My World-My View

The Wretch Point

2019-10-19T11:12:00.001-04:00

There is a place in American politics that triggers personal catharsis. It can be characterized as "the wretch point."

That incident, moment, policy or response that

turns a supporter to doubter or tips them into the critic pool.

Let's forget about the opposition for a moment. They look at the headlines and wonder why all of this is taking so long.

Let's focus on the changes silently occurring around us. When you look beyond bot-generated hearts and likes during live feeds and get that elevated aerial shot of crowd size footprints at "safe" and supportive rallies, you see a developing trend picking up steam.

Between tepid and rabid is a wide range of inspired independents, the party faithful, the loyal base, and Kool Ade swilling activists.

There are some who miss what they saw as the warm and affable style of the Bushes, the legitimate patriotism of a Dole or a McCain, and the bland wholesomeness of Romney. There are others who long for the style of comity exhibited by a Kasich or suggest.

These are folks now quietly reaching their own individual wretch points. For some, it is attacks on the families of the fallen, for others it is the adamant defense of womanizing and objectification. For still others, it's science denials, plant jobs that don't come back and depressed crop prices.

Toss in locking up children, separating families, attacking free speech, abandoning allies and propping up his own business sales with taxpayer dollars and there's more than enough wretch points to go around.

What a shrinking number of Americans are willing to accept is the premise that Donald J. Trump cannot be as bad as critics
Many are finding he is worse.

We see influencers openly raising concerns and developments that trigger our indignation drawing fewer defenses, diversions, and false equivalencies.

When it comes to gauging support and ultimately counting votes, wretch points indicate the slide that leads to that legendary slippery slope. #TheWretchPoint

2018-12-06T07:58:00.000-05:00

A few observations on the Bush Funeral and Internment.

Over the years, I have been directly involved in the coverage of two state funerals of presidents and wrote copy in real-time for a third.

Reporting at street level, you simply repeat the reactions offered by mourners and others who turn out to witness history.

Writing about such events you hit the major points-- both highs and lows, that capture the decedent's role in history.

For Nixon, Opening China and Watergate, for Ford, leaving Vietnam and pardoning Nixon, for Reagan beating Communism but being late on AIDS and ignoring cities.

In recent years, since leaving news, I have worked for three former members of Congress. One is fond of saying "people vote for candidates they like to believe are like themselves."

I believe that. Each of us is flawed, and none of us welcome being judged by any single act or several acts that define only part of who we are.

In real life, I have known people who raised hell for years, and showed many their nasty sides, only to become loving, caring people to their families. Some have worked for years or decades to reinvent themselves and reform their images.

Funerals are a time to focus on those things worth remembering. They may be sentimental and often will ignore the flaws and scars and even the pain the dead inflicted in life.

But beyond those brief moments of goodbye, true history remains. From unrealized ideals, to outright failures to quiet successes and idyllic victories, the memories left capture the departed individual.

Perhaps my former boss, the congressman was right. People do vote for those they see as most like themselves. However flawed, like us, perhaps they tried, and changed and tried again. Who judges that best, not man or woman, but God.

Ground Hog Day and Super Bowl Too? What's Not to Like

2015-01-30T14:04:00.001-05:00

Groundhog Day is Feb. 2.

We won’t know exactly what Puxsutawney Phil will show us until Monday morning, but I lay odds on six more weeks of winter.

I was in Puxsutawney, Pa. for Ground Hog Day, 1977, covering the big fun of the annual festival for a Pittsburgh NPR station.

Besides consuming copious amounts of beer, I got to listen to the locals swap all sorts of lore about the over-sized ground squirrels and how they’ve come to represent our hopes for an early spring.

Seems we owe it all to the very practical Germans who had no interest in butchering livestock so close to the beginning of Lent. Pass around enough beer or schnapps and if someone has a little woodland skill or a bored hound, guys can do the craziest things.

Drag a sleeping hedgehog from its burrow, grab a club, and if you work fast--protein problem is solved! The American equivalent to the European hedgehog is Phil, or a member of his family.

This year, we have the convergence of Groundhog Day and the Fortnight of Deflategate—or as some would prefer Super Bowl 49!

We don’t make these things up, so if you haven’t settled on your Super Bowl menu, Woodchuck Stew might be memorable for your guest and a culinary adventure for the cook:

Either way, as you enjoy the memories of your Super Bowl Feast, look forward to some cold weather, ice, snow or a wintry mix on your way to work, Feb. 2. Here's the outlook for Monday, Feb. 2, from our friends at Accuweather.

Super Bowl prediction? Who lost the game will be one of those difficult trivia questions only Seattle folks and real sports fans will confidently answer within 10 years, and I will be one of the viewers who ate and drank with prudent moderation.

And in case you didn’t get the message, “I’m only here so I don’t get fined.”

Not Our Brand

2014-12-19T10:21:00.002-05:00

Let's review:

1) The American subsidiary of an international corporation headquartered in Tokyo decides to take on a project that lampoons a the head of state of a hostile nation with an outsized military.

2) The uniformed leaders of that hostile nation consider the project a propaganda assault on the dynastic leader they are sworn to protect. They respond by devoting unknown resources, including their cash to a preemptive intelligence and digital infiltration campaign against the global corporation involved.

3) Using their own resources and the skills of unidentified global techno-mercenaries, they hack into the communications of the high-tech global company and dig up dirt. Then they tell the world about some of what they found, damaging the corporate brand, to the embarrassment of some of the top officials of the company's American subsidiary.

