Author: bookmystorysite

Only three-quarters of a century has passed since the Department of Defense ended segregation in the US Armed Forces in 1948. Five years after, the first black flying squadron (The Tuskegee Airmen) was deployed overseas to North Africa in April 1943. On Wednesday, July 26, 2023, three of the remaining Tuskegee Airmen were at a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Prince Georges County, Maryland, to mark the anniversary. They fought in World War Two, and Wednesday’s event recognized their legacy and heritage. The crowd honored Colonel Carl Johnson, Lieutenant Colonel Shelton, Ivan Ware, and William Thomas Fauntleroy Junior. All three are Tuskegee Airmen who trained at Tuskegee Army Airfield. Also recognized at the event, the historic aircraft, the PT17 the Airmen flew was officially inducted into the Tuskegee Airmen Collection at the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.

Also, on this day, Morgan Freeman, an Air Force veteran himself, surprised families at a nonprofit event in DC. “Diversity in our nation is our greatest strength,” he said.

I share this on the fact that Blacks/African Americans have played a significant role in building this nation despite Lynchings, Jim Crow laws, Segregation, Peonage (Slavery by Another Name by Douglas A. Blackmon), etc. History repeats itself because it is told with restrictions through the minds of the oppressor. The new demonstration of power, “The Banning of Books.”

“Guidance Against the Odds” ©2016 Sharing, daring to care.

Humans are creatures of habit rather than logic and defensive by nature, even when we are wrong. We perpetually destroy the moral fiber of our being as we try viciously to trump each other, “no pun intended.” The ultimate faith of America will depend on the unity of an interim new generation of thinkers void of offensive tactics. Millennials and the “Z” generations are known as incredibly sophisticated, technology-wise, immune to mundane marketing and sales pitches. CLASS of 2023 audaciously included. Many, but not all, not only grew up with it but also mastered the smash-and-grab mentality of the rich over the poor since early childhood. The rich because of greed and the poor because of survival, souls that will never meet, refers to the term “ignorance is bliss”; while the middle class, the building block of America, is torn between. Tactics of fear and hatred with a pound of alternative facts. A phrase coined in 2017, becoming the weapon of choice, with conspiracy theory at the helm of gun control.

Unix and Epoch are just two of many terms in the computer world that have been around since the early 70s. But the mindset of Googling has become an instinct.

 I love acronyms and the Military Phonic Alphabet because it brought clarity to people of honor and discipline while reading from the same page. Now with DYN (Dynamic Data Exchange), social media is the CPU (Central Processing Unit) assisted by FPU (Field Processing Units) and LANs (Local Area Networks) spreading to the evening news. But that’s not the end. Harmoniously comes AI (Artificial Intelligence) while banning books. If you don’t know what (AI) is, you need to ask somebody. 

Sharing from the Seat!   Guidance Against the Odds © 2016    

March 6, 2023

Greetings Senator Scott

          Senator Scott, I pray this letter is received with a gracious heart. My name is Henry Lee Faulkner. I am a retired Navy veteran and a senior citizen. I’m an inquisitive soul and an avid reader. I’ve read a couple of your books. “Opportunity Knocks,” and ” America, a Redemption Story.” I am also a canvasser for ideas and a facilitator of concepts. I’ve even written a book myself. With that said, this letter comes with a gift, a copy of my book, “GUIDANCE AGAINST THE ODDS,” and to inquire about your viewpoint on “Cordial Communications.”

          First, about your books. Have any of your Republican colleagues read any of them? And, if so, how many would commit to an open dialogue on the merit of the content? I ponder this question because of the “State of our Nation,” as I search for optimism in a deteriorating democracy. My intentions are for productive discussions without degradation or victorious fanaticism, aiming to be the money maker. Combative dialogue is not a means to a constructive end.               

          It’s no secret that fear has become reflective of the unspoken truth. With dominance and hatred being the bottleneck. It’s modern-day warfare, unlike the “Preamble to the Constitution,” “We the people.” The fear of being humiliated if you don’t go along with a lie by the power of one person resonates in the Republican Party. The indignation was amplified auspiciously in the 2016 presidential primary.

            This letter and book be sent to you in the form of a request for you to read and respond in kind. I am not a writer or politician. Just a senior citizen who has been around the block a few times, with the anthology, Heart of Hearts “Instincts”, together with genuine intentions from “The Seat of my Soul,” searching for a solution in a divided nation. Our democracy is in peril. We should not fight hate with hate. Elected officials need to demonstrate bipartisanship. And not use the power of position to divide us further. i.e., A committed liar is seated in a chamber of legislation. Some members of Congress are wearing AR-15 assault rifle pins even after an insurrection—speaker of the House releasees Capitol riot footage to a motivator of hate. Even deeper, an elected official is calling for a national divorce. “Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness,” A quote by George Washington to the states, May 9, 1793.

