As I sat watching the funeral service for Sen. Edward “Ted” Kennedy, this past Saturday it was hard not to notice or realize just how powerful a man he really was. For nearly a half-century in the Senate, Kennedy was a steadfast champion of the working class and the poor, a powerful voice on health care, civil rights, and war and peace. And while most commentators point to his legislative achievements, which included bills to provide health insurance for poor children, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and abortion clinic access, these are not the things for which I will remember him most. To me, these are not his greatest accomplishments nor are they the source of his greatest legacy.
As a mom, for me, that honor lies in the role he played as a surrogate fathers in the lives of his nieces and nephews after the death of his slain brothers. One of the TV specials I saw on his life highlighted how he played that role with dignity and grace and noted that he walked every one of his father-less nieces down the aisle at their weddings when the time came. Ted called them "his girls" and that he "took care" of 17 kids (his kids plus those of his brothers Robert and JFK) by being there for every graduation, every wedding, and many other of the kids’s special events. When you think about it, I'm sure it was a lot of pressure and responsibility. A role, I’m certain, he wished he didn’t have to play but one where he willingly stepped up to the plate.
I recall a quote from Joseph Kennedy III who stated that: “Every single one of my brothers and sisters needed a father, and we gained one through Uncle Teddy. He went on to state: "For so many of us, we just needed someone to hang onto, and Teddy was always there."
I hate to say it and I’m sure some will disagree but nowadays, many men don’t recognize how critical a role they could play in the lives of children, and many certainly wouldn’t step up in the way that Sen. Kennedy did. Nowadays, any involvement, under similar circumstances, is often left to visits at family gatherings or the occasional chats. And although this isn't intended to be disparaging of the many men who play active roles in the lives of their children and our youth, the truth is it’s a struggle to get some men (yes I'm generalizing) to be involved in the lives of their own children. Asking them to serve as a surrogate father for the other children in their family, their neighborhoods or those just in need of some type of male support is out of the question. It’s a shame that this is the case and that the role of fathers and fatherhood or the sense of responsibility to ones family and others doesn’t take on the prominence or importance that Sen. Kennedy accorded it.
So when I hear commentators, pundits and others talk about the contribution of Sen. Kennedy and how his death represents the end of an era. I concur. But it’s not the role of legislative icon or lion of the Senate. Rather, it is the role of true patriarch and father figure. You see, Sen. Kennedy understood both figuratively and literally what it meant to be your brother’s keeper. He understood what it meant to care for others and to recognize that our fate, growth, development and success in life is directly intertwined with that of our fellow man whether we are related by blood or not.
But many others don’t. The truth is our society encourages the subjugation of the needs of the village to an individual’s own needs, desires and wants. While this in general is not a problem, as a whole it has lessened the need for us to understand how we benefit as a collective unit. In some cases, it has resulted in a lot of young boys trying to chart a course on their own without much success, or without any father figure, whether blood relative or not, to offer love or guidance.
Perhaps, Sen. Kennedy’s legacy and greatest lesson to us can be seen in the letter written by Jacqueline Kennedy to Sen. Kennedy after he walked her daughter Caroline down the aisle after her wedding. The letter - a token of gratitude for what he’d meant to all the Kennedys over the years. The letter read, "There have been 17 children besides your own - Bobby's, Pat's, Jack's and mine, for whom you have always been there. Every graduation, every big decision, every trouble, every sad and even every happy day. On you, the carefree youngest brother, fell a burden a hero would beg to be spared. Sick parents, lost children, desolate wives. You are a hero. Everyone is going to make it, because you are always there with your love. Jackie."
Perhaps I’m simplifying too much but imagine how many other fatherless children could make it if more men or, any of us for that matter, stepped up, showed them our love and became our brother’s keeper.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Parent Up: Are You Failing Your Child?
I'm certain I'm not the only one frustrated or who has encountered this but what is going on with some parents in our community? I mean when did parenting become a burden? I was the keynote speaker at an event this past weekend for a local organization and talking about the power of parental advocacy and how parents are their child's greatest advocate.
