Rittenhouse: Its not about the case....Its about "Us"!

 The Rittenhouse case is one of those cases that will mark history but not because of what happened on the ground but by the way our polarized society sees it. The same events, interpreted different ways, under different political agendas, mixed with lots of pain! How can we rectify this?

We can...but it won't be easy and our politicians are not doing our nation many favors in this instance. It is NOT the time for politic rhetoric or the sling shot words designed to hype and inflame the masses. 

I'm not going into the details of the case and whether he should have been found guilty, innocent, or something in between. What I can say is that people are going to see this based on upon their backgrounds and perceptions. Emotions are going to run high for a while and sparks could easily fly.

I lean conservative and I support our police when they act appropriately and with the best interest of the nation and its people (With mechanisms to remove bad apples). It is not a perfect system and there is room for lots and lots of improvement. The day we assume no change is needed is the day we begin to cannibalize ourselves.

Furthermore, I'm not immune to the pain of minority people as I have had my family targeted by dishonest and selfish individuals (mental health involved) who exploited hate and bigotry in a way that could have led to serious harm or death if more accurate information was not forcefully inserted.

We need a grip on who we are and where we want to go as Americans.  Let us not let the radicals of either party split us apart....they have no right to do so! The politicians who are inflaming the passions of the people without consideration for its longer term impact are doing the rest of us a disservice. If they are not seeking a path forward on unity, peace, and prosperity then they are part of the problem.

As word of advice to people who are protesting (no matter which side your protesting for) is not to join in violence and to leave the guns (weapons of all types) home safely locked for hunting season and other non-violent uses. Putting passion, politics, and panoply of power all in the same location is likely to not turn out well (For anybody involved.)! Are you buying emotionally or rationally into this case?

I pray for peace and wisdom to guide our leaders and people to a brighter path forward. One in which we see ourselves in others.💓 ....but who says I know what I'm talking about? I'm a fallible human being who makes lots of mistakes....and so does everyone else. 🤷 You can choose to be "open minded" or go blindly listen to your favorite partisan political radical (from any side)! Hope they know what they are doing and don't break the system! Avoid all separatist leanings.💔🙏

Why Companies and Investors Should Hedge American Start-Ups and Small Business for Long Term Growth (Delta County Hedge-Equity Fund Conception)

Rebuilding Americas Glory
Using Our Past Ingenuity with
Modern Investment Tools
2021 Picture

Investing is great and some people who do a lot of investing in a way that makes them and their institutions significant money. Awesome! Much of the wealth many have experienced over the past few decades is concentrated into fewer and fewer hands leaving perceptions that government is skewed toward large business and in turn killing off small business and towns (Don't point fingers...it may not be intentional.). That creates a responsibility (or potential opportunity depending on how you see the world) to develop policies that encourage investors to build and hedge (perhaps funds of) start-ups and new businesses for mid and long-term national growth (That is assuming they still care what happens to the country. I suspect most do but they don't have the policy, plan or action to make it happen! That is not a reflection of any leadership but a chance to think about new opportunities and where we likely must go!)

I've looked at some policies out there and found that I may agree or disagree with policies and have come to a partial conclusion that both parties often argue for or against each other's policies but are missing a bigger opportunity because of inappropriate argument anchoring (meaning the arguments determine their "reality" and in turn skew the understanding of  full factors). Its an opportunity that could help rejuvenate our small towns in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as well as throughout the nation. We have an amazing workforce and if we dig into our garages and backyard sheds we are likely able to dust off that old entrepreneurial mindset to provide opportunities for the average American. We have a chance to rebuild our spirt that helped lead the world for a long time.....and do it better then we did in the past. 

There are a couple of quick advantages I can see....

1. Companies gain more innovation from small business and their new ideas which makes them more competitive....even when they are forced to adapt to compete, buy, or fund these start-ups. Creating new businesses, buying start-ups, breaking companies up, etc... all are part of the process of creating a growth oriented environment where there are new ideas and the financial resources to scale them.

2. With online changes more power can be in the hands of entrepreneurs to share, sell, and market their ideas to an international buyer. Creating pathways to the international market to small businesses can help grow and develop promising prospects into spearhead international products with the right investment (Which when maximized can reverse the polarity of our supply chain. Virtual Communities and Online Invest Info).

