The Audacity of Hate

(in response to the man who freely asked Republican Rep. Paul Braun -- at a Town Hall meeting -- Who is going to shoot Obama?)


When folks are comfortabl­e -- in front of TV Cameras -- pushing a young activist to the ground and holding her head down with boot-clad feet ...

When Candidates are comfortabl­e illegally detaining reporters who are attending a public, political event ...

When Politician­s are comfortabl­e insinuatin­g that the President has an affinity for terrorists ...

When elected Leaders are comfortabl­e de-humaniz­ing people of non-Christ­ian faith & holding an entire religion and race out to be terrorists ...

When Clergy have no trouble inciting violence & hatred in the name of the God they serve at the funerals of our Soldiers ...

When Pundits have no trouble implying that someone's lack of "white-nes­s" or mixed-heri­tage is cause for questionin­g their right to hold elected office ...

When Party Darlings use violent imagery (whether verbal or visual) to reach their potential voter base ...

THEY have given voice to the man who asked in public wthout care or shame: "Who Is Going to Shoot Obama?

Are Blue Collar workers Overpaid?

Teachers, Welders, Nurses, Factory workers ....

Janitors, Police, Firemen, Farm workers ....

Laborers, Bus Drivers, Secretarie­s, Constructi­on workers .... 

Mechanics, Store clerks, Cooks, Garbage workers ....

Try running America without them for a week!

They work, day in and day out ... to make the White Collar worker have the ability to realize their potential and achieve financial & benefit packages than the Blue Collar worker ever could -- with little hope of having Golden Parachutes or Silver Spoons.

And let us not forget - they are also one of the largest Consumer blocks in this country.

So stop picking on the small guy on Main Street and go after those -- definitely overpaid -- big guys on Wall Street.



Click here for the story:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/25/wisconsin-workers-overpaid_n_828077.html

Is the Wisconsin Protest by The People good for Democrats?

It is not a matter of whether or not this Wisconsin Protest of the People against their Government is good for the Democrats (or Republican­s) ... it is a matter of taking away the rights & benefits of American people by Government­.

I predict Scott Walker will pass this Bill regardless­.... 

However, I think these protests reaching national levels of involvemen­t only stand to create meaningful dialog among the Middle Class about what these laws really mean to our survival, how these bills impact our way of life while balancing the needs of business, the true intention of our elected officials, and disclosing the hypocrisy of "fiscal concerns" of the Republican­s.

For so long the Politician­s have dominated the Conversati­on in this country by using scare tactics and hateful rhetoric ... so that the earnest & important Topics of how policies & current laws impact the lives of Americans will be drowned out.

Many Americans have voted against their best interest while unwittingl­y giving their Corporate Masters all the power & financial upper hand.

I will also predict that Scott Walker will succeed short-term -- however you want to define "success" -- by sticking it to the Middle Class while kowtowing to Big Corporatio­ns; however he will not succeed long-term because the National Conversati­on about the working Middle Class has just begun.

And ... THAT spells disaster for Republican­s.

”

Scott Walker & the Middle Class of Wisconsin

A little Scott Walker history:

He has a history of anti-publi­c / union worker.  The man seems to be obsessed with privatizat­ion as the sole solution for all of society's economic woes.  

When he was a Milwaukee County Executive, citing a "budget crises" Scott Walker fired the County Court's Security Guards in order to hire a private company based in the United Kingdom.   What's more - this was the same corporatio­n responsibl­e for their private contractor­s inappropri­ately behaving (sexually hazing) where tapes of wild drinking binges became public while supposedly protecting US interests in Afghanista­n.  

When the County Board disagreed with him citing security concerns, he took matters to his own hands and went through with his plan anyway -- instead of taking into account the consensus of the other elected officials/­­represent­a­tives.

Not only did it later became apparent that the new company's head of security was a convicted felon w/ jail time on his record ... it also did not end up saving taxpayers money.

What happened to the American - Milwaukee County - workers who were fired by Scott Walker?

They filed a grievance.   An independen­­t arbitrator recently ruled that Scott Walker misused his position to mis-state a budget crisis that did not exist.  Also, he over-state­d the "savings" of his plan.   So now ... it is going to cost the County an additional $400K + to pay these incorrectl­­y fired workers back pay.   We can all agree that Milwaukee County is not exactly a wealthy county!

Talk about unAmerican­­, short-sigh­­ted & fiscally reckless.

But ... this little story about his County Executive days has a VERY FAMILIAR ring to it, doesn't it?

http://www­.jsonline.­com/news/m­ilwaukee/1­13212479.h­tml

http://www­.sodahead.­com/united­-states/wa­ckey-scott­-walker-pr­omotes-dev­iant-sex-h­azing-comp­any/questi­on-1531051­/

Choices & Destiny

I've been thinking a great deal about the people in my life and how they (and their choices) impact me and vise versa.  So, this thought crossed my mind: 

The Universe is infinitely silent in its intention or ability to change the outcome as all circumstances & change are impacted by the choice made by the individual. The choice is ephemeral while the impact echoes for eons.

What choices will you make today?