4) They then threaten to do more damage to the company if the lampooning project ever sees the light of day. That damage could include attacks on the exhibitors and their audiences during the most lucrative period of their marketing year.

5) With the possibility that even more damaging information on the global giant might be leaked, and with its strategic partners distancing themselves from the fray, corporate leaders roll over and throw the project back into the vault.

Now, in case you think I'm off-base, this is how Sony USA self-identifies: "Sony Corporation of America, located in New York, NY, is the U.S. headquarters of Sony Corporation, based in Tokyo, Japan."
My point, if this were Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, or Toshiba, would the U.S. government be obliged to respond?

Japan is a high-tech leader with ample defense capabilities.and a keen geopolitical interest in what happens on the Korean peninsula. Despite its global reach, Sony is one its most important businesses.

The USA does a lot in the world, and we may eventually help out here because cyber-terrorism and state cyber-warfare are huge issues, but the Sony attack is one of those world problems that may not have an American solution.

Make A Sandwich and Go to Work-- You Want Cranberries with That?

2014-10-24T08:45:00.001-04:00

There are lots of essential jobs that must be done on holidays, but is sales clerking one of them?

We need utility service, public safety, health care staffing and even news and information, fuel, travel and last-minute dinner ingredients.

There are types of entertainment we now consider part of our Thanksgiving holiday traditions, like sports, movies and night life.

Recognizing that a full third of the year's retail sales are tied directly to thee holiday shopping period, I can appreciate the need to wring out as much profit as possible during that period.

BUT, Thanksgiving worked well as a marketing day for decades, and turning it into a half sales day is a slippery slope.

In less than ten years we have gone from 4 a.m. or 6 a.m. openings to Midnight Black Friday sales. We now are rolling back to pre-Black Friday, Thanksgiving night door busters.

Soon this could be bumping up against the late NFL game, then the early game, then competing with dinner prep and by the time today's toddlers celebrate Thanksgiving as young parents with their families, the holiday meal will be a brunch.

The Thanksgiving holiday marks the beginning of a very busy time for service workers who will open early close late and restock shelves and mark down prices incessantly through mid-January.

Snatching up, for many what will be their final day off for nearly two months is just plain insensitive. This is not last minute dinner prep, public safety, health care staffing, broadcasting, travel or hospitality. This is a mixed bag of locked and open doors at malls, town centers, and shopping strips.

We have options, and I admit I may make a purchase or two on line sometime Thanksgiving Day. With automated order taking and offshore call centers, there are ways to move merchandise that do not involve Americans in great numbers giving up Thanksgiving and acting cheerful about it.

But for families that depend and need retail income, I do hope adding this extra Thanksgiving night shift (stores open at 6 p.m., staff needs to be there by 4:30), is not another sign of a disturbing trend.

Retailing is changing, the shopping experience and the way goods actually get to the gift giver are rapidly evolving and we could see big box stores go the way of Blockbuster Video or Photomat.

As traditional storefront operators fight for ways to maintain their market shares, they will sacrifice the family time of their staffs. For increasingly limited gains the pressures to man the sales floors and monitor the self service checkouts will continue to grow.

This could eventually come down to choices and trade-offs for some desperate last minute push to fill out schedules during the predawn hours of Christmas Day.

Fear, Hype and Chicken Little

2014-10-17T20:57:00.002-04:00

For Newsers, Journalists, Bloggers and Assignment Editors:

This may not warrant "Top Story Status," but in thousands of communities across the country, including dozens of major media markets.

Biohazard decontamination unit set up outside of Fairfax Innova Hospital, Fairfax, Va.

Someone is publicly displaying symptoms of nausea, vomiting, weakness, and perhaps a need to find the closest restroom.

EVERY SUCH CASE IS NOT SUSPECTED EBOLA.

Now, I know you may want a good lead, but it is October, there are colds, flu, allergies, and a bunch of worried people out there.

Let's tone it down people. If the idiots on the desks are not cooler heads, call someone in who thinks responsibly.

--- What the hell do I know? I'm just a retiree! ‪#‎PandemicsWarrantPerspective‬

Ebola: What We Have to Fear is Hysteria

2014-10-15T20:38:00.002-04:00

When the hysteria begins, it will be far too late. The whispers are slowly building to a roar.

Although no Ebola suspected patient has flown directly to the United States from Africa, the railing about banning flights is building among the angry voices and disaffected.

There is an undercurrent of noise that would stop U.S. citizens and legal residents from seeking medical treatment in their own country just because they have traveled abroad.

That those flights are coming from Paris or Brussels or London needs to be considered because that amounts to bans on international air travel. I remember how silent the skies were after 9-11 and personally, I never want to go there again.

EBOLA IS NOT NEW. Yes, it is new to the civilian world in the United States, but U.S. military, foreign service workers and some journalists have been dealing with the risk and building awareness for more than a decade.

When we start denying Americans opportunities to come home from business trips or vacations, we will become victims of the fears we have refused to surrender to during decades of international terrorism.

People are now listening to and believing hearsay from unidentified callers who get through on talk radio stations. I spent enough time doing radio to have a few names for such attention seekers.
Veteran broadcasters call them squirrels or trolls.

The day I leave this country and find myself in need of help as I try to get back in only to be denied is the day everything I've ever been taught about my country becomes a lie.

Read, learn, take precautions... but never let fear change who we are.

