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Throughout history, despite what it confronted, America has had leaders emerge whose words and actions helped shape its identity and its voice.

How would you characterize America’s identity today?

Where is America’s voice?

At critical points in the history of this country, it has, more often than not, been resoundingly clear. But, today, it is garbled at best.

Our identity has become so muddled during the first two decades of this century that it likely depends on who you ask.

While one or more leaders may help define America’s identity and voice, clarify it, and epitomize it with their actions, the identity itself goes beyond a personality, beyond the vocalization of precepts and principles or specific initiatives.

A nation’s identity has presence and power. It characterizes ages, codifies eras, creates the culture, and more often than not, foretells the nature of a future society.

We have only to recall a few critical periods in America’s history and the personalities that led us through them — from the Declaration of Independence to the end of the Cold War — to be poignantly, and sometimes painfully, reminded of the great void that exists today.

As the 21^st Century unfolds, what is America’s current identity, her voice? If you are able to discern it, what does it say about where we are headed domestically or globally?

Admittedly, there may not have always been agreement with the policies or way of life that came about as a result of a course America took, but, at least, historical accounts show that contemporaneous Americans had a better sense and understanding of the rallying cries, and the shared beliefs in which they were grounded.

We only have to recall and revisit critical periods in American history.

Through the work and words of the founding fathers and the framers of the Constitution — John Adams, Thomas Paine, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others —America gained its identity and voice that determined its course through the end of the 18^th century, and it was clear.

Throughout the 19^th century, America’s identity and voice defined the ages from the establishment of institution of slavery to the Civil War that ended it. And the Jim Crow era that began after that war and lingered into the 20^th century until the Civil Rights Movement that fought to end it.

America’s identity during these critical periods in its history was represented by many. Abe Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Strum Thurmond, Lester Maddox, George Wallace,  Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., to name a few.

America roared in the twenties, crashed economically in the early thirties, and joined the war, World War II, to defeat Hitler and Nazi Germany in the forties. And we lived and breathed the Cold War and its remnants for the next nearly fifty years.

We all know these seminal historical events and the leaders that brought us through them: Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Ronald Regan.

During any of these periods, America’s identity, her voice was discernible if not always strong. The times seem more definable, the direction clearer, even while we lived through them.

It seems a greater sense of American purpose and culture was passed on from one generation to the next back then. It was inculcated in almost every aspect of our lives, from lively debate around the dinner table, the town square, to the classrooms.

Today, through technology, we have the ability to be connected 24/7 and have access to information, policymakers, and can participate in our government and political processes at whatever level we choose.

We are able to help define America’s identity and voice unlike any other period in our history. But are we?

When we look at the state of American politics today, where are the political and philosophical giants that represent America’s identity, her voice?

They are sorely missing.

It is evident with the current political, social and economic divisiveness and discordance as exemplified by the vitriol that dominate public discourse in areas that have traditionally defined America’s identity: how immigrants are regarded and treated; the centrality of inalienable rights for all; the preeminence of the rule of law — to name a few.

What has happened to America being identified as a nation of immigrants? Afterall, America was and continues to be built by immigrants.

What about the apparent retreat or denial of the inalienable rights “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” when it comes to women? Women seem to be losing rights that they have fought to gain. Too many citizens continually face obstacles in exercising their  right to cast a vote and exercise other rights.

That is just a snapshot of what is happening on the home front.

During the last decade, we have also watched the perception of America’s identity change on the world stage, based on the leadership or lack thereof, and the how domestic and global issues have been dealt with or failed to be dealt with.

Whether those issues involve the Ukraine war, the Middle East conflict, our role in the NATO Alliance, relationship with Russia, China, Climate Accord, nuclear disarmament, to name a few.

How does the current state of American politics and policies help clarify its identity and voice?

What is it saying to us here at home? What is the message conveyed abroad?

How would you define this present age? Who are the leaders that will help America reclaim its identity, find its voice?

We need not wait for historians to define it, to characterize and make sense of it at some future date.

We can help shape it now, if we dare.

Or we sit idly by and watch as we stumble into the future.

Even worse when a volume — “When America Lost Its Way”— is included in the annals of history.

(Chris McGrath/Getty Images).

As both the internet and social media continue to be among the primary sources of information for a large percentage of the population, our news media must assume responsibility and perform more boldly and consistently the role of fact checker and truth-teller.

A recent survey reveals that no single media outlet singularly gains or maintains the public’s attention or trust. That should be cause for grave concern, a clarion call to the news media to self-assess, seize the opportunity to change and improve its role.

Reporting truth and facts should rule the day.

Yes, the public is entitled to know what is occurring no matter where it measures on the true or false spectrum. But should the press report lies, disinformation, misinformation or propaganda without making these distinctions clear to their readers and listeners?

A disclaimer should precede some reportage.

Imagine such a disclaimer: “We are reporting this statement or incident that occurred, but we have investigated and know the content(s) and claim(s) to be false and misleading.”

Wouldn’t the listener or viewer receive the information with a more accurate frame of reference?

There are news analysts and columnists to help us better understand and see different perspectives on what is being reported — true or false. Readers and listeners are free to consult them at will.

Freedom of the press has always played a critical role in sustaining and maintaining a healthy and strong democracy. The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees that the government cannot control or censor what the press reports.

But more and more, the public is questioning how well the press is carrying out its intended role, asking whether the media can be trusted.

The current state of the news media — justified or not — is causing a growing segment of the public to ask whether they can believe or rely on anything they consume from many news outlets on a daily basis.

We can acknowledge the challenges a news outlet faces in assuming and focusing on a bolder and more primary role of reporting verified facts and truths.

The first could be the staffing and access to resources required to carry out such a role.

The press, as an industry, also needs to re-evaluate its role in light of the growing influence of social media platforms — where content often goes unregulated and unfact-checked, but nonetheless reaches a vast and varied audience.

Congress is beginning to examine the influence of social media on children and youth, and is proposing restrictions on how they will be able to operate.

That is good. But is it enough?

Social media platforms, like the press, must devote time and resources to screen, clarify and debunk lies and avoid whole-cloth fiction that is promulgated.

We only have to look at examples of what can happen when reported lies, conspiracy theories, and misinformation goes viral, taking on a life of their own.

The fabricated report that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, are eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs is just the latest example of social media and the press needing to make some serious changes.

While the person who posted the lie on social media took it down and apologized, many news outlets continued to give it prominent space as major voices — Donald Trump and J.D. Vance — continued to perpetuate the claim that lacked any factual evidence.

Some media outlets made attempts to challenge or disavow the false claim. Others did not bother or did so tepidly.

What is the public to do?

Look at all the threats, fear, divisiveness and disruptions the lie and perpetuation of the lie by influential voices have wrought for the city of Springfield and its residents.

The effects will likely be felt for some time to come, if not remain in the memory of many residents, and their children, forever.

It may have begun on social media, but the major news media kept it going.

In addition to the impact of social media, there is the subliminal, overt and ever-present pressure to compete for broader audience appeal and higher ratings especially when it comes to television news.

But neither should be the primary goal.

Many news outlets have resorted to primarily reporting on the most dramatic — often and usually the most negative and destructive event of the day: the latest in wars, crime, scandals, and of course weather events, sports and entertainment.

What about all the good, the steady less dramatic things that occur that really keep the majority aspects of our lives functioning and moving forward?

Would ratings drop if news reporting began to devote a good percentage of its regular reportage on a daily basis to those areas that impact the quality of life for all of us?

There are so many areas.

If covered factually and on an ongoing basis, the news reportage would naturally include the whole story — the good, the bad, the dramatic.

A recent study shows some strategies news media can take to regain and improve public trust.

We, the public, also have a role to play in helping the media.

We must become less addicted, less of a junkie, for the latest drama, the latest bad news, reacting before confirming that what we are hearing or seeing has a modicum of facts or truth.

There are enough avenues and options at our fingertips to be entertained.

We, the public, must take the time to become more discerning, more discriminating as consumers of information — consulting different and varied sources for news. We must do our research, rather than being unwitting and gullible believers or followers.

Moving forward, will the press be willing to assume this much needed and most critical role — boldly and consistently — of being the gatherer and disseminator of facts and truths?

It is of no less critical importance today in ensuring our democracy stands.

Even more so.

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The political drama of this election cycle has had scenes and dialogue that were downright ridiculous or refreshingly unbelievable, but don’t be cajoled or fouled.

What we are witnessing is not entertainment.

This is history unfolding before our very eyes, and we have the most central and critical role to play.

We are familiar with the storylines. We can now focus on the major characters. And the grand finale of the one playing out requires audience participation.

Contrary to what we might think, we, the people, have the starring role.

On the national stage, we have a drama defined by its historic significance.

In one ending, the United States could have its first woman president, who happens to be a woman of color, Kamala Harris, who has been an elected official throughout her career, first as a district attorney, state’s attorney, U. S. Senator and who is currently the first female Vice President.

Alternatively, history could be made with the election of a non-consecutive two-term president, Donald Trump, who has defied every political norm, has been twice impeached (during his first term),  recently became a 34-count convicted felon, and is charged with 54 additional counts in three other pending criminal cases.

The rousing opening acts on the national stage, the Republican and Democratic conventions, are over.

What will happen in the ensuing acts during campaign stops and the debates will be anybody’s guess. One thing is certain. By the time you think you can predict what will occur, the unpredictable happens.

But how this drama ends need not depend on happenstance or unpredictability.

We can determine how it ends if we are willing to join the cast and play our critical role.

The best ending could be squandered if we remain in our seats and prefer to be spectators and bystanders, content to tune in at will and just watch the acts rather than play an active role in them.

The drama will have an ending whether we participate or not.

Most important, the ending will have a definite impact on the course of this nation and, therefore, on our lives whether we like it or not.

There is a lot at stake.

How this drama ends will determine whether our Constitution remains a legitimate governing document.

Whether economic policies and decisions will benefit all Americans or just a few and big business.

Whether there is access to needed health care services for all, including reproductive health care for women.

What about whether there will be an opportunity to reform the Supreme Court and restore the people’s faith and belief that it is the last and ultimate recourse for laws to be upheld and citizens can receive justice without the influence of arbitrary partisan politics?

When it comes to reducing crime and implementing gun safety measures, what would you like to see? The usual punitive, arcane, minimalist approach, or one that would include being proactive and implementing prevention and rehabilitation solutions?

Then there is the decades-old issue of illegal immigrants crossing our borders. Would you like to see an immigration reform bill finally pass so that issue will stop being a proverbial partisan whipping boy in a hypocritical blame game?

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris and their cast of characters in the coming days and weeks will give us a good idea of how these policy areas will unfold and what life in America will be like when one or the other becomes president of the United States.

In preparation for our climatic role, we need to play close attention, cut through all the melodrama, fake costumes and superfluous flourishes — which will include blatant lies, misinformation, disinformation, exaggeration of records — and determine the facts and take-aways to have the best ending performance.

A similar drama is playing out in the local political theater.

Missouri will be electing a U.S Senator, either retaining incumbent Josh Hawley or replacing him with challenger Lucas Kunce. There will be a new governor, lieutenant governor, Secretary of State, as well as members of the legislature. We could also have a new attorney general and state treasurer.

Just as on the national stage, it is important that we really know what the main characters stand for, the policies they support, and the new ones they are proposing.

Much of the narrative and characters in Missouri mirror those on the national stage: the Missouri Constitution; abortion ban and access to reproductive care; gun safety measures; immigration; and there are many others that hit closer home like effectively administering Medicaid services to the most needy among us.

As in the national drama, it is incumbent on us to know those characters vying for the critical positions in our state, and what they are all about.

We still can’t be just spectators in the audience.

After the national and local drama end, we cannot assume that we can leave the political theatres and will be able to go back to business as usual, that there will be no major changes in our lives.

So, why would any of us take the chance to just watch, sit back and not accept our role in what will be the most historically important performance in our lifetime?

We, the people, are the most important characters in this drama. Will we have given it our best award-winning performance when the curtains close on Nov. 5?

The greatest reward — the future direction of our nation and state — is dependent on it.

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No state is an island. No state will survive, let alone thrive, without a winning America.

Missouri’s welfare and America’s are inextricably tied.

To answer the question of what kind of America you want is also to answer what kind of Missouri you want.

If we do not see the connections, we are running the risk of losing focus on what is really at stake.

In what direction is Missouri headed? In what direction is America headed?

At the national level, we are bombarded by what is occurring, beginning with developments in the presidential campaign that include Joe Biden, presenting with signs of decline that comes with aging, choosing not to seek re-election, while Donald Trump is staying the course.

Whether you feel energized or disillusioned, even fearful, by these historic and unchartered political processes we find ourselves in, the most detrimental thing that could happen is losing sight of what outcomes will be in the best interest of Missouri and America.

With less than 100 days remaining, we suddenly find ourselves in a very different presidential campaign on so many historic fronts. Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump.

If you are unaware of the positions and proposed policies of both of these candidates, there is no excuse. You can no longer afford not to research their histories and find out who they are and what they are about. You can begin here: Harris vs. Trump.

In the coming weeks, we will have many opportunities to witness the words and actions of both candidates as they vie for the most important elected office in this country, if not indeed the world.

The real question is: Are we, the people, clear about what is at stake — the prize — which is selecting who is most qualified to govern and achieve what will be in the best interest of America’s future, and by definition in the best interest of Missouri’s future.

In recent years, what has our nation devolved into?

What has become of our state?

Both questions demand a hard look from each of us, and we must honestly answer whether we like what we see.

We have either participated in or watched our nation become more tolerant of extreme views and practices that are undermining and destroying those things that we prided ourselves in — those things that make us be that light, that beacon, on the hill that inspire us to achieve the best in humanity: equal opportunity, equal rights, respect for the rule of law, democratic principles, and decency.

Have we lost, are we losing or willing to forfeit those admirable and honorable things that define us individually and collectively as a nation amid all the negativity in our public discourse?

What about we as Missourians?

Missouri, located in the heart of America and proudly wearing the banner as the Show-Me-State, is and has been a pro-Republican state. Its policy focus has been aligned and reflect the extreme national views espoused by the current Republican Party when it comes to women’s reproductive health, immigration, voting rights, gun safety measures and many others.

As you can see, Missouri elected officials and the legislature have fallen in line with the national Republican agenda on these same issues.

America and Missouri have a representative democracy — we elect people to go to the seat of government to represent our interest and well-being. Can you unequivocally say that your representatives at both the state and national level are fighting for those things that are in the best interest of your family, community and state?

Missouri will have its primary election on August 6, the results of which will determine candidates that will ultimately hold the respective offices.

As we pull the lever for a candidate for national or state offices, we must ask ourselves: Are they committed to pursuing and promoting what is in the best interest of the citizens they represent when it comes to supporting national and state policies and laws?

We not only owe that serious consideration to ourselves, our families but to our fellow citizens and the future of our state and nation.

What are the overriding priorities guiding your attentiveness, active or passive support, and ultimately your vote for the candidates in upcoming elections?

Election results have major consequences, which can change the course of Missouri  and this nation for many years to come.

Are you clear about what prize is at stake? Are you clear about how critical your actions are in determining whether we as a state and nation can win or lose it?

Amid all of the campaign noise — factual and slanted reporting, voices of zealots, extremists and voices of reason — selecting a positive course for the state and the nation is really up to us, taking the time to cut through it all.

In your mind, what is most at risk, what is up for grabs in the upcoming state and national elections?

We must be clear about what we want for our state and nation, and who best embodies that vision and will lead us there.

Future generations and history will judge our choices during these historic and defining times.

Hopefully, we will have met the moment, and they will adjudge our choices as being priceless.

(Ildo Frazao/iStock Images).

We do not yet know the motive of the would-be assassin who attempted to take Donald Trump’s life. We do know that he was, like all of us are, confronted with a constant barrage of words promoting hate and divisiveness at every level of our politics.

Have we created a climate that says violence is an acceptable means to address and redress our political differences?

Whether we will ever know the reason a 20-year-old decided to pick up a rifle to address whatever he was thinking or feeling, it should be a clarion call to us all.

What is the end game to all of these hate-filled and divisive words and actions that have replaced reason, respect and civility as means to settle our political differences?

Too many leaders and people with a microphone and a following seem unable to see that such reckless and inciteful words can ultimately cause harm, injury — even death — not only of policies and ideas, but people.

Will this clarion call albeit from a potential assassin be enough for us to say ENOUGH, not just during the Republican National Convention, but in the coming days and weeks ahead.

Sadly, often we have a short memory of even the most tragic event, remembering it only until the next dramatic incident dominates the news.

We have seen it time and time again with the horrific shootings of school children, unsuspecting shoppers and bystanders simply going about their daily lives. Most of us are stunned and shocked only to return to business as usual.

Can we afford to continue to be dismissive or accepting of acts of violence?

Yes, we are stunned by the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

How tragic it will be if the calls in the aftermath for toning down the political rhetoric and the pleas to focus on policies and not personalities only last for a few days, a couple of weeks.

Would you be surprised if we see a return to all the name calling, hate speech, lies, misinformation, and disinformation spewing from the mouths of candidates seeking to gain our support and get our votes?

We have been tolerant of this toxic political environment for too long.

Can we expect a real and lasting change to come, now?

More importantly, what are our options if after the assassination attempt, political party leaders and candidates are back to incendiary claims and verbal slug fests that have been normalized?

We as the ultimate decision-makers about who will lead us have many options, beginning with calling out such dangerous and detrimental behavior at every opportunity, and refusing to be caught up and persuaded by all the distorted noise.

Also, we can take time to ask and answer honestly some very important questions.

First, what is the candidate’s true character, has he or she shown themselves to be honest, to have high integrity, is selfless and a true public servant?

Second, what are the real reasons they are seeking office, what are their policy proposals, will they be in my best interest, that of my family, my community, my state, my country?

Third, if they have been in office, what is their track record, what policies have they proposed, what actions have they taken that were beneficial to the majority of Americans?

Fourth, how do they regard the principles and laws that set America apart as a democratic republic, do they respect them and are patriotic enough to adhere to them and preserve them?

Fifth, do they have the best view of what role America should assume on the world stage, and what America’s responsibility should be in promoting peace, preserving our planet and humanity?

Answers to these critically important questions exist. It is incumbent upon us to get them.

You may have a host of other questions for which you need answers.

But, through all of the fear, pain, and concern for the toxic political environment that we have tolerated, if not encouraged actively or passively, now we really must focus on what are the short and long-term results and consequences we want for ourselves and our nation.

There is a lot riding on the elections, all of them.

It will matter who becomes president, who we send to Congress as our senators and representatives, who we elect as our governor, state legislators and other local office holders.

If we haven’t been paying attention to what they have been saying and promoting as candidates or office holders, we can no longer afford not to. We will only have ourselves to blame if the worst candidates are elected.

We are very thankful that Donald Trump did not fall victim to an assassin’s bullet.

There are many wild speculative theories and conspiracy theories floating around about why and how this tragic incident happened, and no doubt more will emerge in the coming days and weeks.

But those should not be our focus.

Our focus should be assessing — among those vying for our support and our vote —who is best to lead and serve? Who is best to meet this time in history and the state of humanity that we are in, and who can best pursue those policies to make things better.

What are our responsibilities in getting them elected?

Incidents — good and bad — will come and go in the days and weeks ahead.  Will you be able to put them in their proper perspective, and continue to focus on what is in the best interest of us all?

There is so much riding on our ability to do so.

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Now that we have had the first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, did either exhibit the qualities and competencies to earn your vote?

Electing the best candidate is not up to big money contributors, political parties and partisan talking heads drowning the airways. It is left up to us as Missourians, joining our fellow citizens in other states to earnestly choose the best person to lead America.

Just as important, are you willing to convince others to vote for your candidate of choice?

It is incumbent on each of us to have our list of non-negotiable qualities that we must see in the person for whom we will cast a vote, and ideally work to elect.

Did either Trump or Biden demonstrate any of the qualities you are looking for during the debate?

As veteran operatives on the political stage, both Trump and Biden have a history of policy positions and actions that you need to examine. The debate, regardless of who you think had the best performance, is just a snapshot of what either man is about.

Most of all, we must be or become discerning and informed voters, in perhaps, the most important and consequential presidential election in recent history.

But as we look at the political terrain across Missouri and other states, we also see the importance of electing people who can best work for policies for both our state and national interests.

This has not been more clearly demonstrated as we have observed the bipartisan stalemate in Congress and in state legislatures that have recorded some of the worst productivity records in recent memory.

The current Congress and the last Missouri Legislature are examples.

We elect representatives to work for us on the state and federal level. Yet, too often, little or nothing gets done.

What qualifications do you look for in electing local and state office holders?

There are values and qualifications that all true public servants should demonstrate no matter what elective office they seek.

No matter what level of government, the number one overriding question is: Who and what interests are they working for and representing?

As voters, are we able to distinguish between the connectivity and mutual benefits of passing policies and laws that are good for the issues and problems that impact states and the nation?

There are many such pressing problems. Among them are immigration reform, sensible gun safety measures, women’s reproductive health, voting rights, equitable taxations, and other economic pocketbook issues. There is a myriad of issue areas that have broad implications for the quality of life for population groups across states.

Are we electing office holders with the capacity to discern what those issues are, and able to collaborate and compromise to reach the best solutions?

In good governance, there is no place for extreme views, hardliners, proponents of not only misinformation, but downright lies.

In good governance, how can we be expected to do what is in the best interests of the people and the country when we tolerate and disregard the very laws and institutions under which we are supposed to function and conduct ourselves.

At the end of the day, what will determine whom you vote for president, and other offices up for election in your state, city, or county?

What is on the list of qualifications that you are looking for?

These qualifications are not new or unreasonable. The person elected must, at a minimum, show: a strong desire and commitment to serve; high integrity; knowledge and history of the office they seek; a command of the pressing issues; inclusiveness; a capacity to collaborate; and respectfulness.

It is imperative that we determine which candidates best represent them based on their history and what they are promising to do should they become elected.

In a few days, we will pause to celebrate the birth of this nation. It is a holiday that we, perhaps, have come to take for granted, celebrating with fireworks, parades and patriotic songs.

We are likely to celebrate as usual, ignoring the ill political winds that are swirling all around us — political rancor and divisions in state houses, Congress, and among politically polarizing groups — strong winds that could change much of the principles, institutions, laws and traditions that we will pause to celebrate.

This Fourth of July is a great time to search within our souls to determine if we are willing to stand and be counted.

During the last 248 years as a Republic, we have faced and overcome many challenges. Think about what it is going to take to continue to preserve our way of life — who will be best to continue to lead the efforts to make America better.

Which candidates share your vision for our nation, the county, city, and state in which you live? Will they use their office to make things better, move us forward?

It is up to us to make the right choices for the right reasons when we enter the polling booths for the elections ahead.

What are the non-negotiable qualifications you are looking for?

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Not voting in the presidential primary and general election is tantamount to an act of dereliction of duty, even desertion when it comes to defending and protecting our democratic republic.

At a bare minimum, it certainly can be considered cowardice and laziness.

Offended? We should be.

Being disappointed or disgusted with the candidates seeking our vote — either current or aspiring office holders — is often offered as reasons for not voting.

But are these really valid or legitimate excuses? Would these reasons be acceptable for not carrying out your duties in any position of responsibility that you hold?

This military comparison is quite fitting because America is engaged in a war — a civil war to determine how this country will be governed. Will we remain a country governed by democratic principles and rules of law or authoritarian and dictatorial rules?

Military forces have been, and continue to be engaged, and fighting wars with guns and bombs to determine an answer to that same question.

We as Americans are engaged in a war, albeit in an arena of dangerous words with misinformation and disinformation as weapons of war, waged by those in authority that we should be able to trust.

Our duty as soldiers of democracy is to do our part. That means we should remain engaged, provide support in ways that we can, and act with our vote.

So, what is the difference between being a nonvoter in a democracy and a deserter in the military?

They both represent dereliction of duty.

Also, characterizing it as cowardice and laziness seem especially fitting when we are facing some of the most important and consequential races in recent history.

Failing to vote is cowardice because it shows a lack of courage to take a stand, work, and vote for one party or the other and its candidates.

It is laziness because it shows a lack of energy to invest the time to understand the positions and differences among the choices in order to make an informed decision on election day.

Most polls taken today seek to assess several things about the upcoming presidential election: (1) the preferred candidate; (2) the most important issue; (3) whether the potential voter remains undecided; or (4) determining if they plan to vote at all.

While much attention is being focused on the undecided voters by prospective candidates and political pundits, more focus should be placed on the nonvoter.

Something needs to be done to prick the conscience of the nonvoter. Nonvoters have become comfortable being non-entities — not counted — relying on others to make the decision, often only to become chronic complainers.

There are growing reasons to be alarmed. There was a time when nonvoters would have been too ashamed to admit they did not vote or were not registered. But, today, many claim their non-participation with comfort and ease.

Casting a protest vote by writing in a non-candidate is another tactic being used —seemingly being worn as a badge of honor, instead of seeing it as wasting their vote.

A host of pious boastings are offered: “Neither candidate is competent. Both are bad for America. Politics and government are no longer effective and functioning in the best interest of the people. Congress is hopelessly deadlocked and doesn’t get anything done.”

While there may be some element of truth to all of the above, it is still no excuse for us not to do our part.

Brash, non-voting braggarts, dismayed or disillusioned — too many of us have become.

What a way to demonstrate being a proud American, thankful to those who made it possible, many by giving their lives for the democratic principles they fervently believed in, including the right to vote.

We just finished honoring them this past Memorial Day. We honor them each Veterans Day. Is it in name only? Is it only about laying wreaths, picnics and parades?

More and more, we are squandering the privilege to vote with no shame, no remorse, and no sense of obligation or responsibility. Very little connection is made between failing to vote and the quality of one’s family life, the well-being of one’s community, the quality of neighborhood schools, availability of jobs, and the buying power of a hard-earned dollar.

How will our democratic process survive if this downward spiral of non-voting continues? If fewer and fewer Americans vote, over time what kind of democracy will there be?

Many young people offer such frivolous reasons as politics is boring, irrelevant or uninteresting. Many older people hide behind cynicism, finding fault, placing blame as solace is found in self-righteous indignation and the ignoble position of being a nonvoter.

There are other presidential primary elections and other local elections that will occur, culminating with the general election in November. Candidates for these offices present clear and distinct choices. If you claim there is no difference between candidates for any of the campaigns, you are truly out of touch with your government and its future impact on your life and the lives of your loved ones.

Voting is a small investment that yields decisive consequences for the quality of life in America, in your state, in your city, in your community, and the overall quality of our democratic process.

If the shoes of AWOL, spinelessness and being trifling don’t fit you, then don’t wear them. One must ask, however, “If it were up to nonvoters, where would our governmental process be? Where would our country be?”

The morning after any election of which you could have been a part, will your action have demonstrated you reported for duty or abdicated your responsibility?

Imagine what the outcome could be if we showed up for duty in record numbers?

This column contains excerpts from the author’s upcoming book, USING MY WORD POWER: Advocating for a More Civilized Society, Book II: Patriotism and Politics.

(Getty Images).

The initiative petition process is the means by which we as citizens can directly participate in our democracy. Preserving that right could not be more important than when it comes to amending our state constitution.

Being able to continue to do that without hurdles and encumbrances survived — at least until the next Missouri legislative session.

Thanks to an historic filibuster, a convoluted and misleading bill that would make it more difficult for Missourians to pass an initiative petition that amends the state constitution failed to pass this year.

Why should we care? For three major reasons.

First, the motives for changing the current process to amend the state constitution.

Second, the deceiving and misleading language that was included in the bill.

Third, the long-term effects of what those proposed changes would mean to citizens of Missouri.

Currently, any initiative petition to amend the state constitution can pass with a simple majority of votes.

The proposed changes would have made a simple process more complex by requiring that any amendment to the constitution can pass only if it is approved by both a majority of votes statewide and a majority of votes in five of the state’s eight congressional districts.

Why the dual requirement?  Why complicate the process by getting rid of the fundamental tenet of “majority rule” that has guided our democratic process?

It is the abortion issue — the fear is that an initiative petition to amend the state constitution to protect abortion rights will be on the ballot in November. Abortion has been illegal in the state, except for medical emergencies, since 2022.

