Sunday Reflection: Will and Determination

The Left believes that the state assures social and economic mobility, in which they define as an egalitarian society. Since the state is the "so-called" guarantor of egalitarianism, justice eludes any other socio-economic model. They insist that without the help of the government, people just cannot make it in this country and many are forever doomed to a life of poverty and despair.

If you didn't get the opportunity to see ABC's 20/20 Friday evening, here is where you can watch a report that debunks this myth, advanced by those on the Left. I found the entire show noteworthy for many reasons, the one I would like to highlight can be found in Part Six, entitled America: Still The Land Of Opportunity. If you want to read about it, you can read Stossel's blog entry, which also includes a video witht some startling information.

Briefly, the part I want to point out is the profile of two books and the two stories behind the books. This is something liberals will not be able to refute, but they'll try anyway. It discusses the myth of the middle class erosion.

From Stossel's blog entry:

Social commentator and best-selling author Barbara Ehrenreich agrees. "It used to be that you could expect to get a job after college, rise in that job, maybe switch jobs at some point and then retire with a generous pension," she said. "Now, it's a very bumpy road with many gaps in between."

In her book "Nickel and Dimed," Ehrenreich went undercover to work as a nursing home aide, a Wal-Mart associate and took on other low-wage jobs to see if she could make ends meet.

She said she struggled to pay her bills and live comfortably. If you are poor, she said, and you want to move up the income ladder, in her experience, America doesn't "offer as much upward mobility as we think it does. That's a myth."

But is she right? Can only the rich make it in America? Not everyone agrees.

"I wanted to discover for myself if the 'American Dream' is still alive," said Adam Shepard, author of "Scratch Beginnings," a book he wrote after reading Ehrenreich's book in college.

Shepard, now 26, picked a city out of a hat -- Charleston, S.C. He went there with $25 in his pocket. How far could he get if he didn't tell anyone about his college degree?

"I arrived, and right away I figured I needed to get into a homeless shelter," Shepard said.

He lived in a shelter for two months. Then he got a job with a moving company, making $8 an hour. Soon he'd saved enough to buy a used truck. And within a few months he had an apartment. After one year, he had $5,500 and a car. How?

"I was able to do it because I made sacrifices," Shepard said.

Despite Ehrenreich's claim that income mobility is a myth, Shepard succeeded from humble beginnings.

There's more the learn from this particular segment. America: Still A Land Of Opportunity is worth your time because it demonstrates that anyone with a dream, properly motivated, and refuses to quit, can achieve success with little or no government assistance. I have a friend who is fond of saying that life provides two choices: chicken salad, or chicken crap. The video shows how a young person was able to demonstrate how flawed an older woman’s thinking is; it was very inspirational.

Much of human behavior is learned. People who are conditioned to believe they cannot succeed outside of extraordinary circumstances, generally will not succeed. It is a cruel joke played on young people by their parents, by our socialist education system, and often, by the people with whom we choose to associate. Evidently, this young man in the video went against that grain and resisted the lure to underachieve, because the mainstream educational experts said he would.

In all of this, let's not fail to consider the amazing transformation among people who complete military training. They become positive thinkers, planners, and develop amazing self-confidence. They, more than any other segment of our society, understand that we cannot help the circumstances of our birth. But we have much to say about what we actually accomplish in our lives.

Go ahead . . . watch this. And unless you are one of those people who love to be miserable, you’ll be encouraged at what you see. I recommend watching the entire report. But if time is limited, make sure you watch the entire Part Six. I think you'll be very surprised at what you see.

Learning From Tragedy

Like everyone else, I am shocked and stunned at the shootings that just occurred on two separate continents. Maybe not as much as people who live in those communities, but certainly more than those that have never been to either area.

You see, I was stationed not far from both shootings. I used to know both areas pretty well at one time, many years ago. So in a sense, I feel a certain kinship to those people who are grieving. I am sure they are desperately trying to cope with these tragedies. And in whatever way they possibly can, they are trying to make some small shred of sense from what is one of the most senseless acts, imaginable.

