Let’s Have a Conversation

I have resisted writing here lately because my feelings about our politics are strong and I didn’t want to add to the toxicity of America’s current political discussion. But I have concluded that our society and our politics are in such a calamitous state that each citizen needs to do their best to help show the way to personal, political and societal salvation.

And it needs to be shared. America needs this discussion. I will try offer my small part and I will do it with love and respect for every American and all the people of the world.

Love and respect for the people with whom I agree is relatively easy. The president and all the people who call themselves MAGA or MAHA Republicans present the greater challenge as they would almost certainly not extend grace to me or anyone in the “Democrat” Party. But it isn’t really grace if you extend it only to the people you call friends.

Granted, it is hard to love and respect anyone who takes control of a government and operates it like a criminal syndicate. But we gave him that power through an electoral process that had served us well throughout our history, at least for the most part. So, there is little point in focusing the discussion on him.

Extending grace, love and respect to the people with whom we differ politically does not mean that they should be exempt them from legally established control and punishment. We are all subject to the law.

Removing the president from office may seem appropriate to his political opponents but that power is held by the legislative branch. He has been twice impeached by the House of Representatives but acquitted both times by the Republican majority in the Senate. Those of the president’s party who voted to convict are mostly leaving the Senate rather than face his retribution.

But this is only one area where the Republican congress has ducked for cover. It has refused to hold the administration accountable for its immigration policy and enforcement debacle, the wars against Iran and Venezuela, and full release of the files that document extensive wrongdoings of Jeffrey Epstein and his many monied friends. They have ignored corruption and looked the other way while the president has made a business of privatizing currency through what amounts to a Ponzi scheme.

I could go on. But, in brief, our government has failed.

Over the next few days and weeks, we can look at some things we all can do to right the ship and make our government work for the welfare of the people once again.

I will share my thoughts with you. I hope you will offer your own thoughts as comments at the end of this article.

Political Prophecy in “The Cougar”

I was viewing an old copy of The Cougar online the other day and I ran across this piece from the November 29, 1962 edition. I was a student at UH then but I do not remember seeing this piece by news editor, John Davis. It was written before the Kennedy assassination and the build up of troops in Vietnam.

I remember well the apathy of the early sixties but not this piece. It follows in full.

From The Cougar, University of Houston, November 29, 1962, Headlined: Today’s Apathetic Student To Lead World Tomorrow by John Davis

From the University of Houston’s Student Newspaper, “The Cougar,” in 1962

Young Republicans and Young Democrats at UH might as well pack up and go home. The fog of political apathy on this campus is impenetrable.

Two recent articles in The Cougar concerning politics brought letters only from those directly concerned. One an editorial concerning campaigning in the classroom brought a concurring opinion from the political science faculty.

The other, concerning the Student Peace Union, drew attention from four people: members of that organization.

The rest of the student body remained silent. Obviously few read it, and those who did probably didn’t understand it.

Reporters taking polls on the gubernatorial race discovered that apathy is not the only problem. Ignorance takes a strong second place. For example, two male students when quizzed on their choice between congressional candidates Baker and Casey, giggled and then picked Casey “because he’s a good doctor,” a girl shrugged and said that she didn’t know there was going to be an election, many weren’t familiar with any of the candidates, and few understood the difference between a primary and a general election.

The problem of political apathy and ignorance is certainly not new. George Washington complained about it.

A political science faculty member discussing the problem informally was reminded of an incident from ancient Greece. When the security of Athens was threatened, the citizens asked a philosopher if it were possible that Zeus might let their city be destroyed. The philosopher replied that if Athens fell it would not be the will of Zeus, but the stupidity of the Athenians.

Whether the enemy be external or internal, laxity and indifference is a breeding ground for tyranny. Anyone who feels that his vote doesn’t really matter and therefore he need not be concerned with the issues is shirking responsibility. Someone will take that responsibility for them. Too many times it has been a person like Adolph Hitler.

250 and Still Moving toward Democracy, Freedom and Justice

Here’s wishing everyone a happy Fourth of July.

There is much for us to think about after 250 years of independence from the crown. Racism persists despite a civil war that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, both by conflict and disease that was rife on the battlefields. We have moved only haltingly toward justice. We have yet to attain it; we continue the struggle. It is a struggle that goes on in every age.

With little expectation of achieving a full and final justice through political means, we can at least insist on fundamental fairness and support of the civic virtues of public education designed to provide people with the tools they need to perform the role of citizen and create an environment that is rooted in the rule of law.

The preamble to the Constitution of the United States provides the formula in the clearest and most concise terms. If we want a constitutional republic, we the people must provide its grounding.

A renaissance of public education and a revival of mature, private and free religion will set us back on the path from which we have strayed. One election will not fix it. One candidate will not fix it. One party will not fix it.

