Thoughtless in Seattle
The View from the Middle
There are a lot of things going on in Seattle - violence, chaos, lawlessness - but one thing that is clearly not happening there is any real thinking. If you were to do a city-wide brain scan (actually, make that state-wide), you would find no activity. From the mayor of Seattle to the governor of Washington to the occupying force in CHAZ (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone), you can only find incompetence, dereliction of duty and mindless emotion.
The occupying force has demonstrated their forward thinking today by already changing their name to CHOP (Capitol Hill Organized Protest). Organized? Right! I guess that’s because they have decided NOT to secede from the union. They want to stay, but just outlaw any speech or even thoughts that disagrees with theirs. Yah! That’s what made America the greatest nation on earth. This won’t be their last name change, however. I have heard that they are considering calling this area the Seattle Hills Insurrection Territory. I’m not gonna tell ‘em!
This classy group whose idea of art consists of graffitied walls, the aroma of a finely distilled Molotov cocktail and the smoking carcass of a burned-out police car demands that a fund be created to support arts and culture. Of course, it will be difficult to view the exhibits through all the boarded-up windows and broken class, but it’s the thought that counts, right!? Finally, the mob in control of this autonomous zone insists that the people of Seattle support all the black-owned businesses. That will take a while, however, since they just burned them all down during the riots. Again, it’s the thought that counts!
Yes, these thoughtless, boneheaded domestic terrorists are also the kings of hypocrisy. They detest the police, but engage in a “stop and frisk” policy made famous by mayor Giuliani and the NYPD. I’m sure they oppose any voter ID laws, but make people who want to enter their lovely oasis show proof of residency. And while social distancing is an absolute necessity for all of us, they have trained the virus to tell the difference between us and them and, of course, not infect them. How DO they do it?!
Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, has proven himself to be absolutely witless. During a press conference on June 11th, three days after the CHAZ occupation in Seattle, he admitted that he was unaware of the seizure of six square blocks in his largest city by a group of violent anarchists. Now that’s what I call being “on the ball”. With this shocking lack of knowledge about his own state he abdicates any right to criticize anyone for anything. Maybe he should consider asking for help from people who are aware and have the power and resources to do so, like the President of the United States. At least Trump knew what was going on in Seattle.
And the mayor of Seattle, Jenny Durkan, might be the most mindless and senseless boob of the entire group. She likened this armed, violent, destructive, barricaded insurrection to a “block party” or an art festival. How clueless is she? As the rabble took over a chunk of her city and called for her resignation, she supplied porta-potties and fresh food to the insurgents. She even encouraged them to stay for months when she said, “maybe we’ll have a summer of love.” I’ll bet the small business owners in the occupied territory loved that kind of talk. Maybe she and the child-mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, can start a support group for maligned politicians. He too was booed, heckled and even targeted with projectiles by the same ideological fringe faction in his home town earlier this week. When will you learn? These people don’t care about you. They don’t care about freedom or America. They don’t even care about George Floyd. They are paid anarchists, most of whom don’t even know what the real goal is, and don’t care.
Should we send in the military? These anarchists are not worth the bloodshed that would inevitably result. That’s probably what their employers want anyway, but you also can’t enable them by having pizzas delivered or pumping in rap and rock music to sooth these savage beasts. Take away the porta-potties, stop delivering supplies and scramble the cell towers in that area. This will allow these “Lord of the Flies” wannabe’s to wallow in their own filth. It will demonstrate that all these people know how to deliver is chaos. Within a week they will slither away as did their predecessor of the lunatic fringe, Occupy Wall Street, almost 10 years ago. Then, mayor Durkan, maybe your constituents will reward you and mayor Frey with the swift kick in the butt that you both deserve as they vote you out of office in 2021. Although they may not be able to wait that long and just recall you from office this year. Good riddance in my opinion!
Monday, June 15, 2020
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
EFFE - The Answer to Racial Harmony
EFFE – The Answer to Racial Harmony
The View from the Middle
I've heard that memorable acronyms can be the key to making points that last, so in the future when you think about what needs to be done to reach racial harmony, I want you to remember EFFE. It is the key to establishing racial harmony in the United States. EFFE includes two attitudes or mindsets and two structural institutions that should be exploited to continue to move America ever closer to being the land of equal opportunity (not equal outcome) that our founders envisioned over 200 years ago. The beauty of EFFE is that there are responsibilities for both sides of the equation in this effort.
The first “E” in EFFE stands for Empathy and is the responsibility of the non-black population in this country, particularly whites. I would describe empathy as compassion with understanding. It is important for everyone to know the history of slavery, Jim Crow laws and discrimination in the United States and its residue and impact on African Americans in America today.
