"Like"

“Like” it or not, we are now in an age of mass communication, available to just about everybody who lives in any half-way modern society. What differentiates this age of mass communication from its founding fathers in the radio and television electronic age of mass communication is that now anybody can participate. The Internet gave birth to new programs and new platforms that permit all of us to have a voice capable of going around the globe in a matter of seconds. Think how far we’ve come in just a mere half century, when mass communication consisted of worldwide distribution of a newspaper-that was actually made of paper and was physically transported by trains, planes, or trucks to reach the masses. Then came the electronic age of radio, followed by television. In the beginning even television was limited to landlocked broadcasts dependent on transmitter  relay stations. Eventually intercontinental cable and fiber-optic cable cut down the time of mass broadcasts, but it was nothing compared to today’s split-second digital micro-wave technology that works through a complicated systems of satellite relays. Really remarkable!! And who knows what will be next in the future of communication technology.

I often stand back in complete awe at the amount of information we have available to us via the Internet. Mankind has never experienced this type of broad access to so much information. Mankind has never been able to share information so widely or with so much speed. I am not one to criticize the Internet, or the social media networks that came into existence as the natural outgrowth of computer technology. Far from it- I believe this is transformative and will mark a real advance for humanity. It would be hypocritical of me to denounce these advances, considering I use them with great pleasure and, in fact am using it now to share this essay. But that is not to say that I’m completely comfortable with all ways it is used, or comfortable with some of the unintended consequences these technologies have brought us.

I tend to think that we are somewhat like young children with a fancy new toy we haven’t totally figured out just yet. We seem to be fumbling around with the parts without determining how it all goes together, and how it works. We have something new and very exciting, but we haven’t discovered how to integrate it into our lives in healthy ways. So we just keep experimenting with our new toy trying to have it make sense and figure out better ways to use it. Perhaps our fascination with the speed and availability of communications has caused us to turn away from other intellectual pursuits and habits we engaged in before these technologies took our attention. I see these kinds of issues played out in places like Facebook. I don’t want to pick on Facebook, but it seems Facebook is the best example of mass communication without the benefit of old-fashioned intellectual integrity.

 I got to thinking how easy it is to see a post put up by a Facebook “friend” or even a friend-of-a-friend who just hits that “like” button without much thought. When I first started using Facebook it was almost entirely made up of posts from family and friends who were sharing some item from their personal lives. They might share family photos, family news, or just personal tidbits. In that vein, Facebook became the MySpace for the masses and grew into a huge sensation- relatively easy to use, and widely popular. Networks of friends and friends-of-friends expanded our social reach in some good ways. It enabled us to be in touch with old friends and acquaintances from long ago or far away. I have noticed however how Facebook is now populated with many more commercial, political, or “issue” posts. And I suppose that’s OK too. These “issue” posts have actually been able to mobilize worthy social movements that might not have otherwise never gotten off the ground, let alone ever been recognized. Facebook enables us to see things that are of interest to us and reflect our own desires for information, activities, or points-of-view. I have a few that I follow with regularity too.

Of concern are posts that pop up on my page from friends who have hit that “like” button, or the “share” button, and whom I suspect have not thoroughly checked out the source material behind the posts. As easy as Facebook can be to share information, it can easily be coopted by unscrupulous or down-right offensive sites which count on the user just seeing the single message and not understanding the people and the underlying message that spawned it. I’m particularly sensitive to some conservative political messages, but I know that the same thing can happen with progressive sites too. For example, each time I see a post that calls for us to “Impeach Obama” or "take back our Country", I find myself clicking the original source site to see what they are really espousing. Sadly, I often find openly racist or offensive messaging on the original site. I won’t give specific examples in this essay as I don’t want to offend any Facebook friends who most probably have spread these ideas unintentionally. I have also seen sites that seem to put out an otherwise innocuous message only to dig deeper and see violent or misogynistic material. In another example some of the sites that I prefer occasionally have posts that I won’t “share” or “like” because I know the source might go too far for some- or  it just doesn’t truly reflect my thinking.  For example, I won’t share or “like” some post on my page that suggests “religion is the root of all evil”. First of all, “all’ is a big word and I don’t want to misuse it-  and even though I have my own thoughts on the matter, I find it intellectually dishonest and just plain lazy to express my thoughts on such a complex topic in one slogan I didn’t even write. 

I’m always a bit saddened when I see a post from a Facebook friend that contains offensive, racist, or violent messages. I go back and forth as to whether I should “Unfriend” the sender or just let it be. I truly don’t want that kind of message on my page, and I try to believe the sender probably just didn’t know what they were posting. But I know too that we should all be responsible about what we post. It is one of the dilemmas of social relationships this new technology has given us.

One of the unfortunate by-products of this new mass communication and sites like Facebook is that it actually encourages us to be lazy. We are seduced into pushing that “like” button because it is easy to be taken in by a slogan and just say to all of our friends and their friends, “yea, that sounds good to me- and I’m letting you know it”. Perhaps we have just come to the place in the Internet world where there is so much information- so many opinions that we simply won’t take the time or don’t have the time to dig just a little bit deeper for the true messages and meanings.

In that old-fashioned world of intellectual integrity I mentioned above, bad ideas or false information exited then too, but they didn’t spread quite so fast because the mechanics of mass communication gave us an opportunity to check things out and rethink ideas before they got out there too far to retrieve. Another very unfortunate by-product of the computer age of mass communication is the growing belief that every idea or thought is just as valid as every other idea or thought. After all, one might come to believe that anything that CAN be put out there has equivalent validity to anything else simply because it’s out there too. In the days of real journalism, reporters had to answer to editors who demanded to know the sources and confirm that they were credible. Those of us who remember the Watergate era know that Woodward and Bernstein investigated for months before Ben Bradlee would let them go to print. Now anyone with a laptop or an iPhone is instantly published. Ideas that are widespread come to be believed based on the scope of their disbursement, rather than the quality of the information. We are all subject to the manipulation of ideas such a world makes possible. Recently  I heard an excerpt of a speech the President made wherein he was making statements (seemingly) offensive and insulting to the middle class. These excerpts were making their way around the Internet and social media as “proof” of the President’s “disdain” for the American people. As it turns out the excerpts were taken totally out of context and the President was actually arguing the opposite point.  But such is the way of instant mass communications- and the purveyors of these hoaxes knew it.

In this brave new world of the Internet, Facebook, and instant mass communication it would good to stop a moment and consider how we can blend these new technologies with traditional ways of thinking and educating. In particular, it is vitally important in this new age of technology to resurrect the art of critical thinking. Our children are incredibly adept at managing the technology of the day. It’s an old joke, that if you want to learn how your new computer works, just ask a 9 year-old kid! As we have come to rely on the technology and “reformed” education to enable our children to pass the standardized competency tests we have left many of the thinking and reasoning skills by the side of the road. They just aren’t taught. To give a recent example that speaks to the lack of reasoning ability, and also speaks to the creation of false equivalencies, consider the issue of climate change. 99 out of a hundred climate scientists have collected data to show man’s activities (with fossil fuels- and greenhouse gases) is creating accelerated and devastating climate change. Instead of accepting the overwhelming data, the fossil fuel industries (and Rush Limbaugh) insist it’s a hoax. They say, “don’t believe the data-don’t believe that putting hundreds of millions of tons of chemicals and pollutants in the air every year will actually change the air. Instead believe the one guy out of a hundred (who works for us) who says it isn’t so.” That is not reasonable- and one out of a hundred is not equivalency. But our use of mass communication methods suggests it is.

