Dad’s Day

Fathers are a biological fact
Being Dad is an alive, loving act

My Dad is world best
I did boast to all the rest

My Dad taught me to swim
And to race with intent to win

My Dad taught me to play ball
And ride his shoulders to never feel small

My Dad taught me to pray
And know right from wrong, never gray

My Dad taught me to fix and repair
And to treat everything with love and care

My Dad taught me how to fight
If I needed to protect what’s right

My Dad taught me humility and peace
When I really need to unclench my fists

My Dad taught me emotion is okay
With his stories, he could tell all day

My Dad taught me the love of a good drink
As long as I took the time to savor and think

My Dad taught me a way to live
And to others, a legacy I hope to give

My Dad is Dad on Father’s Day
A loving act precious to me each and every day

I was thinking of a Father’s Day poem I was going to write, when I read an article this morning that distracted me.  It was by Afshan Jafar, an associate professor of sociology at Connecticut College.   The article was titled “Yes, I wish we Muslims could stop terrorism”.  It was partly as I expected, the impact of terrorism on Muslims is greater in the scale of injury, death and sheer terror in predominately Muslim regions of the world, and if there was a way, they would love as much as Christians do, to find a way to root out and drive out extremists.  However, I also learned something new, or more accurately was inspired with a different perspective.

She points out how we, and her students, think we can answer the fill-in-the-blank question “Muslim women are…?” yet when she asks the next question, which is “Christian women are…?” This question makes no sense.  How, they ask could we speak for all Christian women or make a universal remark about them?  Yet we do not afford Islam a similar understanding that its adherents are really billions of people with diverse and complicated histories.  It brings out our biases, and lack of understanding about the extent and diversity of Islam religion and its adherents, Muslim’s.   I know plenty that believe that the religion is inherently violent, and therefore adherents are too somehow guilty by association to extremists. Yet the situation is far more complicated. They were born into a culture and heritage, just as a Christians.  Many of us where born into Christianity, yet have wide differences in what that means, Catholic, or Baptist or other… and furthermore all kinds of social strata, economic opportunity, and variety in education opportunities and culture. She makes a case that “It is this falsely constructed singular identity which makes us think that the cause of extremism is somehow inherent in Islam and not a product of specific political, social and economic histories of a region or country”.

Afshan described her life as young girl in Pakistan, living with a freedom that we would recognize, a freedom to walk to friend’s homes to play and socialize, to go to school without fear.  How when she was 12 they celebrated the end of dictatorship with the election in a woman, Benazir Bhutto, as prime minister of Pakistan.  How freedoms and progressiveness that prevailed decades ago, have been rolled back dramatically in so many parts of the world, replaced with oppression, fear and restrictions.  Imagine a woman leading a predominately Muslim country and presenting opportunity for advancement of women, and in general democratic principles.  Where are we now?  Why is the world regressive or retrograde, like we are going back in time, with less understanding with fewer freedoms, and more fear?

To say that this retrograde, or failure in culture is a problem with Islam, and Muslims is too simple.   Christianity, the West, the US, own some responsibility in a battle for civilization and civility.  Remember we funded the mujahedeen as a wedge against the Soviet Union, thus giving rise to the Taliban.  We watched as the Arab Spring unraveled when it met the might and resistance of dictatorial regimes.  We allowed red-lines to be crossed with-out consequence.  The Western world has put oil ahead of humanity and rights. We are complicit in the rise of some of these extremist groups.  We must continue to engage and be part of the solution in fighting Islamic extremist terrorism, and do it with the help of Muslims and predominately Islamic countries.  We all own the impact of children that know not what freedom means… “The casualties have been hope and optimism, long abandoned by the old and unknown to the young” … I agree.  I also believe that for society to win, mother’s will make the difference, by encouraging and fighting for education, encouraging a culture of tolerance, and an understanding of history, and hope for the future.   Father’s too will be critical to show strength without violence, to show reasoning without bias, to allow for openness and understanding. These things are what will allow society and civilization to move forward and reverse the degradations of culture at a micro-level.  Government and religious leaders need to work together to create an environment that allows the positive advancement of civilization, while simultaneously rooting out and exterminating evil.  I’m an optimist, I believe that it may take a long time but we will get there with the help of education and perspective.

I’ll get to the Father’s Day post later this week!

So, You Want My Vote

I’m a citizen, tell me something of note

If you have the gall to ask for my vote

Don’t tell me the others are not safe

Don’t tell me of news that’s really fake

Let’s hear the vision you have for us

Or don’t bother to lecture us

We are not fools that believe just anything

We are life busy, so be clear and say something

Why can’t there be a true debate

Instead of all this yelling and hate?

Why don’t we respect each other

And not hide truth from one-another?

And when you get there to fulfill your oath

Why would you pound your chest and boast?

The reason you’re there is to serve

Not to gloat about something you don’t deserve

Work with each other, make a future of note

Don’t just battle and position for my next vote!

