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Super Bowl Sunday is one of America’s most united days, all because of the bliss of football.  Throughout the season, we support our specific teams, and then come together one day of the year to cheer on one of two outstanding teams. But the polarization of our society with violence has overtly slithered into America’s most fantastic pastime.  On Sunday, October 2, Joseph Bauer, a former U.S. Marine and Ravens fan, was struck in the head by one of two football fans from New York. The fact that he had served our country was the hard part for me. Looking back, it didn’t help that a statement of a violent nature was blatantly boosted by a candidate for president of the United States.

“I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose voters.” Also, an African American was caught on camera being sucker punched in the head by an opposition supporter.  That is why this tweet is for the President of the United States.

 Mr. President:

At the age of seventeen, after almost two decades of being systematically trained to swallow the bitter pill of racism, I joined the U.S. Navy. The oath I took was as follows:

“I do solemnly swear 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; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

The key phrase was, and is, at the time for me, “So help me God.” As a child, I was taught never to use the Lord’s name in vain.  Many people believe that taking the Lord’s name in vain refers to using the Lord’s name as a swear word. I had been taught there was much more involved. If you make a promise, especially to God, you should not “should” but must keep it.  Faith is not just a Sabbath day ritual. What the beautiful children of this great nation deserve is a conscientious presenter of moral scruples, not a presenter of hate and division. What young minds learn in their first two decades of life, they will carry into adulthood. Because there is the issue of “Cause and Effect,” role models matter.

The Oath of Enlistment is something that every service member must promise and adhere to for his/her entire military career. From the Oath, you can see that you will be defending the Constitution, not a person, and in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, orders given must be lawful.

This nation was built on immigration and the institution of slavery.  The Native Americans are the only original, and they were shifted off to the many reservations. Because of inequities, amendments to the Constitution were necessary to guarantee all, regardless of race, creed, color, or sexual orientation, the freedom of speech and religion.

Mr. President, this means Christians, non-Christians – Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and other world religions, including Atheist and Agnostic, or no religion at all.  Serving my country gave me the great opportunity to attend church services for many different denominations. Although there may have been various versions of the Bible used, i.e., KJV, NKJV, NIV, ESV, there was a commonality: love and respect. People may draw different interpretations from the same version, but how they get there is their business. It’s in the soul.  When you divide people, you create fear, causing neighbors to distrust neighbors and communities to lock down. I call this virtual cattle rustling, corralling people to create division and discord.

Another lesson learned from the words of wisdom from my elders is never to judge people by the color of their skin or to judge them as unintelligent for using four-letter words excessively. They don’t necessarily lack intelligence. Four-letter words or explicit adjectives could be behavior that offsets a weakness, i.e., an inferiority complex, or a way of keeping people on the defensive, thereby maintaining control. The devil could be in the making.

A little of African American history, Mr. President, must be placed upon you.  Back in the day, to overcome the never-ending season of indignation by whites, young blacks played the “Dozen” game.  A game of spoken words between two contestants, usually in front of an audience. The commentary in the game focused on the opposing player’s competency, appearance, intelligence, etc. When comments ventured into sexuality or “yo mama,” it became the “Dirty Dozen.”  Nowadays, it’s no game; it’s offensive.  Anything you practice you become good at, even “Fake News” and “Alternative Facts.”  The art of Rapping, another African American creation, was born in Harlem,  New York, requiring coordination of the mind and the tongue, the linguistics of black communication. Now a billion-dollar business.  Rapping in its lyrics initially was a cry for help from the inner city youth.  The words soon turned violent when society wouldn’t listen, and the prisons began to fill as black lives didn’t seem to matter.   I’ll leave that for another executive enlightenment. In reality, Mr. President, you played the dozen in the primaries, and your opponents couldn’t hang, and you are still playing the dozen as a distractor, as with U.S. District Judge James Robart, a “so-called judge.”

On the 21st of January  2017, women of all ages, some with children, joined by men all across America and women around the world, were united in solidarity. One week later, Thousands Protest At Airports Nationwide Against Immigration Order.  Movements Don’t Start with a Strategy; They Start with a Moment.  The March on Washington, which led to the Civil Rights Act of 1965, was a movement born of a moment on Bloody Sunday.  The world saw Alabama State Trooper shooting tear gas and wading into a crowd of nonviolent protesters with billy clubs, ultimately hospitalizing over fifty people, of which Congressman John Lewis was one of the injured. He wears the scars to this day.  Upon his refusal to attend your inauguration, you played the “Dozens” again with a statement of alternative facts.  Be advised by a “yes” person that history has a way of repeating.