Can You Spare a C-Note for a Poor Journalist Down on His Luck

2014-10-08T20:36:00.002-04:00

When journalists lose their jobs, it does not always happen in ones and twos. Sometimes people are informed by the dozens.

One irony of this new age is that even as the world has more access to information than ever before, the people best equipped to cast aside the nonsense are being jettisoned in favor of sub-par content from unknown or unqualified sources.

In the world of the Internet, there is no system in place to sort the facts from the fantasy. Consumers accept what they choose and too often allow a contributor to declare opposing views as invalid.

This is not an age of reason. Let us hope that it becomes something more meaningful than garbage in and garbage out.

Truth has value and compiling it is neither cheap nor free.

Forty-seven very talented people lost their jobs, Oct. 8. This time it was an all news station in Houston, Texas. Just weeks ago it was dozens of editors, journalists and production specialists at Gannett's flagship outlet, USA Today.

A couple of months earlier, it was Bloomberg News.

What is a viable business model for news and information? What is the break even? Like print, radio is struggling to figure that out.

These are very tough time for talent.

At some point, the public will begin to ask questions. Among them, who wants me to believe this and why is this true.

There have always been differences between entertainment, advertising and news. We are losing that and marketing messages are influencing what we think and accept as facts.

There is a danger there. When you throw all information into the same bucket, the result is propaganda. In an age of unlimited access, who decides what matters, and who pays them for that?

Guilty of Adolescence and Executed Without Trial

2014-10-02T19:51:00.002-04:00

Thinking about the Loud Music case and the 1st degree murder verdict for Michael Dunn in the Jacksonville, Fla., death of 17 year-old Jordan Davis, I remembered this guy.

At 16, he played his music loud. Hung out with his friends, was outspoken, mouthy and opinionated.

There were many words used to describe him, but scary and threatening were not among them.

Had some idiot gunned him down and claimed "the scary black man" defense, things might be different.

Michael Dunn did not shoot into a car "full of blacks." He shot into a car full of teenagers who were African-American.

These unarmed children were doing what teenagers do. Hanging out, listening to music.

The "myth of the scary black man" defense is a worn and tired throwback that refuses to die.

It is a reality that governs day to day relationships, creating an artificially aloof decorum in the work place and often slashing like a knife to legitimize some slight or reason for exclusion.

In schools, churches and even some social circles the threat of the "scary black man" is spoken in terms from whispers to roars or communicated with glances or body language exchanged silently.

There is a disconnect in the United States.

We speak of children who die violent deaths for acting like kids as victims and their suspected killers as predators, unless those left dead are black.

Then they are thugs who surely must have done something justifying deadly force.
Michael Dunn shot into a car filled with people, unarmed CHILDREN.

I know little of Jordan Davis, aside from the fact that he hung out with his friends, listened to his music loud and had an encounter with Michael Dunn in a parking lot in Jacksonville, Fla.

At 17, he does not appear to be much different from the kid depicted in the photo at the top more than 45 years ago.

Like Trayvon Martin, 17, or Michael Brown, 18, 17 year-old Michael Brown is dead. Each of these young men were taken out by gunfire at a time evidence shows they were unarmed, and doing things teenage boys have always done.

Walking from a store, talking to a girl on the telephone, or hanging out listening to loud music with friends in a parked car. None of these acts warrant a summary execution on the street.

Those who point to political change and rail against what they see as the failures of an elusive "post racial society," should ask themselves how they justify in their minds that "the blacks" must be controlled in 21st Century America.

Respect for authority does not equate to surviving encounters with armed and distrustful police or private citizens determined to dominate encounters with "angry black males."

Adults with morals and conscience should have little difficulty seeing the evil and the tragedy of young people being cut down for simply being kids.

Our system supports innocence until proven guilty, yet these young are dead in part because to some they were considered suspicious and in death they remain suspect.

The young man pictured at the top has survived for many decades. At times, an awareness that some people on the streets would distrust him, detain him, hurt him or try to kill him was an instant reality.

Knowing and understanding the meaning and the culture of the "scary black man" defense was something the elders imprinted in me before my teenage growth spurt.

It is something that mothers, fathers and grandparents teach to this day. It is also something the parents of some biracial children worry about in the night.

That President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, the young Derrill Holly, pictured above and hundreds of my friends understand it is based upon our individual life's experiences. That others may not get it means that as a nation, we are simply not there yet.

Making the Most Out of a Ruined Season

2014-09-19T19:45:00.000-04:00

From the first time some high school girl walked down the hall in her boyfriend's letter sweater, sports has been more fun with females committed to the game.

I really don't get males smiling, high-fiving and hooting in the stands in the jerseys of their current guy crushes, but women in the stands rooting for their teams, their stars and their winners makes any sport big fun.

At 55, Roger Goodell's childhood memories of football likely had more to do with college loyalties and the New York Giants than the blue collar appeal of the National Football League. Perhaps he snickered or smiled as Broadway Joe Namath posed in pantyhose and made it okay to appeal to female fans.

The National Football League acknowledges that as much as 45 percent of its fan base is female. I submit that if flasks, hotdogs, hoagies and urinals were all the experience of going to games represented, blackout rules would make watching the home team dicey at best.

Professional football is not academic or amateur. It is mass entertainment, designed to appeal to families. While the base is male, the marketing and the message is for men, women and their children, often procreated during halftimes or as spiked opportunities spurred on by victories for the regional favorite.