I’m hoping our wisdom will begin to catch up to our technology. I’m fairly confident it will, as it always has. A case in point- we knew how to transplant a human heart before we knew how to make wise decisions about when to do it, and who we should do it for. Information and knowledge will be the currency of the future. If we begin to look at the sources, dig a bit deeper, use our reasoning abilities, and teach our children the lost art of critical thinking; questioning the assumptions of others and challenging our own assumptions; our communications and our relationships with nature and each other will surely improve. That’s something we can all “like”. 

Thanks for looking in.

The Summer of Our Discontent

The first lines of Shakespeare’s Richard III read “ Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this son of York; All the clouds that low’r’d upon our house, In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.”  For those of us who are living this "summer of discontent", we might think  Shakespeare had his seasons a bit mixed up.

I have not written anything- not engaged in my little hobby for several months now. One reason for the hiatus was the need to take a rest from it. But to be honest, I’ve begun to write this essay several times over the last couple of weeks, and after a paragraph or two I just needed to stop. I was trying to capture some of the malaise and negativity of these last months in a way that I could expound upon them in an interesting, or (even) hopeful way. I discovered that I was simply overwhelmed at the thought of trying to make sense of these last few months in current events. I didn't want to just put down on paper that which seemed so obvious, yet so hopelessly inescapable, as it seemed it would just part of the noise. But, I have now given in to the habit of writing once again. With that said, I will try to put my own different thoughts to this summer of discontent.

To say we are now living through a period of total dysfunction is an understatement. For many of us the common reference here is the dysfunction of government. I am, more and more, coming to believe that the dysfunction in government is nothing more that the reflection of the dysfunction in us. Each time I see some ridiculous politician jump head-first into nonsense pool, I stop and ask myself why we don’t react and voice objections to the hate-filled talk and demand more character from those who represent us. At present, I am loath to think that anything I hear from my Congressperson actually represents my thoughts, or useful thoughts of any kind. I am often disappointed to hear nothing from my two Senators, even though I know they hold positions much more akin to my own. I see a President who is virtually helpless to manage this form of government, not because he isn’t competent; but because our form of government requires that Congress and the Courts do their parts too. So as I look at the troubles of the day, I’m convinced that the dysfunction comes from a Congress who does nothing, and from us who does nothing in response.

Two events occurring this summer, in my view represent the worst in our character. The first was the release of Bowe Bergdahl from his captors in Afghanistan. Normally Americans would rejoice in the return of an American servicemen from POW status. Normally we would rally behind that person and his family. I was shocked that his release caused an immediate reaction from the right-wing politicians and the right-wing talk radio hate machine. These types are usually adamantly in support of our military. But in this age of hating the President above all else, they used this singular issue to turn on the President, and on Bergdahl himself. Without the benefit of any facts at all- the hate machine began to manufacture all kinds of scenarios to explain why Bowe was a traitor and not worth the prisoners at Guantanamo we traded to get him back. Number 1: We have no idea yet how he ended up in enemy hands. If it is true he deserted, that will come out.  But so far the investigation is just getting underway. Let’s remember that in war many realities get muddled and it is unfair to judge until we can sort out the facts. If you have any doubts about how loyalty works in war, just remember that when Senator John McCain was a POW they broke him too. He signed the statements they gave him-but we gave him and many like him the benefit of the doubt because we understood what they went through. In Bowe’s case the Obama hatred factor has changed our perspective on supporting our servicemen. Number 2: The criticisms of the President over the prisoner exchange are just plain wrong and once again based on the idea that anything this President does is automatically met with hostile criticism. The Republicans argued that this exchange would lead to more hostage taking. Really? Are we to believe that until this particular exchange enemy fighters hadn’t already figured that out? The Republicans also argued that the release of the five “detainees” would cause Armageddon. One of the problems with a “war on terror” is that we get easily terrorized. The last Administration was expert at scaring us. I ask, should the most powerful, technically advanced and most well-armed, largest and most heavily funded military in the history of mankind quake at the thought of five guys who hate us being out in the world, living in primitive societies? Should we base the military and political policy of the only global super-power on such small potatoes because we are now scared of anyone called “terrorist”? -Lindsay Graham and John McCain aside. Be honest, is there one mother or father in this country, Democrat or Republican, who would not have wanted President Obama to trade five (or ten- or twenty) terrorist “detainees” to get their son or daughter back? Our friends the Isrealis do it regularly- without the childish criticisms we saw in this case. Only in an environment where this President can do no right, is this even tolerable to discuss. The Bergdahl affair is a shameful example of how hatred has changed our national character.

As we moved through the summer of discontent we saw the emergence of thousands of children crossing our southern border and seeking refuge from daily terror in Central America. The immigration problem is complex and requires our best thoughts to resolve it. But two things occurred to me as I watched this human tragedy unfold. First, Congress has a workable bill on comprehensive immigration reform crafted by Republicans in the Senate. It has the votes to pass the House, but it won’t be voted on because the Speaker (alone) won’t allow it for purely political reasons. To complain about the President- then not do their duty is the height of cowardliness. Secondly, I was heart-sick to see affluent white people stand in the way of busses filled with frightened children, screaming at them and waving signs with hate-filled messages. These children became surrogates for hatred of President Obama however tragically misplaced. But for those who constantly insist this is a Christian country- this was  a most  un-Christian way to behave. I felt embarrassed at the way some our fellow citizens acted toward these children. More embarrassing yet is that Congress did nothing except complain- then leave for an extended vacation. They call Obama the Imperial President, but when the chips were down they took off and said, “you handle it”. Cowards to the end.

This summer of discontent is not only filled with domestic issues, gone unaddressed by a negligent Congress, it is also a time of deep international tensions. Aggression in the Ukraine gave the Republicans more reasons to damn the President, as if there is anything he do short of going to war alone against Russia. Remember Europe is not with us entirely on this, and more than half the people of Ukraine want to affiliate with Russia. Would we once again invade a land to liberate those who don’t want to be liberated and would only side with our enemies in the end? The Republicans are long on criticism, but have not provided a single idea on how to handle this any better. If I missed their idea somewhere along the way please let me know.

On to Iraq. In June Iraq began to be overrun by ISIS, once again leading to massive discontent with the President. In turn, each Republican to come before the camera has laid this issue squarely at Mr. Obama’s feet. Oh, what short memories we have. The UN did not approve of President Bush’s invasion, as it could find no justification. Many Democrats did not approve, even though they gave him his way. Many career diplomats and international experts argued that invading a country that did not invade us was bad policy and would eventually destabilize the entire region. We now have a totally destabilized region in the Middle East. Obama is blamed for pulling out too soon. There’s that poor memory again. The Status of Forces Agreement timetable was agreed to by the Bush Administration. Even if Mr. Obama could have changed it, what would he have changed? Given the instability that comes with hundreds of years of religious tribalism, we would have to remain in Iraq forever.  This country would not stand for that. The mistake was not the way we got out- the mistake was the way we got in. But again in this era of “Blame Obama” our recall and our reasoning have taken the summer off. My fear is that we will be pulled steadily back into a conflict we cannot resolve, all because there's oil there. I sometimes wish our motives were more genuinely humanitarian, instead of humanitarian when it suits us.