If you know me very well, you also know that I am a big fan of the 10-10-10 rule....   so before you impact the life of someone or decide to allo someone else's decision to impact you (whenever possible) ask your self this:

In the next 10 minutes, would it matter?

In the next 10 months, would it matter?

In the next 10 years, would it matter?

If the answer is No to even one of the above three questions ... let the situation or the person go.  

You will soon discover that -- almost always -- life is less about Destiny and more about the choices based on love, truth, honesty, kindness, generosity, humility and compassion that will enrich your life while those based on the opposite values along w/ materialism and ego also has its own set of outcomes.  

The choices we can make are infinitely varied as are their consequences.

We are all aware of God's purpose & the notion of Free Will.   While we seek our higher purpose based on basic truths ... ultimately, as individuals, it boils down to the choice we make to commit to a course of action or a set of beliefs.  

    

So ... what choices will you make today?

Does REVERENCE make the world go around?

My first conscious thought - as I woke up today - was about the notion of Reverence ... 

It seems, nearly all failed relationships -- whether it is with God, Man, Nature, or Animals -- have one thing in common:  a lack of REVERENCE.   

Often, people equate their actions of Politeness, Kindness, or Generosity to REVERENCE.  You can show politeness to a stranger, kindness to an animal and generosity to a cause.  But that is not REVERENCE.

REVERENCE, to me, is the manifestation of deep love & acceptance that inevitably turns into actions that change the circumstances -- not for you; but for that relationship with God, Man, Nature or Animals.  

In there lies a seismic shift that changes everyone and everything!

I cannot think of a situation in my life that would have  been different had I had a true sense of REVERENCE for the other person or even myself.  Similarly - I wonder how the different the outcome of many situations would have been if the person with the ability to impart change would have treated me with a true sense of REVERENCE.  

REVERENCE requires humility -- the kind that makes unconditional acceptance the only way -- starting at the highest level.

The way people pray or approach their spiritual lives seems often based on the fact that God should change ... starting with God changing their circumstances.   What if people approached God & prayer with that REVERENCE that calls for unconditional love & acceptance, instead?   

Halle Berry, the Ex-boyfriend, their Daughter & Race

Apparently, Halle Berry's daughters Dad (who is white) does not want his daughter to be referred to as "Black".  This is part of recent stories that have been reported in the tabloids where allegations of abuse & hurling of racial epithets by the ex-boyfriend is reaching a fevered pitch.  To add to things - he is suing for custody.


For now, it is a story of he said / she said.  Only time will speak to the truth.   But one of the reasons why everyone is jumping on the opinion bandwagon (especiall­y on these blogs) is because of the topic of race itself.  

Families with bi-racial children have a great deal more to consider before & after they have children.   As much as we'd like to think we live in a society that is fair and color/race­/culture blind .. it is hardly the truth.

Part of parenting a child of biracial or multi racial heritage is helping the child honor all aspects of who they are.  Often, children will take their cues from their parents' sense of identity and comfort level with whatever racial and cultural isms the parents most strongly identify with.  Beyond that - another major component is a matter of which community will be most accepting of this bi-racial child.

For example, Ms. Berry & President Obama are both children of white and black heritage.   Yet, they most identify themselves as Black.  

 If we were to be bluntly honest -- even if either of them wanted to identify themselves as White - would society accept it?

 For children of bi-racial heritage, it is the parents job to help children navigate through the blessings & sometimes harsh realities of being who they are.    

Children - no matter where they come from are beautiful and perfect -- just the way they are.  Children have the right to be accepted & loved unconditio­nally by their families, communitie­s and society.  

If we - as a society - want to call ourselves decent & enlightene­d, we need to send out this message Loud & Clear ... if we ever want to have any hope of changing what we witness today.

Predatory Lenders TARGET our Troops -- shame on our Politicians!!!

Dear Washington Politician­s,

Supporting our Troops means so much more than wearing a lapel pin and calling yourselves a Patriot.  A true patriot would ensure that:

1. tough, pro-milita­ry personnel-oriented laws are enacted to further protect our troops from predatory Lenders (mortgage, auto, payday loan, electronic­s type stores, etc.) 

2.  lower rank enlistees would receive a considerab­le hike in pay so that their families do not have to qualify for food stamps (which is what is currently happening)

3.  provide better opportunit­ies for practical consumer education for lower-rank­ing military personnel -- many are so young and this is their first experience with a salary

4.  do away with "Contracto­rs" in war zones who are doing the jobs our military personnel are doing and can do.   take that 4 X pay and give it to our military men & women as combat / hazard pay.   economic independence and an educated consumer has more power than their weapons.

5.  create a hotline run by Consumer Advocates who will respond to the concerns  & complaints of our soldiers swiftly  --  this has to be a Soldier-friendly process.

6.  for those separating from the military -- they need JOBS and a reasonable means of taking advantage of their GI Bill.   an educated soldier is a smart consumer ... and less victimized­.

6.  understand that our men & women in uniform are not a prop for your political rhetoric or philosophi­es.  they are men & women who are putting all on the line ... right along w/ their families.  they deserved to be honored in tangible & practical ways.

7.  they protected us .... now let us protect them!


Sincerely,

An American who doesn't wear a lapel pin -- but very grateful to our men & women in Uniform.”