Citizens groups that have been working to get the initiative on the ballot appear to have turned in more than the required signatures.

Today, it is the abortion issue that drove legislators to try to change the requirements to amend the state constitution. Tomorrow it could be voting rights, gun legislation, public education. You name it.

As concerned citizens, we should also be alarmed about the tactic of embedding what legislators have named “ballot candy” in the bill.

The name itself should give us pause. What is “ballot candy?”

It is language in the bill that would bar non-citizens from voting and ban foreign entities from contributing to or sponsoring constitutional amendments. This is deliberately deceptive and misleading because both are already illegal.

So why include alarmist, false, fear-mongering rhetoric about things that are already illegal? To garner support for voters to pass an amendment to the constitution that is really not in their best interest.

This brings us to the third reason why we should be concerned about this bill eventually passing.

It will further obstruct our ability to participate in the public policy process directly and independently.

We already elect representatives who may or may not fight for our interests, or the reasons why we voted for them in the first place, once they get into office.

In the midst of all the finger pointing about why the bill failed to pass during this session, the new presumptive speaker of the House made it clear that the urgency to pass a bill to change how the state constitution is amended will still exist when the new legislative session convenes next year.

There is time to organize and make a concerted effort to communicate your wishes to your elected representatives. At a minimum, citizens must remain vigilant.

Whether you are in favor of keeping in place the existing requirement of a simple majority vote to amend the state constitution, or prefer that the requirement be changed to make it more difficult, you have an opportunity — if not indeed an obligation — to make your preference known.

Passage of a bill that makes the petition initiative process more difficult for citizens would have long-term implications for a number of laws and policies that will dictate how we live and our quality of life in the future.

Do we care?

(Sckrepka/iStock Images)

By our vote — or failure to vote — six months from today, we will have selected the next president of the United States. Will we have selected the person who could represent the best of America?

Whether we are ready or not, the presidential campaign is in full swing. We have time to evaluate the presumptive candidates of the two major political parties, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, as well as candidates of other parties.

No matter who you may be supporting, shouldn’t whomever becomes president be America’s number one role model?

It is not only a question worth asking, but one which each of us needs to answer.

One would like to believe that few rational people would deny that the president should be America’s role model. First as the number one citizen, but also as a decent, ethical, moral, caring and fair human being.

The person who occupies the office should be the best representation for all Americans.

Some of our past presidents have been better role models than others. A recent CSPAN survey of presidential historians provides a ranking of the past presidents

No doubt, we all can point to ones who have been good examples and others who not only let themselves down, but family, citizens, the nation, friends and allies around the world.

So where are we today, my fellow Americans?

Where do we stand when it comes to the notion that we have always expected our President to be America’s greatest example of a citizen, consistently demonstrating decency, respect, class, and decorum?

Whether we agree with the president’s position on every policy or not, we should never have to question or be ashamed of how he conducts himself or how he speaks to and about others.

Reason, rationality, decency, respect and being informed should guide his every utterance, every action. Should we expect facts and honesty to be important and a part of the reputation of our president, the leader of the free world?

America is at a critical crossroads when it comes to its identity — to its citizens and their children, but also to the world and the world’s children.

The president should be America’s number one role model — the consummate example of what America stands for. He or she, through their speech and actions, should always confirm America’s constitution, its creed and its character.

There have been studies about the qualities and actions that great presidents and leaders have in common.

As we approach the election of our nation’s president, we must ask the question:

Does America’s chief identity no longer reside in its Commander-in-Chief, in its most powerful and visible citizen?

If so, which of the leading candidates best demonstrate the characteristics that   America’s number one role model should have and display?

What do you think some of those characteristics should be?

I have a few prerequisites that I am looking for.

First and foremost, honesty and accountability.

In any viable organization, being its leader requires honesty and accountability. The gravity of the need of these two traits to be unimpugnable cannot be greater than in the person who occupies The White House as president of the United States.

Second on my list would be institutional knowledge and respect.

The president of the United States should always demonstrate a real command and understanding of the history of this country. He or she should show the ultimate respect for the sacred principles, policies and institutions on which this country was founded and on which its future depends.

Imagine what would happen to organizations, companies and agencies you interact with or depend on if the leader is allowed to consistently indulge in thoughtless, reckless, dishonest and irresponsible behavior?

America is still a strong, resilient, prosperous and a blessed nation when one considers and compares it to many other countries in the world. But even America cannot withstand the repeated undermining of the principles, laws, and values that made it great in the first place.

All thinking Americans cannot afford to forget the fall of great nations in the annals of history. Remember Rome?

That great unparalleled empire was not destroyed by external forces, but the weakness, discord and corrupt practices from within. During the time of the Roman Empire, there was not a nation or enemy or earth that could have defeated or destroyed it. Romans allowed their great nation to be destroyed.

Sound familiar?

There is no shortage of studies and resources about why great civilizations die — some even alarming.

America is still the strongest nation on earth. But how long will it remain if caring citizens allow its leaders to continue to disregard sacred institutions, lie at will, show utter disregard for the principles on which this country was built, and dismantle the laws and policies that sustain it? Such behavior by a leader would not be tolerated anywhere else.

Usually, a role model is held in high regard.

Given the choices, who demonstrates qualities that could be held in high regard?

There is still time to gather the facts, observe behavior and choose the best role model for America.

Will we?

Last week was Black Maternal Health Week, and Mother’s Day is just around the corner — a perfect time to focus on the fact that the critical health care an expectant mother needs remains unavailable for many.

That’s especially true for Black mothers and their unborn babies.

The detrimental and deadly impact of systemic racism in the access and delivery of needed health care services for Blacks, generally, is not a new phenomenon or rare occurrence.

Blacks have experienced and continue to experience sub-standard healthcare, if and when they are able to access needed treatment at all.

The negative experiences can range from not being able to access preventive and basic primary care that would detect and manage potentially debilitating diseases and health conditions at an early stage, to not receiving necessary and critical information from the health care providers during an encounter, typical exam, or office visit.

The data around this prevalent practice is both alarming and conclusive.

The situation is even more dire for Black pregnant women, who are three times more likely to die than white women from pregnancy-related causes.

When an expectant mother cannot access or receives poor quality health care services, the potential dangers are too often catastrophic for both mother and child.

Complications and deaths among Black mothers and their babies are too commonplace in a health care system that boasts of being among the best in the world. The United States is the only industrialized country where the maternal mortality rate is increasing.

Why?

As if systemic racism isn’t enough to undermine the availability of adequate care for pregnant Black women, politics has to have its role — both proactive and passive.

The Biden administration proclaimed April 11—17 as Black Maternal Health Week 2024. The purpose was to convey the urgency to continue efforts to reduce maternal mortality rates and provide better healthcare.

The proclamation vividly describes what happens too frequently when Black pregnant women seek assistance when they are experiencing a complication: They are dismissed or ignored by the very health care providers who should be caring for them.

Many organizations, small businesses, grassroots organizations and funding institutions came together during that week to increase public awareness and momentum about the  need to address Black maternal health.

But periodic attention in the form of a designated week or month, a special appropriation or limited funding grant here and there, sadly is only a periodic and partial salvo — not a long-term solution.

What will be done to bring about meaningful and lasting changes when it comes to Black pregnant women being able to access and receive the critical prenatal and postnatal care they need?

There is a group of lawmakers from several Midwestern states — Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska among them — who are working to get substantial policies and appropriations passed. Both Missouri and Kansas have substantially higher pregnancy-related mortality rates among Black women than white.

The package of bills, the Black Maternal Momnibus Act (Momnibus Act) that is comprised of 13 measures to address the problem holistically — seek to improve outcomes by looking at the various aspects of what constitute a quality of life for an expectant mother.

Day-to-day issues such as adequate nutrition, transportation, concomitant health care issues like substance use disorders, mental health and other wellness challenges are being addressed.

First introduced in 2020, currently the caucus of lawmakers supporting the Momnibus Act is comprised only of Democrats.

How can promoting healthy pregnancies and reducing the risk of health complications that could result in the death of the mother and her unborn baby be a partisan issue?

One would think that those who are anti-abortion and pro-life supporters would be leading the fight for the availability and access to quality maternal healthcare.

If not leading the charge, certainly being supportive of the effort.

But the data shows something entirely different. The states with the strictest abortion bans have the poorest and weakest outcomes for maternal and child health.

Where does the disconnect lie?

More importantly, what is its cause?

It is a question worth serious consideration since it continues to pervade and influence all other aspects of America life.

Unfortunately, the delivery of healthcare services is no exception.

Not even for Black unborn babies and the mothers who have chosen and are trying to give them life.

For those organizations, community and parent groups, funders who have been working in the trenches for decades to reduce the mortality rates among expectant Black mothers and there babies, they are to be appreciated and commended.

But they, alone, cannot solve this prevalent and increasing health problem that some are characterizing as reaching a crisis level.

Like so many issues, it gets our attention when someone with some notoriety and celebrity suffers or dies. But the shock and awe only last until another headline of a different nature supersedes it.

How can we on the one hand be so pro-life, railing about protecting the unborn, when we are not willing to make sure that both mom and baby come through the pregnancy safe and healthy?

Is the disconnect — the blind spot, the hypocrisy — due to the age-old scourge and nemesis of systemic racism? Is it due to entrenched and irrational partisan politics?

Or, have they come together to form a destructive and deadly cocktail whose numbing effect continues to keep many negative aspects of Black life in America in its clutches?

(KuntalSaha/iStock Images)

As we come to the close of Women’s History Month, we have remembered and celebrated women who have broken barriers and made contributions in many areas in our society.

But where does motherhood fit among the contributions to be honored?

Motherhood should be among the first professions and accomplishments to be recognized. Your immediate thought might be, “We celebrate and recognize mothers on Mother’s Day.”

We do.

But how is that typically done?

It is primarily done on a personal level, thanking and honoring the women who have directly impacted our lives. What about the far-reaching importance of the role of mothers beyond us and members of our immediate families?

Mothers in carrying out the responsibility of motherhood reach and impact defining aspects of society. That impact should be recognized and celebrated before and beyond Mother’s Day.

There have been remarkable mothers who also made great historical contributions to society. But while their contributions have been celebrated, they have been unsung heroes when it comes to recognizing they also excelled in motherhood.

We can look to history and today for examples of the contributions those remarkable women made who were and are also mothers.

Arguably, motherhood has always been one of the toughest jobs on earth.

In many respects, in spite of all of our advancement, the job of motherhood has gotten tougher and deserves our ongoing acknowledgement and recognition of its rightful place among careers and professions.

Mothers — those who choose the role or accept the role thrust upon them — so often carry the burden of being the glue that keeps it all together whether it is a traditional family, a hybrid or extended family.

In recent years, more and more women are choosing to be stay-at-home moms for any number of reasons. At the end of 2023 nearly 25% of mothers identified as stay-at-home moms.

Where do stay-at-home moms fit on the career scale and to be recognized as an honorable profession?

In addition to assuming the responsibilities of nurturing another human being into becoming one with good values, a good sense of self, and compassion and concern for one’s neighbor, one’s community, and the betterment of mankind, motherhood also requires confronting other issues and forces that could impede carrying out those responsibilities.

Mothers who hope to achieve good outcomes for their children face some ominous challenges from infancy to young adulthood.

Those challenges could range from lack of understanding and respect for what is required of motherhood to fighting for the policies and resources that are needed to be successful — within the home and workplace.

Mothers are among those who fight for adequate prenatal care, safe childbirth, quality childcare and paid family leave to name a few.

Between infancy and adulthood, the job of motherhood is never ending.

Where there exist good conditions and good options for children, there are just as many negative ones lurking nearby.

Good and bad influences exist from the playgrounds to what is brought into the family room by television, the Internet and social media. This is occurring in higher degrees and multiple doses.

With all of the good educational choices on television and the internet that are good for children and adults, there are equally, if not more bad choices, which include blatant profanity, unprecedented nudity and sex, the specter of guns and acts of wanton violence perpetrated by crazed adults and children alike — all for children to hear and see.

Mothers use to only worry about untimely exposure to things like sex, drugs at school or in the neighborhood.

One is forced to ask, what are we doing as a society to support the efforts of motherhood?

Motherhood, like any other career or profession, cannot be successful in a vacuum. Support means more than making sure children are physically fed, clothed and housed.

What responsibility do we share to do things that reinforce exposing and cultivating good values in children, strong work ethics, and respect for another person, one’s community and the sanctity of human life?

Our mothers and grandmothers knew that. And they shared the responsibility in rearing not only their children, but also their neighbor’s children. Back then, there may not have been much in the way of technology, but reinforcement and respect for the job of rearing children abounded.

Motherhood today and through the ages have involved more than child rearing.

Mothers have been in the forefront of fighting to improve many societal conditions, and have led the charge to achieve respect and equality for women throughout history, and even more so today.

These mothers have led and are leading the fight in many areas of public policy affecting all citizens like access to healthcare, a quality education, reducing poverty and homelessness, as well as issues important to women like equal pay, reproductive rights and women maintaining control of their bodies.

But fighting for those issues has inadvertently sublimated and minimized the importance and contributions motherhood has played.

Honoring and appreciating motherhood, in all its complexity, its beauty, its pain, its challenges and its fulfillment, should not only be recognized during Women’s History month but be an ongoing affair because the career of motherhood never ends for those who truly accept the responsibility.

That responsibility reaches beyond the confines of the home.

The role of motherhood impacts all of society — the breadth and depth it has played in women’s history, in many ways, is immeasurable.

Where would women’s history and societal history be without motherhood?

(TethsImagingLLC/iStock Images).

There is an urgent need to make civic education available in our schools to help protect and strengthen our republic and its democratic form of government.

Civic learning and participation should be a priority in Missouri and nationwide.

This week, Civic Learning Week, has been set aside to emphasize the importance of every citizen having the necessary understanding and tools to engage and participate in our democratic form of government.

Given the state of our current discordant political environment and the destructive discourse that has commandeered our public dialogue, civic learning is needed more than ever.

Events and forums covering an array of civic learning topics are being held in communities all across the country.

The topics include how civic education can be effectively taught in high school, engaging and exposing students to how our government works, providing forums to better understand the Constitution, and the important role each branch of government plays in protecting and promoting a democratic republic.

Are you aware of what civic learning activities are occurring in your state, your community?

The Missouri Civic Learning Coalition is one of many coalitions across the country that have been formed specifically to advance and support high quality civic learning opportunities. The coalition is bipartisan. Members include educators, research institutions, universities, nonprofit organizations, libraries and museums, youth, schools and citizen advocates (In full disclosure, I am a member of the coalition).

In addition to helping fellow Missourians understand the meaning and importance of civics, the coalition provides support and resources for schools and teachers. We work with local and state policymakers to ensure that they understand the benefits of civic education for students and educators.

The coalition also strongly believes in the importance of public engagement, and works to apply its resources to educate all stakeholders, including families and caretakers, on the importance of prioritizing civic education in Missouri schools.

Recently, the Missouri House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee held a hearing on HB Bill 1513, the ‘Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act.” Members of the coalition appeared before the committee as well as provided written testimony in support of passage of the bill.

There is also a companion bill in the Senate, SB1311, that has been introduced in the

Senate Select Committee on Empowering Missouri Parents and Children Committee.

As we continue to be engulfed in divisiveness and polarization, without civic education in America’s schools and a lack of access to high quality information, millions of citizens are left without the wherewithal to know how our government should work.

Therefore, citizens are vulnerable to misinformation and disinformation and may be unable to make a decision in the best interest of themselves, their city, state, or the nation.

How do we expect our democracy to remain healthy or survive, let alone thrive?

It is abundantly clear that the well-being of our democratic republic depends on an informed and engaged citizenry.

But unfortunately, fewer than half of adults in the U.S. can name the three branches of government, and can explain how they provide checks and balances in determining public policy and the enforcement of laws.

Too many of us rely upon and receive our knowledge through news broadcasts, podcasts, or radio and TV talk shows, which at best, if accurate, can provide only glimpses and snatches of what really needs to be thoroughly understood.

The number of Americans who understands the facts and rights contained in the U.S. Constitution is just as dismal.

There is a bill moving through the Missouri Legislature right now, if passed, will change how the Missouri Constitution can be amended.

Are you familiar with and understand what the Missouri Constitution says?

Just as importantly, we should be concerned about the level and quality of civic education we are providing our children. Are we preparing them to understand our government and how it should work? If not, how can we expect them to stand and fight for something they have limited or no knowledge of?

How could we expect them to be passionate and effective participants when it comes to building a more perfect union?

Currently, our principles, laws, branches of government and institutions are vulnerable to being ignored and undermined because of civic illiteracy.

Civic illiteracy is feeding an epidemic of mistrust.

Trust in our government and institutions is at an all-time low. But, how can we expect to build trust in our laws and institutions without an understanding of them?

How can we expect citizens to distinguish between patriotism and insurrection, civility and extremism without an accurate frame of reference that a solid civic education provides?

It is up to us to stop the threat of civic ignorance and the danger it puts our democracy in.

Eliminating the threat begins with us, and we must prepare our children with the necessary tools to keep the threat at bay.

We can begin that process of improving and strengthening our own civic muscle by exploring and taking advantage of the many programs and resources that are occurring during Civic Learning week, occurring March 11-15.

And keep the learning process going long afterward.

If you are unable to attend the programs and events in person taking place in your community, many of the programs and resources are accessible online.

We only have to tune in on any given day to the political discourse occurring in our country and know that a sustained old-time civic education revival is sorely needed if we ever expect to engender the pride, the belief, and the will to do what is necessary to save and preserve our democratic republic.

Where does acquiring a good and accurate civic education rank on your list of priorities?

Are you ready for a civic education revival?

A banner is hung over the entrance to Union Station days after a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII victory parade left one person dead and 22 others were wounded (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).

Sadly, the question is not how many more innocents need to become victims of senseless mass gun violence.

The real question is: When will enough of us relentlessly demand that legislators pass sensible gun laws? Laws that will not only address the growing incidents of mass shootings, but the growing epidemic of gun violence.

Clearly, state and federal lawmakers seem to be unable to muster the collective will and courage to do the ethical, humane and right thing to protect citizens from wanton and rampant gun violence.

We haven’t even completed two months in this new year and there has already been 49 mass shootings. The most recent occurred on Valentine’s Day at a Kansas City Chiefs victory parade.

That shooting highlights another component of the gun crisis in this country: Easy access to semiautomatic and high-powered guns by nearly anyone.

Mass shootings are just one aspect of the gun control crisis that has plagued this country for decades.

As of Feb. 15, more than 5,000 people have died from gun violence, more than 100 people per day. Over 3,000 have been injured.

So far this year, the majority of the gun violence deaths have been death by suicide, which brings up another issue to be addressed: Mental health issues.

Democrats hope to put gun safety measure on ballot following Kansas City mass shooting

They are a small part of the problem, but are being used as a major excuse not to pass sensible gun safety measures. There should be greater efforts in safeguarding and ensuring that guns are not easily accessible by anyone suffering from mental illness.

Another side of the gun safety issue is the easy access and usage of guns by criminals. While that continues to be a major problem in cities across the country, violent crimes — murder, assault, robbery and rape — have been dropping significantly since 2022.

Whether gun violence deaths are caused by mass shootings or criminals — perpetrated because of hate, mental illness or some other reason — the real problem is the easy access to all kinds of guns.

Other civilized countries have managed to pass laws and put measures in place to reduce and prevent the proliferation of gun violence.

For example, after a mass shooting in Australia in 1996 when a gunman used a semiautomatic weapon that killed 35 people and injured two dozen others, the conservative-led national government with the cooperation of states and territories passed sweeping gun safety legislation within two weeks.

Do you hear of mass shooting in Australia?

Australia is not alone. Other countries like the United Kingdom, Japan, Norway, Canada and others do not suffer the rampage of gun violence as we do here in America.

If other countries have found solutions, why can’t the United States?

It is a question every concerned citizen should be asking.

Are we willing to continue to be known as a country with a gun violence epidemic that leads the world in mass shootings and the highest levels of gun violence of any developed country by a wide margin?

After each mass shooting incident, for a moment, there is gnashing of teeth, rallying calls and cries to do something. We saw it after the mass shooting in Kansas City.

There have been calls for the Missouri legislature to do something.

But will any meaningful gun safety measures be passed in Missouri?

The same Kansas City shooting spurred calls for Congress to pass legislation to control gun violence. Will Congress?

Once again, will the pleas fall on deaf ears?

The majority of Americans want stricter gun safety laws and have identified areas they want their legislators to pass legislation and to put in place measures to ensure and monitor implementation.

A vast majority of American support legislation that would require background checks for private and gun show sales; create a national “red flag” law; require a license before a gun purchase; ban the sale of high-capacity magazines; ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons; create a mandatory assault weapon buyback program; increase mental health funding.

No doubt, there are other measures that can be taken.

Citizens want legislators to stop hiding behind the 2^nd Amendment. No one is interested in taking away the right for citizens to legally own a gun. What most Americans are opposed to are semiautomatic and high-powered guns, usually reserved for the theater of war, being readily available and easily accessible to anyone.

Citizens want legislators to stop using criminals and people suffering from mental illness as excuses. Instead, they want steps to be taken to address those areas in addition to stricter gun safety laws.

But are legislators listening to their constituents?

If not, why not?

It is not how many more needless deaths by guns we are willing to tolerate. The most important decision is: What excuses are we willing to continue to accept from state legislatures and Congress?

Will we embark on a sustained effort, individually and collectively, urging our elected officials to finally deal with the gun violence problem in this country? We are telling them what legislation needs to be passed.

If we are continually ignored, will we exercise our greatest power? Vote them out of office and replace them with someone who will act.

The gun violence problem will not be fixed if we do not relentlessly demand it.

This commentary was updated at 6:45 a.m. to correct a typo. 

(wildpixel/iStock Images)

While many of us may not take time to celebrate love or Black history during the month of February, they both hold a lot in common and offer some valuable aspects we might want to consider.

Among them: Understanding. Hope. Unity.

Understanding

In love, when we really want to know about a person or thing, we put forth the effort to gain a better, if not thorough, understanding of every aspect of them. We want to.

With Black history, it is no different.

We love America. How much do we want to fully understand her? How can that be achieved if we choose to ignore a big aspect of her history?

Black history is a big part of American history

Yet the struggle to achieve a better understanding of the Black experience and history in America sadly continues today.

If fact, as we celebrate another Black History Month, there are efforts anew to either prevent, distort or recast American history, especially when it comes to the way Blacks have been regarded and treated.

Efforts to prevent Black history from being taught are occurring from the halls of Congress to legislative bodies to school board meetings. Vigorous, and sometimes rancorous, discussions are occurring about what children should be taught about the Black experience and history in America.

Much of the discussion is based on the false and misleading notion that a college level advanced course called “critical race theory” is being taught in grade and high schools.

This is not occurring.

Yet, it is being used to fuel the “anti-woke” movement that has infiltrated many political campaigns.

Proponents of the efforts to pass legislation and to have parents monitor and dictate class curricula, when it comes to teaching factual and complete America history, proffer the reason that they are afraid it will make white children feel guilty for something they did not do. Occasionally, it is mentioned that it might make Black children feel victimized.

The Black experience and history in America, as the saying goes, “is what it is.” No amount of avoidance, elimination or recasting will change that. So, why not teach our children all of American history?

It all begins with getting an understanding. It is no different for a large segment of our fellow Americans. The first step is to bother to better understand their history — their role, plight, and contributions to the society in which we live.

Hope

In love, we hope that our efforts to achieve a better understanding will form a strong foundation for a lasting relationship that can withstand and thrive in whatever circumstances and conditions the future may hold.

The hope for understanding all aspects of Black history is no different. We should want to improve race relations. In recent years, race relations seem to have deteriorated.

Setting aside a month, the shortest on the calendar, will not fix it or move us forward. It is only palliative.

Even worse, it is a feeble attempt at filling a void primarily in our educational system. It is a poor effort at best to set a distorted record straight about the many, many contributions made by Blacks in building America.

An exhibit here, a forum or program there just doesn’t do the history of a race of people justice.

What other ethnic group has to carry the burden of trying to do justice to its history in a mere month?

Perhaps, if we are willing to fully confront the ugliness of institutionalized racism in education and take some systemic actions for lasting change, there may come a time when there will no longer be a need for a Black History Month.

We will have arrived at a point where we chronicle and commemorate the contributions of all Americans in the same history books, taught to all school children.

Making sure all of our books — from Art to Zoology — include and reflect the contributions of Black Americans, and that we are not just giving lip service to it one month out of the year. This will be the only thing to bring about lasting change.

Sadly, that day is not today.

Efforts to improve education must continue on multiple fronts, from correcting the content of the books used in the classroom, to educating the community at-large about omissions and distortions in America’s past when it comes to Blacks.

Hope springs eternal.

Unity

A beautiful outcome that results from love is the ongoing efforts put forth to achieve unity of purpose and working together for each other’s happiness and well-being, while gaining more appreciation and respect for differences.

Putting forth the effort to better understand our commonalities and differences as Americans — irrespective of our skin color, where we hail from, our station in life — is key in order to build a better life for all and is something to work on daily.

Intermittent focus or occasional thinking about how to do that during one month out of the year is not enough.

As we work to achieve more unity as a country, as a society, no one needs to experience guilt. If the not-so-flattering and cruel aspects of American history are put in their proper and complete historical perspective, it can be freeing for us all.

Yes, a lot of American history is ugly and painful, but a lot of American history is also beautiful and good. That should make us comfortable, not reluctant, to study and discuss the Black experience and history in America.

As in love, there is both pain and healing, unhappiness and happiness. But, isn’t it all worth it?

Fortuitously, maybe the fact that love and Black History share a month of celebration is telling us something anew.

Editor’s Note:  This column contains excerpts from the author’s award-winning book, USING MY WORD POWER: Advocating For A More Civilized Society: Book I 

(Lemon_tm/iStock Images)

The greatest choice voters will have to make during the 2024 presidential election is whether to stand for truth or go along with the lies.

But how can voters discern and distinguish truth from lies, facts from fiction?

It seems truth and facts have become expendable commodities in the public square.

We must wonder whether we are guided by a strong moral compass as a nation. But, it also begs the question whether we have also thrown the importance of truth to the curbside.

How do we square and act on the lies and misrepresentations political candidates knowingly tell us?

That is tantamount to what we do when we accept politicians — no matter who they are or their party affiliation — telling us lies about what we know to be true or have seen with our own eyes.

Sadly, this growing acceptance of lies in place of facts is encroaching in many areas of our daily lives, not just politics.

Think about the contrived and false issues that have surfaced and taken center stage during the last few years: From the perpetual false claim that elections were stolen to the myriad lies about vaccine safety to the obsession that there is a woke culture that needs to be killed.

We spend so much time fighting imaginary ghosts. But those imaginary ghosts have taken on a life of their own and are wreaking havoc and controlling how we perceive and relate to each other.

These lies have caused a divisive chasm among us unlike any we have seen in recent history. How did we get here?

It is a question that every American needs to ask.

We must examine the forces that have gotten us here — both the personalities and practices that have captured our imagination.

We must look at the political leaders that capitalize on anger and fear, and who are perfectly comfortable embracing, saying and doing things to fuel and encourage  unethical and illegal behavior.

These leaders are comfortable and confident that incendiary statements and speeches, if not accepted, will be at least tolerated, so they carry on in advancing their destructive agenda.

But what other powerful forces have made us vulnerable to being prime targets and easy prey to peddlers of lies and false narratives?

We are voracious consumers of social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) and others. Many of us use them as our primary sources of news and information.

Too often we are unaware of the manipulation, photo-shopped images and narrative created that only contain a modicum or no truth or facts at all. As unsuspecting consumers, we become easy prey to be influenced by what we read, see or hear on social medial platforms.

Then there are those supposedly trusted personalities that peddle in disinformation or misinformation, whether on podcasts, talk shows or programs parading as legitimate news sources.

What about the looming threat and growing use of artificial intelligence? It is already being used in political campaigns to present opponents in a false light. It is expected to be a part of this election cycle in ways that may not be easily detected nor disclosed.

But we need not stand by and become helpless victims.

The acclaimed Black poet and author Maya Angelou said something profound yet simple: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

In this environment of leaders using lies to advance their positions, we must take the time to examine their public records, and their qualifications.  We must use multiple sources of validation.