After the event, a 14 year old girl came up to me and asked me if I could help her get back in school. It seems she got expelled from school in January for fighting. She didn't have a knife or any weapon but in this day of zero tolerance this was her 3rd fight and it led to her expulsion. I was a bit surprised that she had asked because I wondered why t his was something her parents weren't trying to do. However, I learned her mom was a single mom and her mom just wasn't willing to do it. Since the girl really seemed to want to get back into school, I decided to help. I called her mom who informed me that this was her daughter's problem. In her words: she got put out, she needs to find a way to get back in if she wants to go. I'm leaving it up to her this is her life.
I couldn't believe any reasonable and responsible parent would say this. What shocked me further was the battle I found from the school itself. Although I wasn't this child's parent, I convinced the principal to talk to me about reenrolling the child. A friend of a friend knew the principal. I talked to the principal, who said the child had written her a letter and asked if she could come back to school. (Note what child would do this if they didn't care about their future). The principal said she told her no because the school had limited resources and the bottom line is the child had 3 fights that year and they just didn't have the time to deal with children who were disruptive. I understand the principal’s concerns but we need to think very carefully before making it too hard for a child to get back on track. After all, this child never brought a weapon to school and as far as I could see didn’t pose a danger to any students. To make a long story short, I was finally able to convince the principal to allow the child to reenroll in the school.
But after spending a week dealing with an uninvolved parent and a school system that was more than happy to kick the child to the curb, it re-enforced my belief about the role of parental advocacy. It's a shame that in many ways whether a child succeeds has a lot to do with whether their parents or some adult is vested in them, their success and their future. I didn't know this girl at all but in one week I had spent more time fighting for her future than her mom or the school system: both of which seemed very willing to throw her away. As a parent and someone who speaks to parents across this country, my greatest advice has to be get involved in the life of a child. We have to do what we can to protect all our children and not only the ones who get good grades but even those who are D and F students and find themselves in the gray areas of life. And for goodness sake, we need parents to Parent Up.
What do I mean by Parent Up? Our parents need to step up their parenting game- plain and simple. If you do your role as a parent to the best of your ability, there still exists a chance your child may not succeed. If you do less than your best- guess what? Your child’s chance for success drop dramatically.
So I say Parent Up- do your part. Doesn't matter if you are a single parent, married couple, grandparent, aunt, uncle, whatever.....Parent Up. If you are responsible for a child- take control of the situation, quit complaining about how hard it is and just do your best and definitely do NOT give up on them. If, after doing your best in the parenting situation, you still end up with a bad seed, you know you did your best and it wasn't your fault. If you end up with a dud and you didn't do all you should have done- you can be pretty sure it's probably your fault!! Sorry if this is harsh but it's also harsh to say to a 14 year old I don't care if you succeed or not.
After the event, a 14 year old girl came up to me and asked me if I could help her get back in school. It seems she got expelled from school in January for fighting. She didn't have a knife or any weapon but in this day of zero tolerance this was her 3rd fight and it led to her expulsion. I was a bit surprised that she had asked because I wondered why t his was something her parents weren't trying to do. However, I learned her mom was a single mom and her mom just wasn't willing to do it. Since the girl really seemed to want to get back into school, I decided to help. I called her mom who informed me that this was her daughter's problem. In her words: she got put out, she needs to find a way to get back in if she wants to go. I'm leaving it up to her this is her life.
I couldn't believe any reasonable and responsible parent would say this. What shocked me further was the battle I found from the school itself. Although I wasn't this child's parent, I convinced the principal to talk to me about reenrolling the child. A friend of a friend knew the principal. I talked to the principal, who said the child had written her a letter and asked if she could come back to school. (Note what child would do this if they didn't care about their future). The principal said she told her no because the school had limited resources and the bottom line is the child had 3 fights that year and they just didn't have the time to deal with children who were disruptive. I understand the principal’s concerns but we need to think very carefully before making it too hard for a child to get back on track. After all, this child never brought a weapon to school and as far as I could see didn’t pose a danger to any students. To make a long story short, I was finally able to convince the principal to allow the child to reenroll in the school.
But after spending a week dealing with an uninvolved parent and a school system that was more than happy to kick the child to the curb, it re-enforced my belief about the role of parental advocacy. It's a shame that in many ways whether a child succeeds has a lot to do with whether their parents or some adult is vested in them, their success and their future. I didn't know this girl at all but in one week I had spent more time fighting for her future than her mom or the school system: both of which seemed very willing to throw her away. As a parent and someone who speaks to parents across this country, my greatest advice has to be get involved in the life of a child. We have to do what we can to protect all our children and not only the ones who get good grades but even those who are D and F students and find themselves in the gray areas of life. And for goodness sake, we need parents to Parent Up.