The convergence of the fates, or the stars, now gives America's favorite game and a substantial proportion of its fan base an opportunity to dramatically alter our culture and our society.

The melting pot of U-S has been unable to roil or boil past violence-- family violence, as a method of control, and ultimately a hazard too often causing injury to those considered most vulnerable.

Too often there is a willingness to excuse the offender, point out the adverse impacts of punishment for the victims, and move on to protect the integrity of the institutions.

Goodell, as commissioner of the NFL had the power on Sept. 19, 2014 to declare zero tolerance for domestic violence, outlawing those suspected of victimizing others from the game until their names were cleared. He could have taken an extreme stand, instead of forming a safe and deliberative committee.

He could have created a category that would have dramatically altered Fantasy Football and given bookies across the country sleepless nights.

"Physically unable to perform because they are suspected of beating their children, wives, girlfriends, or playing grab-ass with an unwilling waitress."

The season tickets are purchased, the schedule is set, yet, female fans make up 45 percent of the fan base for the NFL, and if you look in the stands, beyond the NUTCASES in the dude jerseys out there in Peanut Heaven acting crazy, they represent maybe 48 percent of the fans in the decent seats.

Women now have opportunities to bring structural change to male sports, simply by declaring "you must be acceptable or you WILL BE BROKE." They also have a chance to dramatically alter the debate-- or lack their of around the antiquated issue of FAMILY VIOLENCE.

"You will commit to fixing this, or your silence says "you just don't get it."

This is a problem in the house, next door, down the street, in the neighborhood, in our towns, our cities, the region, our states and in our country.

Football is America's sport. Men and women love the game, but violence in the home and the family is an unpleasant American tradition.

Fix it by facing it.

COVERGIRL'S RIP-OFF ads are PERHAPS THE RIGHT IDEA.

See you Sunday, and if you want, change the game.-- Then, make sure that those graced with the privilege of elected office consider the value of moving once and for all, beyond the tragedies of domestic violence as a basic fact of life.

The number one domestic issue in the United States is violence, if it is not, then ask yourself, why not? Then decide if you are good with that.

For Apple: If Anyone is Listening

2014-09-17T20:01:00.001-04:00

I WON'T BUY AN IPHONE VI AND WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE

I could text 500 word news stories real time on the original Blackberry keyboard.

The touch screen keyboards of today are not designed for my large hands or texting speed. What's more, the larger screen is why I still use a Samsung Galaxy Droid4x today (can you say tardy to the party).

So how do we improve the product?

Shatter resistant display, gel coated subcase for shock resistance to an 8 foot drop, a liquid tight, aluminum or stainless steel case, and printed nano circuitry to reduce connection ware.

I want something that won't break and will still fit clean, slim and without a bulge in the inside breast pockets of my suits.

The problem with Apple's approach is that they have banked on people accepting a product with a $500 plus price point as a disposable item, with a use life of 18 to 24 months.

That is wasteful. But then I grew up with lighters, flashlights, and watches designed to last five years or indefinitely. No matter how you look at it, the costs of the Apple IPhone is way too many work hours for the crap shoot of a product you have to insure to keep from buying it two, three, or four times during the service contract.

The extension of contract is an insult, the lack of durability is an injury waiting to happen.

Phones: Replace Bakelite with black plastic, black plastic with 60s era colored plastic, rotary with push button, and then some off the shelf cordless digital push button. But not $500 of junk.

D-Day Was More than Hollywood

2014-06-07T08:29:00.002-04:00

On the 70th anniversary of the "D-Day" invasion: Before our parents were the ages of our youngest children and oldest grandchildren, they had seen and saved the world.

Missed not just for their valor and their commitment to cause, but for the change and prosperity they brought to our country in civilian life. #GreatestGenerationInspiresStill

My friend, Will Wright wrote the article below for MSNBC's Grio: Black Soldiers on D-Day: Invisible but Present.

When you see films and photos from the D-Day invasion featuring those huge barrage balloons, it is proof that we were there.

Black soldiers, sailors, merchant seamen and Coast Guard personnel did their part from day one and moved cargo, men and mail from U.S. ports all the way to Berlin. #AmericanMilitaryNotHollywoodHistory

The Dignity of Work

2014-06-07T08:22:00.002-04:00

Many who oppose a hike in the minimum wage would have fought the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

It set the base at 25 cents an hour and the maximum work week at 44 hours. Even with that, it took nine years and World War II to beat back the damage of Herbert Hoover's Great Depression.

"We also have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills... the powerful feed upon the powerless... masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without any means of escape”... Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded." -- Pope Francis, 24 Nov, 2013

Totally Unqualified

2012-03-30T21:31:00.001-04:00

Every law enforcement agency is not qualified to handle homicide investigations.

I am not police officer, but in the past 40 years, I have been to an unbelievable number of crime scenes. I have also seen good, average, poor, shoddy and bad police work. While some of it is kind of like you see on television, it is neither simple or easy and it is seldom wrapped up in an hour.

In Sanford, Fla., local police do not appear to have much experience with homicide investigations.

There has been no indication that they secured the crime scene, which in many places is routine, even pending a coroner's inquest. Did I say coroner's inquest? There has not been one, nor have the results of the autopsy on Travis Martin been released.

That means that more than a month after the 17 yea-old was shot and killed as he walked back to the home where his father was staying from a convenience store there is no official ruling into his cause and manner of death.