             Democrats constantly speak of reaching across the aisle. In the business world, the need for fellowship is essential, involving the meeting of minds through arbitration when parties cannot agree and money is at stake. There’s partisanship when you pay a person a penny when the cost of living is a dime, while the rich are making a dollar, paying little to no taxes. It is one of the biggest reasons for urban decay. PEONAGE on a legal scale. When fear is induced by enacting laws based on race, sexuality, the control of a woman’s right to birth control and abortion, etc., etc., I call it psychological warfare. When a people’s history is forbidden, or should I say under forbidden learning, with the assertion of teaching privileged children to hate themselves. It’s PRIVILEGED INDOCTINATION by omitting the eradication of the past. The 3Ps of modern-day slavery will lead to the fall of our democracy.

              “Nothing to fear, but fear itself,” a phrase from the 1933 inaugural address of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Fear that united the country in those times, now on the inside divides us. From the beginning, fear has always been used as a means of control. In your book, your sister’s words spoke of your father’s fear of driving. In America, for the black man, fear has always been present while trying to maintain the dignity of a man. Besides driving, the fear of walking, jogging, or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time while black. Something I developed early in life. In my youth, I was taught by my mother how to act around white folks for my safety. Fear was instilled in me when Emmett Till was lynched; I was eleven. This is from a 78-year-old citizen to you, a lawmaker, saying: a deaf ear to history will not solve this country’s problem. Carrie Nichols’s beating in Memphis was a shot in the arm for me. Ironically, while stationed at the Naval Training Center near Memphis in the early 70s, the police stopped me on many occasions. One time, I went to jail. There was a beating. The judge, under a speedy trial the very next morning, didn’t listen, and I’ll leave it at that. Two things were in the balance: “My life and my Naval career.” Guidance Against the Odds speaks for millions who have navigated the minefields, where the system holds dominion over destiny. I have 39 more years of living, which could be another book I could write. Different places, different times, but with replicating scenarios. As the saying goes, “You can’t make this stuff up.”   

          I’ll end this letter with three questions:  Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. So why wouldn’t a politician reach across the aisle in a democracy? The answer should not be paradoxical in seeking a cordial conversation.  And why would I, a nonwriter, produce a website, write a book, and continue to write blogs unanswered for seven years?   My response to the third is that I love my country because I believe in WOKE. Because “I can’t breathe,” and through the grace of God, there is, as a man, a need to be heard.  I pray you will read my book and harmoniously post a convivial response, or at least respond in kind.

Respectfully

Henry L Faulkner, USN Ret.

Chief Navy Counselor

Ref:

http://www.bookmystory.net/

https://bookmystorydomain.blog/2019/07/20/a-tweet-for-the-45th-president-4th-re-tweet/

TheMILLENNIAL and THE   Z’S THE AUDACITY OF    HOPE 

​​
            Humans are creatures of habit rather than logic and defensive by nature, even when we are wrong. We perpetually destroy the moral fiber of our being as we try viciously to trump each other, “no pun intended.” The ultimate faith of America will depend on the unity of an interim new generation of thinkers void of offensive tactics. Millennials and the “Z” generations are known as incredibly sophisticated, technology-wise, immune to most traditional marketing and sales pitches; many, but not all, not only grew up with it, they’ve seen and been exposed to the smash-and-grab mentality of the rich and the poor, since early childhood. The rich because of greed, the poor because of survival, and the middle class torn between. Tactics of fear and hatred with a pound of alternative facts. A phrase coined in 2017. 
  Now with DYN (Dynamic Data Exchange), social media is the CPU (Central Processing Unit) with the help of FPU (Field Processing Units) and LANs (Local Area Networks). I love acronyms and the Military Phonic Alphabet because it brought clarity with every reading from the same page and listening to the same radio.
             Time is running out; outside forces are radicalizing our youth as we procrastinate to self-destruct in the name of self-initiated “internal fear.” A political philosopher named Edmund Burke once wrote, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for enough good men to do nothing.” No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning, as does the mindset of fear. 

             Millennials and the Z generation have a voting population expected to rise above 75 million, which can be a game-changer. The combined arrogance of a younger creative mindset, united, selflessly giving positive input with the power to vote, can germinate a new inside-the-beltway mentality. Millennials make up over 25% of the US population and have at least 21% of direct buying power, a massive influence on older generations. 46% of millennials have 200 plus friends on Facebook. These statistics alone would be a show of strength if unified in the mindset of eliminating divisive politics and racism. An old saying is, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” especially if the horse is old. At the age of 76, by physical standards, I am old, but through experience, my mental capacity is beyond reproach by trying hard to keep an open mind. 

