The blog discusses current affairs and development of national economic and social health through unique idea generation. Consider the blog a type of thought experiment where ideas are generated to be pondered but should never be considered definitive as a final conclusion. It is just a pathway to understanding and one may equally reject as accept ideas as theoretical dribble. New perspectives, new opportunities, for a new generation. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”—Thomas Jefferson
Ok sorry maybe its not exactly like Cabo but one might say that it is still pretty nice place. The advantage is that is affordable, good fishing, a little night life with the band at the Dew Drop and very nice groomed beaches. Both Escanaba and Gladstone have nice beeches that occasionally sport a food truck. It is a place to walk, exercise and ue the connected parks.
There are also investment opportunities that when matched with the lifestyle can be a win win for entrepreneurs. Plenty of places downtown Escanaba that can be bought for $100K that include apartments upstairs and store front. I'm actually thinking of buying a place myself.
Communication is key to any conflict resolution and an adversarial relationship between Secretary of the State Anothony Blinken and China appear to have had a positive result in improving frosty relationships. Of course we don't know until we wait and see but we should accept the general process of conflict resolution on this level. As this conflict continued we have seen the world become somewhat polarized economically through a concept called Economic Decoupling.
Let us also add that the global economy works well when there is open global trade (There have been complaints that China was engaged in unfair trade practices.). Conflict has caused some chest beating and that is leading in some way to divergent economic actions. You can learn about this more in Destructive Decoupling (I don't have a full opinion on this yet other then to say that the ultimate goal is free and open trade.)
Today is Juneteenth. Even though people were legally free/emancipated they were still enslaved in some states and places. We have come a long way as a people but could do more. There is a point and place where we are all seen as equals and valuable members of our society. While this celebration relates specifically to Black Americans and their soul wrenching plight, it also relates in some ways to true equality in society for everyone.
It is a reminder that the intent of law and the actuality of law are sometimes different. At that time, Black Americans were legally free but still forced in chains by brutality. In other words, we can pass laws but then must enact and live by those laws even when there are people who don't want to.
(Some of these struggles continue on today. One time an angry attorney insinuated that no one cared about Black people and Muslims in his city {It was a North South border state which has seen serious racial upheavals in recent times.} I found that conversation sad and full of venom. He was rich and his parents well connected into social circles. The struggle still continues in many ways on a social level. I retorted something along the lines, Good thing your side lost the Civil War and he got miffed and hung up. The Civil War was one of the most deadly wars in U.S. History and to mock its gains by someone who was given everything even though they didn't deserve it sort of stung my heart because I have multi racial children who were locked out of things by other's bigotries. They were even put in harm's way. {One is diagnosed as a genius and the other is likely a genius and an assessment said had very high IQ; not how high. They don't get any of those opportunities because we still have things to fix in our society. The best and brightest don't get the same opportunities as "the connected" so we as a total society suffer at a time we need everyone to compete.}. I'm proud to be the outlier when it comes to this stuff. There is no glory in it, but when the big Guy/Gal/Being/One upstairs comes to take me, I'm going with good conscious. Thats the goal of doing the right thing and treating people well.)
To me, the more inclusive a society we can build in which our perception of wholeness is based in our shared principles the more we can maximize the best and brightest from any background. African Americans have been part of this country since the beginning and have an honored place.
We celebrate to remind us of the struggles of the past and the opportunities of the future.
He makes a good point that we need to hire more officers and we need them to come from different backgrounds. We have some cultural issues in recent years as big data and greater awareness have exposed some long term needed reforms. Those reforms are underway but the PR of policing has taken a hit during this time. Likewise, in a tough job market we have issues as it relates to recruitment in general so change to reverse trends is likely.
Its not an impossible situation but there are some challenges we can't really ignore for much longer. What one might consider is to ensure reforms are complete and then begin to work on the image of policing by recruiting from as diverse backgrounds as possible (Its not about hiring a particular type of person but ensuring the culture is appropriate to the tasks at hand and your recruiting, training, and retaining broadly to master challenges.) .
