Category: Politics

Dream Vacation

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

Amboy, Kalifornien, USA, Hist. Route 66By this time tomorrow Mike and I will begin a twenty one day junket to California in our travel trailer along with two of our grandchildren. We are either excitingly adventurous or stunningly crazy. The potential for problems when pulling a tiny home thousands of miles behind a truck in abnormally hot weather is high. We’ve already experienced a number of unexpected kinks in our plans on short hops in the past. We’ve practiced our camping skills time and again. We have overcome violent thunderstorms, excruciatingly long roadwork delays, appliances that failed to work properly, attacks by tiny insects and a host of other difficulties that shall remain unspoken. Now comes the greatest test of all. We will either demonstrate our mettle or fail miserably.

Mike and I both have ancestors who braved the unknown to travel to a new world. The earliest among his arrived on the Mayflower. Mine were latecomers to Jamestown. Over decades and then centuries our family trees grew more and more complex and the branches took our people from Massachusetts to Nebraska, Virginia to Texas. The hardy souls who were our third, fourth and fifth great grandparents sailed across oceans in cramped quarters that make our trailer seem like a grand palace. They pulled wagons into dense forests and over mountainous roads. They lived without electricity or running water and somehow survived. They learned how to adapt to the environment and willed themselves to overcome hardship and disease. I suspect that we still bear some of their traits and thus will be just fine in our full hookup campsites with wifi, swimming pools, laundries and grocery stores.

Our plan is to pick up our youngest grandson William in San Antonio tomorrow along with his sister Abigail. Our first stop will be at South Llano River State Park for a good night’s rest before navigating through west Texas to Carlsbad Caverns. We plan to spend an entire day inside the magnificent cave that is truly one of the world’s wonders. From there our journey will take us to Santa Fe. In a stroke of luck we will be in that cultural mecca during the International Art Festival that occurs only once a year. We hope to venture to the Anasazi ruins of Chaco Canyon while we are nearby area as well. After three days and nights we will continue moving west to Sedona, a place that is reputed to be so beautiful that we may be tempted to forego the rest of our trip so that we might enjoy the scenery and the welcoming environment for a longer time than one evening. If our timing is perfect we may even go north for the afternoon to catch the sunset over the Grand Canyon, a sight that we have already experienced but which can never be seen too often. Continuing on we will spend a night in Needles, California within striking distance of our ultimate goal, Los Angeles. For the next seven days we will enjoy the multitude of scenery and entertainment in both LA and San Diego. The return trip will take us rather quickly down I-10 through Arizona and New Mexico until we reach Fort Davis where we will tarry for a time before returning to South Llano River in Junction and then back to San Antonio to drop off the kids before returning home. It will either be a dream vacation or a horrible nightmare. It all depends on the vagaries of nature and the unexpected behaviors of our fellow human beings, not to mention the multitude of possible problems that may occur with our mechanical equipment.

I laugh when I think of how soft we modern souls have become compared to our forefathers. On this day I often think of them and the incredible sacrifices that they made in the hopes of improving their lives. Passage across the ocean involved traveling thousands of miles with only scant knowledge of what lay ahead. It meant never seeing family and friends again. Every moment of every day was fraught with problems and no luxuries as we think of them today. Even the old homestead of my great grandparents spoke of the hardship and depravation that was their reality only one hundred years ago. We have advanced to an extent that truly boggles the mind. The pioneers who stretched out across this continent so long ago would be stunned to see us going from Texas to California and back in only twenty one days. They would think it amazing to learn that we can watch movies inside our “iron buggies” as we move rapidly down a concrete road and that we are rarely far from conveniences that they never considered even in their dreams.

The first colonists in the United States of America came to a rugged and dangerous land. So many of them died before they even took their steps off of the ships that brought them. Some grew and prospered and others merely subsisted. After two hundred years generations of people had lived here under the auspices of a king and a country that they had never seen. Being ruled from afar by a government that little understood their unique situations became untenable and they rebelled. Theirs was a revolution against one of the most powerful countries in the world and on July 4, 1776 they brashly declared their independence and intent to form a new kind of government. It was a moment that was viewed with skepticism in the halls of power around the world and yet somehow almost two hundred fifty years later our nation stretches from sea to sea across a continent that still seems to be working out the kinks of determining its identity.

