Weeping John Boehner, A Sign of Strength and Understanding

Two nights ago they were at it again on O'Reilly, and they are not the only ones doing it: asking the question, why does John Boehner cry so much? Ever since he took office as Speaker of the House, he has been in the spotlight, and many of those times he is shedding tears. The media doesn't seem to understand this, so I believe it is reasonable to fill them in on some of the issues here, to explain this unique behavior.

There are many reasons why someone will weep. After a brain injury of any sort, it is not unusual for a person to have difficulty controlling their emotions. Laughing or crying can occur much more easily than with a "normal" brain, and it is usually obvious to those close to the injured person. Our speaker did play high school football. I don't know the record of his team, or how difficult his schedule was, but it is possible that he received many "hits" to the head during that experience, and lets face it, the helmets were not as effective during those days. Maybe that explains it, but I think the explanation is a bit more personal.

I have had personal experience with these issues, because I have a problem with emotion also, and Speaker Boehner mirrors what I have thought about and personally analyzed about myself for years. Chris Wallace told Bill O'Reilly the other day that when Boehner talks about his family or the American Dream, he will break into tears and they were wondering if that was a sign of "weakness." I almost can't believe the naivete in these prominent television personalities. Don't other persons have this trait? I can't be that unusual.

When I Google "weeping" I get medical explanations which include depression and dementia. I am certain the Democratic opposition to Mr. Boehner would want to elaborate on this one as a cause of his apparent need for handkerchiefs at multiple events. But from personal experience, I don't think that is close to the real reason for these minor "breakdowns."

I have had many experiences when I feel the tears coming up, and my inability to stop them because they interfere with my wishing to address a specific subject. The subjects I am dealing with can be many different topics, but essentially they deal with issues that have deep and significant ramifications relating to serious issues of life and death, love, separation, beauty, friendship, past and future, and life's struggles. I guess, it's issues that deal with the meaningful questions of life that generate deep emotions in myself and Mr. Boehner. I think we both realize the magnitude of these issues and we feel it. I guess there are those who just don't understand.

I recently retired, and when saying goodbye to my coworkers, the deep personal understanding of our years of cooperation, caring, and contribution together made it difficult to talk with them about this without tearing up. It was not a conscious realization of this while I was talking with them, but a deep feeling that arises from inside ones heart and paints the picture of the fullness  of this precious moment in life. Frankly, there are many of these "precious moments" that we all experience in our lives, and some of us just seem to feel them more deeply than others. I believe that welling up of realization of the value of the moment is what Speaker Boehner is feeling which brings forth the tears. As I see it, it can be no other way.

Mr. Boehner is from a large family with eleven children, and I am certain when he thinks about the "American Dream" he understands that he is living it. It is deeply meaningful to him, and strikes that cord of a "precious moment." Taking the gavel of government on the Speakers platform would have been one of those moments for certain. It that weakness? No way. We are fortunate to have such a sensitive human being up there speaking for the people. Will that influence the depth to which he understands his responsibility to the people? Undoubtedly. I think that is a sign of strength, and I congratulate him for his humanity.

I think it is time for the pundits to stop questioning why Our Speaker gets weepy at certain times. I think when they separate themselves from him by admitting that they do not understand why he has "so much trouble controlling his emotions" they are pointing out that they do not  have a sensitivity to the depth of meaning in the many human situations that we find ourselves as we go down the road of life. Mr. John Boehner is showing us how much he understands, and how much he cares. What a special trait to have in one of our leaders.  Aren't we fortunate and thank you Mr. Boehner.

The Rev.Martin Luther King,Jr. Holiday, a Day for All of Us

And so we have arrived at  another Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, and we go to the lectures, movies, and a plethora of events to remember the legacy of Dr. King. This year I have been to two major events in my city of Durham, North Carolina,  and have enjoyed and appreciated the emotion and ideas shared with the other attendees.