Esky could use a
fish-meat-fruit-veg market
for the market to purchase
to augment their offerings.
None currently exist.
Jail is open for development.
Maybe a store with dock access would
be nice. Put a hotel, wine bar/brewery, coffee shop,
market, fish guide, water rental place, etc...
City of Escanaba is looking for developers.
Contact New Mayor Mark Ammel (good guy!)
906-786-9402
customerservice@escanaba.org
https://www.escanaba.org/

We send out more value and products then we bring in (A growing system that can sustain itself.). Policies can be created to not only help small business service their communities in meaningful ways and in turn set them up for future international growth ( A business could service their community through meaningful entrepreneurship. For example someone might start a fruit, vegetable, fresh Great Lakes Fish and meat market in Escanaba that also provides opportunities for local small farmers to easily find a direct market....or global market. Perhaps something more along the lines of designing a new widget for automobiles in Michigan or even something as simple as making specialty ergonomic furniture for handicapped and people working at home in the arena of custom fit desks and chairs. They are just examples that when a good idea hits it might lead to the growth of a local-regional industry.)

3. We can give all the social classes opportunities to develop and fund them in a way that creates greater connection between the classes (Remember Karl Marx believed in the Das Kapital: A Critique of Political Economy we would have social class conflict and capitalism would fall. See Marx' Crisis of Capitalism. Of course it didn't happen yet and maybe never will. However, there are some underpinnings so we should be sure we are creating lots of opportunities to grease the capital machine with opportunities for our diverse society.). We can minimize/correct the divergence of the wealthy and the rest of society as different people. We can reconnect through our mutual interest in developing our nation and developing our people. Instead of forced future wealth reconciliation we create an environment where we make it much easier for the common man/woman to develop their ideas and sell them. That requires the wealthy to think about how they can enhance their position while enhancing everyone else through investment. (In small towns like Escanaba the rich and poor often live in the same neighborhoods making them intricately connected; most...there are a few who are "above" the rest of society....in their minds because one of their grandparents gave them the money. In large cities where most Americans reside they live in hypothetically different worlds. Pack Investing and JP Morgan)

4. With lots of new start ups we can attract more investment and business interest on a global scale. Companies go where they find opportunities, competencies, infrastructure and ideas. (SME Delta County and Delta County Start Up)

Potential Investment Vehicles
Hedge and Private Equity
See IRS and Difference H & PE.
Disclaimer: I'm not giving advice or a expert.
General conception of Delta County Hedge-Equity Fund

5. The recent Infrastructure Bill could be used to catalyze businesses of different sizes leading to a diverse and stable economic environment that is more resistant to international supply chain and economic shocks. (When the money is spent well and furthered by corporate interest it is possible to maximize the advantages of that infrastructure change. Having infrastructure that a diverse array of businesses can find advantage in leads to more resilience than a few large U.S. industries. Better to have new industries developing all the time. Delta County Shipping and Delta County Unknown Industries and Cross Structure Synergy.)

6. We can bring back manufacturing and business opportunities to rural communities by funding new small business, start ups, and coordinated community marketing (like in places like Escanaba, Gladstone, and others. Information and Investment and R&D Delta)

The biggest problem is not necessarily "the will" but the vehicle of how to pool these funds together to minimize business cycle risks while maximizing higher profits through break outs (Meaning having investment opportunities that take into account success and failure in business through pooling of capital). That becomes an  IRS and issue for lawyers (yikes!) and that may be part of the red tape problem. We need business development to be simple, easy to navigate, and able to coordinate with others to find pathways to new resources and markets. 

Side note.................

That is probably enough for a blog post. I think I confuse people with my long winded rhetorical writing. The details are important but they are limited by the ability to connect the dots. Something I'm trying to do with my Interactive Cluster Theory For Innovative Growth. Actually, I have them sort of connected but each piece should be justified in detail....which draws from a huge body of research and knowledge. You can sort of see how the articles rewrap into each other and when it becomes fairly seamless it is tied like a "bow" with an internally consistent logic that covers most of the essential factors and higher chances of implementation success. I suspect its possible to see if we connected all the links together, which we are not really there yet, we can find a self-contained type methodological system with supportive data from a diverse level of justification. 🤷 Think at your own risk.)