             In these trying times, we must propagate our senses with knowledge rather than hate and with wisdom rather than hearsay. Void the mind of vile thoughts while empowering it with words of jubilance, exuding Love in the caliber of which becomes the ammunition from the chambers of our SOULS. Millennials, it’s your time. The “Z’s” it’s your future. Don’t allow money and divisive politics to dictate your and your children’s future. And to my older citizens, a reminder of Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, he said: “The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”  I say: If you are motivated, compare and contrast the speech of March 4, 1861, with the insurrection of January 6, 2021. One was external, the other internal. Then, willfully read “The Soul of America” by Jon Meacham and ask your soul where you stand on the future of America.

Creeping Authoritarianism

Supremacy to the illiteracy of history:

The Past copies itself in such a cunning costume that we never detect the alikeness until the wounds are real.

Slavery, The Indian removal act of 1830, the internment of Japanese during WW II, Jim Crow laws, Gender bias laws, banning books, Gun control, Stand your ground, Birth control, Voting Rights, Transgender bias, and the list goes on. The frivolity. 

Slavery in Florida was more central to Florida’s history than to almost any other state in the union. Florida’s purchase from Spain was primarily a measure to strengthen the system of slavery on Southern plantations by denying potential runaways a haven of safety.   To enhance the system of slavery, anti-literacy laws were passed between 1740 and 1834 in plantation states against teaching enslaved people to read.

In 2023, Flanked by NRA lobbyists and other gun lobby allies, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a dangerous permitless carry bill into law—behind closed doors—that will allow people to carry hidden, loaded guns in public with no permit or training. In the wake of Parkland and 146 mass shootings so far this year, defined by the Gun Violence Archive as an incident in which four or more victims are shot or killed. These mass shootings have led to 209 deaths and 563 injuries this year.

The United States Supreme Court has taken a constitutional right recognized by the women of America. Here’s the thing, one does not have to abandon their faith and their rights with deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not be telling women what to do in decisions about what is in their best interest.

This year, across the nation, there have been 498 anti-trans bills with a Republican-led ban on transgender student-athletes passing the US House, moves to Senate, and to beat all, Michigan Republicans Fight Lifting Ban on Unmarried Couples Living Together.

Creeping Authoritarianism

Patriarchal values with the harboring of alternative truths, with heterosexism added to the internalized hatred in the quest for domination.

Call it Creeping or Snaring, but to the Soul I’ll keep sharing!

Thoughts from the heart through God we must start.

Human beings are creatures of habit rather than logic and are defensive by nature, even when we are wrong. We perpetually destroy the moral fiber of our being as we try viciously to trump each other, “no pun intended.” The ultimate faith of America will depend on the unity of an interim new generation of thinkers void of offensive tactics. Millennials and the “Z” generations are known as incredibly sophisticated, technology-wise, immune to most traditional marketing and sales pitches; many, but not all, not only grew up with it, they’ve seen and been exposed to the smash-and-grab mentality of the rich and the poor, since early childhood.  The rich because of greed, the poor because of survival, with the middle class torn in between. Tactics of fear and hatred with a pound of alternative facts. A phrase coined in 2017. Now with DYN (Dynamic Data Exchange), social media is the CPU (Central Processing Unit) with the help of FPU (Field Processing Units) and LANs (Local Area Networks). I love acronyms and the Military Phonic Alphabet because it brought clarity with every reading from the same page and listening to the same radio call.

         Time is running out; outside forces are radicalizing our youth as we procrastinate our way to self-destruction in the name of self-initiated “internal fear.” A political philosopher by the name of Edmund Burke once wrote, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for enough good men to do nothing.” No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning, as does the mindset of fear.

          Millennials and the Z generation have a voting population expected to rise above 75 million, which can be a game-changer. The combined effrontery of a younger creative mindset, united, selflessly giving positive input with the power to vote, can become the germination of a new inside-the-beltway mentality. Millennials make up over 25% of the US population and have at least 21% of direct buying power, a massive influence on older generations. 46% of millennials have 200 plus friends on Facebook. These statistics alone would be a show of strength if unified in the mindset of eliminating divisive politics and racism. There is an old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” especially if the horse is old. At the age of 79, by physical standards, I am old, but through experience, my mental capacity is beyond reproach by trying hard to keep an open mind.

          In these trying times, we must propagate our senses with knowledge rather than hate and wisdom rather than hearsay. Void the mind of vile thoughts while empowering it with words of exultation, exuding Love in the caliber of which in turn becomes the ammunition from the chambers of our SOULS. Millennials, it’s your time.  “Z’s” is your future. Don’t allow money and divisive politics to dictate your and your children’s future. And to my older citizens, a reminder of Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, he said: “The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” If motivated, compare and contrast his speech of March 4, 1861, with the insurrection of January 6th, 2021. Then, willfully read “The Soul of America” by Jon Meacham and ask your soul where you stand on the future of America.