Angelou also said something equally important: “What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it.”

Did you know some of her books have been banned because of the ill-conceived ”anti-woke culture” movement?

There are so many areas that if we embraced truth and facts could not only set us free, but be the force to guide us to greater things. As this defining political season unfolds, the last thing we can afford is to not pay close attention to all the voices vying for our attention and trust.

Ultimately, who we desire to align ourselves with and whose hands we trust with our future is not a decision that we can take as political business as usual.

It is not.

Are we reaching a point where we need to apply a Truth-O-Meter to everything we hear and read from those vying for our trust and support?

We may not have the capacity to apply a Truth-o-Meter to all the information being thrown at us on a daily basis. But at least we can avoid the costly price for not paying attention.

If we don’t pay attention, we may find ourselves in a worse place beyond what we ever imagined.

We can diligently seek out truth, and act upon it accordingly.

Located in downtown Washington, DC, the memorial honors Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy and the struggle for freedom, equality, and justice. A prominent leader in the modern civil rights movement, Dr. King was a tireless advocate for racial equality, working class, and the oppressed around the world (hanusset/iStock Images).

As we remember and reflect on the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., there are valuable lessons that should give us hope that we can overcome what we face today in a divided and teetering America. 

If we, like King, truly believe that the words of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are meant for all Americans, then zealously embrace them and put them into practice by letting them govern and guide our actions in both our public and private lives.

That fundamental belief inspired and motivated King and lit the path he chose to fix policies and practices to make life in America as it was intended to be. 

This was made abundantly clear in his “I Have a Dream” speech during the historic march on Washington in the summer of 1963: “When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

King did not ignore, nor seek to discredit or dismantle, the basic tenets of our democratic republic. He embraced them instead. 

When you hear the words and see the actions today of some of our elected officials at every level of government, do you sense that they, like King, are using our fundamental governing documents as guides?

If we, like King, seek to bring about change through dialogue — and when dialogue fails use sustained peaceful protest— then we have chosen a proven and effective strategy. 

What would King have thought about what happened in our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which was in stark contrast with what happened during the march on Washington in 1963?

Even though another momentous document — the Emancipation Proclamation signed one-hundred years before King led the Civil Rights movement — had failed to deliver on its promises, King still believed in its purpose and its power.

More importantly, he firmly believed that resorting to violence and hatred was not the way to get the country to honor its promises when it came to racial equality.

In that same speech, King said: “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.”

Would he be discouraged by growing advocacy and tolerance of acts of racial hatred and violence — committed by young and older Americans alike?

If we, like King, still have faith in America’s promises, despite her imperfections and failures, and faith in the decency and goodwill of the majority of our fellow Americans, we will continue to rise and protect this nation and work to make our way of life better.

No matter how long it takes. No matter how strong the opposition is.

King began his fight to gain equal rights for Blacks, poor whites and other disenfranchised groups years before the March on Washington. He continued the fight until his assassination in 1968 at the young age of 39.

We will never know how long he would have stayed the course, working for equal justice, equal opportunity, equality in housing, employment and education to become standard practice, ingrained in the fabric of American life.

But he let us know how deeply his beliefs and faith ran: “I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

If he were alive, what would he think about the status today of all people of color, all disenfranchised groups?

Would he be perplexed by how leaders in both political parties have continually failed for decades to pass meaningful policies on how to manage the immigration crisis?

He would have reasons to wonder whether the inscription at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty —”Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”— has lost its meaning. 

On a broader scale, what would he think about some of our elected officials’ lack of belief in principles, laws and institutions that have made America? Would he be dismayed by the bold dismissal of democratic values and norms — even the blatant denial and distortion of defining periods in the nation’s history?

Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and work stood for more than the fight for civil rights. King fought for the fulfillment and realization of America’s principles, values and promises.

What are we willing to stand for during these challenging times we are facing?

(Photo by gustavofrazao/iStock Images)

After the holiday celebrations and respite, hopefully we will be ready to face the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities the new year will bring.

It often boils down to our perspective.

Given any challenging situation, do we perceive the glass as half empty or half full? Do we believe in the power of positive thinking? One thing is certain — some level of change will occur whether we choose to be active participants or not.

On the public front, as 2023 comes to a close, it is not too early to consider what is before us in 2024, both for Missouri and our nation and to determine the role we are willing to play to effect positive outcomes and create a better future.

For Missouri, a new legislative session begins Jan. 3. While we may not be thinking about the policies and problems that need to be addressed, many legislators have been busy for weeks pre-filing hundreds of bills on a plethora of issues that could ultimately become law that we will have to live by.

Pre-filed bills that have gotten the most media attention have been those that deal with LGBTQ issues and abortion. But there are many others that address a variety of issues — education, elections, voting, the state Constitution, gambling, firearms, taxes and healthcare among them.

Also, there are major elections that will occur and many offices to be filled, including

governor, U.S. senator and representatives, secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer. Do you know the candidates vying for your vote? Do you know what they stand for, their positions on issues that are important to you, your family and your community?

There are many potential ballot measures regarding the voting process, taxes, abortion, wages, guns and a host of other issues. Do you understand their potential impact?

In addition to our obligations as citizens of Missouri, we also have an important role to play as citizens of this nation in selecting the next president, which by many standards and measures could be the most consequential election in American history.

The presidential campaign is well underway, and there is time for us to carefully weigh our options before we have to cast a vote.

There is so much to consider.

There is so much hanging in the balance.

But how do we cut through the muck and mire to make the best decision?

Our challenge is being able to navigate the vitriol, the lies, the hypocrisy and the double standards and find where the real truth lies.

Remaining engaged and arriving at the right decision on who to choose to lead this country after being bombarded daily with one issue after the other — real or created — until our votes are cast will take some doing.

The last thing we can afford to do is to become fixated on all the negatives that will be a part of our political process for the months to come and decide not to get involved. Let us search diligently for the good, those positions and proposed policies that candidates have to move our nation forward.

As we pause this holiday season, let us think about and appreciate what is good about our nation, our way of life and become recharged and energized.

Let those thoughts motivate and propel us into action in what is bound to be a challenging year ahead, but also filled with many great opportunities to create and shape a better future.

We can only do that if we improve our state of readiness and are willing to get off the sidelines.

The Christmas tree outside the governor's office in the Missouri Capitol in December 2018 (photo courtesy of the Missouri Governor's Office).

As the year draws to a close and a new legislative session dawns, what presents do you hope Santa will leave under the Christmas tree at the Missouri Capitol?

Each of us can help Santa out as he is making his list and checking it twice.

What do you hope legislators will find when they open the big, beautifully-wrapped boxes left for them as they begin a new session on Jan. 3?

So here goes.

No doubt curious, and perhaps caring, legislators will be tempted to open the best-wrapped box first, the contents of which contains a crystal ball that implores them to muster the collective will to actually pass meaningful policies and bills to make life better for the majority of Missourians.

We can see those gathered around the tree smiling, shaking their heads in agreement, even glad-handing in acknowledgement that it would be a great departure from the infighting, grandstanding, and gridlock that have been the standard fare the last several legislative sessions.

Hopefully, legislators will recall and want to improve their dismal performance of the last session.

In the present marked education, they will find lots of reasons and evidence to help improve the outcomes for Missouri’s children — increased availability and access to childcare, early education programs to meeting the technological and other resource needs of elementary and secondary students.

What will legislators find in the present marked health care?

There are a host of opportunities in that box to address some tough and lingering issues when it comes to availing Missourians access to the best health care in multiple areas.

Let’s begin with providing citizens the opportunity to weigh in and vote on a 2024 ballot measure to help resolve the abortion issue.

Within the health care box are also tools to ensure Missourians who most need Medicaid can get it, including vulnerable children. Then there are the ongoing problems of how the program is poorly administered — or failed to be administered at all.

There is voluminous data on the problems as well as solutions to make it easier for those who most need Medicaid services to get them.

The biggest box under the tree, labeled “miscellany,” contains a host of tools for legislators to address other pressing needs like overhauling the child welfare agency by first addressing adequate funding and staffing to fix one of the largest foster care systems in the country.

Missouri, like many states, is experiencing growing homelessness, especially in metropolitan areas. It is a problem, if available tools are applied, that can be effectively addressed if not totally minimized. The state legislature passed a law that bans sleeping on state-owned land, yet did nothing to provide places where people with no home can sleep.

With available dollars in the Missouri Housing Development Commission and the state’s large surplus, there are resources to address these needs.

The continual use of lead pipes to deliver drinking water is still a generational health issue. Adopting a plan and schedule to remove them to meet the Environmental Protection Agency 10-year deadline is an imperative.

Will legislators use the tools in the miscellany box to finally pass a sports wagering bill that will keep billions of dollars in revenues within the state?

What about fixing the problems — from guaranteeing the quality of the product to equity in granting licenses to operate dispensaries — that plague the cannabis industry?

Perhaps one of the most important item in the miscellany box is how to best preserve the right of Missourians to cast a vote. Will legislators use the tools within their disposal to protect and prevent the disenfranchisement of large groups of its citizens?

While such a Christmas tree in the Capitol with presents containing the will and tools that will enable and empower legislators to work on behalf of most Missourians would be a great thing, allowing our imagination to propel us into action could be more effective.

Now is a good time to give some thought about how best to convey our legislative wish list. What do we want our legislators to work on, find solutions for, and work to get policies and legislation passed?

Once we communicate our priorities, we can also figure out how to monitor what, if anything, is being done to address them.

How do we help set the legislative agenda by sharing our wish list? How do we help break the partisan infighting, side shows and gridlock on issues that represent the wishes of the minority — like book banning, transgender participation in sports, preventing the teaching of the history of race in America — while the concerns of the majority go unaddressed.

Are you making a legislative wish list? Are you checking it twice?

How are you assessing the behavior of your elected representative? Santa looks at whose been naughty or nice.

What standards will you use to measure the effectiveness of your representative and senator in using the tools available to them to address some of our most pressing issue for the state when they return to the capitol on Jan. 3?

There is no better time than now to give a legislative wish list serious thought and determine how you will track how it will be fulfilled.

(Timmytws/iStock Images)

Shrouded in hypocrisy, entangled by complexity and ensnarled in a battle for control, the abortion issue will be a real test of the structure of our democratic form of government.

Will there be a new overarching federal law along with specific state laws governing abortion?

It is a central focus in the 2024 presidential election, and there are also firestorms raging in the halls of state legislatures and Congress.

With impending elections, candidates for state and federal offices are honing their positions, often to fit the audience they are appealing to at any given time.

But a few constants are abundantly clear.

First is the blatant hypocrisy.

Many state legislatures are fighting to pass restrictive laws to prevent abortions but are not fighting equally as hard to ensure pregnant moms have access to needed prenatal health care.

There are vast disparities across states when it comes to access to vital health care services needed to sustain the life of the unborn, especially among low-income women.

What good are prenatal programs if those who most need them do not have access to them?

Where is the outreach to ensure that babies are born healthy with the best start possible?

What about the well-being, care and needs of babies and children after they get here?

A recent report reveals the low participation in the nutrition and health care program designed for women, infants and children known as WIC. Seventeen states had participation rates lower than the national average, and Missouri was among them.

Supporting and funding efforts to increase participation could be so helpful in many ways because WIC not only provides supplemental food and nutrition education, but also makes referrals to get needed health care for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women.

Will pro-life voices be just as vocal to fight, adopt and promote measures that ensure the infants and children already here get the life-supporting care, nurturing and resources they need?

The abortion issue is also entangled by complexity, beginning with the perennial and overriding question: At what point does life begin? The beliefs as well as answers are anchored in both religion and science.

Whether viewing abortion through a religious or scientific lens, the issue is further complicated when the health of the mother or the viability of life for the unborn enters the decision of whether to carry a pregnancy to full term.

In addition to those lenses and prenatal health concerns, there are other complexities that come into play.

Under what extenuating circumstances did the pregnancy occur? How should pregnancies resulting from rape, incest or underage victims factor into the decision? These violent and illegal acts are no longer considered valid exceptions for an abortion in many states, including Missouri.

These questions bring us to the third force that engulfs the abortion issue: The battle for power and control over what the laws and policies should be, and how one supersedes the other.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that women no longer have the constitutional right to have a legal abortion, putting the control issue front and center.

There are those who believe that access to abortion should be legal and government has no role in telling a woman what to do with her body. The decision about whether to have an abortion or not is left up to her, her doctor and maybe her family and her God.

There are also advocates and health care professionals who believe that abortions will occur anyway, and that those who choose to have them should be able to do so privately and safely. That no law will prevent someone who is determined to have an abortion. Therefore, many women’s lives will be put at risk as they seek abortions through illegal means.

So where does this multifaceted, powerful and overriding issue playing out in the public square leave us?

In June, the United Nations issued a statement summarizing the current crisis and impact of changing abortion laws as well as other impending conditions that could result for women in America, depending on the adoption of proposed policies and laws.

Since the Supreme Court’s decision just over a year ago, fourteen states have passed laws banning abortions, and many others are enacting laws and holding ballot referendums.

The varied legislative actions occurring at the state level show the possible outcomes when conflicting priorities, intransient beliefs, and the quest for control come into play. Ohio and Missouri are good examples.

Whether at the state or federal level, the lasting and controlling answers should be determined in the voting booths.

The abortion issue stands to be one of the biggest test of how well our democracy works.

Or, doesn’t.

(Photo by Matthew Troke/iStock Images)

Given the feelings of unease that often punctuate our daily lives in many areas, the holiday season provides an opportunity for us not only to celebrate, but to discover lasting meaning that could carry us to new heights of understanding and rejuvenation.

Lasting meaning can be found in many ways, but three ways in particular:  Reflection, Renewal, and Resolve.

These three “Rs” begin within each of us and then spread abroad.

Some of us have been engaged for weeks and months planning meals, making lists of family members, friends, and colleagues to invite to gatherings. Shopping for gifts, no doubt, got an even earlier start.

But shopping, feasting, partying, and all the merriment need not be all consuming.

Most assuredly, we welcome the break and escape from the rancorous political environment that invades our mental space and sense of peace on any given day.

Whether local, state, or national politics, that is not all there is as hard as it might seem to be.

Admittedly, totally escaping some of the tough political circumstances we face as a country — a very divided public, increasing mass gun violence, entrenched political polarization — will be difficult.

Or ignoring that we are a member of the global community will be a near impossibility  as we continue to witness the brutal and inhumane war between Ukraine and Russia, between Israel and Hamas, and as we face the growing threat and spread of terrorism.

One can find much expert advice on how to take care of our physical selves and manage our schedules amid all the holiday demands.

Yet, there is no better time than during the holiday season to use some of our downtime to reflect, renew and resolve to address some of those things that can help us better navigate uncertain or turbulent times ahead.

Recognizing and putting into practice the benefits the three Rs can provide will require that we recognize and embrace a few things that will help us address and strengthen our common humanity.

Many of those things are neither new nor require some great insight.

The first R: Reflection. We only need to pause, look around and pay closer attention to people and conditions right around us.

For some, the holiday season is the beginning of the most joyous time of the year, with all the decorations and holiday signs — one happy event after the other.

But, for others, it is the beginning of a stressful time, even depressive time, for any number of reasons.

While many of us may be fortunate to be in a position to enjoy each holiday, with all its trappings with family and friends, there are those who see little to celebrate and have even less with which to celebrate. For them, the holiday season is only the beginning of a dreaded time — a season filled with reminders of families that were, wish lists that remain unfilled, and dreams that always seem beyond one’s reach.

This is where there is an opportunity to apply the second R: Renewal

We can begin on the smaller and personal level where, too often, much of this “state of want” or “painful emptiness” has nothing to do with money or other material things. But instead, it has all to do with how one views the purpose for his or her life. 

Consequently, our sense of self-worth and the value we bring to those around us and the community in which we are a part get lost and we suffer immeasurably — in ways that are not always obvious.

We too often let our well-being be determined by unimportant and fleeting things. This is where self-reflection can be the beginning of real renewal.

If we take time to reflect on our world both near and afar, we all see the signs of the toll lifestyles and misplaced emphasis have taken on the human spirit.

We need to commit to the discussion and renewal of personal and social values that count, that have lasting meaning when physical and material circumstances inevitably change.

If we bothered to reflect on the state of the human condition in our supposedly advanced society during the past decade or two, we would have even more to be concerned about and focus on renewal efforts —  areas where we seem to be losing the progress we have made. 

To stop the regression will mean renewing our efforts to continue working in many important areas that count, among them are race relations, parenting, building healthy family units, eradicating hunger here in the United States and abroad, eliminating homelessness, reducing drug and substance abuse. No doubt, you can create a list of your own.

This is where the third R comes in: Resolve

While we — as a nation, as a city, as a community, as a member of a family unit, as a concerned citizen — undoubtedly have a lot to be thankful for and lot to celebrate this holiday season, we need to keep in mind how far we have yet to go in a number of areas to advance the overall well-being of humankind.

If we put more reflection, renewal and resolve into doing those things that support our common humanity, it could be the strong foundation for us to join together and tackle other challenges that threaten our quality of life, even our very existence. 

Whether it is in our home, our neighborhood, our schools, or some other corner of our immediate or global community, all the scientific, technological, and medical advances will not fix a down-trodden human spirit.

Major change often begins with one person, in one community, in one city.

Implementing those three Rs can prepare and equip us to deal with an uncertain future and find a better path forward.

As we confront the new normal emerging in America, examining and heeding the lessons from our past could serve us well, writes Janice Ellis (Joe Raedle/Getty Images).

In today’s political environment, one could easily conclude that America is in the midst of a metamorphosis, where its character and identity are undergoing radical change.

When you consider the major shifts and developments in the public square that have occurred during these first decades of the 21^st century, some disturbing trends cannot be ignored.

More divisiveness: Not only in the halls of government but also among the general public.

More proselytization: Blatant promotion of lies and the passive tolerance of it.

More violence: Frequent acts of random mass violence and a growing acceptance of it as part of everyday life. A recent poll shows some Americans even support political violence.

The list could go on.

Change is inevitable, but it need not be predominantly negative or destructive.

There is research documenting and analyzing many societal changes — political, technological and cultural — that will make daily life better and worse.

In spite of advances and progress in many areas, you could find yourself longing for the America that used to be.

When we look at what is happening in the body politic on a national level, we could long for the time when the political parties could agree to disagree and yet work together to try to find common ground and pass legislation on many issues.

There are many issues that need redress: Reducing the national debt; passing a budget; implementing a fair taxation system; immigration reform; passing measures to reduce the likelihood of mass violence; addressing climate control; protection of voting rights; and others.

Yet, Congress moving from the morass of one quagmire to another rules the day.

In our daily lives, there are other areas where we could wish for the good ole days, where we hold out hope that things will become far better than they currently are.

One such area is random gun violence. We are reminded each time programming is interrupted by breaking news of yet another mass shooting with multiple deaths and injuries.

We can find ourselves longing for an America where we could go about our normal activities — shopping, dining, recreating — and not have an intermittent or nagging thought that we may be hit, killed, or have to hide or flee from a mass gunman.

We can long for an America where our school children didn’t have to have periodic drills to protect themselves from a crazed, mad or mentally ill person with an automatic weapon.

There are other areas that impact our daily lives and quality of living, like: earning a better minimum wage to help us keep up with the rising cost of living; having home ownership to once again be within our reach; and access to a quality education for our children.

There was a time when the future outlook in many aspects of our lives was more hopeful.

From time to time, we all become nostalgic, longing for times past no matter what our current state might be.

What we are experiencing, observing, and hoping for now — based on the state of our nation — goes beyond what is considered typical nostalgia.

As we know, lessons from the past are instructive if we only heed them.

Sadly, there are generations of Americans who have only known the growing hyper partisanship, irrationality, extremism, revenge-seeking that have dominated our legislative halls during the last ten to fifteen years.

But, it wasn’t that long ago when legislators were willing to work across the isle in the spirit of finding workable solutions to myriad of issues. Negotiations and compromises ruled the day.

There is so much riding on whether we as a nation, state and community can find our way back to those things that help sustain us.

While the good ole days were not perfect, they certainly seem to be better when it comes to having more unity around the governing principles, laws, institutions, practices that define America and upon which a better tomorrow can be built.

Families, communities, cities, states and nations are always better off when we learn from our past, the good and the bad. With America, it will be no different.

As we confront the new normal emerging in America, examining and heeding the lessons from our past could serve us well.

Given where we are today, what kind of America do you long for?

Former President Donald Trump arrives for an event at the Adler Theatre on March 13, 2023 in Davenport, Iowa (Scott Olson/Getty Images).

Once upon a time there was a Republican Party that was identifiable and recognizable by its policy positions and political principles.

Whether at the state or national level, what defines the Republican Party today?

During its history, it has been known and identified as the party of Abraham Lincoln, and more recently the party of Ronald Reagan.

Today, the party is most frequently identified as the party of Donald Trump.

Trump is known by many labels. A business mogul. A TV personality. Most importantly, he’s known as a U.S. president embroiled, during and after his presidency, in rhetoric and behavior that defy the traditions and institutions on which America was built.

Many of his pronouncements and actions defy and denigrate the Constitution, the rule of law.

When the Republican Party is identified as the party of Lincoln or the party of Reagan, clear images come to mind because of the personification, policies and actions of those two leaders.

In describing the party of Lincoln, it was founded on the basic belief that government should address and do those things that individual states could not do in the areas of education, transportation, social welfare, economic policies.

For nearly 100 years, from the 1860s to the 1960s, the party of Lincoln was considered progressive as it took the lead in addressing issues like the abolition of slavery and Civil Rights.

Decades later, the party became the party of Reagan.

Ronald Reagan’s platform focused on smaller government, lower taxes, promoting free enterprise, strengthening the national defense and emphasizing traditional values.

The party of Reagan can be considered the party that became most known for its conservative principles, policies and agendas.

And now, the party is unquestionably Donald Trump’s.

The former president continues to wield tremendous influence, with a commanding lead over every other 2024 GOP presidential hopeful.

But it must also be noted that there are Republicans who disapprove of Trump and his ongoing vitriolic, false and divisive rhetoric and actions. Many have chosen to leave the party as a result.

All of this has created a situation that embodies the party being at war with itself, as exemplified by the constant misguided priorities and dysfunction of a Republican-led Congress.

The divisive saga around first electing a speaker of the house, and then within nine months of his tenure a small right-wing group of Trump supporters unceremoniously removed him — the first speaker to be deposed in the history of the country — is the latest example.

Here we are nearly two weeks and counting, Republicans have not been able to come together and elect a new speaker, rendering the Congress unable to reconvene and carry out its critical responsibilities for the American people, the most immediate among them how to avoid the looming threat of another government shutdown.

The Congress is also unable to make decisions about how to best deal with the Ukrainian and Israeli wars that are of grave concern to the U.S. and countries across the world.

Despite the sense of urgency of the situations in which the nation finds itself, Congressional leaders seem committed to remain under the influence and following the directions of Trump.

It also should be noted that throughout its history, the Republican Party has eschewed becoming known or adopting the name of leaders who demonstrated a lack of a moral compass or whose policies and practices were more destructive than good.

There was no party of Richard Nixon, for example.

The current Republican Party is at a critical crossroads. It remains to be seen whether the factions will be able to come together, shed their disparate identity, dispel the control of destructive personalities and the extremist views that have it in their clutches.

That will be the only way to put an end to the quagmire of ineffectiveness that has taken control, or to stop the pursuit of policies for small factions and special interests.

Our republic, and democratic form of government, has survived and thrived because the two major political parties, despite deep differences and divisions, found compromise and moved forward — with the overall goal of doing what is in the best interest of the nation and its citizenry.

If the Republican Party cannot get its footing, what kind of party will survive?

(Photo by Logfin Media/iStock Images)

In this political season, where it seems that anything is up for interpretation and speculation — truths, codes of ethics, rules of law — where do we turn for a sense of direction or best decision-making?

The craziness occurring in our nation’s capital, or our state legislatures, is not all there is.

What craziness, you might ask?

How about postponing military promotions because of an abortion policy.

Or maybe the perennial last-minute impasse about passing a spending bill versus allowing the government to shut down, causing unnecessary anxiety for millions of workers and their families.

This latest tug is just one of many in recent history.

Congress may not be sick and tired of arriving at the same senseless place session after session, but we should be.

Perennial issues in your state? Pick one.

Are you befuddled by the failure to adequately fund public education and pay teachers a well-deserved salary even when there are budget surpluses?

What about the lack of caring about foster care, delivery of meals and other needed programs and services for children who couldn’t survive without them? Foster care services remain underfunded, and thousands of children are losing their Medicaid services.

But aside from the perennial and cyclical issues that occur in our legislative halls, there are other behaviors that we should find just as alarming. Many of our national and local values and traditions are being blatantly ignored, deliberately undermined, verbally disemboweled and brazenly broken.

We do not have to go very far or look very long to see examples of this destructive discourse and behavior in nearly every area of the public square.

Pick either party, or any branch of government, to find laws being broken and codes of ethics being ignored by those who are supposed to be leaders and role models.

Where do we find the voices of reason to change the trajectory of undermining our democracy and the essence of America that we seem to be on?

In ourselves. It is up to us.

We have become accustomed to thinking there is little we can do, become discouraged, and too often become resigned to doing the minimum or nothing at all.

While the aberrant speech and behavior of some leaders seem to dominate the airways, we must remember that they are in the minority. They may represent a sizable minority, but they are still just that: a minority.

So why should we allow them to consume our thoughts or cause us to resort to a defeatist mindset or behavior?

Even amid divisions, let us shift our focus more on who we are, what we believe, and the values we share. Many of the things we do to reevaluate and recharge on a personal level are also applicable as we seek to be more effective on a public level.

Sometimes the needed motivation can begin by recalling the wise words of some of the greats whom we have encountered in our personal lives or through the annals of history.

There is an often-misquoted phrase attributed to Edmund Burke, the eighteenth-century Irish statesman: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

However, I think what he actually said is more meaningful and applicable for us today: “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”

As disgusting or as bad as the political landscape and some of the political leaders seem today, we as a nation have endured and overcome worse.

As in centuries and generations past, how it all turns out in the coming months and years will be left up to us — the majority of Americans who still believe in the good that is America, and are determined to preserve and continue to work to make it better.

This is a time for deeper reflections and new conversations.

We are in a different time, with different challenges that could result in different outcomes — outcomes that could change many of the things we take for granted.

Do you ever think that the celebrations, traditions and holidays we hold dear could be at risk?

Do you think our American way of life will always be there?

We just commemorated the lives we lost as a result of the once unimaginable terrorist attacks that occurred on our own soil on Sept. 11, 2001. The attacks destroyed the World Trade Center in New York, damaged the Pentagon, and compelled brave and committed Americans to pay the ultimate price when they took a plane down in the fields of Shanksville, PA to keep it from crashing into the U.S. Capitol.

Lest we forget. Few things are sacrosanct.

Few societies survive indefinitely when the majority of its citizens remain silent.

Changing the conversation, exercising our individual and collective power, and aligning our voices of reasons and actions with others of like-minded beliefs and values will be what will rule our near-term and long-term future.

These options are there for our claiming and reclaiming.

Will we?

Testing of K-12 students in Missouri schools shows such a dramatic drop in standardized test scores that if it were not for the impact of COVID, many of the districts would be in jeopardy of losing accreditation (Getty Images).

Now that a new school year has begun, each of us has an opportunity to decide how we will help children learn.

Many school districts in Missouri and across the nation are facing an additional challenge over and above the usual ones in providing the best educational preparation for the children in their care. The educational deficits caused by COVID.

Testing of K-12 students in Missouri schools shows such a dramatic drop in standardized test scores that if it were not for the impact of COVID, many of the districts would be in jeopardy of losing accreditation.

During the last session that ended in May, the Missouri legislature took up a lot of bills affecting education, but none to address how we close the severe achievement gaps as a result of COVID.

No doubt school administrators and teachers are implementing plans and strategies to help students close the achievement gap.

That challenge can be much more daunting for some school districts more than others — especially those districts in the urban core in major cities like Kansas City and St. Louis that were provisionally or recently accredited or remained unaccredited. Many smaller districts and rural schools face their own set of challenges.