Symmetry in Five Word Lines

See harmony, beauty in words

Symmetry of balance this affords

Left side, right side balance

Keep us centered without dissidence

Justice is symmetry of fair

Good, bad in the air

Hear the music beautiful sound

Build up then swing down

See harmony in the dance

Mirrored movement in a trance

Lovely symmetry in her eyes

Heart soars into the skies

Find symmetry in your world

Beauty is sure to unfurl

This morning I listened to President Trump’s speech in Riyadh.  Two things really struck me as amazing.  The first is that I could only find this broadcast on the BBC World News.  The second was that the speech was both presidential, and was a cogent and appropriate statement on policy.   So parsing these two thoughts here, let’s examine the first: what is wrong with US-based news agencies? Even C-span didn’t cover the speech, I couldn’t find the speech broadcast anywhere but on BBC World News.   Is this an indication that our media doesn’t see such an event as news-worthy in comparison with controversy and conflict that brings in viewers?  Is it money, or is it an evaluation of the interest and understanding of the American audience?  If either plays a role in not presenting a live broadcast, then we all should have significant distress for the quality of our media coverage, as well as, their likely well-nuanced understanding of their audience.   To be a great country we need a great press, a great political and legal system, and an educated, involved citizenry.   Watch the news coverage that will come, it will be about how this speech is so different from what he said on the campaign trail, instead about the policy implications.  It will be negative, because that’s what the news media, their sponsors, and the people expect.

The second thought is: this was a real policy speech, a bridge building speech with Middle-East countries, and a clear statement on who and what the enemy really is, oh … and it was delivered in a presidential style.   You who have read my material in the past know that I’m far from a Trump supporter.  I have been critical of his campaign positions and his judgement, temperament as well as his ethics and morality.   However, having said that, he really presented today a coherent and reasonable policy in this speech.  Getting past the obvious statements of appreciation for his hosts, he presented a picture that we are in a battle, together, against evil, against terrorism born out of radical ideology.  He asked for help driving this evil out of communities, out of places of worship and out of the Middle-East, and out of existence.   He presented a case that we will provide a principled realistic approach to working with our allies to combat this threat.  Basically suggesting that we will not impose our american ways upon our allies, but will work to achieve a common goal to eradicate terrorist.  We will of course seek to improve the lives of all peoples, and protection of individual rights, but also recognize that in some of these countries it will take time for these goals to be achieved.  But we can unite today in the war on militant and radical islamic terrorism.   Furthermore he was clear that we must jointly work to eliminate the funding and sponsorship of these terrorist organizations.  He called for stopping the sale of oil by ISIS, he called for the isolation of Iran’s government if they continue to fund and support terrorism in the Middle-East.  He prayed for the great people of Iran to replace the regime that continues to sponsor terrorism in Syria and throughout the Middle-East.  He indicated that we would stand-by and support the moderate leaders of Islam that will set the direction and future of that part of the world, to the benefit of their citizens, to the benefit of those oppressed and to the benefit of the Western-world.

I like that he calls out the enemies of a future where children can grow up secure to prosper, to pray as they wish…

“The true toll of ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and so many others, must be counted not only in the number of dead. It must also be counted in generations of vanished dreams.”

“Every time a terrorist murders an innocent person, and falsely invokes the name of God, it should be an insult to every person of faith.
Terrorists do not worship God, they worship death.”

He went on to praise the sacrifices of the countries fighting terrorism, recognizing that there is much being done, and more yet to do, and we will support them,  here’s the countries he recognized:

“Many are already making significant contributions to regional security: Jordanian pilots are crucial partners against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Saudi Arabia and a regional coalition have taken strong action against Houthi militants in Yemen. The Lebanese Army is hunting ISIS operatives who try to infiltrate their territory. Emirati troops are supporting our Afghan partners. In Mosul, American troops are supporting Kurds, Sunnis and Shias fighting together for their homeland. Qatar, which hosts the U.S. Central Command, is a crucial strategic partner. Our longstanding partnership with Kuwait and Bahrain continue to enhance security in the region. And courageous Afghan soldiers are making tremendous sacrifices in the fight against the Taliban, and others, in the fight for their country.” …

He recognized those at the conference doing much for hosting refugees, yeah maybe ironic in a way, but understanding the sacrifices of our allies is important..

“I also applaud Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for their role in hosting refugees. The surge of migrants and refugees leaving the Middle East depletes the human capital needed to build stable societies and economies. Instead of depriving this region of so much human potential, Middle Eastern countries can give young people hope for a brighter future in their home nations and regions.”

His speech was inspiring, and potentially vital in changing the direction of our involvement in the Middle-East, and possibly more importantly uniting others in a front to overcome the unspeakable evil of militant islamic terrorism.

