Non-obvious actions taken in obvious moments, difficult decisions that might be easier to avoid, responses instead of reactions, and most of all, the choices we make when it doesn't even seem like we have a choice--all of these, taken together, define who we are and the impact we make.
"I had no choice," actually means, "I had only one path that was easy in the moment."
The agenda we invent and act on defines our organizations, our work, and the people we choose to become.
Mike Barnicle, a gentleman I don’t know, but watch and listen to regularly on "Morning Joe" produced the opinion piece : Any Outrage Out There for Ramos and Liu, Protesters? I typically agree with his expressed views on the show, with this piece, not so much. In general he is spot on, until he calls to question the protesters motives or lack of contriteness. Fact is, I like the man as presented on the show, as we often do with talking heads and personalities we tend to agree with, which compelled me to draft this reply. Worst than Mike though, are the many other prominent individuals spouting various reasons for the death of the officers, and blaming something or someone other than the killer, which is sick.
I don’t speak for protesters, however, I am most certain of the answer: Yes. Absolutely appalled. We[protesters] are outraged. Will there be protests, no, because cop assassination is not an issue. A possibility, yes, but not an issue. Being killed in the line of duty is not to be conflated with assassination.
For the record. I find peacefully protesting, marching, or rallying obsolete. Nevertheless, for those who engage in the practice I wish them well in achieving their goals. Further, to associate the despicable act of cop assassination, which according to reports was committed by one individual, with a group of individuals gathered to protest for a change in how officers of the law engage with the citizens of the United States to too clever by half, and worst, not becoming of our professed American values.
The families and friends of the two slain officers are now in the exact same situation as those who’ve lost a loved one, whether by natural causes, freak occurrence, at war, the hand of a criminal, or at the hand of an officer of the law. Bottom line, we can all relate to the sickening feeling we have when we lose a dear loved one, and express empathy, not spread hatred or point fingers.
At issue is the fact that officers of the law are to uphold the law equally. Criminals have no such obligation. Recent events --- as succinctly described by Mike in his op-ed --- involving officers of the law and citizens ignited some citizens to protest. Those same recent events don’t justify the killing of police officers, and the individual that committed the act is not to be associated with individuals gathered to exercise their right to peacefully protest for change.
To ask, “Any outrage out there for Ramos and Liu, Protesters,” is petty, and asserts that those protesting don’t care about the lives of police officers, which is not true --- Police Lives Matter, and misses the point of the protest: Fair treatment under the law.
No one has blood on their hands for the slain officers except the killer, no one is to blame for the death of the officers except the killer, and everyone should be and it’s certainly true that I and many others are outraged at the savage assassination. Lack of protest does not diminish that outrage.
To the family of Officer Ramos and to the family of Officer Liu, please accept my humble condolences. I wish your families well.
Two days ago, I shared the following opinions with my daughter for her consideration after she informed me of a young lady that wants to be friends with her but my daughter is not feeling the connection:
Hang with the young people that want to hang with you.
Don’t pursue anyone that shows an unwillingness to associate with you.
Don’t allow someone’s choice to not befriend you determine your worth.
Don’t force friendship, actions will show if they want to be friends.
If there is someone that wants to be your friend but you -- for whatever reason -- don’t want to engage her or him in friendship, do so upfront and politely. Don’t put them on the bench for use when the starters are not available.
Coincidently, today I read Seth Godin’s blog and found his latest post succinctly addresses the heart of the matter which led me to blog and share:
A huge swath of human unhappiness is generated by selecting someone to pick you, only to have that person abuse the power, let you down or otherwise seduce you into pursuing something that's not going to happen. Unchoose those people as choosers.
If you've signed up to be…chosen by someone who's not going to respond to your efforts, it's not a smart choice.
And one last thing: The ultimate privilege is to pick ourselves. To decide that the most important person to be chosen by is ourself.
If you pick yourself as the chooser, if you give yourself the power to say 'go', I hope you'll respect how much power you have, and not waste it.
He nailed it. If you are waiting to be chosen, or, accepted by others, stop it. There are enough obstacles in your path already, choose you, and keep it moving forward.