The first event, Sunday afternoon was held at the Duke Chapel. It was Duke University's 2011 Service of Celebration, and the speaker was Mr. Randall Robinson. He is an author, law professor, and a tireless leader for social justice. He has been involved in the "Free South Africa Movement" and many international freedom drives including the ending of military rule in Haiti during his 27 day hunger strike. His speech was magnificent, and included many thoughts concerning the lack of credit given to blacks in the writing of history.

For example, he claimed  that the revolt in Haiti in the early 1800s, a French colony, convinced Napoleon that further intervention in the Western Hemisphere was fruitless and eventually contributed to the Louisiana Purchase by the United States. He claimed that a person cannot know himself unless he knows the history of his heritage, and he claims that much of black history has been overlooked.

The second "observance" I attended was the Annual Durham Religious Celebration held at the Kings (no relation to Dr. King) Park International Church on Monday, January 17th. This also had a rousing speaker, Dr. Clifford A. Jones, from Charlotte. He is Senior Minister of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. This evening was filled with inspiring music, and Dr Jones' peppy sermon.

I have gone to these services for multiple years, and I sometimes wonder why. I think I go, to remember history--I lived through all of this struggle--, and to remember the words and efforts of a saint of a man: Dr. King.  A man with commitment, who had a vision of justice, and would not be deterred from his goals. I have read of his fears of assassination, and that his faith in God propelled him to go ahead with his protests in spite of many constant threats to his life. The story of his trip to Memphis, and his prescient speech when he says he "might not get there with you" never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

There was only one problem that I see with both of these events, and I find it every year when I attend. There are few if any white folks who attend. Is this day just a day off from work? Is it a re-hash of old history that we should forget about and move on? Are most people, younger than me, and not interested in this history because they didn't live through it? Do white folks think it doesn't apply to them, and was this history just the black folks battle for civil rights?  I'm not quite certain what are the exact reasons,  but I think that should change.

Dr. King was here for all of us. His message is contained in  words like freedom, respect, love, tolerance, acceptance, hope, faith, peace, justice, and reconciliation. I think these words apply to all of us, and I think he believed that also. This holiday is a chance for all Americans to take a step back, and reevaluate ourselves as we continue to live in our ever changing country.

Almost two hundred and fifty years ago, when we formed this country, I believe America had a divine purpose: to demonstrate to the world that the power of a country comes not from an "ordained" king through birthright, but from the people. We successfully fulfilled that purpose. Today, I believe we have another divine purpose and that is to demonstrate to the world that a nation of diverse people can not only survive, but can thrive and excel.

Because we are such a diverse country, we need a day to think about our differences, and re-focus our attention to support these differences as we build our national strengths. Each of has our good points and our bad, but together we can reinforce each other, and build a stronger nation. Dr. King's message is a message we can all use. I hope in the future we all take the time to listen to it. 

America has selected the best of the world. They don't just walk over a line, and come here. They have the obstacle of leaving a  home, with friends and familiar places, and heading into the unknown: new traditions, language, people, and laws. Because there are obstacles, we attract the best and the strongest to this country.  We who are here now have the opportunity to welcome them into the family of the United States. May God bless the memory of Dr. King, and help us all to live up to what he dreamed of. The celebration of Dr. King's birthday is a day for us all, black, white, brown, red and yellow. We must remember and not forget.

Our New Legal Immigrants

I have only known Carmela for about three years. She works in our operating room as a surgical technician.  Vivacious, pretty, and smart, I have followed her incipient career as she conquers each daunting hurdle. She is determined to succeed, and become a physician's assistant. I have checked on and encouraged her as she finished her college degree, takes the necessary courses for admission to PA school, and this weekend, she gave me the gift of asking me to come to her naturalization ceremony at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Durham, North Carolina.  Carmela is from Italy, or as she says, "I am a Roman."

