Tag: Leadership

The State of OUR Union

What if there is something else going on… what if there is a hidden element we are NOT aware of? Does that change anyone’s calculations? Would that give anyone PAUSE?

Would anyone be willing to trade their Trophy of Pride for a Badge of Humility, and recognize the truth… whatever that TRUTH may be? If it showed the errors and ACTUALY illuminated where we were led astray, would you be able to accept it… would anyone?

To call into question conclusions reached based on LIES is not a surrender, it is an adaptation. It is a natural progression. Every traveler follows the path East, toward the LIGHT. We are ALL fallible, and anyone can be deceived… for a PRICE.

The political position I have staked out is barron at the moment, but the “tent” I’ve raised has room for EVERYONE… because I cannot do it alone.

BOTH sides have a “boogieman”.

BOTH sides spew venom and hate.

BOTH sides have been VICTIMIZED because we have ALL been lied to. Do you have ANY doubt? Read through Donald Trump’s Tweets.

WHO’S TO BLAME is spoon fed to us DAILY. WHO’S TO BLAME is shifted from cycle to cycle. The person we blamed becomes the “voice of reason” if given enough time. And through the GENERATIONS, when we look back far enough, we can find the ROOTS of the problems we see today in divisive rhetoric of the past.

We will not stand much longer if we continue to fight the wars of the past. Our future is dying in classrooms and churches because the divisive leadership of the PAST refuses to listen to the People they lead.

WHY? …we know why.

“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” -JFK to Congress, May 25, 1961.

This speech gave birth to the Apollo Program. NASA had the vision, the leadership, the daring. THIS speech secured the FUNDING. The program that would send Mankind to the Moon in 8 years was ready to put theory and practice into production. The first contract issued for the production of the Saturn V rocket was to MIT for a navigation system. A flight control computer system that DID NOT EXIST.

We knew we could fly Man to the Moon. On paper, in practice, in knowledge of the Laws of Physics we were prepared to build a vessel that could make the journey. The VERY FIRST piece of equipment NASA invested in was the most infeasable piece of the mission.

Because they BELIEVED it could be done. Because in Our Country, ANYTHING can be done!

History is full of examples of human creativity outpacing what is “possible”. The Pioneers of Flight themselves, the Wright Brothers, did the same thing 66 years earlier. As scientists and inventors were risking their lives attempting to break the laws of gravity, many people believed it couldn’t be done. They risked their reputations and their financial security because they BELIEVED it could be done.

Robert Goddard, the father of modern rocketry, was not recognized for his insight for most of his life. But he understood what was needed to reach orbit, the benefits of using liquid propellant, and multistage flight… and he understood all of this in 1914.

Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, Jobs, Gates, Musk, Dorsey… Great Vision is useless without PROBLEMS to SOLVE. These visionaries would not be know without the hunger and drive of a populace where creativity and knowledge lead to advancement and adapting… No one knew they needed a light bulb until EVERYONE had one. No one knew they needed a radio until EVERYONE had one. No one knew they needed an iPhone until everyone had one.

The SOCIETY creates the need and the inventor, the scientist, the thinker and the doer fills the demand. But sometimes a need is not recognized. Sometimes we have no idea that there was a better way. When I graduated from high school in 1998, I knew everyone needed a PC in their pocket. Now that I have one, I realize I had no idea how CORRECT that idea was!

The computer that assisted the crew of Apollo 11, it’s navigation system, the hard drive is literally magnets and MILES of copper wire-

wire thru magnet= 1

wire outside magnet= 0

repeat…

repeat…

repeat…

It had a storage space of 72K bytes and was smaller than a bread box.

The potential of the creation was unrealized and its reliability was unknown. How unknown? Mathematician Katherine Johnson was the ‘computer’ NASA tasked with ensuring the accuracy of the digital computer. She did so through the entire flight. She continued to do so until her retirement in 1986.

From the size of a HOUSE to the size of a bread box, down to the size of a wrist watch. The power to do mathematics at the speed of light to the ABILITY to predict and simulate the outcome of the collision of atoms. When my dad brought home my first PC, I was excited to have access to libraries across the planet, right in my bedroom! In 1996, we had NO IDEA what else we were missing.

ALL of these advances. ALL of the technological evolution of the past 230 years has been influence by The United States Constitution and the SOCIETY it has created. From the elimination of Small Pox, to the creation of the Cotton Gin. Transistor radios to the Arecibo radio telescope.

… and all of these facts and figures. Images and inspiration. Historical words heard ALOUD, as if their speaker were alive today! I find them all in my pocket.

Infinite Potential

The ability for anyone to read the words I write is only possible because of Our Society. The device I use to contemplate and create is only possible because WE created the DEMAND… we just didn’t know it. That is a small example of the POWERFUL force for good Our Country is, and a demonstration of the limits of our ability to see what is possible 230 years from now.

