It's About Losing the American Huddle Thing

Dear America,

From my little book,  The Quiet Mind:

I, IF I BE LIFTED UP...

If you endeavor to raise the Christ within you, you help to raise all mankind.  You cannot make one effort towards heaven without the whole of the world, even the very earth itself, being the better for it.  See the responsibility that lies with you, Brethren!  What a glorious opportunity is yours! Don't allow the darkness of earth to deny you your birthright of freedom and happiness, of service and worship.  Peace be with you; peace, and a great joy.

this morning finds me continuing to toss and turn the Kaepernick story in my head, to the point of giving myself a concussion; the field of dreams for all Americans has grown into more a war of words, shaming and persecuting and blaming, with lines drawn and everything.  it's as if we can't talk to each other...

We've lost the American huddle.

Now given my favorite thing to do here is continue on a thread for the week, the sting of Kaepernick's sit down has led me to an op-ed in the Washington (com)Post, of all places; it's something written by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  Even though his perspective leaves a few holes, his overall performance and message is articulated with a tone worthy of an honest couple of minutes reading.  Let me just add, for such a big league, larger than life guy, he sure came off soft, gentle in his findings, thoroughly thoughtful and compassionate on this thing we call Free Speech, et.al. and the rights and privileges for all of us to take part.

PLEASE READ. 

My biggest beef with what Colin Kaepernick chose to do was his pick for time and place.

It was not appropriate on that national stage for Colin to personally, metaphorically,  raise his middle finger at the playing of the National Anthem and Color Guard -- no matter what the reason.  Essentially, that is how his actions were perceived; while some cheered along side him secretly, others jeered, and then the entire Colosseum that stands for America came tumbling down, all a-twitter, like one giant pig-pile.

Kareem sums it up by saying this -- "When the government fails in those obligations, it is the responsibility of patriots to speak up and remind them of their duty."

And then I have to ask -- what up with this "when the government fails?" (But more on this in a second...)

Not to mention, his premise (given the title), "Insulting Colin Kaepernick Says More About Our Patriotism Than His" --  just love how Kareem lays the blame and the ball at the foot of the innocents on the sidelines, aghast by what has just happened, as if we should all be ashamed of ourselves for even thinking his sit down called for a dust up.

But let's cut to Kareem's final thought:

"What should horrify Americans is not Kaepernick’s choice to remain seated during the national anthem, but that nearly 50 years after Ali was banned from boxing for his stance and Tommie Smith and John Carlos’s raised fists caused public ostracization and numerous death threats, we still need to call attention to the same racial inequities. Failure to fix this problem is what’s really un-American here."

Yes, indeed, here we are  -- 50 years later -- and just look how the  liberal ideas have failed us in government when it comes to social inequalities...

For the biggest failure within the mindset and ideology of the Left, is the very idea that government is the answer!  Government has never been, and never will be, the answer in making all dreams for all Americans come true.

Read this, from The Patriot Post, (August 17).

In the end, Gallatin says:

"Instead of truly addressing the real problems the Left’s socialist policies have created and exacerbated in the inner city, Demo-gogues turn and blame the problems on those who have the least to do with them. And Clinton is no different as she continues to double down on those old, failed Leftist policies, and calls racist anyone who would dare to challenge and point out their hypocrisy and failure. Sadly, it seems that too many within the black community will continue to accept the victimhood narrative preached by Hillary and other leftist leaders who are all too happy to have pawns at their disposal."

AND for a real shock, as in ice bath, read this!  It's another post by Thomas Gallatin highlighting the Not So Great Society under LBJ.  Talk about ugly.