No doubt, we have made progress. We have elected our first Black President, there are laws against discrimination and the number of Black members of Congress has exploded from just four members in 1963 to 60 in our current Congress. That’s over 11% of the membership of Congress and getting close to the black community’s share of the overall population, which is 13%. However, black families in America today continue to struggle to overcome the impact of the disparities of the past. Family structure and education (the last F and E) have improved, but still need attention and since non-blacks make up 87% of the US population, it is important for all to understand the history so that we can be part of the solution.
The fist “F” in EFFE stands for forgiveness which, unfortunately, falls on the shoulders of our African American citizens. Black people have, no doubt, been mistreated in this country for centuries, and while that treatment gets better every generation and every year, it is difficult to forget. Black people can read history too and I’m sure that history can make them angry and bitter, but those negative emotions will only thwart progress and blind some to the improvements that have already been made. Personally, I think the Black community has the more difficult task when you look at the first E. and F. While empathy can be gained simply through education, forgiveness is an act of the heart which will require God’s help and prayer to recognize.
The last “F” and “E” stands for the two things that were intentionally and methodically denied black Americans who were enslaved in this country – Family and Education. Southern plantation owners purposely dissolved black families by separating husbands from wives and children from their parents. They also intentionally deprived these black men and women of any kind of education, and while there were exceptions, this was the rule. These two acts (destruction of the family unit and deprivation of education) were not coincidences, but in fact a strategy. Why was that?
The family unit is the very foundation of every society. It provides protection, encouragement, motivation and love to all its members. Without a family structure these people lost all of these benefits and were severely handicapped in the process. To add insult to that injury, black Americans were denied any kind of an education, because an education enlightens people and allows them to envision and then grasp opportunities. Without family structure and education people become dependent on other structures that suggest that they can replace them. In 1850 it was the plantation owner. Today, it is the government, but the truth is that nothing is a substitute for either of them. There are, however, some things that the government can do to strengthen families and encourage and enable education while not trying to supplant them.
The first thing government can do to strengthen black families is to stop putting black fathers in jail for nonviolent crimes. Should recreational marijuana be legalized? I don’t know, but we have to stop putting young men in jail in one state for something that is actually legal in another state. Once you are “in” the system, it is difficult to get out and it has a profound impact on the rest of your life and your family’s life. We need further criminal justice reform with an eye on reducing the incarceration of young black men. The welfare system also has some anti-family aspects to it and we need to change those rules to put family first.
Education is an area where there is dual responsibility. We, as a society, need to make sure that all American citizens have access to a good education. While K through 12 is guaranteed to all citizens, I think “school choice” could improve that experience for the African American community especially in the critical early grades. We can and should do more to give access to college to anyone who wants to go and has shown the desire and discipline to succeed there, but if habits aren’t developed and commitment isn’t given in K-8th grades, kids are unlikely to be successful in college. This is where black parents and leaders MUST pound the message of the importance of education to their children.
To be honest, Family and Education are important no matter what your skin color is. Every generation and every set of parents has the opportunity to dramatically enhance the opportunity for their children to succeed, and I’ve seen it happen in a positive way in my own wife’s family. We all need to be willing to play that critical role that creates the absolute foundation of our society. And if we can also throw in a little Empathy or Forgiveness, depending on which role you play, we can make this country even greater than it is already! EFFE really can change this country for the better.
The View from the Middle
I've heard that memorable acronyms can be the key to making points that last, so in the future when you think about what needs to be done to reach racial harmony, I want you to remember EFFE. It is the key to establishing racial harmony in the United States. EFFE includes two attitudes or mindsets and two structural institutions that should be exploited to continue to move America ever closer to being the land of equal opportunity (not equal outcome) that our founders envisioned over 200 years ago. The beauty of EFFE is that there are responsibilities for both sides of the equation in this effort.
The first “E” in EFFE stands for Empathy and is the responsibility of the non-black population in this country, particularly whites. I would describe empathy as compassion with understanding. It is important for everyone to know the history of slavery, Jim Crow laws and discrimination in the United States and its residue and impact on African Americans in America today.
No doubt, we have made progress. We have elected our first Black President, there are laws against discrimination and the number of Black members of Congress has exploded from just four members in 1963 to 60 in our current Congress. That’s over 11% of the membership of Congress and getting close to the black community’s share of the overall population, which is 13%. However, black families in America today continue to struggle to overcome the impact of the disparities of the past. Family structure and education (the last F and E) have improved, but still need attention and since non-blacks make up 87% of the US population, it is important for all to understand the history so that we can be part of the solution.
