Voice of Reason

 

On the road back to sanity.

The first month of the second Trump Presidency has been a whirlwind return to common sense and the restoration of traditional values. For four long years the Biden administration intentionally incorporated woke insanity into the fabric of society. Now it is finally being unraveled. Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is leading the charge to re-normalize accepted “pronouns” instead of overemphasizing they/them. He is delivering on his promises, with a mandate from the majority that voiced their displeasure with the Biden/Harris administration on November 6^th. Our forebears entered into a covenant with God to instill Judeo/Christian values into this newly formed nation. Rejecting the evil that is paramount to the woke culture and reinstituting that which God approves, is long overdue.

The rollback of woke ideology is occurring at break-neck speed, and the people approve. Unfortunately, the woke leftists that apparently dominate the democrat party are doubling down on the absurdity of it all. Maine Governor Janet Mills preens to her woke audience, defies President Trump at a White House meeting of Governors, while threatening to see the President in court over her stated disregard of his executive order upholding Title IX and protecting women’s rights. Polls indicate that this is an 80/20 issue with a vast majority of people agreeing that biological boys should not compete against girls and that biological boys should be barred from using women’s locker rooms and bathrooms. Yet, the democrats persist in supporting the insanity that is the transgender agenda.

President Clinton and Obama, both democrats, tried to rein in the outlandish spending of our federal government by streamlining the bureaucracy. Clinton eliminated over 300,000 Federal workers and balanced the budget. Obama eliminated over 39,000. There was no hair on fire, assertions of threats to democracy, claims of benefits being denied, or accusations of violations of the rights of Federal workers. There really is no bias in the media, is there? By their actions, democrats support government waste, fraud, and abuse while they decry the Trump administration’s attempt to create a more efficient government that uses your tax dollars appropriately. Not what I would call a winning issue if they ever hope to regain power.

It has become all too apparent that democrats prefer to defend federal employees that deliberately undermine the current administration, and by doing so, oppose the will of the electorate they are charged to serve. Fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer’s money is a personal affront to all citizens of this great nation. Those enriching themselves, their families, and friends should be prosecuted to the greatest extent of the law. The love of money is the root of all evil and those that fall prey to that proclivity will be identified, investigated, indicted, thrown out of office, and learn what life behind bars is all about.

Interest payments on our national debt exceed the annual budget of our national defense. Trillions of dollars are spent without justification or records to where the monies went. Taxes continue to pay for a bloated bureaucracy that continues to grow and siphon the nation’s money that would be spent to positively grow the economy, create wealth, and jobs. This must end. Government must only provide the necessities, efficiently and cost effectively. That is not the case as our government has run amok, ruling rather than serving the people. Those who steal from the people are simply criminals, enriching themselves at other’s expense.

Ronald Reagan famously said, “In this present situation, government is not the solution; government is the problem.” In the forty years since he said this, government is not only the problem, but it also hinders the very structure of this nation. It has metastasized like a cancer leaving surgery as the only option. Government must be cut down to size and begin to function as the founders intended. If the democrats refuse to conform and serve the people, they will be left behind as an insignificant minority that they truly have become. Get on the train or it will pass you by. The people are watching and waiting for a return to sanity from the “loyal opposition.” Unfortunately, I only see democrats doubling down on insane leftist ideology, making them prime candidates for the next species facing extinction, and rightfully so!

Forgiveness

 

We need to heal wounds, not emphasize past wrongs

If one holds a grudge, emphasis is on a negative emotion. When one looks past a personal slight and can offer forgiveness to the person who did you wrong, it will often lead to a positive outcome for both parties. Dwelling on past insults or offences can lead one on a path of distrust, suspicion and cynicism. These emotions will do nothing but fester within the person that perceives the wrongdoing. Our society is evolving and not in a good way. Diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives are heading our nation in the wrong direction. These “values” emphasize our differences rather that work to unite us within our similarities. Subjugating us by the color of our skin is simply a return the days of segregation and furthers the goals of racism.