I went to the ceremony with no particular expectations. I am from Chicago, and have never needed, or been interested in attending one of these ceremonies. As I approached the new two story  brick building just off the freeway in southern Durham, I could see others arriving, and I began to get a feeling for this gathering. Departing from their individual cars, it was apparent that families were coming to witness this swearing in. Three or four diverse looking people would get out of each car, and head towards the silver aluminum double doors of the building.  It was easy to see who was the new citizen candidate in each group, because that person had a slight bounce to their step, and seemed to walk with head up, facing forward with a  bit of pride in their step.

As I entered the crowded lobby there was  an atmosphere of jubilant excitement with  rapid fire talking in many languages.   We were told to line up for the security check. I felt disappointed by this process, because I didn't think these new citizens should have to join the "land of the free" by going through a security checkpoint.  It seemed contradictory to me, but I was older than most of the people there, and I can remember the older, "freer" America.

After I went back to the parking lot to leave my favorite pocket knife in the front seat, I returned to the building, emptied my pockets of numerous items, walked through the metal detector gauntlet, reassembled myself and proceeded into the large meeting room.

The room was crowded. I estimated about 300 people there with the candidates in the front half, and the families in the back. At the front wall of the room stood the American flag, and the flag of the Department of Homeland Security, flanking large aluminum letters spelling out "US Citizenship & Immigration Services."

After we sang the national anthem, the introductory welcome and talk seemed a bit "canned," but kept my interest because it dealt with the interesting question of what makes us Americans. Fortunately, I had at least thought about that during my many travels around the United States.  The best approximation of the answer became that it is our belief in the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States; we are endowed by our Creator with certain rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No one is supposed to tell us what we can do or where we can go. Liberty, the quintessential basis of the American idea. I was starting to get involved in this process now as the Department of Homeland Security had touched on my most cherished belief: individual Liberty.

The movie which followed, Faces of America, was poignant and well done. It was a montage of photos from immigrants of the last hundred years of so, and painted an effective picture of the American melting pot. We looked at children and families in their native dress, the tired, poor, and huddled masses. They really are here aren't they. It made it clear that many had become before this day's group, and it seemed to join all the candidates there to the history of this vigorous nation. It made all of us feel part of the process of building our nation. I even thought of my grandparents coming here from England and Germany in the early 1900s.

This day, the United States gained 62 new citizens from 32 countries. Talk about diversity! As they called our the name of each country, the candidates from there would stand: China, Somalia, Germany, Guinea, Libya, Russia, Italy--Carmela stood up, happy and proud-- Poland, Columbia, , Nicaragua, Costa Rica, it seemed to go on and on.  The young man from Venezuela, in the US military uniform was given special recognition as he stood up,"he has pledged to give his life for his new country." He deserved that recognition.

It was now time for the Field Office Director to administer the Oath, and while these almost citizens jumped across our national  threshold and became American citizens ,they promised to renounce fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, or state that they had previously been a subject or citizen; to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America; to bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law; to perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law; to perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law. They stated that they were taking this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. "So help me God." What a jubilant moment, as the room exploded with applause!

The ceremony then drew to a close with a short film of Barack Obama welcoming all the new citizens, a recorded singing of God Bless America, by Lee Greenwood with a background film of the many special sites across the United States, and some closing remarks and advice to the new citizens not to keep their citizenship filed away in a drawer, but to use it and participate by getting involved here and most important, to vote.

Overall, it was a great day. It was a great day for Carmela, and for me. I had a chance to think about America, and experience our current history as we continue to build this great nation. I  thought about the many cultures and countries that come here because of the promise of liberty, and a better future. I had the chance to see America's  future in the 32 countries represented in this ceremony, and to feel the excitement in the courageous individuals who left their home to build a better life. In the words of Lee Greenwood's song I was "proud to be an American" this day. I think that is good feeling, and I wish others would take the two hours time it takes to go to one of these ceremonies to experience this joy. E Pluribus Unum, hallelujah, hallelujah!