I hesitate to re-post this, but feel I must, for this explains so much -- 

(Regarding LBJ’s views on co-opting the black vote, here is his remark regarding the Civil Rights Act of 1957 to Senator Richard Russell (D-GA): “These Negroes, they’re getting pretty uppity these days and that’s a problem for us since they’ve got something now they never had before, the political pull to back up their uppityness. Now we’ve got to do something about this, we’ve got to give them a little something, just enough to quiet them down, not enough to make a difference.” And, how about this remark about the Civil Rights Act of 1964, on why he could not make a discrimination case in a Texas district: “There’s more niggers voting there than white folks.” Recorded Message)

What's really UN-American Kareem IS the crime against the African-American community perpetuated by the ill-intentions to use people as a voting block, merely to hold the power.  What's un-American is denying all children, attending school, to learn about America's foundations, respective of the greater good -- the duties and responsibilities of self-reliance, good self-government, and fully independent of government itself.  To understand the very basic nature of the American system of governance, as it was intended back in the days creating our Declarations for Independence, our Bill of Rights,  and nation's Constitution -- is to understand that our government IS NOT OBLIGATED to give the people anything but freedom and liberty.  

The welfare, the food stamps, the medicare, the Obamacare...even the Social Security -- all of it -- it's all wrong, unnecessary burdens upon the backs of all taxpayers, and all bad... not one bit of these things was written into the Constitution, and that includes things of the general welfare nature to boot!

As it stands now,
"all federal taxes are factored in, the U.S. tax system as a whole is progressive. The top 0.1% of families pay the equivalent of 39.2% and the bottom 20% have negative tax rates (that is, they get more money back from the government in the form of refundable tax credits than they pay in taxes)."  And to link to this page, a graph showing 95% of the Income taxes paid to the IRS are by those hard working Americans making $50,000/year or more.

If the failure to "fix this problem" deemed un-American becomes Kareem's final point in the end, then my question becomes where does Kareem want to start?  This girl really wants to know -- where do we start?

For it's funny, cuz in a manner of speaking -- don't all things, problems in particular, start with looking at ourselves first?  And upon that premise, could not the African-American community begin at this very place?  Government has not solved the problem because, from government's perspective, they (Socialists/Progressives/Liberals to be exact) like things the way they are -- an entire community, from sea to shining sea, depending upon government every single day,  Slavery anyone?

indeed,

it was meant to shock.

Responsibility to make this thing called life -- with a little liberty -- in the pursuit of happiness (and not the guarantee) is to actually take the personal responsibility.  If you give up the personal responsibility, and basically hand it over to the government, where is the upward mobility in that?  

What you get is not only something so totally un-American, but it's something that never changes; you are stuck at whatever level of prosperity and freedom and happiness the government gives to you...pretty much by choice.

This encapsulates one of the biggest lies circling the field today, more detrimental than pain killers and human growth hormones; and it's zigging and zagging, taunting us with quick fixes, masquerading as activism... it's community re-organizing by lifting our nations traditions, values, work ethic, faith, education, and fundamentals up from their roots and redistributing the face and personality and addictions of a fraud, of a brand new America, complete with an unhealthy body of citizens, so totally unrecognizable.  Unrecognizable.

To begin this fix, is to understand it won't be quick.

Trump can't do it overnight, if at all; and Hillary certainly doesn't stand a chance (but of course, she's not planning on it,) 

No, we've lost the American huddle -- in the sense that nothing is working how our nation was intended.  Nothing.  Because the something we, as a nation, must do has nothing to do with government.

"You cannot make one effort towards heaven 

without the whole of the world, 

even the very earth itself, being the better for it..." 

"See the responsibility that lies with you, Brethren!"

Make it a Good Day, G

It's an Ugly Blend of the Day and Times Thing

Dear America,

"It's easier 

to build 

strong children 

than repair 

    a broken man."  

Frederick Douglass

as go the people, 

so goes the nation.

Like a good cheese or a yummy wine, the natural maturity of man or country does not come simply with age alone; for the aging process requires a proper environment, quality ingredients, a nurturing guide and. of course, loving attention.   It's through a compilation of knowledge, experience, lofty dreams, and high expectations that collide together to bring forth something of value, worthy to be called good in every way.

Any creation worth anything comes from this, while the virtuous, full and able bodied character is the result, a semblance of fine artistry -- a unique collection of products the reward, enabling the whole to be labeled utterly exceptional.

There was a time when this nation spent much of it's time aging our young with a moral compass (see McGuffey's Readers), a spiritual connection to each other  and our God, understanding of the difference between right and wrong, proficient in the works of splendid literature of the ages.

We took the time to put good in.