We are all children of God. We share a common Father. Does that not make us all brothers and sisters? Are we not simply the human race regardless of how we look? Pull away the skin and we are all the same. This movement, rooted in Marxist ideology looks to divide us in order to create an upheaval meant to lead to a reinventing of our society. In other words, a fundamental transformation of this nation. This embrace of diversity, inclusion and equity pit those perceived to be oppressed against those perceived to be the oppressors. In other words, pitting us against each other. This divisive ideology rejects forgiveness and reinforces the ideas of retribution, retaliation and revenge. How this can be a positive for society eludes me. Whether or not you are Christian, as a society, we should be able to agree that in order to live in harmony with one another we need to learn to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Diversity is defined as, a set of conscious practices that involve: Understanding and appreciating interdependence of humanity, cultures and the natural environment. Practicing mutual respect for qualities and experiences different than our own. Understanding that diversity includes not only ways of being, but also ways of knowing. Building alliances across differences so that we can work together to eradicate all forms of discrimination. Excerpted from Queensborough Community College/CUNY. Sounds like this is a good path to unite, until you read the sentence that I omitted. Recognizing that personal, cultural and institutionalized discrimination creates and sustains privileges for some while creating and sustaining disadvantages for others. This is what the purveyors of this divisiveness concentrate on. You are privileged because of your skin color and if you are a person of a certain color, you should be personally affronted by the fact that you are being held down by the “Man”.

We all have experienced different cultures. We have often not practiced mutual respect for the qualities of those differences. We need to build alliances to eliminate racism and inequality. We need to understand those differences and treat each other with respect and dignity. That is how a civil society thrives. How a civil society dies is when we hold grudges and vilify others for past grievances, real or perceived. As we continue to acquiesce to this divisive ideology and incorporate it into acceptable society, we are witnessing, firsthand, the death throes of our society and nation. And most of us sit back and say nothing. When you are old, you can tell your grandchildren how this nation was once free.

Inclusion is referred to how diversity is leveraged to create a fair, equitable, healthy and high performing organization or community where all individuals are respected, feel engaged and motivated and their contributions toward meeting organizational or societal goals are valued. Excerpted from Austin Community College research guide. Sounds great. Again, everyone contributes, everyone is respected, and everyone’s contributions are valued. But, that word equity instead of equality stands out. Why has equity replaced equality? Why is equity of outcome more valued than equality of opportunity? These words seem so similar, yet their meanings are far different.

Equity refers to fairness and justice and is distinguished from equality: Whereas equality means providing the same to all, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to imbalances. The process is ongoing, requiring us to identify and overcome intentional and unintentional barriers arising from bias or systemic structures. Excerpted from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. President Barack Obama said in 2014, at the College opportunity Summit, “The premise that we’re all created equal is the opening line in our American story. And we don’t promise equal outcomes; we’ve strived to deliver equal opportunity – the idea that success does not depend on being born into wealth or privilege, it depends on effort and merit. You can be born into nothing and work your way into something extraordinary. There was not much common ground with our former President and I, but this speech was extraordinary and right on point.

If we fail to recognize the evil that exists is this wonderfully sounding ideology and continue to mainstream these ideas, our nation will definitely be fundamentally transformed into something few of us would want. The opportunity to push back and defend your liberties and freedom and prevent this divisive ideology from infecting all aspects of our lives is waning. Want to reminisce about the good old days when freedom reigned in American in your old age, or do you wish to maintain this shining light of freedom on the hill? What are you going to do about it, remain silent or push back? The choice is yours. Make a difference or stand by idly as we fall.

Cause and Effect

 

“If you comply, you won’t die!” There is a simple solution to the “systemic racism” of our policing, as so dutifully trumpeted by the press and the race mongers that always swoop in to create additional divisiveness in our society. Police have the authority to stop and demand identification in any number of situations. Police have the authority to take away your freedom when they make an arrest. Police have the authority to escalate the force necessary to effect an arrest. Resist and police will escalate. Continue to resist or fight and the chances of injury or worse, increases exponentially, for both the citizen and police. The unfortunate death of George Floyd did not have to happen this way. If Floyd had cooperated fully with police the situation never would have spiraled out of control. Follow the lawful orders of the police, allow the handcuffs to be placed on without struggling and sit in the back of the squad car peacefully. Floyd chose to do none of these, causing the chain of events that ultimately ended his life. Had he complied, he would likely still be alive, unless the cocktail of drugs he ingested caused his heart to stop.

