Cut River Bridge in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

You may enjoy this picture of a bridge. Very cleanly painted green with the colors in the background. It is an interesting one taken a few weeks ago in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. If you don't know the area it is pristine with small villages and lots of Great Lakes coastal access. Communities like Escanaba, about 2 hours west of this picture, are ripe for investment and have been receiving increased interest. The economy relies heavily on tourism but there are other industries starting to grow and develop as well. 

You may purchase as a digital print in the gallery HERE.

Two PRC Intelligence Officers Arrested and 13 Charged in Trying to Influence Global Telecommunications Case

We are in a somewhat complex world where all types of things are happening all the time and some of those activities are subversive by nature. Two nations have grown into super powers. Each with unique and shared supply networks. Trade conflicts have increased in recent years and there is a level of sizing, flexing and pacing to determine influence. I would suspect as competition rises so will the reliance on espionage and other hacking/digital methods increase. Ideas, science, inventions and development are worth a lot in todays world where such information is no longer being loosely spewed into the market in any old haphazard way (i.e. allowing for it to be collected for a long long time with no controls. We are now adjusting our data networks, increasing security and becoming smart on bringing back manufacturing.). 

I'm sort of looking at the case and wondering how $61K is enough to sell out one's country? However, I would suspect if you were leaning already in that direction the money might tip the scales for some. Others won't do it for any price. In this case, the person did the right thing and turned them in to authorities. That is how we clean house is by each person contacted to turn in the behaviors.

Two Chinese Intelligence Officers Charged with Obstruction of Justice in Scheme to Bribe U.S. Government Employee and Steal Documents Related to the Federal Prosecution of a PRC-Based Company

Pelosi's Husband Attacked in Home? Hope Full Recovery

An assailant broke into the Pelosi home and attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer. I'm happy to hear that he is expected to make a full recovery. Like many in our nation we are wondering what actually happened and what might be some of the motivations. More importantly, how do we stop these things from happening again?

It appears the perpetrator had posted all types of conspiracy theories online and had some radical political leanings "Where is Nancy?". The nature of politics is thus that rationality is sometimes thrown out the window. We could minimize these conspiracy theories if our leaders stay focus on factual evidence based conclusions and solutions (Most do but a large percentage bank off of misinformation and chaos creation as avenues to power). 

Interesting questions arise that would help determine the nature of the attack. For example, the time the person broke in could be an issue, did they steal anything, were they looking at other things, what comments they made, why a hammer versus other weapon, age could be a factor, etc.

On the surface I don't think they were a professional unless they intentionally wanted to look unprofessional (Likewise, I would assume this person had no real exit strategy.). A hammer seems sort of a tool of convenience more then something someone might plan out in advance. Its just a brute tool (...weapon choice likely indicates state of mind and capacity)! 

Either way, we need to get a handle on crime and domestic extremism. I think we should learn to tackle this issue (I'm not sure we are doing as much as we should on a local level where we might first experience these types of behaviors among people who are familiar with the person. In some cases the precursor behaviors to these incidents are given wink and nod if serving a particular agenda or against a particular group. The risks to our democracy are on the local hate based level that often make their way onto a national level. i.e. Capital Riots. We are a social species so when leaders hype up the rhetoric to the point that we are looking at others as "less than" we begin to have increases in similar behaviors and that eats at the safety and security of society. If we believe in "...one Nation under God, indivisible...." then we must talk and act like it.) before we start looking like we have to spending significant resources protecting and defending ourselves from random lone wolves spurred by destructive political rhetoric of coming from some members of both sides. Once we start needed security everywhere go, we start looking different as a nation; things become more fatalistic like they do in declining nations. Let us not drag our feet on bi-partisan solutions. Its a current hurdle our nation faces and must be overcome to move into its next state of development where we are all rowing in the same direction (Using our unique backgrounds and political perspective to solve problems.).

(I'm a light R Republican and no matter the politics or the party we have responsibilities to maintain our sense of moral direction and national community and concern. I find the behavior of breaking into homes, this or any other, highly inappropriate and hope the Mr. Pelosi has a speedy recovery. There are certain basic things we all should agree upon and that is peace and safety are the seams that keep this country together. Whether terrorism, extremism, theft or mental health we all have the right within our local communities, homes, and across the nation to feel a sense of safety. There is no place for hate even if we don't like someone's politics, policies. race, religion, etc. Unfortunately, we are still dealing with trying to understand the mental health aspects of how these things come about on a local level and when track and solve policies might be helpful when someone is prone to the projection of hate based violence. Whether powerful or powerless, rich or poor, connected or unconnected, religious or not religious, etc. people have the right to live without fear that someone is going to "get rid of the problem" {Problem being subjective to the perpetrators misunderstands. )

October 20th 2022 Escanaba City Council Meeting: Things Moving on Development

It looks like things are slowly moving forward. I'm not going to comment very much about specifics of the video because I just look for overall trends and signs that certain adaptive adjustments are being made that will put the City in the best possible place. That requires understanding what is going on in the market and what is going on to meet those changes (i.e. changes with COVID and commerce and how that relates to my economic theory.). 

Escanaba has great unutilized potential as a development hotspot based on its ecological, economic, and strategic location as the U.S. seeks to bring back manufacturing, mining/metals, and innovation. Could Esky be an important place some day (Its already important but just making a point)?

No one really knows for sure but development potential has certain characteristics (I might also focus on developing the downtown by drawing new businesses from outside the area, encouraging custom small scale manufacturing, allowing development to enhance each other. i.e. my idea of a mallet manufacturer (and equestrian retailer) downtown with apartments on top and small scale manufacturing in the back. The store front is retained and used directly or as a rental. )

Its all a sequences of choices and activities meeting market need. The biggest questions being related to where to point a ship (market analysis and projection). To me, its always in the place that opens more opportunities and are likely trends to last for 30+ years. 

You can obtain the agenda HERE.

Government Puts Together the X-File Team from NASA! (Sightings of Coneheads)

NASA just released its Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Study Team Members that outlines their impressive list of scientists who like to study UFOs. This is part of commissioned research that seeks to discover what the origins of those weird triangle sightings might be and their implications. They will assess if the UAPs are "Earth Made" or from somewhere else. They will also look at whether they represent a hazard in the skies (Sounds like a future product designation like Made in America but instead in an intergalactic universe. Let it be noted it was said here first! 👾😂. "Made on Earth" stamp. Ok sorry the science is legit and some of the best in the world but it still sort of blows my mind!)

 (The Military would have other concerns and thus has their own UAP Taskforce. Two different perspectives of the problem, different types of research, that will share lots of familiarities but have different purposes. I would expect that some of the information between the civilian and military research results will be shared. That is often why research is an additive process and builds off of others research and in turn others research will build on this study. Different perspectives create slightly different results of research. 

Both teams may come to the conclusion it actually is ET, new tech, surveillance cameras in a triangle, a new species we have never seen, etc. but how they come to that conclusion is different. It might be helpful to consider keeping both the studies blind to each other until a certain point where sharing  info can create new insights. i.e. give them both 9 months to see what they can figure out independently, connect up the results, and decide if you want a third study {or a military and civilian study} that sets a new course based on previous discovery). You can read NASA to Set Up Independent Study on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. 