This isn't just about diversity alone, as it is also about mending communities and bringing them and police onto the same page (We all got kids and families so communities and police have responsibilities to work together and solve this problem. Its difficult to do that if our politicians hype up these differences, authority is misused or people refuse to positively engage when given opportunities. We are one people and need to solve this as one people.)
Sometimes change seems like its chaotic and weakens policing/institutions but that is not necessarily true when we reach forward to meeting opportunities that lay just over the horizon (There is a place where police and people can see eye-to-eye on developing peaceful thriving neighborhoods and opportunities. I call it the philosophical Axis Mundi. Its silly but basically when I use this term, I mean it as an answer that was not thought of before until people took steps to share their perspective and learn in a way that leads to wisdom, knowledge, and moral alignment. In other words, an essential insight into the deeper nature of things. Most cultures think of it as a place where heaven (s) and earth connect and I wasn't really going that far out. I was thinking just where things sort of make sense and it clear sight of a situation or problem. We study something and we come to understand things that would not have been possible without taking the right steps to gain insight. Its similar to "aha. I understand" that contributes to societal wisdom. Simplicity of answer is often more true then the complexity of the discussion. See the historical and not layman's term. The History of Axis Mundi). It all depends on how we handle situations like this. (I support police 100% and civil rights 110%. We can create opportunities but that won't happen in shout down matches.)
Universalizing our police and justice system can lead to greater buy in as the rules apply to everyone, are wise in their application and focused on helping others (Sometimes help is prison, sometimes its a scolding, sometimes its counseling, sometimes its a job, but it should always an opportunity to help. It should never be paramilitary or culturally ethnocentric. I mean, it should not be unless you want people to distrust it and abandon it as a supported institution of a free society) Impressions and political game playing often put protesters and police at odds with each other. This time we can really listen to each other and can adjust those things that are not working to make them stronger so let's not allow people exploit those differences (There is a difference between exploitation and reflecting back more accurate information. One leads to chaos as an end in and of itself while the other leads to greater performance through a more accurate well rounded perspective. Institutions sometimes don't collect the right kind of metrics and/or need to change their metrics to see a problem better.)
It is a time for new policing ideas and I would love to see heartfelt contributions by marginalized groups that may have been distrustful of police to contribute their knowledge to improve the whole system. Improve it for the police and the people. An essential question is, "What would make you trust and engage?" Its a simple question but is somewhat profound in orientation of switching from adversarial to co-builder (Right now, despite the sour grapes everyone is looking for solutions; or at least should be. It is an opportunity for minorities to be concise and contribute. i.e. For example, a complaints button might be on the main department webpage and vetted by someone outside the department. Bad idea, good idea...that is a debate but its one way to raise feedback, increase transparency and lower retaliation.)
At the end of the day, I believe everyone wants safe communities, responsive policing, and to raise the trust level of our institutions so they function with greater support and outcomes (i.e. a strong return on tax payer expenditures through shared goal focus and adaptable improvement). (We want our institutions to function well and have high trust through shared interest in their performance.)
Sure, I can accept a default in justice much like I can eventually accept a break in our community based on the bad behaviors of some. However, that doesn't mean I still don't have obligations to other people who may be caught in the same situation; especially in situations that were likely engaged in the past and have a high chance of being repeated by others in the future. Because these behaviors appear to be relatively common, supported by some in official positions, and they are aggressive and dangerous in nature I feel that I have more of an obligation to talk about them then I do to stay silent (Think of it as a societal development and moral issue. Certain behaviors should not be encouraged even if there is little will for justice.). The vast majority are exceptional and warm people. We are just talking about this central group and how their beliefs impact everything around them.
(These could all be fictitious hypotheticals. However, it is still a great story to learn and adapt from on how to build a stronger nation on a root social level. One would need to have a deep understanding of the micro and macro aspects of social interactions to understand how to fix problems like this on root social levels. I'm an advocate for positive social interaction and hedging our human capital through focus on shared principles and wholeness of conception. I call it universal American principles or a universal democracy.)