"It's hard to say whether these [videos] will be effective in convincing people who don't already believe in strong gun control to change their minds; accusing people of tacitly contributing to something as horrific as gun violence could either shock them into action or just really piss them off. Check out the videos and decide for yourself."
BEVEL IS CHANGING THE SHAVING GAME: The first and only end to end shaving system specifically designed for men with coarse, curly hair.
CLEARER, SMOOTHER SKIN WITHIN 4 WEEKS: Finally. We can shave with a razor again without fear. No irritation. It's a good look.
HEAL YOUR SKIN WITH NATURAL INGREDIENTS: The Bevel shaving system is made with the finest natural ingredients to soothe, protect and restore your skin.
The Bevel system lives up to the marketing and while the company is focused on men with curly hair, Bevel should be considered by everyone who shaves with a razor, men and women. I ordered Bevel (Bevel supports the troops with a military discount), and promptly received the first installment in a timely fashion.
The system is packaged for affect, and it works. The product arrives in a well designed custom box that opens to display the safety razor. Underneath are the razor refills, pre-shave oil, shaving cream, aftershave balm, and directions on how to shave.
The safety razor exudes luxury and is comparable to, and surpasses in my opinion, safety razors from +Edwin Jagger Ltd and Merkur. The pre-shave oil, shaving cream, and aftershave balm work as advertised. The novice will perceive and associate the fresh scents and consistency with quality, however, as a formerly licensed by the state of Virginia professional Barber, and I assure you the products are top notch.
Bevel provides insights and instructions about grooming that one would think a young male would get from his father. Ironically enough, I was not taught to shave by my dad. I first shaved while going though boot camp at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes. I basically damaged my face and neck by rushing, it was boot camp, and my shaving ignorance didn't help. I later healed my face once I learned to shave while attending barber/stylist school at the Hampton Roads School of Hair Technology. The advice found on Bevel’s site is sound, and timely as most men wouldn’t admit to never learning how to shave. In addition to timely, the information is accurate. Nevertheless, this is the internet age, and we don't need dad to each us we have +Google, and great male grooming companies. Competitors, e.g. Baxter of California and The Grooming Lounge, also provide grooming tips and instructions. Bottom line, instructions and tips are expected of any company that is serious about grooming and aiming to gain market share amongst men who actually care about their appearance and skin. I must say, Bevel appears to be serious.
I used the +Gillette Fusion before switching to Bevel. I'll admit, I did not have a problem with razor bumps, pulling, or irritation. If a man shaves correctly, he should be able to avoid bumps and irritation regardless of the razor brand and type, as long as the razor is sharp. My reason for switching was cost. The Fusion cartridge four pack costs 16.97, and the pro-glide cartridge four pack costs 19.97 at +Wal Mart! Add shaving gel and after-shave and you’re paying just over $26 for the regular and $29 for the pro-glide. The shaving gel and after-shave didn’t work well on me, my skin felt dry and irritated after use. I eventually stopped using the two products. I continued to use the Fusion razor, but moved on to +Baxter of California shaving cream and aftershave (which are great products), each costs $18 respectively, which resulted in a $52.97 recurring investment on my face. The cost is and was worth it to avoid razor bumps and irritation. However, with #Bevel, I’m now getting a better shave, using quality products, at less cost. It’s a win-win, and #itsagoodlook. If you shave with a razor, consider trying Bevel.
According to the Pew Research Center’s (PRC) polling, the public does not value stay-at-home dads. We need to fix that. Stay-at-home dads are equally valuable as stay-at-home moms. There is nothing emasculating about contributing to the family in the capacity of homemaker.
Data from the PRC indicates the number of fathers who do not work outside the home has risen markedly, up to 2 million in 2012. It reached its highest point—2.2 million—in 2010, just after the recession. Since that time, the number has fallen slightly, driven by declines in unemployment. However, roughly a quarter of stay-at-home dads (23%) report that they are home because they cannot find a job. The largest share of stay-at-home fathers (35%) are at home due to illness or disability. Lastly, nearly a quarter (21%) indicates the reason they are home is to care for their home or family, which I take issue with.
The rise in fathers stating they are home to care for their family without any further context is vexing and misleading. I’m certain that any man who makes the choice to stay at home and care for his household has a partner that out earns him. In addition, the couple would rather not or can’t afford to outsource the raising of their child or children. These men are respectable and smart. In making this choice are clearly not allowing ego or stereotypes to interfere with the success of their family.
