Voting is the one activity essential to a functional and vibrant democracy. A government dedicated to upholding the first fundamental principle of a democratic society religiously holds periodic free and fair elections where all eligible among the governed have unobstructed access to electing their leaders. Democracy works best when all constituents involve themselves in the…
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Tulsa: Ground Zero aftermath
June 2020 has arrived and forget the fact we have a local Primary Election on the month’s last day. Unrelated events and their fallout have been coming at us fast and furious. Chief among these has been a surge in Covid-19 cases as the state and city “re-opens” and mitigation strategy has been weakly encouraged…
Continue ReadingSelf-isolating in the rubble of a failed Republic
It certainly didn’t take much to bring down our vaunted House of Cards. Anyone with the slightest bit of foresight within the big picture has understood even before this President announced his candidacy nearly five years ago that we were all basking in the glory of a fool’s paradise. The frustrating part of this whole…
Continue ReadingNavigating through the surreal, unreal and uncharted
Credibility is the currency of leadership. Honesty fosters trust. Adherence to universally accepted facts, even when they do not serve an agenda, commands respect. Believable statements and coherent reasoning by a leader makes them easy to follow. An easy to follow leader instills confidence in all those subject to their decision making. It bodes well…
Continue ReadingA nation of normalized corruption
If you have ever found yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of being in a toxic and dysfunctional relationship characterized by daily physical and/or verbal abuse, public humiliation, intimidation, deceit, infidelity, impropriety at your expense and outright hostility to the point of being in a constant state of fear or anxiety, you know better than most…
Continue ReadingLearning how to win
Back during my enlisted naval service, I vividly remember talking with a few shipmates who had been Navy recruiters. Recruiting requires a mindset similar to that of politics. It not only deals heavily with numbers but also salesmanship. The better the sales pitch the better the numbers. To improve each, The Navy sent new recruiters…
Continue ReadingSelflessness above and beyond the call
What exactly defines heroism and what exactly is a hero? I have invested a lot of time over the years pondering these definitions. Lately though I have devoted a lot of thought to one of the oft used sayings in the current patriotic parlance, “All gave some. Some gave all.” After being made aware of…
Continue ReadingA marathon run
In the beginning of an undertaking the level of enthusiasm is often the greatest. Energy, optimism, emotion and resolve are usually at their peak, fresh and intact regardless of motivation. The feeling of euphoria pervading all involved provides that essential element of group cohesion, that being a sense of common purpose. Purity of cause, hopes…
Continue ReadingPunching above our weight
Most of us learned early the cruel reality that life is not fair. Circumstances and boundaries not of our making or choosing often dictate an arbitrary ceiling regarding our expected professional, social and political achievements. Be it tradition, privilege of birth or plain dumb luck, the bar to clear in order to succeed is not…
Continue ReadingCarrying water
Hydration is one of those essentials most living things require for compatibility with life. Wherever an alive and breathing person goes on this spinning rock hurtling through space they must have available an ample amount of that precious element, that diatomic molecule unique to this planet and fundamental to the survival of most of the…
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