Pilot Marc Thor Olson Crashes Fighting Kruger Rock Fire

Firefighter Thor Olson crashes during a fire monitoring mission. He is experienced and he has serviced his country as both a firefighter and fighter pilot for decades. Firefighting is not an occupation without risk. If climate change (assuming you believe in it) continues we will need more people to fight with honor natural disasters like this. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) there were more deaths is 2020 than any other year (160) (NFPA, 2021). Some of that was from Covid exposure to emergency calls and some from on the ground firefighting. That number will likely increase if our environment continues to shift (again assuming you believe it it.).

If you feel that firefighters help communities and want to do something you can donate to a variety of firefighter associations. See solid list that include children of firefighters, EMS, and other first responders at FireRescue 1. You can also donate to your local volunteer firefighters organizations.  Just look up fire department in your local community and see what they need. As a volunteer I can say that looking for sources to fund operations, training, and response is an ongoing process.

You can also read about the hidden economic numbers inherent in pollution HERE.

$1T Infrastructure Bill as Applied to Michigan

The infrastructure bill is significant and if the money is wisely spent on its intended goals (i.e. not allowing friends and associates of companies suck money out of it without results) it will change a few things. I'm not going to get into all of the details about what I like and don't like about the bill. I will leave much of that to the people who want to prove its the best thing since sliced bread while others think its just stale moldy bread 🍞. I read some of the comments under the article below and its astounding how divided we really are.

We do know we have problems as far as our national competitiveness and part of those problems are in our infrastructure. The government can fund it, the states can fund it, the townships can fund it and the private interests can fund it.....but no one stepped forward.....so it was up to Congress. Yet somewhere along the line we are going to need to do some upgrading if we want to be a 1st world nation (No government, business, or other entity will last long in a competitive global environment without some level of reinvestment). 

Let me say that China is putting a lot of money into their infrastructure. We haven't yet engaged that level of upgrading and we are slipping in our competitive position. We may currently have some advantages but those won't be around forever (likely 10 years ish) and then we are big trouble as a nation with lots of debt, large, and less revenue coming in (Remember what happened to all other major large countries that didn't maintain their competitiveness. None of them are around in the same form they were when they were great. I think we can SWOTCH our way out of the same fate!).  Once you cross a certain precipice in finance you are going to lose economic momentum without new resources/opportunities that return capital.

So the infrastructure bill is likely to help...however....it may not be enough without thinking about how to focus that money on improving export structure, business development, manufacturing reemergence and draw investments back to our business communities. Whether you agree or disagree we still will need to strengthen our business development and draw in international/national investors to build things in the U.S. to raise our tax revenue, lifestyles, and opportunities. Dollars and cents are part of our success.

We don't want this to be a limp effort. Whether your Republican or Democrat the bill has now been passed so now we might want to work together to do what we can to ensure the money is used wisely (meaning its spent on infrastructure in a lean and critical way) and not a free for all with poor oversite or management (Those darn contracts...this is why I would watch them, who gets them and who they are connected to and their actual capacity. This money isn't a game because my kids will need to pay for it and wasting it is a risk for everyone. Its make it or break it and the social networks between politicians and business should at this moment be thrown out the window. Vendors/contractors must do their job and do it well!). Its a big bill....al bet a necessary one (in this form or another) and this is where people can help ensure no one is siphoning off the resources without producing tangible outputs. This isn't "business as usual" because its a pivot point in our national competitiveness (or just a big bill with little impact and lots of debt. That is up to everyone to kick start something new....and reclaim the American entrepreneurial spirit). 

A very nice article by David Eggert in Click on Detroit that gives a solid breakdown on its impact on Michigan...... 

What $1T federal infrastructure law means for Michigan

Study on Giftedness and Open Mindedness-Non Confirming Environments

I looked at some information on a study that came out this year on the "openness of experience" and how that be one key differentiator between the gifted and other people. They often call "giftedness" a tragic gift that hold with it great opportunities for understanding the stages of human development as well as the difficulty many of these people face trying to make understanding of their world.

Maybe I should rephrase that, I mean, they do have the ability to understand their world to a greater extent when compared to most others but they have no confirming peers in the environment so their thoughts and ideas rub against others. The good news according to the study by Uzeyir Ogurlu & Adnan Özbey (2021) entitled Personality differences in gifted versus non-gifted individuals: A three-level meta-analysis, High Ability Studies is that fundamentally they are as social and carry as many of the same traits as everyone else.

