidence that bears review.
In the history of our country, at every juncture where a person of mixed race or color has had to rise up to achieve greatness, there have always been roadblocks put in their path. Rarely are these easily overcome and only the strongest and most dedicated rise to the occasion. Events of great importance come to mind. Whether you consider Jackie Robinson’s entry into professional baseball, the Tuskegee Airmen’s flying accomplishments during the 2nd World War, Martin Luther Kings winning of the Nobel Peace Prize or the many similar achievements by persons of color, each and every one has been a road of great difficulty and challenge.
Perhaps this is the underlying reason for this man at this time. With our economy in shambles, the image of America so tarnished across the globe, wars that seem to be stalled and no way out, and the trust and faith of the American people so diminished and so untrusting of the very government they have elected … certainly this will be the new presidents impossible challenge. The words of an old neighbor of mine, spoken to a nice young black boyhood friend of mine, “here boy, you so damn smart, let’s see you make this dead crow fly”. It was one of my first experiences of witnessing first hand the very raciest attitudes I would later find were prevalent in my own neighborhood. “Boy, crow” … I had much to learn and the journey has been a long one.
So now, we have elected this dynamic young person of color, as if to challenge him and say “here boy, see if you can make this dead economy fly, and solve a few more complex problems in the mean time … if you dare!”. One thing is for sure; we would have been hard pressed to pick a better man to take on this challenge. All we have to do is look at some of the shots taken at him during his campaign and envy the man that managed to maintain his composure in the face of immense controversy, and still manage to also turn it into a history and civics lesson for us all.
Yes, this fourty-forth president will indeed need to bring that magnum personality to bear on so many of these problems, and no doubt, he’ll do so his own way, in his own style, and if my guess is right … like so many of his race, he’ll find a way to do so with a measured amount of humility, compassion, and leadership that any of us would like to see in our children.
If only John, Bobby, Martin, and my father could have lived to see this day …
As our congress once again wrestles with an attempt to create a health care system that covers Americans without excluding many and a reasonable cost. Despite it’s best attempts, Obamacare simply is falling short, particularly in means of costs, but as many Republicans are discovering, meeting the presidents objectives is not only hard, it will take a level of sacrifice that our medical community is simply not willing to bear.
As shown by a PBS survey a few years back (
) the US is much higher than many, many countries that are able to provide comparable care for their citizens. The problem is very simple. So many lobbying groups for the industry give vast amounts to congress on both sides of the aisle in order to keep their numbers, and ultimately their profits up, up, up.
There are many explanations for “why”. While the main one is the aforementioned reason issues like Medicare & the Veterans Administration being allowed to negotiate with drug makers for more reasonable prices. Consolidation of facilities offering specialized services like CT & MRI scans as well as smaller surgical centers could drastically cut costs along with similar consolidations. And frankly, at a time when most hospitals operated at a non-profit, costs were much more reasonable; not to eliminate the lucrative practices, but to offer services to lower middle class and lower class patients that needed the services without all the frills.
Frankly, I for one would not like to see government health care, but we are fast approaching a time when this may be our only option. The industry has proven again and again they are unable to regulate themselves and the same goes for those selling medical insurance. And, of course is being exacerbated by a growing older population that requires more health care than our grandparents required or expected.
There are a few steps that could help. Making Medicare available at age 50 and giving Medicare vast authority to negotiate prices and services is possible. Requiring every doctor, as a condition of their medical license to see and treat up to 50% of all medicate patients with very stiff penalties for any that refuse. Government funding of the education of doctors and specialists to include picking up all education costs in direct exchange for a doctor owing the government “x” number of years of service with the opportunity to extend their training for added years. Much stiffer penalties for any providers of medicine, medical practice, services, etc. that refuse to honor their obligation up to and include the authority to strip them of their licenses and certifications if they violate the rules.
The idea that the medical community can police themselves was disproven years and years ago and needs to be strongly regulated by independent boards with the authority to punish those that break the rules. Of course there must be exceptions, but these should be few, far between, and require serious and verifiable evidence and not just a bunch of “opinions” by fellow doctors that expect to be shown the same kind of rubber stamp approvals.
All of this works, but only when we get back to more stringent regulations that require each person to practice good behavior in keeping up their own health with heavy doses of exercise, good eating habits, etc. And this leads to stronger requirements on foods, ingredients, etc. that go a long way toward eliminating obesity and other food related illnesses.
Like any machine, our country is only as strong as it’s weakest links and good health is one of the maximums to keeping the country strong. If the president wants to make American great again, get down to the basics and let’s solve them one at a time.