The ability to SEE something that does not exist and make it reality, like the MIT software programmers did for the Apollo program, THRIVES in a Country like Ours! The Liberty to apply knowledge gained, to question answers long established, and realize individual talents within a community of like-minded people all working on bettering the lives of all Mankind, on SOME level, gives Our Union a tilt toward Justice. Our desire to make a positive difference in the world shows in our intentions, if not always our deeds.

And no one should be surprised! The Framers of Our Demorcacy were idealists at heart. At a time when Mankind had been ruled by oppressive monarchs, these Men DARED to say Mankind CAN rule itself, fairly, and in peace! They knew, with a sufficient level of common history, the bedrock ideals of Our Constitution would STAND the test of time. That ability… the Liberty to dream big AND make it happen is the Country I believe in.

… where do YOU STAND?

JC

Individual Responsibility

I hope I have been “honorable”. At some point, on my Twitter feed, my name will have a banner that reads “2020 US Presidential Candidate”, and then WORDS… from MY mouth! I’ve said almost 6,000 things on Twitter. I hope I have not said anything that degrades the Office I seek.

Stephen Douglas… everyone knows that name today for ONE reason- Abraham Lincoln. I realized that a couple months ago. And it is a thought that crosses my mind daily. I try, intentionally, to be OPEN with my thoughts and opinions in order to avoid coming across as ‘fake’ or ‘a troll’. As if I were speaking in real life.

IF I do self censor it is because of the platform from which I speak, knowing what I say might someday be seen as “relevant”.

A couple days ago I made a late night run to Walmart. Jess was making potato soup and needed almond milk and I needed to replace a headlight on the van. I was looking for a good reason to get out of the house, to try and take my mind off stuff.

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.

I tossed my items in a cart, shot the breeze with a couple people while I was there, paid and headed out the door. Just as I was pushing my cart through the automatic double-doors, out of the corner of my eye to my right, a woman was throwing some trash into the can. As I walked out, she was just about to turn and start walking back to where she came from, and I anticipated…swinging my cart to the left and avoiding her walking into my cart.

She turned, just as I thought, and she saw me swing the cart to the side and stop. Now, I wasn’t going to hit her with a cart… I’m a better driver than THAT! And, even if she suddenly turned and started sprinting, I wasn’t going fast enough to where I couldn’t have just full-stopped and avoided her. I just wanted to be safe.

As we both came to a stop, I pulled the cart back slightly, and said “Excuse me. Please, go ahead.” As I said this, she turned her eyes away from the cart and made eye contact with me… Now, I am not an unpleasant looking guy. Some people might say a little more pleasant than the south side of a north bound horse, and so I’ve seen that sparkle in the eye of a few people… ladies AND gents… and sometimes, flirtatious looks can turn into a bit of flirtatious banter, all in a few seconds. Just in passing alone and nothing more.

As she looked up, startled at first from the image of some guy dodging to avoid running her over, she made eye contact with me and her expression changed. I said “Please, go ahead,” and she stepped back, stood a bit straighter, and said “No… Please, you go. I insist.” I hesitated, smiled, being flattered by her expression of insistence, nodded my head and said “Thank you,” and I walked on by.

It makes me feel good when someone slyly acknowledges someone else in that way, makes you feel kinda special… but, as I approached my van, I thought a couple more times about that look in her eye. That was NOT the look of infatuation. I am NOT that handsome! No Way!… I think she recognized me. Well, the spongebob hat at least.

If I had to guess her age, I would say 16-22. That is about the range for the MFOL crowd and I know there is strong support in the Kansas City area for what David Hogg is doing. So it could be possible. And IF that is the case… I don’t believe it! I don’t have proof of that being the case, I would only be assuming. I’m not sure though.

The look in her eyes expressed a sence of HUMILITY, of AWE, of PRIDE… of what I would express if given the chance to meet a Presidential Candidate.

So, that’s a heavy responsibility. I understood that from the beginning. That COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARK “U.S. President” idea is what gave me pause originally. How can one live up to the painting that hangs in the heart of every American Citizen? Be it a portrait of a President or a pivotal patriotic event, the IMAGE in one’s own mind is flawless, even more so than the painting itself. I felt the responsibility of the Office when I changed my Twitter bio. Little blue check mark be damned… just read the title at the top of that feed, it is a statement.

I am not shying away in this moment, I am absorbing and learning (with cat videos and funny goats in between to keep my sanity…) and planning. Mapping out what could be, how to get there, and hoping to find disparate voices, looking for common ground. Wise counsel who, watching the deprevaty in the halls of Congress, have come to their breaking point.

A rag-tag group of misfits, from a diverse range of backgrounds. All with individual specialties that can be utilized at the most opportune time against an evil villain… hell-bent on destruction…

Cue- Cliche 70s Rock Anthem

I think we can move “Through the Looking Glass” over to the Reference section now.

JC

 

 

Been there, done that.