Far too many instances of black men dying at the hands of police began when that person failed to comply and chose to resist. The default position of many in the African American community is to be confrontational, flee or simply resist. If police have the authority to stop and question or to investigate a potential crime, why would any reasonable person choose to resist? This culture of distrust of the police escalated exponentially with our first Black President, Barack Obama. A black professor in Cambridge, MA, locked out of his house, lacking any identification, decided that he should attempt to break in. Neighbors reported that someone was breaking into a neighbor’s house and police responded. Police, as they should, detained Henry Louis Gates Jr. and after he became belligerent and combative, the police ultimately arrested him, creating a stir that reached all the way to the Oval Office. Lacking the ability or desire to diffuse the incident and without considering all pertinent facts, President Obama decided to inflame the situation using racial overtones, by accusing the officer of acting stupidly, inferring that the officer should have accepted that Professor Gates was acting lawfully. In actuality, the officer acted appropriately, but of course, adding to the intrigue of racial animus, the officer just happened to be white.

President Obama made other inflammatory statements regarding race. He accused his own grandmother of racial bias, stating the she would cross the street whenever a black man approached her when she was out walking, with the inference that she believed that all black men were up to no good. When George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin after Martin attacked him and knocked him to the ground, Obama opined that if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon. As the President of the United States, Barack Obama swore an oath to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. His rhetoric actually inflamed racial tensions, especially when he declared, “Too many young men of color feel targeted by law enforcement, guilty of walking while black, or driving while black, judged by stereotypes that fuel fear and resentment and hopelessness.” After a white Ferguson Missouri police officer Darren Wilson, shot and killed Michael Brown, after Brown attempted to disarm him, President Obama unleashed the full force of the Justice Department, led by Attorney General Eric Holder and began Federal investigations into a number of police departments in order to overcome the “systemic racism” he falsely believed was so prevalent throughout law enforcement.

President Obama, in his efforts to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, has exasperated this generation of Black Americans, actually encouraging them to distrust, fear and fail to comply with lawful orders, by obstructing, resisting and fleeing by using accusatory rhetoric at those who protect and serve. If there is anyone in authority that shoulders the most blame for many, what should be, non-confrontational police interactions or simple arrests that end in tragedy, it is Barack Obama. The preamble to the Constitution states, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

President Obama controverted justice by falsely accusing those that unappreciatively protect and serve, with unfounded and provocative rhetoric, rejected domestic tranquility by using accusatory language that encouraged divisiveness, undermined the common defense by creating an environment of distrust and racial animosity, diminished the general welfare by pushing a false narrative that our nation is indelibly flawed and irredeemable and furthermore, endangered our future liberty by engaging in reckless foreign relations by engaging with our enemies and apologizing to other nations for his baseless belief that our nation has harmed other nations by our reckless behavior and deserves to be condemned for those actions.

“If you comply, you won’t die!” Such a simple and logical concept that is unfortunately disregarded by far too many who listened to a President that had the potential to be the “Great Uniter”, but instead became the “Divider in Chief”. In the immortal words of Obama’s long-time Pastor, Jeremiah Wright, the chickens have come home to roost on the door step of the Obama’s $11.75 million estate in Martha’s Vineyard. Laws for thee, but not for me! And now, with President Biden continuing to stoke the flames of racial animosity, what could possibly go wrong? After all, when it comes to the left, the ends really do justify the means.

Once Upon a Time

Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again.” Once upon a time there was a great city, shining on top of a hill. Once upon a time people asked, “How can we serve our nation?” and not demand, “My nation needs to serve me?” Once upon a time we were told that this nation would never become a socialist country. But, an opportunity has arisen that may destroy that shining city on a hill, create a generation of people dependent upon the government for everything and the reality of living under “democratic socialism” may only be an election away. These great United States may just be on the way to ruin as every other nation that has embraced this failed economic doctrine. This opportunity was not part of the leftist plan to “fundamentally transform our nation”, but any crisis can open that door.

The COVID-19 pandemic is that window of opportunity. The fear of COVID-19, stoked primarily by the mainstream media and the democrat party, has in a few short weeks transformed this great nation into a frightened, huddled mass, willing to give up Constitutional freedoms in exchange for the government keeping us “safe” from this invisible enemy. Many have accepted, without question, what should simply be guidelines, lockdown orders from our State governors. Originally, these “orders” were explained as a way to “flatten the curve” in order that our health system can manage the outbreak and not be overwhelmed by the thousands of persons expected to be infected if we failed to use mitigation methods. But, the goalposts continue to be moved. These orders mandate social distancing, wearing masks, washing and disinfecting our hands, counter tops, homes, etc., the closing of “unessential businesses, and to stay at home under penalty of law. And now these orders must remain in effect until the threat is gone and a vaccine is produced. The models that originally predicted 2.2 million deaths have continually been revised downward, more closely mirroring the mortality and infection rate as the seasonal flu, as we continue to collect data on this Novel Coronavirus.

