H2O Man
H2O Man's JournalThe Power of Ideas (& President Obama)
I think that President Obama’s speech today was extraordinarily powerful. It ranks, in my opinion, as not only one of his strongest speeches, but ranks as one of the most important in our nation’s history. As many of the Good People on this forum have noted, this speech combined rational thought with sincere emotion, and that made watching it a very positive experience.
It reminded me of important teachings from the two mentors that I had the pleasure of knowing as a young man: Dr. Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, and Chief Paul waterman, of the Onondaga Nation. Rubin spoke of the Power of Ideas, and Paul about the Power of the Good Mind. These two concepts, of course, are closely related.
Each involves how we, as individuals and groups, perceive problems that confront us. In the example of President Obama’s speech, he identified a serious problem -- for only an unhealthy mind could believe that the violence that maims and kills innocent people in our society is not a serious problem -- and he proposed steps we can take to address that problem. A key point in the President’s speech was that he communicated both “how” and “why” we can take the steps that he advocates.
As with the majority of serious problems that we face, as individuals and a society, there are no magical “cures.” There is no easy way to resolve the anger and hatreds that result in the mass murders that are all too common these days. But, as he noted, we can chose to deal with these issues, in an on-going, rational manner. And I believe that President Obama identified important steps that we can take …..steps that are not instant solutions, but rather, are necessary steps to take in that on-going effort to curb the deadly violence that damages the fabric of our society.
I’m reminded of Minister Malcolm X’s teaching that, if you place a sparkling, clean glass of water next to a glass of contaminated sludge, you can trust a thirsty people will make the correct choice. Today, of course, we have the example of President Obama, compared to the sludge of the terrorists in Oregon. This provides a stark contrast in problem-solving and dispute resolution.
There are, as we witness the rise of Donald Trump in the republican primary contest, a growing number of people who view aggressive tactics as a legitimate option for problem-solving. This is not to suggest that this is somehow “new” -- for far too many, aggression and violence are as “American” as apple pie. Their behaviors have contaminated family life for generations, and as they feel justified -- as part of a vocal group -- their passions have begun saturating our towns and cities. We see the results when a cop shoots a 12-year old boy playing in a park, and when a man shoots little school children inside of their classrooms.
It was extremely important that President Obama spoke today. Yet, the Power of Ideas, and the Power of the Good Mind, demand that you and I are moved to action today, as well. For with the rights defined by our Constitution, come great responsibilities. In this context, we have both the right and the responsibility to contact our elected representatives -- local, state, and national -- and tell them that we support President Obama’s position.
We can be certain that the opposition has been organized and prepared to do exactly that. This includes those who support the dangerous actions of the terrorists in Oregon, and those who are invested in violence. These are people who, while not mentally ill in the legal sense, are ethically and morally impaired: in their sick minds, President Obama poses the “real” threat to our nation. They believe that “strength” is defined by weapon collections, aggressive behaviors, and hatred.
Our strength comes by way of the Power of Ideas, and the Power of the Good Mind. These require that, as individuals, we call, write, and/or e-mail our elected representatives. That, of course, is simply one step. But it is actually an urgent step, more so because we know the opposition is making their voice heard.
I would like to propose that, after we accomplish that first step, we consider some options for group projects. These might include actions as simple as having a hundred forum members focus on contacting an individual “news” program, perhaps one on MSNBC. I’m sure that people here can come up with other good ideas.
Thank you for your consideration,
H2O Man
Thank you, President Obama
I am impressed with President Obama’s talk, which is being covered live on MSNBC. I say this, as: (1) a citizen who twice voted for him for president; (2) a person who has both agreed and disagreed with him on important issues; (3) an avid supporter of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights; and (4) a human being who has had numerous relatives and friends murdered over the decades that I have been alive.
Some of these people were murdered with guns, some knives, some strangled, and one with a chain saw. In the past 15 months, I have posted several times about my cousin and his son being shot by an off-duty law enforcement officer. Hence, I recognize that no single law could have prevented the horrors of these numerous murders.
Yet, I am absolutely in favor of President Obama’s common sense, rational approach of trying to curb the hideous reality that -- no matter what statistics some point to -- our society is being damaged by on-going, high-profile incidents of gross violence. Hence, I will be calling not only the White House, but the offices of all of my elected representatives -- state and federal -- to express my support of President Obama’s efforts.
One last thing: I am very impressed with President Obama’s communication skills.
H2O Man DU:GD Poll
In your opinion, should the government of the United States attempt to have closer relations with the government of Saudi Arabia or Iran? Why?
In my opinion, that is similar to choosing which republican candidate would be a less terrible president, Donald Trump or Ted Cruz.
Question on Socio-Political Issues
This morning, an associate that I have known as socially and politically active since the 1960s called, and asked my son to tell me that he planned to stop by today. He’s one of those people who has a couple of Ph.D’s, in different areas that are of interest to him. More, he is a very good and decent person, someone I have long had the highest respect for.
When he came this evening, he went right to the issue he had come to discuss. He wants to write and publish a book on “current events” on sociological-political-legal issues, with the intention of breathing life into the Constitution of the United States. His idea is to have four authors, who contribute three chapters each.
Although I am -- by far -- the least formally educated of the four proposed authors, the others consider me as an “equal.” In fact, two of the three have asked if I might contribute to one or more of their chapters. So it sounds interesting.
My question to you: what issue (or issues) would you identify as the most interesting and important to be covered in such a book? Thank you for any contributions to this discussion.
Peace,
H2O Man
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Member since: Mon Dec 29, 2003, 08:49 PMNumber of posts: 74,955