But helping our children make up educational losses and resume achieving at the highest level will require more than the implementation of plans and strategies.

In addition to school administrators and teachers, the Missouri legislature must approve needed legislation and financial resources.

It will also take a concerted effort on the part of parents, business and community leaders, churches, and service organizations to come together and improve the academic performance of our children.

What role will each of us play, this year, in a child’s educational journey?

Removing one child from the educationally deficient list is well worth our time and resource investment.

Every well-educated child is a real investment in their future and ours.

Even before COVID, the responsibility to stop turning out kids who were poorly prepared to compete in this ever-changing and ever-competitive world was a shared one.

However, the educational performance of schools in the United States has lagged far behind many other industrialized countries, ranking very low in math, science, technology and other areas.

Among the states, Missouri ranks near the bottom for K-12 student achievement and performance.

What is the status of the schools in your district?

Whether you have a child in school or not, the fact of the matter is as a community, they are all our children.

If we fail to help those schools within our district to turn the inadequate performance around, our children will be the ones to suffer most both in the short and long term.

But they are not the only ones. We all will suffer.

Assuming the responsibility of helping them get the best education is more critical than ever as we must close an even wider achievement gap worsened by the COVID pandemic.

Even though schools opened a few weeks ago, there is still time for each of us to decide how we can get involved, where our services are most needed, and in what area we can have the greatest impact.

We need not look very far or waste a lot of time deciding. There are many things we can do. There are resources available to help determine what can be done.

Something that can be done immediately is to check with school administrators and teachers in a school in your area to find out what needs they might have.

If you know of children whose parents, for whatever reasons, are unable to help with homework or unable to give the child/children the attention he or she needs, then offer to help.

Start with the children in your neighborhood, at your church, or ask the principal or teacher at a school nearby how you may be able to help show a child that you care. Sometimes that is all that is needed — an inquiry, a phone call, an offer to help.

Volunteer to tutor or mentor a child. Many schools have mentoring and tutoring programs and are in need of volunteers.

If you personally are unable to tutor or mentor, make an appeal to someone you know who can — a church member, a college student, a businessman or woman.  Ask them to recruit 3-5 others to help.

Ask your employer, your sorority or fraternity, community club or organization, your church to adopt a school. See if your employer would be willing to allow employees to take an hour a week with pay to volunteer at that school.

Volunteer to be a teacher’s assistant in the classroom for a day or a few hours a day, more if you are retired.

As you drive down the street and see kids and you know they should be in school, pick up the phone and call the truant officer, the nearby school. Just call somebody to address the problem. To do nothing is not an option.

Perhaps much of this is being done in your communities already. But clearly much more needs to be done.

If we do not invest in our children when they are teachable, how do we expect the conditions in our community to ever improve? The buck stops here.

All of us have had instances in our lives when an adult — whether a parent, teacher, aunt, uncle, neighbor, or church member — kindled our spirit, helped us, and made us want to achieve in school.

Children today, our children, are no different.

What are you willing to do to help a child catch up, get back on track, and get ahead?

They need our help this school year and in the years ahead more than ever.

The quality of their lives depends on it.

The future of our state, the United States and its position in a highly competitive global world depend on it.

So does the future quality of all of our lives.

(Photo by photovs/iStock Images)

As we pause to pay tribute to the achievements and contributions of workers to our economy and their struggle to improve working conditions, the role that employers have played and continue to play — for good or ill — is inescapable.

How are employers measuring up in caring out their responsibilities to employees?

A recent Pew Research Center survey provides a thorough assessment.

No doubt, each of us as an employee has thoughts about how well we think our employer is doing in creating an effective work environment and providing the necessary tools and support for us to do our job.

But, how would you measure up as an employer?

Yes, you are an employer. As taxpaying citizens, we all are employers.

We provide and support working conditions, through our tax dollars, for elected officials and other public employees.

If you were evaluated as an employer, how would you measure up?

When it comes to working conditions, hours, health benefits, retirement and competitive salaries — for what is at best a half-time or three-quarter time job for most elected officials — we would be considered great employers.

A brief review of Congressional salaries and allowances is a compelling example.

Based on their salaries, benefits and other perks, one could argue elected officials, i.e., elected employees, have some of the best working conditions.

Elected employees do not have to suffer the discomfort and annoyance of being micromanaged. In fact, it’s questionable whether they have to deal with being managed at all.

Once they are elected to the job, they are free to go about their business, doing what they want, when they want, or nothing at all.

It certainly begs the question whether they are about completing the jobs they were hired to do.

This is especially the case for some elected employees in Congress who are busy chasing political investigations — real or imagined. Such efforts are the major preoccupations getting the most attention.

Is that why you voted for them? Is that what you hired them to do?

What are they getting done in those areas we care about: Passing meaningful policies to finally address the immigration crisis; reduce senseless gun violence; make sure all Americans can access needed health care services; reform the tax system so that everyone pays their fair share of taxes; ensure that all citizens can cast a vote without obstruction.

Those are just some of the major issues we have hired them to work on and find solutions.

How are they doing so far?  How much progress have they made?

A recent poll shows that the approval rating for the current Congress’s performance is 19%, an all-time low. What are we going to do about it?

The real question: As their employer, what are we willing to do to manage, monitor and hold them accountable?

Have we capitulated and become resigned to letting them earn a great salary, with great benefits, and enjoy wonderful time off without performing their jobs?

In your job, are you left to do whatever you want? Say whatever you want? Push your own or someone else’s agenda or priorities at the expense of doing your job?

Doubtful.

Yet, as the employer we tolerate our elected employees working fewer hours, accessing better benefits, and receiving good salaries for not doing what we hired them to do.

Many if not most of us struggle to pay taxes from our hard-earned income and yet we accept such behavior.

Some of us even rail against a welfare system that provides needed financial support and benefits for some of the neediest among us. But are we guilty of subsidizing a welfare system under the guise of representative government — a system which often fails to do its job where most needed?

As employers of federal, state and municipal elected officials, we have the power election after election to stop their poor job performance. But too often we do not use it.

We choose to take the easy way out.

We keep hiring many of the same poor performers who instead of working for us are choosing to work for a political party, a personality, or some special interest that has nothing to do with what is best for the public or the country.

As registered voters, we are in charge. We are in control.

Just as we can hire elected employees during one election, we can also fire them during the next election. Sadly, it seems we give many of them job security regardless of what they do or fail to do.

Do you enjoy such job security?

Where is the management and accountability of elected officials at any level of government?

There are many things we can do to manage and hold elected officials accountable.

We are in the greatest position of all. We cannot be fired for expressing our opinion, making suggestions and recommendations, or providing interim evaluations and warnings that they could lose their job.

As employees, we have to do our jobs and do them well. If we fail to do so, especially repeatedly, we will be warned if not fired outright.

Why would we not have the same expectations and enforce the same consequences for our elected employees?

What kind of employer are we?

(Photo by Dovapi/iStock Images)

It is August, a time for new beginnings, infused with hope even amid anxiety and trepidation.

August is rarely thought of as a time of new beginnings and reflection. But just think about it.

Vacations are ending.

It’s harvest time for farmers.

Kids, young and old alike, are beginning or returning to school.

August is the “New Year” for children and young adults embarking on new paths that could lead to better lives. Parents, friends, relatives and other caring adults share in this hope for better things — experiences, opportunities.

We can easily imagine what our children and other young adults are hoping for, but what are the rest of us hoping for? Given the circumstances of our personal life, our community and our nation, the mere question can be daunting.

It would be easy to dismiss it and avoid giving it much or any thought. But what you hope for also determines what you work for.

We are familiar with the Biblical verse: “Faith without works is dead.”

So is hope without works is dead.

Whether a new year starts in January or August, new beginnings and realizing hopes and dreams require work.

Hopes and dreams are never born or realized in isolation. While they can begin within ourselves and our families, they also spread abroad.

Obviously, we hope and work for the physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing of family members. For our neighbors and communities, we wish and work together to achieve the same.

Such work to achieve the common good can manifest itself in myriad of ways from meeting needs in normal circumstances to rallying in the wake of a disaster. Each of us can think of many instances where this is indeed the case.

Countless times in countless circumstances, we come together putting our work and resources where our hope is.

But beyond your families, and perhaps communities, are you sensing or feeling the existence of a shared, collective hope?

Do you sense there is a common dream on a macro level for what we want life to be in a future America? A year from now? Two years, five, ten and beyond?

We want our kids to be hopeful and work to have a good life, a better future. Are we pausing to give any thought to what that might or could look like?

How would you characterize the state of hopefulness in America today? Does it even exist at a level of abundance that can energize enough of us to continue to work toward achieving greatness?

If not, what do we tell and pass on to our children and future generations? What are they to work for to advance humanity and society?

Admittedly, if we just focus on or be consumed by all of the negativity, vitriol, divisiveness, political and partisan infighting, hate speech, racial discord, and the perpetual blame games throughout our public discourse — what appear to be interminable attempts to steal our hopefulness will prevail.

But these are signs and things that should bolster our hope and our resolve to continue to work for what we believe is good for our communities and our nation.

We also must remind ourselves that changes — good and bad — more often than not evolve slowly and often the signs elude or escape us because we are caught up in the moment or too preoccupied with the drama happening around us.

The seeds of progress and thorns of destruction, alike, are sown sporadically, often simultaneously in drips and drabs. They take root to be extracted or harvested. Any gardener, farmer or landscaper knows if the weeds, grass and thorns are not removed, they will choke out the good — whether vegetables, flowers, or fruit.

Are we even aware, let alone watching all of the signs — the weeds, thistles and thorns being sown to choke out what is good about our lives as American citizens?

No doubt you have a list of concerning signs. In addition to negative speech mentioned earlier that consumes our airways, there are others that have been occurring with increasing fervor in recent years. They include, among other things: attacks on the press, growing censorship of books, revisionist history, villainy against racial and ethnic groups, violence against those who are upholding and carrying out the rule of law. To name a few.

They are signs, and like puzzle pieces, together they create a picture.

Is it a hopeful picture?

Our hopes are not formed or realized in isolation. Our hopes, dreams and work have far-reaching impact and are inextricably tied to the lives of our family, our communities, and our nation.

As America goes, so go our hopes.

What America are you hoping to live in? Are you willing to put your work and actions where your hopes are?

There is another phrase worth remembering and believing during these times: “Hope springs eternal.”

(Photo by IPGutenbergUKLtd/iStock Images)

Amid all the political dysfunction occurring at every level of our government, and historic indictments of a former president, what really hangs in the balance is the very survival and future of our democracy.

We each have a defining decision to make in the coming months.

What are we willing to do to save democracy, to save America?

You may be asking: “What can I do to help save our democracy?”

A lot.

But far too often, we treat politics as a spectator sport.

To many of us, politics is like a passing parade — a moving panorama of faces and personalities that we cheer on or come to fear, often with passion but only rarely with action.

We are content to leave the critical operations of our government to others as we pay intermittent attention and abdicate the responsibility of holding them accountable.

As citizens of a democracy, we have a critical role to play and responsibilities to carry out. More so now than ever.

Given what we will face in the coming months, it will take all of us who are eligible to vote, all of us who truly care about the future of our democracy and this nation to pay careful attention to what is being said and done under the guise of saving democracy or doing what is best for America.

We, the people, cannot afford to remain on the sideline.

We can easily become overwhelmed, discouraged and fearful of how our nation and our way of life might change.

Take heart. Take courage. Take a stand.

We all have a personal and collective decision to make.

What are you willing to take a stand for?

First, and foremost, are you willing to stand for truth and integrity? If you do, will you demand it from your elected officials who represent you — across all levels of government?

If not, then there is little or no chance that our branches of government will ever function as they should, and may cease to function at all.

Will you stand and support the rule of law that protects our citizens and institutions? Will you insist that those who represent you do the same? If they don’t, are you willing to vote them out of office?

History has many examples of how one person deciding to take a stand for the greater good, and thereby inspiring many others to join in the effort.

Now is our time to take a stand.

America is facing its greatest test in contemporary history.

We have been tested before, beginning with the American Revolution and our formation as a nation. From the Declaration of Independence to the ratification of the Constitution. Through wars at home and abroad: the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Cold War the Vietnam War.

There have been many defining moments in recent history that have changed the course of America.

Yet, we have stood, and America has not only survived, but thrived.

Today, the test is different. The enemies are different.

We are fighting a war of words, propaganda and false indoctrination campaigns waged by the very leaders who seem hell-bent on destroying democracy rather than protecting it.

We have been confronted with social movements and cultural wars before. The difference is that they were not born and fueled by lies, misrepresentations and conspiracy theories.

As much as we may have grown tired and weary during the last few years, we cannot afford to ignore what is going on at the national level and right around us. It is not up to “them.” It is up to us to make sure that they do not prevail.

What is your list of things for which you are willing to stand?

In the coming months, with a very divided America, when truth is drowned out by lies, misrepresentations, cowardice, selfish interests, personal agendas, waning or no love for America and what she stands for, we all have a personal and collective decision to make.

What can be done to sustain our democracy?

It will not be enough to continue to just go along to get along irrespective of the detrimental consequences. It will require open minds that demands truth and facts, no matter how difficult they may be to face.

Who are you standing with? Why? What is there to gain personally, societally—short term, more importantly long term?

The overriding question: While the constant misinformation and disinformation campaigns continue, will there be enough of us left who will be willing to cut through it all and make the best decisions for democracy, and America?

Democracy, nor America, will survive if there isn’t.

We, the people, are the only hope to save our democracy, our republic.

Are we willing, and do we have the courage, to stand?

(Bulat Silvia/iStock Images)

Much of what we are witnessing in local and national politics goes beyond typical partisan policy differences and divides.

There are real efforts to dismantle what America has purported to be about — A land where all of its citizens have the same rights under the Constitution.

Some of the rhetoric and proposed policies in state legislatures and the U.S. Congress during the last decade are efforts to change that America in fundamental ways.

One could argue that the “new” America that is struggling for dominance today has always been there. That there indeed have always been two Americas masquerading as one.

There is plenty of evidence.

Just look at the ongoing efforts in many states to limit, deny or make it difficult for qualified citizens, particularly minorities, to vote because of the continuing promotion of “The Big Lie” that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

There are many elected officials even to this day perpetuating “The Big Lie,” either by accepting it, enabling it or refusing to deny it.

In addition to the regressive efforts to make voting more difficult, there are other trends gaining momentum that are just as alarming.

What about the penchant for utter disregard and lack of adherence to the rule of law? The rule of law is the glue that holds a country and its government together especially a democratic republic like America.

Yet, former President Donald Trump, who should be the model practitioner, has unabashedly disrespected and debased the rule of law and the institutions and traditions that support them.

Despite his words and actions, he still enjoys broad support from prominent elected officials and many Americans, especially among fellow Republicans.

If such blatant behavior is ignored, allowed and supported by other elected officials and governing institutions, how can the nation stand and survive?

It cannot.

America is treading in perilous and unprecedented historical waters with the multiple indictments of a past president, who is also a current 2024 presidential candidate and enjoys popularity among a large percentage of Americans. How it all will be resolved is yet to be determined.

But it is certainly creating some very unsettling and muddled times, where focus on the issues and needs that should be addressed to make America stronger and better are getting lost.

Where the rule of the day among those elected officials who should be leading the way is to punch or throw a counter punch, lie or ignore a lie, deflect rather than face an issue head on.

Then there are the perennial and systemic issues around race.

When we thought we were making progress, there are efforts to ban books, control what is taught in secondary schools — all to deny and rewrite history when it comes to how Blacks have been treated in America.

Recent rulings by lower courts and the Supreme Court have bolstered those efforts.

The abolishment of Affirmative Action by the Supreme Court should not be a surprise because one America believes that Blacks either have always had equal access and equal opportunity, or they simply don’t deserve either. That there is no need for remedy.

Implicitly, it reinforces the notion that Blacks do not have the same inalienable rights as whites, and never should when it comes to getting a quality education, a good job, or a decent house.

Dismantling Affirmative Action in education is just the tip of the long-standing disenfranchisement iceberg.

Commitments to improve equal access in employment and other efforts for diversity and inclusivity will be challenged and impacted in negative ways, moving forward.

It has already begun — just weeks after the Supreme Court ruling.

The emerging America wishes to keep Blacks as second-class citizens in every aspects of American life, based on the false version of history that says Blacks have never been discriminated against.

That America is also embracing the so-called cultural wars that are targeted not only against Blacks, immigrants and the LGBTQ community but also include legislative initiatives designed to control reproductive rights, religious freedom and other individual rights.

The current Defense Budget Bill moving through Congress seems to be caught up in elements of the cultural war.

Do you like the emerging America?

Thankfully, there are still many citizens of the America governed by our Constitution and rule of law that are grounded by our institutions and traditions — the America that is tolerant, embracing, and believe in the equality of humanity, regardless of skin color, regardless of a person’s station in life, regardless of where a person lives.

There are those who would argue that there has always been two Americas masquerading as one great benevolent melting pot, while both fighting for influence and for dominance when it comes to politics, economic stability and educational achievement.

Both — under one flag proudly representing, tugging and embracing diametrically opposed views and forces — claiming to be the right path toward greatness.

One or the other achieving dominance at different points in the nation’s history. What a journey. But, is it a journey we should deny or abandon?

One America seemed to have been winning until recently.

Which America are you a part of and claim as yours?

More importantly, which America will prevail?

The U.S. Capitol on Dec. 18, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images).

As we celebrate the nation’s 247^th birthday amid what appears to be intransigent partisan political divides on many fronts, it seems a good time to ponder what patriotism and nationalism means in America today.

Are you feeling patriotic or nationalistic as we pause to celebrate this Fourth of July?

Which? And if neither, why not?

While it is great to be able to get away, have a picnic or take in a parade, celebrating Independence Day in our hearts and minds should mean much more than that.

Our nation needs us to reflect on its true meaning during these challenging times.

What does patriotism and nationalism mean to you?

Since our school days, we have been taught what patriotism means and have taken part in the traditions that reflect it — from reciting the pledge of allegiance to singing the national anthem and other patriotic songs during public commemorations and events.

Patriotism is generally defined as having a genuine love for one’s country, including feelings of pride, devotion and vigorous support and attachment to the homeland as well as fellow citizens.

But patriotism is often confused with nationalism. While they may share the love of country, they are not the same.

Patriotism, historically and now, is based on positive values and feelings like freedom, justice and equality. There is the fundamental belief that the system of government and fellow citizens are inherently good and work together for a better quality of life for all.

Nationalism, on the other hand, which has positive elements of love, pride and protection of country, can also degenerate into superior and separatist beliefs that do more harm than good in fostering the overall well-being of a country and all of its citizens.

Nationalism often includes the promotion of distrust or disapproval of other citizens, ethnic groups, or other countries, giving rise to extremism and hate groups, This is evident in recent nationalist movements in this country.

If you identify as a nationalist, on which side of nationalism do you identify?

But embracing the good of nationalism — love and protection of country — and the values of patriotism could make for a winning combination.

What would a “Patriotic Nationalist” look like?

Perhaps like this.

Rather than fighting against and undermining our sacred documents — the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and its Amendments — we would devote time to understanding, upholding and applying them.

Instead of denigrating and ignoring our branches of government and the roles they play in enabling and protecting our institutions and individual rights, we would promote respect and support for them.

We would see our sacred documents, branches of government and institutions as works in progress and not something that should be weakened, discarded or destroyed.

As patriotic nationalists, it means caring enough for our individual and collective well-being by adhering and abiding by the rule of law in all our conduct and behavior, and demanding the same from others.

We would eschew, oppose and work against policies and actions that undermine or threaten the nation’s character, identity and stability at home or abroad.

It is not “us” against “them” especially within our borders, and as we continue to assume roles on the world stage that are not only in the best interests of America but all humanity.

Patriotism and nationalism need not be diametrically opposed. There can be real strength in their coexistence when we embrace and live out the positives.

Even if you think being a “Patriotic Nationalist” is an impossibility based upon what being a nationalist or patriot means to you, then with which do you most identify?

Which do you think our country needs most in these divisive and precarious times we find ourselves?

Perhaps, committing to the good aspects of both creates a bridge that we can cross together to tackle and solve the challenges our nation faces.

No matter what you call it or how you label it, the health and well-being of this nation moving forward will require that most of its citizens at least be strong patriots. A country will not survive without them.

During the fight for the nation’s independence in 1776, Thomas Paine wrote about the need for a country to have happy patriots who draw strength and become even more committed during adverse times or national crises.

On this, the most patriotic holiday we celebrate, what do you think? What thoughts are you passing on to future generations?

Amid all the fireworks, picnics, parades, travel plans, and parties — all of which we take for granted — do you consider yourself at least to be a real patriot, a patriotic nationalist, neither?

This Independence Day, the question is worth considering.

(PeopleImages/iStock Images)

June 19^th, Juneteenth, has been set aside as a national holiday to celebrate the end of the enslavement of Black people. Today is a good day to take inventory of the state of Blacks in America.

There is no better place to begin than to revisit the journey of the Black family unit to help us better understand where we are, and more importantly, where we need to go.

The health and well-being of individuals are inextricably tied to that of the family unit.

Scholars agree on the central role a healthy family plays in the life of an individual. They also readily acknowledge that whatever plagues families in society generally, the impact of those same negative forces on Black families are much more severe and the ramifications more far-reaching and long-lasting.

The impact can be seen throughout communities across the country.  You need only to review a few grim statistics. We can begin with poorer health status caused by limited or no access to health care services. That became very evident during the Covid-19 pandemic. There is an ongoing health disparity when it comes to the higher mortality rate among Black pregnant moms and their infants.

Higher rates of unemployment persists for Blacks during period of economic prosperity.

By comparison, the Black family, disproportionately, lives in poor housing and blighted neighborhoods. This is also the case for Black home ownership, which is much lower than that of whites.

While there are many strong Black families, headed by one or both parents, there are many others still plagued, imperiled, and suffering from some indelible scars from the ravages of history — beginning with the institution of slavery that did everything in its power to rip apart and destroy the family unit, separating mother and father, mother and child.

There was simply no value and no nurturing of the Black family unit for centuries. Such utter disregard went on far too long.

And even though it has been over a 160 years since that wretched institution supposedly died, the many negative effects are still seen today.

Since the abolition of slavery, the Black family has been imperiled by one destructive force after the other.

For example: in addition to higher rates of unemployment, the alternative is to take part in a welfare system that encourages separation and dissolution of the basic family unit.  Girls and women can have babies and continue to get financial support for those babies as long as the father is not around to help raise them.

Perhaps, the greatest and long-lasting impact of these destructive forces is on the children.

They are the ones who find it difficult, if not impossible, to have vision, to see beyond their immediate living environment. They are the ones who are more vulnerable, who are likely to succumb to drugs and a life of crime to escape their deprived and disheartening condition.

They are the children having children, in part out of ignorance and a lack of direction, in part out of hope and the need to feel important to someone, to show love, to receive love.  The result is double jeopardy, double loss.  A young girl may never reach her potential; and the child she brings into the world starts out at a disadvantage.

For a family unit that is already frail and weak, this can only make it weaker, more vulnerable — perpetuating the cycle generation after generation.

Where do the answers lie? Where do we begin to stop the destructive forces?

First, regain a level of appreciation for the importance of family and make protecting and strengthening it of the highest priority.

Blacks and whites must refuse to believe those destructive forces are beyond our control. We must commit ourselves to do whatever we can to address the conditions that the family unit confronts on an ongoing basis. The answers are neither simple nor easy.  Nor can they be achieved overnight.

As we continue to work for better housing, better education, equal access to jobs and other economic opportunities, we should invest a substantial amount of time and resources in our young people. We must help them overcome many hurdles and misconceptions that can destroy their future — even before they have any idea of what that future can be.

Providing them opportunities to have access and achieve a quality education in an ever-advancing technological society is paramount. Without an education both in terms of tradition and emerging technologies, the odds of improving their living conditions are firmly stacked against them.

To achieve appreciation for the value of a strong family unit, and address those needs to build and preserve it, often like any positive outcomes, must be taught, learned, and practiced, and passed on.

While no one can undo the past conditions that have left destruction, disenfranchisement, and disadvantages in its wake, today and moving forward, we can refocus our energy and efforts on what is necessary to build a stronger family unit — for generations to come.

But the Black family unit cannot become stronger existing in a societal silo. Physical and social segregation and isolation between Blacks and whites will not yield a good or lasting outcome.

Our lives, and more importantly our future well-being, are inextricably tied whether we like it or not.

Instead, educators, policymakers, leaders, and all of us as caring citizens alike must be willing to acknowledge the long-existing disparities, inequities, and overall disenfranchisement of Blacks in America, come together, commit, and continue to work at making things better.

Then, maybe, there will be real reasons to celebrate the meaning and promise of Juneteenth as a national holiday.

(Photo by JimVallee/iStock Images)

 As cities, states and our nation face many political, economic and social challenges, who we vote for in upcoming elections carries monumental importance.

All we need to do is to look at the state of things to know that we need to change the direction and the unraveling trajectory we are on.

Many state legislatures are in recess. But their accomplishments, or lack thereof, are still fresh in our minds.

Furthermore, Congress choosing to be embroiled in a last-minute wrangling to avert a financial crisis here at home and worldwide may have been high drama, but it was completely unnecessary.

No doubt your city, or other local governmental entity, also has its share of challenges and problems exacerbated by those who have utter disregard for what is in the best public interest.

At every level there is much to evaluate as you decide who you will choose to fill elective offices and make decisions on your behalf.

Choosing wisely is paramount.

Most elections are still a year away. Yet there are many opportunities and ways to become engaged early in the electoral process to help us make better choices.

But many of us want to get engaged only when we have to, perhaps a few weeks or days before we have to go to the polls and cast a vote.

Too often, we haven’t paid much attention to what has been said or done by candidates leading up to the time they want you to put your political, economic and social quality of life in their hands.

Shouldn’t we look into their backgrounds to find out as much as we can about who they are? What do they truly stand for?

Many candidates are very good at hiding their true colors, or being evasive on how they truly feel about issues until after they are elected.

But if we pay close enough attention — and become more engaged — we can figure it out.

If they have held elective office before, then they have a record — good, bad, or ineffective. They have shown you who they are and what their agenda is.

Believe them.

All elections are important at every level of our governmental system.

But the one that will consume most Americans, and which is already dominating the political conversation and media attention is the 2024 presidential election.

While President Joe Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee, many candidates are seeking to become the Republican nominee, including former President Donald Trump.

Townhall meetings with the aspiring Republican candidates are already taking place and being broadcast broadly. The first Republican primary debate is scheduled to occur in August.

The evaluation process has begun. Will you be paying attention?

The schedules for the 2024 primary elections have already been determined.

If you wait until November of next year, many irreversible decisions will have already been made.

The overriding question: Who will be most qualified to lead this very divided nation — on many fronts — with all of its serious, and what could be defining, challenges?

What qualifications will you look for in the candidates who will be vying for your support, and ultimately your vote?

A few very important qualifications come to mind.

First and foremost, the president should know this country’s history, the role, structure, and function of our form of government. The president should be the role model when it comes to respecting and upholding the Constitution and the rule of law.

Which candidate consistently demonstrates a command of the major issues, challenges and policy decisions facing the country in sufficient enough detail to distinguish between good advice and bad?

Who can best provide leadership and direction, and has the communication, negotiation, and consensus-building skills to achieve meaningful outcomes?

For such an important position, who we elect must have the right leadership experience. He or she must be able to select the right cabinet or management team to grapple with some of the most complex issues facing our time within our borders and globally.

What is their vision for the country? Is it realistic and achievable?

The president must be both inclusive and compassionate to balance the needs of the rich and the poor, the young and the elderly, the needs of minorities with those of the majority, the privileged and the disenfranchised.

The president must perform the ultimate balancing act, making decisions based upon what is good for America and its citizens.

By the time we cast our vote if we have not determined which candidate has strong integrity, high moral standards, is a unifier and not a divider, then shame on us.

These are the minimum qualifications to be president of United States.

Who will best meet them?

But, electing a president is only the beginning.

There will be many elections for various offices occurring in 2023. There will be even more occurring in 2024, including all 435 U.S. Congressional seats and some of the Senatorial seats.