We stand poised, on the EDGE of history. Right now, what we do will echo throughout time. Choose your words wisely…

Marching armies stand at the ready as we bicker about taking a knee. Children scream for their mothers, while ‘leaders’ are in bed with spies. Thousands have died and thousands more suffer, in the wealthiest country in the world, due to our inability to prepare for a storm.

When asked to do our duty, to god and our country, leaders point out the faults of others, to justify themselves. When criminals are made to stand for their actions, our leaders say “Well I barely knew him.” When the story is written about how our enemy penetrated our system, after LIES become known, and corruption is aired, how will they be portrayed?

How will YOU be portrayed?

NOW is that time. Here… THIS is that place. Tomorrow, when they ask “Where did you stand? What did you do?” What will you say?

How can people defend the indefensible? Why would someone believe the path to success is found by holding others back? How can leaders speak of making things better when they dehumanize our sisters? How can they promote safety for a country founded by immigrants escaping persecution, by imprisoning children seeking safety?

President James Buchanan sat and watched as State after State walked away from Our Union. He believed the secession was illegal, but he ALSO believed the fight to preserve the Union was illegal.

Our Country is drowning in a flood RIGHT NOW, but leadership points out, “The sign says ‘No Swimming’.”

History is replete with stories of ‘blind ignorance’. The smokestacks billowed while neighboring towns claimed they had no idea. The memo said terrorist determined to strike in America, yet no one could have anticipated an airplane being used like that. 5000 people died because NO ONE could foresee a tropical island nation being devastated by a hurricane.

And NOW, a mother screams “Where is my baby?” and the response is Make America Great Again. Young Black men are shot dead by a man with badge, and the response is All Lives Matter. High school children go to school in fear of another mass shooting, and all we hear is “We should not act while emotions are so raw.”

BULLSHIT! NOW is the time for action. BEFORE the shots are fired, BEFORE another Kent State Massacre, BEFORE the marching in the street becomes mourning in the sanctuary. BEFORE we are forced to take whatever ‘they’ wanna give us… then cast us aside with all the ‘others’ they have forced before.

Heed the warnings of thousands of lost souls… “THIS FAR AND NO FARTHER!!” We know how this story plays out, we have seen this tired plot. The story ends exactly how it has before- GOOD TRIUMPHS OVER EVIL…  every time! We do not need to watch this movie again, WE can fast forward to the good part.

We have paid for that shared history in blood. We treasure the unity we have gained in shared loss. We’ve strived, for a full century, to achieve lasting peace in unity, sharing the fruits of our grandparents’ legislative and diplomatic accomplishments. And now, some question if all of that was in vein.

We CAN learn that lesson again… OR we can honor their memories in the way they would have wanted us to-

By standing FIRM and defending the Rights of ALL who wish to live free. By being the example that lights the way for others to follow. By showing strength, and heeding the call of wisdom, to speak truth to power, to ensure true evil is never allowed to flourish again.

JC

Come into the Light and Speak

Silence is the tool of the ‘bad actor’. Silence plants the seed of doubt among those of common ground. Silence sets the stage for an agenda of fear and hate. Silence leads to suspicion and creates the illusion of trust.

“Speak now or forever hold your peace.” Silence condemns people to servitude. Silence breeds corruption… No questions asked! Silence can break a heart, and no one would ever know.

Silence in the face of a bad actor leads to the downfall of Kings. Silence due to inaction sows regret and self doubt. Silence suggests support where there is none. Silence creates support where normally it would not have been.

If you are quiet, you’ll hear the silence is deafening. And the loudest among us usually has the least to say. Evil triumphs when good men are silent. And good men who stay silent are truly on the side of evil men.

In the light, that is where the Bad Actor shines brightest!

Keep your head UP!!

JC

The “Tipping Point”

THIS is the sound… that has held a thousand people down and kicked a person at their lowest. The person who stole your lunch money, the person who forced you to do it, the person who says ‘Toots’ or ‘Broad’, just sos you know ‘your place’.

THIS is the sound that WE hear, when SILENCE is ACCEPTABLE.

SILENCE is NEVER acceptable. Because good people CANNOT hear you and try to make things RIGHT. And that’s how they win- because it is a ‘game of inches’. Numbers, “one here and one there…”, “those we can afford to lose, but the others will come to vote in DROVES!!” Drooling over votes and horse trading the numbers all the way to the BANK. If it’s voting in elections or sitting at a table in school. The minority have control over those they can control through fear, intimidation, and SILENCE.

And now we can HEAR that sound, and we can start to UNDERSTAND whom this is done UPON… better.

Empathy. Because Good People do not understand that it is possible for this shit to happen. And it DOES HAPPEN everyday. We must make a change, “not just for myself, but for others as well.”

The idea of a “Tipping Point” has been reached. Once %10 of the People know an idea or thought to be true, the next %90 of people will gain that knowledge within a fraction of the time it took %10 to get there. This sound is CLARITY. This sound is HORRIFYING. And this sound MUST END. Everyone must HEAR this sound.

keep your head up.

JC