What do I mean by Parent Up? Our parents need to step up their parenting game- plain and simple. If you do your role as a parent to the best of your ability, there still exists a chance your child may not succeed. If you do less than your best- guess what? Your child’s chance for success drop dramatically.
So I say Parent Up- do your part. Doesn't matter if you are a single parent, married couple, grandparent, aunt, uncle, whatever.....Parent Up. If you are responsible for a child- take control of the situation, quit complaining about how hard it is and just do your best and definitely do NOT give up on them. If, after doing your best in the parenting situation, you still end up with a bad seed, you know you did your best and it wasn't your fault. If you end up with a dud and you didn't do all you should have done- you can be pretty sure it's probably your fault!! Sorry if this is harsh but it's also harsh to say to a 14 year old I don't care if you succeed or not.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Brotherly Advice, for Sistas
Special guest post by Corey D. Seaton. Reposted from 3rd Eye Open
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." - ralph waldo emerson
I'm surrounded by women, young, old, single, divorced, happy, bitter. They all have something in common. None of them have a significant romantic relationship in their lives, nor do they seem to have the slightest inkling of how to achieve and maintain one. These women meet men all the time and rarely get excited about them. Yet, when excitement does find their heart, a rush of over zealous emotions and actions lead to a relationship built on intimacy not interest. What these beautiful, intelligent women end up with is an on again off again lover rather than a soul mate, or the speed with which they want to move pushes their potential Mr. Right, right out the door. So how do these ladies deal with the aftermath? They go through phases of really casual relationships, followed by bouts of celibacy. They read books, join churches, write, become very goal oriented and focus on themselves. But deep down, that need to find a life partner of their own, to really know love, and even to start a family of their own never diminishes.
There is no blueprint for love. However, I've seen enough sistas make the wrong moves so often that I think it's time I shared a little advice and shed a little light on the situation. I'm going to offer a few tips that won't guarantee love, but will definitely put you on the path to finding something significant. Mind you, there are exceptions to every rule, but if you play by these rules, you'll significantly increase your success rate.
1) NEVER DATE STRANGERS
Never, ever date strangers. I don't care how great they seem or how good they look, do yourself a favor, don't do it. Here's the thing about a stranger, all you know about him is what he tells you. That's putting a huge amount of trust into someone for absolutely no reason. Trust is not a starting point, it's a destination. The minute you start dating a stranger, you make trust a starting point, thus setting yourself up to be lied to. Here is a simple dating rule. Only date people you know OR people who come with a reference. This gives you the advantage. By knowing the person, or knowing someone who knows the person you're dating, it gives you the opportunity to gather more information about the person than they may even be ready to reveal. It gives you the chance to think about all the things you've experienced with this person, or heard about them. Now you have a knowledge base to begin from. It also helps if the person you're dating has to be accountable of their actions to someone besides you. This is the beauty of meeting people through your friends. Common friends creates a situation where, the person can't just treat you any ole kind of way. Treating you bad could affect not only what you think of them, but what their friends think of them as well. Also, it helps the vetting process. If people you respect, can recommend someone they respect, all this mutual respect will drift over into your potential relationship. Once again, it doesn't guarantee love, but it will alleviate wasted time with someone absolutely wrong for you. Also, if you want to increase your dating pool, don't go out and meet more men. Go out and meet more women with male friends. Your female friends make the perfect buffer between you and what's out there.
