I am heartbroken after hearing about the bankruptcy filing of the Boy Scouts of America. As an Eagle Scout, I know my life would not be the same without the lessons and experiences I had as a Scout. While I am hopeful that the storied tradition and mission of Scouting will be around for another 100 years, how this situation is handled will determine if that is possible.
HEALING the damage that has occurred and preventing future harm, should be the FIRST PRIORITY.
If that means this organization must come to an end, sadly… that is the way it must be. If they choose to operate in a way that protects or promotes criminal sexual abuse of any form, I would PROUDLY hand my Eagle Scout Badge BACK to the BSA before I would support them, and I believe EVERY Eagle Scout would do the SAME.
We must remember… the ABUSED are not the criminals here, the ABUSERS are. There should be NO TIME LIMIT against coming forward. Their stories help us PREVENT future abuse and we should welcome their stories. We must be focused on making sure it cannot happen again.
My Boy Scout Troop dealt with an experience of sexual abuse while I was an active Scout. During one of our monthly camping trips, our newly elected Scout Leader subjected a group of first year Scouts to an “underwear check”. I didn’t attend that camp out… I can’t remember why. I know at the time it was an important reason, but the events of that weekend seem to have overshadowed everything else around it.
As a youth organization, I believe the BSA must address two issues in order to prevent future abuse:
1.) Why did those boys not know that that situation was unacceptable and should have SPOKEN OUT about it immediately?
2.) Why did that boy believe it was possible for him to subject those Scouts to a situation like that without accountability?
Preventing sexual abuse requires SPEAKING about sexual abuse, which naturally means educating kids about what IS and IS NOT acceptable. At such a pivotal point in their development, the BSA should take a more active role in educating Scouts about these things, and clearly define expectations to actively promote a safe environment for all members… parents, volunteers, and Scouts.
Everyone must feel SAFE, and the BSA must create an atmosphere where Scouts feel comfortable SPEAKING OUT when they are not. The experiences of the Boy Scouts are not an isolated incident. Many organizations are beginning to open their eyes to abuse within their ranks, and we are learning that many lives have been affected. Many people live their entire lives without speaking of it… and some are affected by it everyday.
SILENCE will not fix the problem in the future, and it will not help victims heal.
If the goal truly is to protect CHILDREN, then we must give them the TOOLS necessary to someday do so for themselves… they need KNOWLEDGE.
What better group is there to provide that knowledge than the BSA?
THIS is how it begins. Someone takes a STAND. One soul brings forth from the ether, a vision of something not seen before. How or where it comes from… religions are established to investigate such thoughts! But once it appears, it brings joy and excitement, and an unstoppable passion to give it LIFE, to share that joy with all who will listen.
I never considered that it was possible to do such things for the benefit of my country, as opposed to creating the merely decorative or aesthetic. Being a writer and composer is similar to that of someone who earns their degree in the History of English Literature… That’s great, but what do you DO for a living? Every artist is in search of their fifteen minuets of fame… but now, the artist realizes the very canvas upon which he creates, is threatened by what we see.
That which was unimaginable just a handful of years ago, feels closer than ever before. What once was brewing “over there”, now comes ashore, imported and repackaged, FOR SALE here in our own backyard. The HISTORY of those who fled, seeking SAFE HARBOR on our shores, now gives pause to their grandchildren, forcing them to consider doing the SAME…
As the Light of Liberty has begun to turn against them.
Our HISTORY has not changed, yet it is being rewritten as we speak. The lessons we have learned from our great- and grand-parents, flies in the face of “truths” being sold to us today. Wrapping them in the flag, embracing ideals espoused by regimes who have, in the past… done exactly the same.
Illegal actions undertaken by ONE MAN can be corrected, they can be forgiven. They can be seen as an example, taught to others as a lesson of what we should not do. Once those actions become certified, given approval and allowed ascent by the highest legislative body in the land, they will become CANON.
Through active affirmation… OR passive SILENCE.
Let our arguments STAND or FALL on their merits! No one’s position is so strong that it should not be challenged in open debate. An innocent man does not FEAR the facts… he EMBRACES them. He DEMANDS them. And he is outraged when he is denied them.
There is NO HONOR in SILENCE.
The hard part has already been done, over 200 years ago. So that their children may have the right to study painting, poetry, and music. TODAY it is entrusted to us. Shall we do the SAME… or will ours be the LAST?