We the people talk about equality in the workforce for women, if we mean it, equality should also transcend the workforce to the household. Men should not seek to avoid the duty of homemaker, yet, most do, and for the men that have assumed the role, a majority of society looks down their noses at them. To be clear, becoming a homemaker is not and should not be the first option for any man or woman, however, becoming a homemaker is a respectable choice for both men and women. Circumstances will force the choice for some men, and others may just want to assume the role. Further, becoming a stay-at-home dad can be a constructive means for men living with the consequences of careless early life decisions to thrive in society. Of the 23 percent of dads that indicate they are staying home as a result of their inability to find a job, one can only guess, but it’s likely a good deal of those men can’t find a job due to criminal records and a low level of education. The life lessons a man who has made ruinous decisions can share with his children are priceless. Regardless of how a man becomes a homemaker, we must not devalue their contribution.
REF: Livingston, G. (2014, June 5). Public Differs on Importance of Stay-at-Home Moms and Stay-at-Home Dads. Retrieved October 19, 2014, from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/06/05/growing-number-of-dads-home-with-the-kids/
The incident involving Ray Rice and his wife Janay has lit fire to the mob and news coverage surrounding domestic violence. Domestic violence has no place in our society. Men, women, sports teams, corporations, small businesses and the regular Joe and Jada had better take note. If you are arrested for perpetrating domestic violence you’re done — or at least that seems where we are headed. To reiterate, domestic violence has no place in our society. Should perpetrators of domestic violence be punished and held accountable, my answer is a blanket yes. Should perpetrators lose their lively hood because of it? In some cases yes, in some cases no. Each situation should be handled based on the facts of the event, severity of the violence, the job held, and context in which the violence occurred.
Ray Rice was suspended two games, which I felt was not punishment enough. He was later suspended indefinitely from the NFL and couldn’t seek employment in the CFL, which I feel is punishment in the extreme. Legally, this headline and article says it all: Ray Rice case: N.J. lawmakers question prosecutor's decision, but experts say it's common. Getting it right is not easy, and the way forward will be hard as we reconcile the violence that occurs between men and women in our society, but going to extremes does nothing to remedy the problem, and selective outrage does nothing but make the outraged seem fickle.
Domestic violence appears to have been an issue in the NFL for quite some time, and is likely an issue in all major sports, including CONCACAF. Yet the mob never formed before this; what is it about this case that set the blaze? In 2012, Kim Rabb wrote, “A Silent Epidemic: Spousal Abuse is the Military's Best Kept Secret,” yet there was no mob. Superstar Mel Gibson pleaded no contest in 2011 to one count of misdemeanor spousal battery of his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva. He was sentenced to three years of probation, domestic violence counseling and two days of community service, went on to star in four movies, and yet there was no mob. There are individuals that have been killed and beaten by police officers, and yet there was no mob. In some cases the Police were defended. With regard to the subject at hand, Conor Friedersdorf wrote, “Research suggests that family violence is two to four times higher in the law-enforcement community than in the general population. So where's the public outrage?” My sentiments exactly. Lastly, a Federal Judge, which has tremendous power and responsibility, in August was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery, and yet there was no mob. Again, I concede and agree with those who feel Ray Rice was wrong, and everyone involved handled the situation poorly. However, I find the aftermath disturbing. Look at these charts which are based on information that has been available since 1999 and 2008 respectively, where is the outrage:
Domestic violence has no place in our society. Perpetrators must be held accountable. The fact that we as a society have identified that there needs to be a discussion surrounding perpetrator punishment and what can be done to help victims is a good thing regardless of how we got here. However, the coverage and “elephant in the room” double standards are counter productive to the aim of reducing domestic violence in our society.
President Lyndon B. Johnson's Commencement Address at Howard University: "To Fulfill These Rights" June 4, 1965
Dr. Nabrit, my fellow Americans:
I am delighted at the chance to speak at this important and this historic institution. Howard has long been an outstanding center for the education of Negro Americans. Its students are of every race and color and they come from many countries of the world. It is truly a working example of democratic excellence.