The list is varied and its line up also makes sense because of the needed skill sets. The members constitute a knowledgeable team and as you read their bios you will see very smart and can dive very deep into data. One thing to consider is that Aliens may be doing things outside of our existing knowledge and cognitive perspectives. Its not that we can't understand what they are doing (Assuming we can sense similar frequences much like a dog has much better hearing than ours) but would be trying to find unique and unknown patterns in information that we are currently are in process of discovering. 

We have no experience! (Watch the Coke bottle show where someone throws a Coke bottle out of a plane to an isolated village who never experienced such an item and they have all types of new ways to use it. Seems sort of similar right. HERE) When your dealing with things you have no experience with, you may be mentally blind to understanding what you are seeing in front of your face (I see this all the time. Let us say as an example you saw something someone didn't see. That person wouldn't believe you until you point out what you saw by infinite detail and assuming you didn't bore them into glossy eyed mind wandering comatose they might say, "Oh, interesting. Now I see it!"). 

 

I would throw some Level-K thinkers in there that might understand the science but not indoctrinated into any specific scientific rabbit hole. We start digging deeper holes in science but sometimes miss standing back and asking, "Am I asking the right question?  (i.e. There are often better research that doesn't fit modern acceptable institutional thinking and are not developed or explored. You can read an article on science and how other factors impact research and discovery. Its just an example. HERE). If you are dealing with unknowns then add some people (even if just consultants) that are used to finding unknown patterns. 

Proof of Aliens below....

(😂 I had so many questions I wanted to ask when I first saw these aliens. Unfortunately  my old fashion combustible engine, from whatever cheap rental I could find, could not catch up to their electric surface cruisers! 😏 Questions like... Why their heads are pointy? Where is their planet? What is their most advanced technology? Do they watch TV? Do they pay high taxes too?  What does illegal alien mean on their planet? Because I didn't actually talk to them to gain additional evidence I may not understand very much.  If you don't know who the Cone Heads are you may want to watch the video HERE.  

All I can say is that just like the surveillance we have on UAPs we can only speculate until we start to collect hard evidence with radar "photo bombing" and other scientific measurement tools/instruments. The video below isn't proof of anything other than people having fun and doing fun things for their community. If we had a little more fun like this in our life we wouldn't be so grumpy. Just remember we don't yet have the book of "All the Answers".  )

Ocean Beach Sunset Pier (Trying Out Digital Photos)

Quality pictures (assuming you think my pictures are quality.) are expensive. Usually they are printed out and then sent in poster packaging. However all that takes work or a hobby. However, I'm thinking digital photos might have more reach. Of course you are not charging the $120 minimum to do all the background work. You must offer a lower price. So I'm putting $40 up for digital photo. If it works well I might turn some of the other pictures in the gallery to digital download. 

Buy Ocean Beach Sunset $40 HERE. 

Russian and Venezuelan Operatives Using Shell Companies to Move Sensitive Military Equipment and Oil

 Russia has been receiving American military equipment through Venezuela. Some of it is highly sensitive and has been found on the battlefield. Read.....Five Russians charged in global scheme to smuggle equipment from US for Russia's military

You can read the full complaint at Justice Department Announces Charges and Arrests in Two Cases Involving Export Violation Schemes to Aid Russian Military

This is not something new and we shouldn't be overall shocked. Catching and disrupting such supply chains leads to less vital resources landing in the wrong hands. 

Shell companies likely have limited scope and clients. There may be lots of things on the books but activities don't match those companies. They are designed with a specific purpose and no matter how much they try and hide it they will be bent toward activities that earn the most amount of money thereby putting less effort into legitimate activities and exposing their activities. 

The Importance of Protecting Democracy on a Local Level

 We often talk about democracy from a high academic and political level but there are practical matters during local application that determine whether or not those Constitutional principles and values reign supreme as the law of the land. This is where local systems must become more educated on the purpose and value of democracy and ensure that cultural, racial, and religious considerations don't derail our national development. What happens on a local and realized level determines the course of democracy and the nation going forward. We can't neglect the building blocks of democracy in lived experience simply so we can hypothesis and theorize about its value on a national level. (64% of Americans believe democracy is in crisis. HERE. How we handle these issues is important. I'm a democracy supporter and that is why I'm just typing away this AM. I am off hiking soon. Waiting for the sun to come up. :))

Let us imaging for a moment that a large group of people were attempting to intimidate and clean out their community from minorities (i.e. lying, aggression, following home, false police complaints, intimidation, self enrichments, etc. knowing full well the laws don't apply to them in that way and they are given immunity based on association.). That doesn't say anything negative about the vast majority of community members who are good people and the majority of officers that have a positive rooted value system. Yet when we slice and break down the behaviors it appears there was intentionality and blatant disregard for others outside of the clan boundaries. 

Before one get too excited the majority of these people that are involved in this sports network are not bad people but there are toxic personalities/elements who hype up issues and continue on when there is no logical reason to do so (This is learned behavior). The vast majority of homogenous members are good mothers, fathers, and community members but that doesn't extend to those they deem as different (racial, religious, ethnic) and to those they define as not local (Defined not by genetic time in the area but by racial, religious, ethnic + cultural standpoint.)

This is where we see democracy either becoming stronger by handling these divergent ant-democratic pressures that bend democracy toward ones group (Similar to what you might see in a third world nation where tribes, clans and other differences determine application of law. Something some members of our society are complaining about.) become the primary consideration between justice and lack of justice. Growing democracies will bring these fiefdoms into the fold of democracy versus letting them carve out their own principality with their own unwritten rules (i.e. Good Old Boy Network, jobs, justice, safety)

The battle for democracy is on the local level and in the very human to human interactions we engage (There is a risk to extremism and a risk to watering down the principles of democracy.). Meaning that we must understand how democracy can break down and hold to account those systems and people who break it. That doesn't always mean someone needs to get in trouble but that there needs to be protections in place. What I have advocated to restore democracy is the following:

1.) Mandatory mental health for those who started the problem. There is concern among even their own members there may be mental health issues involved in conflict and hate. It also puts on notice their blind followers that they can be held to account if they do this again. It also dispels the intentional false rumors designed to target minorities. 

2.) Investigate serious community complaints. They may be important they may be just lots of rumors. Kind of scary stuff some people are saying. In my experience rumors sometimes have a kernel of truth. Not exactly the way it happened but perhaps something similar. I hope not!

3.) Ensure local policing systems (I'm sort of looking at one department because of their association with this group. The other departments corrected when they found out they were misled.) however, the other departments can certainly learn. i.e. turning a difficult situation into a positive win-win situation. 

4.) Ensure that local court system are not 1. afraid to hold this group accountable (A local prosecutor left in a hurry but I can't tell you why. However, I don't think they were happy with this group and some of the protections they may have been offered. We haven't talked about elections either and how that may impact decisions.), 2.) other minorities are not being targeted with impunity and 3.) that there is a healthy respect of peoples lives and our founding principles. 