We were guided by humans to this very moment in history when all the world looks to us either with profound admiration or seething hate. We understand our flaws and continue to strive to correct them. We are desirous of being a kind nation but wary of being too soft. We struggle to strike a balance between love of country and understanding of our role in a global community. The old questions and disagreements that plagued our founders stalk us even today. Still we are remarkable and I suspect that our ancestors would be quite proud of our accomplishments. They would no doubt caution us to proceed into the future with an eye to preserving the foundations upon which this nation was built while adapting to the realities of a time that they might never have imagined.

Somehow it seems fitting that Mike and I will be taking our grandchildren to see the wonders of this glorious country of ours during the month that sparked our independence. Wish us godspeed as we travel and help us to find McDonald’s for our breakfast, Walmart for our provisions and Starbucks to quench our thirst and keep us alert. We are venturing into a modern day version of the wild. Let us hope that when we think of our trip in the years to come we will remember it as our dream vacation.

  

The Heat of Summer

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

pc7rKeqXisunThe political scene has heated up with Hillary attacking Trump and Trump attacking Hillary. The Supreme Court seems to be handing down one split decision after another in the wake of Justice Scalia’s death. Members of the House of Representatives are staging a sit-in to force a vote on gun control measures. As a country we seem to be as divided as ever even though the vast majority of us are stuck right in the middle. In the past I might have commented on all of these very important and pressing issues, presenting my ideas for solving them, but I have grown weary of the political battles and now all I want is for each question to be settled in the ballot box in November. I have every confidence in the citizenry. We will ultimately decide the outcome just as we have for more than two hundred years. What appears to be the most terrible time in our country is actually a situation that has repeated itself over and over again just as those our brilliant forefathers thought it might be.

Our Founding Fathers were rebelling against an authoritarian government led by a king who wielded absolute power. They wanted to be certain that no one person or single group would ever be able to force their beliefs on the nation and so they purposely set up a system that would almost insure gridlock from time to time. They believed that changes would be inevitable but that they should occur incrementally so that we never throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak. Right now their ingenious plan is working as it should but slow progress and infighting can be quite discomforting to some among us. I actually find the situation to be a sign that our government is working the way it was intended. I take comfort in the belief that at some point in the future we will work out compromises that will fix things but not create a revolution. It’s what we do in the United States of America and in spite of flaws along the way it continues to work. Some will be satisfied with the results and others will be angry but the point is that our votes are ultimately heard and then determine the course of our history.

I’ve noticed that we Americans tend to get hot headed in the summer months when the heat fries our brains and we just can’t take it anymore, whatever it may be. There are catalysts that spur us into action. We push our representatives to present our differing points of view. In the end one or the other side will win or if there is no clear consensus  it is a draw and nothing is done for the time being until we can rethink the options.

The biggest issues right now involve guns, abortion, sexual preferences and immigration. I actually think that with regard to each of the arguments both sides have valid points of view and both sides are erroneous in some ways. In other words there are good and bad ideas all the way around. If we were willing to consider the interests of both proponents of opposition we would come up with plans that might be deemed satisfactory to the largest number of citizens.

Lyndon Baines Johnson was masterful at creating cooperation among lawmakers from differing sides. Some historians believe that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 might never have passed without his political acumen. Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan both had great talents in those areas as well. Perhaps that is why we tend to see the eras of their governing as great times for our country. They knew how to bring the differing sides together and make everyone feel as though they had been heard. It’s difficult to imagine our current leaders or those now running for office having the ability to create majorities using members of both parties. We seem to be in the phase of “my way or the highway” politics. When we citizens have had enough we will vote for more moderate individuals who will agree to work together. Until then we’ll just have to sit back and watch the battles.

I have to laugh a bit because the men and women of Congress who are staging the sit-in and creating filibusters are being heralded by the media as great heroes and I tend to agree that that is so. Nonetheless, I seem to recall that when Ted Cruz convinced a cohort to do something similar he were accused of a being treasonous traitor. I guess it all depends on which side of the political fence one sits on but I believe that we need to be fair.

Insofar as most of the issues that arrive on Capitol Hill, I believe that everyone is a little bit right and a little bit wrong. Any thinking person has to admit that there are never quick and tidy fixes for anything. As an administrator I always found it wise to listen to the naysayers before producing school policy. They often saw problems that I had missed. Including them in the discussions and respecting their ideas generally led to buy-in from a greater number of people and a more positive state of morale. It is when managers not only ignore but also demonize their opponents that a kind of civil war ensues.