One of the things about getting older is remembering some of the slogans we heard that really changed our lives over time. The down side is seeing how many of those slogans have been abandoned or worse yet, have been reversed. A few come to mind like “Satisfaction Guaranteed Or Your Money Back”; “To Protect & To Serve”; “Fly The Friendly Skies”; “Takes A Licking And Keeps On Ticking”, and so many, many more. I’ll bet you can think of a lot more in fact, here’s a little challenge for you. On a piece of paper, write down everyone you can think of, the company or group that claimed it, and if it’s still valid today. I think you’ll be surprised how few still exist or still mean the same.
One of the things that Dr. Deming preached in his first book and continued to preach throughout his work was that slogans and proclamations by organizations are very rarely effective and in the long run will work against the organization. Some slogans seem timeless and when they disappear it is simply a tragedy to the public, especially to those that have been loyal to the organization through thick and thin. In other cases the slogan has been abandoned because of organizational changes or a lack of popularity or, worst of all, because the organization simply could no longer live up to the slogan. And lastly, is the case where the slogan simply did not ring true. Regardless of the reason, it leaves those loyal believers in complete disbelief and doubting any others that might come along.
Life has plenty of it’s own as well. When I was growing up slogans like “Do unto others …. “; “A man is only as good as his word”; “Judge not, least you be judged”; and so many more seem to have gone by the way side, in fact if you quizzed the current generation, they frequently return completely blank stairs because they simply have never heard the saying, much less understand it. My father was a good one at tossing these sayings out to me along with a whole lot of “Missouri Expressions”. I used to laugh, but now days I am amazed at just how many stuck. I think I got my biggest appreciation for them when my son came home frustrated one evening, complaining about the course he was taking in debate and I overheard him tell is mother “Oh God mom, I sounded just like HIM today, telling one of the debaters He Who Forgets History Is Doomed To Repeat It”. I don’t remember what they were debating, but I remember rushing down into the basement, hiding next to the furnace so I could laugh without being overheard. My God, I thought, he really is listening!
I think what brought this on was that terrible episode in Chicago on board the United Airlines. There was a perfect example of a company that that no only has forgotten it’s roots, but chosen to put the All Mighty dollar above everything, including their paying customers.
So what’s this all about? Well, in watching the news and reflecting upon just how much the world is changing with the internet, social media, etc, etc, even the hottest, newest sayings seem to fade ever so quickly. I remember laughing at the expression “That’s really gnarly” the first time I heard it and for awhile it was EVERWHERE, almost as bad as Awesome, which is just barely hanging on. Our President appears to have a vocabulary limited in size to maybe 150 words, which has made a few of his expressions popular again, but rarely, and I mean really rarely do you hear any public speaker use meaningful language that is lasting and understood by everyone. It appears that the sign of the times is using only popular speech rather than meaningful speech.
In times where negotiations, treaties, and peaceful endeavors depend upon clearly understood language, one can only wonder if the next world war might be caused by a simple misunderstanding of the words .....
Ever hear that expression as a part of a conversation (usually with a disconnected teen that you’re trying to reason with) and really take a moment to think about what it’s saying? Being challenged to justify your own opinion, your point, the thing you are trying to convey. We usually blow it off with more of our own justification, trying to win the point and get the other person to change their behavior.
But what we miss is an opportunity to address the real issue, not only to this other person but to ourselves as well. Our society has evolved in many different ways and not all of them good. We spend far too much time talking and far too less in listening and even less in thinking about what we have heard, said, or understood. Now, think about that statement. When was the last time you sat down with another person and spent the majority of your time listening to them? I’m talking about REALLY listening, digesting what they say, and thinking about what how it affects you? That, my friends, takes a great deal of work.
Years ago I learned that I was a regular motor-mouth; I’m referring to a man that talked nearly as much as he breathed and subsequently was boring as the day is long. God knows I was very fortunate to have one single friend out there that was bold enough to risk the friendship and point this out to me in an abrupt, painful way. Sure, I was mad at him, but after I got over that I started thinking about what he had told me and of course, he was right on the mark. So, in a somewhat smartass fashion, I said “if you are so damn smart, what do you suggest?”. Sadly, he has the answer all ready and from that day I learned to turn on my radio and listen to NPR. The fact that I listen to NPR isn’t the important fact; the important fact is that I was dealing with a media where listening was the main focus. I could hardly talk back to the radio, ask questions, toss out insults because none of those got any reaction. There was only listening, listening, and listening more and finally the light went on.