5.) I would like to add improved tactics. Tactics on how to insulate officers from social pressures, how to investigate facts before acting, how to ask the right questions, how to handle people who are different, etc. and of course avoiding quick judgement. We want our police to be strong, capable and focused on their essential duties of protect and serve within Constitutional and Democratic values (The vast majority are good officers doing the right thing. I'm 100% for police and 110% for Civil rights)

6.) Ensure the local college isn't contributing to the cleansing behavior by accepting and rejecting candidates based on either what this group says through association or through willful attempts to block Muslims, Jews, Blacks and others. Telling my I'm more than qualified for an entry level Labor Law class then ghosting me. (😏 Looks like they really needed me. ). These look like pretty serious federal EEOC violations and misuse of taxpayer money in favor of their ethic clan (Kind of third world and I think we are going to start to round the racial and religious corners to a universal society. However, there are people in the process who circumvent the laws and rules with what at the moment looks like impunity. But I have to admit I don't know everything. I'm just giving opportunities for people to correct. I do think this will be an important issue someday and I'm going encourage the law not to normalize hate behaviors or weave them into unwritten rules.)

7.) Others

Its easy to keep one's mouth shut and not say anything. Maybe this group will start again in a few years when the "coast is clear" or they may have learned a lesson about unbridled hate and dishonesty (I doubt they learned because their behaviors indicate to me they are keeping distance but haven't learned anything other than this is serious. There is a large group of people who ostracized but not one of them really know what happened. They are doing so based on racial and religious preconceptions. Not a single person as far as I know can say me and my kids did anything to them. Sure they have the wrong color or religion but that is hardly a justification.). The other option is to stand up for your community, fix the long term risks to other community members, ensure democracy is firmly planted and of course take all the risks in the process for fulfilling ones oaths. (i.e. following home, pulling over kids, targeting, etc...). 

My plan? To be positive, engaging, help my community where I can, not be intimidated, be open to reconciliation and apologies, forgive but not forget (You really can't because they did it once and that is all it takes to understand capacity. I have responsibilities to my family and not to the inflated egos of mediocre sports players who barely rode their tricycles around the block but seem to know all the answers when it comes to "judging" others. (i.e. calling out "Your father is a bitch!" in front of my kids, starting them down in a parking lot, lying and manipulation, calling them "nigger babies" etc.. etc.. etc..).  What happened here was beyond not normal and a free pass starts looking like another problem that needs to be reviewed (i.e. other records, reviews outcomes, tickets, etc... might shed light on any other issues). 

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other." Abraham Lincoln. 

I encourage "all one thing" around our shared national purpose. Others might disagree.🤷 We are either moving toward a democracy or its rotting out in some our hometowns. 

Photo of Trains on Track

One of the biggest aspects of business is to be playful and explore. For example, I sometimes take photos and list them in my online gallery just to see if anyone is interested. Some of the profits (I shoot for 50%) go to charity. I was messing around with the photo a little. If you want the picture you can click the "Trains Running on Track" and purchase. Just the picture and not the wording.

It would be interesting to someday submit some of these photos to a few contests. I have done it before and won a few. Mostly not!

"If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities. The thing is to get the work done." 

Dale Carnegie

Building The Next Gen Digital Era Military

The world is changing quickly and new technologies are coming out at such a pace that superiority in one arena won't guarantee superiority 10 years down the road in that or any other arena. Innovation and change is a partnership between industry, government/military and the populace. There are concerns that the U.S. military would struggle fighting wars on multiple front and some changes are needed to expand our capacity. To solve a large rooted problem like this we must innovate across multiple sectors to fully enhance our capacities.

Let us take a look at decline in military problem by reading Heritage Foundations review entitled, 2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength. The Marine Corps is doing great but the other branches are not so great . I'm not surprised by the higher ranking of the Marine Corps because as a highly trained force they are in high demand in an increasingly dangerous world.  In the Marine Corps, a failure to adapt could mean death and loss (Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome! creates an amazingly adaptable force.)

Likewise, we also find that military recruitment pools are dwindling thereby leaving the military struggling to fulfill its manning requirements. Deficiencies in manpower will require some type of readjustment in other resource pools to fill the void (Not to mention the need to tackle obesity and health on a national level. Resist the simple carb urge!). Of course one could consider robotics/wearable tech, partnerships/alliances, stronger service coverage, etc. (Be creative and think of other ways that might improve capacity.)

Either way change is necessary and that will include technology and new tactics that come from that technology. So we should really be thinking about what the military will look like in the Digital/Information Era and how to put the right resources in the right places. New ideas, new thoughts, new ways of doing things are coming........because we have few options but to be open to new lines of development.

(Oh....and by the way......I believe transactional clusters can help in speeding innovation in multiple industries at once. i.e. the Delta County Model. You may want to see this economic digital age theory in process of being rewritten for clarity. HERE.)

Federal Loan Debt Relief: The Web Link and Discussion on Value of Higher Ed.

Business benefits
from a skilled labor force
and new ideas.
The Brown Hotel

The Federal Student Loan Forgiveness is now open and you can apply to have part of your student loans forgiven (Apply HERE). There has been some controversy over this loan forgiveness program based on total cost, funding approaches and whether or not it is the best use of public resources. Different people from different sides of the political perspective will give you different answers. Some love the idea and some pull their hair out. 

These are my thoughts for my own personal understanding.....

What I can say is we do need as much skilled and creative labor as we can generate in this country if we hope to pull ahead in our slowly shrinking economic lead (Another point supporting economic clusters and rapid innovation systems that put the right resources, skills/people, and investments in a networked place where they can quickly adapt.). Improving human capital means higher education must be at the top of its game while governments and industry will need to find ways to maximize that academic and creative capital. 

In other words, we will want to put to good use our college graduates if we want to maximize the cost of higher education as a method of societal return (That doesn't take away from the arguments of other improvements we can make in higher education. There are always ways to improve every system but it may only be one problem in a situation that requires multiple solutions.). Likewise, since we are working older and longer, and as the digital economy develops, we will rely less on manual labor as a primary source of revenue (Think of wearable robotics where skill is more important than pure muscle as an economic input. Another example, if I near retirement age and am working remotely, or for contract, I may decide to work part time but stay involved in my field.) 

That is not a discussion on the specific costs of higher education, form, curriculum, design, etc. but more on education being an important input into the development of an innovative nation (There are probably some numbers out there that can shed light on the value of higher education and its return rate. Those numbers are likely to be somewhat limited because there are wider benefits and costs that don't lend themselves easily to current benchmarks. i.e. like does person with a higher education commit less crimes, more happy, help/hurt the environment, less/more medical costs, lives longer, has a higher/lower carbon footprint, knowledge semination, invent more things, produces more value, etc.).

Anyway, you get my point that metrics are only slices of the whole phenomenon and sometimes miss a significant portion of soft economic value. We should adjust our metrics from time to time to keep us from being blinded to the full picture (Most are users of metrics and some are creators of them. Metrics should continuously be improving their reflectiveness of actual events.).....

Depending on which economic philosophy one adheres there are going to be a couple of ways to tackle the higher education funding problem. Some will say government should pay for education (free, subsidized, loan forgiveness, etc.) and some will say the free market should handle it (corporate individuals, families, non profits, etc.).