The fist “F” in EFFE stands for forgiveness which, unfortunately, falls on the shoulders of our African American citizens. Black people have, no doubt, been mistreated in this country for centuries, and while that treatment gets better every generation and every year, it is difficult to forget. Black people can read history too and I’m sure that history can make them angry and bitter, but those negative emotions will only thwart progress and blind some to the improvements that have already been made. Personally, I think the Black community has the more difficult task when you look at the first E. and F. While empathy can be gained simply through education, forgiveness is an act of the heart which will require God’s help and prayer to recognize.
The last “F” and “E” stands for the two things that were intentionally and methodically denied black Americans who were enslaved in this country – Family and Education. Southern plantation owners purposely dissolved black families by separating husbands from wives and children from their parents. They also intentionally deprived these black men and women of any kind of education, and while there were exceptions, this was the rule. These two acts (destruction of the family unit and deprivation of education) were not coincidences, but in fact a strategy. Why was that?
The family unit is the very foundation of every society. It provides protection, encouragement, motivation and love to all its members. Without a family structure these people lost all of these benefits and were severely handicapped in the process. To add insult to that injury, black Americans were denied any kind of an education, because an education enlightens people and allows them to envision and then grasp opportunities. Without family structure and education people become dependent on other structures that suggest that they can replace them. In 1850 it was the plantation owner. Today, it is the government, but the truth is that nothing is a substitute for either of them. There are, however, some things that the government can do to strengthen families and encourage and enable education while not trying to supplant them.
The first thing government can do to strengthen black families is to stop putting black fathers in jail for nonviolent crimes. Should recreational marijuana be legalized? I don’t know, but we have to stop putting young men in jail in one state for something that is actually legal in another state. Once you are “in” the system, it is difficult to get out and it has a profound impact on the rest of your life and your family’s life. We need further criminal justice reform with an eye on reducing the incarceration of young black men. The welfare system also has some anti-family aspects to it and we need to change those rules to put family first.
Education is an area where there is dual responsibility. We, as a society, need to make sure that all American citizens have access to a good education. While K through 12 is guaranteed to all citizens, I think “school choice” could improve that experience for the African American community especially in the critical early grades. We can and should do more to give access to college to anyone who wants to go and has shown the desire and discipline to succeed there, but if habits aren’t developed and commitment isn’t given in K-8th grades, kids are unlikely to be successful in college. This is where black parents and leaders MUST pound the message of the importance of education to their children.
To be honest, Family and Education are important no matter what your skin color is. Every generation and every set of parents has the opportunity to dramatically enhance the opportunity for their children to succeed, and I’ve seen it happen in a positive way in my own wife’s family. We all need to be willing to play that critical role that creates the absolute foundation of our society. And if we can also throw in a little Empathy or Forgiveness, depending on which role you play, we can make this country even greater than it is already! EFFE really can change this country for the better.
Friday, June 5, 2020
Terrorism's Dirty Little Secret
Terrorism’s Dirty Little Secret
The View from the Middle
Almost six years ago, I wrote an article Called “Terrorism’s Dirty Little Secret”. It suggested that what these groups have discovered is that it is easier to divide, destroy and kill than it is to unite, build or create. As I watched the looting, burning and brick throwing of the rioters around the country over the last few days, it dawned on me that these people have discovered this same truth.
The Twin Towers took about seven years from start of construction to ribbon cutting to build, but it took only about an hour and a half to bring them both down. Think of any controlled implosion of a building that you have seen. The buildings have usually taken years to build and have required the efforts of thousands of people, but can be taken down by a few people in a matter of seconds.
If any of you have studied the creation of life, it is amazing to say the least. It takes nine months after conception to create the trillions (yes trillions) of cells that comprise the human body. Yet, it takes only a fraction of a second to put a bullet through someone’s head and end that life. And, if you want to be more brutal and inhuman, it might take a person a few seconds to chop that head off or a few minutes to abort a life altogether.
ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, and al-Qaeda are all the same (a rose by any other name…). They take the easy way out. They don’t know how to build or unite so they divide, destroy and subjugate. Look at where they dominate. Would you like to live in Syria, Iraq or Palestine right now? Even the official Islamic states like Iran and Pakistan are hardly vacation spots.
Antifa is no different, and I believe they should and will be declared a domestic terrorist group. Antifa doesn’t give a damn about George Floyd. They have hijacked peaceful protests that had specific goals and a real possibility for positive change and turned them into chaotic, lawless and violent mobs. Antifa’s actions suggest their real goals. They have no plans to deliver peace or prosperity to this or any country. They seek only power and promise disorder and chaos, but that’s fine with them as long as they are in control.
Who on earth condones the actions of any of these groups? Whether it is ISIS, Hamas or Antifa we should all be condemning their mindless, destructive actions designed to bring nothing but chaos to the world and possibly power to them. Who would want any of these people, who hide behind masks and perform their violent acts under the cover of darkness, to gain any real power? Even if they were able to gain power, they wouldn’t know what to do with it.