Listening; that was the point. That was I had been missing and once I discovered it again I realized I had been missing so many important things. One afternoon I suddenly laughed out loud, startling a few friends by my outburst. I had to explain to them that in that moment I had a flashback to something my father used to tell me as a boy. He’s say “boy, you need to learn to keep your eyes and ears open, and your mouth shut”. Four decades later the point came home and I laughed at having finally understood exactly what he meant, and cried a bit inside at the fact that he’s long since gone and I can’t share with him that his boy finally “got it”.
Perhaps, the next time you hear that exclamation “so what” you’ll remember that it’s really an invitation to reexamine your point and not only justify it to the listener, but to yourself as well. You may never change your opinion but one thing is for sure; you’ll know exactly “why” it is your opinion and that will make you a better communicator. It will also cause you to listen a bit harder to the other person, and in the long run, that’s going to make you a more effective communicator as well as a person that will be far more thoughtful about what you say.
What promises to be a world wind first 100 days, the new president has set off to fulfill many of the campaign promises he made. Some, slightly altered and others all together different than we first heard about. It promises to be an exciting time, but for many it will cause major indigestion if not out right anger and retaliation. Indeed, some appear to be made with only the knowledge of his inner-circle, leaving the rest of the Republican party on the side lines.
This has become obvious by the number of times (in only a few days) that members of his party are contradicting him as well as some of the agencies showing resistance to the policies he is putting forth. It has always been said that human beings resist change and if that is the case, we are about to see a perfect experiment in just how much we can take before there is a major backlash.
The president has always been known to the business world as a man of action. He strikes while the iron is hot and leaves very little doubt as to his intentions and desires. Strong attributes for the business world, but strikingly new and unsettling to the world of politics and while his intentions are to get things done, he stands to make more than a few enemies which, in this day and age, can be a dangerous thing.
The world of politics moves at a slow, even a snails pace for a reason. It gives all the participants the opportunity to hear the message, give their opinions of the message, and prepare for the implementation of the intended message. That message can change little or very drastically depending upon the feedback. This process of give and take give everyone an opportunity to voice their opinion and present facts that may not already be in evidence. It also saves other world leaders from being caught flat-footed and facing ridicule or career ending opposition that can contribute to instability on the world stage. This is one habit the new president has yet to grasp or even care about. For the US it could mean we are put into a constant state of flux and a good deal of confusion on the home front.
It is this attribute along with what appears to be a case of extremely thin skin that appear to be the presidents worst features. Only time will tell if they will improve, but at age 70 and a long string of successes behind him, it is doubtful that he will change and we will be left to accept his actions or hope that his own party can slow him down and try to better control him.
One thing is absolutely sure …. We are seeing a transformation of politics like the free world has never quite seen before. So, fasten your seatbelts and return your tray tables to an upright position because this vehicle has taken off and it’s going to be a wild ride!
As announced in this afternoons press the educational giant DeVry has agreed to pay $100 million dollars in the case alleging they used deceptive ads to promote their institution. Of that figure over $30 million shall be used for debt relief & forgiveness towards unpaid student loans. As you may recall, DeVry was forced to close when all Federal loans were stopped. The DeVry Education Group (DV) is one of the largest publicly held higher educational organizations in North America and today’s news put a lot of worried students and parents at ease.
The Federal Trade Commission’s end of the settlement was based upon DeVry’s claims that 90% of it’s graduates were hired for jobs in their respective fields within six months of graduation, which was wide spread through ads appearing on TV, radio, online and in other media.
This certainly isn’t the first time an educational institution has been forced to make such admissions but it is the first that developed into a very large financial payback for students and other participants. You may recall that Harvard Law School was forced to admit that far less than the reported over 95% of graduates got jobs in law. The real number was less than half that number and this is not unique to Harvard Law School or any other school. The main sources for this date came from US News & World Report and the National Association for Law Placemen.
With the push by Presidents, world leaders, and large bodies of influential people for EVERY child to get a college education as well as the far too easy to get student loans, should we be requiring these intuitions of higher education to offer some sort of guarantee? It would be balanced by the number of students with lower GPA’s or drop outs being removed from said guarantee but we’re looking for something that says some percentage of students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher shall be represented by the university in ways of marketing & job placement in order to keep their numbers high.
After all, with the expense of education now days and the pressure from employer’s to have that sheepskin, shouldn’t there be some checks and balances to prevent private & public institutions from taking unfair advantage of these students? And if properly presented, would this not provide added incentive to students to spend more time studying and avoiding those famous frat parties? We all want our children to be successful, but investing many hundreds of thousands of dollars on a toothless guarantee by some registrar is more risky than playing the market on penny stocks.