If you would like to read his speech in total, I found it at the following site… sadly not yet posted at a US News site!   http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/1.790748

That’s what the sign said above my most audacious friend.  He loves that guarantee.  He’s seen that sign at many places and loves to test the limits of its meaning, sometimes to the chagrin of his cringing kids, wife, or friends.  One time he had a ceiling fan that broke, and so he pulled it down along with two others that matched it and returned them to a well-known home improvement store.  The clerk checked the model number of the fans my friend wrestled into the service counter-line, and said it’s been seven years since we had this model.  He said, yes, he bought them about ten years before, and they were supposed to have a life-time warranty, and you claim satisfaction guaranteed!  Well do you have a receipt, he says no, he just wanted equivalent replacements.  With much grumbling and head shaking, he got his new fans for no cost!  The fans looked great and we had plenty of laughs over drinks at his score of new fans.

That was a long time ago, and now my friend is a very successful executive, but he cannot help himself, he still has to get his satisfaction.   A few days ago, he was in the process of moving his son from a four-year stay at a prestigious university when his son said we need to toss this mattress, its shot and I don’t want to bother moving it.  Well the mattress was four years old and cost about $1,000 when bought at a well-known discount-membership store.  He said, well I’m sure that came with Satisfaction Guaranteed!  So, along with his son and a friend of his son, they bundled the mattress into a mini-van and took it to the store.

Soon the mattress-team find themselves in the service-line with a mattress with stains on it, (one large stain that we haven’t heard an explanation for at this writing) and with a bow in the middle and people staring and asking them what they could be doing with this old mattress.  The boys stood waiting with obvious embarrassment, but my friend stood stoic in his certainty of guaranteed satisfaction.  One 80 some-year-old gentleman asked my friend’s son what they were doing with the mattress.  When he explained it to him, he said “look how its bowed here!”  The old guy pumped his fist forward and back, forward and back, and said ah ha, too much of this I see!  He laughed hard and wandered on into the store.   The girl at the service desk scanned the bar-code, and said you purchased this four years ago.  My audacious friend said yes, and I’m not satisfied with it.  She said I need to call a manager.  The manager came, and asked why didn’t you return this sooner if you weren’t satisfied?  He said, I wasn’t here enough to know that the mattress wasn’t performing to our satisfaction.  Besides there’s no time limit on my satisfaction is there?  He got a store credit!  A $1000 for buying a new mattress at his son’s next residence.  We had some great laughs as we celebrated this great institution of customer satisfaction… Sometimes it pays to be audacious!

I was trying to come up with something positive to say about Washington D.C.  Today we think of Washington D.C. as a political morass, or a swamp, but it truly is a remarkable city.  Few other countries have a city established precisely to be the seat of a national government.  In 1790, the Residence Act, laid the foundation for the creation of a capital district, and George Washington selected the site for the new capital.  The city of Washington, named for a truly remarkable man and patriot was established in 1791.  Today what we have is a very well laid-out city that is completely functional as the seat of a great nation.  The facilities of the executive, legislative and judicial heads of our national government are impressive, functional and deeply and appropriately symbolic.  The current occupants good and sometimes bad, are carrying forward a remarkable tradition of separation of powers, and something of cooperation within this city.

This city though, is much more than the location of the current heads of each branch and the mechanisms of national service to our nation, it is also a living, working monument to our great country and its historic democratic values.  The Washington monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Arlington National Cemetery, all resounding tributes to our history, and our values, and appropriate remembrances.  Furthermore, we are a nation of culture, of science, and of art, and that too is captured in museums that are grand and so very effective of telling the history of mankind, of our country, of science, and effective in keeping art in the forefront of our story and the telling of that story. Museums that are free to every citizen as, is our monuments to our very successful republic.

The city functions with effective transportation systems, security and the feeling of grand spaces, beauty as well as efficiency.  Yes, not everyone will agree with me, and I know most would like to see less acrimony and more collaboration among our leaders. Me too!  I would still have to opine that the debates, the checks and balances, and the peaceful transitions of power are all symbols of democratic values that remain well intact, and furthermore the function and form of the city that is our national center is remarkable.  I believe George Washington would be very proud of his city, and our nation, the greatest in the history of world!

Mountain Reckoning

The mountain draws us ever close

Majestically demanding its own prose

Dramatically urging an attempting

Come, get higher, summit tempting

Always there with perspective sight

Grand vista’s reward the brave, the right

Ah, but that climb is oh so steep

The strength needed ever deep

Paths often so unclear

The top vanishingly near

Mankind, tribes, nations climb

A must to find a better place in time

Born in a valley we are drawn to heights

Struggles, growth, learning and fights

It is a life of strain, of stress of battle scars

Yet our souls seek this path to the stars

The mountain is always there beckoning

Our drive and character it’s always reckoning

Keep Her Close

Quiet, thinking, in stillness I sat

Waiting for what, one could ask

For revelations, waiting for why

Impossible in youth I cannot deny

As if pondering life-long mysteries

And challenging byzantine-like histories

Why we are who we are

How we came this far

Where we go from here

Is there nothing we should fear

Control and shaped a world to our liking

Conquered with the deftness of a Viking

Yet she too waits, planning her future wins

If we forget, go too far, commit too many sins

Keep thinking, there is harmony in sight

Secrets of life, joining with mother nature is right

Keep her close, respect her needs

Future ensured with carefully planted seeds