Many of the qualifications required to become president also apply to all candidates seeking to hold public office along with other specific ones unique to a particular branch of government.

In addition to character and qualifications, what issues are most important to you, your family, and your community? Where do the candidates stand on these issues? What will they do to address them? How will they vote when given choices?

All elections are important.

All elections have consequences that directly impact the quality of our lives both physically and psychologically. We cannot underestimate the impact that perpetual virulent political discord, instability and uncertainty have on our collective psyche and sense of peace and hopefulness for the future.

Who will you choose to lead?

(Photo by FangXiaNuo, iStock Images)

In recent years, community gardens have gained popularity as alternatives to address the growing crisis of food deserts, particularly in central cities.

But community gardens offer opportunities for much more.

The personal, communal and environmental benefits are many.

In addition to being a fresh and healthy food source, a community garden can also help close many societal divides.

The first is closing the food production and nutrition knowledge gap.

Many of us don’t have a clue about how the food we eat gets from a seed to our plate. Working in a community garden can help close that gap.

What about the intricate and complex orchestration of the boundless supply that our plant ecosystem nourishes and supports.

A community garden provides great opportunities to better understand the priceless value of nature’s bounty, not only the privilege of enjoying the vegetables and fruits it yields, but also our obligation to learn and practice the best methods to appreciate, protect and sustains it as we adopt healthier habits to sustain ourselves.

What a great way to better understand, first-hand, some of the issues around the impact of climate change and global warming on the production of our food supply.

The soil preparation, planting of seeds, transplanting of plants, weeding and harvesting are all opportunities to learn about many aspects of how our earth and environment work so well together to meet our nutritional needs.

These stages of the gardening process also present natural settings and circumstances for us to learn more about our neighbors, of all ages, near and far. We can escape and get beyond the physical, political, and social barriers that seem to be constant sources of tensions and divides.

For a season, a community garden can offer respite from the rancor, infighting and negativity that seem to be overtaking us in nearly every aspect of our lives.

Also, just as gardeners take advantage of the many options to store and preserve foods from the garden to be used beyond the growing and harvesting seasons—by canning, freezing and drying processes—the positive interactions of working together, learning more about each other, sharing commonalities and appreciating differences can have  long-term benefits.

Such experiences can help us regain and strengthen our shared humanity.

Like neighborhoods, there are many types of community gardens that come in all shapes and sizes and can be found in different locations, using different methods and styles to cultivate and flourish.

Large or small, odd or traditionally-shaped, in the earth or in containers, spaces for gardening abound.

You can turn your individual garden—no matter how large or small—into a community garden by sharing what you grow irrespective of the quantity. Imagine a first step in closing a divide can be taken by sharing one tomato, a cucumber, a little lettuce, a peach or two, a cup of strawberries, whatever you have to share.

It’s the thought, building connections and camaraderie that count, and have lasting meaning.

On a personal level, I have lived in large metropolitan areas all of my adult life and throughout my career, but I have been unable to escape the farm life of my childhood and teen years. Especially when it comes to growing vegetable gardens.

I also recall and appreciate how gardens—working them and sharing the harvest—were wonderful sources of bonding, caring for neighbors and fostering a sense of community, and a shared destiny.

Each year, I find myself planting all kinds of vegetables, and much more than I can ever use. I love preparing the soil, planting the seeds, setting out the starter plants, even weeding.

It is all so therapeutic—head-clearing, problem-solving, idea-generating, communing with nature—and fulfilling in many ways, at least for me.

But nothing gives me greater pleasure than to share the vegetables and fruits with my neighbors, my church, the telephone repairman, the lawn care team, even strangers who may stop and ask for directions.

Once the gardens are finished and prepped for the next season, I continue to share frozen and canned foods with family and friends. They in turn share with their friends whom I don’t even know.

Community gardens and our personal garden can reach and spread goodwill, near and far, in ways that we may not imagine.

The point: In this arguably divisive, and hate-filled time we seem to be confronted with, let us use this season for gardening to get back to cultivating and nurturing our common humanity.

Food or sharing a meal has always been used to convene, to gather and establish a setting and environment where there could be a meeting of the minds, healthy discussion and a time for healing.

The same can be achieved with a garden, whether organized and maintained by members of a community, or your very own.

Furthermore, community gardens need not be confined to growing food.

There are great benefits if you prefer to grow flowers.

As the adage goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” But there are many beautiful flowers, like vegetables, that grow all summer long and into the fall, providing many opportunities to learn, enjoy and share.

Whether vegetable and fruit gardens, rose gardens, wildflower gardens, sunflower gardens—large, medium, or small—let this summer be a time for personal renewal and growth as we share the experience with family members, friends, neighbors, even strangers.

It could be the basis, the beginning, or resumption of finding common ground to address some of the tougher more divisive issues and problems we face and must find solutions for in our communities, cities, states and nation.

We need as many positive interactions with each other as we can get to help us along.

(Photo by JaveLin/iStock Images)

On an almost daily basis we are confronted with the choice of continuing to believe in the role, value and integrity of our government or conclude that it is irretrievably broken.

At a minimum we must seriously ask: Are we at risk of succumbing to what appears to be inherent and intransigent dishonesty and hypocrisy practiced in the institutions and by leaders we have come to rely on?

The recent revelations that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepted expensive gifts, lavish vacations and a property purchase, and that Neil Gorsuch had a real estate transaction with entities that had issues appearing before the court — and that they failed to report them — do not bolster our confidence.

Do you think that issues you care deeply about will get a fair hearing when brought before the Supreme Court? How confident are you that the court we consider to be the ultimate arbiter will uphold and be governed by the rule of law?

The public’s trust of the Supreme Court is at an all-time low.

The growing cynicism and mistrust of leaders and institutions at all levels of governance in our republic are transforming a less threatening undertow of apathy into a potentially dangerous rip current of deadly disregard.

As you know, a rip current — generally unnoticed — does not pull people under the water. It pulls people away from the shore. A drowning death occurs when the person no longer has the energy to continue to fight to get back to shore.

Are faithful, seasoned and concerned citizens growing tired and weary of trying to fight against those who are undermining the very fabric of our democratic republic?

Oceanographers will tell you that an undertow is most dangerous to children or inexperienced swimmers. Whereas, a rip current can exhaust and kill the most experienced swimmer when they have to constantly swim against the flow.

For decades, there has been concern about young people being disengaged and turned off by politics and the political process. They are more susceptible of being lost to the undertow of growing cynicism.

Today, unfortunately, this undercurrent of cynicism is not just among young people. Evidence abounds that it transcends age, sex, race, ethnicity and economic class.

But something more dangerous and more deadly is lurking: The rip current of total disregard.

What do you feel Americans are up against when we look at the barrage of unethical, even illegal behavior of governmental officials and the institutional processes that fail to hold them accountable — at all levels?

We have seen it from the White House to the statehouse. From the county seat to the city council. From an appointed board to an elected board.

You can hardly look at any news outlet without learning of the latest transgression, proven or alleged, committed by someone who is supposed to be a protector of the public interest and a keeper of the public trust.

When we look at the pervasiveness of illegal behavior among our elected and appointed officials and the negative undertow and rip current it breeds, we must search our individual and collective souls to uncover the reasons why this problem seems to be worsening.

Does the blame lie solely with the perpetrators? Or must the blame be shared by us, the public, for our continual tolerance through our silence and lack of demonstrative steps that would clearly convey our outrage?

How can it be okay for Supreme Court Justices to accept expensive gifts, take lavish trips, enter into real estate deals and not be held accountable by the reporting requirements and ethical standards governing the behavior of an officer of the court?

How can any citizen — including a past president of the United States — not be required to abide by the laws of the land?

How can a member of Congress whose entire resume is a compilation of lies and misrepresentations, and whose behavior remains one bold face untruth after the other, still be allowed to serve?

One can look at what is going on in their state, city and county and find similar instances of threats to the integrity and foundation of our governing entities.

There are so many questions to grapple with when we see our elected or appointed officials consumed, and often dethroned, by scandal. How much of it is contrived by political enemies or opposing factions? How much is due to a character flaw, a lack of a moral center of strong ethical values, personal agendas and financial greed?

It is little wonder that public trust and confidence in our government and its leaders are at an all-time low at almost every level. How could anyone possibly expect citizens to stay engaged, and not succumb to the undertow of cynicism, or fall victim to the rip current of total disregard?

An experienced and knowledgeable swimmer knows that the rip current can be deadly; and it is wise to stay attentive during the swim, remaining close to the beach or near the shore.

But, like the good swimmer, we as concerned citizens must remain watchful and stay connected to the institutional government that defines us and our way of life.

We must be vigilant and fight to reclaim and preserve our system of government as we navigate and work on the imperfections.

The political undertow of apathy and cynicism claims another every time someone tunes out our democratic process.

But the rip current of total disregard, if it claims too many, can lead us to a point of no return.

The U.S. Capitol on Dec. 18, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images).

In times of a major crisis, discord, division or a crossroads situation where a country or society finds itself at the precipice of what will define its future, a committed leader with a commanding voice emerges.

Who will be that leader — that strong, dedicated and unifying voice to lead us to a solution to end senseless mass gun violence?

History is our greatest teacher.

When a society faces crisis situations that can either define its future direction or could destroy it, a leader emerges.

At critical crossroads in American history, Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War or Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression come to mind.

But it need not only be a president or powerful person who carves the right path and direction at critical inflection points of a society in crisis.

It could be a caring and committed citizen determined to bring about needed and meaningful change to make things better.

Below are a few examples of familiar leaders that mobilized a concerned public and brought about meaningful change.

At the turn of the 20^th Century, it was Susan B. Anthony, Katie Stanton, Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell and others who worked tirelessly in the Suffragist Movement to secure voting rights for American women.

Later in the 1970s, it was Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes who took up the cause of getting equality for women in the workplace.

It was Sojourner Truth, and a network of abolitionists — white and Black — who risked their lives to free thousands of slaves through the Underground Railroad.

It was Martin Luther King Jr. and a host of freedom fighters who picked up the baton to lead and run yet another leg in the relay race to secure equal rights and protections for Blacks and poor whites.

There have been many other gains made to improve different conditions and causes in American society by opposing political organizations, views, efforts, and movements. But good outcomes emerged. At the end of the day, many of those efforts improved the quality of life we enjoy today.

Public mobilization has been a necessary component of those achievements.

Why would stopping senseless mass gun violence be any different?

America has been known as a leader, trailblazer and conqueror in so many areas. But she is a laggard when it comes to controlling gun violence. Why can’t we stop the wanton killing and carnage of unsuspecting citizens who are simply going about the activities in their daily lives?

The recent shooting in a Louisville, Kentucky, bank shows once again that no place is safe from wanton mass gun violence. Instead of the emergence of a sustained call for change and course corrections, the loudest voice seems to be one of resignation. There are many things that can be done.

Imagine where we would be as a society if resignation and acceptance were the dominant voice when it came to ending unhealthy, oppressive and abusive conditions.

Would we have ever achieved safe spaces and places for women, children, the poor, the disabled and many other vulnerable groups among us? While there is still work to be done, imagine where we would be if we assumed an attitude of acceptance of wretched conditions.

Tackling the causes of mass gun violence — uncontrolled access to AR-15s and other assault weapons, the ongoing infusion and proliferation of guns and mental illness — will require the same steadfast commitment and vigilance.

Where is the leader or leaders? Where are the coalitions of caring citizens and organizations to bring about the needed policies and regulations to stop mass gun violence?

Most major changes or movements begin small with one or a few people. There are often bursts of activities or protests. We have seen it following many of the horrendous school shootings. Some safety measures have been put in place as a result.

But mass shootings are occurring more frequently in all sorts of places. What will it take to stop this deadly acceleration?

Will it take mass boycotts of public places where merchants feel an economic loss?

The COVID-19 pandemic taught us the economic and social costs of the fear of gathering in public places. Must we get to the place where we alter our normal routines and activities for fear of being gunned down?

Such scenes are not as farfetched as one might think if we continue to witness mass gun violence on almost a weekly basis. Can you name a venue where there hasn’t been a mass shooting?

It seems clear that elected officials at the state level or in Congress seem unable or unwilling to take the necessary steps that have been implemented in other countries to abate or stop gun violence.

Perhaps we should be surprised. But we certainly should not continue to count on a change to come without the public demanding it.

In the meantime, there is a lot that local governmental entities and community organizations can do.

Recently, the public and a few legislators came together at the state house in Tennessee to protest gun violence. Could it be the start of something big?

Stopping gun violence in America is possible. Will strong committed leaders and caring citizens please stand up and apply pressure until a real change comes at the national level?

Such sustained pressure has worked before.

(Photo by Andrii Koval/iStock Images)

Parents have the right to drop off or send their children to safe schools.

Teachers have the right to educate them in safe classrooms.

Their rights are just as important as the rights of gun owners, if not more so.

So where is the outcry for the rights of parents and teachers?

Here we are dealing with the aftermath of another school shooting where children, unsuspecting teachers and other school personnel have been violently murdered or maimed by a military-style weapon.

How long will we remember those lost in the Nashville school shooting? Will it last only until another dramatic headline replaces it and captures our attention?

During the last five years, there have been 157 school shootings — including 51 last year. Sadly, there have been 13 already this year with 23 people killed or injured.

When breaking news occurs after or in the midst of a school shooting, we may be stunned and heartbroken as the painful coverage and reportage unfold, as the analyses and comments are gathered.

Then we hear the mixture of common refrains from legislators and citizens alike.

From one side we hear: Something must be done to pass legislation to ban assault military-style weapons. They have no place in the hands of civilians. Congress must do something.

We also hear a call for better regulations of gun sales, better background checks, monitoring and sharing of data when it comes to gun ownership.

From the other side we hear: Banning assault weapons is an infringement on our 2^nd Amendment rights. That military-style weapons are not the problem, but mental health issues are instead. Or, criminals are the problem. Nothing can be done.

In the meantime, no meaningful solutions seem to be on the horizon.

When more and more children are dying from school shootings, how can we as a society find that acceptable? Since 1970, there have been over 1900 school shootings, with more than 600 deaths, 1800 injured, with the highest number of shootings occurring in 2018.

Why can’t America protect her school children? Why won’t those who have been given the power to do something about it still refuse to do it, steadily ignoring the sentiment of the majority of the citizens who put them there?

A majority of Americans support banning assault weapons.

From 1994 to 2004, when a ban of assault weapons was enforced, there were far fewer mass shootings. Since the ban expired, there has been a notable increase, with the greatest increase in recent years.

The data is clear.

There are many reasons that this is true. The proliferation of guns in the population is the major one. America has more guns circulating than there are people.

We tend to want to have our cake and eat it, too.

Legislators in Congress and across the states — while claiming that mass gun violence is a mental health issue or criminal issue — still refuse to provide sufficient mental health resources and services, or refuse to regulate gun sales controls and monitoring to minimize access by the mentally ill or criminally inclined.

They also refused to pass any meaningful gun control measures.

In the meantime, the most helpless and vulnerable among us are falling victim to random gun violence. All because of the hapless and cowardice behavior of those in power to do something about it.

Excuses abound.

But for those who are suffering the most, who constantly remain in harms way, the solution is also in their hands.

What options are left to protect our children and teachers from being massacred by military assault-style weapons?

The roles and responsibilities of parents and teachers are pivotal and indispensable when it comes to the quality of lives of children, the types of adults they become, what is passed down to future generations to advance the health and well-being of society.

Parents and teachers unite to get assault weapons banned. You have the numbers. You have the power.

What would members of Congress and state legislatures do if teachers decided to walk out of classrooms in mass until legislation is passed to stop the sale of assault weapon? Demand that buy-back programs be put in place to get these guns off the streets?

What if demands that screening programs be put in place to minimize the sale of guns, of any kind, to people suffering from mentally illness or those with criminal backgrounds? That there be universal sharing of gun data across jurisdictions?

Imagine the power if concerned parents joined teachers in putting pressure on state and Congressional legislators to get these measures passed.

Concerned parents, along with Parent and Teachers Associations (PTAs) can bombard their legislators with letters, telephone calls and other means available to them to demand that something be done.

Abating and stopping mass gun violence is a complicated issue. While there may not be a solution to get rid of all mass gun violence, it certainly can be significantly reduced.

The United States has more mass gun shootings in schools than all other industrialized nations in the world combined. What a tragedy. It is inexcusable.

If current elected officials do not have the will or courage to stop children and teachers from being sitting targets of a sane or deranged mass shooter, then it is time for parents and teachers to stand and take matters into their own hands.

Demand that your legislators pass and implements measures to address all the aspects of the mass gun violence epidemic in this country, or vote them out of office.

Parents and teachers must become prepared to mount a sustained effort until a change comes. The 2024 elections provide great opportunities. But you can start today.

Together, teachers and concerned parents have tremendous power.

It is past time to mobilize it.

(photo by mj0007/iStock Images).

Spending time fighting “woke,” “wokeness,” and a so-called “culture war” instead of focusing on the real issues and problems we face as a nation is a downright miscarriage of the political and legislative processes.

Legislators, political leaders and potential candidates have found a new strawman to use to reenergize and promote continued racism and disenfranchisement.

These efforts are also dangerous in their potential to undo the gains made and thwart future progress when it comes to human rights and equality across race and gender.

If there is any doubt that racism and the continued oppression of Blacks and other minorities are the driving forces behind the growing conversation around wokeness or culture war, then take a closer look beyond the contrived and exaggerated hype gaining attention.

The word “woke” has become weaponized and is being used in ways the exact opposite of how it was intended, or according to its true meaning.

What is your understanding of “wokeness,” “being woke” or the “culture war?”

The real question: Once we discover the facts, will we have the courage to call all the misrepresentations and misuse what they are?

We all consider the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a factual and reliable source. It defines woke as being “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).”

The word has a long history in the Black community for obvious reasons, but in recent years has been taken out of context, and misused, to perpetuate racial fears and oppression efforts.

What does it mean when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — a potential 2024 presidential candidate — constantly declares that Florida is the state where “woke goes to die?”

Recently, DeSantis was successful in getting an advanced African American study course banned from being taught in the state’s public schools. Specifically, it was a high school Advanced Placement course.

Advanced Placement courses are designed by the College Board to teach and help prepare high school students in the area of analytical thinking skills that are needed and required in college courses. They can also provide college credits and have financial benefits in defraying the cost of college.

Florida high schools offer many Advanced Placement courses. Many students have taken them over the years.

The African American Advanced Placement course has been the only one that was targeted, banned and eliminated from Florida high schools.

But DeSantis is not alone. He potentially stands to be the loudest voice and most visible champion of fighting “woke” and a phantom war that many have become victims of believing is real.

Targeting woke, wokeness and cancel culture is another effort to suppress the ugly aspects of American history when it comes to Black Americans. Sadly, other minority citizens stand to be caught up and become collateral damage in this contrived war.

As the woke issue gains momentum, will we, the public, allow it to supplant the discussion of real issues? Will it play a dominant role in the upcoming 2024 elections?

Must we be subjected to appeals to our base more inhumane side instead of trying to figure out how best to come together as caring people, working for the best outcomes for all American citizens — especially for the weakest and most vulnerable among us?

Then, there is the acceleration of the “culture war” phenomenon. Instead of promoting and engaging in factual civil discussions about our differing opinions and beliefs, will this divisive faux force weaken America?

Issues and problems abound in this country on a micro and macro level. We all know what some of them are.

Instead of focusing on banning books and eliminating classes in high school curricula, we should be more concerned about how best to educate our children and close the achievement gap that exists — not only between children in this country but between our children and other children across the world.

Many countries are ahead of the United States when it comes to how well we educate our children overall. Their children outperform ours in many areas, including reading, mathematics and science.

But how best to educate our children and prepare them to compete at home and abroad in the future is not the only pressing issue facing cities, states and the nation.

What about citizens having access to quality affordable healthcare and medications? That is still a major issue in the United States when many other industrialized countries seem to have arrived at solutions.

How do we best meet the needs of older citizens, the fastest-growing segment of our population? Ensuring that Medicare and Social Security will be available is just one aspect of the growing needs of an elderly population.

Challenges to having enough affordable housing, reducing crime, eliminating poverty, and implementing a fair taxation system are long-standing issues that are yet to be solved.

In addition, there are other important issues that must be addressed on a global scale.

What should America’s position and investment be in protecting other democracies?

How do we best prepare for another pandemic that experts predict is sure to come?

What is our continued role and investment in slowing down, if not stopping climate change and global warming?

What do we do to move forward with solving energy needs, clean and otherwise?

You get the point.

Shame on us if we allow ourselves to be snookered, used as pawns, into believing that woke and the culture war are the most important issues we face.

Shame on us.

Protesters rally against Fox News outside the company's headquarters at the News Corporation building on March 13, 2019 in New York City (Drew Angerer/Getty Images).

The recent revelation that multiple hosts on Fox News deliberately misled their audience — reporting and promoting the lie that there was rampant voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election when they knew there was none — may not be surprising but is definitely damning.

Every American who cares about the role of the press in our daily lives should be alarmed and outraged.

According to sworn statements in depositions for a lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch admitted he and other executives were aware of the deceptive practices and blatant lies. Yet they allowed them to be continually broadcast.

We are all aware of the divisiveness such misrepresentations and lies have caused, from the threats and financial costs many secretary of state offices and local election officials incurred to the greatest tragedy of all — the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The nation is still dealing with and reeling from the negative effects of those election lies.

There is a school of thought that would like to make a distinction between pure reportage of news events and the interpretation or discussion of those events, which Fox News has alluded to in its defense.

But bottom line: No matter what, shouldn’t all of it be based on facts and truth?

Since this nation was founded, the press has always consisted of three main dimensions: Reporting the facts and events; the interpretations of what those facts and events mean; and thoughts or opinions regarding them.

Saying only reportage should be based on facts and truths — but interpretation, analysis, and opinion/commentary are not — is a false and misleading distinction.

With the advent of cable news and 24/7 coverage, many platforms for reporting, analyzing and discussing the news and events of the day have emerged. One would think that is a good thing. There is more time to gain a complete and better understanding of what can be complex and complicated issues.

But too often, those valuable platforms have been used to distort, create and promote rumors, inuendo, conspiracy theories and downright lies.

When public trust in the press is at an all-time low, what is the public to do when some of the news media outlets deliberately and knowingly become a propaganda machine whether for a political person, political party, interest group or downright greed.

With the recent revelations about Fox News, it appears that all of the above forces and motives were in play.

What a miscarriage and disregard of the awesome role and responsibility of the press.

What a danger to a healthy democratic republic as the United States.

Perhaps the greatest harm is the growing mistrust of all media. The good is often lumped with the bad. Can you trust your news sources?

How many issues — consuming Congress and state governments, political organizations, parents and other concerned citizens — are being fueled knowingly by distortions and downright lies.

Many come to mind: The false claim that any measure to ban military style AR-15 automatic weapons is an attempt to take away 2^nd Amendment gun rights; that immigrants are bringing drugs and crime into the country; that books should be banned, and high school curricula restricted because they are promoting false Black history.

Not to mention the growing concern about “wokeness” and “cancel culture” as viable issues, both of which are gaining unwarranted and unjustifiable attention and legislative actions.

It must also be asked: Are we becoming a society where truth is becoming an expendable commodity, a fluid medium of exchange?

What are we to think when politicians and other public persons lie, distort and push false narratives and conspiracy theories with reckless abandon? Even worse, we the public not only allow them to get away with it, but we often reward them by allowing them to keep their positions and be continually financially rewarded.

Is it any different when we continue to tune in day after day, night after night, and be gullible and dependable viewers that boost ratings of so-called news programs even if we suspect, maybe even know that they are scarce on facts and truth, but generous on lies and propaganda?

If facts and truths are expendable in our public discourse, and the press cannot be relied upon to hold government, politicians, elected officials, and businesses accountable in all areas that define the quality of life for American citizens, what possibly can be the country’s future?

America is at critical crossroads in many areas. As we try to gain a better understanding of the issues at hand, sadly we must remain mindful that all news sources are not truthful.

There has been a tremendous erosion in the role the press has played in preserving, promoting, and strengthening our democracy. Regaining that role is paramount to the future of America.

The Fox News revelation happens to be our most serious wake-up call.

The real question is: Will it be forgotten and ignored once it stops making the headlines?

Freedom of the press carries with it the awesome responsibility of reporting facts and truths about issues and events, including any comment and analysis of those same issues and events.

In order to have confidence in what the media is reporting or discussing whether on radio, TV, in newspapers, or online, the press must restore public trust.

Failure to do so will render its role null and void, in ensuring that our republic — our democratic form of government — survives.

Other democracies are not allowing the majority of their citizenry to be put in danger because of unregulated and unenforced access to military-style guns (Aristide Economopoulos for New Jersey Monitor).

Whether in a grocery store, a place of worship, a shopping mall, a community celebration, at work or in school, you are at risk for becoming a victim of senseless gun violence.

Why is America the only industrialized nation in the world that is plagued by frequent mass shootings?

Has our form of democracy allowed the minority to run amuck when it comes to the rights of an individual to own any kind of gun vs. the majority’s right to live without fear of mass murder?

The number of mass shootings occurring in the United States is a uniquely American phenomenon — and it’s a trait that no American should be proud of.

Other democracies are not allowing the majority of their citizenry to be put in danger because of unregulated and unenforced access to military-style guns that can be retrofitted to become automatic weapons capable of firing multiple rounds of bullets so powerful that they render their victims unrecognizable.

How or where can there be a need for any individual to own or have access to those types of guns except to inflict or carry out human carnage at will?

So far this year, we have had 79 mass shootings, more than we have had days.

Last week, unsuspecting students at Michigan State University, in the dark of night, were killed or critically injured by someone with a gun and a backpack loaded with clips of ammunition.

Hundreds of others and their families were in a state of fear and terror the effects of which could be with them forever.

In January alone, there were 52 mass shootings, where 87 people were killed and 205 were wounded. Five with the most fatalities made national news: Enoch, Utah, where eight people died; in Goshem, California, six died; Monterey Park, California, where 12 died and nine were injured; in Half-Moon Bay, California, seven dead and one injured; and Yakima, Washington, where four people died.

So many communities are making national news because someone decided to go on a shooting rampage with a high-powered, assault-style gun.

A listing of the record number of  mass shootings that have occurred during 2022 and so far in 2033, shows that nearly every state in the union has been impacted.

Why should that be in the United States of America?

Is it because of a misinterpretation and misapplication of the 2^nd Amendment of the Constitution? Is it because of a powerful gun lobby?

Or, is it because lawmakers across every level of government refuse or lack the courage to put in place and ensure enforcement of sensible gun safety measures?

One could argue it is all of the above.

The majority of Americans want gun safety measures put in place and enforced.

It has been successfully done in other civilized democratic forms of government. Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, New Zealand, Switzerland and many other countries do not have mass shootings as the United States does.

Where can Americans at any age feel completely safe from wanton mass gun violence when it occurs in all aspects of our daily lives — at school, in our sacred places of worship, in the grocery store, shopping mall, in the workplace, at a community celebration?

Whether babies, children, teenagers, young adults, middle-aged people, or the elderly are killed or maimed, it doesn’t seem to be enough for lawmakers to do something.

How large of a massacre of innocent people, how many more, need to occur in the United States for lawmakers to do the right and sensible thing when in comes to doing what other countries with democratic form government have done to ban assault style weapons?

There have been calls and attempts at the national level to address the issues, but with no success to date.

Getting sensible gun-safety measures passed at the state level, in enough states, remains a challenge even though some are trying to address the issue. Passage of federal legislation will go a long way to enable states and cities to pass and enforce sensible gun laws.

But in the meantime, what are concerned citizens to do?

How long must the will of the majority continue to be ignored by lawmakers who hide behind the 2^nd Amendment? Or, be outspent and have less influence than a powerful gun lobby? Will the voice of the majority continue to be drowned out by extremists?

There is no mystery, no insurmountable obstacles that must be overcome to stop the senseless killing of Americans who are just going about living their lives.

All that is needed are courageous and caring lawmakers doing what is best for the United States and the majority of its citizens when it comes to stopping mass gun violence. They do not have to reinvent the wheel. There are many effective gun safety laws and enforcement measures in place in other countries that can be emulated, adjusted, augmented to work in this country.