Lawyering Up May Impede Progress in Arizona Massacre

I think we have heard about enough from the Tucson massacre. All the finger pointing should stop now with the emergence of the reality that the shooter was not very political, didn't vote in the last election, and was seriously mentally ill. So Sarah Palin did not cause this, no way, no how. But I worry that as we delve more deeply into this tragedy we are likely to run into further obstacles that may impede our progress in preventing other incidents of this magnitude.

Who might have known enough to do something that might have prevented this? Did his parents see anything that might have tipped the scales of suspicion enough to have him committed? What is that story about his father chasing him the morning of the incident and that he was carrying a black bag? And how about Pima Community College and all the incidents? I have heard a classmate admit that she "sat near the door so she could get away if he did something." What about the letter that the College sent that he could not return to school until documentation was sent from a "health professional that he does not present a danger to himself or others." Apparently, according to the Wall Street Journal, he had five run-ins with the campus police between February and September of 2010.

Apparently, statements, the College acted in accordance with what other similar institutions would do. Now that rings a bell. It begins to sound like medical malpractice standards. In medical suits it is not unusual for the accused doctor to plead that he did what a similarly trained physician would do under similar circumstances.

Not being there, or knowing the details of the self-examination of the individuals involved in this affair, I can bet you that they are "lawyering-up" as they face public scrutiny.

With all due respect, are we ever going to find out the truth from his parents, and discover what they actually knew or what their suspicions were about their son's behavior? I don't think so. And Pima Community College, or even the Sheriff's office probably won't get into the nitty-gritty either. Frankly, there was too much "damage" done on that Saturday morning, and unless one is willing to pay big dollars to amend one's "wrong" it is probably "legally" best to just shut up! That's the reason no one says, "we should have seen this coming, and done something more."

I'm not wanting to place blame, I'm just raising the point that we need openness here to help us move forward with preventing-probably impossible- or lessening the risk of future catastrophes of this sort. Understanding and evaluating more barometers of borderline behavior and our responses to it may help guide others in the future. Would the Fort Hood debacle have been prevented if we had those bench marks? I don't know, but revealing those details will now probably be buried by the protective activities of the legal profession. The lawyers are just doing their job.

What could we all learn if the military had been more open about Fort Hood and the activities of Nadal Malik Hasan before he killed all those innocent people. I don't know, but I do understand that CYA if a powerful force in the obfuscation of information.

We live in an "open" and free society, and I believe this is gift from our forefathers. I wouldn't have it any other way. We have to live with these risks because of these rights, and I believe open analysis might help us be more secure with these unalienable gifts.

Photos of Our Recent Snow Storm

A recent snow storm gave us beauty on our area of North Carolina. Wanted you all to see them. A bit more relaxing than many of the subjects I write about.

Ted Williams, The Golden Voice a Comment on Our Times

The man in the news recently, Ted Williams, the "golden voice," homeless, and discovered standing on the street near Columbus, Ohio, panhandling, is the big story these past couple of  weeks. Forget the new Congress, or where is Lindsay Lohan, or what is Brett Favre going to do next-any more photos Brett?
No Ted is the story.

There is a little in each of us that wishes some miracle, out of the blue, would happen-maybe the lottery- that would propel us into what we imagine would be a new and better level. But that is not the big story here, and I think we should say it.

The big story is technology. With the annual technology show just ending it's appropriate that we take a few seconds (not enough time with all the technology to play with) and reflect on what this story means.

I was at a lecture a year ago where the speaker was talking about  technology and how it causes revolutions in world history.  He first mentioned the printing press. It had a lot to do with the reformation, and upset the entire structure of the dominant Roman Catholic Church of the day. I don't think he mentioned gun powder, but that also changed a lot of history. Then we could bring in the invention of iron, or the use of the horse as a weapon. We could go on.

