On the eve before this, the 19th anniversary of 9/11, I sit in the dark - having busted out of an evening online poker tournament. Still on the Zoom call, I'm listening to my friends chatter about cards and chips, virtual of course.
My mind wanders to that fateful day all those years ago. Many of the memories are still fresh - seared into my brain.
But most of my thoughts inevitably wander back to today, and how our country has one gone through the wringer. Not in a painful flash, but this time in a slow and unending burn. First with a pandemic, that for good or bad, right or wrong, saw our economy grind to a halt.
Then a man in Minnesota met his end, under the knee of an officer. And our cities burned. And burned.
And burned.
And continue to burn.
Soon the fires spread to the forests - and now are still alight as the skies turn from yellow, to orange, to ash and soot.
Yeah, 2020 is kind of like a prolonged 9/11. Not over in an instant, not a galvanizing event that for a good month afterwards saw our country more united than we've ever been.
No, this time around the unity is actually heading inexorably in the other direction. We are thoroughly divided. Us versus them. Politics, it turns out, are everything. Party and candidates are a insidious infections that spread everywhere.
Well, as much as a political junkie as I am - I have to say, I'm really less interested in politics today than I've ever been. I've got much bigger concerns.
My concern is not who you are voting for. My concern is what are you willing to ignore to further your candidate or your various causes?
I'm not a mind reader, and I'm genuinely unconcerned with what people think of our president or of the fellow who is running against him.
But I do know what I am against, which may not be the best way to look at things, but it's certainly the simplest and most definitively correct. The list below, of things that are non-negotiable for me, may be very basic and it may be crude - but to me these beliefs are far more important to me than imperfect policies or partisan leanings.
More importantly, if you vote for someone that I don't vote for or have a different view on what kind of policies will help people more - I will always still care for you and call you my friend, unequivocally and unconditionally.
If however, you read down this list - of principles that I believe in - and you find yourself on the other side, strongly and consistantly - it may be time to reassess where we stand with each other.
- I believe that our country is the greatest nation on the face of the earth and it is absolutely NOT systematically racist. Nor was it founded on racism. Are there racists among us? Certainly. Do we have problems with race in our country? Of course. Is racism widespread and institutionalized in the USA? Nope. Not even close. I would point you to half a dozen third world countries that I've spent time in where the wrong race in the wrong part of town is a literal death sentence. I've spent too much time abroad to buy into the lies and fear spread by both the radical left and right.
- I believe that Critical Race Theory, as brought into modern times by Derrick Bell, is a SICKNESS and blight upon this country and the world. It is rooted in marxism and has nothing to do with fighting racism or bringing people together. Martin Luther King Jr. would've thought it abhorrent, and I do too.
- I believe saying "all lives matter" or "I don't see color" are noble expressions of good faith. CRT (see above) has brainwashed a good amount of Americans (mostly white and affluent) to believe these phrasings are basically one step away from saying the n-word. Sorry, I was raised to treat everyone the way I want to be treated - and I would certainly not want to be patronized and coddled. I am not a victim and I will not tolerate being treated as such and I will absolutely NOT treat others this way.
- I believe that Law Enforcement Officers are an essential ingredient to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Without the police, law and order will cease to exist and we will be less free.
- I believe that both de-funding the police and re-allocating funds away from the police are the SAME THING. 80% of all black Americans do NOT want either in their communities - they want the same funding or more. If you are pro-cutting police budgets or "moving" funds - you are lost and ignorant. More than likely you live in a safe and affluent neighborhood and have no idea what it's like to face criminals on a regular basis.
- I believe that if you do not comply with a police officer, including but not limited to ignoring commands, abruptly reaching into your clothing or vehicle, lashing out at the officer, striking the officer or in any way reaching for the officer's weapon - you very likely will be shot and very possibly lose your life. This is immutable. It does not mean you deserve to be shot or to die, but it means that if you don't listen and behave rashly, a calamitous outcome is highly likely - and that I will have very little sympathy for you.
- I believe if you have lived your life villainously, without morals and with an abundance of bad choices - drugs, abusing women, abusing children, using acts of violence on others - especially the weak and defenseless, then you have in effect MADE YOUR BED - and you will have to lie in it and inevitably will face repercussions for you behavior. This includes hopefully a LONG prison term where you either die or are so infirm when you get out that you cease to be a danger to others. Society may have played a part in your being reprehensible, and it's true we can all work together on that part to make it better for others - but we CANNOT excuse criminal behavior or look the other way.
- I believe that people who riot - smash windows, burn buildings, attack cops, attack bystanders or counter-demonstrators - are CRIMINALS who should go to jail and stay there for awhile. Damaging property is an act of violence, whether someone's home or place of business. Punishment for such violence should be swift and severe. It's NOT "just things" - buildings are businesses and livelihoods.
- I believe that free market capitalism, while flawed and certainly able to be improved, is the ONLY system on the planet that has demonstrably lifted citizenry out of poverty. The Critical Race Theory folks, aka the idiot proponents of "white fragility" are not compelled by reason or logic - they are emotionally driven marxists whose goal it is to dismantle the capitalist system. I recognize that they are my enemy and a dangerous threat to liberty and the sovereignty of the individual.
No comments:
Post a Comment