And lets not forget the fact that there are a number of kids that simply won’t make it to college. The need for technical schools that are honest and sincere, teaching a level of technical expertise that will prepare these kids to get their first job and with study, excel in their fields. I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it … at the current pace, the shortage of technicians in plumbing, electrical, & mechanical will drive the hourly cost of said professionals to the same level as we are paying doctors. Yep, it’s all market driven and when your toilet is stopped up and the house is reeking, there will be no bill too high to pay to get that problem fixed.
If the new president wants to do America a favor, don’t abolish the education department; put them to work on this problem and tell them they have 18 months to develop a full fledged program to solve the problem … or they will have the opportunity to take their own credentials out into the work place and find a job on their own. As the man says “tain’t no free lunch” and it’s about time to put that into real world practice with our education community.
Some of my earliest memories evolve around discussions about the Cuban Missile Crises and the revolutionary Fidel Castro. Over the years it would occasionally come up, usually ignited by one of many fiery five hour speeches given by Fidel to inspire his followers and cast greater fear in those that opposed him both openly and secretly. I remember studying him and his methods as well as his fellow revolutionary Che Guevara as two of the greatest guerrilla fighters of their time. One of Che’s most memorable quotes was “The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall”; and that they did. So successful they were that they successfully exported their idea’s, their tactics and their troops to fight in Angola, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Nicaragua and the island of Grenada; the last prompting the US to mount a full-scale invasion to drive them out.
Ten years ago when Fidel passed on power to his brother Raul there was a glimmer of hope that change was coming and while there was some change, Fidel continued his influence over his brother and the government. It wasn’t until this last year when the Obama administration took the initiative that real change and the promise of diplomatic relations that real change moved ahead; maybe only a bit, but after 50 years of little to no change, there was finally change with the potential for more and more.
For the people of Cuba there exists a state of mourning for a leader that most have known as their only leader their entire lives and now, now change is inevitable if the Cuban people want it and we continue to cultivate these relations. The name Fidel will survive history as he and Che are and will remain immortalized, but over time their views will soften as future generations come forward.
Perhaps the promise of capitalism will be part of this change, but our government must remember the age old adage “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”. The citizens of Cuba long for many of the Western technologies like the internet, modern cell phones, and so much more, but they must come through the actions of legitimacy and not as bait. Soon enough the government of Cuba will benefit from those capitalists from the North and soon enough the people of Cuba will grow stronger and desire a greater say in their government. The key to all of this is for the US to move slowly, without demands or threats, without expectations, and with the understanding that human nature will take hold and democracy will eventually become unavoidable.
The single greatest challenge may be the new US leadership and their demands for “instant change”. A study of the middle east will serve as a good teacher because, as we have seen with some factions, their belief system has proven to be a significant challenge and the value of the US dollar will never be as powerful as their religion. As anyone that has fought there, or Korea, or Vietnam will tell you that you cannot change the way people think or what they believe; that must come from themselves. It is a slow, steady process , much like raising an asparagus bed. It yields no harvest in the first several years, but it must be attended to without failure, providing just the right ingredients to keep it alive and thriving. The same will be with Cuba.
If we keep the doors open and extend a hand of friendship it will work, but only if the hand is open and not a closed fist. The past 50 years have taught us that lesson … hopefully we will not find a way to extend their isolation for another half century. Russia is lurking and we would be wise not to give them the opportunity to move back in as they are doing in other countries around the world.
Well, it’s that time of year again and like many I am anticipating a time of feasting, being with friends, and remembering all the things this year I have to be thankful for. Most will be praying and thanking the man upstairs for all the bowl games and for their teams that win despite all odds and Uncle Franks critical analysis before, during, and after the big game. And Aunt Susan’s award winning pumpkin pies with all that whipped cream, mashed potato’s with just a few lumps in it for those that like them, and so on.
My own Thanksgiving is a mixed bag. Living in a place where I have only a few friends, but all of them have remembered and invited me to share their table, their friends, and good company. I give thanks for another year of life, despite that debilitating curse of diabetes and a doctor that keeps me in “sample” pills that I cannot possibly afford at $600 for 30 pills, and especially for friendship with those that do not judge me, but express gratitude for that which I can give, no matter how small it may be.