This horrible summer, punctuated by downed airplanes, political turmoil, War in the Gaza Strip, unrest in the Ukraine, Ebola outbreaks in West Africa, civil war in Syria and Iraq, homeless and uncared-for Veterans at home, and racially charged violence in our streets between the police and our citizens have truly made this the summer of our discontent. But we must reject the easy and popular notion that all of this unrest and trouble can be blamed on the President, as the Republicans would have us believe. That is simply the thinking of the political hucksters who want us to practice the art of blaming and the art of redemption in one quick and easy sound bite. Real solutions require deeper thinking and real analysis. One election or one President cannot be blamed for the problems we face today, and cannot be expected to solve them all him or herself.

The problems in our own land with immigration and the Veteran’s crisis have their roots in events and trends that are generations in the making. The problems we face at home with police violence and racial unrest are part of an American legacy that can be traced back to our very beginnings as a people. Generations of leaders have all grappled with these issues, some more successfully than others.  The best progress we ever make as a nation happens when those in government or in leadership work together.

Our international problems are a result of years of bad diplomacy and decision-making that was often done without the best intentions or the greatest wisdom. One of the lessons we Americans have a hard time understanding is that not everyone on the planet wants the same things we want, or we want for them. It used to be that politics stopped at the water’s edge. Obama hatred has changed that old tradition too.

I believe the qualities of great leadership can alter the course of things.  I often disagree with our President these days, and question his leadership. My disagreements would probably be over very different things than most people would cite. But I don’t lay all the blame on him. I liken his predicament now to a person in a marriage where one spouse refuses to work together and actively undoes what their partner is trying to accomplish- or a business where one partner refuses to cooperate with any part of running the business and says “no” to very idea or very solution to a problem. The result is that is no partnership exists and failure is assured. In our case failure has been assured by the Republican Party. They vowed from the beginning to give this President nothing and they kept their vow. I know there are those who would say that both parties are to blame- a pox on both their houses. This is part of our tendency to create false equivalency in this age of instant media and the mass distribution of (even) stupid ideas.  Yes, both parties disagree- but only one party has actively obstructed the process. That is not equivalency. That is planned dysfunction-politically motivated. Republicans left a long list of issues never dealt with- issues that matter to Americans. Instead they have presided over a House that is the least productive in history and a Senate that has set the record for filibusters. They have left immigrants, Veterans, active duty Military, long-term unemployed people, the poor and the middle-class, job seekers, and everyone who is not in the 1% by the side of the road. That is the real seed of our discontent.

Shakespeare’s opening line in Richard III mentions a winter of discontent, but also points to better times with the misshapen King about to rise. I would like to see the season of our discontent be transformed by a Congress that is finally willing to come back and do its job. They must stop complaining about a President trying to act alone, when it was them who deserted him-and us. They have chosen to focus instead on suing the President for exceeding his power. Ironically the one specific they are suing him for is the very thing in the Affordable Care Act they wanted in the first place. Their hypocrisy knows no bounds. Our system of government calls for three equal branches of government. One branch should not have the luxury to just quit doing their part because they have fomented hatred for this President, thinking it will fool us into believing they are the answer. I look forward to seeing this season of discontent be transformed into a season of change for the better.

Thanks for looking in.

From the Cross to the Gurney

It goes without saying that men have been killing each other for as long as man has been on the planet. Homo Sapiens (modern man)  has been on Earth for somewhere in the neighborhood of 200,000 years following an evolutionary trail that goes back 3.5 million years. Men began living in what would be considered a civilized state about 35,000 years ago. It was just less than 4,000 years ago that we have the first evidence men created a codified set of rules or laws to systematically kill other men as punishment for crimes. The beginning of our fascination with capital punishment came in the Babylonian Code of King Hammurabi. I find it interesting that the Code of Hammurabi is hailed as man’s first set of laws to bring order to man's attempts at living in a society governed by laws, and  yet there were twenty-five different crimes that called for the death of the offender.

Since the time of the great Babylonian Empire man has found so many reasons for the death penalty and nearly as many methods to accomplish it. Let me run down the only the most popular methods: hanging by the neck; firing squad with arrows, spears or bullets, burning alive, boiling alive, beheading, suffocating, bleeding from cutting, lethal injection of drugs, crucifixion, exposure to weather, insects or wild animals; disembowelment, electrocution, lethal gas chambers; impalement; starvation; beatings or stoning; and the list could go on. The earliest forms of execution were mostly those forms of execution that involved a great deal of pain, humiliation or both. For instance, the exact origin of crucifixion isn’t precisely known, but we know the Romans perfected it to the point that they could prolong death for days based on how the cross was made and how the victim was affixed to it. Crucifixion was usually reserved for those who committed crimes against the Empire and was intended to be a warning to all that treason against Rome would result in the most painful death imaginable. Over the years execution became more common until, by the 1700’s,Britain had codified 222 offences for which one could be put to death. By then the law in Britain included death for such things as cutting down certain trees, robbing a rabbit warren and other such petty crimes.

To be fair, the reasons for imposing the death penalty around the world have narrowed since the late middle ages and there have been attempts to make this act more “humane”. One example is the invention of the guillotine. It was argued that the death penalty in France would be more palatable if the condemned died quickly and therefore less painfully. Previously, a beheading could get messy if the executioner was not skilled enough and required several blows from the sword or axe to sever the head. The guillotine, they argued, would assure a swift and unfailing beheading. The absence of any complaining from the condemned reassured the French they were on to something. With this rationalization and the French Revolution well underway, beheading was never more popular.  

Our own traditions with capital punishment came from our British roots. Hanging was the order of the day for executions in our colonial days and that tradition followed with us after we established nationhood. Our new American sensibilities were influenced by the cruelties of the British during our Revolutionary War. Those sensibilities were reflected in our Constitution’s Eighth Amendment which prohibits “cruel or unusual punishment" including torture. There was no actual prohibition of the death penalty- only the admonishment that it not be cruel or unusual-whatever that may mean. My reading of the Amendment leads me to conclude that it is OK to kill a person for a crime; but in the killing, there should be no dallying or inordinate pain inflicted. We have been trying to get better at it ever since. Our efforts to kill, but do it with less mess led us to develop alternates to the hangings and firing squads primarily because those methods had a fairly high failure rate. Failure rates always rekindle to the old arguments that executions are by their very nature “cruel and unusual” because the failed attempts lead to prolonged anguish and discomfort for both the condemned and the witnesses, along with the notion that death itself is cruel and unusual. Beheading on this continent seemed just too old-world for us, so that tradition got skipped in the New World. Technology brought us the electric chair, and the gas chamber to augment our main course of hangings. Those methods eventually proved to have an error rate too, and for a while the courts imposed a near moratorium (in the early 1970’s) on the killing until we came up with the latest innovation: lethal injection.

Lethal injection was a great boon to the execution business because it provided a nearly guilt free way to kill undesirables with no more discomfort that just “going to sleep”. It was portrayed in the same way your kindly Veterinarian might describe gently "putting down" a beloved house pet.  As we grabbed on to that method the number of executions in the US rose dramatically. So, there you have it: a brief history of execution.

I would like to see the history of execution in this country (and world- wide too) end very soon because we just stop doing it. I’m on the wrong side of US public opinion on this subject, but I’d like to see public opinion change. I know all the reasons 65% of us favor capital punishment for the most heinous crimes, and I’m glad we only use it for cases that involve the most reprehensible acts- but I think it can and should eliminated entirely. Those who favor capital punishment cite reasons that not are supported by evidence. They make the claim that the Death Penalty deters crime. They claim the tax payers should not have to pay the costs of imprisonment for years. They claim it gives victim’s families closure and it is real "justice" for those who take a life. Every bit of research in every part of the world concludes the death penalty does not deter crime. I won’t use this space to cite all the data, but you can look it up. It is conclusive. I would also point out that every death penalty case carried through to execution costs (on average) 10 times the amount of money as putting the same offender in prison for life without parole. The data tells us it is ineffective in preventing capital offences and exponentially more expensive. As for closure, it is a subjective argument and I often wonder if closure is ever possible when loved ones are brutally taken from us. As for “justice”, equivalency only equals justice if we decide it does. We can decide that another punishment is adequate justice. These can be matters of our individual and collective conscience. Given all we know about the death penalty, perhaps in the final analysis we practice it because we have a deep-seated need for revenge against those who commit the most ghastly crimes.