Our earth is the home of revolution. In every corner of every continent men charged with hope contend with ancient ways in the pursuit of justice. They reach for the newest of weapons to realize the oldest of dreams, that each may walk in freedom and pride, stretching his talents, enjoying the fruits of the earth.
Our enemies may occasionally seize the day of change, but it is the banner of our revolution they take. And our own future is linked to this process of swift and turbulent change in many lands in the world. But nothing in any country touches us more profoundly, and nothing is more freighted with meaning for our own destiny than the revolution of the Negro American.
In far too many ways American Negroes have been another nation: deprived of freedom, crippled by hatred, the doors of opportunity closed to hope.
In our time change has come to this Nation, too. The American Negro, acting with impressive restraint, has peacefully protested and marched, entered the courtrooms and the seats of government, demanding a justice that has long been denied. The voice of the Negro was the call to action. But it is a tribute to America that, once aroused, the courts and the Congress, the President and most of the people, have been the allies of progress. LEGAL PROTECTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Thus we have seen the high court of the country declare that discrimination based on race was repugnant to the Constitution, and therefore void. We have seen in 1957, and 1960, and again in 1964, the first civil rights legislation in this Nation in almost an entire century.
As majority leader of the United States Senate, I helped to guide two of these bills through the Senate. And, as your President, I was proud to sign the third. And now very soon we will have the fourth--a new law guaranteeing every American the right to vote.
No act of my entire administration will give me greater satisfaction than the day when my signature makes this bill, too, the law of this land.
The voting rights bill will be the latest, and among the most important, in a long series of victories. But this victory--as Winston Churchill said of another triumph for freedom--"is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
That beginning is freedom; and the barriers to that freedom are tumbling down. Freedom is the right to share, share fully and equally, in American society--to vote, to hold a job, to enter a public place, to go to school. It is the right to be treated in every part of our national life as a person equal in dignity and promise to all others. FREEDOM IS NOT ENOUGH
But freedom is not enough. You do not wipe away the scars of centuries by saying: Now you are free to go where you want, and do as you desire, and choose the leaders you please.
You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say, "you are free to compete with all the others," and still justly believe that you have been completely fair.
Thus it is not enough just to open the gates of opportunity. All our citizens must have the ability to walk through those gates.
This is the next and the more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity. We seek not just legal equity but human ability, not just equality as a right and a theory but equality as a fact and equality as a result.
For the task is to give 20 million Negroes the same chance as every other American to learn and grow, to work and share in society, to develop their abilities--physical, mental and spiritual, and to pursue their individual happiness.
To this end equal opportunity is essential, but not enough, not enough. Men and women of all races are born with the same range of abilities. But ability is not just the product of birth. Ability is stretched or stunted by the family that you live with, and the neighborhood you live in--by the school you go to and the poverty or the richness of your surroundings. It is the product of a hundred unseen forces playing upon the little infant, the child, and finally the man. PROGRESS FOR SOME
This graduating class at Howard University is witness to the indomitable determination of the Negro American to win his way in American life.
The number of Negroes in schools of higher learning has almost doubled in 15 years. The number of nonwhite professional workers has more than doubled in 10 years. The median income of Negro college women tonight exceeds that of white college women. And there are also the enormous accomplishments of distinguished individual Negroes--many of them graduates of this institution, and one of them the first lady ambassador in the history of the United States.
These are proud and impressive achievements. But they tell only the story of a growing middle class minority, steadily narrowing the gap between them and their white counterparts. A WIDENING GULF
But for the great majority of Negro Americans-the poor, the unemployed, the uprooted, and the dispossessed--there is a much grimmer story. They still, as we meet here tonight, are another nation. Despite the court orders and the laws, despite the legislative victories and the speeches, for them the walls are rising and the gulf is widening.
Here are some of the facts of this American failure.
Thirty-five years ago the rate of unemployment for Negroes and whites was about the same. Tonight the Negro rate is twice as high.
In 1948 the 8 percent unemployment rate for Negro teenage boys was actually less than that of whites. By last year that rate had grown to 23 percent, as against 13 percent for whites unemployed.