Our fear and complete submission to the authority of the medical experts has created an economic downturn that makes the Great Depression seem like no more than a bump in the road. This economic crisis has in turn created much more devastation than the cost to our investments, lost jobs and closed businesses. Loss of income, loss of physical contact with family, friends and co-workers has led to an uptick in mortality rates, suicidal tendencies, mental disorders, changing eating habits and overuse of tobacco and alcohol products. Hospitals and medical clinics have discontinued in person medical visits and elective surgeries and procedures, leading to patients being denied continuing treatments of pre-existing conditions. And we accepted this on-going quarantine for the good of our nation and citizens.

States with democrat governors have arbitrarily decreed that these stay at home orders and a shutdown of our economy are in the best interest of their citizens, necessary to protect their safety. “If we end the stay at home orders, people will die!’ is their rallying cry. They will do nothing of the sort. The first confirmed case of COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan, China on November 17th, 2019. We now know that the vast majority of COVID-19 infections are asymptomatic, so this initial confirmed case may not be the first. International flights continued out of Wuhan and mainland China until President Trump banned them on January 31st. According to an article from April 4th in the New York Times, approximately 1300 flights and over 400,000 people traveled to the US directly from China, with over 4000 directly from Wuhan, during that time. Not included are those who departed Wuhan and China to other countries and then traveled to the US during that time. There was likely, at least two full months that COVID-19 was in the US and community spread had already begun. In essence, the lockdown of our population that occurred in mid to late March was well into the onset of the pandemic, not, as many would have you believe, before the community spread of the disease had begun.

So, how does a viral pandemic lead us to socialism? Is it such a long stretch to presume that it could be used to initiate a massive shift to an entirely new economic model? Not so much. As our economic downturn continues, democrats in Congress continue to mortgage our future by providing economic incentives to encourage people to rely upon government handouts. No longer are the welfare recipients the only takers, now those who work in non-essential businesses and are not allowed to work receive benefits. Even those who continue to work are eligible and receive those same benefits. Sweetheart deals, or pork as they were once defined, are included in these economic relief packages. Now, if you are fearful of returning to work, don’t worry, the COVID-19 relief package enables you to refuse to return to work and receive upgraded unemployment benefits for an additional 14 weeks. This enables those who refuse to return to work to receive benefits they would normally not qualify to receive. This incentivizes many to refuse to return to their place of employment. Additionally, another $3 trillion package that includes a version of universal income is being proposed by our democrat controlled House of Representatives as further economic relief to those adversely affected by COVID-19. The descent into socialism is already underway.

Should this economic downturn continue and democrats retake the presidency and the Senate, they will ride to the rescue and “fix” the economy by instituting government control of our economy. Corporate taxes will increase, leading to more jobs leaving again as did under former President Obama’s administration. To prevent a future pandemic, a single payer healthcare system would be the first order of business for this new and enlightened government. But, it won’t stop there. Student debt is the next order of business. That means the forgiveness of more than $1.5 trillion in outstanding loans, which leads to free college tuition. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the architect of the Green New Deal, is Joe Biden’s pick to oversee the climate change task force. Forget about a wall or any kind of enforcement of our border with Mexico. Uncle Joe opposes any wall and favors a kinder and gentler immigration policy which includes citizenship for the Dreamers. Sixty years ago Nikita Khrushchev made a prediction that communism and the Soviet Union would “bury” democracy, capitalism, and the United States. “Your children’s children will live under communism. You Americans are so gullible. No, you won’t accept communism outright; but we will keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you will finally wake up and find you already have Communism. We will not have to fight you; we will so weaken your economy, until you will fall like overripe fruit into our hands. The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”

The Soviet Union has fallen, but those words ring far too applicable to what we are witnessing first hand. Wake up America, or it will be too late. If we fail to heed these warning signs, visible in plain sight, then the vision of the United States and the freedom it offers, may very well become a fairy tale.

Who's Your Bully?