Can you image that every time you think deeply about a problem or a situation you come up with 5 different answers and everyone around you knows all the answers before they know the questions? (You end up being the dumb one in the room.) You know there are holes in logic and you know there are grey areas that can't be immediately solved without more information. Everyone else has the answers but doesn't have the logic and if you ask them to sort of justify their answers there are gaps where it would fundamentally change the outcome. (Assuming they don't just get frustrated and call you an "idiot!")

The authors basically conducted an metanalysis of a number of different studies on gifted people and came to the conclusion that the only trait that really seemed much different was openness of experience which leads to all types of learning, questioning, and asking (Honestly...you can't do this very often in your environment because people sometimes get really angry when you question things, what they mean, and why people believe them. Most of the time people say nothing to get along. The difference is the gifted might know they are saying little because of a social situation/awareness and in turn some try to be be helpful and letting others come to their own conclusions. Its dangerous to think for yourself in a world designed around social structures and obsession gain power and influence. Try being the guy/gal who puts his hand up and says.....wait...that's not the answer and if you do that your going to negatively impact a lot of people!)

You can get a fairly solid description to Openness of Experience in Scientific American. Basically, they take in a lot more information (through the senses, neuro development), understand things divergently (20 different possible answers versus the popular single answer), higher emotional development (why many become artists, poets, explorers, scientists), and in turn increasing complexity in being and existing. That isn't easy in a non confirming world of people who have ALL the answers. (Think about...when is the last time you disagreed with someone who adamantly believed in what they are saying, don't know how they derived at the answer, but demanded everyone around them followed what they believe without question? When you come across the dominant/distorted type personality they can be very sadistic if you poke holes in their logic. Now apply that to most people and you find that it isn't so much what they know but how they treat others and their values that separate them.)

Conclusion

"The study findings reveal that gifted individuals had higher openness levels than their non-gifted counterparts but there were no significant differences between the two groups in regards to the other factors (agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism). While interpreting these results, various definitions and identifications of giftedness should be taken into account. This study underlines the significance of addressing personality differences in gifted versus non-gifted individuals. Ogurlu & Ozbey, 2021, np)"

Why write about it? Those poor kids that grow up doubting themselves in an environment of demanded social adherence. That is also why many are not found, discovered, or fostered. They have no idea it isn't them wrong and we in turn waste our human capital. We can tap this national source for betterment of everyone around....as long as those in power can handle sometimes not being right! We should manage beyond the lowest common denominator.

Uzeyir Ogurlu & Adnan Özbey (2021): Personality differences in gifted versus non-gifted individuals: A three-level meta-analysis, High Ability Studies, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13598139.2021.1985438

Seeing It Both Ways: Openness to Experience and Binocular Rivalry Suppression. Anna Antinori, Olivia L. Carter and Luke D. Smillie in Journal of Research in Personality, Vol. 68, pages 15–22; June 2017.

Why Small Business is Going to Bring America Back!!

I've learned a lot over the years as it relates to the world, economy, and people. There is an underbelly to all economies that when managed well can create optimal economic engagement and growth. The U.S. faces economic uncertainties and our over focus on large companies have left the generation without as many new businesses to foster, grow and develop into international corporations. Ensuring that the major "factors" are in alignment will help in readjusting the system to its highest functioning state. 

When I say support small business I'm not talking about neglecting or punishing large corporations. They are necessary as a global vanguard. However, as GE taught us that they also face transactional cost risks the larger they get and as new more nimble companies develop. It is about ensuring there is an abundance of balance between the different businesses to grease the development of new ideas and opportunities; of course mixed with capital. 

Unfortunately, our political culture has created a big problem. As these corporations become larger they inadvertently push for their needs into the political spectrum in ways that small businesses can't (unless coordinated). The big businesses are government politicians are not intentionally hampering small business but are inadvertently solving business problems in a way that is skewing the system and in turn damaging future national competitiveness. 

Consider that large businesses rely on new ideas that often come from outside of their organizational walls. They look to start ups, entrepreneurs, and other sources of innovative products and services. When small businesses can't effectively compete because of the regulator and/or political environment companies are forced (many willing) to buy more parts from overseas and move their headquarters (Why we must attract headquarters, intellectual capital, and the entrepreneurial class.)

There does come a point when we look back at our nation and find we did a lot of damage over the last 30 years. We killed off many of our small businesses and have sent our manufacturing overseas to shave pennies from profit margins (one of the side effects of moving too much private and family businesses to stock bearing corporations). The low cost strategy, versus the high value strategy, doesn't work well in environments where new American products need to spearhead the market. 