CAST ASIDE ALL DOUBT! Let the principles of our forefathers guide us now. In these days of historical gravity we must walk with sure footing, as we will surely leave precedent-setting steps. What will we leave behind? Will they remember, IN HONOR, our words and our deeds? Or will they be remembered in disgrace… will they even be remembered at all?
If not for ourselves, if not for our children and those of others, then for whom? As we make our STAND here inside the eye, we can find the answers within the CALM… as we brace for the inevitable conclusion of this STORM.
Tomb of the unknown soldier Arlington cemetary with honour guard marching
ARLINGTON, VA – MAY 27: Mary McHugh mourns her dead fiance Sgt. James Regan at “Section 60” of the Arlington National Cemetery May 27, 2007. Regan, an American Special Forces soldier, was killed by an IED explosion in Iraq in February of this year, and this was the first time McHugh had visited the grave since the funeral. Section 60, the newest portion of the vast national cemetery on the outskirts of Washington D.C, contains hundreds of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Family members of slain American soldiers have flown in from across the country for Memorial Day. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mary McHugh
Will our actions stand to honor THEM?
Would our decisions in this moment, ever be seen as so honorable they could be remembered in the same LIGHT as theirs?
Is ours a future of Liberty or of Oppression? Will this be a Nation of Justice or of SILENCE? The Politics of FEAR and DIVISION must end if we are to succeed! In-congress, incongruent, yet indivisible, we STAND… these, the UNITED States.
… with Liberty and justice for ALL.
The eyes of the Nation focus on our Senate. The Nations of the World STAND and listen. In the balance we are, being weighed against ALL TIME. At stake is nothing short of the LIGHT for which our Liberty STANDS…
The HOPE and PROMISE of Equal Justice Under Law.
It is not OURS to do with as we wish… nor should we ever be so ignorant to believe that we could.
As a representative government, the people give their consent to be governed by the elected at the ballot box. Any system that allows selective access to the ballot or relies on an intermediary interpretive process to determine the outcome of an election, is susceptible to CORRUPTION of its integrity. Does our current election system produce a CLEAR MANDATE from the people? If we created a NEW ELECTORAL SYSTEM, what would we want that system to BE…
A political system in which candidates run for office based solely on the merits of their ideas. An election system in which the winning candidate is decided by the people at EVERY step of the process, from the Primary to the General election. When you walk into the booth in November, you already know every candidate on the ballot because every candidate has already faced MULTIPLE statewide primary elections and they have been fully vetted… not by a group of wealthy individuals or entities who stand to profit off of a particular candidate, but by EVERY REGISTERED VOTER in EVERY STATE.
Right now, how do candidates for office make it on to the ballot? MONEY. And that effects EVERY aspect of our daily lives, in the form of the legislative agendas pursued by the winning candidates.
In our current Primary Election Process, KANSAS has just as much Electoral Power as CALIFORNIA… because neither of us are IOWA, or NEW HAMPSHIRE, or SOUTH CAROLINA. By the time the first handful of States have decided who they think should be on the ballot, the impression of being a “viable candidate” has been cast. Any candidate that doesn’t win in those first States, in the eyes of the voters, is irrelevant.
But, then again… it really doesn’t matter what the voters decide at the ballot box. ALL decisions are made at the convention by the DELEGATES. The long days, shaking hands, eating corn dogs, promising this and that… if the DELEGATES can’t agree, it’s all up for grabs.
The Constitution does not outline our current system. It’s a patchwork of precedent and legislative guardrails passed to prevent misdeeds from reoccurring, while ignoring wrongdoing that goes “undetected”, and failing to prevent future abuses of a largely unregulated system.
We should not stifle candidate’s voices or limit their possibilities, but we should more clearly define the parameters in which they are allowed to operate.
Every candidate’s message should be fully accessible to every voter INSTANTLY via a universally trusted source. Without the filter of the media. Without the filter of moneyed interests. If a question of substance arises during the campaign, a voter should have easy access in order to ask that question, and how the candidate chooses to address it will be seen by EVERY VOTER. On the FIRST DAY. On the LAST DAY. Every voter. Every candidate, regardless of party.