When will lawmakers finally be about it?

How many more deaths must we endure, and how much more human carnage must we suffer?

Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City (Getty Images).

With just a little more than a month into the new legislative session, there is still time for Missouri lawmakers to change direction and focus on issues that are important to many Missourians. 

But, will they?

The legislature got off to a roaring start proposing bills to limit transgender students’ participation in schools’ sports, and banning the teaching of “critical race theory.”

At least 10 bills have been filed to limit the ability of transgender children to play in youth sports. There are proposed bills also on banning discussion about gender and sexual identity by school staff, and how health care providers treat children with gender identity issues.

Since 2012, only 13 transgender students have been approved to play sports by The Missouri State High School Activities Association, which requires transgender athletes to apply and provide medical documentation in order to compete as the gender they identify with.

Drag performances and shows have also reached the legislative radar. Stay tuned.

An education bill banning the teaching of “critical race theory,” or CRT, in high schools is moving through committees gaining approval when in fact, CRT is not even being taught in Missouri high schools.

CRT has been included in what is called a “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” which seeks to limit how race and history are taught. The bill goes so far as to allow lawsuits against school districts with the potential of cuts in state funding if there are any curricula violations.

What unnecessary threats and misguided intimidation toward the public education system.

One must ask, how can these superficial, superfluous — misguided and potentially very harmful — issues be the most important facing our state?

Are they being used as strawmen, deflectors, distractions or phantoms?

Or, is there something more sinister occurring: New and blatant attempts to continue to oppress and discriminate against the Black and LGBTQ communities, as well as legitimize censorship as a means to suppress how we factually and truthfully educate our children.

Whatever the reasons, focusing on these issues is taking precedence over other pressing needs crying out for action and remedy.

Needs like addressing homelessness, fixing a foster care system bursting at the seams, and determining how best to spend a $6 billion dollar surplus in areas that will benefit most Missourians.

When it comes to homelessness, the legislature would rather focus on implementing a law that would criminalize those forced to shelter on city or state-owned property.

Instead of incarcerating them, why not spend some of the state’s multi-billion-dollar surplus on providing temporary housing and funding more permanent affordable housing options?

Why not use some of those surplus dollars to increase mental health services and substance abuse rehabilitation services for those who have clearly lost their way?

For individuals and families who became homeless because of economic decline and hard times, why not provide job-training for re-entry into the workplace?

Surely, in addition to giving tax cuts and tax breaks, and widening I-70, shouldn’t some of those surplus dollars be used to help some of the most downtrodden citizens among us get back on their feet?

Then there is the ever-present and growing crisis in the foster care system for Missouri’s abandoned and neglected children. The percentage of kids entering foster care in our state is among the highest in the country.

According to Missouri’s social services agency, the state has made too many children permanent orphans by severing the legal ties to their biological parents, yet not doing everything it can to find adoptive parents. They wait in foster care — some interminably, never being adopted or aging out as they languish in the system.

The solution is two-fold.

First, more resources, services and crisis intervention programs can be provided to vulnerable families to prevent those conditions — poverty, abuse, addiction, mental illness — that cause children to enter the foster care system in the first place.

Second, the social services agency must be adequately staffed to get these children either back with their biological parents or adoptive parents.

Foster children need not linger in an institutional setting for most of their childhood and formative years.

The agency is requesting that the current legislature provide funding to provide critically needed staffing and resources to get more children placed in permanent homes.

Will some of that $6 billion surplus be used to give our foster children the best chance at a healthy, meaningful and fulfilling life?

Another high priority issue is the availability of affordable housing for low income and middle-class working families. As in most states, there is an endemic affordable housing crisis.

The crisis is more severe in Missouri’s largest metropolitan areas, Kansas City and St. Louis. But there is also a shortage of affordable housing in smaller cities and rural communities all across the state.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Missouri has a major shortage of homes.

How can this be, as the state continues to amass and sit on billions of dollars?

In addition, the Missouri Housing Development Commission, which oversees affordable housing, has hundreds of millions of unrestricted dollars (see page 7 in PDF link) and programs that could be applied in a more urgent way to address the growing housing shortages.

Given these major challenges facing Missourians all across the state — and there are others — how can a fabricated issue like banning “critical race theory,” and an over-exaggerated issue like preventing transgender students from participating in sports have top billing on the legislative agenda?

They shouldn’t.

In Missouri, House Bill 492 , the “Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act,” would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish a pilot program for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years in five to seven schools (Photo by scanrail/iStock images).

This week has been designated as “National News Literacy Week.” It could not be more important or timely as we continue to be bombarded with misinformation, disinformation and downright lies in all corners of the public square.

What is most alarming is the utter disregard and disrespect for facts and truth practiced and tolerated by many of the very people we look to and count on tell us like it is.

What is “National News Literacy Week”, and when did it start?

The primary purpose, now in its fourth year, is to stop the proliferation of false information and teach consumers how to identify trustworthy news sources and content.

The week is dedicated to reclaiming credibility, rebuilding public trust and addressing the steps being taken to sustain those goals moving forward. The focus will be on fact gathering and the reporting processes to emphasize the openness and transparency required, all of which is so critical to building a trustworthy relationship with the public.

Another primary goal is to inspire citizens, educators and students to learn how to become smart consumers of information.

How do we prepare ourselves and future generations to critically analyze and assess the information we are receiving from various sources and determine its accuracy and  credibility?

That is where media literacy comes in.

Media literacy is not a new concept, and its meaning has evolved over time. In addition to developing the ability to evaluate messages and information from various sources, it is just as important to learn how to develop and use messages and dialogue effectively.

Media literacy is critical to the survival and perpetuation of a healthy democracy.

In many ways as consumers — and victims — of message bombardment, we are way behind the curve.

Even when we just had access to newspapers, radio and television, there was a lot to sort through, to understand and to absorb. You may recall early efforts to manage access and viewing, primarily of children.

But today, with 24-hour TV programming, myriad options to access all kinds of information on a plethora of media outlets and the Internet with all of its unlimited information and reach, it is easy to be overwhelmed and misled.

How can one achieve medial literacy and become a smart consumer?

Consulting multiple media sources to compare the coverage or treatment of the same issues or events, in many instances, could be helpful in determining where facts and truths lie.

But media literacy involves so much more.

Since 1997, the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLA) has worked to empower all citizens to be able to evaluate all forms of public communication, and to become smart consumers and practitioners.

NAMLA advocates offering media literacy education as early as grade school and throughout high school, and encourages setting aside a “Media Literacy Week.”  Age-appropriate resources and tools are provided to assist students, educators, librarians, community organizations and parents.

Congress and many state legislatures have gotten involved to improve media literacy.

Congressional Bill H.R. 4668, the “Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy Act,” was introduced in 2019. The bill instructs the Department of Education to provide grants to state and local educational agencies to promote media literacy and digital citizenship.

The specific purpose of the bill is show citizens how to access, analyze, evaluate the accuracy of media content and information, and make educated decisions about “products and services, education, health, and wellness based on information obtained from media and digital sources.”

The bill is still in committee, awaiting passage by the House of Representatives.

In June 2022, the U.S. Senate introduced a similar bill, Senate Bill S.4490. But it focuses specifically on providing media literacy education to elementary and secondary school students.

It directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to provide grants to state and local educational agencies, public libraries, and qualified nonprofit organizations to “develop and promote media literacy and digital citizenship education for elementary and secondary school students.” Passage is pending.

In 2017, eleven states introduced bills to address media literacy education to improve students skills. Various states emphasize and support different aspects of media literacy.

In Missouri, House Bill 492 , the “Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act,” would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish a pilot program for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years in five to seven schools.

The pilot in addition to addressing media literacy, must develop strategies for student learning in classroom curricula, and demonstrate various literacy strategies used. The bill requires that a report be compiled and submitted to the legislature when the pilot ends in June 2026.

What happens in Missouri schools when it comes to media literacy learning long-term will likely be determined after the pilot is completed.

On Jan. 4 of this year, New Jersey became the first state in the nation to require media literacy be taught in K-12. The law passed with bipartisan support.

With the growing emphasis on news media literacy, it shows the fragile state of trust in the sources and dissemination of accurate information in our public discourse, not only in terms of politics and public policy, but in many aspects of our lives — whether we are grappling with how to best deal with a pandemic, or addressing educational, economic, social and other issues.

How do we separate fact from fiction and truth from lies in trying to find meaning solutions and paths forward? How will we teach and help ourselves and future generations know the difference?

Deliberate and concerted efforts from our leaders, institutions, and from all of us will be required.

We can no longer afford to follow or make decisions blindly in this season of partisan intra and inter upheaval and dysfunction (Photo by debararr/iStock Images).

While our two-party system of government has never functioned perfectly, in recent years it has become more and more dysfunctional — not only in Washington but in many state houses.

Why?

Have both the Republican and Democratic parties been weakened and crippled by extreme ideological factions in their ranks? Has each party lost its core values and identity?

For more than a decade, we have watched the increasing ineffectiveness of the two-party system play out with the lack of civility, cooperation and compromise.

We see it most prominently in the U.S. Congress. But the same is occurring in many state legislatures where the will of the public on issues — whether about sensible gun control measures, access to health care, immigration reform, increase in the minimum wage and myriad others — has been derailed by special interests and extreme voices.

While both parties from time to time appear to be on life-support after being commandeered and taken hostage by extreme elements, it certainly seems that the Republican Party wounds are deeper.

The impact has been palpable during the last decade with the emergence of the tea party faction and other factions of the Republican Party, which are credited with playing a key role in getting Donald Trump elected president.

The Republican Party has been known as the “Party of Lincoln,” the “Party of Reagan” and, of course, the Grand Old Party (GOP). But the prevailing opinion is it has become the “Party of Trump” that seems to have lost its way, forsaking principles and values that have sustained American traditions and institutions.

That impression is validated with how the Jan. 6 insurrection has been handled by Republicans.

Irrespective of what party you affiliate with, you must be wondering how did we get here.

We gain more clarity when we take time to understand the historical path of both parties and the stereotypes that have defined them, often dictating and determining our reactions and interactions.

If asked, how will you define the Republican Party? The Democratic Party?

With closer scrutiny, we discover that we use labels and stereotypes that put both parties in boxes that are no longer accurate, if they ever were.

For example: To which party would you ascribe such labels as conservative vs. liberal vs. moderate; far-right vs. far-left; rural leaning vs. urban; pro-law enforcement vs. anti-law enforcement; anti-minority rights vs. pro-majority rights; pro-immigration vs. anti-immigration reform?

While some of these labels or political positions may define the core leanings and values of the majority of one party more than the other, isn’t it more realistic that one will find many of these same positions in both parties to some degree?

What are the costs of painting either party blindly with a broad brush, and not appreciating the diverse composition that actually exists?

At a minimum, such closed-mindedness fosters missed opportunities to find common ground to work together to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes, especially when the issues are tough and the desired paths may seem diametrically opposed.

The question moving forward is: If our two-party system doesn’t continue to work sufficiently, what will replace it?

Historically and periodically, other smaller parties have emerged, like the Libertarian, Green or Constitution parties. There was an attempt to start a new party prior to the last midterm election because of the entrenched and intransigent dysfunction of the two major parties.

When a party loses its identity, the core values and principles that define its purpose and work, who will it appeal to?

Few people expect smooth sailing, or to see the two parties locking arms and singing Kumbaya. But expecting them to work in earnest to govern and conduct the people’s business should be the norm, rather than anxiously awaiting for another disruptive deflection to win the day.

Where does a crisis between the two major parties leave the independents — the unaffiliated citizens — who would like to see a clear path of principles and policies to align with and support?

It is incumbent on all of us, whether affiliated with a party or not, to examine whether we have an accurate understanding of what each party truly stands for and how it operates.

We often go about our daily lives, functioning and making decisions based on impressions and stereotypes of people, places, things, and yes political parties whether they are accurate representations or not.

Do you have an accurate understanding of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party?

What are the associated risks if the two-party system implodes, and radical alternatives emerge?

We can no longer afford to follow or make decisions blindly in this season of partisan intra and inter upheaval and dysfunction. Let us examine the short-term and long-term motives and agendas of each party and the attending consequences.

Only then can we determine what and for whom each party is working and representing, and whether they deserved our support.

(Photo by Maria Marganingsih/iStock Images)

In the midst of holiday festivities with family and friends — and the anticipation of a new year — it is unlikely we are able to totally escape the sense of unease about our personal situations, or feelings that our nation and the world seem unmoored.

While the holiday season offers a brief respite from our troubles both near and far, perhaps the best gift it gives us is the opportunity to assess and commit to needed adjustments in our lives.

We can carve out some quiet time — maybe just an hour or two — to reflect, gain a better sense of direction and inner power to keep moving forward in positive ways for ourselves, our families, our communities and our world.

Even if it takes more than a couple of hours to put things in proper perspective, imagine the potentially great return on a small investment.

Questions may loom in your mind: How much is really in my control? How much can I change?

Much more than you might think.

Thoughtful introspection is a great first step, examining the principles and beliefs we hold that foster or hinder achieving the positive personal or societal changes we would like to see.

There are many benefits to be gained.

As a starting place, some things to consider:

• Contrary to what we may have been taught, no individual is an island or the center of the universe. We all occupy space. We all have purpose and roles to play in sustaining our family, community and country.
• We are all interconnected in obvious and less obvious ways, requiring mutual respect and collaboration to address common challenges and problems that could be mutually beneficial.
• The sustained quality of one’s life need not be built on the backs or at the expense and exploitation of other human beings.
• One does not have to go about his or her daily affairs with utter, even partial, disregard for their neighbor, colleague, friend, relative or stranger.
• Ignorance, perhaps, is bliss, only in love and only for a time. Remaining ignorant provides the breeding ground for vulnerability, keeping the least suspecting in the dark and at a disadvantage.
• Burying one’s head in the sand — ignoring what is and pretending it does not exist — solves nothing. We learned that from the ostrich.

We are in the 21^st century. While we hope and expect to see the same kind of advancement in our common humanity as we see in other areas of our lives, we find ourselves instead in the midst of political, cultural, religious and economic chasms so wide that they appear to be permanent divides.

Where has the pre-eminence of working for the common good and civility gone?

There has always been political unrest, wars, abject poverty, human rights violations, downright inhumane treatment of ethnic groups including ethnic and religious cleansing in different places across the world. Fortunately, America has not experienced these extreme conditions and atrocities on its own soil.

But we all know America is experiencing its own set of challenges — politically, socially, culturally, and economically.

• The political vitriol and divisiveness are at an all-time high not only among elected officials but among ordinary citizens. Conspiracy theories are trumping our collective sense of reasoning, culminating into January 6 and all its consequences.
• The majority of the public lack understanding of the Constitution and how our government should work, and the continued decline in civic engagement.
• Instead of improving racial and cultural relations, they are worsening — even among young people once considered the best promise for real progress.
• Our sense of safety from wanton gun violence evaporates almost daily, no matter how many innocent lives are lost or forever changed.
• The economic disparities among the haves and have-nots grow wider, with no real efforts to change it in sight.
• As long as the major problems and challenges we face as a country linger and go unresolved, the more they impact the quality of our everyday lives.

As dreary as examining these conditions can seem, they provide great opportunities to reconnect with some fundamental and inescapable tenets of what make for a healthy society that we have lost sight of.

We can begin by reminding ourselves of the basic age-old premise that it is the kinship, and mutual respect afforded to and should be extended by each of us that advances humanity.

Perhaps we omit or avoid including that realization along with others when opportunities arise in our daily conversations.

When we look around in our homes, in our religious, educational and political institutions, discussing the need to return to civility should be as much apart of any dialogue or discussion as any subject at hand.

As we pause to celebrate the holiday season, there is no better gift than to ready ourselves for the work we can engage in during the coming year to make things better.

Each of us can do something.

Perhaps, every legislative body should open their new session with a reading of the Constitution to remind them of the fundamental reasons why they are elected to do the jobs assigned to them (Evgenia Parajanian/iStock Images).

The ongoing focus in the public square should not be on former President Donald Trump’s pronouncement that all rules, regulations, laws and articles found in the Constitution of the United States be terminated so he can be reinstated as president.

Instead, the concern should be more about what long-term impact such a statement has on our civic engagement and the civic education of our young people — our future leaders.

In his efforts to still disavow the results of the 2020 Presidential election, former President Trump recently tweeted that our founding and governing documents should be thrown out so he could achieve his personal desire, disregarding the will of the people.

A few Republican elected officials have expressed outrage. Most have been silent. Sadly, some have even joined his call.

No doubt, we all have an opinion about a former president of the United States calling for the Constitution to be rendered null and void.

But the real danger is just holding that opinion until the next Trump statement takes center stage and dominates media attention.

The lasting and more serious issue to consider is whether this is a wakeup call — a dire warning — for us to revisit our level of civic engagement and the quality of civic education  that we are imparting to our young people.

What is their level of knowledge and understanding of the Constitution and other  documents so critical to the governing and very survival of our nation? Are we imparting and instilling a sense of loyalty and patriotism so necessary to preserve and protect the country from those — foreign and domestic — who wish to cause harm?

Over the years, there has been a dangerous decline in civic knowledge among adults. That needs to change. There is no better way than to lead by example.

We need to pause and consider the slippery slope we have been on with the slow erosion of transferring the principles and practices of our democratic form of government to young people.

There was a time students in grade school not only had to learn, but also recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Students in high school had to learn and recite the Preamble to the Constitution, study the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, even learning and reciting the Gettysburg Address.

What civic education, and to what extent, is being taught in our schools today?

It is a question whose answer is worth seeking, and to know for sure.

For example, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is no longer required in many classrooms. With the growing controversy and objections to teaching accurate American history, the growing movement to ban certain books, how do we expect to teach and show our children what being an American citizen means?

Seeing our laws, principles and rights in action — the good and the ones that need improvement — is one of the best learning experiences we could provide.

If you bothered to ask young people in your orbit about our governing documents, do you have any idea if they will be able to provide a knowledgeable answer?

It might also be good to ask them what they think would happen if the Constitution and the many time-worn laws that have worked are ignored and destroyed. What will replace them?

Former President Trump has not bothered to provide any answers.

If your child or a future young leader should ask the question of you, what would be your answer?

Therein lies the problem. The silence and absence of discussion of what life would be like in America without its governing laws leaves a dangerous void to be potentially filled with a rule of order far more harmful.

Without knowledge and understanding of the importance of the rules and laws that allow and sustain our way of life, how can our children and young leaders evaluate such behavior from a former president?

Are we preparing them to be able to put it and other extreme views and actions in perspective?

There really is no excuse for anyone to remain ignorant about why and how our government should work, or become more informed about areas that need improvement.

There are many resources at our fingertips that can easily explain the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights. They can be discussed at home, in our schools and other group gatherings.

The aspiring Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, in the aftermath of Trump’s call to terminate the Constitution, is vowing to open the new Congress in January with a reading of the Constitution, which has not been done in decades.

But just reading the Constitution will not be enough.

Perhaps, every legislative body should open their new session with a reading of the Constitution to remind them of the fundamental reasons why they are elected to do the jobs assigned to them.

It is time to move beyond being shocked by all the anti-American and anti-democratic pronouncements and actions by our leaders no matter who they are or what office they have held or continue to hold.

Realize when the headlines have faded that the negative effects might still linger in the minds of many.

We cannot afford to remain civically disengaged. There are so many ways we can model civic engagement for the young people in our lives.

There is no better strategy for us and future generations — than using education and example — to withstand the escalating onslaught of anti-democratic rhetoric and actions, fight against it, defend and protect America.

That could be among the best investments we could make.

The future of America is counting on us.

We should not continue to let our elected officials focus on their private agendas, personal vendettas, or created and fake issues at the expense of working on real ones that need solutions (Photo by Pict Rider/iStock Images).

There are any number of takeaways one can glean from the recent midterm elections. But one that should be getting more attention is that the public is sick and tired of bitter bickering and obsession with false issues at the expense of the real ones that need fixing.

As Congress and state legislatures around the country reconvene in January, there are many issues whose solutions need collaboration and compromise.

Yet despite running on fixing some of those areas, many elected officials seem to have already forgotten what they promised voters and instead are preparing to continue the destructive partisan discord.

For example, before taking office in January, key incoming members of Congress after claiming if elected they would work on certain issues — reduce inflation, fight crime, address the border crisis — are now saying their top priority will be investigating and demonizing the opposing party.

Enough of revenge politics.

What about getting ready to govern?

We do not have to look far and wide to know what the Congress and state legislatures need to work on.

Let’s begin with the need to finally pass sweeping legislation to increase the paltry $7.25 per hour federal minimum wage. Efforts to increase the minimum wage still linger in Congressional dysfunction.

While Missouri’s minimum wage is $11.15 per hour, it is still inadequate, and many employers are not required to pay it.

Lawmakers can see the need to increase their own wages while many Americans can barely earn enough to sustain a decent living for their families let alone battle rising food and gas prices.

Increasing the minimum wage could help many Americans keep up with the cost of living and deal with inflation.

What about rampant poverty in front of our very eyes?

There have been so-called wars on poverty from time to time, yet the poverty rate is still unacceptable in a country that flaunts that it is among the riches and strongest in the world.

Poverty has a devastating effect on our children.

In Missouri alone it was recently reported that nearly 350,000 children continue to languish in the crevices of poverty because they are in families with incomes that are too low for them to receive child tax credit benefits.

The family is too poor to receive help that other families do who are not caught in the poverty nexus. Does that make any sense?

The latest data show the national child poverty rate is 16.9%, significantly higher than the overall poverty rate of 12.8%.

Too many children are caught in a catch-22 when it comes to poverty in states across the country.

What are state legislatures and Congress doing to reduce poverty among the most vulnerable and most dependent among us?

Then there is the proverbial unfair income tax system. The struggle to enact tax reform that will ensure that there are fair taxation policies, where everyone just pay their fair share, seem to always get defeated.

In the meantime, the rich continue to get richer, and big corporations still evade paying their fair share or any taxes at all.

Most Americans want the rich and corporations to pay their fair share of taxes.

But the list of issues and problems that we need our legislators to focus on is long that impact the lives of millions of Americans every day.

In addition to enduring working for unlivable wages, wading through poverty and carrying the burden of paying unfair taxes, too many of our fellow Americans are still falling victim to gun violence, can’t find affordable housing, linger in homelessness, lack access to needed healthcare services and can’t access an affordable college education.

There are other contentious and consequential issues, where the public has expressed its desires, like whether to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, or continue our support of Ukraine.

But who is paying attention to the people’s needs and wishes?

We should not continue to let our elected officials focus on their private agendas, personal vendettas, or created and fake issues at the expense of working on real ones that need solutions.

As voters, our work has only begun.

We need to be thinking of the most effective ways to hold elected officials accountable.

Democracy is a family affair. We must be invested and remain engaged to ensure needs are being met. We also can’t forget that keeping our domestic house in order is what has the greatest power we can use abroad to maintain our influence as a world leader.

Voters have made it clear they want America to do what is in the country’s best interest at home and abroad.

Some bickering and disagreements are natural. Real and warranted investigations can and should be launched and brought to their factual conclusions. But neither should be allowed to be all-consuming at the expense of getting needed things done.

Coming together to do the jobs they are elected to do should be the priority.

Beginning with new the new year, we should accept nothing less.

What can we do to ensure that?

This past week, more than 100 world leaders gathered for the Climate Summit to continue their clarion call that countries must come together to stop the course we are on, which is fueling and hastening earth’s demise (Photo by bestdesigns/iStock Images).

When a country’s sovereignty or well-being is threatened, it mobilizes to protect itself even if means going to war.

Defeating the threats, dangers and possible annihilation of the earth and life as we know it will require the same.

This past week, more than 100 world leaders gathered for the Climate Summit to continue their clarion call that countries must come together to stop the course we are on, which is fueling and hastening earth’s demise.

In his opening remarks, the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, declared, “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.”

One of the primary goals of the summit was to sound the alarm for the need to significantly increase efforts to reduce global warming before we reach a point of no return.

But convening summits, sounding the alarm, proposing polices and entering agreements by world leaders have not been and will not be enough.

Countries across the world recognize and have committed to passing and funding climate control programs and environmentally friendly industries.

But will such initiatives within themselves be enough to change the course we are on? Will incentivizing consumers to accept and participate in these initiatives go far enough?

Doubtful.

Saving the earth from the ravages and destruction of climate change will be tantamount to nations and their people together waging a war to stop the major enemies.

Who and what are the enemies?

We have seen them, and they are us.

Our living habits perpetuate a disregard for the earth’s eco-system. We love the earth and its remarkable beauty and bounty. Yet, we disregard its needs and abuse its gifts.

What will it take to win the war to save the earth?

It is a war that must be fought on multiple fronts.

Historically, in major world wars, the people are asked to make sacrifices. Winning this war will be no different.

The first front, and perhaps the most important, is the public being willing to join in and do its part. But that requires believing that there is a climate change problem caused by how we live our daily lives.

Like election deniers, there are many climate deniers.

How do we overcome the denial, the apathy, the lethargy that is too prevalent, too pervasive and could undermine earth-saving efforts?

Just as national policies and investments to clean the environment have high priority, a massive and ongoing campaign to educate the public at all levels should be undertaken. The public and communities need to understand how their way of life may be contributing to the problem.

More importantly, they need to be provided with the tools and know-how to make necessary changes to adopt a lifestyle that is ecofriendly and eco sustaining.

Decades ago, recycling of plastics, glass, paper products were the craze. But even those steps were not broad spread and consistently practiced among the populace. The success of recycling has been mixed.

Sadly, in recent years, we have become increasing aware that those plastics and other refuse have ended up polluting our oceans, destroying their ecosystems, endangering sea life.

Landfills have also become environmental hazards, threatening our food and water supply. They have also been shown to release carcinogens that impact the health of those who live near them.

What is the public willing to sacrifice to help win the climate crisis war and save our earth?

As much as we love and have become accustomed to living a certain lifestyle, we must be willing to change, to stop.

We must choose to live and co-exist in ways that do not deplete and destroy the earth’s resources and treasures.

Another front is forming and advancing an alliance with future generations. There are young people — our children and grandchildren who are very concerned about the earth we are leaving them. They are making their voice heard, urging us to do what is necessary to stop the harm of global warming and climate change.

Coalitions with young people within this country and across the world could be the secret weapon of making major and long-term changes in lifestyle to create and embrace a more ecofriendly and sustainable environment.

We see it in little ways, small steps as commitments to buy hybrid or electric automobiles and consuming other ecofriendly products; choosing urban living where bike trails and public transportation are accessible.

Such initiatives by current and future generations should be embraced, encouraged and supported in every way practicable.

Yes, nations must come together to commit to policy changes, make resource investments to clean the air and our oceans, to create and support alternative environmentally friendly industries. There are many things that can be done.

But, it will not be a winning strategy until the public fully believe and embrace the fact that saving the earth is a war effort where we all must play our part — not intermittently, but consistently until battles are won on multiple fronts.

What are you willing to do, to sacrifice, to help win the war to save our beautiful planet?

There are many candidates running for critical positions around the country — secretary of state, senators and representatives, governors — who brandish and brag about being election deniers (SDI Productions/Getty Images).

Voting has never been more important.

The future well-being of our state and nation may very well depend on voters making informed decisions on Nov. 8. It is imperative voters know where candidates stand on the issues that matter most.

But a candidate’s positions on issues don’t form in a vacuum or emerge out of the blue.

Positions are based on values. Values are formed from beliefs and information — good or bad, true or false, conveyed by both the well- and ill-intended interlocutors.

As you evaluate candidates’ positions on issues, also consider the values they bring to the conversation.

First, what are the overriding issues that could shape the quality of life?

There are cyclical issues that can have a temporary impact, like the health of the economy, the availability of jobs and inflation rates.

But there are also defining issues that can have long-term effects. They can alter or determine our future way of life in our state and as Americans.

One such issue is the sacred right to cast a vote without encumbrances and intimidation. It behooves each of us to know whether the persons we are voting for believe in our legal system of voting.

It matters.

Our democracy hangs in the balance on what your candidates believe.

Do your candidates believe in early voting, voting by mail, using valid forms of identification? Or, are they trying to reduce those options, make access to them as difficult as possible, if not totally eliminate them?