I have high regard for the office of the presidency, in keeping with the oath I took and re-took four times for a total of 22 years. But, in the words of Denzel Washington, “Anything you practice, you can get good at, including BS,” and you are superb at it.  I’ve been called everything but the child of God from the point of bigotry; now it’s like water on a duck’s back. Longevity does have its rewards, meaning you are never too old to learn.  I’ve learned forgiveness through the word of God, as have the families of the Charleston Church shooting forgave the shooter. It’s something only people in the spirit can understand.  Vindictive personalities stick out like a whale out of the water.

Therefore, I pledge I will never yell, “You Lie.”  As long as you are in office, I will never question your birth, make fun of your hair, call you names, or bring attention to your face.  I won’t even question your tax returns because I want you to succeed. You are the president. If you succeed in creating jobs while keeping America safe, improve the quality of life for all, especially the poor and the declining middle class, and claim the fears and the hatred, then and only then will America succeed. Respecting the position does not mean I respect the person. That is something the person has got to earn.  As a veteran, I was saddened to hear a potential Commander in Chief make a statement considered beyond the pale about a slain Muslim American soldier and a disparaging statement about a prisoner of war, Senator John McCain. Men who took the same oath as I did.  I have two cousins who were paratroopers in Vietnam who survived but are no longer with us. I feel you even disrespected them.  You, Mr. President, are on the far end of the spectrum, falling into the category of not having a clue.  Running a business requires investing money for a return.  Running the United States of America as Commander-in-Chief means you’ve got to invest in people. People, then, by human nature, will respond positively.  Don’t call me a six-letter word loser, and expect me to serve you breakfast in bed. This is not an Empire, and you are not an Emperor.  Right now, the polls are in a downward spiral, and the hired help is still scrambling to clarify your words with alternative truths.  

An old African proverb: “The enemy outside cannot hurt you if there’s no enemy within.”  I will re-word the personality you are displaying.  The enemy outside cannot hurt you when there are cordial communications within.  Please eliminate the atmosphere of futility and replace it with grace.  As a leader, that’s your job to lead by example. To unite us all, as I respectfully tell you, Mr. President…..

 Chief Navy Counselor

 US Navy  Retired

        “Guidance Against the Odds” ©2016

 

Trying very hard to stay bipartisan as I search for the sanity of the past week’s events.  

Defying gravity without prayer can  possible be the ego of the mind….

As a Christian, an Islamic, a Buddhist,  or a member of Judaism,  Confucianism, Hinduism, Jainism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism or no religion at all……

Defying the nature of morality in the humanity of things,  is, in fact, a real “ego”  of the mind with a depraved heart.

Several years ago, at the beginning of the Christmas season, while visiting friends and relatives, I observed a child (who shall remain nameless) compiling a Christmas list of expectations, or so I thought. I became nostalgic, caught up in the display of his enthusiasm,  being presumptuous of his age; naturally assuming it was a letter to Santa.  My melancholy ended when the adults began to converse, finding it amusing, as I soon realized the children were in a competition.  Behavior tantamount to gambling or counting chickens before they hatch. The child was compiling a list; of names of expected givers, not the traditional wish list for Santa.

While I welcomed the child’s joy and wanted his happiness to carry through, it was hard to move past the feeling of entitlement being taught.  I wanted to say something about the arrogant, conceited, and boastful seeds which were being planted, an avenue toward prerogative treatment.

Later, in the absence of the children, I was tempted but refrained. I didn’t get the feeling of a “Spiritual Partnership,”  anticipating pushback.   Feeling perhaps my words would set the stage for a verbal crucifixion.  Which, in essence, meant I went along to get along.   How many of us just go along to get along?  Likewise, how many of us stand by and watch others step to the plate.  On Saturday, January 21st, 2017, millions of women stepped to the plate, which could define a crucial time in America.  The beginning of a movement that must not go dormant.

This is not a loathing of Trump blog, nor a red or blue blog,  but a reality check. A point to ponder for Spiritual Partnering.  A personal message of optimism to future generations.  A golden rule based on the dynamics of karma. “You receive from the world what you give to the world.”  Morality is a human creation. Cognitive empathy is comprehending another person’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences.  With that said, a personality that takes advantage of others creates an imbalance of energy.  A relationship of Cause and Effect. We have an obligation to our children. America, can you hear me?