No legally binding limitations on candidates’ ability to engage in debate. The vision and direction of the campaign should be decided by the candidate and judged by the voters, not first judged by the FUNDRAISERS and THEN the voters. The current system gives rise to deception, in fact it is REQUIRED to be successful. Candidates are forced to run a campaign that appeals to a majority of HALF of the electorate FIRST, to display PARTY LOYALTY… in order to secure FUNDS.
“The presidential contest — primaries and all — accounts for $2.4 billion of that total. The other $4 billion or so went to congressional races. The tally includes spending by campaigns, party committees and outside sources.”
All Federal Elections should be 100% FUNDED by the TAX PAYERS. The candidate directs the message and creates the VISION, the PEOPLE fund its creation.
Yes… that is a lot of money. But just consider the amounts currently spent on advertising and appearances on media outlets. The United States can leverage a better deal when purchasing ad blocks for EVERY CANDIDATE and air-time for ALL EVENTS… equally. It unlocks multiple possibilities for SAVINGS, but also for GROWTH.
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All of the effort dedicated to changing the way we choose our candidates would be wasted if we did not address the other side of this issue… who should be allowed to vote in our elections.
Voter suppression. Through threat of violence, through fear and intimidation. Through misinformation and misappropriation. MILLIONS of dollars are spent every year to stop people from casting a vote. To paint a picture in the minds of select groups of voters that says, ‘Your vote doesn’t count’ or ‘Send a message by NOT voting’… all while knowingly aiding their preferred candidate just by keeping people OUT of the process.
LOWER participation in their eyes, means VICTORY on Election Day.
The War on Drugs has created a PERMANENT way to disenfranchise millions of voters through the legal process. Laws carrying punishments that take away voting rights, written by legislators that are BEHOLDEN to campaign DONORS, both of whom will never be targeted by such laws. Even if they were, they could easily afford the legal fees necessary to evade punishment.
Felony convictions, YEARS behind bars… for possession. MILLIONS of people who cannot vote while serving their sentence, and are unable to regain their right to vote once released. The requirements in some States are vague, unattainable, or discretionary depending upon who stands before the governing body that decides their fate.
Elected officials represent ALL of the people in their districts. Right now, prison populations are INCLUDED in Census numbers, deciding how much federal funding goes where.
For-profit legislators, beholden to for-profit organizations who FUND their campaign…
Sounds like an easy way to stack the deck.
Every prisoner should have the right to vote, while serving their sentence and after they are released. If the goal is rehabilitation and a successful transition back into society, then they should feel like they are a part of the system and have a say in their destiny.
At the very least, they should be able to hold their representatives accountable when they have failed to protect their interests:
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What should be required to vote?
CITIZENSHIP.
That, and age.
The age of enfranchisement was lowered under President Nixon from 21 to 18. As the Vietnam War raged and the draft was sending citizens 18 years and older off to war, it made sense to give them a VOICE on who was making that decision. From another perspective, I would not want to send someone off to war without their having a say in the matter, just as I would not want a CHILD deciding my fate.
But our definition of the word “war” has evolved. Since that time, we’ve invaded a country unilaterally without evidence supporting our decision. We’ve declared a war on an “idea” that has no clearly defined objective, and we’re currently under attack in an undeclared VIRTUAL WAR where NO ONE can be charged with aiding and abetting our adversary.
In 2019, more CIVILIANS died in mass shootings than SOLDIERS were killed on the battlefield in the War on Terror.
“The latest fatality brings the number of U.S. deaths in Afghanistan this year to 20. There have also been three non-combat deaths in 2019. More than 2,400 Americans have died in the nearly 18-year conflict.”
I’ve wrestled with the idea of undoing all that has been done… and I’ve been taught that elections have consequences. Win OR lose, RESPECT should always be given to the Will of The People, and there’s no better time to figure out what’s on their mind than right AFTER an election.
But this moment is different. This moment is unique for MANY reasons, but most importantly, the trials and tribulations we’ve experienced so far have ALL been initiated with INTENT. Actions have been taken to create this situation…
This wound is self-inflicted.
I wonder, if given the chance, would President Lincoln have sought to UNDO the Presidency of James Buchanan? If it would have saved all the LIVES lost during his Presidency… if it were ME, I might have jumped at that chance, especially knowing what we know NOW.