It's easy for me to sit here and say things about these incidents. One of my kids wasn't killed, so I have no real experience at what the families must be going through right now. It wasn't my kid who pulled the trigger, so I cannot even imagine what is going on in the heads of those who survive these gunmen. So, take my words for what they are worth, as, I am no expert in these matters.

But I am a parent who has raised children. Neither of them have been perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and both have greatly contributed to the graying of what was once a full set of brown hair. I thank my God daily that they have never been capable of doing anything like this, nor did they ever witness or experience it. And I think it should definitely go without saying, I am doubly thankful they were never the victim of such a tragedy.

The first knee-jerk reaction will be to blame the parents of the gunmen. I think it can be a starting place to look for answers, but in the Alabama case the mother is dead. If she in any way contributed to the mental anguish (or did not), we may never know because she has paid the ultimate price with the other victims. The case in Germany may be different, but who can actually say at this point?

Neither of these kids (I know the Alabama man was 27, but at my age, he's still a kid) showed any signs of being capable of such heinous acts. At least that's the early report. Both gunmen were described as quiet and reserved. I know many quiet and shy people, this alone is not a sign that someone will snap like this. When someone is not able to express their thoughts in a setting that is non-judgmental and non-threatening, who knows what they are thinking? As a result, how does one find a red flag in this kind of case?

Many times over the years, I have tried to encourage my children to verbally express themselves. Sometimes they did, other times they didn't. But if not, I always left the door open if they changed their minds. So if there is any one thing that a parent can do, it's listen. Sure, we lecture. That's what parents do. Mine did it, I did it, and I am sure my kids will do it when it is their turn. But we also have to listen. Or they will get very good at shutting us out. As a result, they will not listen to us.

The second knee-jerk reaction will be for anti-gun advocates to cry out for stricter gun laws. In Europe, this will certainly be a major rallying cry and already has been in the hours since the tragedy occurred. To which I still say, the guns did not kill anyone. They did not just start firing on their own. Someone had to load them, aim them, and fire them. Those that are capable of this kind of thing will only find other ways to carry out the deed.

So when struggling to understand the incomprehensible, it is important to note something. We must try to understand, what made these kids want to believe this was a viable option in whatever turmoil they were experiencing. What caused them to snap? If we can learn something from this, we may be able to recognize something in the future. We might just be able to recognize the same things in others, who may have the capability of doing something like this. As time passes, we may learn more valuable information that may help us prevent something like this in the future.

But for right now, we know the best prevention is for parents to do their jobs, and one of those jobs is to listen to their children. It doesn't mean they have to give in on anything, on which they are not inclined to do so. It doesn't mean they have to ignore their better judgment. It means they listen to what the kids are saying and then, they teach them how to develop independent problem-solving skills.

Right now, there are too many parents that are not doing their jobs. While their kids may never snap like this, many will make other poor decisions down the road, as a result of the parents not taking the time to listen and teach proper coping skills. And unfortunately, many of those poor decisions may have a lasting effect on some other innocent person.

Sunday Reflection: Thanks For A Hero

We know that race-baiting is such big business these days. How else would guys like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson become so rich?

Anywhere there is a perceived injustice, you will find them there, getting their names in the paper and faces on TV. To hear them on a regular basis, one would think that there is no justice, no kindness, no compassion, or no understanding between black people and white people. They portray an image of everything being unfair, unequal, and bigoted, with whites having all of the advantages.

So with this in mind, it should come as no surprise that neither Al, nor Jesse, were anywhere close to what happened in Boston this past week. Why not? Because something good, something positive happened there, and they have no time to encourage anything that remotely sounds like a message of true hope.

Here is a real story of heroism and bravery that did not make the national media, at least I didn't hear it. I had to stumble upon it by accident.

In 1968, a white firefighter saved a black baby girl, touching the heart of a divided city. The two did not meet again. Until yesterday.

This is a great story. I recommend reading it in its entirety.

