Rule of Law

I heard someone say “We are for the rule of law. And order.” That was a trump supporter and republican claiming what they think is their high road. Nothing could be further from the truth.

First, rule of law is supposed to be synonymous with justice. We all know that is not so in reality. Laws are written to maintain order for someone, just not everyone. Who is excluded is an important issue and always has been. Fairness is another synonym appropriate for this discussion. Substitute fairness with justice and see how the discussion changes.

Second, the trump administration was about many things but not law. Trump was and continues to be a con man who tried to pull the wool over sheep’s eyes most of the time. Trouble happened when he lost sight of what he was conning and messed up at important times. Pretty difficult to take back the lie once it is released and woven into your entire agenda.

Third, order is a worthy objective, but that order is supposed to benefit the common whole of the nation. It did not do that during trump’s reign. Gay, transgender, and any other minority population unpopular with his base were commonly discriminated against by trump and his team. This was an intentional manipulation to create and use a wedge issue. There is no problem of transgender people sharing the same bathroom. What is there to fear? What is the fear anyway? Why is anyone fearing anything? You see? This is trump trumping up false facts to build fear from nothing.

Fourth, regulations are meant to be safeguards for the public good. Regulations are created by law. Removing regulations is also done by law. The Florida condo collapse is an example of regulations not lived up to. It is also an example of a condo board and contractors not doing their job to protect their people’s lives as opposed to protecting their property values. One is not the other. Life is never to be equated with property value. But they did. The building collapsed. Most likely 150+ people are dead. Also, the value of the building is zero with the exception of lawsuits leveled with contractors and insurance companies. But then, those dollars will be eaten up in court costs and attorney fees. Welcome to the world of law, value, rights, and justice. Not.

Fifth, law is supposed to protect the public from con men and charlatans along with the damage they to do the commonweal. This may be the only actual outcome of the entire trump saga. Legal eagles claim the trump organization and its staff will likely be demolished by lawsuits and legal claims plus prison time. If this happens, America can claim it is the land of law and justice, but not until then.

Trump and his minions never were about law, order and justice. Even the village idiot can understand this. Why not the others? Because they were conned by one of the biggest con men ever to have lived in these United States.

Please. Let us see justice rule the day.

June 30, 2021

 

 

Bits and Pieces

Florida Building Collapse: What goes up must come down. The law of gravity has its way in all things. Of course, the downward pull ought not be a devastating event causing loss of life. The condo collapse in Florida is a big deal. There are potential causes galore, not the least of which is poor bedrock access, sink holes, rising ocean levels, and horrendous wind and rainstorms battering buildings all the time. Weathering is a primary depreciator of all real estate. We ought not be surprised by that. However, engineering usually allays those threats with huge error margins.

My suspicion is subsidence will be the primary cause of the collapse. That is the gradual sinking of the building in a soil condition that is not solid enough to sustain the building’s weight, rising tides, ground water levels and weathering.

Florida real estate developers know to build houses on stilts in flood prone areas. High rise developers need to build to bedrock if it exists. If not, build larger pontoons!

Slimmer Despot: Much of North Koreans are underfed and emaciated. It was always a ponder how the current despot could be fat and ungainly in his movements because of his weight. Now that he has slimmed down, he looks better, healthier and fit for heavy duty work. Instead, people are thinking he is drastically ill and lost weight too quickly. What a bunch of nonsense. He is a young man and needed to pare his weight. From the looks of his picture, he still needs to lose another 50 pounds.

He is free to eat anything and everything whenever he wants it. That puts on unneeded pounds and he knows it. Is he sick? I doubt that would be reported. Is he losing weight? The photos say yes. Maybe that weight loss is intentional and due to a healthy regimen. Meanwhile, assume that is the case. Thinking the negative does no one any good anyway.

Mission vs Outcome: I’ve been in strategic planning for 40 years or more. I am continually amazed by people who think defining their mission is the last step, not the first. How can any organization plan for the future if it doesn’t know what it is about and what driving values and forces truly define them? Identifying a desired outcome is helpful in solving problems, but it doesn’t define the organization. Normally the organization comes first. They know what they want to deal with and labor toward. Define that now, at the beginning of planning. Then move on to where the organization should be or look like in 10 or 15 years if the mission is successful. That provides scope and scale of the organization and its mission. It does not define mission.

Outcomes are objectives and goals created as an outgrowth of the mission. Putting goals first is placing the cart before the horse. It might work if the horse is very talented!

June 29, 2021

 

Marooned

Well, not exactly marooned, but it sure felt like it. There I was, a constant user of computers and electronic tools for 30 years or more, and suddenly my computer was in the shop for a checkup and maintenance. Geek Squad offered to do this for me and included Rocky’s computer as well. So here we were both without our laptops. At least Rocky had his Apple I-pad.

I relied heavily on my android phone. Got it to do routine incoming emails with short responses when needed. I even kept up with my Facebook and news flashes. But real communication stopped, including this blog.

I discovered my Microsoft Surface gathering dust on the office bookcase. I dusted it off and tried to remember my password and other protocols. I had forgotten the Surface came without an owners manual; all instructions were online, but to access them your surface had to work! It didn’t because I couldn’t remember the password.

After 30 hours of thinking, I remembered the password and fired up the minicomputer. I couldn’t do Facebook; it said an outdated version of something or other was blocking current use. I was able to get my normal news feeds but forgot how small all the print fonts were. I managed to keep abreast of the breaking news and soon found myself withdrawing from constant news following.

A sense of freedom began to grow. I was not a fan of being disconnected from the world, but I reminded myself that some people spend tens of thousands of dollars to get away from it all for a week or 10 days. Here I was getting the same result at no cost! Except, my inner self did not relax. I was anxious about what I was missing. I wondered how many clients and family would think I’d dropped off the face of the earth.