I'm an advocate of free market solutions as long as those free market solutions are providing opportunities for everyone. In other words, they are free from manipulation (i.e. the dying off of small business and slowing of American development could be an indication its not completely free from manipulation and somewhere in our policies/politics we will need to make an adjustment. Higher innovation happens when small businesses are continuously developing to either innovate existing larger MNCs through acquisition or grow into companies themselves through investment in bringing new products and services to market. We must not forget what small business does for improving wealth opportunities on a grass roots level. Something we might need more than ever as a nation that will now show it can run to keep up its top spot! 🤷) We want to maintain the value of opportunity to encourage people to be the best they can be and rise from the bottom to the top to create circulation in government, business, and social positions so as to widen the adaptive lens.

The point is that free markets offer solutions because when the market functions in balance in naturally seeks to solve problems through developing new products services based on competitive need (fair competition). With the right policies we often don't need to make corrections in hindsight like student loan forgiveness. It costs the government little to nothing if it creates the right business environment that fosters start ups and small business to generate new wealth. Where or how we fund the education is a matter of politics and needs. What I can say is that when its truly a free market, the need for knowledge/skill will rise and the value of higher education will become more important. (In other words, it will be a self-correcting system that creates balance.) 

A balanced economic system is preferred to an unbalanced one where the various sectors of an economy are not growing together. To me its always better to go back and fix the roots of a problem (i.e. free market ) so as to not need to make economic "corrections" in an effort to try and rebalance the opportunity pendulum (Profit and opportunity will consistently be behind unless you fix the free market system to get ahead of the problem so that different opportunities are being created at different economic stratums of society. Perhaps there are some legal or policy changes that can adjust the entire chain that creates a market environment that provides more natural incentives for people to start businesses and regenerate their neighborhoods. It is a little more of a free market, capitalist type approach based in natural human needs that gives value to organic local development.)

No matter if we fund or don't fund higher education through "correction programs" we will still need to ensure education raises the value of our human capital in a way that has tangible benefits for the broadest beneficiaries of society. Those beneficiaries range from business development to individuals seeking to take advantage of the Digital Era (Society is at it its most stable point when opportunities are abundant and able to be taken up by those who have the desire to improve their lot in life. It is the best path all around. Unstable societies are marked by disparity in life, subjective laws, lack of opportunity, impermeable social hierarchies, mismanagement/corruption, and unnecessary culture degradation/segregation. ) 

You may be interested in a study on the value of higher education to spurring economic growth. Using UNESCO data of 15,000 universities from 1,500 regions across 78 countries between 1950 to 2010 and found that a 10% increase in universities per capita leads to a .4% increase in future GDP from that region (Valero & Reenen, 2019). In theory, I suppose if one were do do this with student debt, degrees per capita, universities per capita, it might be possible to find a fuller picture of impact of education on the economy (I can only say I don't know because I never went through and looked at the many different sources to compare them to come up with an answer based upon the best information we have available today to find the ranges.)

In summary, higher education provides greater growth and opportunity for business, the economy, and people. The dollar figure of that growth and opportunity is a deep economic question with experts likely to provide numbers all over the map (There will be significant variability among economists assuming they are not copying from each other by using the same exact metrics and methods. Changing around metrics changes around the economic picture.) In other words, its not an argument on the value of higher education itself but the economical ideology of funding that value. 

Valero, A. & Reenen, J. (2019). The economic impact of universities: Evidence from across the globe.
Economics of Education Review, 68, 53-67 Retrieved 10-18-22 from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775718300414

Michigan Is Top State for Political Ad Spending: Money Doesn't Buy Character!!

“Worthless people live only to eat

and drink; people of worth eat

and drink only to live.”

                        – Socrates 

(If you think Halloween is scary just
watch politics! The only crystal ball
you insight you get into others is
their character.)

Michigan is an important state not only geographically but politically and economically. It is part of the economic redevelopment of the U.S. in advanced manufacturing, pushing the green energy change, and climate change with protection, education and economic development of the Great Lakes. It is also a place where politics will be very important because it may influence the direction of national politics (Let us just watch what happens with some of our politicians and potential future candidates on a national level.)

At present Democrats are outspending Republicans in Michigan legislative races: $22.6 million vs. $6.6. (There are a few reasons why that is happening and I suspect they have something to do with marketing/messaging methods, candidates, and focus on important topics. Sometimes we discuss things that are party important but are not AS important as other issues to the general public. That is something to keep in mind if you ever go into politics and want to understand alignment of messaging around shared needs. Its not party specific but more of a general brand issue.)

(Sorry I have to put a plug in about energy. I'm for green development and creation of a more robust energy grid that is safer and can use multiple forms of energy; whether green or not. With the events as they relate to cut oil production we should be able to fill declines in supply with other sources. Even better if its only temporary. Thus, oil, green, nuclear, dispersed solar, etc. can all be helpful when they are needed but we should move relatively quickly to green as much as possible. Likewise, redundancy within the energy system is also helpful with local and regional sources of energy.)

You will want to read this article....Michigan is top in the nation for ad spending in state legislature races

(If your from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan you can see your district on Final District and Map.  I think we are in Senate District 38 and I didn't see increased advertising in the report.) 

Here is some advice I can give on political parties and voting. I'm a light right Republican and have seen lots of great ideas (and bad ones) come from both sides. I lean Republican because of my essential conservative values and that doesn't often resonate with the subjectivity of the far far Right or far far Left. So my advice is to pick the candidate you believe will do the best job regardless of party. It is the person you believe deep down will choose the will of the people and the betterment of their state/nation over their own career or political flattery (You don't know a person until they are faced with only bad choices and they will have to lose to do the right thing. Integrity is something we should expect from those in leadership positions.) You will know by watching them, staying focused on their core message, and the natural/real language they provide. Mostly you will know them by their ability to be wrong and be ok with that because that is an integrity issue and also leads to better long-term decision making. Over confident, self involved, and hyper social create problems for everyone else around them and they shouldn't have influence over our institutions and resources  (Its a general statement about responsibility and duty) We are designed to understand these things from the context of the information, the root assumptions of candidates logic, para/body language, and the general context of their beliefs. Think about selecting people who will support our national objectives even if they are not popular with others. You can dump money into ads but you can't build character (The same thing can be said about leadership skills.)

Standing for Democracy and Standing Against Hometown Hate: Law, Democracy and Freedom!

Democracy was built from the many sacrifices given as a gift by one generation to the next spanning all the way back to the moment the first pilgrims cautiously stepped off of the boat into a new land with half starved outstretched hands. They were driven by their desire to practice their religion freely without persecution and sailed to the furthest corner of earth (1620)!  Freedom of religion was so important to our national founding that we built one of the world's largest free nations from shared understandings of the rights endowed to all man (mankind).

Let us fast forward a four hundred years to modern times (2022) where we are now very far removed from the initial struggles of surviving in the wilderness with nothing more than hope for a brighter future (Maybe we could have added a hatchet as a necessary tool back then.). While it seems so long ago the problems of the past are fused into our national heartbeat as they were codified in the Constitution as central to our moral conscious and cultural assumptions.  