I watch a country that survives despite horrible politics and am thankful for a system that insures our rights and provides for ways for us to deal with those that are unjust, no matter the difficulty. I see other Americans that are steadfast in their beliefs, but find unique ways to express them without violence. I notice a system of laws that is slowly, but steadily righting the many wrongs and pray that it will continue so we may all have and continue to have a system that corrects itself when it has gone too far astray; and especially those that refuse to give up the fight for what they know is right, no matter the odds. I respect those that have an opposing point of view, especially the ones that will hear my own thoughts no matter how strong their own.
Thanksgiving is so much more than football games, turkey dinners, and watching the kids wrestle on the living room floor. It is a time to sit back and count our blessings, especially those that have come at the greatest expense of our young men and women fighting in a foreign land so we might continue to preserve this American way of life.
For all these things I am immensely thankful and hope that you too will take time to share your thanks with your families, friends, less than friends and everyone else ….
The time has come. No more excuses, no more putting off until tomorrow what can be started today, and no more dodging the mud slingers. It is time for a concerted effort to rebuild the nation. Our new president has a majority in the House & Senate, gets to pick a new Supreme Court Judge & maybe more, and for the next two years he exactly what he needs to affect change.
In case you have forgotten, you can find 76 of Trumps promises at:
Some he will find easy while others may be all but impossible. It’s no great secret that the cost of all his promises far exceeds the nation’s budget by quite a bit and he will need to move ahead cautiously because some of the changes could cause considerable harm to this country as well as others, now as well as decades into the future. Most difficult will be for him to replace words like “great, terrific, fantastic” and many others he uses with real action.
One of the single greatest challenges for the new president will be to unify the nation. Given some of the statements made against several minorities, that will be a more than a small challenge. He will also need to learn to tone down his rhetoric more than a few notches if he is to be taken seriously and, most of all, trusted. And probably the single greatest concept he is going to have to master is putting the right people in the right jobs and holding them accountable, not only to himself, but to the American people. The Donald Trump we saw on the podium making his acceptance speech is more akin to what the country needs. The over achiever that brags and is highly animated will be seen very dimly and it could cause his own creditability as well as his ability to make things happen, quickly and significantly erode.
Being the first person to hold office that has never held any form of political office does not disqualify him, in fact he has the unique opportunity to set a new standard for government employee’s. Avoiding the image of the “ugly American” as we saw back in the 50’s and 60’s will be paramount. This dosen’t mean he can’t be himself, but he will have to learn to think and measure his words before blurting them out. There is a time for untethered expression, but those instances are very few and far between, best reserved for incidents like attacks on the country, assassinations of political leaders, or expressing grief for the entire nation.
In many ways our new president is setting a new standard for both the country as well as now the world views the country. Many suggest we are now the 3rd greatest nation on the earth in forms of power and influence and in many ways they are not wrong. Regaining our influence in world politics, strength, and leadership is going to be a difficult, but much needed goal. Doing so without risking war or more political divisiveness is an absolute.
And from the point of view of all Americans, it is imperative that we all set aside our personal feelings and get behind this new administration or we risk facing the same thing we have suffered through for the past eight years. We can no longer look at ourselves as Native Americans, African Americans, Latino Americans, etc. We must simply see ourselves and conduct ourselves as Americans.
United we stand, divided we shall surely fall …….
Over the past few decades there have been a number of lessons we hope our leaders have learned and will apply, not only for the benefit of the US but for much of the rest of the world. Here are but a few important ones we need to keep in mind.
POLITICS: Identifying domestic terrorists for what they are rather than what they say. This election has produced the worst possible choices. Granted, most Americans want change, but we need to pay closer attention to what’s being promised and demand explanations of how that change will happen. We need to identify and focus on the real issues, not the made up ones; and we need to insist that our free press once again learn to focus on the real issues and set aside the carnival atmosphere by demanding answers and not relenting. And lastly, bring back election reforms by admitting that corporations are not people and limit the amount ANY person can give to an election to $50 per person/candidate so any and all can compete. We want our politicians to be elected, not bought and sold.
ENVIRONMENT: We need to once again trust our real scientists and ignore the self-proclaimed “experts”, too many of which admit they are not experts, but bore us to tears with their opinions that have no evidence to back them up but even more opinions. We need to demand real solutions and reject calls for more studies. The real scientists have done the studies, crunched the numbers, all without massive Federal or private funding.
ECONOMY: We need to get back to basics. Put our money into infrastructure, clean air & water, a good highway system and all those things that make day to day life livable. No more “pet projects” for special interests but projects that benefit everyone’s interests. No more sneaky bills and attachments to bills that steal money from the people and real laws that deliver a KO punch to any that attempt to skirt those laws.