The Dangerous Situation
These people yell out "Your father is a Bitch to my kids" and then go down a series of group/clan based events of pulling them over, involving them in dangerous situations, stalking the father, creating potentially violent situations, employment rejection (I don't care about it that much as I was just trying to be helpful but it is still a concern for others.) spreading rumors on and off line, manipulation of the elderly, encouraging illegal targeting and doing much more. It appears to be a total default on the system based in the distortion, bigotry and greed of a few people.
(The people who started this are used to dominating their social network and I think there are many reasons why they would engage in this behavior from hate to finances. Its kind of obvious when you start digging into all of the actions and their goal directed behaviors.)
Can I truly expect that people are going to wake up one day and then say, "Wow, we really went after that guy and his family based on intentionally set rumors designed to enrich some and ensure that blacks, Muslims, and other minorities never feel welcome or safe in our community?". Different people might adjust that to other things such as, "I hear all Muslims are violent and this is my country and I don't want people like this around. I will do my part to ensure that these dark subhumans don't come to destroy my community" (Just ignore all of the assumptions about "their town", historical roots, freedom of religion, etc. These are big discussions on cultural assumptions. The Cultural Socialization Scale: Assessing Family and Peer Socialization toward Heritage and Mainstream Cultures
(Some of you may not know what implicit bias is. Implicit bias is when we take certain beliefs to be true even though they may be a reflection of a person's thoughts versus actual measurable data that can be observed in the environment. i.e. focuses on the one Black guy who stole something to represent the general values and beliefs of all Black people. One White extremist comes to represent all White people. I could go on to further say an implicit bias is putting kids in harms way because someone create a rumor to exploit those biases to harm, control, and profit off of hate. People lie to get stuff all the time. Lying in a group that lives in the rumor mill is a powerful tool of ostracization. When mixed with close friendships of fellow clan members in law enforcement it moves down a dangerous path. I think that is the leading explanation at the moment. )
A Simple and Subtle Example
Let me give you a subtle example beyond all of the more obvious examples presented prior. I see a guy who knows some people I know and we don't talk much. We don't because when I see him he tenses up, gets quite and out of the corner of his eye watches me like a hawk. Not yet fully sure why. but I believe him to be affiliated with "the clan" and the beliefs of the central clan members (One might say friend network and could even go as far as cult. I think clan is sort of the best reflection I can come up with at the moment because it is a highly socialized friends but also share other characteristics that are dysfunctional.)
I'm minding my own business and I looked over to listen to a conversation that was happening as a group discussion a few feet away. It wasn't a private conversation and was sort of open to the public but I was impressed by a good natured moment in which older people were sharing wisdom with younger people (See the beautiful side of communities. I encourage this engagement of young and old. Even more so across ethnic, racial, and religious lines to create wholeness.). I probably could have jumped into the conversation and that would have been acceptable in this circumstance.
Then I realized out of the corner of my eye this guy was staring at me and with serious dislike/concern. When I looked at him, he looked away, and then I went on doing my business. No more issues and it was a small issue with wider ramifications (I don't even think he was aware he was staring. I don't think he is a bad guy. He is naturally reacting to the stage set by others). However, I realized that this person must be hyped up on all types of rumors and information. Some of these people feel I'm a threat, that my kids are a threat, and that we should not be allowed to be in the same area.