In today's world, we have much more complex social structures but are still plagued by the same simple forces our founders faced as it relates to freedom and suppression. Americans are those that believe in that freedom, take oaths to protect it and act to uphold those essential freedoms against all odds (This American definition is something we should remember. Who is an American by a deeper value system and those who claim "American" simply by superficial attributes and false/partial symbolism.). 

Our nation is based on our deep fundamental human urges rooted into our very biological existence and the symbolism we use to create value systems that draws us into indivisible collective people with liberty and justice for all. Our democracy is a projection of our inner biological urges to exist and strive on our own merits (i.e. life, liberty and pursuit of happiness). We built different institutions to help in administering these freedoms for the benefit of our nation and peoples. The very laws created were designed to protect those central values through official uses of power. 

Thus law is an extension of collective shared values and in an ideal world they would be applied with that in mind. At least in theory! (Its philosophical in nature but most societies are human projections and most societies share similarities and thus root back to some basic human needs. Countries shift and change because of alignment or misalignment with those needs. Most of the time, it is a natural process from generation to generation as older ideas that solved older problems fade away and are replaced by new movements with new ideas from younger people focused on newer problems. Many of these problems are patterned and come back throughout a nation's life course and if it breaks a cycle the nation runs risks of collapse or becoming something else because that value system is no longer one of the central anchors of shared consciousness.)

It is important to remember that how freedom and democracy functions in our hometowns in realized application of our inner national values. Our observed behaviors on a local level give an indication to the sickness or health of our democracy.  Lived experience and higher principle should be in alignment for maximum realized American spirit. If there is a disconnect between what we say during public facing political-academic discussions versus how Americans/"Americans" (depending on how you define American) experience freedom on a daily private basis we have value dissonance that must be brought into harmony (Its important to walk the talk on freedom and democracy).

A free pass for hate is not really free! It only highlights the differences between what we talk about on top of the organization but may not be optimally functioning on a local/granular level where it impacts real people (Theory and applied. Theory takes educational abstraction and applied takes hands on experience. This is also why I advocate for circulation of people to the highest social and financial in a capitalistic society to ensure proper ventilation of the top. The best and brightest should be able to rise to fulfill that role through pushing society to change. That won't happen if nepotism is the path that gets people opportunities ) The more different and "outsider" one appears to those doing the "judging" (i.e. throwing stones), the more the person appears as less worthy of rights (Some will believe in our principles and some just say what is socially expected of them. Have you watched politics? I suspect most are trying to do the right thing but not everyone is going to have high standards.).

What I'm saying here is a leading theory of explanation as to what appears to be the downing of three local institutions associated with exploitable of hate and bigotry. I suspect there is alternate theories from those who started the problem but it would be hard to rule out the wider motivations. Yet I would think that the aggression alone cannot be justified because someone was forced to install a boundary when kids were intentionally involved/harmed or one having the "wrong color" kids and certainly doesn't provide justification for lack of fair treatment and possible wink and nod to ethnic intimidation (I believe there is an important point to be made. Race, religion and personal gain doesn't justify serious aggression, intimidation or violence unless you have devalued the lives of the targets and find something exploitable such as race and religion to rally other. Keep in mind that many members of this group were very concerned about where my kids came from and have a history of treating others as "better than thou". They came to me and told me the reason why my family was being targeted were because we were Muslim {They know nothing about religion and don't even practice religion themselves}. They also did this with undercover officers standing near {First let me say that these officers are actually awesome officers but they were unaware the the manipulative depth others will go for gain. I understood what was happening in real time and am generally not inclined to quickly react.} It still makes me scratch my head. As experienced as I am in understanding hate I cannot say I have ever seen such quickness in moving a large amount of people from heuristic/quick judgement to acting on the behalf of hate.  I spent time with Muslims, Jews, Blacks, and lots of others and I never seen such entitlement and lack of mental independence. I'm not sure one of them can say me and my kids ever did anything to them but someone commands them and they get aggressive. 🤷 Its Steven King creepy! ) 

Accountability doesn't necessarily mean jail time but there must be opportunities for improvement. While the goal of this group was in many ways to cause as much harm as possible they dipped into physical intimidation and corruption (Group aggression, calling names, picking fights, official guidance), lost economic opportunities (Discrimination by a local university who thought I was qualified for an adjunct job, not being able to receive certain local services, etc.), defamation of character (trying to damage and devalue the lives of the subject to encourage others to attack them), damaging/targeting/manipulating kids (Intentionally involving, targeting with undercover stops, and lying to kids), police targeting (parking outside of home, following home, illegal investigation), embezzlement/fraud (the financial incentives of launching hate) corruption (Free pass for hate groups) and public mocking. 

None of that really matters if we don't really care about the integrity and health of our democracy and/or we made a decision that democracy is only for certain people (Their behaviors were shocking and hinted at some extremism among their members). Someone made a judgement call that these people over here have more rights to show aggression to minorities (We are all actual minorities and that will become more apparent. I'm using the term minority because people understand what it means.) than those people over there simply by superficial and what appears to be inherently biased criteria. Perhaps we feel that such democracies are for some and not for others. My suggestion since the beginning hasn't changed because it seems very reasonable to me, keeps people out of jail (They own it they go but I tried my best to derail them from their aggressive choices. Personally, I would like them to take the right steps and improve themselves and get the help they need) and corrects the wrong while putting future behaviors on notice. 

It is important to keep in mind that a free pass can embolden such hate to rear its head because the messages are mixed (i.e. if you are this low value based on racial and religious reasons hate is given a free pass, protected, and swept under the carpet creating context for future cleansing.). Many of these behaviors seemed to have been learned during prior immunities and social bullying incidents (If you would have saw the coordination and smirks on their face you would have understood how "normalized" these behaviors have become.). Even if they no longer focus on these particular topics the learning lesson is that this group has the capacity to thwart that which is sacred in our country and can do so again if they desire because the local system is either frightened or unable to uphold the Constitution (Maybe there is a lot more I don't understand and I'm open to that possibility.  What I do understand is is not worthy of a free pass and is grotesque and shameful in nature.). That is a longer term existential risk not only to the community but anyone not seen as a "local". I suspect the risks go up exponentially as superficial differences rises. It begins to look like a closed system skewed to the benefit internal members (Very very narrow definition of stakeholders. The one minority that could have done a lot of good for the community was intentionally rejected for qualified positions and ostracized for the bad behaviors of others. It is what it is! I believe some of those opportunities will continue forward but I would give a warning to local officials who feel that this group can't do any wrong and allow them to target any newcomers, minorities, investors, business owners, etc.. They showed they didn't need much of an excuse. No one can tell the future but open societies with lots of potential can be a draw with the right investment sparks. That comes through universalization and inclusion. ).

Here are a few ideas that I think would help, keep peoples records clear if possible, and make it difficult to repeat. It restores law and order around key national values. (Notice they are relatively unchanged since a few years ago when it started because the factors and roots of the problem haven't changed. The more we justify inappropriate behaviors with logical chains {Actually there is always a root misassumption in hate but its hard to show that to people unless you unpack all their ideas and false logic) that default back to the protection of certain groups, the more we water down our values)

1. Initial perpetrators have mental health screaming and follow up. Helps to ensure the hate doesn't have a deeper psychological problem and ensures they are no longer a risk to the community or targets. 