Tracking the repairs and progress toward computer return was easy with Geek Squad. They sent reminders to me and even called twice. We arranged the pickup appointment for Sunday afternoon, and they reported both computers were fit for continued use. Rocky’s is about to bite the dust, but they backed up all of his memory with a terabyte thingy and we bought the appliance as well. So, we are ready to back up his machine and replace it with my old machine should his drop dead suddenly. That would mean I would have to replace mine, but we could limp through with a rebuilt computer on the cheap. I am ready for that eventuality and preparing my mind for it.

It took me one hour and fifteen minutes Sunday afternoon to set up my computer, reboot it, and catch up on all the work missed in the last three days. I even had time to write this blog post and will publish it Monday morning.

The marooned feeling is already ebbing. Quickly. I am most grateful.

We will now make an appointment for more work with Geek Squad. Next time at the house. The TV surround sound and stereo system needs coordination. I think the techs will fix it up for us in no time. Then, there’s the TV remote issue, a streamlined computer set up, and oh, another thing……

June 28, 2021

 

Misreporting

I have noticed reporting by major news organizations have increasingly played to the fear card. Sometimes this is subtle. Often not. Even among trusted newscasters like NBC Network News, Lester Holt, and others. Here’s an example of what I’m referring to.

Tuesday evening, June 22, 2021, Lester Holt led with the report on the nation missing Biden’s vaccination goal of 70%. That goal was to achieve vaccinations of at least 1 dose-shot among 70% of all adults by July 4^th. The report claims the goal will be missed. They went on to report what populations are shying away from vaccinations and why.

No where did they report what the vaccination rate is likely to be. No numbers.

I want to know if the vaccination rate will end up on July 4^th at 65% or 68%. My suspicion is it will land near 70%, perhaps 69% plus or minus a tiny factor.

Anything close to 69% is a win. The US started vaccinations at nearly zero when Biden came on board. Look what has been accomplished since then. And the numbers continue to increase, although the rate of increase is slowing. That is to be expected as the numbers base is large and growing. Percentage increases will continue to lessen as we near 100%, an unlikely number given the politicizing of this issue.

But that is my point. COVID-19 has been politicized from the beginning.

I am a strategic planner, have been for 40+ years. In my business we set goals, sometimes stretch goals to pull us toward where we really want to be by a certain timeline. A goal of 70% was a stretcher goal to be sure. If we make 69%, that is a near win worthy of celebration. If we achieve 65%, then it is “nice try,” keep going to 70% and beyond. The game is not over yet. Instead, the news report makes it seem like a dire failure.

If the report focuses on the 70% goal, then it is incumbent on the news report to say what the figure actually is at the moment and what it is likely to be by the due date. None of that was reported by Holt or NBC News. That is a failure of ethical journalism.

This sort of thing has been growing in the past year or two. It is time to call it out.

I firmly believe the facts should be reported and the audience should be encouraged to make up its own mind as to the value of those facts. It would be helpful if NBC would dig deeper in a special report of 15 minutes or longer on the details of the situation, not just monger fear.

I am shocked that Lester Holt went along with this. I have watched his career grow from local Chicago news to national prominence. I am proud of his professional achievement. Lately, however, he has become the mouthpiece of network news writers. They are doing a poor job. His spouting the words does not change the facts. Nor does it polish his ethical image.

June 25, 2021

PS: This posting was done on Sunday, not Friday. That is due to my computer being in the repair shop for three days. I will write and post a fresh blog item Monday morning. 

  

Sports or Education?

College and university life are all about education and personal development. It is not merely vocational. Nor is it athletic.

An athlete may create a lucrative career for him or herself with a successful team sport performance during the college years, but the opposite is mostly true: athletes exit higher education with fewer completed degrees and poor preparation for managing their careers. They frequently leave school with broken bodies leading to early disabilities in their remaining adulthood.

I understand the allure of college sports. I understand the alumni wanting to support their alma mater through winning football and baseball teams. It is even more exciting when gymnastics, tennis and golf team members score large and move onto the national and international stages. How proud they feel. Just remember not all athletes share in that success. Only the cream of the crop get to the vaunted apex. The rest are fodder that supplies the champions. They are second or third or fourth best. Most likely they wind up much lower on the success scale!

The real success is the education the student gains through study and hard work. Stretching the mind and character is the means to learning about oneself and creating a platform for lifetime success. Athletics may be a means to pay the tuition for that education, but it is not the end-all.

The purpose – mission – of the educational institution is education. Not athletics. Not a national championship. Period.

Both are possible, however, if the institution does its job. To do that, however, the college must protect the athlete’s intellectual advancement first and sports second. The question is: do colleges and universities do that? I think not.

They should and they can. Why don’t they?

June 24, 2021

 

 

Housing Shortage?

A definition of shortage – any shortage – is lack of supply for the demand for the same thing. So, if more people want new cars than the available supply, there is a shortage of cars. While this statement is factual, there is another reality: the supply of cars – old and new – continues regardless of the demand.

In America there are 109 million cars registered (2019) for a population of 323 million. There are more operating automobiles than one third of the population in the USA. Consider most people under the age of 18 do not own a car, and people over 80 are most likely reducing vehicle ownership, then roughly 95 million people do not have a car. That means 230 million share 109 million vehicles, nearly 1 car for every two adults.

Clearly there is not a shortage of cars. Yet the press claims there is a shortage.

Part of the story unanalyzed is what is the number of NEW cars WANTED versus NEEDED. Another is why only NEW? The supply of late model cars is huge. It can be argued that the current shortage is temporary and subjective.

I maintain the same is true in housing. Just because people are staying in their homes rather than selling and buying another one, does not mean there is a shortage of housing. We continued to build new homes, condos, and apartments continually.  Housing supply continues to grow. At any given moment there may be more people wanting to buy a different home than is currently available on the market. That does not compute to a housing shortage, merely a temporary weakness in the market.

