Thursday, November 3, 2022

 How to Stop Cheaters from Winning


     My wife taught me long ago (before she was my wife, actually) that the best way to stop people from cheating is to win anyway. At the time, we were discussing the playing of spades, but it works in any contest where there are established rules that one party believes the other is not following. Win anyway.

    Therefore to those nay-sayers who truly believe that the election of 2020 was stolen by the Democrats (and I can assure you, it was not), then I say to you that you are going about winning the wrong way. Instead of limiting the votes of people who may disagree, or monitoring polling places for reasons tp contest the outcome, Republicans should come up with a message and/or purpose to serve the American people better than the Democrats. Instead of catering to a "base" and attempting to limit access of political power to that base, expand the base! Include more voters in your political aspirations. 

Sell a dream, a common hope, a common goal to a broader spectrum of people. Become statesmen, see and feel what the United States of America needs and wants to be a whole nation - one people under God. Find a way to communicate this to the constituency of your choice and to others whom you must work with to make these dreams a reality. Enlist the American people to help you, and them, reach these lofty goals. Teach, help, speak with truth and passion about those things that all Americans want and need; a good education without crushing debt, a place to work without being exploited, safe homes and neighborhoods, and to build a life according to the American Dream. If you can reasonably achieve these things with a plan that voters will accept, then no one can beat you at the ballot box, no matter how much they try to cheat.

    The 2020 election was not stolen by the Democrats, it was lost by the Republicans because they are sending the message that they know better than the people what is good for the country. And the people answered. If Republicans want to win, and hold power long term, then instead of telling us what's best for us, listen, and we'll tell you what's best for us. And if you promise that, you'll win. Be you Republican or Democrat.

Saturday, July 9, 2022

The Constitution Article VI, Clause 3:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Presidential Oath of Office under Article VI, Clause 3:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Congressional Oath of Office under Article VI, Clause 3:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.


   What I am about to argue is that several of our current legislators are foresworn and have acted against their oaths to protect and defend the constitution, and to well and faithfully discharge the duties of their office. Here's why:


Argument Primus 

   In any reasonable interpretation of the constitutionally required oaths cited above, both the Executive and Legislative branches of the government are swearing to uphold and defend the Constitution of The United States. In order to well and faithfully execute their duties, they cannot be reasonably be bound, by oath or deed, to any other person, institution or ideal. Therefore, Senators and Congressmen who, through actions or speech, public or private, take on allegiance to other persons, institutions or ideals are foresworn and have abandoned their Constitutional oaths. They have not borne "true faith and allegiance" to the Constitution, because a person cannot faithfully serve two masters, ipso facto.

  Therefore, any legislator who, through speech or action, has declared allegiance to anything or anyone, before or after taking this oath, is not fulfilling their constitutionally sworn oath, again ipso facto. They have sworn to protect and defend the Constitution, and therefore cannot protect and defend any other person, institution or ideal that is not in direct accordance with that oath. Then they cannot swear fealty, unquestioned support or any other blanket commitment to anyone or anything other than the Constitution. Some of our legislators have done this. They are foresworn and in violation of their oaths.


 Argument Secundus

  If a legislator pre-emptive seeks to avoid prosecution through a Presidential pardon, the this should be considered prima facie evidence that they have knowingly committed a crime. They swore that they were taking the oath "without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion". Yet they have knowingly committed a crime and seek to evade the possible consequences of their crimes through channels of political patronage. They are foresworn and in violation of their oath.


Argument Tertius 

Again addressing the "a man cannot serve two masters" concept, legislators are elected by a constituency in a political and social contract that they will represent the best interests of that constituency with all their powers of office and persuasion. Their first responsibility is to their constituency. After all, we elected them to do a specific job for us, not to serve a political party or demagogue. Yet some of our elected officials have demonstrably and publicly done just these things.  If they are not representing their constituencies to the best of their abilities, then they are not "well and faithfully discharg(ing) the duties of the office". They are foresworn and in violation of their oath.


     I ask you to consider if your elected officials are upholding their oaths in the manner the Founding Fathers intended and you should reasonably expect. If so, I hope you voted for them. If not, then I urge you to enter into reasonable discourse by whatever means you find most comfortable and say that you find your elected official(s) in violation of their oaths and why. Say it loud and long, then pause to listen to refutations of your statements, Someone might know something you don't.  But reasonable discourse and holding your public servants accountable is what our democracy was founded upon. You have the right to expect selfless service from your elected officials. Its what you elected them to do and what you are paying them for.