Sunday Reflection: The Pleasing Of The Eye

When I was a mere private in the U.S. Army (once upon a time long ago), 50% of our inspections were based on "eye wash".

Sarge didn't always have time to dig everyday, because the training schedule was often too loaded for him to spend too much time on one thing. The time spent in the morning doing PT, taking showers, eating chow, and squaring the areas away before work formation went fast and other things needed to be done, in order to properly to get ready for the day ahead.

He understood that looks are only important, in that, it gives an initial positive first impression. He knew that underneath it all, there were minds that needed knowledge and job skills that needed more improvement. But every now and then, when Sarge was aware of a possible hold-up for some reason or another, he'd take a little more time to dig. The deeper he'd search, the more flaws he'd find. The deeper one must search to find flaws gives a strong indication of how thorough of a job has been done.

Once, in one of my units not long after I had arrived, we had a new First Sergeant who wanted to hold an inspection of the barracks. It was billed as a room inspection, which meant it was to be closed locker. Lockers were to be secured and the troops were to be waiting in their rooms by their bunks. My stuff was thrown in the locker, in an effort to keep clutter out the sight of his eye. The locker was secured, the room was clean, and the bunk was tight.

When he arrived to my area, he ordered me to open my locker and the mess was plainly visible to anyone that was in the room. He left my area unhappy, and later the entire unit was informed that we would be reinspected that evening. (As it turned out, I was not the only one that had their locker in gross disarray. Remember, the entire unit had been informed this was to be a "closed" locker inspection.)

This particular first sergeant was soon to become known as First Sergeant HB (House Beautiful). His concentration on the barracks being as clean as a surgery suite was a good thing for when the Annual General Inspection (AGI) came around. No one in the entire battalion had better looking billets, than we did. And it was noted as such, by the inspection team.

However, this is not the only job an AGI team has when they visit. There are many other areas which must be examined to determine how ready a unit is, should they find themselves in combat. The serviceability of unit equipment, the preciseness of military paperwork which ensures accountability of the equipment, and a soldier's knowledge of their job and basic military affairs are just as, if not more important, than having eyewash in the barracks.

But because this First Sergeant was fixated on eyewash, this particular unit ended up failing the overall inspection. In his mind, the superficial far outweighed the underneath. By focusing on cleanliness almost exclusively, he was not properly prioritizing. He thought the pleasing of the eye (and not the soundness of the heart) was what determined how many people will end up alive, if the balloon ever went up

What am I getting at here? Let me first throw one more analogy out, before I come to the main point of this post.

A few months back when i visited my friend Mustang, we were chatting and half glancing at TV. I don't remember the movie's title, but it was based on something written by Evelyn Waugh. We didn't watch the entire film, but there was one scene that stood out and made an impression on me.

Dan Ackroyd's character was that of a powerful man who had something one of the younger characters wanted (a job, maybe?). As the young man sat in front of an ornate desk in a large office, Ackroyd's character read him some portions of the riot act, but this particular part stood out. He asked the young man what kind of insect he wanted to be. Did he want to be a butterfly, something very majestic, beautiful to look at, but produced nothing? Or did he want to be a bee, not very sightly, but hard working and very productive?

As I think back to that movie scene and that First Sergeant's desire to be the butterfly, it causes me realize that looks are superficial and not always an indication of how squared away an individual actually is, on the inside. Please understand that I am not saying appearances and cleanliness are not important, but some of the most intelligent people I have ever met in this world did not look like they were. They were not formally educated and many times worked with their hands. Their fulfillment came when they produced something of value, something they would not have been ashamed to sign their name to.

Ackroyd's character may have seen through the young man and made a determination that he only wanted a job, for status purposes. Looking and acting important seems to be fashionable, in the younger generation today. But I wonder, what will happen someday when the worker bees with stringent work ethics retire or pass away, leaving the world to these youthful butterflies?