Interestingly, the pandemic demonstrated that ‘work from home’ works for employers. Employees loved it as well. More personal time, less or no commuting expense, less wear and tear on the family car and wardrobes, all while productivity and innovation grew. Employers also witnessed a reduction of expense for office space, utilities, and maintenance. The work-from-home model may be here to stay. Or a hybrid of it.

That means more people can work from home and live wherever they desire. Living in a more rural environment is now practical and it is cheaper. With lessening the need for housing closer to place of employment, housing supply loosens up in what was a more in-demand market. So, it is more accurate to state housing markets are in flex while norms are changing to different work-place models.

If employers insist on a return to the office (not very likely), then employees have new options. They can become independent consultants and sell to more employers all while working from home. This is a win-win situation because families gain from more personal time while employers reduce their overhead costs for buildings and related expenses. Do we need to mention the added benefit of improved innovation and productivity? Really? Isn’t this the point of training and development? To make our workforce more productive and creative?

Imbalances in the housing market are a fluid reality. Such imbalances do not spell shortage.

I think the press needs to do a better job on explaining what they mean.

June 23, 2021

 

Violence

There are those in Illinois – my state of residence – that believe we are experiencing a large increase in violence, shootings, and death. They claim this is the fault of the current governor and mayor of Chicago. They make this argument to create political discord and pressure for a return to republican leadership. Of course, this is wrongheaded.

First and foremost, nearly every state, county and city has experienced a surge in violence over the last several years. In fact, decades. Public spending has expanded police numbers, tools, and programs to battle the violence. Universities are studying the root causes of violence. Pundits step forward to air their latest ideas and opinions on these issues, too, usually to no helpful end.

The truth of the matter is complex. There are many causes of today’s violence. Here are some just for the record:

1.      Massive gun ownership in America. The number goes up year after year; not down; up. The tools of violence are omnipresent. Add public anger and incivility and violence is a natural result.

2.      Gun laws are pitiful. They are so watered down police can rarely enforce the laws and reduce violence at the same time. The gun laws are without teeth.

3.      Poverty drives discord in most communities. Fix poverty and violence will drop.

4.      Desperate people lose their self control and ignore the social contract that maintains calm. They spin out of control and hurt themselves or others in rampages. With a gun the spree turns to death.

5.      Injustice and racism foment desperation. Violence soon follows.

6.      Misguided political movements roil people who think they have been wronged and their turn to violence springs to life. That is essentially the story behind the January 6^th attack on the US Capitol building.

7.      Social unrest feeds on itself and pushes people into behavior they ordinarily would not think of. Violence is readily at hand in such situations.

8.      Violence is emotional, not tactical. Spur of the moment action creates mayhem and mass shootings.

How to fix these items? It takes research, study, analysis, clear thinking, and discussions among broad populations seeking peaceful outcomes. However, Congress does not allow research into gun ownership or restrictions. Understanding cause and effect of guns is outlawed by Congress. Hard to believe this is true, but the National Rifle Association made this public policy many years ago. It remains in place.

A good start on the right path is to abolish all gun laws on the books, and rewrite a sensible public policy supported by workable laws with teeth. By the way, the Second Amendment has nothing to do with public ownership of guns; it deals with a well ordered militia because, at the time of writing the Constitution, no standing army was provided. That is it. Second Amendment rights to gun ownership has been a misnomer all this time. Best we deal with that reality honestly and forthrightly.

Understanding racism is another repair long overdue. This is uncomfortable for white people in the majority to face. They refuse to believe they are racist while at the same time celebrate their whiteness and majority status. Let us watch what happens in a few years when white is minority. Inexorably that is the reality in America. Best we settle this essential point beforehand so guns are not then the issue.

Until then, uncontrolled guns and gun ownership remains in the center of violence in our society. It is not the cause; it is an effect. The causes are many. It is not guns; it is not racism or poverty or political spoils alone. They all contribute to the result of violence. Then too, they are all the result that leads to more violence.

It is time that we recognize commonsense and fix what is clearly very broken.

June 22, 2021

 

A Fly on the Wall?

Diplomacy is a sleeper of a career. Getting along with other nations requires many tiny acts of cooperation. Interacting with another nation’s culture, people, and customs, is one way to learn what matters, even what words mean and thus how to communicate intelligently with others in that country.

Learning more about a nation takes study, research, and concentration. In some instances, the host nation does not want everything to be known; that requires stealth and prying to learn what is important. Not a nice part of diplomacy, but often quite necessary. This is the dark side of diplomacy. We have decades of Cold War experience to understand why organizations like the CIA and KGB were and remain important mechanisms in diplomatic circles.

In relationships like Russia and the USA, much is said about actions large and small. Mountains of concern are heaped in front of us on network news programs. Threats and dangers are paraded routinely – why is Russia staging military maneuvers near Finland, Ukraine, Crimea, the Middle East, and so on? Sneers and insults lobbed by Putin toward Biden and America in general are treated as prime Cold War fodder to rile the audience. Why? Do these actions actually occur? Are they as important a they are made to seem, or are they exaggerated for effect? Are we reading too much into it? Or what?

That’s when I would like to be a fly on the wall of meetings between Biden and Putin. What did they actually say? How did they appear? Were they truly friendly or was it all for show? Did they get any personal time with each other in private when they could talk plainly? How much of this is show? How much of this is real?

I guess we will never really know. One thing that comforts me, however, is knowing that cool minds do communicate with one another often. Just knowing that relationship is functional calms my fears. I do not want Russia, China and the USA acting like schoolyard bullies when patience wears thin and brash action takes place. I want our leaders to calmly discuss important matters and get along with one another. That builds trust and positive actions. That keeps the peace and constructive interactions.

I do not expect China or Russia to love America. I do expect them to get along with us. We should get along with them, too. Talking is a good thing. Seeing our common humanity is settling. Knowing what each country fears about the other is a good thing. Knowing what each needs is another. Often, we can help one another ease the fear and satisfy need. Little things pop up. They are attended to. They do not grow into larger issues to fight over.

