Of Politics - a personal view

Post date: May 30, 2020 12:17:44 AM

Do I dare make this post?

Some of you may be curious by this question, others may cringe...

Recent events along with the multitude of events that have spanned my lifetime, and preceded my life time, have shaped my views. I grew up in California, Silicon Valley to be more precise, which in the 80's & 90's had a reputation for implementing some progressive ideas. I have lived for the past 16 years in Northeastern Pennsylvania which has a more conservative reputation.

One clear example that comes to mind is the concern with second hand smoke. In 1995, California was the first state to enact a statewide ban of smoking in public places. There were other bans prior to that, such as smoking in grocery stores. But for the last 9 years I lived there, I did not have to worry about dealing with smoking in public places. I was caught very off-guard the first time I went to a restaurant in Pennsylvania and discovered people smoking in the restaurant. It made going out to eat challenging until Pennsylvania had put in its state-wide ban in 2008.

This post really isn't about anti-smoking, but this issue is an example. Each adult should be able to decide if they wish to smoke or drink within the confines of the laws that apply to such activities. I also should be able to not be subjected to activities that I consider a risk to my personal health. This is part of what this post is about. We all have our personal health concerns, some put more importance on specific risks than others. When you get to a situation like the pandemic we are experiencing, we should respect each and every life by taking simple precautions to flatten the curve.

At this point to many the volume of positive cases and deaths is a number. It is easy to get numb to the numbers. We've been numb to the numbers in the past. Millions of people who died in the holocaust, countless numbers lost to the Black Death. It is like trying to see a tree through a forest. When do we see that individual tree, that individual person?

I shall name one person, a tree in the forest of deaths as the result of COVID-19. Her name was Barb Peters. It was not long after I moved to Pennsylvania that I first met Barb. She became a grandmother to my sons as her daughter, Lindsay Peters Baldassano, is their stepmother. She had just returned from a vacation to Ireland, and unknowingly contracted COVID-19 as she returned. It was a week from the first symptoms until the virus took her life. Her husband, daughter and the rest of the family are all well, although still in grief. She was one of the first in the county to die from this terrible disease. Now we have lost over 100,000 souls in this country alone, someone's parent, someone's partner, someone's child. Each have left some hole in the lives of those around them.

I recall another memory, one of my youth. I was in history class and we had a guest speaker, a lady of venerable years. She was a holocaust survivor, and she shared her story. I regret that I do not remember her name, but her story was unimaginable. Yet we know the truth of those who survived, the stories of those that perished. She was persecuted for the simple reason of being a Jew, having never given cause to give harm to another.

In more recent memory, while doing some research on my family history, I saw two names side by side, a husband and a wife. The names themselves were not remarkable, the names have been used in many generations of my family history. What was remarkable was the date of their death, the same exact date. That caused me to pause to do a little more digging... cause of death? The Black Plague.

COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic this world sees, but we have the ability and knowledge to minimize and manage pandemics, if actions are taken swiftly and stringently. This did not happen. The choice before us is to be part of the solution or part of the problem. I choose to be part of the solution, and would not have the guilt of the lost of a single life due to inaction or self-centered behaviors.

Another memory comes to mind, again of my youth in California. A girl from a southern state moved into the area and started at my high school. I was shy, but I wanted to say "Hello" and try to make a new friend. It didn't even enter my mind that I should treat her differently than anyone else. I was raised in an ethnically diverse neighborhood. She was black and her eyes went very wide when I came up to her to say "Hello" and introduce myself. She was always standoffish towards me. I didn't understand it then, and honestly thought it was that I wasn't good at making friends. I had no way of comprehending the fears that might have been going on through her mind at that moment.

I didn't have many friends when I was a kid. There was a girl a couple of doors down who had some serious medical issues, and went to a private school. Other than that, the handful of kids I hanged around with were all nerds, like me. Even then I felt like I was an outcast in that group, but they seemed to tolerate me.

I was born a year after the Watts Riots, and the major conflicts of the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. King happened before I was born, or just no more than a toddler. The first big news items that I can recall, aside from the bicentennial, were the Iran Hostage Crisis, the excitement leading up to the first Space Shuttle launch, and the warnings leading to the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. I didn't pay much attention to the news as a kid, that was the boring stuff that "Mom" watched on TV after dinner.

When the riots erupted in Los Angeles in 1992, I was really taken by surprise. I never heard of the Watts riot until then, by then it had been nearly 3 decades. I was completely naive about the continued suffering of people in this country... my country. A country that I was taught was to protect everyone, the great melting pot of the world. In my heart I still want to desperately believe that this is the place I live. For those small communities I am involved in, this is the reality. But time and time again I'm shown the harsh truth of the cruelty and racism by many of my so called 'fellow Americans'.

A great and gracious lady was deeply criticized for stating "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country." For those that recognize that quote, it was said by Michelle Obama in 2008. Again my naivety didn't understand the criticism nor the comment. But as a 'Black' person in this country and the continued fear that has been part of their lives from the day they were born, nay conceived, I can appreciate why she felt that way.

For me though, the opposite has become true. I am embarrassed to be an American, but I still love my country. I send my prayers along with my mothers, who 4 years ago stood at the podium in the United Nations and privately sent a prayer of hope for the world. Unfortunately, there will always be nasty, self-centered people in this world. These people are not fit to have any leadership position at any level of government.

I am a moderate in my political views. I think that programs should be in place that underpin the social contract. I also think that these programs should be efficient and that government spending at all levels should be well controlled and reward cost saving measures. In nearly every election that I have voted in I attempt to inform myself about the candidates, about the position they are running for, and vote on who I think is best qualified for the job.

A moderate political point of view is not a mediocre political point of view. My friends span the spectrum from those that are strongly socially liberal, to those that are strongly fiscally conservative. What is not surprising is that on most of these issues, these friends of mine with such diverse political views, agree on what most of the issues are. Some of my friends have a very narrow view of what should be done on the Federal level based on the Constitution, others a much broader view. There are solutions that can be both socially liberal and fiscally conservative and have proven to work in other countries. There is no need to reinvent the wheel!

More importantly, there is no place for hatred, racist or self-centered behavior that puts a single life at risk in any leadership position in this country, nay the world. History has shown time and time again that no civilization survives when such behavior exists. Empires topple if they are not wise enough to change their behaviors. The Constitution was written in a way that it can adapt to change. The Constitution was changed over 50 years ago to ensure the protection of the rights of the people of this country. We, as a country, have failed to uphold that most dearest of social contracts. If a thing does not change, it dies. Let this country truly become the melting pot it was promised to be, but I weep for what it is.

I weep for George Floyd. I weep for Ahmaud Arbery, I weep for Breonna Taylor. I weep for Trayvon Martin. I weep for all who live in fear because of the color of their skin, or the faith they follow.

My family is a mixed race family. All the children are loved with out bounds in our family. Each one of them is recognized and cherished for the unique individual that they are. And each of them is given the hope that they can achieve the dreams they pursuit and will have our support that is within our means to help make those dreams come true..

I pray that my darling Skyler does not know a day of fear in the years to come. He is strong, willful, intelligent and beautiful. He has the blood of some of the greatest heroes of history running through his veins. He also has the blood of countless unsung heroes also running through his veins. He is our future, and we need to make this country right for him and all the children. May the only tears I shed for Skyler be tears of joy.