Between 1949 and 1959, the income of Negro men relative to white men declined in every section of this country. From 1952 to 1963 the median income of Negro families compared to white actually dropped from 57 percent to 53 percent.
In the years 1955 through 1957, 22 percent of experienced Negro workers were out of work at some time during the year. In 1961 through 1963 that proportion had soared to 29 percent.
Since 1947 the number of white families living in poverty has decreased 27 percent while the number of poorer nonwhite families decreased only 3 percent.
The infant mortality of nonwhites in 1940 was 70 percent greater than whites. Twenty-two years later it was 90 percent greater.
Moreover, the isolation of Negro from white communities is increasing, rather than decreasing as Negroes crowd into the central cities and become a city within a city.
Of course Negro Americans as well as white Americans have shared in our rising national abundance. But the harsh fact of the matter is that in the battle for true equality too many--far too many--are losing ground every day. THE CAUSES OF INEQUALITY
We are not completely sure why this is. We know the causes are complex and subtle. But we do know the two broad basic reasons. And we do know that we have to act.
First, Negroes are trapped--as many whites are trapped--in inherited, gateless poverty. They lack training and skills. They are shut in, in slums, without decent medical care. Private and public poverty combine to cripple their capacities.
We are trying to attack these evils through our poverty program, through our education program, through our medical care and our other health programs, and a dozen more of the Great Society programs that are aimed at the root causes of this poverty.
We will increase, and we will accelerate, and we will broaden this attack in years to come until this most enduring of foes finally yields to our unyielding will.
But there is a second cause--much more difficult to explain, more deeply grounded, more desperate in its force. It is the devastating heritage of long years of slavery; and a century of oppression, hatred, and injustice. SPECIAL NATURE OF NEGRO POVERTY
For Negro poverty is not white poverty. Many of its causes and many of its cures are the same. But there are differences-deep, corrosive, obstinate differences--radiating painful roots into the community, and into the family, and the nature of the individual.
These differences are not racial differences. They are solely and simply the consequence of ancient brutality, past injustice, and present prejudice. They are anguishing to observe. For the Negro they are a constant reminder of oppression. For the white they are a constant reminder of guilt. But they must be faced and they must be dealt with and they must be overcome, if we are ever to reach the time when the only difference between Negroes and whites is the color of their skin.
Nor can we find a complete answer in the experience of other American minorities. They made a valiant and a largely successful effort to emerge from poverty and prejudice.
The Negro, like these others, will have to rely mostly upon his own efforts. But he just can not do it alone. For they did not have the heritage of centuries to overcome, and they did not have a cultural tradition which had been twisted and battered by endless years of hatred and hopelessness, nor were they excluded--these others--because of race or color--a feeling whose dark intensity is matched by no other prejudice in our society.
Nor can these differences be understood as isolated infirmities. They are a seamless web. They cause each other. They result from each other. They reinforce each other.
Much of the Negro community is buried under a blanket of history and circumstance. It is not a lasting solution to lift just one corner of that blanket. We must stand on all sides and we must raise the entire cover if we are to liberate our fellow citizens. THE ROOTS OF INJUSTICE
One of the differences is the increased concentration of Negroes in our cities. More than 73 percent of all Negroes live in urban areas compared with less than 70 percent of the whites. Most of these Negroes live in slums. Most of these Negroes live together--a separated people.
Men are shaped by their world. When it is a world of decay, ringed by an invisible wall, when escape is arduous and uncertain, and the saving pressures of a more hopeful society are unknown, it can cripple the youth and it can desolate the men.
There is also the burden that a dark skin can add to the search for a productive place in our society. Unemployment strikes most swiftly and broadly at the Negro, and this burden erodes hope. Blighted hope breeds despair. Despair brings indifferences to the learning which offers a way out. And despair, coupled with indifferences, is often the source of destructive rebellion against the fabric of society.
There is also the lacerating hurt of early collision with white hatred or prejudice, distaste or condescension. Other groups have felt similar intolerance. But success and achievement could wipe it away. They do not change the color of a man's skin. I have seen this uncomprehending pain in the eyes of the little, young Mexican-American schoolchildren that I taught many years ago. But it can be overcome. But, for many, the wounds are always open. FAMILY BREAKDOWN
Perhaps most important--its influence radiating to every part of life--is the breakdown of the Negro family structure. For this, most of all, white America must accept responsibility. It flows from centuries of oppression and persecution of the Negro man. It flows from the long years of degradation and discrimination, which have attacked his dignity and assaulted his ability to produce for his family.