This is why I'm an advocate of enhancing small businesses in the U.S., returning manufacturing, and doing a better job of managing our hyper political elite class (They are one of the biggest problems we face. See Biggest U.S. Threats). My environment reflects back to me and my children we are not particular that "worthy" because of racial and religious schisms in society (something some have exploited.). The problem is I'm not sure I'm seeing a lot of viable answers by the "right" people. I don't wake up in the morning and check the polls to see what I believe (which is not the way to generate new knowledge).....so I doubt I will make it in a political world.  For now, I can talk from the side and give my opinion.....not that people will listen....but at least they should take to account some of my words to help round out their upper crust perspectives (which often isolates our leaders from the people and potential solutions.)

The Blind Eye Shifts Risks in Hate Behaviors

Hate is a powerful force and it can be destructive if not understood and resolved. This is becoming increasingly apparent on a national level where groups became more coordinated. Because of events that have happened to me and my family over the past few years I've come to think more deeply about my personal responsibilities to stand up against such behaviors for my family, community and I guess in some ways for my nation (Most of our politicians are almost completely unsure on how to tackle this issue. They just interpret things from a political standpoint but sometimes forget the bigger purpose of the nation.) 

 For now I'm going to continue to write about these issues until there is accountability and/or resolution to the risks caused by bad behaviors. Perhaps with luck that will lead to greater insight for other stakeholders that may want to reach for a higher state of personal development. While I still hope for win-win outcomes I cannot look the other way on these behaviors simply because its "convenient" or that somehow it will upset the local social "apple cart" (Its seems like its almost always the half insiders and half outsiders that sort of see dysfunctions, corruption, unethical behaviors first. Likely has something to do with perspective. Its not everyone...but it only takes a few.). The behaviors stepped beyond the bounds of "normal".

As you know, my family was the target of a larger group of hate based supporters. I don't want people to assume that everyone within this mediocre ex sports group has a problem or is a problem. The vast majority of members are good natured and are more passive social supporters than active hate promoters. That also doesn't neglect the social environment where certain behaviors were seen as "acceptable" (I guess as long as it isn't them or their children.) 

Here are a couple of precursors to why and how certain hate behaviors occur:

1.) Mental health issues of the perpetrators that  haven't been dealt with because of the culture with their family and social group where problems are ignored or drank away (They don't think any of themselves can have mental health issues even though there are significant biological, historical and psychological markers. Furthermore, there is circumvention of self awareness by belittling others, lying, and projecting as tools to avoid dealing with those underlining issues.)

2.) Surrounded by immature and underdeveloped friend network that constantly seeks their social group's approvals and in turn pushing them ever inward (cultish) in their orientation. They will believe almost anything as long as it comes from a person within their group that holds a level of social influence (Based on old highschool social structures that most adults have shed a few years after graduation.). Some of the members have preexisting bias issues (...there are lots of exceptions here.) that includes use of inappropriate terms and inaccurate comparisons to others. ....like dry kindling wood just waiting for someone to throw a well placed match. 

3. High incentives for financial gain. By engaging directly in hate based behaviors the perpetrators could realize financial gain. It looks in some ways looks like an attempt to hide prior bad behavior as it relates to embezzlement and acts as a method of creating distance between themselves and the victims concerns (adding rewards to bad behaviors increases their likelihood they will be repeated.). The aggression also helps shield them from accountability by creating context for their bad behavior (They scapegoated in an environment that seemed to have a nodding approval. I doubt this would have happened if they wouldn't have exploited racial and religious differences. Just saying! 💁).

4. Close connections (dating, same social group, etc..) with key law enforcement members were/was/is potentially exploited to gain legal protection and justification for behaviors that were knowingly inappropriate.  One of those officers was involved in  coordinated harassment/stalking behaviors in this and reported to be engaged in similar behaviors in other incidents that include prior community incidents/complaints of misconduct, restricting help to injured car victims, concerns of sexual assault/rape, and likely many other uninvestigated red flags (Employment records, prior complaints and other indicators should be reviewed carefully). It would appear the group expected to be given a "free pass" (An indication that the local law system can be manipulated). 