There are many times I feel like we are filling our children up with not only Flaming Cheetos and Oreo cookies, but with the empty calories of gossip via facebook and twitter, stupid tv, degrading music, filthy mouths, pretentious and superficial goals resting on making a quick gain, with the ambitions to be nothing more than a Kardashian or a Bieber.   

And yes. The exaggeration going to extremes fully intended.  And the provocation  fully warranted. 

As somehow -- when it comes to the stories picked up on the mainstream and scattered like pixie dust on ecstasy -- it seems like that reality is all we see.   As a nation, we are TMZ to the nth degree.

Oh and we all sit back and gawk, judge, pick it all apart and throw it all away in a day.

But what do we learn; what do we gain; how do we use it to make us better, not worse, in this mad, mad world from  tidbits of titillation?

For me, if we put it all together, it seems like we are being manipulated and steered in one direction. But perhaps the conspiracy is all in my head.  Time will tell.

One thing that stands out in recent days  -- in reaction to the stunning remarks coming from an NBA team owner and others -- is clear:  racism in all of it's forms is ugly.

[I also believe in my heart that MOST Americans want no part of that.]  

Racism is ugly and thankfully, unpopular -- growing more so every day.

But what may be just as unpalatable might just be the follow the herd, knee-jerk reaction to it; as if the work of our own critical thinking has been left to someone else to decide.

I feel drawn to an opinion from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and want to share it with you:

“So, if we’re all going to be outraged,” the former NBA star concluded, “let’s be outraged that we weren’t more outraged when his racism was first evident. Let’s be outraged that private conversations between people in an intimate relationship are recorded and publicly played. Let’s be outraged that whoever did the betraying will probably get a book deal, a sitcom, trade recipes with Hoda and Kathie Lee, and soon appear on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ and ‘Dancing with the Stars.’”

Couldn't have said it better myself.

And you can read the whole story on The Daily Caller, here.

You see, in other reactions -- some might even consider as equally disturbing as Sterling's -- is this, from Larry Johnson, former NBA player and Knicks Executive:

“Black people your Focusing on the wrong thing. We should be focusing on having our own, Own team own League! To For Self!!’’

Yes.  Indeed.  Fight racism with racism.

People are fascinating.

Do we really think the only racists come in  white shells?

In a post slavery America, the possibility of a fresh perspective is constantly being challenged, warped from our past experiences and framed by a history unshakable and unfortunately perpetuated by a few ignorant souls unworthy of our attention.

What do we want to create? 

What is the ultimate goal?

Where do we go from here?

Let us not fall back asleep and pretend we can cultivate good from the low-life sustenance we seem to put in.

And speaking of falling asleep, in a best offense is a good defense kind of way....

This is totally unrelated and going in a tangent far, far away, but it's a lively blend of ignorance and bliss, condensed in a speech from Brian Kennedy, President of The Claremont Institute.  Here is an excerpt from Early Warning:  The Continuing Need for National Defense:

 It was important, he thought, to understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of a nation. His classes served as an antidote for students who had grown up in post-war America—a much needed antidote, because citizens of free nations in peacetime do not historically think in such terms. We today, and our elected leaders—in whose hands we place the responsibility for national defense—are in urgent need of such an antidote, because the U.S. is increasingly and dangerously vulnerable, and our elected leaders appear oblivious.

Indeed.

To understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of a nation, through and through.

"...because citizens of free nations in peacetime do not historically think in such terms."


Oh wow,  yummy, critical thinking for the greater good;  oh the idea of it -- oh the splendid blend of knowledge and experience, questioning what has come before, and wondering how wonderful our future could be, having mastered the art of cultivating the best and the brightest of ideas into one thing.

Now, granted -- the entire post at Imprimis requires your full attention.  I have only used a fraction for nothing more than my own selfish purposes today.  Kennedy makes valiant and remarkable points all the way around.  We must not take for granted what we have and forget the absolute necessity of protecting it.

But returning back to the start,  my plea is that we not squander and discount all that we have learned to date from one bad seed.

Our strengths and vulnerabilities must be crossing for a reason.

Make it a Good Day, G