Do these things: pay your taxes; support your public schools; and practice the religion of your family’s tradition or do some reading and studying and follow a faith of your own choosing. But do not be influenced by algorithms dumped into social media by a plutocrat whose interests are to make more money and pay less taxes.

So, go out and march on No Kings Day. But that’s not enough. Vote. And here’s some advice from the church I attend: live every day as a citizen who loves boldly, serves joyfully and leads courageously. It’s a formula that can, once again, make this country the kind of place that has attracted people from other continents for all of our 250 years. And that has made us a beautiful country built on the strength of many colors and cultures.

Be proud of America. But we’re not done yet. Let’s get to work.

2020 – A SILENT GENERATION LAMENT

The cohort of Americans born between 1928 and 1945 has been called the Silent Generation. I didn’t know that I was a member of the Silent Generation until I wrote the piece below and I looked up “generation” in Wikipedia to see if I was indeed a boomer myself or, maybe, even an undeserving member of what they were calling the Greatest Generation. I found out that I am stuck in between the two. We are hardly noticed by the folks who try to generalize about the behavioral characteristics of people born in certain age cohorts.

I was late coming to the Silent Generation so my adult years were spent with talk everywhere about “boomers.” Marketing and media primarily addressed their needs and preferences. I heard so much about boomers that I subconsciously identified and, in any case, I was very nearly one myself since you could say that I was born on the cusp. But as I read more about those years between 1928 and 1945, I could see how completely my life was in the grip of that history.

What follows is very long. If you decide to read it, you will see that it is laid out like a poem. If it reads like prose to you, at least stop for a beat to think before going to the next line. Each bit of our history is loaded with plenty to think about. Yes, Truman and Eisenhower may not excite you. Ozzie and Harriet may bore you. But the kids who first learned about the world from floor model radios and small black and white screens had much to think about. And we have much to regret.

The piece is a personal project. It was completed during the 2020 election campaign and before the Biden-Harris election results were known. Although it was a hopeful sign, it didn’t really change much. But having lived through alternating and descending stair steps down into Trump hell, I know that it will take more than a single presidential election to get us heading onward and upward again. But we must continue the struggle. Loving boldly, serving joyfully and leading courageously is a model for individual living that will get us there. It is a formula for hope. Do all that and then put it to work in your VOTE.

Continue reading “2020 – A SILENT GENERATION LAMENT”

Happy Easter.

At the drugstore on Friday, the pharmacy assistant wished me a happy birthday as I finished paying. I corrected her, explaining it wasn’t my birthday but Good Friday. “Still,” I told her, “Easter is just as good a reason to be happy.”

A man in line had overheard the “Happy birthday” but missed hearing my correction. He came to me and pressed two twenty‑dollar bills into my hand with his own quiet “Happy birthday.” I tried to refuse and explained that her comment was incorrect, but he insisted, and our friendly argument continued even after we left the counter.

I’m older than most and get around with a cane. He had overheard the impressive amount I had paid for my two packets of pills. Maybe it was enough to make him feel sorry for me. But I am not needy.

When I finally decided that he wouldn’t relent, I asked him to name his favorite charity. He named the Wounded Warriors Project. I am sending them a check for $40 on Saturday.

If you witnessed his kindness—or if you are only reading about it here—I hope you’ll follow his example and make giving a central part of your life. When I think about it, maybe it’s a key lesson of Easter.

For Everything and Everyone We Love: Protest this Saturday

I just finished a book by two women, a Republican and a Democrat, whose podcast, Pantsuit Politics, discusses political issues in a most unstylish way–with civility and good manners. Civility has been a focus of their discussions and their book gives some good advice on how to make it happen within your own circle of friends and relatives. The book is I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening).

In the meantime, I am doing my best to keep a level head about President Donald Trump. He is a human being and a recipient of God’s grace just like me. Yet I cannot accept his behavior or his politics. That is not a reason for me to berate him as a human being nor the people who follow him. Still, my faith requires me to speak out when things are going badly in my country and the world. And they are going badly–very badly.

That is why I support the No Kings Day demonstrations that will take place around the country Saturday, March 28. I am a little past my street-marching prime or I would be there for this one. I would be there because I believe in peace, democracy, the basic rights of all human beings, and the need to act quickly and sensibly to control the warming of our planet. I believe it is within our power to achieve peace, to save our climate for human life, to save democracy, and to protect the rights of all of us if we act together and act now.

If you want to be a part of the No Kings Day protest, go to nokings.org for more information on how to locate and bond with people in your area who see the need to act. Show solidarity with those who share your concerns: people of all political parties, sexual identities, skin colors, languages and countries of origin. Spend some time Saturday showing America that we know the importance of loving boldly, serving joyfully, and leading courageously. It is our duty as citizens. I hope this little posting is a way for me to help.

And I ask your forgiveness for all my past violations of principles of civil political discourse. But I’m afraid I can’t help myself: I love political satire and will probably never try to give it up. .