No; we learn to get along in a violent and uneasy world. That is what diplomacy is supposed to do. Keeping calm. Building peace. Even when times are uneasy.

I am happy Putin and Biden are talking. I like to see them shaking hands and smiling at one another. It means other matters can be discussed and managed. It means reason and logic remain in place for another day.

It seems a small matter. But it is not. This is the slow, plodding routine of diplomacy. It is necessary. And the basis for future.

June 21, 2021

Limits

What better day to face limits of ability than your birthday? Any day will do, of course, but when the birthdays accumulate to higher numbers previously unthinkable, then fate’s face appears in the mirror.

I was summoned for jury duty in the federal courts downtown Chicago. This is something I had hoped for many times. The legal system. The courts. Justice. The cutting edge of critical questions concerning one person, one act, one accusation. Guilt. Innocence. Which would apply? What are the facts. And the logic.

Yes. I wanted to face those difficult questions because I felt the need to both test my ability to focus and maintain logic, while holding someone’s fate in the palm of my hands. This work is done every day. By ordinary people coming from ordinary lives and neighborhoods. The same applies to me. How would I function in that setting? It is a duty solemn and central to our form of governance.

Of course, I accepted jury duty.

Now, on the cusp of actually doing that duty, I realize I would have trouble fulfilling it. The jury would be in the federal court building downtown on Dearborn Street. They would pay for parking, mileage and daily compensation. Money was not the issue. The issue embraced these realities, my realities: limited ability to stand, walk without help. I have a walker/rollator for that; it has a seat in the event I tire and need to sit. The energy required to drive downtown, not get lost, find the parking garage, maneuver into an appropriate space near an elevator, and then find my way out of the facility and toward the court building. All of that would take concentration and energy. Then the concern of how much oxygen it would take and if I should bring my portable oxygen unit? Once there and ‘on duty’, the return trip home loomed: finding the car, exiting the garage and entering traffic, then home, I began to have doubts.

Rocky was horrified I had agreed to jury duty. All he could do was shake his head!

Tomorrow I am to call the court jury system to learn if I am likely to be scheduled for a case; if so, I make the trip the next day. If not, I have a reprieve of one day; I am to call the following day for status and every day for my term of duty for one week or the length of a trial, whichever is longer.

As the date approaches fear builds: can I do this? Would I fail getting there on time? Would I fail getting there at all? How complicated would the consequences be? How embarrassing?

I hate admitting I cannot do this – the jury duty itself – or the logistics of the coming and going. Health is one thing; stamina is another. Saving face yet another. Which is more difficult – being unable, or admitting it?

Stamina of mind and logic is not the question. The question centers on the body supporting the physicality of the doing. Am I ready to accept such limitation?

This is the reality of aging and learning to live with the consequences of it.

I still do not know what I will decide. Perhaps that alone should keep me from jury duty!

PS: I called the Juror's hot line and left a message. Later the same day they provided me an email letter excusing me from jury duty. That part is over. Now on to life's limitations!

June 18, 2021

 

 

Making Good

An artist thinks of life, his or hers, or the world, or nature, or something much larger than the self. It has dimension, texture, and value. How to define all of these? In relation to the original thought that spurred the pondering?

The creative urge is forming. The artist selects the medium and resources to express the thinking, the core of the thought. An image in paint or charcoal or pen and ink take shape. A three dimensional shape emerges from unsculpted materials. A figure? A radical shape that creates a sense of motion or final thrust? Toward what? To what end?

The same with a potter creating shape, function and emotion from clay and elements of chemicals that bring color to the palette. A painter. A writer. A poet. A musician who plays the music or composes it. The singer, instrumentalist. Whatever. Whoever.

Something is made from ‘nothing’ to you and I, but to the artist the nothing is something to be worked with and created from. They are making something, bringing it into being. Something that will enrich our lives in some fashion. Will it be beautiful and ennoble our existence? Will it inspire us to act in a way that will benefit others, fix problems, build something beautiful for us to live with, in or through?

Making good has so many meanings. A young person who struggles day by day for many years to complete her education so she may pursue interests that will support her livelihood and accomplishments that will expand lives of others. That is making good. The architect who designs a building or residence to meet the needs of the residents or users of the space makes good, too. Some buildings are pure function; others are imaginative and motivational; we do less good in drab surroundings and soaring achievements in spaces that inspire thinking and doing.

Government is a tool to do good. Like libraries, schools, power grids, highway systems and so much more, we live in an environment both made by nature and mankind. Not all is perfect. Not all functions well. We labor to improve what is imperfect and soon learn all is imperfect.

Doing something about what needs improvement is making good, too. At the base of this work, however, some decisions need to be made. Is the project addressing what is important? Do we know what we want at the end of our struggle? Have we defined the outcome we desire? Is this a universal desire or value? Or are we creating something in direct opposition to what others deem better?

Making good requires community engagement in most situations. The artist can act alone. His is a statement about life’s condition. That statement helps us understand the scale of the condition; perhaps it needs our involvement to improve on it. The art informs us of a reality, a problem, a beauty, a thought or value that must not be lost. What we do with that realization is up to each of us.

Making good needs others who desire to make good. Sharing the context of life is a step that must be made if we are to move toward purpose and valued outcome.

Making good needs me, you and we. Together we can do so much.

Much needs doing.

When?

June 17, 2021

 

Manchin Puzzle

Not really a puzzle, is it? Isn’t it a simple matter of power, personal power, political power?

Joe Manchin, Democrat Senator from West Virginia, holds power over the slim math of balance of power in the US Senate. If Democrats – President Biden – want to change public policy by action in the Senate, they need all the Democrat votes they can muster. Losing one vote – Manchin – means defeat of the legislative proposition. The ‘agenda’ of Joe Biden and Democrats in general is blocked.