This, too, is not pleasant to look upon. But it must be faced by those whose serious intent is to improve the life of all Americans.
Only a minority--less than half--of all Negro children reach the age of 18 having lived all their lives with both of their parents. At this moment, tonight, little less than two-thirds are at home with both of their parents. Probably a majority of all Negro children receive federally-aided public assistance sometime during their childhood.
The family is the cornerstone of our society. More than any other force it shapes the attitude, the hopes, the ambitions, and the values of the child. And when the family collapses it is the children that are usually damaged. When it happens on a massive scale the community itself is crippled.
So, unless we work to strengthen the family, to create conditions under which most parents will stay together--all the rest: schools, and playgrounds, and public assistance, and private concern, will never be enough to cut completely the circle of despair and deprivation. TO FULFILL THESE RIGHTS
There is no single easy answer to all of these problems.
Jobs are part of the answer. They bring the income which permits a man to provide for his family.
Decent homes in decent surroundings and a chance to learn--an equal chance to learn--are part of the answer.
Welfare and social programs better designed to hold families together are part of the answer.
Care for the sick is part of the answer.
An understanding heart by all Americans is another big part of the answer.
And to all of these fronts--and a dozen more--I will dedicate the expanding efforts of the Johnson administration.
But there are other answers that are still to be found. Nor do we fully understand even all of the problems. Therefore, I want to announce tonight that this fall I intend to call a White House conference of scholars, and experts, and outstanding Negro leaders--men of both races--and officials of Government at every level.
This White House conference's theme and title will be "To Fulfill These Rights."
Its object will be to help the American Negro fulfill the rights which, after the long time of injustice, he is finally about to secure.
To move beyond opportunity to achievement.
To shatter forever not only the barriers of law and public practice, but the walls which bound the condition of many by the color of his skin.
To dissolve, as best we can, the antique enmities of the heart which diminish the holder, divide the great democracy, and do wrong--great wrong--to the children of God.
And I pledge you tonight that this will be a chief goal of my administration, and of my program next year, and in the years to come. And I hope, and I pray, and I believe, it will be a part of the program of all America. WHAT IS JUSTICE
For what is justice?
It is to fulfill the fair expectations of man.
Thus, American justice is a very special thing. For, from the first, this has been a land of towering expectations. It was to be a nation where each man could be ruled by the common consent of all--enshrined in law, given life by institutions, guided by men themselves subject to its rule. And all--all of every station and origin--would be touched equally in obligation and in liberty.
Beyond the law lay the land. It was a rich land, glowing with more abundant promise than man had ever seen. Here, unlike any place yet known, all were to share the harvest.
And beyond this was the dignity of man. Each could become whatever his qualities of mind and spirit would permit--to strive, to seek, and, if he could, to find his happiness.
This is American justice. We have pursued it faithfully to the edge of our imperfections, and we have failed to find it for the American Negro.
So, it is the glorious opportunity of this generation to end the one huge wrong of the American Nation and, in so doing, to find America for ourselves, with the same immense thrill of discovery which gripped those who first began to realize that here, at last, was a home for freedom.
All it will take is for all of us to understand what this country is and what this country must become.
The Scripture promises: "I shall light a candle of understanding in thine heart, which shall not be put out."
Together, and with millions more, we can light that candle of understanding in the heart of all America.
And, once lit, it will never again go out. NOTE: The President spoke at 6:35 p.m. on the Main Quadrangle in front of the library at Howard University in Washington, after being awarded an honorary degree of doctor of laws. His opening words referred to Dr. James M. Nabrit, It., President of the University. During his remarks he referred to Mrs. Patricia Harris, U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg and former associate professor of law at Howard University.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was approved by the President on August 6, 1965.
Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965. Volume II, entry 301, pp. 635-640. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1966.