Thursday, August 26, 2021

I'm Too Tired to Hate

 When did America become a nation of hate and fear? I have seen attitudes change in my lifetime, but DAY-YUM, when did we decide that you either agree with me and mine or you are other than human? Its the height of hubris and as un-American as anything I have ever heard. Its not like we haven't seen it before, but did we learn nothing from McCarthyism, Japanese internment and unjustified black deaths?

It is my right to be wrong about what I believe, just as its is your right to believe differently than I do. Its is a right that every American has and a right I would lay down my life to protect. Let me say that again - I would fight and die for your right to be wrong. It is one of my strongest beliefs that everyone has the right to their own opinion, no matter how they came by it. I would hope that no matter how strongly I believe something, I would still allow the questioning of that belief if for no other reason than to support that belief. 

And I, me personally on my own, welcome that questioning from all cultures, races, religions, sexual orientations, educational, social and cultural backgrounds. If my belief is true for me, it should hold water across all these lines - not just because I think so. 

I'm tired of racism, sexism, terrorism - all just other words for hate. I'm tired of hate. It cannot heal, it cannot persuade, it cannot cross boundaries. It builds walls, dehumanizes, and cause pain wherever it is and can reach. 

I'm tired of fear being used to manipulate individuals and societies into hating other individuals and societies. Stop being afraid! (Dune Flashback: "Fear is the little death, fear is the mind-killer...") Try just taking a deep breath, putting your fear aside and listening to a voice that says something outside of what you believe. Why is that voice different? How did that voice come to say those words? What does that voice know that I don't? What do I know that that voice doesn't?  Let's exchange ideas without fear and hate. 

Let's just listen to each other. You don't have to agree, but if you'll listen, you'll understand.

Monday, April 22, 2019

On Hate, Fear and Ignorance

The incidents in Sri Lanka have reminded us all that something is very wrong in the world. Still.

Islamic State is carrying out a ruthless, international and domestic terror campaign. People from all over the world are traveling to Syria to join in the fun. We hear in the news, and I believe, that this is because people from all over feel disenfranchised in their own cultures. They feel powerless to control their own destinies and they feel as if their lives contain little that is satisfying to them and that there is little hope for improvement - ever.

They go to join in the hate mongery and become part of a fear machine. They get to dispense fear while being afraid. I will digress a moment and remind everyone that there are only two emotions that motivate large groups of people over long periods of time. One of these is fear. Until 1776, it was the only motivation that had been successful. And in most of the world, it is still widely practiced.

But fear has its limits. Privation overcomes fear.If you have nothing left to lose, fear cannot be your primary motivator. History teaches that as well. Just off the top of my head - The Bolshevik Revolution, countless uprisings in Africa (that usually end up with the same system in power, just a different person or group running it), the Communist Revolution in China, etc., etc.

The way leaders convince their societies that the fear they rule by is acceptable, and thus stave off the incipient revolution, if by giving the ruled someone else to hate. Hitler was the most obvious example of this, but he is far from alone. He pointed at the Jews as the cause of everyone's privations and raised up a machine comprised of hate to exterminate them. The picture he painted of Jews had no basis in reality, but it was accepted by those in fear. They learned to hate. It was easier than believing that there was some fault of their own, or that circumstances and therefore their lives were beyond their control.

Islamic State has adopted the same EXACT tactics. The only real difference is that they are the inheritors of decades old and systematic dogma in the Middle East. For generations, Islam has been systematically corrupted to control a populous that has been kept ignorant and poor for political purposes. Please take it to heart when I say that Islamic State does NOT and is not an Islamic institution. Their practices have nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with political power. I am not Islamic by faith, but I have read the Qu'ran. The similarities between Islam and Christianity are remarkable, and the differences are cultural rather than religious. Both faiths worship the same God. I will say that again. Both faiths worship the same God. And in remarkably similar ways.

But the conflicts arising in the Middle East center around a centuries old schism between Sunnis and Shea. It is the Islamic version of the split in the Christian church when Protestantism arose.If you remember your history, that was not particular blood-free, either. Add to that the enforced ignorance and spoon-fed dogma of vast populations and the desperate poverty in some of these places, you begin to see how the mind-set in the Middle East has come about. It is a whole different discussion on the intrusion of Western powers through decades of abuse and misunderstanding in Middle Eastern culture. But those intrusions have caused some lack of trust to say the least. History buffs should read up on the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

But why, you ask, would middle-class Europeans, Americans and Asians be drawn to this dogma? What attraction can it hold? The answer is the same as it has been for the entirety of human history. There are those in every society that feel apart, disenfranchised, of the society but not a part of it, neither giving nor receiving the benefits or responsibilities of that society, at least in their own perceptions. I would venture to guess that each of us knows someone who feels - to their core- that the world is not turning the way it should, that nobody listens to them explaining what's wrong and maybe how to fix it, that the problems of the world are all caused by someone else or a group of someones else who doesn't hold the same values or beliefs as they do.