There are many candidates running for critical positions around the country — secretary of state, senators and representatives, governors — who brandish and brag about being election deniers. They still promote that the 2020 presidential election was a fraud when the courts at every level and all investigations have determined there is no evidence.

Are any of your candidates election deniers, promoting false beliefs and conspiracy theories that the current voting system is rigged or fraudulent? Or, are they cowards and hypocrites, refusing to say one way or the other and changing their position at will.

If they are either, you should be very concerned.

Should election deniers get in office, your vote in the future, if you are able to cast it, could be rendered invalid.

Do you care about your and future generations’ ability to vote?

Another issue with long-term, life altering, consequences is who should make the decisions about abortion and a woman’s reproductive health. Are those decisions that should be made between a woman, her God and her doctors? Or, should such decisions be dictated by some legislative body?

The issue has been defined and driven by the overriding subject of abortion, which can never be assessed, defined or decided in a vacuum or treated in a binary manner.

A woman’s reproductive health is not a black and white issue. One position or option does not fit everyone. Plus, passing unreasonable restrictive laws will not stop abortions from occurring.

What are the positions of the candidates about a woman’s reproductive health, the right to choose and whether abortion is the only overriding issue in doing what is best for women and girls?

Then there is the serious issue of growing censorship through banning books.

Many efforts are taking place to ban books in schools and libraries. Many local, state and federal candidates have made the promise of banning books part of their campaign promises.

Should a secretary of state or a state’s attorney general be in the business of performing search and seizure to have books removed from libraries and classrooms because they think they may not be politically correct?

Does it matter that those books may be addressing historical or contemporary facts and truths?

Monitoring and screening measures have been, and continue to be, in place and are administered in schools, libraries, and bookstores to ensure that books are introduced and made available to age-appropriate audiences.

Why should those decisions be taken away from parents, teachers, and librarians who are in a better position to determine what children should be exposed to?

Do you want some elected officials determining what books are available to your child  or what they can and cannot read?

Ask your candidates how they feel about banning books. Ask them what types of books they think should be banned, and why.

Suppressing voting rights, legislating women’s reproductive health and increased censorship are issues that can redefine, if not destroy, our democracy.

Know where your candidates stand and what they will work for.

But the beliefs and values of candidates are also on the ballot. Their positions on issues are direct reflections of the beliefs and values that govern their behavior.

Do you know anything about your candidates’ beliefs and values?

There are ways you can ascertain who they are by asking a few critical questions.

Start with a major one: How do they regard America, our democratic form of government, our way of life?

From the answer to that question you can follow up with many others about voting, individual rights, women’s rights, equal rights, freedom of speech and the press, gun rights.

You can determine whether your vote is going to help or hurt the future well-being of your state and the nation.

A recent study shows that about 50% of the U.S. adult population often consult social media platforms to get the latest news (photo by hapabapa/iStock Images).

In today’s environment, one could argue that social media has become a primary source of information just as much as the traditional press — regardless of whether the content is reliable or not.

The press, free from government control and oversight, has long been referred to as the fourth estate because of its watchdog role and power to disseminate factual information, which is so critical to a functioning democracy.

However, with the advent of the Internet, a fifth estate has emerged, where social media users’ primary goal is to shape public opinion and political discourse.

A recent study shows that about 50% of the U.S. adult population often consult social media platforms to get the latest news. Whether Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or other options, it begs the question: What are these social media platforms really good for?

Answers vary, depending on who you ask and about which platform.

Some would say “absolutely nothing,” and have chosen to stay as far away from all of the platforms. Why? There are few if any guidelines for the content. Anyone can publish anything, whether true or not. And there is little or no quality control.

Some would say that social media platforms are good and convenient ways to stay connected with family and friends. Others might say they are good for entertainment and a marketplace to sell products and services. Still others see the platforms as  readily accessible channels for well-intended political influence and social expression.

But no matter how we access them, how frequently or for what reasons, it is in each of our best interest to know the sources and to understand the quality of the information we are consuming and relying upon.

This applies to whatever consumer group or groups we may be a part of that causes us to logon: As parents, teens, concerned citizens, social or political activists, curious bystanders or news junkies.

Arguably, social media as the fifth estate is becoming just as influential as the traditional press in contemporary society — not only in the United States, but across the world —especially when it comes to disseminating information and influencing public opinion and actions quickly.

But, all is not well or reliable in the fifth estate.

One major problem with the dominant social media platforms is how they often play loose with the truth and facts, allowing misinformation and disinformation to be posted at will and disseminated instantly.

If there are rules and regulations when it comes to posting false, hateful and destructive content, they are often not enforced until after the unthinkable damage and harm have occurred. Even then the surveillance and enforcement may be sporadic of short-lived.

Former President Donald Trump was permanently banned from Twitter because of false and dangerous tweets, prompting him to launch his own social media platform, Truth Social.

Most recently, famous rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, has had his Twitter and Instagram accounts locked for an anti-Semitic tweet. How long he will be banned remains to be seen.

But, too many other lesser-known violators often go undetected.

How many mass murderers and terrorists announce and choreograph their rage and intentions before the heinous crimes are committed?

Social media can be used to aid and abet horrendous atrocities. You might recall how the Myanmar military used Facebook to incite ethnic cleansing and genocide.

How many political extremists use social media platforms to peddle hate speech, conspiracy theories that mislead some ill-informed unsuspecting public?

The January 6 insurrection protest on the U.S. Capitol was organized and mobilized using social media.

Protests, demonstrations have been organized and mobilized in cities across the country and the world, using social media. What once would have taken a long time, now only takes days, even hours.

Nearly 60% of teens have experienced some form of bullying by what is posted on social media, often causing silent and irreparable harm, even suicide.

The overriding question that each of us must consider: Should social media platforms, without the safeguards, values, principles required of tradition media, occupy the same standing, importance and space in our quest for information and truth?

If so, what operational standards should be required of them as they continue to grow in reach and influence?

There are valuable roles social medial platforms can play, and information voids they can readily fulfill. But just as in exercising freedom of speech and the press requires assuming responsibility for content, accuracy and appropriateness, the same should be required when it comes to social media as a legitimate form of public communication.

As voracious consumers of social media, we should be demanding that responsibility and standards be adhered to.

Without such controls and accountability put in place to regulate content and how it is used, social media is easily weaponized and can promote and cause harm among the most vulnerable among us and upon many aspects of our society.

As concerned citizens and caring adults, should we be okay with that?

Can we continue to afford the risks?

Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" is among the books being targeted nationwide by public school book bans (Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector).

If you have ignored or had doubts about whether the concern that democracy is in danger in America, just look at the growing movement to ban books in our schools and libraries.

There is a history of books being banned in the United States for their subject matter and content. Most notably during the colonial era, slavery and the Civil War, the Jim Crow era, and during the 19^th century when religious movements and fights against immorality reached a fever pitch.

Smaller efforts have also occurred in the mid-20^th century during the “Red Scare” of the McCarthy era.

In 1982, the Supreme Court weighed in on the issue of students right to read when they ruled on a case in New York brought by students when their school board banned books it deemed anti-American, anti-Christian or in other ways thought objectionable.

The Supreme Court explicitly ruled: “Local school boards may not remove books from school libraries simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books,” …, citing students’ First Amendment rights.”

The ruling inspired the American Library Association (ALA) to establish an annual celebration of “Banned Books Week” where librarians, teachers, publishers and readers get together to support the freedom to find information and express views.

During this annual celebration, the ALA puts together an annual lists of books that have been challenged or banned. Banned Books Week 2022 was just held last week.

The real question is, why the unprecedented support now for banning certain books?

Haven’t we learned anything from past efforts to ban books? Many of the books once banned are readily available for age-appropriate audiences. Many are considered classics.

Examples include Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Canterbury Tales, The Color Purple, Harry Potter.

There are many others.

Furthermore, for decades and across generations, there has been vigilance, rules and regulations in managing and monitoring age-appropriate access in many areas whether operating a motor vehicle, buying alcohol, going to bars or viewing PG, R or X-rated movies.

The same has been true and continues to be when it comes to regulations and monitoring around access to age-appropriate books both contemporary and classical literature. The majority of books are categorized and marketed for target audiences: children, adolescents, teens, young adults, adults, seniors.

So, have you paused to think about why we are seeing a growing movement of banning book in America in the 21^st century? Have you given any consideration to the types of books being banned?

One could argue that, during the intermittent bans over 200 years, the focus and subject areas have not changed: Books about race, sexuality, religion and politics.

There are just different targets.

When it comes to race, the growing craze is to ban books in high schools and libraries that promote so-called “Critical Race Theory,” whether those books actually do or not.

One could legitimately ask: Is this a ruse or excuse?

First we need to understand what “Critical Race Theory” is and is not.

“Critical Race Theory” is defined as a specific academic course that is taught in college or law school, and the focus is to examine systemic racial and cultural biases that exist in American society. It is not a general heading to promote a curriculum about race.

More importantly, there is no evidence that “Critical Race Theory” is being taught in any high school in the country.

When it comes to sexuality, any books addressing LGBTQ issues or featuring LGBTQ characters are targeted to be banned. According to a report from PEN America, these books constitute the highest percentage — 41%, of books targeted in 2021.

What is expected to be gained by banning books in subject areas or about growing social trends that we harbor fears about or disagree with?

Banning books does not erase any historical or contemporaneous facts.

Just as importantly, there is no guarantee that the people we are seeking to keep from reading those book will not find a way to do so if they want to, especially as they come of age.

Isn’t it a better alternative to have an educational and enlightening conversation about all those issues we find concerning or uncomfortable?

As parents, teachers, librarians and concerned citizens, is educating our children about all aspects of American history and contemporary society the better alternative to censorship?

For a country that values and boasts about freedom of speech and the press as outlined in the First Amendment, are we now willing to turn a blind eye to the unprecedented increase in book banning?

Book banning is considered to be the most widespread form of censorship.

Where is the outcry?

Don’t we care as much about the threats to the First Amendment as we seem to care about the Second? Do we care more about the right to own guns than the right to express ideas, write about and discuss real issues among us honestly in the most appropriate way to create awareness and find solutions?

An educated citizenry is the foundation to a healthy and resilient democratic republic.

Growing acceptance of book banning in America in the 21^st century. Who would have ever thought it?

What is the difference between advocacy journalism, as it is too often practiced today, and Real Advocacy Journalism that is described and advanced in the book? (photo by tolgart/iStock Images).

Editor’s note: The following is a condensed excerpt from “Using My Word Power” by columnist Janice Ellis. The book is now available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books and other major online booksellers. It’s also available at the author’s website, Real Advocacy Journalism.

I have been an advocate journalist for nearly four decades, which is nothing short of a miracle when you take into account that I was raised on a small cotton farm in Mississippi. Against all odds, as someone who learned of and lived through cruel inhumane indignities and injustices simply because of skin color and gender, I graduated from a highly respected university with a PhD.

My life experiences, during some very turbulent periods in an ever-evolving America,  have profoundly shaped my writings — providing the grist, mission, authority and authenticity required of a true advocate journalist.

From the perch of poverty, farm life, family and the confining community in which I grew up, I found my sense of purpose and determination to try to change things, to make them better. It was there that I gained an initial understanding of the importance and role of ethics and values in fostering a good society, which is the focus of this book that is the first of a three-book series.

As life has had its way, I have loved and lost, given birth and reared children alone as a divorcee, weathered verbal and physical abuse from a husband and fiancé, have had trail-blazing successes as an executive in corporate business and municipal government and recovered from a colossal failure as a small business owner.

All while navigating American life, as a woman, Black and forever fighting against allowing either of those indelible birthmarks to define me, or confine me.

More about the trials and triumphs of my life journey are described in my memoir, From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream (2018).

As circumstances, issues, and forces — social, political, economic — occur all around me, push against me, I have chosen to push back. I have consciously entered and continue to enter the fray, using the power of words—the only real and lasting weapon I have.

Being a journalist has not been my formal training nor my profession. Becoming an advocate journalist has been my calling.

Since leaving graduate school and seeking to find my productive place in society, I have always kept pen and paper—now a smartphone or notepad—near to capture an idea, a thought, or a plea, regarding some human condition, some public policy issue, or some social problem.

I have written complete commentaries on cocktail napkins during a return flight from a business trip, after having put my briefcase or computer in the overhead bin. I dared not to have taken the chance to retrieve either and run the risk of losing the idea, the message, a pressing plea, which beckoned to be expressed.

It is my belief that the writings of a true advocate journalist always boil down, directly, or indirectly, intentionally, or unintentionally, to a plea — imploring the reader or listener to think, to consider the facts, the circumstances, the workable solutions for the issues at hand and when appropriate and necessary to engage in action.

As a woman, a black, a wife, a mother, a career professional, and in carrying out my calling to be an advocate journalist, I have primarily addressed some of the enduring issues of our times. But also, I could not ignore the temporal urgent issues of the day.

As a collection, my commentaries are veritable snapshots of and windows into American history.

Most have maintained their relevancy over time, and have been included in the book because of their timeliness and timelessness. One of my newspaper editors characterizes them as “evergreens.” For that I am grateful. That characterization has kept me writing when in those infrequent moments of despair I have asked, “Why am I bothering to write anything?”

During the past four decades, the commentaries have been written for a large radio station, a major metropolitan daily newspaper, community newspapers, as a guest columnist for a metropolitan business journal, and currently online for a state news publication.

Regardless of the medium of communication, I have tried to adhere to the standards of what I call Real Advocacy Journalism, which is covered in detail in my award-winning book, Shaping Public Opinion: How Real Advocacy Journalism Should Be Practiced, (2021).

What is the difference between advocacy journalism, as it is too often practiced today, and Real Advocacy Journalism that is described and advanced in the book?

Much of the advocacy journalism practiced today is partisan, biased, and often blurs the lines between truth and lies, facts and fiction, and often presents fake news as real news. The purpose and objectives of such advocacy journalism constitute propaganda to gain public support for the interest and agenda of a few, a special interest group, or a small constituency rather than for the good of the majority.

Complex local, regional, national, and global issues are often covered and treated with a biased and simplistic categorization. This happens all too frequently when the public is asked to form an opinion or support an action.

A constant barrage of simplistic, distorted, biased, untruthful, non-factual treatments can only be a disservice to a dependent, hopeful, ill-informed, trusting public.

In my writings, I have endeavored to stick to the facts, analyze them, put an event, situation, or issue into perspective in order to foster a better understanding, and provide direction to form an opinion or pursue an action.

We all live and function in an orbit of influence.

My hope is that in sharing my attempts to improve understanding about issues that impact us all that you will be informed, enlightened, inspired and have reaffirmation and resolve that: The wise use of our words can inform and bring about actions that improve lives, communities, and therefore advance a more civilized and better society.

On this Labor Day, let us pause and embrace the important role we have to hire the right elected officials who have the right character, values, qualifications and commitment to get the job done in a stellar and honorable way at every level of government (photo by Manjurul/iStock Images).

As we pause this Labor Day, we should reflect on what the holiday means and remember that elected officials in our city, county, state, the U.S. Senate, and House of Representatives work for us, the people.

We are the employer.

What guide or criteria should we use to determine who we should hire or rehire with our vote?

In the last eight weeks leading up to the midterm elections, we will be bombarded by applicants.

In addition to the many political messages dominating the airwaves — and in print and online media — many aspiring candidates will be making the rounds at public gatherings, political forums and other venues.

But beware. Shaking hands, kissing babies and making a few remarks should not be considered anything more than an initial application.

Most of us will have a lot of decisions to make about who we want to represent us in almost every level of our government.

For example: In Missouri we have Republican Eric Schmitt, Democrat Trudy Bush Valentine, Libertarian Jonathan Dine and Constitution Party Paul Venable being interviewed for the job of U.S. Senator.

All of the seats for the U.S. House of Representatives in Missouri are up for hire.

All 163 seats in the Missouri House, and half the 34 seats in the Missouri Senate, are on the ballot.

While there are unique roles and responsibilities associated with each elective office, there are certain basic and prerequisite qualifications that they hold in common.

No doubt, voters have things they look for and require of someone they are going to vote for (hire). But here are a few qualifications that we should want in anyone seeking to be hired to lead and represent the interest of ourselves, family, community, state and nation.

First and foremost, does the candidate believe in America, our form of democracy and how it should function at the national, state and local level?

Does the candidate fully understand and embrace the responsibilities of the office they seek?

In carrying out the roles and responsibilities of the office, will the candidate perform their duties in a way that is consistent with — and promote — the stability and best results for the constituency the office represents?

When it comes to values, principles and ethics, does the candidate have a history and  reputation of being honest and functioning with high integrity, have a communication style that is unifying rather than divisive, and work in a collaborative way to achieve progress in solving issues?

Those should be minimum requirements to even be considered for office.

If a candidate has held the job before, and is seeking to be rehired, there is another set of questions to be asked.

What is their record of working and voting on the issues you care about? What successes have they had; what legislation have they sponsored, supported, and passed? Have they communicated with you while they held the job? What are they proposing to do about the issues that are important to you?

For a candidate seeking public office for the first time, it is fair to ask other questions. Why are they seeking office? What is their life or professional experiences that qualifies them to seek it? What have they done to impact the lives of others, their community and the governmental office they want to represent?

As much as we may not like or see ourselves as being employers, as much as we may feel that we are already overburden with the demands of trying to keep our personal lives together and moving forward, we must take the midterm elections before us just as seriously, perhaps more seriously, than we have taken any elections.

We have applicants for important elective offices across every level of government who have divergent views, experiences and perspectives on how the role and responsibilities of the offices they seek should be carried out.

There are so many defining issues before us — election integrity, voting rights, sensible gun control, climate change, public education, immigration, the rule of law, law and order, health care access and others — that the policy decisions made will determine the quality of life in America in the near and long term.

Given these challenges along with the threats we face at every level of government in this democratic republic, we the public — the people — must rise and assume a more active and engaged role as the employer of elective government and hold who we hire accountable.

On this Labor Day, let us pause and embrace the important role we have to hire the right elected officials who have the right character, values, qualifications and commitment to get the job done in a stellar and honorable way at every level of government.

It is not enough to hire the right mayor, county executive, state senator or representative, governor, the right U.S. Senator or member of Congress. We need to hold them accountable to protect and promote a healthy, vibrant and good America across the board.

Our future well-being as a nation, as citizens, depends on it.

Spewing lies, distortions, conspiracy theories and baseless claims is becoming the norm for many who are seeking to lead us, and they are attracting large contingents of supporters (photo by Albina Gavrilovic/iStock Images).

There is a common belief that all politicians lie to some extent. There is also a school of thought that withholding or modifying the truth, given a particular circumstance, might be the better option or the most expedient thing to do.

However, today, too many politicians are taking it to a new level.

Spewing lies, distortions, conspiracy theories and baseless claims is becoming the norm for many who are seeking to lead us, and they are attracting large contingents of supporters.

This multi-faceted and dangerous trend has taken root and escalated with the perpetuation of the Big Lie that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent.

As bad as the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was as a result of the Big Lie, more and more it appears it was just the tip of deeper political unrest and festering mistrust of the current governmental system.

That unrest and mistrust have become weaponized with those baseless claims, conspiracy theories and lies. Many aspiring candidates seeking different state and federal offices are using a combination of these tactics to get elected.

What good can be expected when politicians choose lies over truth to the detriment of the Republic?

We have grave reasons to be very concerned with the increasing irrational behavior from some of our elected officials with the loudest bullhorns.

Did you ever think you would hear Congressional leaders calling to defund the FBI or impeach the Attorney General as they carried out their authorized duties in accordance with the rule of law?

Such recklessness has been clarion calls to those who are willing to pick up guns and bombs and try to harm FBI agents. Other law enforcement officers, e.g., judges, are also put at risk.

Where is the respect and support for law enforcement agencies and those responsible for upholding the very laws that protect us?

As a nation that supposedly value the rule of law, are we increasingly becoming more tolerant of lawlessness?

How can such irresponsible behavior from those in public leadership positions be acceptable?

Look at some of the other detrimental things that have happened since the weaponization of the stolen 2020 election lie.

More voter suppression laws have been adopted in many states, and the efforts to make it more difficult for legal citizens to participate in our democracy continue.

Many election deniers are seeking key offices in states that often determine the outcome of close presidential elections. Many are in good positions to win because a majority of Republicans believe that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

What does that mean for the results of future elections?

In addition to the violent insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, domestic political violence is on the rise. Many current office holders who are trying to uphold the rule of law are receiving threats, requiring law enforcement protection for themselves and family members.

What’s worse, politicians that peddle in lies, false narratives and conspiracy theories only encourage and give license to others to do the same — provoking disinformation and fueling political instability and unrest.

Without the rule of law, there is no freedom. Without freedom, there is no democracy.

What are we, the people, to do?

First, we need to decide whether loyalty to a person or party should be maintained when it has been clearly demonstrated that there is no respect for truth or the rule of law, and when there is no sense of honor and patriotism for this country, its institutions and its democratic form of government.

We need to determine how long we will tolerate someone who assumes we have no integrity, that we accept lies and misrepresentation of facts and truths or that we have no moral character.

We must decide how long will we allow others to think and treat us as if we are stupid or gullible.

Unfortunately, the majority of the public does not have a front row seat to witness an event or have direct access to all available information needed about an issue or incident.

But there are things we can do to be better informed, and not so easily misled.

We can make a concerted effort to seek out multiple news sources and talk shows — not just the ones we like or agree with. Read multiple print and online publications for accurate information.

There are proven and reliable news sources at the national level and local level dedicated to keeping the public informed. No doubt, there are very trustworthy news sources where you live. Consult them.

Recognize social media platforms for what they are. Social, often promoting personal agendas, whether based in truth or not.

Perhaps the greatest thing we can do is to take seriously what elected officials say and do. They tell us and show us who they are, what they are about, and on whose behalf and interest they are working.

What are the words and actions of elected officials, or those seeking support, telling you?

What good can be expected when politicians choose lies over truth?

A sign at the Campus Lutheran Church in Columbia tells residents where to vote on the primary election on Aug. 2, 2022 (Tessa Weinberg/Missouri Independent).

Few things are more important in determining how well our government functions than each of us taking time to become informed, and to vote wisely in selecting those who will represent us.

The primary elections in Missouri, and in most states, are over. The midterm elections are just around the corner on Nov. 8.

Wherever you live, whatever your party affiliation — or lack thereof — you have a great opportunity during this midterm election cycle to be a part of the change in government you want to see.

All of us must decide who to send to Congress to represent us in the House of Representatives. All 435 seats are up for re-election, including Missouri’s eight districts.

Are you pleased with the behavior and what members of the House have been able to achieve during the last two years?

Most of us will also be deciding on who we send to the U.S. Senate. Missourians will choose a replacement for retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt.

In the coming months, we will be bombarded with messages from hopeful candidates, civic organizations, political action committees, political leaders and supportive celebrities. They will be everywhere.

How are you deciding who to vote for to fill the various offices?

A lot is riding on your choices.

Whoever wins in the general election in November will determine whether we will continue to have the same divisive, vitriolic and unproductive government, or have a sea change where there is civility and compromise in state legislatures and in the U.S. Congress.

Both political parties share responsibility in what we see at the state level and Congress. But so do we because of how we voted or failed to vote.

Which changes would you like to see in your state?

What changes would you like to see in Congress?

For example: Current members in the United States Senate have not been able to pass much needed legislation in critical areas because of the 50/50 Democratic-Republican split. While the Vice President can cast the deciding vote for legislative measures requiring a simple majority, most of the important defining and long-term legislation requires 60 Senate votes to overcome a filibuster to even allow such a bill to move to the floor for a vote.

Therefore, needed legislation that can determine the quality of our lives and that of future generations is left to linger, to be forgotten, often as conditions worsen.

Critical areas like access to affordable health care for all, immigration reform, sensible gun control measures, safe and legal access to abortion services, protection of each citizen’s right to vote, climate change and global warming and others.

These are all issue areas that the majority of Americans care deeply about whether they identify as Republican, Democrat or neither.

Too often elected officials at all levels and across party lines seem to get bogged down in partisan agendas resulting in stalemates.

Given the political climate and all the important issues that confront us as a nation, which only the U.S. Congress can address, will the candidates seeking your vote work in a bi-partisan and cooperative manner to reach solutions?

It is critically important to know where the candidates you vote for stand on these issues.

Continued failure to pass real immigration reform will negatively impact border security, workforce shortages and pathways to citizenship for Dreamers and other immigrants.

With no major action on climate change and global warming, there will be more destruction, more loss of life and livelihoods due to raging wildfires, more historic droughts, stronger hurricanes and more raging storms.

We will continue to live under the veil of fear that mass shootings can occur anywhere, with very little being done to alleviate that fear because Congress will not pass needed and sensible gun control legislation.

We will be left to wonder when the right that every citizen should be allowed to vote without encumbrances is finally put to rest, with protection from manufactured reasons and efforts to take it away. In the meantime, the threat lingers.

What will be the final and long-term resolution of the complex issues around legal abortion access?

What about every American having access to affordable health care?

These are all issues that the majority of Americans care about irrespective of party affiliation or the lack thereof.

What Congress passes is just one aspect of how well the government functions. State legislatures must do what is in their power to implement those laws and policies in the best ways that will benefit citizens who reside there.

All 163 seats in the Missouri House are on the ballot in November, along with 17 of the 34 state Senate seats.

Do you know the positions on these issues of the candidates who are seeking to represent you in your state legislature?

You must be as confident as you can that once elected, whomever you choose will not betray you and forsake what is in the best interests of your family, community, state and the nation for the selfish agenda of political groups and big money.

There is a lot riding on who is elected at every level of government in the upcoming Midterm elections in November.

You have a final chance to bring about the change you want to see in your state legislature and Congress. Tuesday, November 8 is right around the corner.

You still have enough time to decide who to vote for to move your state and nation forward.

But only if you take time to vote. And vote wisely.

We must become active listeners and smart consumers, argues columnist Janice Ellis. We must assume the responsibility of seeking the facts and accurate information for ourselves.(photo by Lido Frazao/iStock Images).

Facts and accurate information matter. But disinformation has been and continues to be front and center, negatively impacting our political process.

Somehow during the last several years in the public square, among our political leaders, some media outlets and social media platforms, often complete truth, facts and accurate information seem hard to find.

The adage that information is power must be revised in the political climate in which we find ourselves.

Having accurate information is power.

How can consumers be sure when we find ourselves being bombarded and swimming in a sea of disinformation, falling victim or becoming a partner unwittingly to someone’s sinister agenda.

In this environment, who can we trust to shoot us straight on a political issue that could not only impact and determine the course of our lives, but that of our communities and this nation?

We must become active listeners and smart consumers. We must assume the responsibility of seeking the facts and accurate information for ourselves.

Look at what happens when we do not.

Whether at the state or national level we face a number of critical issues that need the investment of our unbiased, open-minded attention, research and investigation when it comes to separating facts from fiction, real news from fake news, truth from lies, disinformation from misinformation.

No area is more critical in determining the future direction of this country than our conclusions about whether the 2020 election was stolen or whether the violent and deadly protest at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 was a seditious insurrection.

The 2020 election and the January 6 violent insurrection have been so embroiled in lies and partisan politics that many have decided to ignore any attempt to discover the facts —facts that have been corroborated by multiple independent sources.

This seems to be the case with the January 6 committee hearings that are seeking to find the truth about how the disinformation regarding the 2020 election led to violence.

In the immediate and long-term, the future of this country depends on whether your perception and action about those two seminal events are based on lies or truth, distortions or facts.

A recent poll shows how many Americans are paying close attention to the January 6 hearings.

How will you decide what is real or false if you refuse to be open to assess what you read, hear and see? Or refuse to hear and see anything that may be different from one’s on beliefs, whether accurate or not.

There are other critical areas dividing our country, where it is important for you to assess the sources of information that you may rely on.

It is important that you know if those sources are trustworthy, and why.

What sources of information do you rely on to govern your beliefs and actions when it comes to: 1) understanding the difference between sensible gun control measures and the 2^nd Amendment in the Constitution; 2) the complexity of the abortion issue; 3) the real causes of inflation and gas prices; 4) the reasons why COVID is still a challenge to our health and well-being.