I have always opposed the death penalty because I believe our human character needs to evolve beyond the motives of revenge killing. To kill because another killed diminishes our humanity and is ultimately an uncivilized response to those who commit the ultimate human violation- as well as being completely illogical. If taking a life is the worst human behavior, how can it be OK for the state to do it?  Our continuation of this barbarous act, no matter how we have tried to sanitize it with new or improved methods, puts us in league with some very unsavory company.  In the five years between 2007 and 2012 the United States had the fourth most recorded executions in the world, at 220. The top three were Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. There are no reliable figures for China, but intuitively I believe they are probably number 1. Iraq was only 36 killings ahead of us, at 256. We beat Pakistan, Yemen and North Korea. Nearly every other western country (as well as most others around the globe) have outlawed the Death Penalty and would refuse to extradite a fugitive back to the US if the accused could face the Death Penalty.

Please don’t think I believe the most brutal murderers should escape the most severe penalty. I believe we need to redefine what the most severe penalty should be. For me, the ultimate penalty should be life in prison without parole or release for any reason. The latest “botched” execution in Oklahoma is another example to demonstrate that executions cannot be done Constitutionally- that is, free of cruelty. And there is ample evidence that we can and have been able to keep the most heinous criminals from leaving prison if we deem they should never get out – Charles Manson being a good example. The other monumental problem with the Death Penalty is that the use of it may be the most racially biased activity in the country- again, the research on racial bias in the use of capital punishment is beyond argument.

I am a hopeful person, even though the history of our kind is filled with a blood-for-blood mentality. I am hopeful that our evolution as a species includes not only an evolution of our intellect, an evolution of our technical prowess, an evolution of governance and lawmaking, but also an evolution of  our humanity. Most of the world’s governments¸ and most of the world's religions have abandoned and condemned this form of punishment. I have no faith in our government (at this time) to do anything, let alone the right thing. It is up to the people to reexamine this issue in the light of our evolving humanity. I cannot imagine any argument that makes the case that killing people is an advancement of the human condition. It is instead, a remnant of our brutal past. We continue it out of some sense that killers deserve to be killed- and maybe they do. But that does not mean that we have to do it. We have the power to say real justice means rising above the blood-for- blood ways of the past for the betterment of mankind.


One of the most poignant visual images on the topic for me was a photograph that appeared in our local newspaper a few years ago. The power of that image has remained with me.  The news that day was that a prisoner in my state was about to be executed  for a despicable crime by lethal injection at the prison in Walla Walla. He would be strapped to the gurney, his arms outstretched, wherein an antiseptic syringe would be placed in his veins to carry a cocktail of drugs that would first make him unconscious, before other drugs stopped his heart and lungs. There were the usual camps of protesters outside the prison walls. Some were there to boisterously cheer on and celebrate the death, while others were there to stand in a somber vigil against this brutality. Our local paper chose to print a picture of a well know nun and my cousin, Sister Rosalie Locati, a Sister of Providence. The picture showed Sister Rosalie alone in a small chapel kneeling before a large crucifix, praying for the condemned man and praying to end this practice. How ironic, and perhaps how absolutely proper, for her to kneel before an image of the most famous execution (and the image of her faith)  praying that all executions might end.  So far, her prayers have not been realized. In fact we have regressed from her prayerful wish and execute more now that even a few years ago. In the end we have not progressed much from the days of the cross to our modern day-cross, the gurney of lethal injection. I know my own conscience on this matter, but it is for all of us look into our hearts to question our deep beliefs and values on this basic issue. It is a matter of our humanity.



Thanks for looking in.

 

 

 

 

The Trick of Racism

It has been a very bad week for racism. More accurately I should say is has been a very bad week for two racists. I’m quite sure everyone is now familiar with America’s two most recently celebrated racists. The first to come to our attention a couple of weeks ago was Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy. Cliven is a very interesting man not because he is a racist (that’s very common), but because he became a cause-celebre among the ultra-conservative crowd who elevated him to folk-hero status for stealing national resources from you and me without paying for them. Of course he wore that banner proudly by proclaiming that he had an “ancestral right” to public land resources, and didn’t need to pay for them like his neighbors and fellow ranchers. He also proclaimed that he did not recognize the existence of the Federal Government. The (itchin’ for a gunfight) ultra-right-wing wackos came out of the woodwork to defend him against legitimate court-ordered law enforcement for his crimes, and forced an armed stand-off. The Federal BLM agents showed proper restraint and backed down rather than cause a loss of life. Bundy’s cause was quickly joined by the right wing radio hosts (like Hannity and Limbaugh) and a number of prominent politicians who jumped on the anti-government band wagon, even though they are  now serving in the Federal Government that Bundy doesn’t recognize- but that’s a joke all on its own.

This foolishness took a big turn when our folk-hero turned out to be a raving racist. In my opinion he started out being a raving lunatic. The man lives in this country, has the advantages of this country but doesn’t think it exists when it’s time to pay the bill. Bundy had been through the courts for years making his ridiculous claims and lost every time. For him to then declare that the country doesn’t exist is delusional on its face. His claim of “ancestral ownership” would make an interesting case in an Indian Tribal Court, wouldn’t you think? Then at the height of his fifteen minutes of fame he comes out with statements suggesting the “Negroes” would have been better off remaining slaves. He went on to say a number of other nonsensical things about what he “knows” about Negroes, but they are too ridiculous, ignorant and offensive to restate here. This clarifying expose’ on race sent the aforementioned politicians running for the hills.

We should only have to be subjected to this level of public bigotry (no more than) once a month, maximum. But Don Sterling, owner of the LA clippers of the NBA, lit up the media a second time when his tape recorded fight with his mistress was made public and he was exposed as a total racist bigot who didn’t want his girlfriend to seen with “blacks” or have her bring “them” to the Clippers’ games. A nation filled with righteous indignation demanded his head and the NBA gave it to them- rightly so. Of course everyone in the NBA knew about this part of his character and tolerated it until TMZ just put in our collective face. Now he is banned totally from the game he partly owns. He will likely have to sell the team- at a profit.

These two outlandish examples of racism in America form the basis for the Trick of Racism. The trick is this: when such blatant and obviously cartoonish examples of racism grab and hold our attention we trick ourselves into ignoring the baked-in, institutional racism that has existed in this country from its inception. We trick ourselves into believing that taking a stand against these overtly racist people, somehow grants us permission to ignore the covert racism that permeates nearly every segment of American life. In some ways,  people like Bundy and Sterling are the ointment we apply to stop the irritation of more prevalent forms of racism we should otherwise be concerned about.