What comes from our actions TOMORROW, begins TODAY. We hold the LIVES of millions in our hands right now. Do we choose to ACT, or do we let time march unopposed, dragging us ALL toward some pre-determined fate?
Liberals from the far left cheered and rubbed their hands in delight when Barack Obama was elected President in 2008. “Finally! We can UNDO the Presidency of George W. Bush and restore Justice.”
Conservatives cheered and rubbed THEIR hands with glee after GWB defeated Al Gore, ending 8 years of rule by the party of Bill Clinton. “Finally! We can UNDO the Presidency of Bill Clinton and restore Justice.”
But that DID NOT HAPPEN in either case. What happened was a CHANGE in legislative agendas, pursued by elected officials brought into power as THE PEOPLE saw fit. Never before in our NATION’S HISTORY has a newly elected President worked to erase EVERY legislative accomplishment of the PREVIOUS sitting President…
That was before Donald J. Trump.
Our system relies on legal precedent. No one was more keenly aware of this than George Washington. He knew every action he would take as President would be emulated by EVERY successive President. The limits of the Chief Executive and the expansive nature of the powers of The Office were established within those first 8 years.
How should we view the presidency of Donald J. Trump? Should any of the actions taken by him and his administration be viewed as legally relevant by a future President?
TODAY it’s immigrants from Mexico.
YESTERDAY it was immigrants from JAPAN.
BEFORE THAT _______. (insert ethnic group HERE)
It’s disgusting that it HAS happened. It’s disgusting that it has happened AGAIN. Right now, there is NO WAY to limit what could happen in the FUTURE.
A strong Chief Executive is necessary for the defense of our nation. From foreign enemies to economic instability, from social unrest to natural disaster preparedness and response. The President must have unlimited access to whatever is necessary to defend our nation. In this, the Powers of the Presidency should NOT be constrained, we do so at our own peril in an hour of crisis.
A strong urge to DO SOMETHING, but an inability to ACT due to bureaucratic cowardice, STANDS as the legacy of The League of Nations. 100 years later, that legacy remains intact.
Article 1, Section 8, clause 12:
“The Congress shall have power to raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than Two Years.”
… and then came WWII.
And then we saw what evil truly looks like. And now we recognize, the only way to defend against it is to BE PREPARED. Never again can we sit idle as we did after WWI. The technological achievements realized during WWII have re-enforced that. Our nuclear arsenal must be manned at all times… so long as they are ARMED.
If we choose to pursue with reckless abandon, a political paradigm of revenge, we will devour ourselves rhetorically. PURITY will be prized over LIBERTY, and LEVERAGE over opponents will win the day instead of CONSENSUS or COMPROMISE.
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When it comes to Justice and Equality, white men in this nation don’t particularly NEED an advocate… the Constitution was originally written with them in mind! And being ONE of those, I don’t want to see ANY of my rights degraded or removed… and I would fight like hell to ensure them! Speaking as a middle-aged white man, I’m outraged that EVERYONE in this country does NOT enjoy these rights EQUALLY.
EVERYONE who believes in the democratic principals this nation was founded upon should be outraged that the rights of HALF of its citizens can be so easily manipulated and disregarded. That’s STEP ONE of the dictator’s guide to CONQUERING nations…
STEP TWO is Rinse and Repeat.
The SHAPE and the COLOR of the body we inhabit should not determine the VALUE of the SOUL within it. Nor should it determine if an individual is WORTHY of Equal Justice Under Law. The Individual Human Experience is shared by ALL of us. What horrifies ME should also terrify YOU. Ensuring Liberty and Equality for EVERYONE guarantees it will continue… when you defend the rights of OTHERS, you defend those rights for YOURSELF.
So forgive me…
How can anyone justify locking up over 5000 CHILDREN for NO CRIME, other than doing what they were told to do by their guardian? Mother, father, aunt, uncle… they made a journey over thousands of miles and are taken from the ONLY familiar face they know.
An Obama-era policy, strictly enforced under a new administration, has led to KIDS in jail in a FOREIGN LAND without their PARENTS. Obama… Trump… Who CARES… is it WRONG. Should it STOP? Damn straight it should.
ONE is too many. One more day is TOO LONG.
Just as it was with the Bush-era practice of the President ordering Drone Strikes. A horrible precedent being established, it was then continued under a new administration and reworked to increase the efficacy, in ways previously unimagined.