We know he was shot and died instantly as a result of a bullet that entered his chest at close range. We do not know officially if the manner of death was homicide.

What we do know is that many potential witnesses have not been interviewed by the police. We also know that some evidence that might be critical to the investigation and any resulting prosecution in this case has not been collected, secured or preserved.

There also has not been much effort put forth to secure the integrity of people who would likely be called as witnesses in any criminal trial.

Statements offered in court by people who have told their stories repeatedly on television may not stand up well when lawyers decide to roll the video tape. If this case goes to trial, prosecutors may have to build their case upon facts that have not played out in the press.

In most cities or counties, when a family member of a current o former judge or other official gets involved in something as sensitive as the death of a child, local authorities run to find someone else handle the matter. This helps them avoid the appearance of impropriety or conflicts of interests.

In Sanford, it appears someone made a decision to just act like this case was going to go away. Now, this week, they have attempted to stop national journalists from poking around in a case that is garnering world attention. Believe me, no one I know who is covering this case is likely to disappear. What's more, the lawyers and the bail money are standing by if local lawmen decide to interfere with the pursuit of the news.

Every police officer is not an investigator, and every investigator does not necessarily have the skills, the experience or the guts to investigate homicides.

In Sanford, the Trayvon Martin case stinks for a number of reasons. Not just how he died, but also how the search for the truth has been totally botched up by the boys in charge.

Respect Rights

2012-03-29T19:55:00.003-04:00

The freedoms of speech, expression and assembly are very basic in the United States.

They give most if us the liberty to come and go, presumably without fear. They also prevent police or anyone else from challenging us without cause.

Demonstrations are a way of challenging aspects if the system we may not like. In many parts of the country, demonstrations ate rare. In the District of Columbia, they happen everyday.

I have always made my living watching the world, and in the more than 40 years I have done that, I have learned many things. One of the most memorable is that the causes that send people out into the streets are endless.

I do not have to agree with your cause, and how you express your views, but I respect your right to do it. Sit-ins, blockades, marches and other forms of protests each have their legitimacy. That includes things like flag burning, passionate, same sex kisses on the streets, banner-sized photos of aborted fetuses and wearing hoodies on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Congress has its rules, and all members know how violations of those rules are handled. Dress code infractions can lead to removal. Every member of Congress learns that during their orientation. But sometimes actions are taken for the record or as a matter of principle.

Demonstrations are about symbolism. Arrests go on the record as a commitment to a cause. Being escorted from the chamber of the House turns up in the congressional record. There are a whole list of symbolic misdemeanor charges and nominal sanctions that can apply to those who cross the line from support to civil disobedience or violations of rules.

Bobby Rush made his point. His penalty is inconsequential. Some may condemn his method, but it is likely it was a hit with his constituents.

In the rest of the country, it is easy to see demonstrations and the necessary security they require as being wastes of the taxpayers' money. In Washington, D.C., it is part of the fabric of America.

This time it is about the tragic loss of a child, last time it was about the cause of the day.

To Your Health

2012-03-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Supreme Court has taken up the health care issue.

More than two dozen states are challenging aspects of the Affordable Care Act. Much of the law has yet to be implemented, and there were many questions about whether challenging it now is even legal. That may constitute opposition to a tax before imposition of the tax.

There is a good chance portions of the law may be repealed, but there are possibilities some of it may be preserved. That would leave i up to the next Congress to come up with something that works.

Let's look at some of the things the Affordable Care Act has already accomplished. Several million young adults who grew up with health insurance have gained the option of staying on their parents' plans thru age 25. Many parents are gladly paying the extra premiums for the added peace of mind.

Preventive health screenings that were once limited to public health clients are now more broadly available; and some insurance carriers have added a portability clause to their coverage and dramatically reduced exclusions for preexisting conditions.

But opponents of the health care plan continue to ignore the 800 lbs gorilla in the room.

Uncompensated care is not free. The millions of avoidable emergency room visits that occur each year are just part of the costly care we all pay for each year with our tax dollars. Some of the costs are covered with higher insurance premiums.

Sometimes it seems like the opposition to the Affordable Care Act has a lot more to do with the fixation to defeating President Obama than it could possibly have to do with opposing legislation that could help unclog emergency rooms, end the practice of hospitals keeping multiple sets of books and allow dependent care rules to reflect the realities of the young adults who remain in our households.

If they want to call it Obamacare, that's fine, but millions of Americans have already seen their lives and the lives of their children change for the better as a result of measures that have already taken effect.

This case won't be decided until June, but, if repeal is the course, family healthcare for many will take a huge step backward.

The Talk

2012-03-27T21:20:00.000-04:00

"You will run into people in these streets who don't give a damn about you."

That is a statement generations of young men heard from fathers, grandfathers, uncles, coaches and male teachers.

It was often the opening statement of "The Talk." One of those critical life lessons that needed to be verbalize and reinforced in as young males asserted their independence.

It was often followed by reminders that one of a male's greatest obligations to his family was coming home. Because if he cannot come home he cannot provide for his children or his mother and he cannot defend his sisters.

"The Talk" remains every bit as critical today. It is the time to cover all those situations where potentially deadly force could mean the difference between survival and tragedy.

Raising our young men to confront all situations directly does not necessarily prepare them for any challenge they might face.

A people conditioned to flourish in a society of oppression only accomplished that by knowing how to assess, think, plan and react thoughtfully to the challenges they encountered in their lives.