Manchin revels in this power. He resides in a hugely poor state. A state that has felt powerless for generations. Having their day in the sun is important to them. And to Joe Manchin. It does not hurt that this attention, this power, comes with goodies from republicans in the form of party support, party campaign donations, contracts and public projects that benefit the citizens of West Virginia, and all the rest. This is what power looks like up close. And Joe Manchin gets it.

The rest of America suffers from this pettiness. Here are projects Joe Manchin is blocking:

·        Infrastructure improvements: dams, highways, bridges, stormwater control projects, improvements to the electrical grid and protection from foreign hacking.

·        Expansion of access to the internet for all citizens: this is the emerging infrastructure the old does not yet include; this will expand career opportunities, educational access, and much more.

·        Voting rights: we say we are a nation of voter rights and one person-one vote, democracy and all the rest; but we then make it difficult to exercise that right to vote? That makes sense in what we believe is the world’s greatest democracy? Really?

·        Investments in people: health, education, career preparation, and dignity. Indeed, this is the investment that will enable each person to seek their own level of achievement. It will also increase our competitiveness in the global market for goods and services.

There are other issues Joe stands in the way of. Filibuster rule is just one of those. Of course, killing the filibuster would neutralize much of Joe’s power of the moment.

There are plenty of people who make Joe Manchin out as a hero of principle and values. Hogwash. He is a petty manipulator for selfish aims. The tragedy is the programs he blocks are the very thing his fellow West Virginians need to better their lives.

Tragedy? No; travesty.

June 16, 2021

 

Yearning

Whatever your age, you want something. It may be a sunny day that smells fresh and beckons early positive thoughts. Feelings. It may be a favorite aroma that tickles the tongue for eggs, bacon, or something else. Perhaps it is a sticky bun dripping with pecan chunks buried in cinnamon and caramel goodness; warm would be good, too, especially accompanied with a pat of butter melting into the ooze.

Or, your yearning may point toward a car, maybe new, maybe an old classic, possibly sporty and loaded with special features. Or other shiny objects may be in your want column? It might be a new appliance, a kitchen makeover, or a new audio system connected to a giant screen TV.

Others yearn for a better job, a grander home, perhaps an exotic trip to a foreign land.

Yet others – still others – ache for food, fresh water, better health, a family made whole by recuperation from serious illness, or a death of a loved one. These are the basics most of us take for granted.

On Sunday we seek calm, solace, personal space, and peace. Sensing a lack of these, we go to church or some other place of worship and enlightenment. We listen for words of comfort and meaning. Words that will help us during the week to cope with what bothers us. Words that guide us and quiet our fears.

Wanting. Searching. Aching. Yearning.

Common feelings. Sensations of need? Or are they only wants?

Wanting and needing are two different things. Wanting is a sense of lack needing to be filled. So much wanting is really a sense of incompleteness, a vacuum begging to be filled. How much of this is worthwhile? How much is mostly meaningless?

In the larger world many of our wants are narrow, cheap and of little actual value. These are the things that make us feel better about ourselves or maybe feel better than other people?

In America, we are conditioned to want. That is what advertising is all about. It creates in our minds the sense of lacking, the need to fill that lacking, and the purchasing of whatever to fill the gaps in our lives. We all feel the pull of advertising. We all feel the lacks in life. But when we feel an aching large gap we mix helplessness to the mix of emotions. A crisis looms until the ache is fed a solution.

Best if the want, the yearn, is well understood. Is it vital? Is it important? How much of it is necessary, if any? Focus on the important. Train resources on the needs and get to work.

Doing this for others usually lessens the ache within ourselves. Filling the needs of others fills an invisible need of our own we did not know we had. Doing this finds peace. Feeding this purpose fills aches and yearnings.

It makes the old car seem new again. And the hungers fade away.

We can hope so.

June 15, 2021

 

Misuse of Public Authority

The title of today’s blog could have been ‘Bits and Pieces’ and you will see why. However, the subtitles included all demonstrate a common thread – misuse of the People’s power.

Ours is a democracy, built on the model provided by the Greeks millennia ago. Changes were made to the model to produce the American Republic. The final model of the 1790’s favored landowners who were mostly white and wealthy. The result was distorted representation of We The People. That result has been modified through the past 235 years to broaden the democratic process. Yet the white privilege and wealth standard was maintained in many ways.

The morphed result has led to these actions experienced during the trump administration:

               DOJ investigates press, corporations, and others as political enemies

               Pentagon budget used for southern border wall building

               Congressional inaction on January 6^th Capitol Attack

               Congressional blockage of infrastructure bill

               Federal tax policy vs Democracy

Not only has the federal model of governance been misused for the above purposes, it remains ‘in power’ to frustrate correcting the problems and 'clear and present dangers' presented by this situation. The crisis grows worse while the system is given a chance to correct itself under Democratic leadership. Republican leadership – now in the minority – plots methods to restore power to the House and Senate to continue manipulating and blocking progress to repair all the damage.

Delay tactics are the largest strategy. The system is loaded with nefarious means that are used to waylay progress. GOP leadership has mastered this approach and Democrats appear powerless to counter.

Abusing public power on a grand scale has been the hallmark of the last 30 years of our federal governance. The proof of that resides in the subtitles listed above. Ponder that long and hard. Take your time. Think on what needs to be done to correct the situation. Then think how we get the federal government to address these problems adequately and fairly. Such does not appear possible currently.

That is precisely the problem.

When did We The People become such a charade? And how?

Can we fix this? Ever? If yes, how and by whom?

June 14, 2021

 

 

 

Fixing Immigration

The problem with immigration is not at the border with Mexico. The problem is not with other countries. The problem simply is:  What does America want its legacy of immigration to be? 

Are we to be a land of inclusion? Are we to be a nation of hope? Are we to be a country that welcomes others to become one with us?

Or are we a nation with high bars and standards to exclude people different from us?

It is our choice. It is our freedom. We have the right to make this decision and be whatever we say we should be.