Could NO ONE in power foresee the possible outcomes of allowing KIDS to be taken away from their parents? Have they never watched The History Channel?
Our government can’t even manage to get THE BASICS right anymore. Courtesy, common sense… decency and civility. Ideas and concepts American Citizens take for granted in everyday life, our Federal Government seems to have forgotten. It is as if we must teach our government how to WALK all over again.
Every step we take toward Equality brings us one step closer to realizing the Founders’ ORIGINAL INTENT. They were right in THEORY, if not in PRACTICE. Now, in order to secure it, we must have BOTH… we must PRACTICE what we PREACH. I don’t know about YOU… but that should be a pretty easy thing to DO, seeing as how ALL of us have already pledged an OATH to do just that:
I believe the three previous Administrations overused the power of the Executive Order. Then again, the DEADLOCK in Congress forced their hand in many instances. In others, it was a usurpation of the Checks and Balances of our Constitution, and Congress has been more than happy to rid themselves of the POLITICAL BURDENS of endless war, as well as accountability for their actions.
Bottom line… IT ALL STINKS.
I see the Executive Order as a tool to deliver justice where it is obvious it should be done, and it is clear a court of law would eventually make it so.
The motivation for the President of the United States to issue an Executive Order must ALWAYS come from a desire to protect MORE Liberty for MORE citizens everytime they choose to do so. The beauty of our Constitution can also be its DETRIMENT. Due Process can take many years and ALL are entitled to that process…
And in the mean time, LIVES can be destroyed. Damage caused in people’s lives that can NEVER be undone… needlessly.
That is where the discretion of a LEADER, taking the pen and striking true, SHOULD be used. Never AGAINST, but in the interests OF, and for the sake of the people… especially for those with NO VOICE.
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My first official act in office will be the complete and total criminalization of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the United States.
A crime punishable by 10 years imprisonment for performing the procedure, subjecting someone to the procedure, or participating in the act of subjecting someone to the procedure.
This will include the “vacation” procedures as well.
The Freedom of Religion, the Freedom of NO RELIGION… the LIBERTY to walk that path and find the TRUTH for yourself… THAT should be a guaranteed right for EVERYONE.
A belief can change. Once subjected to FGM, that can NEVER CHANGE.
So it must end.
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My second act as President will be to end the deployment of Armed Forces at our Southern Border.
The “crisis” is not at the Border. The “crisis” lies within the policies being implemented. The “crisis” is the corruption of our current leadership, and their inability to set aside pasrtisan politics to SOLVE THIS PROBLEM.
I believe we can solve this problem WITHOUT armed, boots-on-the-ground, military force.
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Our Rule of Law is what ensures our Freedom. To ignore injustice when it stares you in the face makes you COMPLICIT. That is why I have taken up the causes of Equal Rights for Women and protecting the Basic Human Rights of Children.
To be SILENT makes us COMPLICIT.
On DAY ONE, Barack Obama signed an Executive Order to Close Guantanamo Bay. EIGHT YEARS LATER he was still trying to get it done… WHY.
I cannot be the Commander-in-Chief of a nation that declares ALL MANKIND is created EQUAL and turn a blind eye to indefinite detention. I cannot turn a blind eye to violations of established international law. Laws forged by our great- and grand-parents at the end of the last World War. Laws that ensured THEIR children’s safety…
We must now re-affirm our commitment to those laws… for OURS.
I will issue an Executive Order closing Guantanamo Bay prison,
ordering all remaining prisoners be given Due Process in the American Justice System; and where the verdict requires, they will be secured within the Department of Corrections at a supermax facility. And if they are found innocent, they will be set free as required by our Constitution… because I believe in our Rule of Law, and I know JUSTICE must prevail.
Included with the closing of Guantanamo, will be the closing of every immigrant holding facility opened since 2016.
All migrants being held MUST be processed appropriately, in the sunlight, with the goal of ensuring individual security and national security, then RELEASED, to be fully processed at a later date.
Let us begin this process, to start the path to citizenship, and begin healing and repairing the damage that has been done.
As a nation, we are STRONGER than the fear and anger that tries to divide us. Walk a mile in their shoes, and consider what YOU would do if this were done to you…
I cannot let it STAND.
End The Electoral College NOW!! 