One way to think of racism in America is to liken it to the molten center of the planet. It is always there at the core. Occasionally the molten lava rock makes its way to the surface and erupts. We take notice of the noisy, flamboyant eruption because it frightens us, then we go back to ignoring the mass of molten lava that constantly rumbles beneath our feet. The two noisy eruptions of racism this month are themselves a smokescreen to hide the depth of the racism that marked their own existence. In Bundy’s case, the likes of Rand Paul and other self-serving politicians were face forward to the cameras to pronounce him a "patriot" when it served their purposes. But, when the true racist Bundy came out, their “spokesmen” issued all the denials. How refreshing it would be to see a Republican actually (and personally) denounce racism when it counts. In Sterling’s case, the whole league said I unison, “there is no place for racism in the NBA” – except that there was a place for that in the NBA, and no one was willing to take a stand against it until it publicly embarrassed the other owners.

The true damage from the trick of racism is not the damage suffered by a few foolish and delusional militiamen and idiot politicians, or those who inhabit the elite world of the NBA. The true shame of this trick is that it keeps us from addressing the racism that is rotting the nation. It is pervasive. It is damaging to our national character- and very few of us are willing to even acknowledge it.

The following are a few blatant examples of the pervasiveness of racism that will continue on with very little response in the foreseeable future. On the basic issue of justice: consider that the US leads the world in imprisoning its citizens. There are 2.3 million Americans in jails and prisons. 1 million of those are black males. Much of the explosion of the black population in our prisons is due to the intentionally  racially biased “mandatory minimums” that came from our “war on drugs”. The evidence on this subject is very clear.  All African-Americans in the US (men, women and children) constitute 12% of the population. Blacks constitute 40% of the entire death row population. The very imposition of the death penalty is heavily influenced by the race of the victim. Since 1977, the overwhelming majority of death row defendants have been executed for killing white victims; although African Americans make up about half of all homicide victims (Amnesty International 2013) Every study on this issue concludes that racial bias is the reason for this disparity in the administration of Justice.

In the area of economic holdings: Whites on average possess 6 times the net worth of minorities in the US. Not only is the US the most inequitable in total wealth distribution, the wealth disparities are exponentially worse for minorities. “The racial gap in median income closed slightly in the last 20 years. Nonwhite families earned about half of what white families earned in 1989. This closed to 70% in 2007, and has slipped back to 65% in 2010. (The Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances) Every bit of data we have about the Great Recession of 2007 indicates that minorities fared far worse than whites in the loss of wealth. As the nation went into panic mode over an unemployment rate just north of 10% at the height of the recession, unemployment in the African-American population has hovered at 17% for generations, with hardly anyone talking about it besides the most rabid activists who are brushed off with a shrug of the shoulders.  For younger African Americans, the unemployment rate is even higher. In education, more and more urban public schools are showing signs of re-segregating. Then trend toward charter schools and other urban “innovations” in education have had the unintended consequence of fostering divisions in educational opportunity. The conservative leaning Supreme Court has recently made several decisions indicating they no longer recognize the need to guard against racial bias in educational opportunity. Only two weeks ago they upheld a Michigan law disallowing Affirmative Action in college admissions. Five states have such laws (including my own). In each State where Affirmative Action was set aside, minority college admissions have been cut in half- thus denying opportunities to minorities who are still subject to the disadvantages of racial bias and discrimination.

Let’s examine another basic area often overlooked in considering racial bias: health care. The Journal of the American Medical Association identifies race as a significant determinant in the quality level of medical care, with ethnic minority groups receiving less intensive and lower quality care. Ethnic minorities also receive less preventative care, are seen less by specialists, and have fewer expensive and technical procedures than non-ethnic minorities. In housing, racial minorities suffer discrimination based on both color and economic status. In the basic areas of economic enfranchisement, educational opportunity, housing, health care, and the administration of justice the numbers are clear. No argument suggesting reasons other than racism accounts for the depth and scope of these disparities.  

I could go on citing statistic after statistic about the racism that infects us- I have actually only scratched the surface on the wealth of data on the subject of racism in America. I could discuss the incredible rate of growth in white separatists groups since Mr. Obama became the President. I could give examples of obvious and despicable racism I’ve personally seen, even in my limited experience. I could point to the hypocrisy of banning Don Sterling from the NBA for things he said in his house, while at the same time tolerating a major sports team in our nation’s capital named with a racial epithet: the Washington Redskins. I could point out that the same shallow politicians who stood up for  Cliven Bundy as he was violating the law are the very same people who are denying illegal immigrants the ability to contribute to this country and enjoys its rights and privileges because they "broke the law" to get here.


All of these facts of our collective experience lead us to an inescapable truth- if we are willing to see it. Racism still lives in the core of our American culture. The challenge for us now, and in the near future is to resist the insidious trick of racism, that distracts us from our true need to eliminate pervasive institutional racism. The hardest thing to do is recognize it as a part of our national heritage and begin to undo the institutional racism the runs through nearly every facet of our national experience. This requires honesty. For those who claim we are the greatest nation in the history of mankind, don’t stand in the way of honesty by blindly promoting the ideal even when it is not a living reality. We should find ways to honestly address the undeniable mistakes of slavery, Jim Crow bigotry, genocide and cruelty toward the American Indians (including the removal of their children in the late 20th century), exploitation of Chinese laborers, internment of Japanese Americans, and the inhumanity of today’s immigration laws. Doing that will insure that generations to come will truly recognize us as the greatest nation in the history of man. We can, and should be judged by the way we corrected our mistakes- the ways we applied our values in real life, and the ways we overcame the tricks of self-deception that prevent progress.

Thanks for looking in.

 

Nothing to See Here

As much as I enjoy the activity of writing, over the last couple of months I haven’t written much. Each time I think it’s time for me to write, I tend to just let that feeling pass without writing a word. For a while I concluded that I was just feeling a bit lazy, because as much as I like to write (and as good as it can be for my mental health) writing does require some small effort and planning. I have always known I’m not immune to laziness- quite the opposite. I can be as lazy as anyone. When "The Dude" (Jeffery Lebowsky) is one of your favorite movie characters, you know you have the lazy bug. But like all good Americans, I decided this lack of output and intellectual exercise couldn’t possibly be my own fault. The blame had to lie with someone or something else. So, I continued to privately examine the reasons why I just wasn’t coming up with anything that moved me sit down and write a few paragraphs. Being a slightly more than casual observer of politics and also relying on politics for much of what interests and moves me to write, I came to the joyful conclusion that the problem wasn’t me at all- it was the lack of interesting political subjects to write about. Imagine my relief to finally know, without doubt- it wasn’t my fault. (Note: the words, “it’s not my fault” are the most universally recognized self-soothing words known to man- in any language!!)

I came to realize that we’re in this season of political boredom when, for several days, I watched the newscasters and pundits desperately making  attempts to invent stories to hold their viewer’s attention. I’m a self-confessed news and opinion junkie, and even I had to just give up and turn the channel to something mindlessly entertaining. Unless you’re into senseless tragedy like airliners that just disappear, or ships full of children that capsize, or mudslides that wipe out small towns, there hasn’t been much to look at. Maybe that’s why senseless and unexplainable tragedies make the news for weeks at a time, even when there just isn’t anything new to learn from them. The most we usually come away with is that these tragic events happen because someone makes a dumb mistake, or that nature can be unpredictable and a pretty powerful force at times. End of story. So, usually we can count on politics to give us something to think about, react to, or entice us to action-but not these days.