We have too many people right now craving power, legacies, history-making status. We seem to want what we want when we want it. The world generally has never worked that way. We have to think things through. I see the Middle East as a great example of what happens when a group of people overthrow the power structure without thinking of what to put in its place. Chaos reigns and nobody is happy.

It’s doubtful that we are going to witness a change in the political environment anytime soon. I’ll be patiently waiting for that to happen as I am sure that it will. We have some great men and women on both sides of the aisle and it is only when the majority of us are able to understand that compromise is the answer to our problems that we will once again enter a more serene phase of history. We humans can only take so much excitement before we demand peace.

In the meantime, I’m going to visit the holy grail of Texas politicians today, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library. He was a President who was loved and loathed but he sure managed to accomplish much of his agenda. I suspect that had he not been saddled with the War in Vietnam he might have gone down in history as one of the greatest of our presidents. Sadly he chose the wrong pathway in handling that conflict which no doubt would have been the fate of anyone tasked with that onerous duty.

It’s going to be a hot summer for sure and the heat will continue all the way into November. God only knows what the outcome will be but each of us should remember that we do indeed have a voice. It might also behoove us to begin the process of healing wounds by respecting the fact that every man and woman has a valid right to his or her opinion. That is the greatness of this country and we need to be certain that we never let it go away. No one should ever be silenced. The most dangerous situation that we might encounter is a government in which we must all agree all of the time and where those in power punish those who dissent. We may want serenity now but we should place more value on rational discussions and efforts to compromise. That is the way our founders intended our government to be.

The Lesser of Two Evils

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

clinton and trump downloadEight years ago when Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign for the presidency I was quite sad. Yesterday when she became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party I was also quite sad. In the last eight years Ms. Clinton has been a grave disappointment to me and decisions that she has made along with a tendency to stretch the truth have caused me to question her ability to hold the highest office in the land. Sadly I have nowhere else to turn because in the grand scheme of things she appears to be the lesser of two evils. I find myself realizing that for the first time since I became eligible to vote I will have to swallow a bitter pill because I have sworn that I will never support Donald Trump but I have very serious questions about Hillary Clinton.

Let us go back in time a bit. I always felt uncomfortable when then First Lady Clinton defended her husband’s womanizing by detracting his accusers. When it became an indisputable fact that President Clinton had engaged in sexual activities with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, I was sickened by the parsing of words from both the President’s and the First Lady. Even worse were the attacks on Ms. Lewinsky character made by none other than Hillary Clinton. It was a disgusting situation and I so wanted Ms. Clinton to toss her husband out of her life in righteous indignation but that was not to be. Instead in a very public display of forgiveness Ms. Clinton indicated that she had prayed on the matter and decided not to end what had been a great partnership.

I was able to eventually overlook what I thought to be a horrible mistake by Ms. Clinton. My mother had wisely advised me that I did not know the full story of the Clintons’ relationship with one another. I read Hillary’s autobiography in which she explained her thinking on the matter and found that I was ready to accept her decision to keep the fires burning with Bill. I became a fan again and when she began her campaign for the nomination in 2008 I was one of her most fervent supporters. Thus it was incredibly disappointing when she lost the nomination to Barack Obama who I believed was terribly inexperienced compared to her.

I was happy for her when she became the Secretary of State. It seemed a just reward for a woman who had worked so hard only to be denied the one prize that she most coveted. I felt that she was more than ready for the task but that was before her reset with Russia, the fiasco in Benghazi and the terrible feeling that she was covering up mistakes with lies. She began to appear tone deaf and resembled a teenager sneaking around with a terrible secret. I started to question her talents and it was disappointing. The events in Benghazi were horrific but I still would have forgiven her had she not so blatantly attempted to use a nonexistent riot over a video as the reason for what happened. I hoped and prayed that she would eventually admit her transgressions but she instead seemed to pile one little white lie on top of another.

Next came the concern over her use of a private email server. I don’t believe that any of her activities were illegal but I certainly question her judgement. Even as a minor school administrator I understood the issues of privacy and confidentiality associated with documents and emails. I was a stickler for handling things properly. I would never have considered putting my business dealings in the hands of a private company housing a server in an unsecured location. I realized the need for security without being told. It was a matter of common sense.

It frightens me to think of how cavalierly Ms. Clinton has reacted to her role in putting our nation at risk. I wonder why and how she so underestimated the atmosphere in Benghazi that she allowed Americans to be under siege for thirteen hours before help finally arrived. I wonder how she dared to shift the blame to a video rather than accepting that maybe she had missed signals that she should have seen. I wonder what other secrets she may be hiding and my thoughts worry me.