What we need is real leadership in Washington, and we’re not getting it. What we have today is a perpetual blame game that serves no one except the politicians that play that game. The Coronavirus is now Trump’s fault. The riots in Minneapolis and around the country are Trump’s fault. Trump is not a perfect person but blaming him for everything is just scapegoating and irresponsible. Today’s unemployment and jobs numbers should be reported broadly and positively, but they will not. I just watched CNN and they reported the raw numbers for about three seconds and turned it into a 10-minute hit piece on the President.
We need a national media that can cover this President honestly. The mainstream media has abandoned their role as arbiters of truth and have decided that they need to condemn this President at every opportunity. They constantly misstate facts (lie if you will) or accentuate the trivial while ignoring the significant. When St. John’s Church, the Church of the Presidents, was burned down on Monday night, the networks gave it a whopping one minute of coverage. When President Trump gave a speech in front of that same church the next night, they blasted him with negative coverage for over 30 minutes. This does a disservice to the country and further divides us all. They must accept their original role as the fourth estate and the dispensers of balanced coverage and truth.
America is not perfect, but turning control over to people with baseball bats and Molotov cocktails is not the answer. To be honest, what we really need is prayer. We need everyone in America to pray for honest politicians with hearts for “we the people” and the wisdom to work together to deliver a better America.
The View from the Middle
Almost six years ago, I wrote an article Called “Terrorism’s Dirty Little Secret”. It suggested that what these groups have discovered is that it is easier to divide, destroy and kill than it is to unite, build or create. As I watched the looting, burning and brick throwing of the rioters around the country over the last few days, it dawned on me that these people have discovered this same truth.
The Twin Towers took about seven years from start of construction to ribbon cutting to build, but it took only about an hour and a half to bring them both down. Think of any controlled implosion of a building that you have seen. The buildings have usually taken years to build and have required the efforts of thousands of people, but can be taken down by a few people in a matter of seconds.
If any of you have studied the creation of life, it is amazing to say the least. It takes nine months after conception to create the trillions (yes trillions) of cells that comprise the human body. Yet, it takes only a fraction of a second to put a bullet through someone’s head and end that life. And, if you want to be more brutal and inhuman, it might take a person a few seconds to chop that head off or a few minutes to abort a life altogether.
ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, and al-Qaeda are all the same (a rose by any other name…). They take the easy way out. They don’t know how to build or unite so they divide, destroy and subjugate. Look at where they dominate. Would you like to live in Syria, Iraq or Palestine right now? Even the official Islamic states like Iran and Pakistan are hardly vacation spots.
Antifa is no different, and I believe they should and will be declared a domestic terrorist group. Antifa doesn’t give a damn about George Floyd. They have hijacked peaceful protests that had specific goals and a real possibility for positive change and turned them into chaotic, lawless and violent mobs. Antifa’s actions suggest their real goals. They have no plans to deliver peace or prosperity to this or any country. They seek only power and promise disorder and chaos, but that’s fine with them as long as they are in control.
Who on earth condones the actions of any of these groups? Whether it is ISIS, Hamas or Antifa we should all be condemning their mindless, destructive actions designed to bring nothing but chaos to the world and possibly power to them. Who would want any of these people, who hide behind masks and perform their violent acts under the cover of darkness, to gain any real power? Even if they were able to gain power, they wouldn’t know what to do with it.
What we need is real leadership in Washington, and we’re not getting it. What we have today is a perpetual blame game that serves no one except the politicians that play that game. The Coronavirus is now Trump’s fault. The riots in Minneapolis and around the country are Trump’s fault. Trump is not a perfect person but blaming him for everything is just scapegoating and irresponsible. Today’s unemployment and jobs numbers should be reported broadly and positively, but they will not. I just watched CNN and they reported the raw numbers for about three seconds and turned it into a 10-minute hit piece on the President.
We need a national media that can cover this President honestly. The mainstream media has abandoned their role as arbiters of truth and have decided that they need to condemn this President at every opportunity. They constantly misstate facts (lie if you will) or accentuate the trivial while ignoring the significant. When St. John’s Church, the Church of the Presidents, was burned down on Monday night, the networks gave it a whopping one minute of coverage. When President Trump gave a speech in front of that same church the next night, they blasted him with negative coverage for over 30 minutes. This does a disservice to the country and further divides us all. They must accept their original role as the fourth estate and the dispensers of balanced coverage and truth.
America is not perfect, but turning control over to people with baseball bats and Molotov cocktails is not the answer. To be honest, what we really need is prayer. We need everyone in America to pray for honest politicians with hearts for “we the people” and the wisdom to work together to deliver a better America.
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