Now that the situation has calmed
relative to the fever pitch of a few weeks ago, I have a few comments to add to
the Ferguson white noise. Ferguson, a town most of the U.S. had never heard of
that is now infamously known for the death of Michael Brown. I don’t know what happened between Michael Brown and the
police officer that killed him. I do know that anytime an officer kills it’s a
problem in itself — justified or not. I rely on myself for my safety and well
being, when I can’t protect myself or the situation is beyond my ability to
resolve I’m calling the police for help. Under no circumstance "should" I feel
the need to hesitate because the police may misidentify me as the perp instead of
the individual that called for assistance. The police are a civil force that’s responsible for
the prevention and detection of crime, and the maintenance of public order. We —
the people — are not subservient to the police. A police officer killing an
individual must never be viewed as routine. Are there “bad cops” on the force,
no matter how you define “bad cop” the answer is yes; are all cops “bad cops”
the answer is no. Did race play a role in how the officer and citizen
interacted, maybe. The idea that policing is immune to racism is impracticable,
and the notion that officers of the law are the enemy of the people lacks
common sense. Police are charged with our safety. Beyond that, there are lots
of shouldn’t, should’ve, and could’ve, and couldn’t that occur between citizens
and police officers. It is what it is, and we — the people — must never be
satisfied with sub-par service from the civil force that has sworn to protect
and serve.
While life is not a game, the
competition for resources and power is real. We — the people — of the world will
forever be in competition for resources and power. When engaging the
competition you may run into racism, you may not. You may run into gender bias,
you may not. You may run into sexual preference bias, you may not. Obstructions
will be in your path as you work to achieve success; you control how you react
and persevere — that’s it. Never give up your ability to decide, never forget
you have a choice.
I’m disturbed by the reaction to obstructions
— real and perceived. For example, identifying racism is
not an end goal, and obtaining a large settlement should not satisfy the
masses, nor does it solve the problem. Jon Stewart artfully mocks and
identifies Fox News' hypocrisy, slander, and outright misinformation. Jon is
entertaining, but his efforts aren't going to change Fox News or the viewers
that identify with Fox News' brand and messaging. The American Civil Rights Movement was a movement of the people. A
diverse group of people came together to advance the core value of
equality and demand an end to discrimination in the United States. The civil rights movement changed
some hearts and minds, but policy changes enabled conditions for people to thrive
despite obstructions.
Now is the time for sophistication
and deft action. Now is the time to make the choice to thrive
despite X. Now is the time to engage with like-minded folk, pursue change using
the means available, and if the means don’t exist, create the means through
innovation. The competition is focused and pursing an agenda — unions, voting
rights, woman’s rights, education, wages, national debt, religion, immigration,
health care, the police state, race, spying, and X (you name it). Now is the
time to evaluate your priorities and your lifestyle. Now is the time identify the competition and decide
how you are going to proceed, bystander or competitor.
Competitors’ consider:
·You and your family first. Take care of home.
Focus on being a productive member of society and raising your children to do
the same.
·Your circle of influence first. Engage your circle,
and encourage your circle to engage theirs.
·Do not accept or promote unacceptable behavior.
·Avoid the show them mentality; focus on showing
yourself. You don’t need my approval, and you don’t his or her approval. You
don’t need to show people anything. You want to make your mark on the world,
make your mark because you want to show yourself that you can. Make your mark
because you want to be an example for others to follow. If proving people wrong
or “showing them” is a motivator for you, use it as you must, but don’t lose
sight of the real reason, which is to show yourself.
·Allow people to be people and believe them when they show
you who they are.
·Do you.
·Engage on issues that are important to you within the means
available to you based on your situation and resources.
History as written by the victors
has been cleaned up a bit and modified to fit a narrative. It's a fact that human history is ugly, savagely violent, and full of love and pain.
When history is learned and understood in its rawest form it’s possible to
conclude that the events of today are nothing out of the ordinary and merely a continuation of human history — ugly, savagely violent, and full love and pain. It’s our history, our present, our world, and it’s up to us to take action to shape the
future.
What’s not to believe, yes we
still have to protest shit, and more importantly, we have to take action to get
shit done.
According to the Pew Research Center’s (PRC) polling, the public does not value stay-at-home dads. We need to fix that. Stay-at-home dads are equally valuable as stay-at-home moms. There is nothing emasculating about contributing to the family in the capacity of homemaker.