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”                                   Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On the 21st of January 2017, women of all ages, some with children, joined by men across America and women around the world were uniting in solidarity; characterized in what I call a Spiritual Partnership. At the same time, our new president was trying to make an atonement with an intelligence agency that he had belittled and was chastising the free press.  This is not an anti-Trump blog, but a reality check.

         Movements can be a powerful means of change.  Protest marches, joined by Dr. King, brought the Vietnam War to a close.  Movements don’t start with a strategy; they start with a “Moment” and a “Set of Principles.”  A moment in the space of time where positive thoughts from rational people are united; correlating with the phrase “when the stars align.” July of last year and with the upcoming presidential election, I attempted to tap into a rare moment of cohesiveness; by using a statement made by Dr. King which stated, “11 a.m. on Sunday mornings is the most segregated hour in this nation.”

        As an unknown on the writing circuit, I saw my book as a tool during troubled times. It came in a dream, to promote “Guidance Against the Odds” through mass mailings to religious organizations nationwide. Presenting the idea of floating Ambassadors; like facilitators.  Establishing emissaries from the Pews, everyday people, creating a network of Spiritual Partners.  Open communications will always net the realization that people have more in common than not; thereby sustaining the separation of church and state.  A unique idea, with a country so deeply divided.  But unfortunately, it wasn’t the right moment in time.  A similar outcome with a request to Colleges, Universities and Public Libraries for catalog inclusion; which was an endeavor to coincide with upcoming media exposure.  It was not to be, as the emails and the buffoonery of name calling took center stage.  On the international scene, our politicians looked ridiculous.   

          But, however, and because of the overwhelming turnout around the world, the stars were in alignment on Saturday the 21st.  The Women’s March in all 50 states and 32 countries was the positive force for a Millennial Audacity of hope.  “If there’s no enemy within, the enemy outside cannot hurt you.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

                                                                  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On the 21st of January  2017, women of all ages, some with children, joined by men across America and women worldwide, were united in solidarity, characterized by what I call a Spiritual Partnership. At the same time, our new president was trying to make an atonement with an intelligence agency that he had belittled and was chastising the free press.  This is not an anti-Trump blog but a reality check.

Movements can be a powerful means of change.  Protest marches, joined by Dr. King, brought the Vietnam War to a close.  Movements don’t start with a strategy; they start with a “Moment” and a “Set of Principles.”  A moment in the space of time where positive thoughts from rational people are united, correlating  with the phrase “when the stars align.” July of last year and with the upcoming presidential election, I attempted to tap into a rare moment of cohesiveness; by using a statement made by Dr. King, which stated, “11 a.m. on Sunday mornings is the most segregated hour in this nation.”

As an unknown on the writing circuit, I saw my book as a tool during troubled times. It came in a dream to promote “Guidance Against the Odds” through mass mailings to religious organizations throughout the country. Presenting the idea of floating Ambassadors, like facilitators.  Establishing emissaries from the Pews, everyday people, creating a network of Spiritual Partners.  Open communications will always net the realization that people have more in common than not, thereby sustaining the separation of church and state.  A unique idea for a country so deeply divided.  But unfortunately, it wasn’t the right moment in time.  A similar outcome with a request to Colleges, Universities, and Public Libraries for catalog inclusion was an endeavor to coincide with upcoming media exposure.  It was not to be, as the emails and the buffoonery of name-calling took center stage.

With the overwhelming turnout in the United States and around the world, the stars were in alignment on Saturday, the 21st. It was the correct moment.  The Women’s March in all 50 states and 32 countries was the positive force for”The Millennial Audacity,”  my November 16th blog,  to be realized.  “If there’s no enemy within, the enemy outside can not hurt you.”  Millennials, Listen Up.

Neil Postman blames the media for the less-than-positive change in today’s society in his book  “The Disappearance of Childhood.”

Denzel Washington: “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read it, you’re misinformed.”  “In our society, now it’s just first — who cares, get it out there. We don’t care who it hurts. We don’t care who we destroy. We don’t care if it’s true. Just say it, sell it. Anything you practice, you’ll get good at — including BS.”

These were his remarks, as reported by  thehill.com.   Aan actor and as a man, I admire Mr. Washington.  His common sense can hardly be questioned, and as for his humanity, it most certainly precedes him.  His presence with intellect, even at a hoedown, would command attention for more reasons than one.