2) EMBRACE PATIENCE
Your friends are married, and have houses, and kids. So the f*ck what! Excuse my French, but trying to "keep up with the Jones's" is a perfect recipe for disaster. Life and the changes life brings comes at us in due time. So don't go throwing all your standards and expectations out the window in a rush to find any ole man. You know that man showing you some interest. Well, I'm not sure if he's Mr. Right, or Mr. Wrong. But one thing I am definitely sure of, he wants to tap that ass! And that's all he will want UNLESS you give him a reason to want more with you. Men are very skeptical of things that come too easy to them. Let me repeat this. MEN ARE VERY SKEPTICAL OF THINGS THAT COME TO EASY TO THEM. So if you really want him to stick around, take your time and get to REALLY know him, and allow him to really get to know you before you start giving way too much of yourself. As men, all our lives we have been told that women fit into two categories. The ones you just sleep with, and the ones who are worthy of relationships and commitments. Right or wrong, this is the lesson we've been given. Very promiscuous women often find themselves surrounded by male attention, with few ever sticking around long term. As we get older and people get more in touch with their sexuality, the lines blur. However, what doesn't blur is the reality that a man must have a certain amount of respect for you and who you are to maintain a loving relationship with you. Often times a woman meets a man and quickly starts sleeping with him, cooking for him, and in many ways taking good care of him, yet he won't commit. You know the old adage, if you can get the milk for free, then why buy the cow? It's true. So if you want to go giving away unearned milk, cool. Just know if you're doing it, it's not necessarily the way to a substantive relationship.Learn to show yourself the same level of patience you have given so many bad relationships. Take your time with yourself. Be forgiving of your mistakes. Put no time constraints on your happiness and well being. And when you do find a spark with someone, resist the urge to let your mind go zooming past the second date down the aisle towards the preacher. Desperate thoughts lead to desperate actions. Sure, the ticking clock is real. But at a certain point all you can do is put yourself in the best possible situation to embrace love. What you can't do is make love embrace you back.
3) KNOW YOUR POWER
Women, you have no idea just how much power you have. From here on out, know this if you don't know anything, you are worth a million dollars to someone. So act the part.a) Never chase a man. Remember, you're worth a million bucks, what man wouldn't chase after a million bucks? Initially, if he wants to see you, let him come to you. The minute you put yourself in a situation where you are running behind him, chasing him down, flying to see him, driving to his place at his whim when he hasn't even shown you he's willing to do the same for you--in his eyes, your value diminishes.b) Invest wisely. Every relationship, no matter how deep or casual is an investment, an investment of you. What defines a good investment is the returns you see on that investment. If you make a small investment of yourself and you see small returns, that's considered a conservative investment. But if you start making risky investments, mind, body, soul, and the only returns are pain and heartache, that's a great way to become emotionally bankrupt. If you value your worth, and understand your power, always invest conservatively. Take your time and learn all about what you're investing in. See how risky or stable of an investment it is before you go investing more and more of yourself. c) Be specific. Not only are you powerful, the power of words is real. You all have standards, and beyond that, you all know what you want. Yet when you go speaking to the universe, you make really general statements like, "I just want a good man." And bam, you meet a good man. He just happens to be a good man with bad credit and four kids. See, the universe gave you exactly what you asked for, but you weren't specific. So become more specific. Also, know what you REALLY want. Don't say, "I want a handsome man", when you really want a man who won't cheat on you. The universe is listening to your thoughts and your words. Embrace your power, and speak into existence your reality.
4) BE HAPPY
Your happiness is not dependent on a romantic relationship. Focus all your energy on being a happy well rounded person. Happy energy resonates with people, and is one of the most magnetic forces on Earth. We all want to be around people who seem like they are carefree and enjoying life, not those drowning in misery. Our worlds get really small when we only focus on our personal problems. When we focus on our blessings and the potential of what's to come, our worlds suddenly seem enormous and very exciting. The best chance you'll ever have of being happy WITH someone, is by first learning how to be happy alone.
Good luck sistas. One luv.
Check out Corey's posts at http://www.3rdeyeopen.org/
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." - ralph waldo emerson
I'm surrounded by women, young, old, single, divorced, happy, bitter. They all have something in common. None of them have a significant romantic relationship in their lives, nor do they seem to have the slightest inkling of how to achieve and maintain one. These women meet men all the time and rarely get excited about them. Yet, when excitement does find their heart, a rush of over zealous emotions and actions lead to a relationship built on intimacy not interest. What these beautiful, intelligent women end up with is an on again off again lover rather than a soul mate, or the speed with which they want to move pushes their potential Mr. Right, right out the door. So how do these ladies deal with the aftermath? They go through phases of really casual relationships, followed by bouts of celibacy. They read books, join churches, write, become very goal oriented and focus on themselves. But deep down, that need to find a life partner of their own, to really know love, and even to start a family of their own never diminishes.
There is no blueprint for love. However, I've seen enough sistas make the wrong moves so often that I think it's time I shared a little advice and shed a little light on the situation. I'm going to offer a few tips that won't guarantee love, but will definitely put you on the path to finding something significant. Mind you, there are exceptions to every rule, but if you play by these rules, you'll significantly increase your success rate.
