STATE OF THE UNION - 2015

The state of our Union on this cold January day, 2015, is Divided.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand," said Abraham Lincoln 150 years ago.

If one looks at our nation over time, it has always been divided: By the haves and the have nots, by the right and the left, by the hawks and the doves.

We call these divisions Democracy and praise America's undying (or dying) commitment to it.

President Obama will give his State of the Union address on January 20th.  One topic that is receiving a lot of attention of late is his desire to increase taxes on the wealthy to afford more spending power to the rest of the country.  While noble in theory, a starving man cannot move beyond his economic status on "crumbs" alone, which is what such well-meaning actions provide. Soon the "crumbs" are devoured by rising costs and the cry to buy, buy, buy!  Consume, consume, consume!  Our economy cannot survive without these actions, and the vicious cycle continues with no relief!

The only way for those with less to rise from the middle, or from the bottom, is for our country to change the way money is valued.  No one should receive a $20 million dollar salary when far too many workers make less than $15/hr.  In our world today, money really means nothing.  It means nothing because it does not do what it should do, provide every human being with  quality of life.  Economists who see only numbers, will argue that you cannot define "quality of life" for every person, therefore it cannot be achieved.

In our gut, we all know what a quality life is.  Nourishing food choices, decent housing, excellent healthcare and education, enjoyable employment, and leisure. Never having to worry about our next meal, a roof over our heads, or health services when in need.

In our world, the economic pyramid is inverted.  The point is being shoved into the earth by the weight of the accumulation of wealth at the top.  Money in the hands of a few trickles down only in proportion to the amount needed to keep the wealthy, wealthy.  And yet, all employees are invested in the commerce of our world.  All make the "world turn" so to speak.  They deserve their fair share!

Don't give us crumbs.  Restructure salaries so that everyone gets paid to live a quality life. And those who cannot provide for themselves?  Yes, they get the same.

In America millions are left out of our wealth.  So they act out. We need visionary leaders. We need true "people persons” who will create a world where people come first.

Money has become a means to an end.  And it is slowly killing our spirit.

We have a divided Congress.  This is not Democracy.  It is a nation divided against it self.   

THE FREE WORLD GATHERS IN PARIS - JAN 11, 2015

Today the free world gathers in Paris.  They gather in solidarity against those who use guns to silence freedom.  

In numbers, the terrorists are few.  But they are angry and they are single-mindedly set upon a course that destroys lives and communities.  They thrive on fear as their reward.

As with any story, there are two sides.  There is the defiance of protests and marches such as these.  There are the words of condolence and outrage.

The other side of the story is less easy to speak of.  It is the great question of mankind from the beginning of time.  The biblical Cain and Able.  The killing of one brother by another because of jealousy.  The Bible is symbolic of course, but its message is real.  We humans have been killing each other forever.  FOREVER!

Terrorism will not disappear today because of Paris.  I doubt future terrorists will be moved by our outward act of defiance in the face of the great uncertainty that terrorism engenders--its unpredictability.

So how do we stop it?  Can we stop it?  Yes!

One day at a time.  One kindness at a time.  Tolerance of all peoples.  Efforts to dig deep until we unearth the real reasons for radical acts.  Listening intently to what they say, for at the core of their oft cancerous rhetoric is a message.

Do we as a civilization bear any responsibility for the terrifying world we live in?  Did not America invade Iraq without due cause?  Did not thousands of innocents die as a result? Do we not systematically kill radical leaders without due process of law? Have we not worked with Middle Eastern leaders when it was advantageous and then summarily deposed them when it was not?  What of Guantanamo and its many inhumane and unresolved issues?

To heal we must admit our own part in the cruelty of our world.  The innocents who died in Afghanistan and Iraq also have a say.  Those easily lead or deeply frustrated say it with mayhem.

This story is not about the bad versus the good.  It is the story of a world that twists its meaning to fit the moment.  It is easier to name a wrong when it is brutal and in your face--as in France this week.  It is harder when it is couched in political terms as a justifiable response to murderous acts.

We must stop retaliating for retaliation's sake. The march in Paris today is an act of defiance against terrorism.  It is peaceful.  The majority of our world wants peace.  Quiet. Security.  Kindness.

Let is act in self-defense, of course.  But beyond that, we must stop the killing.  Until we do, until we see the story in Paris as Our story, the story of civilization, little will change and soon we will live in armed camps, with fear in our hearts, until someone somewhere commits the final act and kills us all.

PARIS MASSACRE - DAY TWO

A Moslem police officer was the final victim of the Paris massacre on January 7th.  He died defending freedom.  For me his death says that people kill people.  Not nations, not religions.

Two brothers killed 12 people.  It does not matter what their belief, who they followed, why they did what they did.  What matters is that somewhere along the course of their young lives, these two individuals decided on a  path of destruction.

The reasons for terrorism are many.  Too many to name or even explain.  Terrorism has been a part of our world for as long as people have found fault with their neighbor.  It is difficult to predict and it is always destructive.