Then along comes a charismatic, loud-talking (or preaching) individual who tells them they are not forsaken, that their right in their feelings and beliefs, and that they have the right, nay, the responsibility to enforce their beliefs on everyone else or to cleanse the world of their - fill in your negative social trait here.

And, while not to demean or minimize these peoples' experiences or values. But anyone who steps up and espouses hate is wrong. WRONG! These people are using fear to instill hate and engender power to themselves in the most selfish and anti-social way possible. Has anyone ever just sat and talked to a Sunni or Shia Muslim about their faith and the teachings of Mohammed? It is first and foremost a social religion and they accept anyone. Oh, and by the way, so does Christianity with remarkably similar requirements for acceptance. Do they have their reactionaries and starry-eyed liberals? You betcha. Have you ever been privy to an argument between a Southern Baptist and a Methodist?

Now having defined the problem, let me provide my answer to it which you may or may not agree with as you see fit. The answer to every problem I have just described is love. Simple human kindness. The enemy you are being told to fear and hate may speak a different language, have a completely different cultural understanding of the processes of human existence, but they are human with much the same motivations and ignorance as anyone anywhere. They love and cherish their children. They have friends and family they love. They worry about the comfort and safety of these people in their lives and hope that these people's lives will be better than their own.

My suggestion is don't fear them. Know them. You cannot fear that which is human in all of us, because to do so is ultimately to fear yourself and those you would love. You cannot hate someone who knows and truly cares about you. So before the thousands of refugees become less than a group of people fleeing unsafe places, before the guy who prays a different church is the enemy, before the same-sex couple next door become something less than human, pretend that they are a member of your family and just talk to them. You don't have to agree with them, but you do have to hear them. And if you hear them. they will hear you. Remember, they don't have to agree with you either. Despite your differences, I think you will find common ground, a common humanity that is nothing to fear or hate. But instead something to be cherished because of that commonality and the differences.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Dallas, Texas

Dallas, Texas....

As a Texan, I am still in shock and denial, somewhat, two days after these absolutely horrific and unbelievable events. What the hell is going on? We are killing each other. Why? What possible reason could there be for the deaths in Baton Rouge, St. Paul and Dallas? Because the victims were a different skin color than the perpetrators? O dear God...

Let me tell everyone who I am:

I am a 57 year old white man. I have lived in Austin, Texas for most of my life. I have traveled all over the Western and Southern states. I have been to most of the major urban places in America saving those on the West Coast or the Atlantic seaboard. I saw the World Trade Center in person before they came down. I attended an integrated high school which was 51% hispanic the year I graduated - as was my graduating class. At that time, race was very carefully measured. The schools were integrated by court order while I was in junior high school (now called middle school). It was finalized my freshman year in high school. We experience race riots in my high school (although I did not participate on one side or the other. I thought it was stupid even then).

I have been married twice and helped to raise my second wife's children and their children. I have worked with and for people of all races, genders and sexual orientations. I have never once been uncomfortable doing so based solely on these criteria. They were all just people. There are good people and bad people everywhere. I have been exceedingly fortunate to know and form friendships with people no matter where I go. And I don't even think about whether they are black, or Muslim, or gay. Its not important to who I am. It has no bearing on my world view or my plans for the future. It is my fervent hope that I might have expanded their understanding as much as they expanded mine.

My message in all of these wanderings is that I have never met a person I hated. I have met those I do not wish to be around and will not allow my children to be around. But that has nothing to do with race, religion or sexual orientation. It has to do with their belief system and mine. And these people are rare. Most of the people I meet, work with, go to hockey games with are interested in treating each other like they would want to be treated. You know, just regular people.

And I meet regular people at hockey games, at Home Depot, at mosques, churches and synagogues,at ball parks, city parks and national parks. In office building, municipal buildings and building that are falling down.

So we need to quit giving so much credence to differences and search for way that we are the same. Because, and I truly believe, that we have more in common in a concrete ways than the difference we invent to hate each other for. Black skin isn't a differnce in humanity - its a color. I like colors.