1) NEVER DATE STRANGERS
Never, ever date strangers. I don't care how great they seem or how good they look, do yourself a favor, don't do it. Here's the thing about a stranger, all you know about him is what he tells you. That's putting a huge amount of trust into someone for absolutely no reason. Trust is not a starting point, it's a destination. The minute you start dating a stranger, you make trust a starting point, thus setting yourself up to be lied to. Here is a simple dating rule. Only date people you know OR people who come with a reference. This gives you the advantage. By knowing the person, or knowing someone who knows the person you're dating, it gives you the opportunity to gather more information about the person than they may even be ready to reveal. It gives you the chance to think about all the things you've experienced with this person, or heard about them. Now you have a knowledge base to begin from. It also helps if the person you're dating has to be accountable of their actions to someone besides you. This is the beauty of meeting people through your friends. Common friends creates a situation where, the person can't just treat you any ole kind of way. Treating you bad could affect not only what you think of them, but what their friends think of them as well. Also, it helps the vetting process. If people you respect, can recommend someone they respect, all this mutual respect will drift over into your potential relationship. Once again, it doesn't guarantee love, but it will alleviate wasted time with someone absolutely wrong for you. Also, if you want to increase your dating pool, don't go out and meet more men. Go out and meet more women with male friends. Your female friends make the perfect buffer between you and what's out there.
2) EMBRACE PATIENCE
Your friends are married, and have houses, and kids. So the f*ck what! Excuse my French, but trying to "keep up with the Jones's" is a perfect recipe for disaster. Life and the changes life brings comes at us in due time. So don't go throwing all your standards and expectations out the window in a rush to find any ole man. You know that man showing you some interest. Well, I'm not sure if he's Mr. Right, or Mr. Wrong. But one thing I am definitely sure of, he wants to tap that ass! And that's all he will want UNLESS you give him a reason to want more with you. Men are very skeptical of things that come too easy to them. Let me repeat this. MEN ARE VERY SKEPTICAL OF THINGS THAT COME TO EASY TO THEM. So if you really want him to stick around, take your time and get to REALLY know him, and allow him to really get to know you before you start giving way too much of yourself. As men, all our lives we have been told that women fit into two categories. The ones you just sleep with, and the ones who are worthy of relationships and commitments. Right or wrong, this is the lesson we've been given. Very promiscuous women often find themselves surrounded by male attention, with few ever sticking around long term. As we get older and people get more in touch with their sexuality, the lines blur. However, what doesn't blur is the reality that a man must have a certain amount of respect for you and who you are to maintain a loving relationship with you. Often times a woman meets a man and quickly starts sleeping with him, cooking for him, and in many ways taking good care of him, yet he won't commit. You know the old adage, if you can get the milk for free, then why buy the cow? It's true. So if you want to go giving away unearned milk, cool. Just know if you're doing it, it's not necessarily the way to a substantive relationship.Learn to show yourself the same level of patience you have given so many bad relationships. Take your time with yourself. Be forgiving of your mistakes. Put no time constraints on your happiness and well being. And when you do find a spark with someone, resist the urge to let your mind go zooming past the second date down the aisle towards the preacher. Desperate thoughts lead to desperate actions. Sure, the ticking clock is real. But at a certain point all you can do is put yourself in the best possible situation to embrace love. What you can't do is make love embrace you back.
3) KNOW YOUR POWER
Women, you have no idea just how much power you have. From here on out, know this if you don't know anything, you are worth a million dollars to someone. So act the part.a) Never chase a man. Remember, you're worth a million bucks, what man wouldn't chase after a million bucks? Initially, if he wants to see you, let him come to you. The minute you put yourself in a situation where you are running behind him, chasing him down, flying to see him, driving to his place at his whim when he hasn't even shown you he's willing to do the same for you--in his eyes, your value diminishes.b) Invest wisely. Every relationship, no matter how deep or casual is an investment, an investment of you. What defines a good investment is the returns you see on that investment. If you make a small investment of yourself and you see small returns, that's considered a conservative investment. But if you start making risky investments, mind, body, soul, and the only returns are pain and heartache, that's a great way to become emotionally bankrupt. If you value your worth, and understand your power, always invest conservatively. Take your time and learn all about what you're investing in. See how risky or stable of an investment it is before you go investing more and more of yourself. c) Be specific. Not only are you powerful, the power of words is real. You all have standards, and beyond that, you all know what you want. Yet when you go speaking to the universe, you make really general statements like, "I just want a good man." And bam, you meet a good man. He just happens to be a good man with bad credit and four kids. See, the universe gave you exactly what you asked for, but you weren't specific. So become more specific. Also, know what you REALLY want. Don't say, "I want a handsome man", when you really want a man who won't cheat on you. The universe is listening to your thoughts and your words. Embrace your power, and speak into existence your reality.