However, there is a big IF. That IF is: we are a democracy and We The People make the decision. Currently we are not doing so. Elected politicians are making the decisions and they are at odds with our history and with the polls, and with the will of the people.

So, the problem is not immigration of people from without, it is with the people within our borders. You, me, them.

We don’t need to visit the US/Mexico border to see a crisis unfolding. That is not where the crisis resides. It is much closer to home. It is within us. You and I. Just the two of us multiplied by 160 million. Stop blaming outsiders. Stop making this a political party problem. It is not any of that.

No; it is a problem with you and I. Do we include or exclude?

Make that decision. Then deal with the consequences honestly and openly. Either decision has consequences. Which set of problems do you want to solve? Which pathway will you take?

More importantly: what does the decision say about the kind of person I am? You are?

June 11, 2021

 

Open Letter to President Biden

Dear Mr. President,

I am happy you won the election and am very supportive of your early days in office. You are doing a great job. Keep doing it!

I have a few suggestions I would like to see you pursue:

1.      Do not make the mistake Pres. Obama made in trusting republican congressional leaders to compromise and cooperate. That wasted two years of political advantage in congress and nothing has happened to tell us republicans are trustworthy or collaborative.

2.      Pass the infrastructure bill at the full value you originally proposed.

3.      Invest in people: education, healthcare, social security, infrastructure.

4.      Continue to preach competitive advantage of America over China and Russia. That is the truth, but we must continue to make it true long into the future.

5.      Putin is a putz. Know this and merely seek his collaboration and cooperation. He must prove that or be isolated from the global village.

6.      China is not a putz, but they do not control the world nor should they. Neither should we. the global village should ‘control’ the world through cooperation and collaboration. Those who do not are outsiders and isolated.

7.      Military should be defensive, not offensive. Kindly remember that.

8.      The American people are our greatest asset. Invest in them. Believe in them. The good will follow.

Listen only to those who are willing and able to be a part of solving problems. Those who do not are in the battle for themselves, their power and wealth. They do not speak for the American People. Avoid these people at all cost.

Thank you and bless you and your difficult work.

Sincerely,

June 10, 2021

In What We Trust?

Our money claims we ‘trust in God.’ Our history proclaims America is on God’s side, whatever that is. Our churches have preached that message for so long we tend to believe it is true. Only that is not likely. We do not trust in God.

Instead, we trust in ideas, facts, history, research, invention and so much more. Of course, that requires us to believe in us, our abilities to grow, learn and prosper. That is the American Way. Its fruits are the American Dream.

Believing in that, however, should remind us that we believe in each other if the Way and Dream are to succeed. No Man Is An Island. We learned that long ago. It took American military forces to defeat Hitler and Japan in the Second World War. We did not do that alone. We had allies who had long before been doing battle with the Axis powers. We joined late but decisively. And that turned the balance of war toward the Allies and peace.

No Man Is An Island. We stood with our global partners to wage war and make peace. We need to do that again.

Only this time no military should be needed. Today, we can do much through service to others and toward other nations. We can do business with them, help them find the resources to improve their own economies and resources. We can help build a world economy that relies on each other, not competes ideologically or militarily. That is a lesson much of the world understands and agrees on.

Two powers do not agree: Russia and China. Russia is dealing from a position of weak economy, weak will but strong military. China deals from a position of huge numbers of people, a large military, and strong resources. But it suffers internal weaknesses that would be formidable for any other nation. This makes China vulnerable in so many ways. A military victory over an expanded region plus Taiwan would be a disaster for China and the global village. It is too large a consequence to allow China the victory. Better if they focused on peaceful needs within their own country than seek hegemony over others.

Russia would benefit from the global village and its shared economy. However, Putin continues to think that force is needed to win respect. He misses the point and has for most of his career. Force is a sign of weakness. If you have to act the role of bully, you have already lost the battle for minds. Invest, instead, in your people and their standard of living. Do that and watch your society soar. Now that is something to be proud of, not the past. Not the military. Not the propaganda.

Mr. Putin: stick your nose into your nation’s business and stay there. Fix what is broken there. Watch the good things happen. Realize that military is and always has been a last option to prop up a failing regime. This is as true for you as it is for America. And China.

We all have enemies in some fashion or other. The problem is with the other. Don’t fall for the bully routine. Become the nation of hope and potential that makes your nation impregnable. Then watch the global village function as it ought.

June 9, 2021

Two Economies

One economy we have. Another is the one we want. Knowing the difference between the two will save us a lot of grief.

The current economy has much potential in it. That potential remains built up demand with some built up supply. As the economy comes back from the pandemic, there will be imbalances in the equation of supply and demand. Buyers will cause prices to rise until supply returns to proper levels to satisfy demand. Money is not in question for many people; the pandemic allowed them to cut costs and save money. They learned to dampen their needs and their wants. They settled into a routine that kept old buying habits quiet. With the ebbing pandemic, society is opening up to old activities. Buying sprees are evident.

How to handle this? Continue to dampen your demand and purchasing. Prices will resume a fair balance in time. wait it out.

Now, the economy we have suffers from many plagues. The opposite of these plagues is where we will find the new economy we want. Here are some thoughts:

·        Our labor pool lost jobs more from obsolescence than the pandemic. The two happened at the same time but are not related.

·        The labor pool is willing to work but needs retraining to do the new work that has been emerging for the last several years.

·        The infrastructure is not in good condition, and much of it is not located where it needs to be. Plus, technology is now a major portion of infrastructure without our realizing it. It must be enabled and supported. Publicly supported and funded.

·        Product and service demand worldwide is huge. Those markets remain to be supplied. American products and services remain of high quality and innovative. They are in demand. We must supply that demand or lose the market. Other nations will respond if we don’t. Russia cannot; China has size issues that plague it. The US is nimble and can adjust. But the labor pool must be supported by employers if they want skills and talents to do the work.