I am especially fond of shades of grey....

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Ok, I admit it. Politics has got me thinking...I mean the choices we have given ourselves are terrible - again. But I want to dig beneath the candidates and look at what is really being said.

I am so weary of fear and hate. I am sick to death of these becoming the motivating factors of our American lives. When did we become so righteous that even listening to a different belief became grounds for ostracization? When did we become so fearful of other ideas, other cultures and "other" in general?

Muslims are Not "The Enemy".  The term LGBT should not be a challenge to one's moral superiority. And you do you know how I know? I listen to what these people have to say. Did you know that the vast majority of any sub- group (as in a piece of the human race) you'd care to name wants virtually the same things out of life that I do. Isn't that amazing? They want to be fed, clothed and housed safely and privately. They want their children to have a better world than they had. They want peace of mind. They want peace.

Don't get me wrong. War is sometimes necessary. The 20th century will go down in history as the age of genocide. And sometimes, you must fight fire with fire. But I believe two things about war; 1) it should be avoided if at all possible, and 2) once started, it is not a political arena, it is a military one with a single, imperative mission- Win! Win as fast and as completely as possible. You save more lives that way.

But we are not at war with Islam. They are not at war with us.  Some very powerful and some middlingly powerful people are using Islam to maintain  their grip on power and we get to be the bad guys. We make easy targets. We are the "Haves". They are the "Have-nots". If you'd like to know a little more about why they hate the West, do some research on the Crusades. Christians were brutal. And those wars were blessed by the Church (who used them as a way to exercise control over governments, btw.) If you really want to go back, in the Old Testament, God commanded the Hebrews to wipe out the other Sons of Abraham, which they tried mightily to do. They didn't get it done and that war is still being fought in the Middle East.

And homosexuality as a reason to deny God's love? A reason for so-called Christians to, at best, look the other way when things like Orlando happen? In my King James version, the "Love thy neighbor as thyself" does not have any exceptions. It doesn't say " unless thy neighbor is Muslim, gay or otherwise different from your conception of what a good Christian is". And here's the funny thing: Orlando was the worst case of personal homophobia in history. The gunman was so afraid of his own sexuality that he killed the object of his desire. Look it up on Wikipedia if you don't believe me: homophobia.

We must stop finding reasons to hate and fear each other. I know - why don't we just talk to each other with the following ground rules:

  • My ability to swing my fist ends where anyone else's nose begins.
  • We do not have to agree, but we must respect each other's opinion enough to listen to it all.
  • It is acceptable that we follow different paths, seek different goals and believe in different Gods or no God. We can attempt, through conversation and persuasion, to change each other's minds. But its is NOT required, either the persuasion or the persuading.
  • We are all human.
I think this system will breed understanding across whatever divide you'd care to invent. I could be wrong, though. Let's try it and see...

Monday, October 21, 2013

Just over two years ago, I wrote a blog espousing the virtue of un-electing every single sitting member of Congress because they has become so politically divided and so self-congratulatory that they were not only ineffective, but dangerous to the society they were supposed to be serving. Did we do it? Of course not. That would mean we would have to devote time, energy and maybe even a little money (God forbid!) into making it happen. That just being unreasonable to expect that. After all, we have HD TV's that need watching and cell phones that must be texted upon or we risk becoming social outcasts.

And here are the results, my fellow Americans:

Senator Ted Cruz became the de facto leader of the House by blackmailing the party he belongs to, in spite of never having been elected to a leadership position in the House. AND...

Just when  the economy is beginning to recover from the debacle the LAST Congress I wrote about allowed to happen, THIS Congress furloughs 10's of thousands of Federal worker for an indefinite period of time (Meaning they may not get paid). This take 100's of thousands of dollars OUT of the economy. Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? AND...

When they decide it really is their job to insure that the government can pay the bills, that they approved, they assure the American people that it won't happen again for over 3 whole months!!!!  AND...

While they couldn't agree on raising the debt ceiling or the Affordable Health Care Act, they could agree and vote nearly unanimously that Congress would get paid during the shut down. (I might except an argument for retaining those who voted against this in keeping their seats, so we could have one tenured member of Congress).  AND...

Oh my God, my fingers are tired and there's still so much that Congress is ignoring. You are the American people. You hire these people to do a job. They go to Washington and lose their minds, individually and collectively. They completely ignore common sense, parliamentary procedure, the concept of compromise and YOU! They do everything BUT their assigned tasks.

Hello? Is anybody home?