In 1961, I enlisted in the Navy. I reaffirmed my oath’s commitment by reenlisting in 1965. But then bloody Sunday happened. In 1967, a page 1 story in most major newspapers was about Muhammad Ali and his refusal to be drafted. His words ‘I Ain’t Got No Quarrel With Them Vietcong’ were astounding. As a black man, mixed emotions abounded me while trying to live up to an oath in a country where I felt third-class citizenship. Then in 1968, came the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. From 1955 to 2012, from Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin, the helplessness I felt in their killings produced deep anxiety. Reflection on those years made me feel powerless. In the wake of Dr. King’s death and John Lewis on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, over the years, reflecting on their courage and commitments were the cornerstones of building this website while crystallizing John Lewis’s call to arms. “We must find a way to get in the way.” “Get in Good trouble — necessary trouble”

​ THE VOICE

In my youth, during Jim Crow, I learned the mannerisms of swallowing the bitter pill of racism in order to physically survive. In my leadership as an adult, I’ve recognized my voice and the weaponry of my words.

​

America, in general, cannot or will not compare and contrast President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better Act” to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (WAP)“Works Progress Administration” because, as a nation, we are too busy with states banning books, voter restrictions, Congress denying women their rights to abortion and the list goes on. The FWP …. Federal Writers’ Project was within the WAP, a program established in 1935 as part of the New Deal’s struggle against the Great Depression. It provided jobs for unemployed writers, editors, and research workers to help lift the country out of the great depression. Records that are now part of the Library of Congress.    History repeats itself; it’s only the wording that changes.

http://www.bookmystory.net/What-s-in-A-Picture.html

When Senator Warnock was entering his senior year of college, little do many people know that Rev. Porter and the congregation of Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, invested in America through Rev. Senator Warnock, helping him in “Becoming a Morehouse Man. Chap. 3 of “A Way Out of No Way. Although the Democrats have maintained control of the Senate, it is imperative that America monetarily invest in Georgia, and the people of Georgia must get out and vote. Do not wallow in the swamps of character assassination, the hallmark of a man with a fragile sanctimonious personality who got us here in the first place. Compare and contrast their efficacy of dictation and the dominion of their souls. Research roads traveled, which brought them to prominence in the first place. Understand the party’s purpose in their nominations and ask yourself. Was it for the sanctity and blessedness of America or one-party control, diminishing democracy? America, as a twenty-two-year Navy veteran, I beg, enlist, and employ of you, donate and inundate the people of Georgia to get out and vote. Copy/share this message or one of your own, likening to the trumpets at the Walls of Jericho.

Other arms reach out to me Other eyes smile tenderly

Still in peaceful dreams I see

The road leads back to you

  Woh oh oh oh Georgia __   Georgia

No peace, no peace I find

Just this old sweet song

Keeps Georgia on my mind (Georgia on my mind)

      In a democracy, opinions matter, but selfishness, topped with ignorance, hatred, and greed, are the progressive enemies of the people. A mindset that leaves not a skidder for compromise. Because compromise, in the mind’s eyes of an autocrat, can be a sign of weakness. And the price of compromise would be the acquisition of empathy and shame, a communion in the unity of souls. The only reward in 2022 would be the rebirth of a nation that is sinking into the abyss. The handwriting is in the ketchup on the wall.

Selfishness & Greed vs. Compromise is what’s really on the November ballot. As a facilitator, I challenged biases through the art of salesmanship, getting people to listen to each other. As a recruiter, I canvassed for attentiveness in America’s youth, the presents of mind, and the sparkle in the eye. Never striving to convince anyone for the sake of winning. Nor the need for a body to fill a quota. As a recruiter-in-charge, I lead by example while excepting nothing less. As a Zone / District manager, I canvassed communities where the welcoming was cold and brutal because of the color of my skin. Commanding my appearance, my uniform, and my pride in wearing it while being approachable was the first nuance to open communications.

For the last six years, my communications have been and will continue to be canvassing, not in divisiveness. With a challenge to the media in its propagation. A Bookmark for Life (The Child) and Grandparents in Unity 2022 (The Adult). Letters to the community, the church, John Hopkins, educational boards, and elected officials, along with six years of social media posts. Paragraphing each, could be converted into a book. (Don’t Limit a child to your learning, for they were born in another time.) If scrutinized, then peaceably banded under the auspice of critical race theory.

The biggest challenge for Republicans is not to abandon their party but to rebuild it by voting in this election in the affirmative, the mindfulness of we the people and not he the man. Take a page out of Liz Cheney’s playbook, who’s endorsing a Democrat. Rep. Slotkin (D-MI), Bringing the country back into the realm of together we stand—forsaking the fear of retaliation of choice—expelling the macronucleus need for power by one man, allowing the return to the sphere of one nation under God with bipartisan leadership. A mental procurement of liberty and justice handing it to our children and children’s children.

Henry L Faulkner Chief Navy Counselor USN Ret.