Terrorism is the greatest ulcer on the soul of our world.  It has grown beyond all imagination into a worldwide poison that has "infected" those most vulnerable.

With all our bombs and rhetoric we have not been able to lance it.  It continues to grow.  Like a deadly cancer, we have found no cure.

We have faced it down in solidarity:  "Le suis Charlie" and "Le suis Ahmed".  We have bombed it.  Run it to ground.  Railed at it from very government in the world with a conscience.  We have written about it, satirized it.  Mourned its terror and destruction.  But what has changed?

We need to look beyond past responses.  We must begin anew.  Can we really kill terrorism?  And if we kill "it", will not others rise up in its stead?

We must offer those who would do these things an alternate message.  A message that  will lance the "ulcer" so that it can drain and heal.

Vengeance does not work.  You can kill terrorists, but can you really kill the thoughts and beliefs that inspire them?  We perhaps need new thoughts and new beliefs, beginning with teaching our young people to think for themselves.  To question everything.  To follow no one without checking their gut first.  We need to exemplify kindness, charity, forgiveness, compassion, acceptance of all and the exclusion of none.

Ninety-nine point nine percent of us do not take up weapons and kill.  Why?   Let's tap into that.  Let's mass produce that.

Paris Shootings - January 7, 2015

Twelve human beings were killed in Paris yesterday.  They were killed for speaking their minds openly.  In the aftermath, "Je suis Charlie" has become the rallying cry for journalists throughout the world: "I am Charlie".

Freedom of speech is the cornerstone of Democracy.  When human beings are muzzled, tyranny takes over.

And yet, what is Freedom?  Does it come with no responsibility, no consequences?

Be clear, no one deserves to be killed for one's words!  No one deserves to be persecuted for one's words (or cartoons in this case)!

In turn, I believe that with every right comes a responsibility.  I live in a world peopled by seven billion other human beings.  I am not alone.  What I say and do matters.  Everyday, somewhere, a politician is called to task for something he or she said.  He/she can continue to say the perceived offensive words, or he/she can desist.  The consequences may well decide his/her political future.  By calling these individuals to task no one has denied them the right to speak, but it has also made clear that with this right comes another one, equally sacred, that of rebuttal. Those who understand the complexity of our world will respond in such circumstances with integrity and courage.  Others, a small minority of our world, will not.  Paris is but one example of the deep, polarizing anger simmering in many parts of our world, angry individuals who need very little to set them on a course of utter destruction.

The questions begging for audience during this awful time are these: Do we continue to speak our minds without thought of what we are saying and how it is being portrayed, or do take pause to consider the outcome.  Do our comments make the world better?  Safer?  More humane?  Are we the only ones who may be put in harm's way by our actions?

"No man is an island.  No man stands alone."  As the song says.

There are many ways to stand up for human rights.  For justice.  For tolerance.  To stand against poverty. Isolation. Hatred.  Misunderstanding between cultures.  Any of which could provoke a similar outcome.  It is not that we should not speak our mind, it is that we should do so with the outcome in mind.

It is true that freedom of speech cannot be abridged in an open society, but Freedom is not the right to do anything we want any time we want.  Each person with that right is tasked to use it responsibly.

We create the world in which we live.  Within that world, each of us holds certain things dear.  If nothing is sacred.  If everything is open to assault, then are we really free?  Should we really be targeting the Prophet, the Koran, Islam, Moslems?  Is it not the radical and angry individual who causes wars, panic and death?

I absolutely condemn the actions of the gunmen in Paris!  But this conversation cannot be one-sided.

Why does terrorism persist?  What are its roots causes?  Do we really believe that killing or maligning the problem, by whatever means, will make it go away?

There has to be more!  There must be more!

An open letter to Pope Francis

His Holiness, Pope Francis, PP

00120 Via del Pellegrino

Citta del Vaticano

Dear Pope Francis,

This letter is being written in response to the recent Synod in Rome.  I pray that you receive it and that is does not fall into a discarded pile of correspondence in some remote corner of the Vatican. 

I don’t believe that Jesus asked for permission to bring love and tolerance to the world.  I do not believe he waited until the Romans or the Pharisees caught up with his teachings.  I believe he took action, instead, and welcomed all to his table.  For this he was tortured and hung on a cross.

Jesus was an activist—a fearless voice in the midst of staid minds and misguided hearts.  He stood against the Romans.  He did not hesitate.

When is the Catholic Church going to re-embrace the gospel of Jesus?  “Love one another as your Father in heaven loves you.”

If the Catholic Church turned its energies and its frustrations toward poverty, inequality, war, greed and disenfranchisement, instead of whether a loving couple is heterosexual or gay, perhaps the world would change faster.  Move faster toward the light and away from the darkness.

The recent meeting of Cardinals in Rome is admirable.  It is a step forward.  But it is too little, too late, for those who want only to be loved as they are.