Still the alternative to voting for Hillary Clinton would be to support Donald Trump and there is no way on earth I will ever be able to stomach such a decision. I’ve made it abundantly clear in previous posts why I believe that he is a dangerous man who would bring great harm to our country and its people. So here I am realizing that my worst fears have come to pass and I have to decide whether to vote for a woman who seems dishonest and a bit incompetent or to just sit out the election and run the risk of putting a real maniac in the White House. I wonder if the Founding Fathers ever thought that their dream would come to this?

If these were calmer times I wouldn’t be so worried. Instead the world is on fire and more than ever before we need to have a person of great integrity and wisdom at the helm, someone who will not encourage us to divide ourselves into battling tribes. I wonder what we will have to endure as a nation before we once again find an individual who will work for all of the people with honor and respect. I genuinely fret about our country and even dream of some miracle occurring that will save us from this horrible dilemma. In the end I expect that I will swallow the bitter pill and cast my lots with Hillary Clinton but I will not share the enthusiasm over the historic nature of my vote as so many others seem so anxious to do.

I believe that there are many women who might have been or would be great leaders. I am still disappointed that Barbara Jordan’s health problems took her from the political arena. I think that she would have been a remarkable President. Eleanor Roosevelt might have been even more inspirational than her husband had she been given the opportunity to be at the head of the United States. I greatly admire Condoleezza Rice and I’m a fan of Nikki Haley. For that matter why not run someone like Cokie Roberts or Donna Brazile?  Elizabeth Warren seems to have much more going for her than either of the candidates whose names will be on the ballot in November. I have to wonder what has led us to this disappointing end.

I actually stay awake at night worrying about the future, not so much for me but for my children and grandchildren. I have few personal or political needs anymore. I pray that my pension will stay solvent and I’d love to have dental insurance and a way to get glasses and hearing aides without breaking my bank account. Beyond that I worry that we fight too much rather than attempting to solve problems. Perhaps it is the media that has put us in this position. Perhaps we have done it to ourselves.

This week Paul Ryan and a large group of Congressmen from both the Republican and Democratic parties attempted to unveil a concrete plan designed to make inroads into the problems of poverty and economic uncertainty in this country. Instead of giving these individuals the opportunity to showcase their important work at a press conference, all of the questions centered on what Speaker Ryan thought of Donald Trump. In an interview with Mitch McConnell in which he was attempting to speak about his memoir again every single question was about Donald Trump. I believe that the obsession with this man is steering our attention away from important work that needs to be done regardless of who ends up in the White House. As citizens we need to demand better from the journalists who bring us our news. It’s time that we turn off the noise and learn how to think for ourselves once again. Until we do there will be many more years of having to choose between the lesser of two evils. Frankly I want more for our country than that.

Beloved of God

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

ali1My early years at the University of Houston were marked by a highly charged political atmosphere. I was there during the height of the Vietnam War when young men the same age as I was had to register for the draft. Attending college gave them a temporary deferment as long as they were full time students, and made passing grades that allowed them to continue to progress toward a degree within a reasonable timeline. Back then the intensity and stress normally associated with the college experience was exacerbated by the threat of losing that deferment and being called to serve in the army. For many avoiding the draft was simply a matter of not wanting to be forced to serve. For others it was a matter of principle, namely that they did not want to participate in a war that they thought to be unwarranted and unjust. Others were strict pacifists who would not have wanted to fight under any circumstances.

The university was the site of protests and political speakers on a regular basis and for those of us who were against the war there was ample opportunity to meet with like-minded individuals to voice our concerns. I had analyzed the situation and found little reason for the United States to be involved in the conflict unfolding in Vietnam. It had begun as a civil war between opposing political factions and ideologies and the United States had originally only intended to provide support to the democratic government of the south. By 1968, however, our nation had become hopelessly mired in the fighting with our youth being sent a world away to a war whose purpose few really understood. By the time that I was a college student the country was hopelessly divided over the issue of whether or not we should be sending troops to Vietnam. The divisions would ultimately destroy the reputation of President Lyndon B. Johnson and show its ugliest side in riots at the 1968 Democrat convention in Chicago. 