The field is wide with political commentators.  Like supermarket tabloids, many often use aggressive and usually mean-spirited tactics to sell their issues/agenda.  Their purpose with insidious intellect is deliberate to create hullabaloo.  Controversy can be a goldmine (as proven in the presidential debates) for the experienced instigator.  I worked as a stock boy in 1950s.  Seeing the supermarkets tabloids, with eye-catching headlines, I would inquire to my mother about the truthfulness. One of her answers has remained so clear all these years.  “People who believe the mess they put in them papers have little faith, and people who make that stuff up have even less.”  Always to this date, it reminds me of having empathy for others and shame for myself for doing nasty things unto others, believing it would bring shame unto me.  Proving that early childhood lessons that money and power can be the root of all evil.

How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) by  Ann Coulter.  Coulter’s pretentious style is a comic monolog.  This is a stereotypical lead-in, mimicking the “How many does it take to change a light bulb” joke.  The state of the Democratic Party: “Teddy Kennedy crawls out of Boston Harbor with a quart of Scotch in one pocket and a pair of pantyhose in the other; Democrats hail him as their party’s spiritual leader.” A sucker punch, pretentiously divisive in its’ intent, but nonetheless, sticks to the minds of the captive audience like grits to the waistline.  Verbal bullying creates a floating conundrum of embarrassment by adding the right embellishments for a mushrooming mocktail.  It’s political warfare, diversionary tactics, and using verbal (IED) improvised explosive devices to avoid the table of compromise.  Salesmanship 101: Become the person by mirroring the personality or the cause of the people you are trying to appease.  Get them listening and laughing; as they grow to like you, then you can sell most, if not all, a bridge to nowhere.

“The left wants power taken away from the white establishment,” These words roared with certainty from the mouth of another political commentator on live television.  “They want a profound change in the way America is run. Taking power away from the white precincts is the quickest way to do that.”   Some on the left call this “dog whistling” because it reaches the ears of the intended target.  Free speech at its’ fineness. The commentator was speaking of the Electoral College, which the founding fathers created to ensure that the slave states could maintain power within the union.  A factor!

What do these types of commentators and tabloids offer to induce constructive conversation for a better America?  Nothing!  What do they look, and sound like to our youth?  Grownups, acting as bullies while making real money, become potential role models, the MEGA effect for many youths.  What clarity is given to calm any possible fears some youth may have?  In many cases, none.  Millennials! are you listening? The cycle repeats from generation to generation, assisting in “The Disappearance of Childhood.”   Reiterating Mr. Denzel Washington’s statement, “Anything you practice, you’ll get good at — including BS.”

“If There’s no Enemy Within, the Enemy Outside cannot Hurt You.”

http://www.bookmystory.net/About-Us.html   

 

Leading by his example, will it make America great again?

I can not get my head around the president-elect, no matter how hard I try. One could say he has an opposite view of what constitutes a good role model.  (A person who serves as an example of the values, attitudes, and behaviors associated with a role.) The key word is “role.” In his case, the role of the president of the United States is different from being at the top of the food chain in the business sector.  There is no question about his business expertise; the figures speak volume. In the business community, an individual’s career development, their empowerment, the rewards and recognition’s they may receive are their values system.  These are people that may well look over the attitudes, bad behavior and even absorb derogatory language from the owner, the boss, the top dog. Therefore, if these businesses exude these traits, they will attract highly motivated self-starters, leaving the role model  requirement as EZ and ample.  The bully mentality might work on Wall Street but does not necessarily cut grass on Main Street’s materialism,  the spiritualism, the mediocrity, or parochialism regarded as typical of small-town or inner city life. As an incoming president, you can not have insulted fifty percent of the electorate, a sitting president, presidential candidates,  journalist, the intelligence community, women and even the handicap just to name a few and believe it will not have a powerful influence on what people say, think and do at all levels of society. “What you say with your mouth shall come to pass” as president of the United States.   If he doesn’t  know this, then somebody needs to tell him.

Every individual, not just religious leaders, public officials,  sports and entertainment figures, teachers, community leaders, and especially parents, have a moral responsibility to call the president out in these troubled times.  A few years back, I realized my grandsons were getting older from the changes in their vocals and the subjects of their conversations.  In their adolescence we basically had fun being together.   But it had clearly become time for me to up my game.  I felt a need to do something out of the norm.  Repeating the age old lectures of “work hard and do good in school” was no longer a match against the diversions of the times. The presidential  debates soon proved my instincts.