Some Reflection
I scratch my head and ponder my past and think while I'm not a perfect person I been a pretty good person. Never in my life have I hurt a person or even picked a fight as a kid. People who know me know I'm sort of passive in my nature (I'm the type if I lie you can read it on me so most of the time I just either say nothing or say my unvetted perspective and that causes problems as well.) However, these people view me as something dark and evil. I guess that is one of the signs of the subtle impact of hate, rumors and clans. They are in their own world with their own constructed reality that isn't reflecting reality. The danger comes from the rumors and the lack of diverse exposure to other people that makes people outside their clan sort of the embodiment of evil and "the other" (We can go into this on a sociological level of tight socialized groups around identity, distrust of outsiders, etc. )
One of the reasons why I had to draw some boundaries was for the health and safety of my children. These adults were pushing their distorted perceptions of Blacks and Muslims onto my children ( I have a laundry list of reasons I could cite) and that was beginning to impact the well being of my kids. I felt the changes. They were not at first overt but it didn't take long before the signaling (as a implicit communication conception) became apparent and that would eventually damage my kids sense of identity. (I know they don't see it that way and I know they don't have the awareness to understand on that level. 60% of society understands it fairly clearly.) Raising “Antiracist Disruptors”: Illuminating Socialization Practices that Support Antiracism in Multiracial Households
I suspect there are a few thinking (Not specific to the example or the guy because I can't make that judgement without knowing him well.) but only a general observation of how certain toxic behaviors impact people's perceptions and in turn treatment of others. I do believe based on my understanding of the past and various repeated behaviors that something like this might be true for say 10% of the clan, "Well, if you don't like us treating you this way you should move! Don't expect me to make people who are like those ____fill in the blank________feel comfortable in my town. We don't need people like that who cause all the problems around here!" (We can look in history and science to give us some explanation on how fear mongering creates real dangers for people.)
I'm learning so we call can learn together. We may or may not see justice depending on the moral conscious of the system (It tries but its imperfect like we are imperfect.) but what we can say is that as a society we can learn about how to build a better nation and a brighter tomorrow. The battle is more over hears and minds that among my fellow Americans/"Americans" which I hope someday we will resolve so it leads to a more universal, "Our American Principles".💇😬💨 (BTW one day I mentioned Our American Principles in my writing and some members of the group went berserk! Crazy stuff! It would appear there are some who don't want us to be one indivisible people and are very opposed to it and will break liberty and justice in order to clearly state even mentioning shared communities is opposed.).
Are biased rumors dangerous or inappropriate? I guess it depends on who you ask. 🤔 I think in our society we should encourage good behaviors and discourage destructive behaviors. In a cultural transition we have to figure out which is which. Those with the gifted curse sometimes have insight into issues others might not have. In respect for my father, grand father, and great fathers who come from this area and fought to keep our nation free. We respect the great men in our lives and their sacrifices to our lives and to our society. Honoring them requires to honor their principles and generations of principles that went before, Our American Principles. May our fathers wisdom pass to this and the next generation (Today is father's day so give honor through the power of "being". Father's Day and Juneteenth. Our fathers pushed for freedom and through polite persistence we will do the same.).
The other day I went down and paid for my slip. Some of my plan is to do a lot more fishing and golfing this summer. Everything starts with getting the boat in the water. Without that you will be doing shore fishing which is perfectly fine. I wasn't around and I had ordered a new engine so all is ready now.
The fantasy of a small commercial fishing boat is still alive! (For fun)
For a number of reasons this is an interesting meeting and one can say that a lot was accomplished even though it doesn't necessarily seem intuitive on the surface. First, consider the high level of community engagement and secondly consider how these meetings have become avenues of addressing issues and concerns. Thus, in this case it looks like democracy is functioning fairly well and has become an avenue of change. We may not agree with everyone's perception and perspective but the process requires us to share those perspectives in a community conversation.
(Notice how as people start asking questions, requesting information, defining problems and begin to ponder solutions. An educated, in terms of awareness, citizenship leads not only to better decision making through wider stakeholder analysis but often better market driven outcomes. Communities like this are communities that will thrive because they are actively engaged and that fosters good governance. No matter your political interests it is important to encourage people of all different backgrounds and political persuasions to be involved in government. I encourage it precisely for better decision making by making a more accurate market assessment through multiple perceptions. Hyper politics is antithetical to good decision making and we may see a little of that influence. People are the customers. Its not something you can really put into a jingle and get votes but it is what it is. )
Let me say that I believe some of why democracies have been innovative is because they take the creative process and in rough cut form or another put it into a system of feedback loops. The only time this has issues is when the feedback loops are closed down and there is no constant tweaking/adjustments to the needs of people. This occurs when other things take additional consideration beyond the best outcomes of the people. Freedom of speech was brought up many times and there is some benefit in ensuring these channels of community stay open. We must converse to decide things and gain new knowledge.