President Trump is under fire for stating that he believes that professional athletes, particularly NFL players, are being disrespectful of their country with their National Anthem protests. He even took it further, suggesting that NFL owners fire these ungrateful miscreants. Although they have the right to free speech and can express their displeasure with any perceived slights they believe are afflicting Americans of color, the fact remains that President Trump is correct in his view. Athletes that have the skills necessary to perform on the public stage and earn a considerable amount of money for doing so, have to keep in mind that, although Charles Barkley may disagree, they are examples for those that pay to watch them, particularly young people, who can be unduly influenced by their actions. So, back to the question at hand, who is the bully? President Trump who speaks his mind and has an opinion, shared by a majority of citizens of these United States, or athletes that use the public stage to promote a reality that, truly, no longer exists?

Over the last 8 years we were exposed to President’s Obama’s opinion of unequal race relations in this country. From the Cambridge police officers questioning a black professor attempting to break into his home without the requisite identification on his person that were deemed to be “acting stupidly” by our commander in chief to his divisive comments about the police after the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and his suggesting that if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin. Personally, I believe that President Obama’s outspoken criticism of the police has driven the spike in violence against police officers including the shooting deaths of 5 Dallas officers and any number of police that have been ambushed by persons of color that somehow believe that every white police officer begins his tour of duty with the intent to kill as many persons of color that he can. President Obama’s views on racial inequities could not be further from the truth.

Having been a police officer for 29 years, I think I have a clearer understanding of how law enforcement in conducted. Every time force of any nature is used by a law enforcement officer it is thoroughly investigated. Any use of deadly force is referred to the District Attorney’s office and if the officer is deemed to have used an unlawful level of force, he/she will be subjected to the appropriate criminal charges and the courts will prosecute. Video recorders on squad cars and on the police themselves, document almost all of the police interactions with citizens, to be used as evidence against the perpetrator, even if it is the police officer. Records of police interactions with minorities are monitored by the Justice Department and any agency with an inordinate number of contacts with minorities will have action taken against them. After Ferguson, out of 17,985 US law enforcement agencies, only 21 departments, including St. Louis and Ferguson, were under investigation by the DOJ due to civil rights complaints, amounting to just over .001% of all police agencies in the country.

Have all racial biases been erased? Not all, but claims that minorities somehow are being targeted by police has no factual basis. Take the incident involving Seattle Seahawks player Michael Bennett and the Las Vegas Police. Police responded to a shooting in progress. Everyone in the casino was ordered to lay down on the floor with their hands in front of them. Bennett decided to hide and not comply with the officers. He then thought it appropriate to try to flee on foot. I’m sorry, but he is extremely lucky that the officers had the prudence to refrain from assuming that he was the bad guy by shooting him and eliminating the threat he presented to them and the public. Now he has the temerity to complain and threaten a civil rights lawsuit. Talk about the world turning upside down. Then you have Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors vacillating about not attending a white house visit because he doesn’t like President Trump. President Trump says fine, then I’m rescinding your invitation and the left and media (I repeat myself here) goes on another “hair on fire” rampage. Now the whole team will not attend. Great, that will open up the calendar for President Trump so that he can continue to advance the people’s agenda.

For many, sports are an avenue to escape from the harsh realities of this out of control world. If I want to listen to politics, I will tune in to Fox News, CNN or any other news channel. I don’t need to be lectured to by any celebrity, including athletes, that don’t have the intelligence or can’t or won’t properly inform themselves. (See LeBron James, Leonardo DeCaprio, etc….) I think we can look no further than NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s response to President Trump. “Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our communities.” Talk about calling the kettle black. And this is coming from the man presiding over the NFL’s fall from grace! These “protests” by NFL players are simply showing a lack of respect for the country that gives them an opportunity to become rich playing a game. This is the ultimate insult to all those who contribute to the money they make. Even if you do not watch or attend, you are paying, when the cost of items you purchase rise, in part, because of the advertising on the networks that broadcast those events.

Unqualified and erroneous “facts” are repeated over and over by the left and they attack anyone who fails to share their opinions. See illegal immigration, global warming, and especially the University of California, Berkeley and any number of college campuses that will use any means necessary to squelch any conservative speaker with the audaciousness to schedule an appearance at these “so-called” bastions of debate and free exchange of ideas, unless it fits their progressive, liberal agenda. Who is it that is really engaging in hate speech? The real bully is becoming more and more apparent, and he does not live in the White House.