·        Low cost products make temporary markets, not long lasting ones. Invest in the future products and services. That is where the reward and profits are.

·        Focusing on national issues only insulates us from where the future resides; outside of our own nation. The global village is a real place. Do not hide from it.

·        America First will make America Last over time. The consequences are too great to play with. Step up and do the necessary work to make good things happen wherever the demand is.

·        A global village protects all its interests. Peace comes from that reality.

·        Military regimes waste resources and harm themselves more than winning victories. Sad but true. Historical fact.

If we know what we want for an economy, we must build it. The resources are there. The need is there. The smarts are there. All we need is the doing of it. Why is this a political issue?

Only fools make politics instead of progress.

June 8, 2021 

Fauci’s Truth

In the early days of HIV/AIDS complete ignorance reigned. Thousands of young men were dying throughout the world. In those days no one knew what they were dealing with. No one knew where the disease came from or started. Without that they had few clues about what they were working with.

Researchers dug in. Started where they could. Relied on scientific method and slowly accumulated data that pointed towards an understanding. False leads were plentiful. Pharmaceutical corporations dug in as cases mounted. Hundreds of thousands of new cases were reported. Young men continued to die in mounting numbers. New York City was a hot spot. LA was a hot spot. Miami, Paris, London, Berlin and so many more. Then millions were dead. The crisis defined itself.

Parents and grandparents were shocked. The passing of their younger generation was too much to bear. Young talent was robbed from society. Musicians, actors, writers, artists, mathematicians, scientists, explores, all of these and more were suddenly absent from our future. The loss was staggering. The business community especially was hurt.

Today 36 million are dead from HIV/AIDS. It is a pandemic but now ebbing. Immunologists, scientists and major donors funded the research that discovered treatments and drugs to tame the disease. Make no mistake; the disease remains. We have only learned how to live with it and lessen its toll both in death and in disability.

Dr. Anthony Fauci was in that heroic effort to defeat HIV/AIDS. For decades he has been front and center in that fight. He understands pandemics. He understands the science. He understands how the human body fights diseases naturally, and which diseases overpower the body. Which diseases need other solutions to save the body, to save lives. He has been there in HIV/AIDS. He has been there in other diseases through the years. And now the COVID-19 pandemic.

The only difference in his role in COVID was his leadership role in educating the public. Problem was he had a new boss assigned to him in the presidency. That boss was not a scientist. That boss had no respect for truth or facts. That boss was only about his own visibility and assumed superpowers. He told his people what to say, and what to support.

Walking the fine line throughout this ordeal, Dr. Fauci still spoke the truth. He still worked the truth and the methods of science. He kept at it. Seven days a week. Twelve to sixteen hours per day. Fauci is not young; he approaches 80. But his mission remains pure and true.

To question this man’s credibility is not only foolish, but also political propaganda. If we are to survive as a credible social order, we must dump the propaganda. We must dump the trump. And get on with life and business.

That means listening for the truth and facts. That means being involved in understanding what is news and what is not.

I have followed Dr. Fauci for many years. I have his back. I hope the rest of us do as well.

June 7, 2021

Arcane but Witty?

Reading a collection of short stories, I came across several that were supposed to be funny. They created pictures of three or four persons interacting socially with quick banter, barbs, and sarcastic puns. Characters were dutifully responsive with guffaws and chuckles, yet the reader was left dry. Wondering what the point was, I pondered if the idiom was dated and out of step with ours of today. But I recall reading these stories some years back and they struct me as dry then.

In another setting, we attend a retirement party and witness speeches lauding the guest of honor. Some of these deliveries are heartfelt thank yous, some are biographical complete with education and a retelling of the retiree’s career resume. Not all orators are equal to the task they are called to do, but the happy go lucky raconteur with puns aplenty and jokes is sure to please. Only he doesn’t always. And we cringe our way to the end of the event, have another drink and make our way home.

In another social gathering we are informed of critical issues needing our attention and are gifted with an academic delivery of facts, figures, and cause-effect-result. Dry rhetoric. Dire warnings. Forecasts of doom. The event is yet another to survive. We limp home glad to remove our shoes, tie, restrictive clothing and relax before going to bed.

There are times we wish for less exposure to these rituals. They do not edify. They do not inform or enlarge our thinking. They only try our patience and good humor. For some reason, these events are expected and call for our attendance. Not all gatherings are equal, nor are they all fun and enjoyable. But we go and survive yet another unmoving event.

When will we learn new methods to mark special occasions without damaging patience?

I would have thought the internet and social media would have arrived at a solution to this puzzle, but no.

Might we try? Or will these events merely waste away from lack of attendance. That might be a welcome blessing. At least a start in the right direction.

The pandemic taught us the value of time and thought. It taught us the value of gathering. Now we need to learn how to build content to make the gathering worth the while. Arcane? Witty? No, just make sense.

June 4, 2021

 

 

Pride

The fear and trembling were not good. Worse, the dread. Breathing shortened. Cool sweat formed on the forehead, down the back, too. Something was not ‘right,’ but no words labeled it.

As time passed words did come, words that articulated more of the unknown. Bit by bit it uncovered a truth hard to fathom.

I have thought back through all of this many times, for decades, generations even. Coming of age means so many different things. It depends on who is involved. What is their personal universe? Who was their family core? How accepting of differentness were they. Would they accept the full truth? Or only bits and pieces of it? Under what circumstances would they face all of it?

And who would tell them? Who would find a way to say it all? Was it worth it? How easy to avoid this, to bury it again and again, go onto something else that was more interesting, fun, diverting?

Friends of my age did not know. When would they understand? And the consequence?

Of course, I refer to naming the cause as being gay. It comes slowly with inching awareness. Usually, a public happening causes a stir and comments; later it is a newspaper article. Then the whispers gather more interest, and a name is placed on it, the differentness. Looking up words in the dictionary helped. Of course, the dictionary was shut or changed to different pages when I left it so no one would know what I was investigating.