LAW & ORDER: We need national standards for Police, Fire Departments, and similar critical services. Not laws or attempts to take over the same, but standards by which to evaluate and grade each with annually published reports of who’s making the grade and who isn’t. We also need a system to deal with those that refuse to comply. One that is fair and balanced and includes voices from each community to insure that community standards are being addressed. We need to de-militarize our police so they look like police, not storm troopers. We need laws that require Prosecuting Attorneys to apply and abide by laws and remove their protection from prosecution; a return to a system where everyone is accountable for their actions and no more “free passes” for lawyers, prosecutors, or judges.
EDUCATION: This needs to be returned to the states. Monitoring by the Federal government is fine with the same published results and a ways & means of dealing with those that will not comply that again, includes heavy involvement by the community.
CITIZENSHIP: There is a long standing debate on this topic. Citizenship is given to everyone born in the US, but there could be some parameters by which to grant citizenship. Simple things like obtaining a High School Diploma would be a good start. Simply put, everyone should “earn” their citizenship as an incentive for voting, eligibility for social programs, etc. This could be the stepping stone to many other things but in an environment of “privilege” some kind of incentive can go a long way towards advancing our country and reinstilling a good work ethic, pride, and goals to live by.
This certainly is by no means a total answer, but it is a step in the right direction.
The one and only true Ambassador of Golf, Arnold Palmer passed away this evening at the age of 87. Arnie's Army was said to put $2 of every $3 into every pro golfers pocket and was known and loved the world over.
RIP Arnie .... your infectious smile will be sorely missed!
While I have done this many times in the past, I spent yesterday reviewing our Bill of Rights, which are amendments to the United States Constitution. I was motivated by the breakfast boys that love to have a spirited debate on just about any and all subjects. The subject of the day was “we ot’ta hang that SOB Colin Kaepernick” for causing all this trouble”. They went on to blame him for everything for racial tensions, a higher crime rate, general erosion of the economy and a number of other equally ludicrous fabrications. The breakfast boys have it right and they won’t hesitate to tell you as much!
I got the award for being the 2nd biggest trouble maker when I reminded them that the signers of the Declaration of Independence were identified as common criminals by the King of England for their treasonous acts, but in time were recognized as hero’s. They refused to see the similarity and I was “held in contempt” & put in Time Out until tomorrow morning when a new topic will rise again. Even more comical was the fact that several of these men are. All can recite their oaths when they were inducted, but now claim they only took those oaths so they could get into the fight.
Amazingly, there has been quite a backlash towards others for taking similar stands. In California there have been a few teachers that are docking grades for those that choose not to stand during the pledge of allegiance; in one school a teacher grabbed a student and yanked them out of their chair. Strangely, the ACLU doesn’t seem to be very concerned, which in earlier times would caused a firestorm.
Needless to say, there are certain actions in this country that can cause tremendous passions of opinion and action that, in themselves, present an honest opinion, but when a persons other rights are violated in that pursuit, all justification for a countering opinion are lost. As my father taught me, arguing for what you believe in is an absolute right up until somebody throws the first punch. At that point ignorance has taken over and a person that needs to be violent to get their point across also shows their intense ignorance on the topic and a few more, like the aforementioned documents.
Colin Kaepernick showed a simple act of civil disobedience, although since there is no law that requires a person to stand for the national anthem or to recite the pledge of allegiance it could be argued that they are not actually being disobedient, they are simply stating their disagreements in a more symbolic form. Mr. Kaepernick point is well made and only the most uninformed can claim that all is well in the USA and that all police are good guys. The fact is that the great majority of law enforcement officers are good, solid citizens that follow the law to the letter; the problem is clearly what happens to the bad ones when they are caught and why there are special laws to protect bad cops, even when they are clearly bad. Simple ideas like “all men are created equal” should be the guide and no person is “more equal” than others.
Yet, we continue to see the further promotion of the idea of “us verses them” in socioeconomic terms through out our country. Police vs. minorities, rich vs. poor, educated vs. lesser educated. The number of examples is endless.
Personally, I believe teaching Civic’s, The Constitution & The Bill of Rights should be taught at a young age and repeated every few years until all know it, understand it, and can speak to it. Education solves many social ills and with our own system falling behind the rest of the world, we need to do something about it NOW. I have spoken several times on what it takes to overthrow a country. A good look at our current education system simply speaks volumes ……
injuneer Blog (226)