If not now, when?  If not you, Pope Francis, who?

Democratic process is noble.  Being an American, I understand it completely.  But the tortured process of majority rule too often tramples the minority who are crying from the desert of their hearts to set us free.

A Church that denies communion to divorced people; who chooses to love the sinner and despise the sin, as if the two can be separated; and who sees birth control as an evil tool, does not understand the world in which we live.

Jesus did not found a church, he exemplified a lifestyle.  He welcomed all, loved all, forgave all, and cherished all.  If he were here today, gay people, transgender people, divorced people, struggling families, and those who make unwise choices sexually would not be excluded, or even singled out.

We are all prodigal sons and daughters.  Judge not lest you be judged.  One cannot preach love with one breath and then layer that love with caveats.  Love is all or nothing.

The great masses of humanity are waiting for a new voice.  A new heart.  A world that embraces all, so that all can heal.

Can you be that person?  Can you take that step?  Those who are not ready for such courage will perhaps be left behind.  Not all followed Jesus.  But those who did, lived, and died, not for him, but for his heart.  His courage.  His willingness to lay it all on the line.  To Jesus, death was not too great a price to pay.  It was a short life.   But, 2,000 years later his teachings have not been forgotten, nor the depth of his love forsaken.  Sadly, many of the churches of this world have lost their way.  

I was baptized Catholic.  I no longer practice.  I cannot be part of any organization that says they follow Jesus and yet cast aside half of humanity because they “judge” them to be unworthy of a place at the Table.  Most heartbreaking of all, you ask those of us on the outside looking in, to wait.  But you see, Holy Father, I cannot wait for acceptance one second longer.  Jesus has already accepted me, and he did it without a church or a synod.  He did it because it is the only way love works. 

In the end, perhaps Jesus did not found a church simply because he knew that, once your formalize love it dissolves in your hands.

An open letter to Starbucks

Dear Starbucks,

It appears that you are gearing up to deliver your coffee to "keep up with the Joneses", so to speak.  What if an eclectic and forwarding-thinking company like yourself stood fast and chose to sidestep the rat race?  

A coffee shop to me is an intimate setting where I can go with friends, or alone, to talk, philosophize, or write the great American novel.  Now you have drive-ups.  Next, door-to-door delivery.  

At the top of "corporate mountain" you will find there is nothing of value—just billions of dollars and gray hairs in its pursuit, and even that does not guarantee longevity.  

Be excellent at what you have started.  Be satisfied with what you've achieved.  End the vicious competition cycle that serves no one, least of all your employees and your customers.  Be different.  Start a new trend.  Change the world—again.

An Alternative to the Islamic State and others like them

The Islamic State now wreaking havoc on the Middle East and the West has chosen one way to change the world.  It is neither an unfamiliar nor particularly new idea. Throughout human history similar ideologies have bloodied their way across the world seeking to establish lasting power through fear.  

To us, looking from the outside in, the Islamic State appears to be the consummate evil amidst a cauldron of like-minded horrific acts.

I propose that the Islamic State simply mirrors a world that has created the "space" for such horror.  Children are allowed to learn to shoot guns.  Clever entrepreneurs call it fun and offer a burger on the side.  Arnold Schwarzenegger is out touting his next Terminator movie.  Does the world really need more violent films?  Is violence really "entertaining"? Does it improve our world, provide our children with good values and respect for life, teach more lasting and humane ways to solve conflict?

I would like to offer an alternative to the Islamic State.  I propose that instead of killing people, they might consider providing schools, hospitals and good paying jobs.  I propose that if they want to leave a lasting mark on the world, they lay down their arms and take up generosity, inclusion, tolerance and compassion. 

Impossible!  Many of you might say.  But I say, why not?  

Our response to the Islamic State to "follow them to the gates of hell" (Joe Biden), is what we've always done—throughout all of human history.  We build a bigger gun, a pilotless plane, a long-range missile, precision strikes, and we believe that eventually we will win the war against terror.

Terror is not new.  It has been around forever.  If we want such groups to disappear, we have to build an alternative for the people who are joining their ranks. 

The leaders of the Islamic State, or any armed band, do not cause the havoc they espouse.  Their Followers do.  Give them a reason NOT to be a part of the carnage.  This is the only way terror will stop. In other words, Osama Bin Laden did not strap on a bomb and blow up anything.  Al Qaeda recruited willing souls to do it for him.

You want a more peaceful world, build it.  Offer an alternative to future suicide bombers that they can’t refuse.  Don’t tie it to money.  Tie it to humanity.  To inclusion of all disenfranchised peoples.  Nobody gets left out.

As long as we always reach for guns to solve our problems, or, as in the case the Ukraine and Vladimir Putin, economic sanctions.  Nothing will change.

Humans are smarter than they know.  They can build weapons that will destroy the world. Such a sad use of our immense talent.

What if we built a world that could annihilate war and spread peace?

Actually we can.  If we want it bad enough.