So today in your reflections, ask yourself some things. Are you a butterfly or a bee? Do you want a car that looks good, or runs well? Do you value appearances or depth of spirit? The eyes are but one of the senses, there are four others to consider.

Some Thoughts On The Minneapolis Bridge Collapse

This piece is not entirely about politics, but neither are the posts that I occasionally do about sports or music.

No, there are some stories that deserve a mention, for no other reason but to serve in processing bad situations that occur. When anything like what has just occurred in Minneapolis happens, there comes a time when one must begin the process of healing.

For some, the period of shock must subside, before any true rational thinking can begin. Properly processing information can only begin after the ability to reason and gain insight is restored. For some it comes fairly quickly, others not so much. It all depends upon the person and the level they have been traumatized.

Some people are still fighting for their lives, right now. Others, sadly, are gone. The numbers may be low right now, but this is a mess and it's not likely the answers will come quickly. How many? Who? Why? Those questions (and others more specific) will no doubt be asked real soon, and more in the coming year ahead.

Fingers may point, accusations may fly, and heads may roll. But that's not important now. The first order of business is to rescue, then recover. Then, after that is completed, the real work of getting the questions answered will begin.

But it will not be over then.

When it reaches this stage in the process, the fun will be just beginning. Someone will need to be blamed.

We would then expect theories to be formed. Most will be far-fetched conspiracy theories, only a handful will pan out to become reasonable. Evidence will be gathered, Meetings and hearings will be held, possibly by grandstanders that want to make it look like they are on the ball. Maybe even Congress will hold one, after all, an election year is near. At any rate, a determination will be made at some level, sometime in the distant future. If this happens, , they can then hit the campaign trail, telling us how they got to the bottom of the whole thing.

What will really be interesting? Hearing all of the whacko theories that involve the rise of the new world order and seeing how long it will take before Bush's name is inserted into the fray. Or maybe it will be more irrational, something on the order of: Karl Rove's hurricane machine is in the shop and now he has a new bridge collapse machine.

What I would like to remind people to think about while forming of all their opinions, is simple. In spite of this, some may find it difficult or downright impossible to grasp. Here's what should be considered:

People are human, and imperfect ones at that. So it should come as no surprise and it stands to reason that the things we build (as imperfect beings) will not be perfect.

It comes no simpler than that.

So, as far as the human side of this story is concerned, right now (at this juncture) how this bridge broke is irrelevant. Yet, in the grander schemes of things we must all know and realize the time will come to learn from this.

In the meantime, the families of those people will be in mourning for awhile; and of this particular component of the story, we must be understanding, aware, and respectful of this. I would hope that on the whole, most bloggers would exercise caution and discretion in their speculations. Basically, I hope they use good judgment as they post their thoughts and theories.

Like I said earlier, when we build things we must understand the repercussions of being imperfect. Things happen and not all things can be predicted and prevented. We must not be looking to rush to judgments or formulating crap as a basis for a thesis. And we must always be mindful of who we could hurt, especially someone that has already been hurt enough and needs to process this through more thoroughly before being subjected to said crap.

That said, there may be moments where the system that is designed to protect its citizenry, breaks down and fails. If it is determined this is the case, here or anywhere else, it should be dealt with in an appropriate manner and appropriate time.

I am sure that I wasn't the first or only person to wonder if was terrorism. How can it not enter your mind for the first few moments after learning of things of this magnitude. You have to think that initially, but judiciously. But so far, Homeland Security says there's no evidence to support this. So, I urge caution in that area.

In all things we do, I feel it is imperative to exercise good judgment and extend our sympathies in a proper manner. PYY extends its sincere hope that all readers and their loved ones from the Minneapolis area are safe. Les, one of our semi-regulars, is okay. He has posted about it, so that was a relief when I saw that he had. And to all of the people of Minneapolis that have been affected by this disaster (both directly and indirectly), I will say a prayer for you all. This is all I can do, from my vantage point.



A local TV station, WCCO-4 (CBS Affiliate), has been keeping online information fairly well updated, if you cannot be near a TV.