While my concerns about the political atmosphere of our country often outweighed my interest in my studies, I was only peripherally involved in the student efforts to voice our point of view. I knew many of the key players in the anti-war movement at school but mostly just attended meetings and went to hear speakers who came to our campus. I was particularly excited when I learned that members of the student government had secured a visit from Muhammed Ali and that he would speak at an informal gathering inside the Cougar Den. I knew that I had to be there.

Back then the Cougar Den was little more than a wooden shack nestled under a grove of trees to the left of the Ezekiel Cullen building. It was a dark, noisy, smoke-filled and always crowded room under the best of circumstances. On the day of Muhammad Ali’s visit it was a madhouse as students eagerly jammed inside hoping to get a glance of the greatest boxer in history. When a good friend and I arrived we realized that we would be lucky if we were even able to hear him speak much less actually see him. Fortunately fate intervened on our behalf. My friend was an incredibly beautiful and popular coed and as we were jockeying for a decent place to stand we encountered an officer of the Young Republican Club who had a huge crush on her. He offered to take us both upstairs to the organization’s headquarters where we might stand along the railing and watch the proceedings from a bird’s eye view. We eagerly followed him and the location proved to be perfect.

When Muhammad Ali entered the room a respectful hush fell over all of us. The mere sight of him was mesmerizing. Here was a man who had risked everything by refusing to be inducted into the army. With the famous words, “I got nothing against no Viet Cong” he had refused to step forward when his name was called to be drafted. His actions had resulted in the loss of his boxing title and the inability to fight in many places. He was threatened with five years in prison and had to pay a stiff fine. He would be involved in an appeal for the next many years, citing his Muslim religion as the reason for his pacifism. For some he was seen as a traitor but to those of us who believed that the war was wrong, he was a hero of the highest stature. On the day that I heard him speak he appeared to be godlike and was truly the greatest in my mind.

Muhammad Ali’s appeal would go all the way to the Supreme Court where his conviction would eventually be overturned. He was cleared to resume his boxing career and he went on to have a legendary career that is spoken of with reverence to this very day. His presence, his confidence and his style was unlike anything that the public had ever before seen. Even his detractors had to admit that he was an incredible man. 

I was never a fan of boxing so I can’t say that I followed Muhammad Ali’s career very closely. I had uncles who loved to watch the matches that were broadcast on television but I was never interested. One of those uncles had gone to see George Foreman train here in Houston. I remember his unmitigated excitement when Foreman was slated to fight Ali in Manilla. He was convinced that it would be one of the best contests ever and it indeed became one of those sporting moments that boxing fans would never forget. In the searing heat Muhammad Ali pushed George Foreman to a state of exhaustion and then knocked the giant off of his feet to secure a victory that stunned the world.

I suppose that what I admired most about Muhammad Ali was his integrity. He was a man who lived the principles that were the foundation of his beliefs. He was unafraid to speak even when the truth was difficult. He was a warrior for social justice and a peaceful man. When Parkinson’s disease began to ravage his body he demonstrated courage and grace. I’ll never forget the moment when he carried the torch to light the Olympic flame at the games in Utah. He was already frail but he bravely ran up the ramp as though he were holding the light of the world for all of us. He was as beautiful as he had been when I saw him as a young lion those many years ago.

Muhammad Ali became an example and spokesman for those of us who are nameless. He never varied from his determination to make the world a more tolerant and peaceful place. From his days as Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky to his most triumphant moments the public knew that he was indeed a remarkable man. At a time when a black man dared not speak out lest he be punished, Muhammad Ali refused to still his voice. He held his head high and reminded us that he was beautiful and great. He would proudly boast, “I am Muhammad Ali, a free name – it means beloved of God, and I insist people use it when people speak to me.”

Muhammad Ali was beloved, not just by God but by people the world over. He taught us the importance of faith, family and conviction. Now he may rest in peace. His battered body will hurt him no more. He is with God and moving like a butterfly in his heavenly home.

Unicorns and Trolls

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

karl_iphone5cI have to admit that we are living in very confusing and sometimes frightening times. Having a plane disappear in route from Paris to Cairo doesn’t help to ease my concerns. There is saber rattling all over the world and in the meantime our political parties are warring within their ranks and with each other. It almost seems as though the whole world has decided that everyone must choose a side and then remain firmly in the confines of their respective tribes. For those of us rebellious enough to see ourselves as having “live and let live points of view,” the current rage seems especially counterproductive.

