Saturday, January 20, 2018

With extreme prejudice ...


Look.  Where might we find the most dangerous extremists?
There are extremists among us who account for hundreds of assaults and hundreds of murders each year.

Although murder by extremists represents only a tiny fraction of the overall murder rate in the U.S., “because of their nature they can have outsized impact, affecting entire communities — or even an entire country — in ways many deaths may not.”



From 2008 through 2017, right-wing extremists killed 274 people. That’s 71 percent of the 387 murders committed by extremists over the past 10 years. 


“Americans do not have the luxury to ignore any extremist threat, including threats posed by white supremacists who are weaponizing social media and are more likely to take their actions into the streets,” Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL’s CEO, said in a statement. “Their actions fuel controversy and conflict and their racist rhetoric and hateful ideas can inspire violence.”

05/2017  Right-wing extremist Jeremy Christian killed two men on a train in Portland.  They were trying to stop him from harassing two teenage girls, one of whom was black and one of whom wore hijab.

The same month, Maryland student Sean Urbanski fatally stabbed Richard Collins, an African-American student at Bowie State University.  Urbanski belonged to the Alt-Reich Nation group on Facebook.  His computer contained evidence of his extreme racism.  

12/2017  In Virginia, 17-year-old Nicholas Giampa killed his girlfriend’s parents after they had convinced her to break up with him because of his racist beliefs.  He was involved in the Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi group.
 
08/2017  Right-wing extremism briefly gained national attention when more than a thousand white supremacists held a large rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The assorted racists and fascists, perhaps emboldened by President Trump’s election, didn't hesitate to show their faces and become violent. 

At the end of the rally, James Fields, a member of a far-right extremist group, drove his car into a crowd of protesters, injuring nineteen and killing one.

Afterwards, unfortunately, the president stated there were “very fine people on both sides” of the demonstration.

ISIS inspired extremists are a concern, of course.  Outliers like the Vegas shooter are a concern as well.  White supremacists and right-wing extremists, however, top the list today.  We must recognize extremism in every context and deal with it appropriately.  
Preferring one value over another is appropriate if done knowledgeably and reasonably. 
Outside that boundary, there is extraordinary wickedness.
Without exception, extreme positions are based on partial truths.

Do we understand that extremism isn't necessarily an issue of race?  Extremists might justify their behavior by differences of religion, race, ideology, or political perspective; it's them against everybody that doesn't agree with them.

Biased thinking spans a spectrum from reasonable out to extremes in every direction, and we may not even be aware of our own position.  If we find ourselves leaning this way or that, do we do so rationally or irrationally?   We perhaps should consider our answer carefully, for there are none morally right, justifiable, or virtuous, or so we're told.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Don't talk about it.

Hoping to be broadly informed by all sides of the discussion on inequality, I ran across this article by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative group.

Their advice, redirect the conversation and talk about something else.

According to their article, Americans don't care about income inequality and inadequate wages.  They did an online survey of less than a thousand folks to generate numbers they could use while ignoring the obvious problem that folks most affected by the gap don't do online surveys.

Both ends of the political spectrum have their biased representatives, of course, all competing for our loyalty and attention.

An interesting question, why would an entire media source be obviously biased, and why would their journalism be other than objective?  Who made the decision about how to interpret the available facts?  One perhaps relevant analysis:  The Propaganda Model and Sociology: Understanding the Media and Society

It's always difficult to deal with difficult issues and difficult people at the same time.  An open discussion with broad inquiry is perhaps needed if we're going to understand cause and impact on folks as well as options for beneficial change.

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Happy New Tax Year

People are going to be “very, very happy” with "the largest tax cut  in the history of our country.” “They're going to get tremendous, tremendous tax cuts and tax relief and that's what this country needs.”

For most, the tax reduction is no help at all.  
  • For the bottom quintile, they'll get an extra $5/month, enough for two gallons of gas.
    • For the middle quintile, it's about $77/month.  Enough for a family dinner out perhaps, but not enough for their health insurance or their kid's college.
      • Top quintile folks will see and additional $7000 per year, and top 1% will get about $51,000 per year in additional after-tax income.
I imagine the rich folks will enjoy that $51,000 bonus, but I don't think they need it.

What would really be helpful ... reasonable wages, healthcare, education, mobility, opportunity ... for everyone.

Income increases have gone to the top, while costs of survival have increased and left half of our workforce behind.

I'm open to another interpretation of this tax reform, but similar policies in the past have had the same outcomes.
  • Since the 80's, education costs have increased 600%
  • Medical costs have increased 250%
  • and wages have been stagnant for the middle and lower economic segments.
Corporate tax restructuring is indeed necessary to keep U.S. businesses on a reasonable footing in the international marketplace. 

Individual tax rates are already low compared to other developed nations. Tax relief for the wealthy is not what's needed, but rather perhaps  restraint of predatory finance (Wall Street and the Banks) and abusive wage practices (Walmart, et al, and fast food sellers).  Marketplace practices by pharmaceutical providers have been particularly harmful.

Reducing taxes for the wealthy is a political play, not a needed or helpful economic adjustment.  The latest congressional analysis predicts the plan will add one trillion to the deficit in the next decade.

What we'd like to see,
  a flourishing education system,
    an upwardly mobile workforce,
      an improving healthcare system,
        a thriving culture,
          and emerging social understanding, wisdom ...

Over the last forty years, we've watched inequality and poverty increase, indebtedness increase (to the benefit of the financial industry), and mobility decline ....
Our national identity is fractured,  and we're told yet again, it's just wonderful how well we're served.