2.) Investigate community complaints. Multiple community complaints against the same group members that have not been investigating. Some of which are serious and show patterns. 

3.) Checks and balances to ensure close association and friendship with such groups doesn't deform local just through hate based rhetoric and misperception of American values. 

4.) The college that is rejecting candidates based on social, racial, and religious concerns should have a review of their hiring practices, investigation the incident and put in place new policies. (Anyone need any emails to the HR department and President of the University making them aware of the incident let me know. If you have a legit reason I will share them. Its not about embarrassing people but fixing a broken system.)

5. Change the culture of the sporting community that has come to support and encourage aggression, bullying and hate. That may need to start in the elementary levels and ensure these parents/coaches are not teaching inappropriate sporting values. 

6. Training and development for officers that were not involved but were in a place to stand up and report inappropriate behavior of other officers in other departments (That should also include training on how to report hate crimes to FBI)

7.) An audit of the incentives of hate. Sometimes there are incentives beyond just race and religion. There is financial issues and mental health issues. 

Do I believe people will do the right thing? Yes and no. The people in the community have been supportive and showing they don't stand with hate. They also know the antics of this group and their leadership but have social connections to them that make it difficult to say "no" like I did to protect my children.  What I can say is that the initial group members are unlikely to see themselves as doing any wrong (the targets are just so worthy of hate!). Furthermore, there are multiple systems at play but at the end of the day the local system must be brought in alignment with national/international law. 

Considering that minorities often get the short end of the justice stick I would say my chance of having the right thing come out that would lead to a win-win situation is somewhere around 58% Yes to 42% No. That is the struggle Americans face every day passing the torch from one generation to the next. I have more responsibilities to my community and country than I do to any good old boy network no matter what their are racial, religious or political leanings. It would be easier and safer to say nothing like many may have done  before. Just saying! 💁Patriotism is not always rewarded in a free society but it is necessary to keep the system thriving.

Me my plans are to be positive, polite, engaging, help my community, open to reconciliation and be visible and go where I want to go. I have no problem walking into the center of this group and saying "Hi" and being open to a change of heart. What I will not do is sugar coat what happened in favor of silence. Forgiveness is great but as long as the risk is maintained I will not forget. I think that is the right thing to do. Problem resolution, empathy and iron in silk enforcement while not ignoring this groups potential (The sad thing is that most people in the group are really good people but they have toxic members that can intentionally manipulate and use them as flying monkeys. How do we help people, recognize he wrong, and fix it for the future without ruining peoples futures? Not so easy to do but I think what I have here is a good start for solving problems in our American family.)

Let us see what doors open and what doors close. 

IMF Fears Global Economic Slow Down (October 14th, 2022)

IMF, 2022

The IMF released its October 12th, 2022 World Economic Outlook that highlights risks the global economy faces from inflationary pressure and its impact on people's lives. It looks like we have economic shifting going on as we transition to longer term post COVID policy implementation (Also notice how advanced nations and other nations are fairing. As our economy digitizes it will have increases in transactions and creative capital that will encourage greater growth. The digital economy brings forward great benefits but also a risk of greater disparities.). 

From the IMF's executive summary we discover.....

Global inflation is forecast to be 8.8 percent in 2022, decline to 6.5 in 2023 and 4.1 percent by 2024. We have lots of things going on that includes war in Ukraine, fiscal-monetary policy changes, energy issues (oil restriction), food crises that is mixed up with inflation. That is a lot of market volatility that impacts confidence through increased unknown risks.

Monetary stability and proper fiscal policy seem to be part of the solutions. It is expected nations will pull back on many fiscal supports and actively engage in fighting inflation but such contractions might taint ill the global economy. Economic shocks can be even a bigger issue for the poor and vulnerable that don't have access to financial cushions.

You may also want to read a solid analysis in the World Economic Forum Recession warning from the IMF: What you need to know about the global economy this week

'Made in America' Gets Manufacturing Legs With Employment Growth

One of the challenges we face as a nation is to bring back manufacturing in a way that puts the nation at the best possible position to take advantage of the emerging Digital Era. That era is a technology platform shift that will change the way in which we interact with each other, the services we use, the devices we use, and the fundamentals of business. Some countries will move into that Digital Era as advanced manufacturing societies that balance between hard products and virtual products and others will find a place on the supply chain.

One key component to advanced societies are the creative skill of workers. An industry hiring more workers at higher wages, when compared to alternative employment, is a win for Made in America, for worker prosperity, and for governments that will benefit from that tax revenue. The advanced society should find a path to perpetual sustainable development where economic opportunities renew. 

On a macro scale when we want to innovate and invent as a people new products/serviced in the U.S. through our creative capital (i.e. STEM), encourage strong international investment mechanisms in that growth (i.e. pack investing, clusters, tax policy), to produce the highest market value products (i.e. emerging products, technology, and services). 

Upward Manufacturing Trend

Some data indicate the U.S. manufacturing sector is on an upward trend with more hiring and investment in people (The goal should be to help people get into these higher technology manufacturing jobs because they produce significant economic value. Being at the center of a global supply chain means that advanced manufacturing and skilled labor come together to create the highest increase in product value.). Notice the stats below and pay attention to the table to get a sense of positive trends (There is lots of mixed data but an upward trend). I believe you can also get a sense of more of the supplies are coming from shorter supply chains (i.e. increasing local wealth.)

Here are some of the statistics I looked at: durable goods +22 and the type of products produced, fabricated metal product +6.3, wood products +2.2, Mining and logging 3 (because I'm from the U.P. you have to explore the category descriptions to see if it actually related to anything we produce up here. i.e. furniture, snowshoes, etc.), Machinery -1.7, Computer and electronic products .4, Electrical equipment and appliances 3, Transportation equipment(cars) 8.4, and Construction 19. (You can read a really good article by Bill Koenig Senior Editor SME Media HERE.)

You can gain some specific information  in the updated October 7th, 2022 BLS release Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector and selected industry detail

Manufacturing as Opportunity: 

American labor is at its best when its creative improves products, produces a high value product or service, and has updated technology skills that allows for modern tools. High paying jobs should attract a diverse set of employees. It is one of those sectors that will spend a lot in training people and give reasonably high pay (in relative terms) for people starting out. 

If you were a person who want to find a stable job and use that as a base to go to college, start a business, or just pay bills this would be one sector in which you can do that. They often take people at one level and put them through training programs and certifications improving your economic value as an individual and the overall skills available for the organization.

You can gain some interesting information in Manufacturing Opens More Doors to Women

• Women make up 47% of the American workforce but only 30% worked in manufacturing.
• 1/4 management positions are held by women.
• Women earned on average 16% more than the national median annual income when compared to other employed women

 

Knowledge Transfers from College to Business: Applying and Innovating

Inspiration
"Docks by Day"

When new college graduates first enter into the working world they are enthusiastic about opportunities to display those skills to achieve their life' goals. Everything is new and everything is exciting! With all of their enthusiasm recent college graduates may struggle with understanding how their skills apply to their jobs and how to maximize the value of that new knowledge.