I don’t mean to imply that there is nothing to care about. There are always issues worthy of our attention, injustices to be corrected, and people in need. It’s just that we seem to be in a strange period when we know nothing of consequence is going to happen. Look at the political calendar. We are right in the middle of 2014. The next election isn’t for another six and a half months and it’s an off-year election. That means is that there are only State and Local races. This off-year election of 2014 really has the pundits scrambling for a point to make- or something to create a kernel of  interest. Many of them would like to convince us that THIS off-year election will have national significance. Why? Well, they would like us to believe that the 435 House seats and 36 Senate seats up for grabs represents some kind of referendum on The President, or Obamacare, or Benghazi or something of national significance. The fact is that the outcome of this off-year election is fairly predictable, and would be predictable no matter who is President. The Prediction is this: Republicans will pick up some House Seats and maintain their majority for another two years- Republicans will pick up Senate seats, enough to (maybe) create a tie or possibly even gain a small majority. If you look back through our history over the last century or even longer you will see that every President faced the same outcome in the off-year election of their second term. There isn’t any magic here. Americans rarely turn out in big numbers unless there is national race. The failure to show up in off-year elections just seems to part of our national character. A sad but true fact  of political life in the USA. Low turnout of voters always favors the party not in power in the White House, because only the most committed, partisan voters show up. Look what happened in President Obama’s first term. The guy wins a huge, landslide election in 2008, on the heels of President Bush’s disastrous second term with the nation in crisis , then gets nailed badly in the off-year election of 2010, losing a lot of Democratic seats in Congress. The pundits start digging his political grave for the 2012 election, failing to heed the historical trends of off-year elections when much smaller numbers of voters come out. 2012 rolls around and all the predictions about Mr. Obama’s defeat at the hands of Mitt Romney are wrong- dead wrong. He wins re-election fairly easily. Why? because a larger electorate shows up for the general elections, and they were there supporting his Presidency all along.  The lesson here is this: In spite of all the political chatter and make- believe significance, there’s nothing to see here!

Our current Congress has added heaping helpings of boredom to this political season based on their unwillingness to actually do their job. Last year was officially the most unproductive year for Congress since they started keeping track. I think they are going for a new record in 2014. It is late April already and there has not been a single action by Congress of any note this year. Like I said before, it’s not that aren’t good things for them to do and worthy issues to debate and vote on; they just won’t do it. The Democratically led Senate passed a badly needed extension of benefits for the long-term unemployed. The Senate passed Immigration reform; they passed gun ownership background check legislation; they passed a minimum wage law for federal employees and contractors, and acts requiring equal pay for women. But the House leadership (Speaker Boehner) will not even put these issues up for debate or a vote. All of the issues the Senate has passed or worked on have large margins of public support. But this one man (Speaker Boehner) has them all shelved, and he going to keep them on the shelf for the next two years, then whines publically about his own Party not doing anything. To be fair the House did repeal Obamacare for about the fiftieth time, and they did pass the Paul Ryan budget which has been roundly dismissed as destructive non-sense by every economist to analyze it. So here we sit at a legislative stalemate.

This stalemate has been the hallmark of the Obama years, but of course it’s even worse lately for the reasons stated above. But we might as well face it, with over two and a half years until the next President takes office, we can count on very little getting done. Oh, let’s not act all shocked or disappointed. We knew this was going to happen. The Republican leadership told us so in the first year Mr. Obama was in office. The Party leaders met and simply decided they would not support a single thing he wanted- and they haven’t. Since they made that decision the Republicans have not supported a one thing he has tried to do, even the things that were their ideas. I have a feeling the judgment of history on the Republican Party will be one of shame for the way they have acted toward the President during this period. So, instead of honestly trying to do something for the country, the Republicans keep falling back to the same old talking points.

If I happen to listen to Talk Radio on the frequent road trips I take for work now ,or catch the news on MSNBC or Fox News(?) I catch myself just laughing at the same discredited politicians or Talk Show guys spouting the same arguments they are always wrong about. It is as if the Republicans can’t learn or something. You would think that these people have somehow lost the ability to see the events occurring in the world and the nation as they really happen. I have long felt that Republicans have painted themselves into such a staunch, ideological corner that they are truly trapped. I don’t feel sorry for them though because they created this monster by allowing the far-right fringe to take over the Party. Now Republicans candidates have to pass the fringe-element litmus test to get nominated, but can’t get elected to the White House because the fringe doesn’t have much appeal in the general elections. (Gerrymandered districts notwithstanding).

Another factor in making this  such dull time in our politics is that the crazy predictions just didn’t happen. The Affordable Care Act is beginning to work. By the next General Election 20 million people will have health care that didn’t have it before-so forget Repeal. The fiscal deficits are falling, and economic growth has been steady for several years now. So far, 9 million new jobs have been created since the Great Recession of the Bush era. All predictions say that we are on the cusp of much greater economic growth in the next six quarters. So that old saw is gone. Obama won’t stop Russian incursions into Ukraine, but Eisenhower, Reagan, and G.W. Bush had the same issue with the same results in their time; and the best the pundits can do is question Obama’s “manhood”. Please??? They have done their level best to create a scandal to sink Obama, and for two years now Darrel Issa hasn’t come up with a thing. You know why? There’s nothing there. But they just keep talking -in spite of the fact there’s just nothing here to see.

In some ways it’s kind of nice to have a lull in the political action, even if it is not a particularly inspiring time for my writing. Perhaps this period will give us all a chance to just reflect and get ready for the next leader to come along. I wish the media would give it a rest, even for just a little while. They look silly trumping up non-existent stories. I doubt they will though as I constantly hear nothing but meaningless conjecture about Jeb, Rand, Chris, Ted, Elizabeth, and Hillary. Face it, nobody knows anything at this point. Wouldn’t it be fun to just hear all those media types say, “way too early folks, move along- there’s nothing to see here”.

Thanks for looking in.

Uncivil Rights

It was a week filled with remarkable news events. We saw the continuation of a Russian incursion into Crimea and the Ukraine as western powers struggle with the economic and political realities that complicate our world. We saw the vanishing of an airliner with no explanation. We saw the annual clown show known as the Conservative Political Action Convention where noted conservatives contradict each other for three days and attempt to convince us the world is about to end because of Obamacare. We also saw reports that the national deficit has been reduced to George W. Bush levels; you know, when Dick Cheney said “deficits don’t matter”. We saw the rate of uninsured (health insurance) Americans fall. Bad news and good news was everywhere. But for me the most significant news event of the week took place in the United States Senate. Last week the U.S. Senate failed to confirm the nomination of Debo Adegbile to the post of Head of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, ending his chances of ever holding that position. That may have been a faint blip on your radar screen, or something you never heard about at all. For me, that single event represented everything that is wrong and dysfunctional about our government today and many people in government who fail us on a daily basis.

Let me tell you who Debo Adegbile is before I describe the horrible act that got him disqualified to fight for civil rights in the DOJ. Adegbile is a 47 year old man who was raised by a single mother in New York City. He was a child actor for a time and worked on the PBS Network show Sesame Street. He completed High School then earned his college degree from Connecticut College in 1991. He went on to law school and earned his law degree from New York University, School of Law in 1994. During law school days he worked as a legal assistant for several large law firms in New York. After attaining his Law Degree he was offered a job at the last firm he worked for and became a full-time litigator. He remained at the firm for seven years before leaving to become assistant counsel for the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Education Fund. While there, Debo Adegbile argued twice before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2013 he joined the staff of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary as Senior Counsel. His wife Susan and he live in New York with their two daughters. By all accounts Adegbile has distinguished himself as an outstanding person and an accomplished legal talent- one who has conducted his life without blemish. Who among us would not be proud to have him as a son?