Curious if there might be a higher standard for both citizens and nations?
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Things to watch in the coming years:
Where does the wealth go ... to the top or shared reasonably?
Quality of education on an international scale ...
Quality of healthcare on an international scale ...
Middle-class and the American dream ... nearer or farther away.
And who gets left behind?  Years ago, we worked hard to make sure our children, at least, were equipped for life and growth, but the issue became political rather than human, didn't it.

And, what are our national goals?

Saturday, December 30, 2017

The man comes around ...

"And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder
One of the four beasts saying,
'Come and see.' and I saw, and behold a white horse"
There's a man goin' 'round takin' names
And he decides who to free and who to blame
Everybody won't be treated all the same
There'll be a golden ladder reachin' down
When the man comes around
The hairs on your arm will stand up
At the terror in each sip and in each sup
Will you partake of that last offered cup
Or disappear into the potter's ground?
When the man comes around
Hear the trumpets hear the pipers
One hundred million angels singin'
Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettledrum
Voices callin', voices cryin'
Some are born and some are dyin'
It's alpha and omega's kingdom come
And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree
The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The whirlwind is in the thorn tree
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks
Till armageddon no shalam, no shalom
Then the father hen will call his chickens home
The wise man will bow down before the throne
And at his feet they'll cast their golden crowns
When the man comes around
Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still
Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still
Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still
Listen to the words long written down
When the man comes around
Hear the trumpets hear the pipers
One hundred million angels singin'
Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettledrum
Voices callin', voices cryin'
Some are born and some are dyin'
It's alpha and omega's kingdom come
And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree
The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The whirlwind is in the thorn trees
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks
In measured hundredweight and penny pound
When the man comes around
"And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts
And I looked, and behold a pale horse
And his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him"

Johnny Cash wrote and performed this, among the last of his works before he died.  It's taken partly from Revelations Chapter 22.  
The apostle John had a particularly difficult time describing what he'd seen and heard, but what was clear through it all ... there is a divide, and somehow, we choose deliberately.
As the Christmas season draws to a close, it's worth remembering, there's more to a story than just the beginning.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

I was a stranger ...

The crisis today is the largest in the history of the world with 65+ million driven from their homes, more than half of whom are children (UNHCR).  Thousands have died along the way.  If you're struggling for how to pray, here's a suggestion.


O God, our help in ages past, you led the Israelites through the wilderness.

Guide these who flee for their lives, as they board boats and trucks and cross fences, as they carry their children and walk for miles, protect them, Lord.
Our hope for years to come, you created us all for life, to find meaning, to know love, to seek after you.

We pray for these who have lost hope, safety, and faith.

For parents whose precious children are lost or have died.
For children who are struggling without food, water, and safety.
For communities abandoned and for communities overwhelmed.
Oh God, bring help and hope.
Our shelter from the stormy blast, you are the one who brings peace.  You protect us under your wings.

We pray for an end to the tyranny of ISIS, to the violence in Syria, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Somalia, in Myanmar.  

Protect those who haven’t yet found a way out.
We pray for the hearts of those who intend to kill.
We pray for the eyes of the world to turn toward this injustice.
Give wisdom to the leaders who now must choose how to bring peace.
Our eternal home, in you we find hope and help, for this life and for the next.

For those who have lost everything, we pray you will rebuild their lives.
For those in danger, open the doors to a safe place.
For those hungry and thirsty, restore their livelihood.
For those whose communities and families have been ripped apart, strengthen them with new bonds of fellowship.
And for the church, near and far, which worships in safety today -- inspire us to welcome the stranger.

Help us see how to reach out to refugees with mercy and how to pursue justice for them all.
Amen.
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Refugees continue to pour into Kenya, our friends tell us.
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Peace, peace, peace on earth we pray.

Friday, December 8, 2017

Momentary IQ Loss

Capital Beltway - safe following distance at 50 mph.  🤣 ... 70+mph is the norm, of course.
Green - safer.  Red - depends on no one making any mistakes or doing anything stupid.
Given the opportunity to choose between holding a two-ton boulder over some unknown person's head or keeping your distance, most would probably choose the latter ... except when driving in traffic.

Typical reaction time is 0.25 - 0.7 seconds.  If the fellow in front of you puts on his brakes, the brake lights are your visual cue, and you'll begin to react after that time interval.  Good enough?  Maybe not.

Research shows typical reaction time from stimulus to max braking is 2 seconds or more.  At 50 mph, that's half a football field, or 10+ car-lengths that you'll travel before you start to slow down.  If the guy in front breaks hard, you'll hit him, and legally it will be your fault.


Joining the competition in a traffic swarm can momentarily reduce your IQ to match that of the moron tailgating behind you and the idiots cutting in front of you.  You'll be tempted to close the gap ahead to keep your place.
Following too closely is considered aggressive driving and is a leading cause of accidents in most states.   It's also reported as behavior likely to elicit road rage.  Most states define safe distance as 2 or 3 seconds separation.
A reasonable alternative?  The 2-second rule allows you to flow with traffic.  Aggressive drivers will beat you by perhaps 3-5 minutes in a typical commute.  It isn't worth it. 
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(I was embarrassingly far into my adult years before I could say, "I don't care" about traffic congestion or rude drivers.  These days, it's a needed reminder on the DC beltway every week as we go to visit our granddaughter ... we'll gladly take an extra 5 minutes to get there safely.)