Diversity

The latest derisive insult in the lexicon of the small-minded is diversity. It is the capital D in the acronym for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Diversity means variety and, in this context, it references the social and ethnic backgrounds of a people including gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, race, and physical ability. For a nation founded upon a veritable smorgasbord of peoples from around the world, finding disgust with those who are not exactly like certain small-minded groups is deplorable.

In diversity there is strength. While iron is a dense metal, it is made stronger and more useful when heated and we add Carbon, Manganese, Chromium, Nickel, Molybdenum, Titanium, and Boron. Then it becomes high-tensile steel. While iron has a yield strength of around 7,000 psi, steel is closer to 50,000 psi. It is stronger by a factor of seven. Likewise, the diversity of our nation is at the core of its strength.

We are a nation of micks, guineas, spicks, chinks, dagos, frogs, etc., who were added to the great melting pot to create the human steel of America. Unless you can trace your roots in North America back 40,000 years, you are a descendant of immigrants who were added to the original mix. Within each individual member of any group lies a heterogeneity that may blur typical identifiers of social convention.

Beyond the constructs of ethnicity, we find all the other factors commonly used to differentiate people. Religion, wealth, class, occupation, education, sexual orientation, personal interests, etc., may influence who we accept or reject as friends.

While we should relish this diversity because it makes life less boring and adds to our strength, certain members of our society will try to use the hatred of identifiable groups, often in the minority, as a means of motivation for their selfish advancement. Name-calling is the last bastion of the bigot. When you have no other foundation for your argument, use fear and hatred of others as justification.

Diversity is now being used in a derogatory manner by the small-minded. This is a sign of a weak position. Such individuals will use the DEI acronym in a negative context without further explanation. It will, after many repetitions, carry that negative context without challenge by the myopic cult who will embrace it. They don’t want to know anything beyond the fact that diversity is now evil.

The evil in diversity is said to be in its enforcement. Proponents of this concept will claim that diversity is being forced upon us by a government out of control. As caring human beings, diversity shouldn’t have to be forced. It should be how we think as a society. Many of those vilifying diversity also claim to be Christians, a religion that is founded upon accepting diversity and love for our fellow man. I suspect that Christianity for those upset by diversity, is more of a concept to be used when convenient, but not when it conflicts with their bigotry.

I don’t need to identify by name or political affiliation those of whom I speak. People who would use such tactics already know what they are doing and will continue doing so with the rationale that the ends justify the means. For them, dividing our nation is how they will weaken it so they might take advantage of that weakness. They use it to facilitate their rise to power. The rest of us need to call them out and use the power of our democracy, as much of it as we have left, to keep them from their goal.

We are stronger as a nation when we are united. When we embrace our diversity, we become the American steel that will survive the challenges of the twenty-first century. United we stand.

The Maga Zone

 In a time where the lines between fact and fiction are so ill-defined as to be non-existent, ignorance is not just a virtue but a means of survival. The cacophony of oxymoronic drivel brings excitement to the humdrum existence of the hapless. The price of admission, your soul.

Welcome to the MAGA Zone. In this new era, we find Christian morality used as an excuse for greed. The Golden Rule that was the basis for many modern religions has been abandoned and all but one aspect of that philosophy has been lost; they will keep the gold.

Money and power are promoted as short-term objectives so that the faithful may spread “The Word.” In this sense, that “Word” is whatever they say at any given moment. It changes according to their need. The “short-term” objective of money and power will become a long-term necessary evil in furtherance of other ill-defined rhetoric. False promises of a better life are the carrot on a very long stick motivating the myopic plodders of the New Republic. Money and power were never tools to an end, they were the original objective.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

 “To be, or not to be: That is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? This quote is one of the most famous from Shakespeare’s great body of work. Hamlet, in this soliloquy, ponders the most serious of questions, to continue living or end life by his own hand. His uncertainty and doubt are mired in the fear of the unknown of the afterlife.

While not so tragic but certainly as important, Joe Biden must decide whether he should continue in his role as president or turn the reins over to another in this upcoming election. His chances of success in a second sparring with the Evil Empire of Trump dwindled significantly with the televised debate. The decision is easy for those of us with sound minds when given the choice between Biden and Trump. Biden stands for reason and Trump is an evil villain right out of central casting.

The problem lies with those who will really decide this election, the so-called “undecideds” in swing states. Seeking a strong leader going forward, these people may be unaware of Trump’s plans for the future and may be willing to bet on the crazy bull in the China shop. Our national China shop has had its share of cracked pottery but this bellicose bovine can't be given a second chance to reduce it all to rubble.

The question is not competency to do the job due to advanced age, because both candidates are old and not as sharp as they once might have been. As someone who happens to be the same age as Trump, I know that the rigors of such a job are beyond the abilities of both of them. The presidency is extremely demanding and to function effectively you need to be of agile mind and sound body. I am regularly faced with such decisions. Things I know HOW to do but can no longer do well due to those same physical limitations, means I must now call “the guy.” I know how to do plumbing, electrical, and carpentry projects but many of these tasks are now better left to those who can do them more efficiently.

Likewise, Joe Biden knows HOW to be president but very few people in my age bracket have the stamina to do such an important and stressful job well. In this case, perception is reality. We need to look no further than the immediate past where RBG made the wrong decision and wiped out much of what she did well in her life with the consequences of her decision to continue fighting the good fight. Joe should learn from RBG and make the hard decision to step down.

I don’t say this lightly and, if Biden were running against a sane Republican, it might be worth the risk. However, Biden is not running against a sane person who will protect our democracy. He is running against a maniacal conman who has befuddled and bedazzled enough of our fellow citizens to have a shot of winning in November. This time, with the support of The Heritage Foundation and their Project 2025, he plans to “reinterpret” the Constitution to ensure we never again are allowed to freely elect another president.

I’m old enough to have gone to school with Bill Shakespeare and Mick Jagger. In that I mean I read Shakespeare and listened to The Rolling Stones while Donny T went to private school and was robbing the younger kids of their lunch money. Mick told me, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you might find you get what you need.”

I will stand with Joe Biden whatever he decides but, to quote Lady Macbeth, “…I fear thy nature: it is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way.” In her statement, she told her husband that while he hoped to be great by acting with virtue and goodness he lacked the ability to lie and cheat to win. We can only hope that, as a nation, we haven’t yet stooped to that level where the only path to victory is deceit. We can also hope that Joe Biden will have the strength of character to make the toughest decision of his life so that we might avoid the tragedy of Macbeth.

Macbeth listened to the three witches who foretold his rise to power. Today we have the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and QAnon as our modern-day stand-ins. While Trump listens to any who parrot his twisted utterances, Biden needs to listen to his own heart and perhaps make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of democracy. Yes, that 90-minute debate was that important. I didn’t listen to it (intentionally) but enough has leaked into my consciousness through televised clips and writings that I know few would be immune to its impact.

I’ll leave you with a few lines from The Rolling Stones song that sold as many single copies as (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.

Well, I'm sitting here thinkin' just how sharp I am
I'm an under-assistant West Coast promo man, yeah, yeah
Well, I promo groups when they come into town
Well, they laugh at my toupee, they're sure to put me down

[The song is "The Under-Assistant West Coast Promotion Man" and it was the B-Side of Satisfaction] --Now you know the rest of the story.