Once the self is clued in, then wanting to talk about it aches, but with whom is a mystery. For a long time, it is a mystery. To talk about it means sharing and baring the self. More avoidance. Years tick by.

Every gay person in America through history has had these experiences. In modern times it is easier, but that does not lessen the weight of the process. The speed? Yes. The pain? No.

June is Pride month in the USA. It is a time to admit that being different is not a fatal condition. It is a time to share the simple fact that gay is a natural gender orientation. It was not chosen. It just is. Once the long process of realizing the reality, clearly choice was never a part of the equation.

Being who you are is the point of it. I am many things – white, Anglo-Saxon, protestant Christian of so-so credentials, an aging person, male, political centrist but involved, and oh, by the way, gay. Once married, father of two, grandfather of four, divorced and now gay married with more kids and grandkids. It is OK, all of it is OK.

As I near the 80^th birthday (still 2 years away), I realize only now what I should have known from the beginning. But then it wouldn’t mean as much to me, would it? The status is earned, not conferred.

I am gay and it is OK.

If anyone wants to understand it fully, they have to walk in my shoes through the whole story. It is a long walk. And, it isn’t over yet!

June 4, 2021

Together

A tentative step. Into the room. A few others were already there. What were they doing? What would the new entrant do? Some look at others. A few avert their eyes, avoiding all contact. How will the social ice be broken?

A man in his 60s – OK, maybe his 70s – shuffles in and sits. Pulls out his phone. Scrolls through a few screens then stops. Looks puzzled. Shakes the phone. Taps it a few times. Then huffs loudly. A young kid – maybe 7 or 8 – walks up to the guy and asks to see the phone. Asks the man what he wants to do. The kid fingers the phone a bit and hands it back to the older man. He smiles. He works the phone a bit more then pats the kid on the head with thanks.

People begin leaning closer to another person and comment on what just happened. Within two minutes the room is a hubbub of chatter and a few giggles.

Repeat this scene countless times on the same day throughout a nation. People want to commune with one another. They look for ways to do so. It happens.

We are social beings.

The three of us walk into a restaurant. We park in handicapped with our approved windshield card hanging from the rearview mirror. The parking spot is also a numbered curbside pickup space. Several such spaces are arranged in the parking lot. Inside food order pickup stations are arranged by vendor – Grubhub, Door Dash, etc. – and self-serve, too. Next to these tables is the greeter station. A young woman asks us how many and leads us to a table. The restaurant has a few tables occupied. Some patrons are leaving while newcomers arrive to be seated.

The restaurant is abuzz with activity. Staff flits from here to there. Mostly the activity is preparing orders for pickup. Unseen diners arranging dinners to go and a local business happily fulfilling the requests. This is the new normal for this restaurant. It will likely change to in person service in the future but for now it is a mix of service. Their food is in demand. It is good. It is tasty. It remains a treat for the consumer.

Yearning for gathering near the end of a pandemic is evident. Mixing with others is slowly returning.

A graduation, wedding, anniversary, birthday. The gatherings are called. They are prepared. Where once 20 came to celebrate, now only six or eight. But it is a beginning. Confidence is returning. Families are gathering to be with one another. Being apart has not been easy. First phone calls, then face time, then zoom meetings. Finally masked meetups of short duration. Then inoculations, mass vaccinations and the gatherings increase in frequency, numbers too.

We are assembling. We gather. We return to…

June 2, 2021

 

New Month

This is the month of Fathers’ Day, Gay Pride, and my birthday. June is also the birthday month of several of my family members. Three reasons to celebrate for me, and for others.

As generations emerge, grow and ebb, we gain a larger view of life on this planet. What I think important at one stage of life is not so vital in the next or following stages. Perspective does that; it gives  breathing room to think and weigh values.

When I was young – teenager into early 20’s – I felt the reality of expanding life and the sensing of it all. Discovery and fulfillment were just around the corner. Each day offered a new glimpse of possibility. Those days were exciting and breathtaking.

Sobering reality dawned with choosing among optional life pathways. What would happen if I chose this path and not one of the others? Was there more money with one, more prestige with another, or something else with yet another?

Not easy choices. Early in life we do not have the toys and glitter that money can bring. Do we miss that then and yearn for the means to gather those goodies? Or do we value something else entirely? What brings the largest reward? What is that reward? A sense of fulfillment? A sense of worth having nothing to do with money? Can we even know the relativity of such things?

Yes, financial rewards are needed to buy a better home – more convenient, better location, more pleasing architecture, and a touch of luxury perhaps. More financial rewards ensure ability to pay for educating the kids to whatever degree they are interested and able. Funding a secure retirement is yet another motivator. Even things may motivate but not always a lasting allure.

Luxury clothes, jewelry, travel, and cars are baubles that please but for a slice of time. perhaps a memory but little more. And then the reality that all good things come to an end, and the baubles and big ticket toys vanish. No longer useful. No longer practical. Even housing comes with downsizing because it must. I can no longer care for larger spaces, avoid the complexities of managing such responsibilities, and work toward inevitable simplicity. Even travel is more trouble than it is worth. Old memories will have to do. The body deals with what it can, and must.

What entices the mind now are ideas. They are the new experience and accumulating memory that matter now. It is not what have I accomplished so much as what is yet to be done that I may help do? Yes. That is of interest. Who needs help? If I help them, will they be empowered to accomplish more for their families and society? Will they innovate the solutions we need and ache for as a society? Or will my efforts create more wealth that skews our cultural values? Which is important? Which not?

Passage of time is aging. Aging gains perspective. Perspective builds understanding. Understanding provides articulation for others to now see what the elder has come to know. Is the knowing of value? Is it truly worth knowing? If so, labor on and help younger generations thrive.

For their sake. And that of mankind.

And I'll get a kick out of it, too!

June 1, 2021