About Egypt Response to Danny. Part 2

If you look at history there is telling evidence about the reasons that people rise up and attempt to change their governments or stations in life. In the 1960's in this country, the race riots were as much about hopelessness then about civil rights. Dr. King preached non-violent methods, however the boiling point was reached because of joblessness and lack of monetary freedom. When governments are oppressive, but the standard of living is good for all people there is no unrest or civil discord. Again I am not talking about socialism, I am saying the playing field of life has to be level. Look at education. Why is it, that in wealthier neighborhoods, the schools are less crowded, have safer conditions and better technology then poorer schools? I am going to give you an analogy that, you as a former baseball player, might find interesting. I cannot take credit for this. Bill Maher on his show made this point and I thought it was great. Look at the difference between baseball and football. In baseball the New York Yankees have a payroll of 200 million dollars. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a payroll of 40 Million dollars. The Yankees contend every year and in some years win the World Series. The Pirates have not been over .500 for 15 years. A small market team starts off with a disadvantage because they do not have the funds to compete. To be continued. 

About Egypt Response to Danny. Part 1

You know Danny, just yesterday evening before you responded back, I told Jessica I had not heard from you, but was sure something I said would get me a response soon. Thanks for not letting me down. O.K. lets get to it. In Egypt, just like in so many countries in our current world and in history, there are uprisings and they are not caused primarily by oppressive governments. The one thread that you seem to miss is the hopelessness that people feel. We all want to see our families have an opportunity to improve their social status. That is accomplished through, number one, education. Number two, an equal and level playing field of life. The importance of education is apparent. The level playing field is where the frustration can boil over. You make the assumption that everyone starts out at the same level. That is the fallacy in your theory. We all do not start at the same level. If you are wealthy, doors are automatically opened. Whether we are looking at education, health, nutrition or the starting of a job, if you have the money you are well ahead of everyone else. The middle class and the poor have a much smaller chance to advance then the wealthy, only because greed corrupts and the power that the wealthy derive from that wealth keeps the lower classes in their place. The role of government is to help level that playing field. The problem is that the wealthiest people in any culture are able to control the government and become repressive. To be continued.

Response to MBK International (The Troops) Part 2

A lot of our enlisted soldiers have college also. I am aware that the a disproportionately high number of our troops are from areas with higher poverty rates. I wish this were not true, but it is. The idea that they are fighting for the "rich, fat cats" , does not escape me either. This however is the separation from the troops and our leaders. I do not agree with these wars and some of the other wars the United States has entered into. You ask what does supporting our troops mean. It means that we pray for them, which you stated. We give them the best equipment to fulfil their missions and to hopefully protect them. It means we do our part at home to influence our leaders to end these senseless wars and try to keep them from getting us into another one. It means we give them the best medical and psychological treatments that we can and for life if necessary. It means that we ensure that their families, that are left behind while they are on assignments, are given good housing, medical and pay to keep them going. In short anything and everything that they need for them and their families. There are other areas I disagree with you on, but I would like to end now with this. Today at Sea World a man came in with his family, I asked for ID. When he showed me his military ID, I thanked him for his service. His response to me was. "It is may honor and privilege to serve." That is why I call them the, "best and brightest" because they are. Period. Remember that each time you think of your blanket of safety and freedom, they provide. 

Response to MBK International (The Troops)

I have to admit this is a new one for me. Even at my age. You are the first person I have ever talked to that stated they did not support our troops. I am not sure if we are looking at semantics or you really don't lend the men and women, who defend our nation, your unequivocal support. Several statements you made I take exception with. Number one you seem to be confused with the idea of separating the actual person from the military and civilian leaders. Our service members are not robots and you even make the case in your fifth sentence. You stated that, "you have lots of friends that have been going back and forth to Iraq and Afghanistan and they are changed for life." Robots would not be changed for life. Our soldiers are human beings that have a higher meaning of the word service. You contradict my saying they are the," best and brightest." What you fail to understand, when I call them that, is they are that, because they chose something with more meaning and passion then themselves. They put the interest of their country and most importantly their brother beside them before themselves. You are looking at the literal meaning and I am looking at the individual as a whole and what they represent. You talk as if they are mindless, and even if some do become mindless killers, most prefer to do the job before them and then return to their families.  You say that there are more intelligent people, more physical people and more equipped people, what ever that means. There will always be people that are better at some areas, but my question is if they are better, then why are they not out standing on that wall to help protect us? Some of our officers have attended the military academies, which I am sure you know are very hard to be accepted to let alone to graduate. To be continued.

Egyptian Unrest. What can we learn.

At first look the Egyptian riots and civil unrest, is a nation whose people thirst to drink the water of freedom. We in America know the quenching drink that freedom can be. However if we look at Egypt more closely, we will notice that the unrest comes from a population that has seen their standard of living drop precipitously. The rich under a corrupt government has widened the gap between the wealthy and the poor. The rioters are middle class, poor, conservative, student and the population that has lost hope that they will be able to work hard and enjoy the fruit of that labor, by improving their status and incomes. The wealthy elite led by Egyptian president Hosni Mubararak have been corrupt for thirty years. The people could not turn any where for relief. This is the proverbial, back someone into a corner and prepare for them to come out fighting. I do not know what the outcome for Egypt will be, but I do know that a lesson should be had for America. We are experiencing high unemployment. We feel as if the government is controlled by big business. The people we elect turn a deaf ear to the average citizen, no matter which party is in control. Now more the ever it is important that we take the time to let those, who were sent to Washington to serve us, we are the people and we will be heard. Our nation's leaders must hear us and help. The alternative could be devastating.

Extraordinary People

I want to spend a few minutes of your time to recruit you to become an extraordinary person. What does this take to achieve? How much time do you have to commit to? I also know you believe that you are too busy with everyday life to commit to anything else. What if all I want you to do is spend a few minutes each and everyday to make life's, of the people you care about most, better?  Folks to you this may seem like the same types of blog or Face book posting that we look at many time every day. Well, guess what, it is not. This is an opportunity to express your opinion and share ways to make the world around us better. Think about the amount of time you spend on Face book or some other social media network just having fun. There is nothing wrong with some down time to relax and veg out. What I am asking people to do is take a few minutes everyday to help move forward social and political issues that are of concern to you and the people you love. The people who have commented on this blog so far have shown that they have an interest in something bigger then their selves. Marines, Danny and Jessica have been big contributors with issues that does not even affect them directly, but they understand that we all have a vested interest in moving our country ahead. So far I have had over one thousand hits, including views from four foreign countries. I want more, but most importantly I want more involvement. Look around you and see what is important to you. Take that few minutes and learn and express yourselves. You have nothing to loose but a few minutes and everything to gain. Become involved. Hope to hear from all of you soon. Remember, " Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

More to come.

Sorry I have been under the weather the last couple of days. I will be going to work shortly, however either tonight or tommorow, I will resume my talks on education, discuss the State of the Union Address and talk about the effects of people such as Sarah Palin and Michelle Bauchman. Talk to you soon. John.