But the technology of today, specifically, the cameras the Internet the iPhone have brought us all together much more easily that in the past. I think the news has showered us with all the tragedies around the world, that seem to make it too difficult to go outside sometimes because of fear it could happen to us. It takes time for our primitive brains to catch up with the experiences that technology places before us. The Apollo astronauts had numerous psychological problems when they returned from the moon visits, and they were the best we could come up with to make that journey. We are in a new and challenging environment.

But the real story of Ted Williams is the technology and how it can and did instantaneously change his life. That is also difficult to comprehend. But these changes are not always for the good, however. People put terribly foolish things about themselves on the web, and they will never be able to live them down (hopefully not this short piece.)

Our technology is a powerful force, and we are just beginning to see its influence in our time. Will China be able to control the forces of communication as its citizens  peek at the ideas of the entire world? Will Islam be able to continue to control the women subject to male domination in their societies? Will the terrorists be able to continue with their ruthless killing of innocents as their heinous acts are exposed on the Internet?  Only time will tell us. Stay tuned.

TSA and "Death Panels," What They Have in Common

 In a recent CNN interview, Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, inferred that the "pat downs" are not going away soon, and "we better get used to them." We have definitely moved into a new phase in the security business, and I think we need to speculate on the potential effects on basic American culture. Sure, we need more security because it's getting more dangerous to fly with the terrorists making more and different bombs, but I would like to take this problem one step further. In order to reach this level of security, we are having to submit ourselves to invasive personal scrutiny at multiple levels. I must admit, I feel safer when they probe everyone, but I don't like it when it's done to me.

In a sense, they are forcing us to be "dehumanized." We are being forced to become digits, and that is the antithesis of the American way. Americans are supposed to be rugged individualists. We believe in the rights of the individual. Those rights are "endowed by our creator" and therefore can't be taken away. Isn't that what unalienable means?  Americans aren't meant to wait in line, and shut up!  The value of our personal autonomy is rooted deeply in American culture. Unfortunately, that's not what I see in our future, and I worry about changes in that culture.

Being dehumanized, and treated like a number is where we are certainly headed, and the TSA is child's play compared to what lies ahead. Not many columnists are writing about it, but health care is going to be the real changer. Right now we have "patient autonomy" and "patient rights" that pretty much allows each of us to demand all the treatment we can get. That is going to change in the future. No, I'm not talking about "death panels," because there is no such thing.  What I am talking about is the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.

This agency was funded under H.R. 1 the Recovery and Reinvestment Act: the Stimulus Bill. It gave $1.1 billion dollars to begin this work. It consists of 15 individuals who are highly qualified with PhD, M.D., J.D., M.P.H. and RN degrees (many multiple degrees), who are going to use research to decide what can or will be done if it is efficient and "cost effective."

The genesis of this idea is contained in Tom Daschle's 2008 book, Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis.  Among his major ideas was to create an "independent" board which can "exert tremendous influence on every other provider and payer, even those in the private sector." That, I believe, is the intention of this agency. It is going to make determinations about what is "reasonable" and what is "effective" and probably "not too costly."

Now don't misunderstand me. We need something like this. We spend millions on useless procedures and treatments, because, as Americans, we have a right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The tide is turning, and our individual pursuit of life is interfering with others pursuit of happiness because it costs too much. Changing this misappropriation of funds is now a priority.

The connection with TSA is that we will most likely reach a point in our aging that we will be made to feel like a digit. Only this time it will be more a question of life and death. The old thought of American individual rights will be trumped by the welfare of others because they can't afford to pay for our pursuit of life at any price. I hate to say it, but it just seems reasonable.

What concerns me beyond this interference with our medical care freedoms, is will this infringement on our personal autonomy begin to change our views of the "rugged individual American." We just can't have everything, and will we stop striving for "everything" the way we are supposed to as we work towards the elusive "American Dream." I worry that training us to wait in line to be searched, and wait in line for medical care that someone "in charge" might say we are not worthy of, will stifle  our American Spirit and respect for individual rights. If that occurs it is more serious than any conceivable death panel might be.