As part of his distinguished professional career, Debo did one thing that many of our upstanding Senators could not stomach. And for that one thing Adegbile was denied the chance to put his considerable talents to use on behalf of the American people. While at the NAACP he worked on a legal team to appeal the death sentence of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Who is he, you ask? Abu-Jamal (aka Wesley Cook) is a man convicted for murder in the 1981 killing of Philadelphia policemen Daniel Faulkner (thirteen years before Debo graduated from law school). The NAACP was already involved with the case when Adegbile joined the team. The purpose of their appeal was not to question Abu-Jamal’s guilt, for he most surely did murder Faulkner- but it was to vacate the death sentence on the grounds that a Constitutional error had been made in the sentencing phase when the trial judge gave improper sentencing instructions to the jury. As it turned out the appeal was successful, and The US Supreme Court ordered that the Circuit Court’s decision to vacate the death sentence was correct. Abu-Jamal will remain incarcerated for life for the murder of Officer Faulkner.

All in all, these activities seem like honorable acts conducted by honorable people who were upholding their oaths as attorneys to practice the law to the best of their abilities. The American Bar Association’s cannons of ethical practice for attorneys requires that an attorney must provide all accused persons with the best defense they can, regardless of their personal beliefs about their client, or their guilt. Those same cannons declare that all defendants are entitled to the best defense possible. By the way, those rights are also guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. But the US Senate didn’t see it that way. President Obama’s nominee to head the Dept. of Justice’s Civil Rights Division was defeated by a procedural vote (another filibuster) 47-52. If you are waiting for the other shoe to drop- like there is some other reason lurking in his background, there isn’t one. The only reason Adegbile was not confirmed is because he was one of the attorneys who represented a cop-killer.  

I’m reminded of a scene from the remake of the movie Cape Fear. In the movie, a vicious and sadistic man named Max Cady is released from prison after serving his time for a brutal rape and assault. Upon his release, he tracks down is own lawyer to harass and eventually kill the lawyer because Cady found out his own lawyer buried evidence that might have cleared him at trial. But the lawyer knew Cady was quite guilty of the heinous crime and ignored his oath to give Cady the best legal defense. When Cady confronts his old attorney, the attorney asks him why he doesn’t go after the judge or the prosecutor instead of the man who defended him. Cady answered, “they were just doin’ right by their job.” In the case of Debo Adegbile, he was just doin’ right by his job, but today’s ugly politics cost him and the country quite a lot.

There is nothing in the character or skill level of Adegbile that should have prevented him from heading the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ. The mere fact that he defended an unpopular criminal was used against him. This vote to disqualify him says a great deal about where we are in the ability or willingness of the Congress to actually govern. It also says something about our national character. My criticism applies to both Democrats and Republicans. Seven Democrats voted with all the Republicans to block the nomination. I expect every Republican to vote “NO” on every Obama nomination or suggested legislative initiative. It is not a matter of political opinion- it is just a fact that they vote “NO” on everything this President does or wants. You can count on it 100% of the time- they have abdicated all responsibility to govern, and are avowed only to get in the way of governance. But I was shocked to see seven Dems join in- until I saw who they were. These Democratic Senators who failed us are all coming up for election in 2014 or in the next election in 2016. They voted against this man because they were afraid, and in doing so violated their own oath of office. That is the power of today’s politics -over what is clearly right.

I will tell you, there was pressure on the Senate. The widow of the slain policemen lobbied the Senate to believe that his participation in the legal representation of Abu-Jamal should “disqualify him” from holding any public position in the justice system-  a position formed by grief and vengeance, not logic or law. The Fraternal Order of Police, the world’s largest organization of law enforcement officials, for similar reasons,  threatened any Senator who supported the nomination with a full-fledged, well financed campaign against them if they voted to confirm. Can you imagine the chilling effect this could have on a sitting Senator. And yet that is precisely why they ask us to elect them; to make the tough calls, to do the right thing, and to uphold the Constitution.

John Roberts the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court once defended a mass murderer who killed eight people, and he did it pro bono (no fee). No one held that against him, nor should they have. Some of our greatest public servants and leaders were lawyers who defended despicable people in their careers. Only now, in this poisoned environment does it count against a talented attorney. Is it because the nomination came from Barack Obama? Is it because this position deals with civil rights? Is it because the victim in the defendant’s crime was a cop?  It is likely all of those issues came into play. We live in a time when the rhetoric of governing (at the campaigning stage or the office holding stage) is far removed from the reality of governing. How many times have we listened to candidates, particularly conservative candidates or politicians, wave the flag and urge us to let them “defend the Constitution”. They would have us believe the Constitution has been tarnished and abandoned by liberals and the current Administration. And yet when they see a case regarding the Constitutional Rights they claim to revere being properly exercised in the way  intended by the founders, they punish the practitioner of the law that provided those civil rights, because they didn’t like the person the rights were being applied to. I understand why Republicans punished Adegbile- they will oppose anyone Mr. Obama nominates, to confound the Government because of their blatant hatred of Obama. Their Party has also been very active in recent attempts to limit civil rights on many fronts- no doubt for political advantage. But to see these Democrats join them is a major disappointment. The lesson for me is that the compulsion to get reelected has become sick compulsion that runs contrary to the very reason we elect people to Congress. I have also learned both parties are equally susceptible to this sickness. Those seven who voted to deny Adegbile this position did so for fear of what would be said about them in the next election.

I believe this case also illustrates how little understanding some of us have about our civil rights. Don’t scream from the campaign podium how you love the Constitution then denigrate it because you don’t like some of the people who are protected by it. Abu-Jamal’s rights were violated- conservative Courts agreed- the highest Court agreed. But the thing we have to remember about the Constitutional Rights enumerated the first ten Amendments- the Bill of Rights, is that they can only protect all of us when they equally protect the most despicable and unworthy of us. It’s the only way they really work. These are Rights granted to all without passion or prejudice, even the most hated, the most vile, or the most unpopular among us. That is the guarantee those Rights will be there for the rest us when we need them. So, of course punishing a distinguished attorney who honored the Constitution by defending a person (not based on his crime, or the hatred some felt for him, or the need some had for vengeance) but because our Constitution and our enshrined Civil Rights demanded it- was simply wrong.

We teach and preach about American values and point to the documents our founders gave us as evidence of those values. We tell the rest of the world we are exceptional and superior because of these values. But so often throughout our history, in events large and small, our incredible pettiness trumps our exceptional values. In this small event involving Debo Adegbile we saw pettiness win the day over our larger values. That's what made this the biggest story for me and once again demonstrated how uncivil we can be when the politics of personal gain becomes more important than the noble ideals established  by the Constitution.

Thanks for looking in.

  

Birthdays With a Zero

Whenever we arrive at one of those birthdays with a zero in them, they are kind of a big deal. “Oh you’re a big ten-year-old now, double digits”. Twenty- you are finally becoming an adult and leaving those awkward, crazy teenage years no one ever warned you about when you turned ten. At thirty you achieve a new level of adulthood marked by actual responsibilities and obligations you thought were so far off when you turned twenty. At forty you come to know that you will probably make it in the world, because you lived through the stress and struggles of the thirties. At fifty you can finally start to relax a bit as security may finally begin to creep in to your consciousness and your bank account; your family is grown, or nearly grown, you can once again begin to enjoy a life you’ve built.

I’ve been through all of these birthdays with a zero, and as each one came and went I took just a moment to reflect on my life with those nice round numbers paving the way to my thoughts. I just hit another one of those birthdays with a zero. 60.