It makes sense for businesses to be excited about taking those new skills and registering them to corporate improvement. Once one successfully transfers from college into their work roles the value of skills and knowledge can be realized more fully. It is up to business to maximize updated skills for organizational learning and innovation.

The higher the degree obtainment, in general the higher the knowledge transfer. Typically advanced degrees come with the possibility of entry into lower level manager or executive positions. For those graduates already employed, an advanced degree often means faster promotability. The relationship is not one for one but telling of the importance of education in the market.

I found an interesting article that may have some appeal if your wondering how to transfer new knowledge successfully into the workplace. Continuous learning is about taking new knowledge and applying it for industry improvement. The utility of using new skills within a wider theoretical understanding (specific and broad knowledge).

How Can You Apply What You Learn in School in the Workplace?

Beyond applied skills we often find universities knowledge contributes to innovative growth through discoveries and community engagement. Businesses are capitalizing on applied knowledge and theoretical/scientific knowledge in ways that improve organizational functioning. The benefits of knowledge becomes more apparent when the resources are put within the right environment (i.e. clustering).

You can gain more information in The Innovative Impact of U.S. Universities 

Latino Voters Numbers: Political Perspectives

 Keeping up with the demographics the growing populations in the U.S. helps in things like marketing but also in general helps a broader sociological understanding. I like to read these polls from time to time and get a sense of where different demographics are leaning in their perspectives. 

This voting block is maturing and starting to feel the power that comes from one of fastest growing segments of society. Because of the size of the group they will have different perspectives on the same issues that you may not find in smaller populations of peoples.

Just for understanding....

GOP cuts into Democrats’ lead among Latino voters, new poll shows

Think Tank Transparency Act: Good Idea?

A new piece of legislation was introduced called the Think Tank Transparency Act and seeks to require disclosure of foreign monies to U.S. think tanks that desire to influence U.S. Policy. You can read about the act as brought forward by our local UP representative Congressional Representative Jack Berman (R). Basically it says that we don't have a good handle on how many think tanks are being funded by foreign entities nor their influence. It hopes to remedy that lack of knowledge by requiring disclosures like you might find in FARA.

Yes, for the most part I see why it would be doing and hoping to accomplish. In this case we had a retired Marine General lobbying on behalf of a foreign entity and then lied about it. Likewise, we have/had lots of other countries like Russia trying to influence our elections. Thus, the timing of such an act seems to make sense if it fits within a general movement/trend to protect American assets (I'm just trying to understand when legislation can be brought forward and when it has the best chance of success. Much of it appears to be based on timing.) 

Well....is the act a Good Idea?

I think we will want free movement of ideas and thoughts without overregulation but at the same time we want to be sure that the money being sent and spent isn't trying to manipulate our population. So I would say in general "Yes" its a good idea but with a few caveats thrown in; Amount $$/% and Research Data Availability. A certain threshold in $ or % should trigger mandatory disclosures.

Information is very important and I think we have a need for various protections in place but one might wonder when such requirements kick in? One could consider a certain amount of money or a certain percentage from organizations and/or individuals from the same place or region (The threshold amount is $10K in the act. However, one might also want to know if there is a certain percentage from any radius region to help better ensure we are not gaming through multiple small funding amounts. I don't know...its sounds good to me. 🤷 ). 

The same can be said with the data such sites produce and share with the public as "objective" research and science. If you have a study that is published and its credible in today's world you may want to make the methodology easy to find and follow (i.e. polls often list data.). Placing that information on the site with the report helps people to see the meaningfulness of the research and allows for transparency of results and innovation as researchers can use the results in their own studies. (Yes, who is polled, how they are polled, how many are polled, where they are polled, what technologies are used, channels used, what statistics they use, the wording of the questions, etc. all is important in getting a specific response.)

Information be easily available on demand to other researchers and scientists to ensure reasonable accuracy of validity/truthfulness/accuracy. If it looks interesting, or an anomaly, I might want to know more about it if I'm studying the same genre or I'm making an actual policy decision. Thus having the methodology and data could help clarify the limitations of a study before we make long term policy choices that can permanently impact society. 

We need to know what the information means, who is funding it, and what its implications are? We also want to encourage more studies and research as we need in a learning society. So legislation must keep in mind the need to encourage more research while protecting the risks. 

BTW you can read the actual Act HERE.

Pope Appeals to Putin to Stop Violence: Imams and Rabbis Should Do the Same!

We are in a world that is interconnected and we all are saddened when conflict breaks out. The Pope came out to encourage Putin to end the spiral of violence. It may be beneficial for Imams and Rabbis to come out with similar appeals now that nuclear risks have risen. All of these religions share the respect for human life and the need for peace. 

He mentioned the rights of minorities and how we should protect them. Something we sometimes forget in our own nations. Our nation was started on this need and the rights of religion and speech. We should watch the horrors in Ukraine and how differences can be exploited for personal and political gain. 

As we have seen in annexation of Ukraine one can use the law to justify anything but can't change the moral underpinnings of those choices. As a conservative I focus on the real deeper meanings of religion and their essential core meanings (Rino-Dino doesn't factor into it.)

Let us continue to help Ukraine and learn from conflicts in the world so that we can continue to raise our torch to lighten the way for others.  Freedom is worth it!

You can read the bulletin at Pope appeals to Putin to stop war and Zelensky to be open to serious peace offers

What is it like to be a target of hate? When the Laws No Longer Function Appropriately

Hate is powerful tool especially if it is normalized and become part of local institutions. As some of my readers know my family and I have been targeted by hate (...they told us why they were targeting us because of religion. These officers eventually did the right thing and realized they were being played with. The other department connected to that social group continued forward in support of their ethnic, racial, and/or social group.) and that included a group of 100+ mediocre ex sports players/bullies, what appears to be 3-5 officers, a local college HR (They said I was more than qualified for an adjunct labor law course but then rejected me when they found out I was the "Muslim guy" their friends didn't like and whom they were targeting. Another hint of ethnic/religious cleansing based on trying to restrict jobs and opportunities. Usually an EEOC violation where such laws applied appropriately.), and what appears to be a local judge (I can't believe they would go this far with pre-knowledge of immunity before and after such behaviors if not given a wink and nod to "clean" their community. There could be other explanations but this one would be one plausible and leading explanation.) 

Imagine just for a moment if what I am saying is true (I know! I know! Impossible and would never ever happen anywhere! Ever!! 🤷 Never! 3X Never!). Just for a second let us pretend that someone who makes such a claim is telling the truth even if it seems impossible in a modern society (This much aggression is not common but I suspect many smaller forms are more common with most people are not consciously aware but do feel they got the short end of the justice stick.). If true it would open a pretty big can of worms caused not by something the out-group/other did but by the reaction of those with hate leanings to the presence of an out-group/other member; especially one who sets a boundary.