Working against high odds, having no writing experience,   I wrote  “Guidance Against the Odds,” the first 39 years. Not as a guide, as the title may imply,  but as a show and tell mechanism to accomplish three goals;  first by demonstrating self-initiative.   Secondly, to impart pride through knowledge of family history to my grand children.  My third goal is to use my book as a mechanism to establish talking points, by building a following and a family of individuals willing to re-tweet factual information through the spirit of  “Guidance Against the Odds.”

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke

While watching the news, it was déjà vu; here we go again.  But now it was a battle in the swaps.  Politicians were slinging mud through the press.  It would appear we were still in the presidential debates without the Donald.  The Affordable Care Act, better known as Obama Care, was the main topic.   Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer offered an apocalyptic picture of America with his new slogan. “Make America Sick Again,”  But wait!  It wasn’t without the Donald.  Like the Republicans on the other end of the swamp were creating an ugly spectacle brazenly trying to weaken the ethics committee’s powers, shielding themselves from future wrongdoings.  A tweet from the Donald and all becomes well, as they come to their senses.  President-elect Trump campaigned that he was going to drain the swamp, and here we are trying to fill it, said Walter Jones, Representative of North Carolina.

Tired of the tomfoolery, I changed the channel, seeking a good western. It was the Wagon Train. I came in on a scene where the Indians were on the warpath, and the wagons had circled.  Watching just long enough, figuring out the plot, I realized that it was a Western version of the now Washington swamp.  An Indian Agent had joined the train under false pretenses in an attempt to save his life.  The agent had taken the life of a Native American who had discovered he was diverting food and supplies for personal gain.  Feeling more depressed, in retrospect, I should have gone on Demand and searched for “Little House on the Prairie.

 

In an effort in trying to make sense of it all; of it all, meaning the 2016 presidential election. I first made a pledge to myself to stay optimistic for the sake of the nation as one of my New Year’s Resolutions. Then I went down memory lane to the 2008 presidential debates/election. I wanted to compare and contrast the country’s mood and the issues at hand. The atmosphere at Grant Park was euphoric as history was being made. People were hugging and crying. President-elect Obama referenced Dr. King by the phrase “Arc of History” and Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address, saying, “As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.” Eight years later, “let’s make America great again” has a ring of treachery and defiance, dismounting the notion of a legacy for the first black president.

As I pondered what a difference eight years had made, I recalled a speech Dr. King gave in 1967. ‘Three major evils”—the evil of racism, the evil of poverty, and the evil of war. They are interconnected, all-embracing, and remain steadfast as impediments to a harmonious society. A direct correlation to the quote, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” This is a simplification of Abraham Lincoln’s actual words.

His exact quote was: “Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest, with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer. If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time or die by suicide.”

We can be our most prominent advocates or our most fantastic haters. … which is why we are our worst enemies.  History has a way of telling us things if we would just spend the time learning about each other and less time in the bully pulpit and corrupt politics.  “A Time to Fight” by Jim Webb. Webb, the former Senator from Virginia and a Democratic candidate in the 2016 primaries for president, gets a thumbs-up for his stance on crime, drugs, and education. He outlines common-sense views, almost in lecture form, in his book. However, one assertion he makes troubles me and edifies the great divide between blacks and whites not communicating on an intellectual, empathetic, and endearing level. The statement is not racist, just superficial in that it applies to the Marine Corps motto: “Once a Marine, Always a Marine.”

He declared that “comparing ethnic backgrounds and discussing life before the corps is an ancient favorite pastime of all Marines.”  I honestly believe that he believes this, after serving with Delta Company in Vietnam. Combat has a way of bringing souls closer together.  Outside of combat, some souls have a way of returning to their roots.  During the racial unrest of the 70’s, the Marine Corp experienced serious racial problems years before the Navy and the Air Force. “Black Sailor, White Navy” by John Sherwood.  As a Navy Racial Awareness Facilitator, one thing became emphatically clear to me. You cannot legislate empathy into a person’s heart.  Compassion can only be planted, in the soul, through the process of willing listeners.