I’ve done a little more reflecting on this one than most of the others. Perhaps it is a sign of my generation talking now, but when I was a kid I thought sixty was the age when you actually are old. So achieving the ripe old age of sixty marks a spot in life that seems a true turning point- or at least it should be. My early conditioning about this venerable age is most likely the result of growing up in such close proximity to my grandparents. We were literally next door neighbors- so I was there when they were sixty or so. My grandmother was born in 1901. I was between six and seven years old when she achieved the age I just arrived at. But even then my grandparents “looked” like grandparents. My grandmother was a very sweet old lady with grey hair, always in a rather subdued state owing to a history of being somewhat “sickly” as they say. My grandfather was four years older than her, and had that old grandpa way about him too. More than anything, they acted like old folks. There was no physical activity other than that which got them through the day. They didn’t play physical games, they didn’t engage in any anything exciting. Instead they did “old people” stuff. My grandmother would crochet and watch Lawrence Welk when she wasn’t helping raise us. (parenting is a group activity when all the generations live next door to one another) My grandfather was just winding down his life as a truck farmer, and found some pleasure in whiling away an afternoon just sitting outside with his Roi-Tan cigar watching over the fields, or going to town on occasion in the afternoon to spend time at the S&S Cigar Store (a saloon) with other old guys from his generation.   And, they weren’t unusual. I think in the early 1960’s sixty was the demarcation line for the elderly. Not a line I ever looked forward to crossing myself.

But here I am. This is nothing new, most folks reach that magic number- so what I have to say on this matter is hardly new or unique. It’s just that this doesn’t happen to me every day, so I thought I’d use this essay to share my own reflections on this particular birthday with a zero in it.

As I was thinking about these kinds of birthdays, I found that I remembered each one of them pretty distinctly. There must be some truth to the idea that birthdays divisible by ten are kind of special. I remember that when I turned ten I was in the middle of the fourth grade. The thing I remember from the year leading up to my tenth birthday was learning that the world wasn’t always a safe and predictable place-or maybe we just become aware of it at that age. Just three months before I turned ten, all of us felt the shock and uncertainty that came with the assassination of JFK. Now you may not think that a boy of nine or ten would be impacted so much, but this was a real society rocker. Imagine- I was living in fairly secure home, surrounded by a large loving extended family and believing that life is just OK. We (Italian Catholics) were pretty smug about having the first Catholic in the White House. Then on that November morning, at our Catholic School, we are all summoned back to a classroom from the gymnasium to be told the president had been murdered- our parents were coming to get us- and no one knew what would happen next. I wasn’t scared- more curious, but I knew from that moment forward that things don’t always go right and even adults aren't always able to make sense of the world. The year I turned ten was a coming-of-age birthday about some of the harsh realities of life- even though I couldn’t possibly understand it all at age ten. Suddenly life goes from being something that happens around your house or school- to knowing there is another world beyond home and family that can contain some very dark features.

On my twentieth birthday I was busy making plans. The year was 1974. I had gone through my teenage years. I learned about falling in love. I went through high-school and all that that involves- learning (really, for the first time in my life) sports, activities, driving, independence, the freaking 60’s, more assassinations, worrying about the draft,  inevitable conflicts with parents, and the beginning of higher education. The big plan was to get married and move away with Lee to start our life. So there was a lot to plan! My twentieth birthday was all about the future I was preparing in my own mind- and it was an exciting, busy time. The summer after that birthday we got married. Age twenty is pretty young to get married, I’ll admit. I know that there were a lot of side bets being made about how long this marriage would last given our tender ages and obvious lack of life experience. If I believed in an afterlife, I’d bet any amount of money that there is a conclave of dead relative’s ghosts sitting around saying, “I would have never guessed that would last”.  For the record, It’s coming on up on forty years- so, HA!

My thirtieth birthday was time to settle in to traditional roles, or so I thought. The years leading up to age thirty were incredibly eventful. These were the first few years of our marriage. By age twenty-four we had two small children, and saw them both begin schooling. I had finished College and began my career. Lee had decided on what her career would be and she began her college education in pursuit of it. We moved a few times and I changed jobs, transferred to a new city that would become our permanent home. Both of my parents died, as did all of my grandparents, and a very dear uncle.  That’s a lot to cram into ten years. So when my thirtieth birthday came, it felt like it was time to just settle in to raising our kids and focusing on advancing our jobs and careers. It was during these years that we established lasting friendships here, that I’m happy to say, have been with part of our lives for the last thirty years.

At age forty you’re at the mark when your (dear) smartass friends start in with all the “over-the-hill” stuff. I felt pretty good and (if I say so myself) I was in pretty good physical shape so I didn’t let that bother me. As I looked back on the decade of the thirties, I reflected on how those were the years when our kids really began to grow up and we made some fairly good advances in our careers. I had moved into management positions and Lee’s career took off. These were years when we coped with the pressures of jobs and trying to create financial security that would see us through, and put the kids through college. We were both very fortunate that worked out well enough. But those pressures sometimes led me to be a lesser person than I should have been. I regret mistakes I made those years – but I’m confident they helped me to grow as a person. I liked being done with my thirties- so when the big 4-0 arrived I was good with that. 

Fifty was no big deal to me. I felt then that I had achieved a level of comfort with myself that allowed me to enjoy things more. Our oldest daughter had married and produced two terrific grand kids. I had changed jobs a few years before and was in a fairly laid-back phase of my professional  life- Lee was doing great with her career. Our youngest daughter had finished college and was just about to get married. As I reflected on life at age fifty, I was actually feeling pretty proud. For Lee and me, our greatest point of pride is seeing how well our daughters turned out. Both finished college and began work in their chosen fields. Both have become great parents- far better than me. Mostly though, they are both just great people. The birthday itself came and went without much fanfare. Lee and I did mark the year with some great experiences to celebrate being married 30 years and being fifty-years old. Two weeks in Italy!!! Amazing!!! There is nothing like being with other people from another part of the world. I think it really changes your life.

So here I am at age 60. This feels a far cry from my earliest images of being sixty. In fact, I believe the differences are real and not just some rationalized denial on my part. At age sixty, my best reflection is look forward. Yes the last ten years were also great- the family grew, with five grandchildren now and our daughters in their mid-thirties and experiencing success and great lives. There are always great moments, and times of sadness. Hey that is just the way life goes. And after sixty years, I’d have to say my family has been pretty damned successful. The changes I’ve made in myself and hope to continue with are all about the future. At age 58 I was able to start a new challenging job- I’ve taken up new activities and sought to learn new skills. I’m not saying I’m great at any of them – but my fountain of youth is in the constant search to add to my repertoire, instead of taking life passively because I’ve reached a “certain age”. Many folks I’ve seen grow more conservative in their personal lives and their politics (or world view) as they grow older. Oddly I’ve gone the opposite direction. I’m more progressive than ever. I’m interested in bigger ideas. I’m not interested in a world view that says we should limit people- I’m interested in a world where there is more inclusion, progress, and respect for all people. Those are the big ideas. Look at today’s headlines and you’ll know what I’m talking about.  All they want to do is say "no", take away from people, and express bitterness. That'll put you in the grave too soon.

I devote a great deal of thought and some action toward progressive causes for one reason- my kids and grand kids. Leaving them a better world would be a great and worthy mission in my view. The side benefit for me is that it adds vitality to my life so I don’t have to worry about birthdays with zeros in them. I know some great people who are older than me. The ones I admire and emulate are the ones who are still interested in the world and participating in creating the future. They are out there making things happen- at the gym working out every day- being involved- and always searching for knowledge. That’s my plan before I hit the next birthday with a zero in it. Wish me luck. Thanks for indulging me, and as always….

Thanks for looking in.