Let us further pretend the impossible and recognize that the people who started this knew they were immune as indicated in smirky aggression, condescending remarks and doubling down on trying to manipulate/harm children (devaluing their rights and their life through recklessness). They had no fear they were going to get in trouble and appeared to have been coached by some of their close officer friends on how to delegitimize someone (Typically called defamation of character and in ethnic conflict propaganda to dehumanize others) and "set" someone up through false testimony and provoke an argument through highly provocative comments, words, and aggression (It actually didn't happen because I recognized the disingenuous behaviors and am generally am more likely to pause before acting. Polite but not passive. Meaning I might tell you a truth you don't want to hear but do so in a polite way. Its called a feedback loop when your doing something wrong.)

If the officers that were involved where part of this hate group's close friend network and were doing the bidding of one of their social leaders that would be immoral (Not to mention not following the Bill of Rights or the requirements of their job function.) Likewise, if the social leader had a financial stake in how things turned out that might be a moral problem that further highlights the manipulativeness of the behaviors. 

Let us also say that the people around this social leader knew that they potentially had a mental health problem based on their own personal observations. They knew that when they get upset at people they get "weird" (One of their close friends said that! Not my words.) and that others have experienced the more apparent signs of potential narcissisms with loud attention seeking and aggressive behaviors (A possible important point as to the need for better mental health intervention before you exploit race/religion for group coordinated cleansing. BTW most of the members are good people but they were socialized to a "better than you" beliefs and when you stand up to one of their bullies they quickly act as a coordinated entity to social enforce the rules.) 

Worse, every time this group sees you they either chuckle loudly (...as is their custom much like chest beating of monkeys) and/or encourage people to get angry (Social bullying with a potentially violent leanings by some members.) Beyond staring kids down in a Menards parking lot their behavior more than once could have led to a group/gang/clan group fight. An example of provocative behaviors would be yelling out "Your father is a bitch" or something similar to my kids attending an event (No respect of life, liberty or pursuit of happiness. I can't believe how destructive they were to kids. A total violation of a person's rights and wink and nod free pass. If we don't have a democracy and freedom for our kids/hope then what do we actually have? If the root assumption is based on racial or religious considerations and they acted on those distorted beliefs that is kind of a serious issue. Like I said, I can't imagine I would have any serious problems with anyone in that group or do they know me or my family enough to make such judgements.  🤷)

All of that would be illegal and immoral in 1st world, 2nd world, 3rd world nations and under international law. Imagine if a local judge gave them the right to engage in these behaviors (Either let them engage in these behaviors and/or didn't step in to stop it then I would have concerns.). That would be a sign this judge is supporting a good old boy networks through racial and/or religious identities (Its only one possible explanation. There are likely others.). 

If acceptable it would then be a violation of Freedom of Religion as defined in the Constitution and one of the reasons our forefathers started this country in the first place (Its not fair to have bigots define what that means to the rest of us.). Now imagine if you set up a red line to protect your kids and they doubled down on violating those boundaries to teach you a lesson on who they can and can't harm (The narcissism trait). Furthermore, they did so with the approval of their close network of officers and possibly a judge (Let us wait and see what comes out of this. Maybe not but I doubt it. Someone would have had to give them the right to target. A judge would be the person that would hold them to account and if they are in agreement then there would be no checks and balances in the system. i.e. prior knowledge they could engage in these behaviors. This is why we need more checks and balances.) 

Standing up to hate is a dangerous affair. Where laws don't always apply there are all types of things that can go haywire when your part of the other side of society. The more you talk, the more they target through raising punishments and that could further lead to a violation of Freedom of Speech through intimidation tactics to remain silent (..an illegitimate use of legitimate power). (The break down of the rule of law as applied universally to American citizens. Targeting seems ok as long as the "other" is seen as less valuable and not truly worth of inherent rights. Whether they, people in their family, or others fought for those rights. It only matters the religion, ethnic affiliation, and social network of the perpetrators.). 

(I want to clarify that I believe 90+% of the officers in the area are doing the right thing, our state and federal systems are functioning {not perfectly but functioning} and that most people want the best outcomes for our nation and inherent rights. There is that 10% of the society that wants what they want and no one else matters if it doesn't fit within their distorted perception of the world. That is the 10% of society that approve of cleansing, political violence and/or other aggressive behaviors. Those are big national numbers but think about what that might look like on a local level and within some of our institutions if the targets seem so worth of hate and so very very different then their perpetrators.)

What is it like to be a target? These are just a couple of things I learned. Most of the people in the community support you and provide a welcoming environment. This is your hometown and people know you come from here and have every right to be here. However, a group of officers, their friends, and what looks like a local judge can create a highly toxic environment. (Neglecting that this is my town and my genetic line precedes many of theirs). When your seen as the "other" the laws stop being your friend and are directed toward you (Most minorities know how this works and until the riots most judges didn't care. It is a fundamental issue in our society. We need universal justice and the demand for that will likely grow. I support police 100% and civil rights 110%). 

You know what happened was wrong and you know they targeted your child for personal gain and hate based bigotry. You know that they were given a free pass and they had support for such aggressive behaviors both officially and socially among their connected network. You stay and you take risks but if you leave you allowed corruption to cleans out their community. Leaving would mean others are at risk in the future and likely there were victims in the past (This is where state and federal stakeholders should consider the dangers of local institutions that don't follow our Constitution, laws, or cultural understanding of moral conscious). 

You do what you can do based on the tools available to you. You be polite but not passive, you call for accountability, you challenge, you help your community, encourage reconciliation with recognition of their bad behaviors, you try and bring opportunity but what you don't do is sugar coat dangerous and at multiple times potentially violent behaviors.  Bending a knee to fear, hate and potential (I can only say potential but it seems to add up) disrespect to all those who sacrificed for Freedom or Speech and Freedom of Religion (Some of us live it everyday. Freedom isn't only an abstract concept.). It becomes to define your community and the values of the nation (How wonderful the vast majority of the local society actually is.). 

What I advocate is for a win-win. No one needs to get in trouble if they don't want to. Its an opportunity to learn as a community and as a nation. Undiagnosed and untreated mental health may have spawned the hate to a group of ex sports players that had poor boundaries and false beliefs of Blacks, Muslims and Others. Close connections between perpetrators and police officers may have misguided a judge with coordinated false testimony much in the same way as they engaged in group behaviors. That can be answered based on how the judge finds out they were given false information. If they don't tackle the problem in an appropriate way (i.e. not just blame the victim) then it could mean they were aware and want to minimize what happened. Some things are being designed as we move forward......

(Nothing in here is fact it is only the most likely explanation I can come up with based on first sight observations, knowledge and possible explanations. There are other explanations like a rare disease or something like odd like that {just making a point}. However, what I have here is likely a leading "ball park" reasonable conclusion. New knowledge with change and adjust that. One justifying these targeting behaviors as appropriate would have a different construction of events than one not justifying these behaviors. That is the two "worlds" of perception and logic that are often rooted in our culture and backgrounds. In society now it is nearly 50/50 with half running down certain mental chains of thoughts (neural networks) and the other half running down a different mental chain of thoughts. Those who feel "entitled" to the law will interpret the purpose of law different then those who feel less "entitled" to the law. Different experiences, different logics, and different conclusions. The rare divergent thinker can run down both if they have the experiences to understand those symbolisms, cultures, and root value systems. You will eventually see what I'm saying in future posts....)