I posit the Middle East as evidence of my thinking. Most of the countries there, with the profound exception of Israel, are united in their Muslim faith but with severe caveats. There are countless sects and tribes dating back to ancient times that are warring from within. Instead of working together to solve problems they fight for the power to subject every other group to their wishes. The trouble in Iraq, for example, has always been about finding a way for the Shia and Suni Muslims to live in peace. Saddam Hussein was only successful because he was a brutal tyrant who favored his own kind and forced the rest of the population to live in constant fear.

Somehow that is how it is lately feeling in these United States. We have developed an “either or” kind of mentality. There are dichotomies from which we are expected to choose and the more we argue, the more radical the fringes become. Each side eyes the other with disdain and loathing. We distrust our lawmakers, our educators and our doctors. We either want to throw the baby out with the bath water or lock him in his room. Everything is about winners and losers with bragging rights for those who bully their way to the top. The idea of compromise and honoring differences appears to be a quaint but flawed way of doing business. It’s dog eat dog and everyone else be damned. We have turned neighbor against neighbor and even within families there are enormous rifts.

I have been thinking about such things while pursuing a seemingly unrelated hobby, genealogy. I have one grandmother whose ancestors I have traced all the way back to people with unpronounceable names who lived in Norway in the 700s. I have not once been able to find a single clue as to my grandfather’s identity even after five years of peering into every possibility. All I know is what he told me about himself and it is a sad tale indeed. His mother died only days after he was born and his father was somewhat of an irresponsible miscreant who had no intention of raising a baby. A woman that he believed to be his grandma cared for him until he was thirteen when she died leaving him orphaned and wondering where to go. He chose a man who was his uncle to be his financial guardian but went to live with his father until he was just barely old enough to take on the world by himself. He led the lonely life of a wanderer, moving from town to town to find construction work. He was already forty years old when he met my grandmother and finally fell in love. She was the one person who faithfully and unconditionally gave him the emotional support that had been denied for most of his life. She was his everything and he spent his final years holding tightly to the memories of the wonderful moments that he had shared with her.

It seems to me that we human beings when stripped down to our barest essentials are mostly alike in our need for the comforting presence of love. Each of us wants to be respected and accepted just as we are, not as someone else thinks we should be. Sadly our present world insists that we instead conform to whatever group manages to get the ball. At any given moment some factions feel bullied by others in an impasse that only tears away at the very fabric of society.

We need to find ways that work for each individual, which is indeed a tall order. We know from past experience that what has always worked best is being flexible and having a willingness to accommodate the diversity of needs that we humans possess. History is replete with examples of how this works. After World War I the victors were determined to severely punish the defeated governments. It seemed only fair given the havoc that they had created but it ultimately led to even more hard feelings that bred angry resentments. The upshot was the rise of nationalism and a character named Adolf Hitler. When World War II ended the victorious nations remembered their mistakes from the previous war and instead set up a plan to help everyone to rebuild. This time Germany had the means to support its people and to become a model democracy. In other words, it was a willingness to be forgiving and understanding that led to more palatable results.

We have to cease punishing one another for simply being human and for having differing views. We have to learn how to use Facebook, Twitter and the ballot box for the common good rather than vile retribution. It bothers me that our members of Congress and the Supreme Court always align according to party platforms. I think it would be quite refreshing to see a more fluid government with decisions based on each individual question rather than an ironclad and unswerving philosophy. If our Founding Fathers had been as averse to compromise as our government is today we would still be subject to the rule of the kings and queens of England.

My grandfather was an avid reader and historian. He had a wisdom born from a full lifetime of experiences. He watched his money and his possessions come and go. When he died at the age of 108 he owned little more than a handful of clothes and his books. His riches lay in the relationships that he had experienced in his lifetime. When all was said and done nothing mattered more to him than the loving moments with his family and friends. He understood that life is often harsh and filled with almost unbearable challenges but as long as we each have someone who accepts us for who we are without any strings attached, we are ultimately going to be fine.

Whether or not someone is religious or atheist, democrat or republican, gay or straight, rich or poor should not matter. We have to get back to respecting and honoring each other so that we might unite behind the goals that matter most. I’d hate to see us divide ourselves at the very moment when the world is so on fire with the kind of strife that tribal thinking produces. I don’t believe in unicorns nor do I think that there are troll behind every corner. Mostly I see good people wherever I go whether north or south, east or west. Let’s start a movement and send a loud message to those that represent us that we want a world that allows us to be united in our freedom, not divided by our fears. In the end all any of us ever really want is the same as what Grandpa desired, someone to make us feel loved.