In my nearly 60 years, I have known many men who have survived conflicts with those who did not give a damn about them. I have also seen many families crushed under the grief of deadly violence.

"The Talk" is a memorable conversation many of us had with very wise older men. They may not have had a lot of schooling, and some might have even been illiterate, but they knew their obligations and they understood the threats.

If we want our young men to one day be old men, some things can not remain unsaid.

Sons, nephews, their friends, and the young men in the lives of our daughters and granddaughters who may not know, or may not hear, it from those who'd mourn their loss the most, need to hear it somewhere.

"You will run into people in these streets who don't give a damn about you." Start the conversation there and then let them know why that matters.

Word, it's what it is!

Hoodies Don't Mean Danger

2012-03-24T10:54:00.000-04:00

A question came up Friday night about what hoodies are. The first one i received was cotton fleece gray. It was surplus from World War II and not unlike one my dad brought home from service in the merchant marine.

They have been part of American life for generations. They do not make anyone suspicious.

Homeboys wear them, Wiggers wear them, skater boys where them. No athlete, male or female who went to the NCAA tournaments would have traveled without one.

They are seen at soccer games, cheer leading competitions and gymnastics meets. Head out on a Saturday and they are the garment of choice at most coffee shops. Moms pack them in their diaper bags to pull over their infants' onesies if the weather gets cold or wet.

Hoodies have universal utility. they offer protection from the weather, but lack the armor to defend against deadly force. If you ignore the facts of this story, you place the safety of all you care about at risk.

Followed because you look suspicious for wearing a hoodie in March, even in Florida?

Clothes do not make the man. In this case, they did not protect the child.

No Use for the Field

2012-03-23T23:09:00.000-04:00

Barry Goldwater was both a fiscal conservative and in his time, viewed as a social conservative. He was also a wartime veteran of military service and an active supporter of U.S. troops in any action the nation committed them to over several decades.

Goldwater understood the differences between conservative positions on social issues of his time and feared what would happen if that wing of his party was ever turned over to the clergy. A famous quote that holds true today is:

"Like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly.

The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent.

If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both.

I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in A, B, C, and D. Just who do they think they are."

Barry Goldwater said all of that. He died in 1998. One of his last visitors was President Bill Clinton, whom he defended in the heat of the Whitewater scandal. That led him to break with the Republican Party he'd supported for decades.

If Goldwater were alive today, he would look at this field of candidates and say, "they're not with me.!"

They have an "Etch-a-Sketch" Mitt Romney, who wants to just shake the board to get a do-over on whatever he says this week to get voter support.

They have Richard "Slinky" Santorum who recoils at the idea that the GOP staying out of people's private lives.

They have Newt "Potato Head" Gingrich, who changes his identity whimsically and still can't get traction with his stale tax cut ideas.

They have wing-nut, Ron "Operation" Paul who served two years as a flight surgeon in the U.S.

Air Force. Paul also served three more in the Air National Guard, but does his early Cold War status have any relevance to today?

The Republican Party to toy box is full of dated, discards screaming for nostalgia. Close the lid because their promises offer no hope for the future. And would probably not work well for notable conservatives of the past.

Short List

2012-03-22T19:53:00.000-04:00

Let's see, can I say what I think needs to be said in a few short lines?

Presidential wannabes are on the stump selling their vision of an America that once existed:

Women were wives or worked toward being wives and let their husbands and fathers make most decisions.

Racial and ethnic minorities knew "their place" and understood that if they stepped beyond it, no one would be there to keep the punishing rabble away.

The handicapped and disabled sold pencils, made mops, and accepted that because they were different, their needs could not be accommodated.

Those "other religions" were just not something we had to deal with in this country, because we weren't like that.

And people who lived "like that" just kept it quiet and acted like the rest of us when they came around decent people.

The candidates may promise to put "America back the way it was," but the genie is out of the bottle.

Making America better is not stepping back to any of the above.

There, less than 200 words.

Enough!

2012-03-19T22:35:00.000-04:00

I was in my late 30s when I finally stopped being an automatically suspicious person. Still, my instincts tell me that the best way to encounter armed authorities, particularly after dark is with my driver's side window down and my hands firmly gripping the steering wheel at 10 and two.

The Trayvon Martin case saddens me, angers me, and troubles me. A 17-year-old child, dressed like anybody's 12 to 22 year-old child walks toward his house through a subdivision where his parents pay taxes and a mortgage wound up dead.

The 9-1-1 tapes are chilling. You hear a young boy screaming in terror. He is 140 pounds, with a soda and some candy in his pockets and he is walking home. Someone decided he looked like he was up to something and despite appeals from a 9-1-1 operator, chose to go after him in an S-U-V.

This citizen watchman not only decided to confront this child, but felt somehow he had authority to try and grab him, hold him and detain him not far from the presumed safety of his parents home.

We have to assume a struggle took place. Any of us who are parents would expect our children to run from danger in the interest of their survival., When he couldn't get away, he begged the darkness for help. Perhaps he tried in vain to protect himself with defensive maneuvers, even as his child's voice wailed out in terror.

If you have not heard the 9-1-1 tapes from this sordid, sick incident. I encourage you to listen: Trayvon Martin 9-1-1 Call

They are the sounds of distant witnesses who at least had the human decency to call police. They are also the tragic screams of anybody's child. If you listen you may hear the utterances of disbelief from a boy who could not understand why walking home became the final seconds of his too short life.