Speaking recently at Washington University in Washington, D.C, Jim Webb stated: “I would like to salute Donald Trump for his tenacity and the uniqueness of his campaign.” Does this mean support for the bully pulpit?  Does the slogan “let’s make America great again,” imply that the Triple Evils never existed?  What period must we go back and great again from what?

Poverty – unemployment, homelessness, hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy, infant mortality, slums…

Racism – prejudice, apartheid, ethnic conflict, anti-Semitism, sexism, colonialism, homophobia, ageism, discrimination against disabled groups, stereotypes…

Militarism – war, imperialism, domestic violence, rape, terrorism, human trafficking, media violence, drugs, child abuse, violent crime…

A new poll commissioned by the Tyler Clementi Foundation found that: 53% of the more than 1400 registered voters questioned said “yes” when asked if they “believe the polarizing language being used in the presidential election is spilling over to young people and creating more meanness.”   Millennials!  Are you listening?   History has a funny way of repeating itself.

 

THE FOLLOWING IS A REPOST OF A BLOG FROM 2016…. ONLY THE TITLE HAS CHANGED.

 

In July 2016 I self-published “Guidance Against The Odds”  I also built a web-site “bookmystory.net.”  I’m not a writer, an internet guru, a politician, nor am I rich.  Just a military retiree, a member of the “Silent Generation,” and a great grandfather trying to set an example for my grandchildren.  I titled this blog “The Millennial Audacity” to grab the attention of a generation with no derogatory intentions. It was posted on my amateur web-site months before the presidential election, also on twitter.  A picture can be  worth a thousand words. Hopefully more Americans will get the underlining message of Spiritual Partnering I tried to put forth in Guidance Against the Odds.”  @hlf442207

“The Millennial Audacity”

The expectations of “Guidance Against the Odds” and the site BookMyStory.net is entirely motivational. With the core focus on inspiring young minds to read, to study history and to reach out to youth across the nation, learning the art of communicating by listening with empathy rather than immediate discord, a process necessary to turn around and save the sanctity of our Nation. We are not in a reality TV show.  You are fired, is for real.  With a world measured by speed, data delight, and sound bites, hate fear and anger, demonstrated by adults is now common core, and emulated by many of our youth as being natural without provocation.   “The Audacity of the Millennia’s,” a rhetorical statement, meant as a stimulus, to and for a generation, who within a decade or so will be moving into the eldership of the most powerful nation on earth. 

In 1961, a wall was built in another part of the world.   It divided people; with fear and hate as it’s motivation. It took 28 years with America’s involvement before the wall was torn down. In 2016, in our nation, the conversation about walls and deporting people further illustrate the inability for power hungry individuals to set at a table of understanding. The wall is just one of many issues used to incite anger interjecting fear and prejudices as fuel. As a nation, we don’t see how others countries see us, mixing patriotism with hate and calling it democracy. “Do as I say, not as I do mentality,” hypocrisy at it deepest.  The audacity of those who are angry, but did not vote.

The Millennia’s, I would hope, will not follow in the footsteps of generation “X”.  Generation X, parents of Millennia’s, a population approximately 41 million are known as the generation having the lowest voting participation rate of any generation.  This election year, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.  Generation Xers at one, quoted by Newsweek as “the generation that dropped out without ever turning on the news or tuning into the social issues around them.”  An attribute, giving prudence and possibly the missing links in effective communications today. But, it would be a misnomer to say that Millennia’s are the same, with iPhones at their fingertips, breakfast lunch, and dinner. The question is, will Millennia’s smell the bacon and seal the yoke?

As a Post-War Cohort, born in 1944, a veteran and a black man, I’ve navigated the minefields of discrimination, I’ve lived long enough to see the continued demise of our political process. The decaying of social values and the increasing fearfulness of everyday existence. The African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child,” has been used extensively over the years. But there’s another African proverb; “When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”  

Human beings 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; a utopia, but not impossible. Millennia’s’ 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 all, they’ve seen it all and exposed to it all since early childhood. Time is running, 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 fear.”   “Where Do We Go From Here: From A Call to Conscience” by DR. Martin Luther King Jr. should be listened to by every American.

Millennia’s, having a voting population expected to rise above 75 million for the mid-term 2018 elections, could 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 epigeous for the inside the beltway mentality. Millennia’s make up over 25% of the U S population, having at least 21% of direct buying power and a huge influence on older generations. 46% of millennia’s have 200 plus friends on Facebook. These statistics alone would be a show of strength if unified.  “You can lead or you can continue to follow.”