The Long Term Dangers:

When society doesn't follow the rules it professes publicly and makes one (or many) demographic(s) of people (whether it be Black, Jew, Muslim, Asian, White, etc...) more or less accountable than others on a systemic level it has set up a pseudo caste system. Even worse, when issues are brought up about the inappropriateness of that system they are often discarded as rhetoric and politically trampled. Investigating hate crimes and universalizing the application of our laws encourages single society with rules that apply to everyone. We should reach for the better then further justify what is isn't working.

I get it! My family and I could be easily discarded in favor of not upsetting the "status que" of local life or the social networks that bred that disfunction in the first place. Furthermore, I understand the political interest and the various opinions on who should and should be held to account (Most just guess based on their prexisting assumptions.). Uncovering and hiding the embedded dysfunctional networks (i.e. what could be long developed patterns of corruption) is not of interest to some and of exceedingly high interest to others. Its a matter of practicality to me so that my and other people's kids (and adults) don't have to keep dealing with others failures to tackle these fundamental issues.

I'm trying to isolate out those political and social biases to see win-win situations where they appear most appropriate. We can apply universal laws in this situation to ensure the law gives equal weight to the factors involved. We can get those who sparked this problem into mental health care so they can deal with their issues (a long term risk if we don't solve the root problem or ensure we are setting a social standard of behavior). Furthermore, we can strengthen local law enforcement effectiveness by understanding what happened and engage in a process of self reflection and improvement (That looks pretty win-win to me! However, I've never really been considered one who thinks in the same way as others. Sometimes that is great and sometimes not so great! Hopefully were not discounting what the targets say simply because people are supporting their own ethnic social groups. You would think we should listen to everyone 🙊). 

The risks for my family hit home a little harder. For the near and mid term we still maintain similar (maybe slightly less) risks as when we were in the "mix" of unfolding events. Whether it be one of the officers involved/sympathetic, a "local" hate group supporter, or just some disgruntled "loose cannon"/"lone wolf" who had just one too many beers 🍻! We run the risk of being the easy scapegoats for others failures and feelings of inadequacies. 

Those risks become more heightened if social networks create "juicy" details to share among their social group. Its not as though they are going to check factuality of the information when the goal is to be "liked" by their friends more then it is to think for themselves. I'm not sure if they are aware of this but they act as an unofficial propaganda machine that can continue "poisoning the well" through spreading misinformation (In most civilized societies, we would call this defamation of character and would recognizing it as a tool of devaluing, dehumanizing, and creating pressures. I can only imagine the "boogie man" things being said and how many believe these "facts". 😲😯🙉🙊)  

Once the kindling has been lit and a group of supporters come out to throw gasoline on the fire there really isn't much to do but watch and be diligent as our value systems are torched into dust.  For some its politics....for others....their lives can depend on everyone else having a "moral conscious"; a risk I can't afford to take.  We seem to be struggling with understanding the nature of hate and tackling it on the local level to ensure our national legacy stays strong. The saga continues on...........hopefully our national leaders can think beyond today and toward a greater principle that holds society together.  We as a nation must cling closely to the rope that has held each generation on the same historical line back to the beginning. Some of our leadership may have been elected but struggle with the greater purpose of the nation (Not race, religion, or party specific). In the world of hate passivity, social support and the "blind eye" are moral hazards that lead to future bigger problems.  As a nation it will be something we have to handle for peace, tranquility and our competitive futures. Hope it all turns out well like many of my fellow Americans who are hoping for a helpful resolution. We rely on others to make the "right" decisions. Speaking up, out, and against hate carries with it serious risk of backlash for victims/targets beyond being designated as the scapegoat. I think our nation is worth it! Some of us still believe. 🙏 What do you believe?

As a side note for people who don't know me that well. I'm a conservative and very much against hate and bigotry in our country. In one form or another I have always been against it and have spent enough time with different peoples to different places to know that its not race or religion specific. Its often power, race and religion oriented but that is highly dependent on the location and the dynamics of local power (Watch world affairs long enough and you will get the picture).. To our advantage, as a nation we still live by principles that tie us together and make us strong (We must and its the only logical path forward. Everything else ends in disaster. Think long and hard about the options available and where they end.). The moment people, groups, national and local leadership, stop striving for those ideals is the minute our future slips like sand between our fingertips. We currently face growing international pressures and threats and now is not time to give voice to those which divides us. I'm proud to be White, proud to have Black kids and am free to learn/practice any religion I/we see fit....at least for now!