Some would try to desensitize a mother's pain by suggesting that this is just another case of street violence. While it is true that young people are die everyday in our cities and some of our suburbs, there are no indications that this was about drugs, or girls or labeled shoes or jewelry or leather jackets or gang violence.

This was not a domey, or a case of "Addidas Up," as i have heard law enforcement officers describe incidents of domestic violence or neighborhood beefs repeatedly over the years.

This was just a kid, headed home, who allegedly ran into the wrong wannabe vigilante. Neighborhood watch people simply watch, they do not drive up as judges, juries and executioners and blow away their neighbors' children.

We have allowed ourselves to be desensitized to so much of the violence and other problems occurring in our own backyards. If our hearts become cold to any parents' pain, then who are we? Could we meet our God with such apathy for the worth of the living and claim for a moment we lived our lives for good?

Whimsical Worrisome Words

2012-03-18T13:24:00.002-04:00

I grew up opposing racism, because I was born in a country that had not come to grips with its own issues about race.

I have been blessed with daughters and granddaughters and wanting the best for them, I speak out against sexism.

As I have gotten older, and seen people of the baby boom generation pushed to the sides in the name of progress, I have become sensitive to agism.

Various isms are used to divide, desensitize and compartmentalize people. Some people bank on the premise that if you are not part of a group under attack or subject to ridicule, you will not care about such things or might even join in.

I thought long and hard about what I could write about the bumper sticker campaign that attempts to twist the "N-word" in a free-speech protected statement against President Obama's reelection effort.

It has already been labeled racist, but I think it is just a symptom of a broader backlash of bigotry being embraced for political reasons.

There are some who would harness the collective anger of individuals who have somehow convinced themselves that a coalition of formerly underprivileged or disadvantaged classes are out to take away their rights.

If you do not enjoy the same institutionalized advantages that your father or grandfather enjoyed, then you might consider attempts to equalize the rights others as a reduction of your own.

The bumper sticker flap from March 15 triggered some interesting comments, particularly as some people I know tried to get others to at least admit the bumper sticker, the idea behind it and the language used as racist. They included two responses from the same guy, whom I know is a broadcaster in Texas:

"Ever since 2004, the prevailing sick reasoning is that it's some kind of crime to be a conservative. And we "allow" it by not fighting back." He also said "The thing that bothers me most is this constant barrage from the Left that conservatives are "racist". And yet, I've never seen a more racist person than Al Sharpton. No one calls him on it. He gets the proverbial free pass from the MSM."

I am not clear about the motivation for this feeling of "persecution" as it was put to me. But I have heard it before. It strikes me that this unapologetic conservative is willing to defend the promotion of various isms, by what he perceives as acceptance of isms by the so-called mainstream media and by inference a broader society hell-bent on destroying conservatism.

Could that be just excuse to buy into bigotry? It's funny that just a few decades after America laughed at the outdated bigotry of Archie Bunker and George Jefferson on popular TV sitcoms, we now have the far less funny nastiness of Talk Radio.

The things heard daily on the air provide the angry with outlets to buy into bigotry they that don't get much anymore.

Most people don't go around using words like "honey, baby or sweetie" on the job because they are considered sexist. Uttering various ethnic, or racial labels that were once commonly heard on the streets of most cities can carry perilous consequences. It is considered tasteless to refer to the physically or mentally challenged as "cripples" or "retards" today.

There are now sections in a lot of school systems "codes of student conduct" that make use of many of these terms grounds for discipline.

At many jobs there are policies in place that recognize that such language can create an uncomfortable work environment. People who say them or display them are likely to hear from the boss, the human resources department, or attorneys representing an offended party pretty quickly.

Discouragement of use of the "N-word" is something something some of us have worked for in recent years. These days, we are seeing a backlash from those who likely once used such terms without consequence.
Some smirk smugly through their denials of racism, sexism and xenophobic commentaries.

No matter how often they smile and say "I am not a racist," or "I am not a sexist," or "I am not an agist," the realities of their words, and the tolerance and acceptance of the sentiments means they may be a bigot.

The question is, who will they dislike next, and is that something most of us want to easily accept?

Misdirected Anger

2012-03-13T21:26:00.001-04:00

The deaths of 16 Afghan villagers was a tragedy. That it allegedly occurred at the hands of an American soldier is unfortunate.

Sad things happen in war, and military doctors and judge advocate office investigators will sort through the reasons why.

Still, the disturbing backlash of violence now being blamed upon this isolated act is every bit as tragic.

In Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, Israel, Lebanon, Kenya, France,Turkey, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and the United States, terrorist violence has repeatedly been used as a political weapon.

It moves well beyond the limits of "by any means necessary" to the senseless slaughter of innocents. Victimizing civilian populations for political gain is a strategy worthy of universal condemnation.

NATO and the United States have had successes building alliances with locals willing to hunt down killers who use terror as tools of death and fear. Collateral damage should not be an acceptable means of bringing about change.

The vocal indignation registered by those led would rule Afghanistan is meaningless. They have had years to step and and take control of their country, but corruption and graft have kept them from reaching that goal. Silk robes and posturing politics do not represent power to a people still waiting for basic services.

If the American soldier allegedly involved turns out to be responsible for the killings, he will face justice before a U.S. military tribunal. International security forces maintain the right to discipline their own.

Once the Afghans can handle the security of their own cities, villages and their entire country, they will have the right to subject foreign nationals to justice in their own courts. For now, that is not only impossible, it is out out of the question.