(Think about this from an alignment perspective such as a functioning organization with ever department working toward some shared goals. This is a general sort of comment about all systems and isn't necessarily related to here. The needs of the people come first and if anything else such as groups, hyper politics, corruption, over focus on the needs of a small group of stakeholders, etc. mitigate that relationship then it would be a net detractor from democracies full functioning. In other words, Freedom of Speech is a absolutely necessity for the system to function well with new ideas, solving problems, and building trust with the public. This is why undisturbed time allotments are given. 3 min.)
AN ACT to provide relief outside of the soldiers' home for honorably discharged indigent soldiers, sailors, marines, nurses and members of women's auxiliaries and the indigent wives, widows and minor children of such indigent or deceased soldiers, sailors, marines, nurses and members of women's auxiliaries, and to repeal certain acts and parts of acts.
-Discussion on bills and some run of the mill stuff.
-Concern over firing of County Admin for questioning integrity of board and the Airport manager for giving a tour of the facility to one of the board member's political opposition. Subject to harassment, looking for dirt and because of the toxic environment she had to resign. Andrea did a fine job and multiple people left the position. Concerned about image and felt as a veteran as a Navy officer for 30 years he sees mediocrity.
-Person says its important for us to be able to bear arms if our rights being taken away.
-Another supports 2nd Amendment.
-Citing documents, Constitution and a number of other quotes. Discussion of militia. 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting.
-Someone said they appreciate the commissioners for protecting 2nd Amendment.
-Resident brought up numerous ideas and concepts as it relates to militias. Its alot so watch min 38.
-Veteran came up and said he thinks the sanctuary isn't a good idea and we should not be worried about the Federal Government and National Guard coming to take our guns. He supports guns but thinks there are more important things for the committee to focus on .
-Veteran and Ex military and retired ex police chief of police deputy (somewhere else). He felt that the gun sanctuary issue is a waste of time and that people have concerns in the community. He is going to stay diligent. Recall effort.
-Felt would like to see what the boards opinions are on guns.
{47} American Rescue Plan Act monies. 6.9 million and $ 5 million left and $4 million set aside as well as other costs such as parks, maintenance, etc... Some of the commissioners are hiring the parks manager. Need an airport manager in 90 days. Took over roles in over the airport until someone is hiring.
-One commissioner wants some of the benefits at the top tier to be looked into because it looks like the same contract was used over and over.
-Bills paid.
-Some rezoning.
-Commissioner says that county is already of 2nd Amendment friendly officially. The county will not support the Red Flag Laws Public Act 38 2023 recently passed by the State of MI. Long discussion on different regulations, oaths, Constitution, etc. Discussion on mental health and intervention with issues. Further discussion of protections of class.
(Here are my thoughts. I can see both sides of this argument. On one end there is compelling interest in allowing people to bear arms if they so desire but there are issues when certain types of people misuse guns. Especially true in the case of mass shootings. Creating an all encompassing law that covers all situations is difficult so it will come down in some sense to a judgement call. For one person having guns is not an issue at all and it is safe. Put that same tool in another person and the situation changes. How do you write that easily into a law in which everyone will be happy? Its hard so people will debate this for a while. In the area, there is hunting and other activities so guns are mixed into the lifestyle. There is going to be general support for the 2nd Amendment.)
-Commissioner went on to discuss certain rights and issues.
-Commissioner discusses masks mandates. Mental health portions should be removed. Felt state isn't doing well with mental health.