4) BE HAPPY
Your happiness is not dependent on a romantic relationship. Focus all your energy on being a happy well rounded person. Happy energy resonates with people, and is one of the most magnetic forces on Earth. We all want to be around people who seem like they are carefree and enjoying life, not those drowning in misery. Our worlds get really small when we only focus on our personal problems. When we focus on our blessings and the potential of what's to come, our worlds suddenly seem enormous and very exciting. The best chance you'll ever have of being happy WITH someone, is by first learning how to be happy alone.
Good luck sistas. One luv.
Check out Corey's posts at http://www.3rdeyeopen.org/
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Town Hall Disruptions: A Lesson In Uncivilized Democracy
I know it’s been a few weeks since I’ve last blogged but I appreciate your patience in allowing me to take a few weeks off since the birth of my son to recover! He’s doing well but so much is happening right now in the country that I realized I needed to get back to blogging to make my opinions known. One of the things that really bother me has been the disruptions at the health care forums across the countries over the last few weeks. One of the more recent disruptions occurred not too far from my own backyard in Romulus, Michigan.
At that town hall, held by Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., disrupters got so raucous the police had to escort people out. The boos, jeers and shouts of "Shame on you!" at the events in a gym in mirror what other Democrats are encountering around the country. Although Dingell vowed to press on and not be deterred by such protestors, such town hells, as they are now being called, are gaining traction throughout the country.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to individuals expressing their discontent or opposition to a plan. What concerns me more is that the town halls are threatening to turn violent and they remind me of the angry McCain-Palin town halls during the 2008 election where the people expressed fear and concern about Pres. Obama being an Arab.
What all this shows me is that we have an angry group of people out there who are prone to a lynch mob type mentality. While these individuals are so concerned with expressing their right to free speech, they are preventing others who don’t share their view point from exercising their right to free speech. There is no reason why legislators should be receiving death threats for trying to pass health care reform. There is no reason why these town halls should not be a place where civilized Americans can agree to disagree and there can be intelligent discourse and disagreement about the issue.
My concern is that the hostility we’re witnessing at these town halls and across this country whether it be with the birthers or the disruptive people at town halls that as a country we’re headed for a collision course that promises to destroy us all. Maybe this is a bit of paranoia on my part but I see a country very divided not just over race but culture and ideology and until we can learn and truly understand that everyone has the right to be heard without fear or retribution, I don’t see how we are heading for anything but a collision course that threatens the very foundation of our society.
At that town hall, held by Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., disrupters got so raucous the police had to escort people out. The boos, jeers and shouts of "Shame on you!" at the events in a gym in mirror what other Democrats are encountering around the country. Although Dingell vowed to press on and not be deterred by such protestors, such town hells, as they are now being called, are gaining traction throughout the country.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to individuals expressing their discontent or opposition to a plan. What concerns me more is that the town halls are threatening to turn violent and they remind me of the angry McCain-Palin town halls during the 2008 election where the people expressed fear and concern about Pres. Obama being an Arab.
What all this shows me is that we have an angry group of people out there who are prone to a lynch mob type mentality. While these individuals are so concerned with expressing their right to free speech, they are preventing others who don’t share their view point from exercising their right to free speech. There is no reason why legislators should be receiving death threats for trying to pass health care reform. There is no reason why these town halls should not be a place where civilized Americans can agree to disagree and there can be intelligent discourse and disagreement about the issue.
My concern is that the hostility we’re witnessing at these town halls and across this country whether it be with the birthers or the disruptive people at town halls that as a country we’re headed for a collision course that promises to destroy us all. Maybe this is a bit of paranoia on my part but I see a country very divided not just over race but culture and ideology and until we can learn and truly understand that everyone has the right to be heard without fear or retribution, I don’t see how we are heading for anything but a collision course that threatens the very foundation of our society.
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