Universal condemnation of terrorism, and no quarter for those who would target the powerless represents a course that leads toward a more peaceful world.To not negotiate with terrorists is no longer enough.

The threat they represent is ample enough to warrant pre-emptive actions. It is why the drones of the United States are armed and continue to strike when intelligence warrants a deserving target. It is a foreign policy approach that is paying dividends. Others in the world should adopt that approach.

Lest You Be Judged

2012-03-05T22:31:00.000-05:00

One thing I learned in thousands of Sundays sitting in lots of pews in lots of places. Most Christians believe that sin is sin. Many Christians believe in original sin. That's the one traced back to Adam and Eve and paradise lost.

There are also mortal sins and venial sins. Somewhere in the mix are all the lies, thefts, murders, and slights against God, woman and man that most of us could ever imagine.

Still, I have always believed in a forgiving God. A God, who knows exactly what types of imperfect beings he created, and like the best of parents loves us anyway, flaws and all.

As much as I have learned through the years about the separation of church and state and how it is central the democracy in the United States, I am struck by the growing overlap between prayer and politics.

People are being judged, not for the way they live their secular lives, but essentially, how some, who call themselves people of faith believe they should act or live, according to them.

It wasn't long ago, maybe the 1980s, when some folks used to be accused of wrapping themselves in the flag. Back then, it was common to suggest that some people were stronger on defense than others, and even worse, to say some we would roll over for our enemies.

Today, the ranks of the military are filled with the sons and daughters of basic blue collar Americans. Wealthy people do not go there. While the last administration got us involved in Iraq (not to fight terrorism, it turns out) and Afghanistan, the current administration has been tough on Al Qaida and has found ways to make us safer.

Questioning the patriotism of the opposition was bad, but that's become difficult. Still, questioning the faith of many is even worse. It is tiresome to have people speaking out against what they think you may believe, when many do not live what they profess they believe.

Rush Limbaugh is the the pope of the Republican Party. He has awakened a lot of rage in the moderate middle, a very large group of Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans. This childless man labeled someone's daughter a harlot and a loose woman. Her alleged sin? Offering to share her personal story with Congress as it looked into a woman's health issue.

Many of those of us with daughters were offended by the nastiness of the labeling. Many of us with daughters would go completely off if such attacks were aimed at members of our own families.

I am reminded of Matthew 7, verses 1 and 2. I think it puts it all very clearly:

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

So, as this political season continues, and people are tempted to use the ideals they strive for to judge, candidates and voters, think of Ms. Fluke, and remember the words of John 8, verse 7: "Let the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

Like I said in the beginning, "sin is sin."

Too Many Witnesses

2012-03-04T19:15:00.002-05:00

Have you noticed that the only presidential candidate really talking about making the nation better is the incumbent?

While there is an awful lot of nonstop campaigning for the Republican nomination going on, the men seeking the nod all like to blather on and on about "taking our country back," or "returning the nation to what the founding fathers intended," or in some way or another "restoring the freedoms we have lost."

But, really, there are too many witnesses who know firsthand about the shortcomings of the past to want that as a future for their children and grandchildren. I am not talking about slavery, sweat shops or child labor.

Those are all documented historic facts reflecting conditions in the United States that were sanctioned as official policy for decades or centuries. Yet, most of the victims of those systems are gone.

I'm talking about protective covenants in housing; glass ceilings and discrimination in hiring, promotions and other personnel matters, funding inequities in education and health care; discretionary law enforcement in cases of rape, sexual abuse, domestic violence and other crimes; racial profiling, lending and finance and the provision of basic services for socially, physically, or economically disadvantaged populations.

There are still millions of people alive who can speak first-hand of such injustices.

The founding fathers had the wisdom to ensure that an independent judiciary would have the final say on all constitutional matters. Federal judges, and by extension, the Supreme Court have the right and the obligation to periodically reexamine laws and issues to determine whether, based upon reason and the times, certain aspects of American life warrant institutional review, revocation or change.

The problem is that freedom and equality have not always meant the same thing in this country. I've written before about property rights, voting rights, and human rights. People are entitled to all of these things whether they agree with you politically, morally, socially or not.

Religious freedom is not just for Christians, Jews and Muslims, it's also for Buddhists, Wiccans and Satanists. Local standards and majority customs cannot define who can participate nor can any group force any individual to keep their own beliefs silent in the interests of not offending the majority.

Public education is not just for the gifted, the average and the able-bodied. It is something that is supposed to be universally offered and provided. Yet, more times than not, the courts or advocates have to fight tooth and nail to make sure that some children have access to the programs and services they need.

Women are still fighting for the right to maintain control over when and if they become pregnant, even as some would deny them the choice of whether to become parents. We are taught that women have the right to say no and expect it to mean no. Now, some politicians are saying "I don't think so."

Equal access in the job market remains a real challenge for many. Growing numbers of men and women have learned during the Great Recession that the playing field is not level, and age, race, body type, sexual orientation and other factors can mean the difference between getting or keeping a job, and waiting for calls that never come.

Those who would seek to reign in courts, deregulate business, and limit the rights of the small to challenge the mighty do not offer a free and equal world. Instead they offer an America stripped of many of the protections that have gradually shifted us toward being a nation of greater universal freedoms.

They also promise their would be supporters a future they envision that those who have ever lived with the indignity of exclusion simply cannot allow. If justice is not blind, it is good to have laws and courts to offer her guidance.