-Someone said "fart in the wind!" (I giggled, come on it was sort of funny. 😂. I know I'm immature but I try and find life uplifting. Its the little things that crack me up.)
-2nd Amendment support passes.
-Septic system inspection likely won't be supported. The U.P. has lots of septics so that will not likely be supported.
-One was upset about people talking about things they didn't read. Would like the use of contract lawyers. Concerned about defunding mental health.
-Healthcare worker concern about the use of guns and all the people that have been hurt from them.
-One person felt that the board deals with a lot flak. She discussed prayer.
-Concerned citizen submitted information request. Wants Zoom. Indicated the Zoom is used at jail and could be used at county (Good point on perhaps using theirs if purchased by the county. Terms will make a difference. ). Freedom of speech concern.
-Citizen says guns are not the problem but the psychological drugs may be the issue. I think it is also has to do with treatment.
-Citizen into talked deep on depression.
-489 signatures, 214 want name removed and others valid. Only 8.9% are valid. A day late and making some petitions as invalid. Missing publications. 650 people opposed. (Notice how researching topics leads to more knowledge and possible new solutions. That doesn't mean she is or is not accurate because one should check for themselves, but that she appears on the surface to be knowledgeable and found a few key points that could be valid.)
-Concerned about board members wearing and intimidation, feels officers are over used when people talk, and feels there is some general dishonesty on the board. Concerned board is taking care of themselves and others.
-Concerns a $470+k missing. On agenda to address financial concerns. Working with accountant. June 20th board meeting.
-Resident likes new administrator and supports her. Doesn't like the bullying (Let's not be mean cats. Be nice to each other and address your concerns in a transparent way because it leads to longer term resolutions.
-2.40 Prior airport manager. A series of people coming up for the whole statement. An issue with a public comment a security breach at the airport that, according to the speaker, ended up being an issue of someone touring the airport from another political side (I think I understand this). All these people all the way over to TSA and FBI were involved. (Yikes! 😬 ). Concerned about some behaviors and you can watch them. Other officials were not called out. Felt is was a sex discrimination issue with "The girl" comment. Harassment claim without merit.
-Arguments against decision making and new administration. Felt current hiring is based on not the most qualified person. Stress and anxiety have risen.
-Doesn't respect leadership and can't work within it.
-Likes the good work the board has done and felt he wants the Sheriff to sign off /support on boards proposal.
-Concerned about deviations during COVID from state mandate. "Its not mean Michigan watching us!" (Just fyi Michigan's state animal is the deer and I kind of thought Wisconsin would be a cow for cheese but apparently its not. Deer vs. Cow). A rumor that zoom has nothing to do with cost but about someone wanting to attend a meeting with an ankle bracelet.
-The person with the ankle bracelet indicated that the judge let him go to the meeting. He said he has ancle bracelet for 1st Amendment Rights.
-Resident things the board came a long way in addressing freedom of speech issues since the beginning.
-Commissioner addressed one of the concerns indicating separate entities. Further stated its unfair people are being mean to the new administrator.
-Commissioner stated two promotions in Sheriffs officer (Congrats!! Good job!).
-Admin discusses zoom. FOIA on zoom costs.
-Comm states he went to airport and didn't want to undermine anyone. Concerned about getting bigger plans. Felt he might have made wrong comment because he knew the person for a long time but didn't mean anything negative by it. He said he is sorry to see her leave.
(One might consider a content analysis of all of the meetings to find similar strains, themes, and data points. This is sort of how you review ongoing community development in the big data world. It not only sometimes discovers issues, as a broad comment, but also finds similar themes. Technically one could break all these down and code all of the important comments and themes to sort of create a benchmark of what issues are important to people, where they are in terms of solving those issues, and where there are gaps of information that lead to incorrect choices. It is used in social media analysis for marketing all the time. You can learn about Marketing Content Analysis in an example A Content Analysis: Examining Facebook Comments on News Media Posts For Echo Chambers Media Posts For Echo Chambers .)