These are issues that require us, as a collective body, to act on accurate, factual,  unbiased information — not only for the welfare of one’s family, but community, state and nation. It is all inextricably connected.

There are critical questions we must all ask ourselves: Are we easily misled, if so, why? Are we sitting ducks for some predatory leader’s agenda whether they are a family member or seasoned political leader seeking our support? Why do we gravitate toward a particular candidate? What keeps us following him/her, despite their detrimental speech and actions?

One thing is certain, if the January 6 hearings do nothing more, they make it very clear that we, as a country, are reaching a day of reckoning about what the last several years of disinformation have wrought.

The future of our democracy is on the line. A few immediate threats are in plain sight.

There are growing, more emboldened and violent extremist groups — many fueled by lies, systemic racism and separatist agendas.

Massive voter suppression efforts are taking place across the nation and have accelerated in recent years.

Institutions that have been the bedrock of our republic and its democratic form of government have been disrespected, marginalized and downright ignored, weaking confidence, patriotism and national pride that in the past have united us.

A recent Gallop poll shows Americans faith in our institutions is at an all time low.

But how this all plays out really comes back to us.

Do we really care about making a decision or pursing an action based on false, distorted information?

Do we care about the potential detrimental, in some cases, deadly consequences that result?

There is an adage that information is power. Today that adage no longer applies.

Accurate information is power.

Columnist Janice Ellis wonders what is the end game for the nation if we stay on the divisive and destructive course we are on (Joe Raedle/Getty Images).

As we pause to celebrate the birth of our nation, we need to seriously reflect on the state of its health and well-being. The greatest problems we face, while troubling, are not rising inflation, high gas prices, nor rampant gun violence.

There is a deeper sickness growing in our land that threatens the very existence of our way of life.

A majority of Americans believe our very democracy is at risk of being dismantled and destroyed.

On this July 4^th, we stand at the precipice of whether we want to continue to improve upon this democratic republic that is unique to America. Or, whether we are willing to abandon or destroy the principles, laws and institutions on which it was founded and has thus far survived and thrived.

While it is an imperfect union, it is still a good union with so many invaluable and satisfying individual and collective rights and benefits.

However, slowly but surely, we have allowed the deadly germs of lies, partisan political agendas and the unquenchable thirst to hang on to personal power to take an unhealthy hold in our country.

These destructive, and potentially deadly, forces if not stopped could change what this Independence Day celebration will mean going forward.

We could be celebrating a very different America, or no United States of America at all.

Faith and belief in all aspects of our republic and its founding branches of government is eroding at a dangerous pace.

And with good reason.

Not only have the persistent fraudulent claims — from political leaders of the executive and legislative branches of our government — that the 2020 presidential election was stolen led to a violent seditious insurrection on the United States Capitol, but it has also created deep division among the American people that seems irreparable.

It does not stop there.

The judicial branch of our government appears to be forfeiting its role as independent arbiter on matters of the intent of the Constitution, and instead has become an extension of partisan politics, using its power to enshrine special interests’ agendas.

Where have the checks and balances, so critical to the survival of the republic, gone?

How do we arrest and clean up the detrimental blurred lines between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of our government?

It is not too late.

While we might feel disgusted, tired of it all, fearful and powerless, we still can stop the destructive course we are on.

We elected the people whose actions or inactions have gotten us to this unhealthy state of where we find ourselves.

We can also un-elect them.

Traditionally, we have put more importance on the presidential elections. While the president is an important and symbolic representation of what the nation stands for, the office alone cannot preserve, protect, and advance the union.

It takes honest, committed and capable leaders at every branch of government putting the will and business of the people ahead of their own selfish interests, money, or the special interest groups that supported their campaigns.

The needs of the people who voted for them should be their priority.

But it is up to the people to demand that they do so, and then hold them accountable.

Given the state of our nation today, the outcomes of the upcoming mid-term elections loom large.

If you want to stop the destructive lies, stop the disrespect for the laws and institutions that have sustained this nation for nearly 250 years, then you must vote anyone out of office who advances and participates in behavior that try to destroy them.

Instead, vote for those candidates who will rebuild, unify, and keep America moving in the right direction. It is up to voting citizens to reclaim America, preserve and protect our way of life.

It is worth pondering the preamble to the Constitution: We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

And let us not forget the Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence.

Their meaning looms larger than ever.

What about some of our most endearing patriotic songs? My Country Tis of Thee, America the Beautiful, Battle Hymn of the Republic

If you have not hummed or sang them recently, why not today? And let their meaning inspire and reinvigorate a joy and appreciation of what it means to live in America as imperfect as it might be.

A new Gallop poll shows that patriotism is at an all-time low. How do we get our collective patriotic groove back?

We would do well to review and think on the great ideal and goals on which the country was founded.

We can continue to work at making it a more perfect union if we only choose to.

It is so easy to get caught up in the base, the negativity of selfish interests, which if unchecked inevitably leads to harm and destruction of what is decent and in the best interest of the common good.

Why proceed on a course that puts our republic at risk or could destroy it rather than build on how far we have come?

What is the end game if we stay on the divisive and destructive course we are on? Do you like what you see happening to America?

As citizens we enjoy something unique in the country. How can we sit by and let it be changed for the worse or destroyed?

This July 4^th celebration should be more than fireworks, picnics and parades.

Why, and what, are you celebrating on this Independence Day?

Do you want to continue?

(Illustration by dvjstock/iStock Images)

In June 2021, Congress, with a unanimous vote in the Senate and support of all but 14 Republicans in the House of Representatives, passed legislation designating June 19th as Juneteenth National Independence Day, commemorating the end of slavery for Black Americans.

But what does it really mean? 

In the years to come, will it be embraced and celebrated all across America to help encourage shared experiences and achieve better understanding among Blacks and whites?

A historical context sheds some light.

Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, and Black Independence Day was first celebrated by freed slaves on June 19, 1866, in Texas a year after slavery had ended there. President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in January of 1863—two and half years earlier.

It wasn’t until 1980 that the holiday was officially recognized anywhere. Texas became the first state to designate Juneteenth as a state holiday. In 2002, eight other states joined Texas and Missouri followed suit in 2003. In 2008, fifteen more states. 

By 2019, 47 states and the District of Columbia had finally recognized or commemorated the day in some way. Between 2020 and 2022, five states (Texas, New York, Virginia, Washington, and Illinois) made it a paid holiday for state employees.

But for more than a century and half between 1866 and 2022, Juneteenth has primarily been a celebration confined to Black communities all across America.

Celebrations—in addition to parades, ethnic cuisine, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions—include programs with historical dress, reenactments, traditional songs, and readings of works by iconic Black authors.

Now that it has been designated as a national holiday, will that trend change?

Does the naming, Juneteenth National Independence Day, provide some clues?

As a nation, we celebrate July 4th as Independence Day, commemorating the day the original thirteen colonies were no longer subjects and subordinates to the monarchy of Britain, that they were indeed independent, united, and free.

Despite our differences—country of origin, ethnic or racial identity, religious affiliation, economic status—we all identify with July 4th as the day that made us one. One nation, indivisible and committed to justice and equality for all.

But, after decades and centuries of Blacks gaining their independence, their freedom, supposedly no longer subjects or subordinates of whites, the commemoration or celebration has not been commonly recognized, let alone unifying.

So, it begs the question, “What’s in a name?”

Will the newly minted Juneteenth National Independence Day be the beginning of universally recognizing that Blacks are finally and truly free to partake in all of what it means to be citizens of the United States of America?

Like July 4th represents freedom from the control and governance of a foreign country, does designating June 19th as “National Independence Day” mean that the nation is freeing itself of a horrid and oppressive aspect of its past?

Wouldn’t it be great if designating Juneteenth as a national holiday means that the nation is moving toward fully embracing a large segment of the American family that continue to suffer from the scourge of slavery and the chronic residuals of oppressive racism and discrimination.

Just as each of us holds in regard—in our own special way, for our own special reasons, patriotic and personal—the circumstances, occasions, and people our national holidays commemorate, Juneteenth National Independence Day will be no different.

We will either include it among those holidays that we embrace, recognize, remember, and value, or we will continue to go about our way doing business as usual, ignoring its significance.

There are many ways that the Juneteenth national holiday can take on meaning for those of us who are just becoming familiar or for one reason or the other have not given the meaning of the day much attention in the past. 

Among them, and moving forward, we can:

• commit to moving forward with open-mindedness and a willingness to learn anew about the things that we as human beings share;
• make a conscious effort to get to know better Blacks that we regularly encounter in the workplace, social venues, and communities in which we live;
• question why Blacks are not a part of some aspect of our lives;
• read a book about Black history and culture to better understand how it fits into the American experience
• attend a Black parade, street fair, a theatrical production
• patronize Black businesses
• have a meal in a Black restaurant
• get to better know a Black neighbor, a colleague, classmate
• incorporate music of Black artists in our favorite genres
• visit museums of African American history and culture
• examine the reasons why we may hold racial stereotypes

Doing some of these things can catch on, spread, and have lasting meaning.

On this inaugural national holiday, designating June 19th as Juneteenth National Independence Day, what does it really mean? 

Each of us can take a few minutes to decide what it means and will mean to us and those within our orbit of influence.

There are so many ways to make it more than just a Black holiday.

The real questions: Will most of America pause to celebrate Juneteenth as a national holiday in the years to come—embrace it as an opportunity to better understand its importance and significance not only in terms of the history of this country, but in promoting healing and building a better future in all facets of our everyday lives?

Maybe, just maybe, we and generations after us will see Juneteenth National Independence Day, 2022 as a seminal year when America acknowledged and embraced real freedom. But this time real freedom for all.

Maybe the nation will have made another giant step in its march toward greatness.

Sadly, mass shootings occur all too often. As of this writing, 20 more have occurred since Uvalde, making a total of 233 mass shootings in the United States this year. More shootings than the days so far (photo by Olga Mendenhall/iStock Images).

America’s form of democracy is supposed to be one where the consent of the majority rules. But is it?

This question could not resonate any louder than when it comes to passing sensible gun control measures to stop the mass killing of unsuspecting citizens with military style weapons.

The devastating tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, where the lives of 19 elementary school children and two adult were brutally taken a mere 10 days following the supermarket mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, where 10 unsuspecting shoppers were murdered.

Those incidents made worldwide news. Sadly, mass shootings occur all too often. As of this writing, 20 more have occurred since Uvalde, making a total of 243 mass shootings in the United States this year. More shootings than the days so far.

In addition to the lost lives and physical injuries, the effects of these senseless killings on families and communities where they occur are lifelong.

In the meantime, many of us are left wandering when or where will the next carnage occur.

Yet, the majority of Americans have made it clear that they want sensible gun control measures put into place. Measures like universal background checks, banning military style weapons, gun buy-back programs and red flag laws.

Is the minority or the majority controlling the legislative actions or inaction when it comes to passing sensible gun control measures?

Is America’s form of democracy one where the minority rules?

Yes, most citizens are free to vote for who will represent them. Indeed, the majority determines who will hold various legislative offices.

But whether voting for a person to represent you, or voting for an initiative petition, are the election results, alone, democracy at work? Once the person you voted for gets in office, does he or she actually represent your interests in the legislative halls? When a majority of citizens vote for a particular initiative petition, is it implemented as approved?

These are questions worth asking. But it doesn’t stop there.

What about when a majority of citizens polled make it clear that they prefer the president, Congress and state legislatures to take a particular course of action?

In critical areas, it seems that the will of the majority has little value and is repeatedly ignored. What’s worse is that many elected officials are comfortable doing so time after time.

Perhaps, the most egregious and depraved example is the cowardice and constant failure of elected officials to pass sensible measures to minimize, if not stop, the carnage that takes the lives of innocent people.

Other countries have done it, but not the United States.

How many more incidents will it take for the United State Senate to pass sensible gun control measures to stop the horrid massacre of school children?

But gun control is not the only issue where the will of the majority is ignored.

At the national level, the majority of Americans do not think the U.S. Supreme Court should overturn Roe vs. Wade and that women should have access to legal abortions.

A majority of Americans are in favor of universal health care. The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, has had legislative and legal opposition that reached the Supreme Court. And partisan politics still pledge to continue the fight to undo it, putting millions of Americans at risk of losing healthcare coverage

At the state level, Missouri lawmakers opposed Medicaid expansion. The issue was put on the ballot and ultimately approved by voters. The state legislature continued to fight or delay implementing it.

Even the most obvious tenet of democracy, where the will of people can be determined —the vote — is under siege. Efforts in many states are being taken to make it more difficult to determine the will of the majority.

Is America merely masquerading as a democracy of the people, by the people and for the people?

It seems that, too often, the will of the majority stops at the ballot box. Once elected officials get into office, more attention is paid to the lobbyists, special interests and those who provided the largest financial contributions to their campaigns, or some partisan agenda of a minority.

Money and minority interests seem to trump the will of the majority of citizens who voted to elect them.

But we, the majority, are not without blame. Too many of us are content and see voting as our primary role to ensure that democracy works.

Casting a vote is only the beginning. We must do more to monitor the actions and hold accountable those we elect to do what is in the best interests of our community and family. When they don’t, we need to vote them out of office.

Such monitoring and accountability must occur at every level of government.

Otherwise, representative government that supposed to carry out the will of the majority will continue to be ignored, marginalized, and discarded.

We are confronted yet again with an issue where majority will seems not to matter —addressing continual availability of military style guns that are used in mass killings and injuries of innocent Americans, in public places that were once deemed safe if not sacred.

Why would the majority continue to let the minority rule, and allow our elected officials in Congress and our states to merely lob an opening salvo instead of passing meaningful legislation to control gun violence?

While we sit idly by the carnage continues.

Should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, it will be a decision that 70% of Americans disagree with, according to a compilation of data collected by the Pew Research Center (photo by lucky-photographer/iStock Images).

Embedded in the protracted abortion debate are many existing conditions and facts that are often omitted or distorted, along with blatant hypocrisy when it comes to promoting and protecting the wellbeing of millions of women and children already among us.

Whether you take to the street in protest, seethe in anger or shudder silently in fear, there are big elephants in the nation’s room that cannot be ignored.

Rampant misinformation.

We need to shine a light on the many facts that get lost or misrepresented in the current debate on whether the nearly 50-year-old landmark Supreme Court decision, which legalized abortions, should be allowed to stand.

One would think that abortions have been constantly on the rise since the Roe v. Wade decision. But according to an NPR fact-check report, the current rate of abortion is lower now than it was in 1973 when the decision was made.

In fact, the rate of abortion has been on a fairly steady decline, with the highest rate occurring in1980.

Another misrepresentation is the impression that the decision to have or not to have an abortion is a situation that only low-income women or women of color confront.

According to the Center for Disease Control, of the women receiving abortions in 2018, nearly 39% were white women, 34% were Black women and 20% for Hispanic women.

What is misleading about those numbers is that the rate of abortion among middle class and well-to-do women is not included since they access abortion services through their private physicians, not Planned Parenthood or other public health providers where statistics are reported.

Therefore, there is a percentage of women who get abortions that is unknown.

Despite a majority of Americans, nearly 60%, believing abortions should be legal, the issue is still being fought in court, at the ballot box and in state legislatures.

But, why? And why does the issue seem to loom larger today than in recent decades?

Could it be that the issue of abortion has also fallen victim to the unprecedented partisan political divide that has this nation in its grip?

Should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, it will be a decision that 70% of Americans disagree with, according to a compilation of data collected by the Pew Research Center.

The Supreme Court is not supposed to be influenced by public opinion polls and politics. But is that true?

What about the impact of religion on the abortion issue? The facts show that the majority of women who get abortions have some religious affiliation.

Irrespective of the reasons driving the changes in laws and public policies when it comes to our children, born or unborn, there are glaring contradictions in the concern for the overall health and well-being of expectant mothers and the children.

You need not look very far to see the hypocrisy that is unavoidable and laid bare.

Millions of women and girls who find themselves pregnant and want to have their babies often cannot access good prenatal care. The infant mortality rate is still unacceptably high in the United States among Blacks and low-income women.

What about the millions of children living in poverty?

As of 2019, the most recent year where Census data is available, more than 10 million (1 in 7) children live in poverty. That number has likely increased since the COVID pandemic. It is also true that Black and low-income children are most affected.

Access to quality childcare, adequate healthcare services, early education and protection from neglect and child abuse remain major challenges for too many of the nation’s children.

Where is rage, the outcry, the demonstrations and marching in the streets for the millions of expectant mothers and children who are struggling and suffering among us?

The United States ranks 39^th among other nations when it comes to the overall health and well-being of its children.

Are their lives less valuable, less precious than the unborn?

Where is the comparable outrage?

When it comes to providing and protecting the reproductive health of women, can there really be a restrictive federal or state law or policy that should be applied to all? Should a woman be forced to give birth irrespective of how that child was conceived, irrespective of the mother’s health status or risk?

Despite the issue of whether a woman has a right to choose to become a mother, what kind of support is readily available for that mother to successfully provide that child a good quality of life?

Many of the states that would force a woman to have a child are the same states that are fighting Medicaid expansion.

Resolving the issue of whether abortion should or should not be allowed is not cut and dry, nor can the issue be easily solved with restrictive, punitive policies drenched in political and partisan biases.

If the Supreme Court decides to declare Roe v. Wade unconstitutional and leave it up to each state to decide its own policies about abortion, the other important issues regarding the quality of life for women and children in this country may never get the attention, support and resources they need.

We need not let misinformation and hypocrisy throw us back to the time of the jurist Judge Alito quotes in his leaked Supreme Court opinion, 17^th century Sir Matthew Hale, whose writings and reasonings have influenced the courts and caused disrespect, injustice and harm toward women for hundreds of years.

And by default, our children.

What should be just as important is the care and wellbeing of women and children already here. When will that become a top priority, defended and promoted with equal fervor as that for the unborn?

Our federal and state governments are not broken. We must keep in mind all the good that is done in spite of what appears to be ongoing discord (Samuel Corum/Getty Images).

With higher gas prices, rising food costs and near record inflation as we emerge from the worst pandemic in a 100 years, many of us may be struggling to make ends meet or move forward in any way — finding it difficult to see what government is doing to make our lives better.

But as tough as things might be, let us try to remember the good our government provides in many aspects of our daily lives.

While the government can’t do everything, there are many things it does, and does well.

The preamble to the Constitution reminds us of the primary functions our government should do for us: “Form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”

Subsequent articles and amendments, as the nation has come of age, have guided just how the federal and state governments should go about doing those things outlined in the preamble.

During these difficult times, along with hyper-partisanship and divisive politics in state governments and in Congress, it is easy to forget the good things that are getting done every day.

There are many, many examples. Big and small.

Here are some big ones.

Despite the sickness and death that occurred during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, it was the government that enabled the development of a vaccine to be fast-tracked. It was the government that made testing and the vaccines available, whether citizens chose to take them or not.

As COVID was impacting and devastating many aspects of our daily lives, it was the government that passed the historic $2.2 trillion CARES Act, a much-needed economic stimulus package that included: The PPP program for small businesses, financial relief for other industry sectors, cash payments to stabilize state/local budgets and cash payments to individuals.

It was the government that passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that provided additional help with: Increases in tax-credits for childcare, earned income tax credits, increases and extension in unemployment checks, assistance in health care insurance support, and rental and emergency housing assistance for urban, rural, tribal and homeless populations.

Even the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, was expanded, providing access to health care for millions more Americans.

As we were besieged with COVID, Congress still managed to pass a historic bipartisan infrastructure bill.

This bill is a massive investment for repairing and building our roads and bridges, improving transportation options for millions of Americans while reducing greenhouse emissions, upgrading the nation’s airports and ports, expanding, and improving rail services.

As we face a future of more cyber warfare, there are investments to improve our power infrastructure to not only deliver clean energy, but to implement measures to make our power infrastructure more resilient against the impacts of cyber-attacks.

Plus, even closer to home, major investments will be made to deliver clean water to millions of American families by eliminating lead service pipes that are currently being used in too many communities.

In this technologically driven information age, billions of dollars are also included to ensure that all Americans have access to reliable broadband high-speed Internet, which is critically important when it comes to doing our jobs, online school learning, accessing healthcare services and just staying connected.

The need for Americans, especially in disadvantaged and underserved communities, to have reliable internet connectivity became abundantly clear as we struggled to live through the surges of the COVID pandemic.

In addition to addressing the many important areas above that will benefit most Americans, perhaps one of the greatest benefits to the bipartisan infrastructure bill will be the millions of quality and high-paying jobs that will be created.

Many of the benefits of the bipartisan infrastructure bill will occur over the many years ahead, and it may take a while for us to see how they directly impact our lives.

But we can readily remember other major bipartisan policies and legislation that have made our lives better. Much of it was fraught with bipartisan disagreement, stonewalling and obstruction. But elected officials manage to work together for measures to become law and benefit Americans.

We have only to think of the Medicare and Medicaid Act, the Social Security Act, Family Medical Leave Act, Minimum Wage (Fair Labor Standards) Act, American Disability Act, Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Act, and many other programs and benefits that improve our daily lives that, now, often go unnoticed and are taken for granted.

Those notable acts do not begin to address the many other governmental policies and programs that have been put in place to help farmers, small businesses, as well as major corporations.

Not to mention maintaining our national security on multiple fronts in these unstable times.

When we look at what is occurring in other parts of the world, we have much to be thankful for.

So, while we often complain about what our government is not doing, how often do we pause and think about what it is doing for us each and every day?

There are voices that want us to believe that America and branches of our government at the state and national level are irretrievable broken, that good rational leaders need to be replaced by those who would undo and destroy rather than work to make things better.

It behooves us all to take inventory of where our lives are today, what we continue to need from our government and its leaders and determine our support accordingly.

Our federal and state governments are not broken. We must keep in mind all the good that is done in spite of what appears to be ongoing discord, ongoing dysfunction among some of its leaders.

(Hill Street Studios/Getty Images).

How long are we willing to tolerate the obstructionism, stonewalling, half-truths and downright lies that are being used to pass detrimental legislation — or no legislation at all — in state legislatures and in Congress?

We, the people, have the power to change things, beginning with the upcoming 2022 midterm elections.

If only we use that power.

In Congress, 35 of the 100 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are on the ballot this year. At the state level, there are 39 governors up for election, and many other state and local offices where needed change can occur.

What are the elected officials representing you doing to promote decisions in your best interest in your state or Congress?

Looking at what is taking place in many of our state Capitols and Congress, too often we are left frustrated, dismayed and exhausted.

When will we, the people, say enough and exercise the power of the vote that is ours and change the paths that we are on?

The fact that there are many elected officials in states across the nation trying to take that power away should be a wake-up call. We should be very alarmed and willing to do something about it.

Now.

Now is not the time to feel powerless and throw up our hands thinking there is nothing we can do. Our vote is a powerful weapon if we use it.

Now is the time to learn all about the candidates vying for your vote in this critical election cycle.

There is a great opportunity to break the cycle of what typically happens in mid-term elections. Voter turnout is usually lower than during presidential elections. Some candidates count on that by only appealing to their base of supporters, which often represent the minority of voters, not the majority.

So when those candidates win, the agenda of the minority controls policies and legislation that are pursued and often passed whether they are in the best interests of the majority of citizens or not.

Why not let the 2022 midterm elections be a time to make some needed changes, to make history?

Often, voters ignore the primary elections, choosing to vote only in the general election in November. But primary elections are critical. If you fail to vote during the primary, the most qualified candidates could be eliminated.

Most midterm primary elections are coming up, beginning in May and lasting until mid-September. Check the date and elections to be decided in your state. Circulate that information wherever you are able to do so.

Whether incumbents or first-time candidates, no matter what position they are running for, it is so critical for you to get to know them and their positions on the issues you care about.

Look into their background and their public record. Who are they politically aligned with? Will they likely help change and stop the political rancor, discord, divisiveness and dysfunction, or will they continue the path we are on? If they seem prone to just sit on the sidelines and go along to get along, then they will not be a part of the solution.

For those who are currently in office, it is not enough to hear what they are promising. It is critical to evaluate what they have done, or not done, during their tenure. The policies and legislation they have supported or failed to support are public record.

If you are able to participate in a public forum, ask them about their positions and actions.

A real change in the politics will not take place without us taking the time to get involved — and voting.

Once you have made an assessment of who you are supporting and will vote for, that is great. But all of us need to do more.

We can make our support for a particular candidate known and explain why to family members and anyone who might be genuinely concerned about what is going on in any and all of our legislative bodies.

Public dialogue and policies roll up and down hill. What happens at the local and state level is reflected in the halls of Congress and vice versa.

Ultimately, voting at every level matters.

That is the vast reach and impact of each and every time we vote.

We cannot afford to squander the only real power we have in casting our vote.

Let us make history by voting in record numbers in the 2022 midterm elections.

The immediate and long-term future of our state and the nation hangs in the balance. This election, perhaps more so than ever.

What we see happening in Ukraine and the threats to other democracies, should motivate and inspire us to fight for and protect our democracy (photo by tumsasedgars/iStock Images).

Ukraine’s desperate fight to avoid authoritarian rule is a stark reminder of how important our democracy is — how much we need to treasure it, protect it and continue to work to make it better.

Ensuring that our democracy prevails must be done in every unit of government in this great republic. The threats that ultimately destroy a nation begin with a single step or action from within, often unnoticed until the destructive forces have gained momentum and established a foothold.

It should be noted that the decline of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism has been slowly occurring worldwide.

It behooves every American to take stock of the dialogue and actions occurring in the halls of government and in our communities. Are they indicative that our democracy is strong or at risk, if not indeed, in danger?

In recent years, and in many ways, we are experiencing the creep of authoritarianism in America.

The greatest examples are the distortions, lies and misinformation about the 2020 presidential election being fraudulent. These false narratives are akin to authoritarian and dictatorial propaganda.

Now, we have learned that the propaganda’s tentacles reach all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, harming its image and role as the highest arbiter in the land.

The undemocratic behavior we have witnessed in state legislatures across the country when it comes to preserving the basic right to vote should be another cause for alarm. There are many other areas where the basics that preserve our democracy are readily cast aside.

The ongoing false narratives and demonization that occur between lawmakers in the U.S. Congress who should be functioning with civility and decorum are reminiscent of what happens when propaganda becomes the priority rather than truth and protecting the public will.

This uncivil behavior has become emboldened and pervasive in many aspects of American life.

Often war in far-away places reinforces the false complacency and belief that we are immune to such utter devastation and suffering.

While the threat of war against the U.S. by some foreign power might be remote, the war that Russia has waged against Ukraine is a stark reminder of the inhumanity and devastation that can be wrought by authoritarian and dictatorial regimes.

More importantly, the war in Ukraine shows why we need to guard and protect American democracy more than ever.

Like Ukraine, perhaps our greatest threat comes from within from age-old divides that continue to erode our unity as a nation and make the nation vulnerable to an internal aggressor.

Just as the cultural, historical, and economic divisions over slavery between the north and south culminated in the Civil War, a similar situation existed in Ukraine leading up to the war today. The historical, cultural, and economic divisions between the southeast region in Ukraine, known as the Donbas Region, and the rest of Ukraine have served as impetus for the current war.

These divisions within Ukraine, were first exemplified in pro-Russian and anti-government protests, which evolved into ongoing fighting within its borders by Russian separatists in the Donbas region.

This ongoing civil unrest and insurgency has made Ukraine’s efforts to live in a democratic republic vulnerable to take over by an authoritarian dictator.

What lessons can we as Americans learn from this war?

First, what is happening in Ukraine did not occur overnight. Forming, maintaining and keeping its democratic form of government has been a long struggle, dating back decades.

At the point when the country appeared most stable in its history, suddenly their democratic form of government is at grave risk. The seeds of authoritarianism have been festering within its borders.

America, the democratic republic, had existed almost one-hundred years before it was almost destroyed by the Civil War. But the seeds of that war had been germinating for decades.

Second, wars are often fought first with divisive words, not bullets. That is probably the greatest lessons we as Americans can heed.

We are experiencing a very divisive time in the history of this nation. We need to take stock of the words and actions taking place in our state legislatures, in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Many of the laws and rights outlined in the Constitution, and many of our traditions and institutions are being attacked, distorted, misrepresented, and challenged by extremist groups and some elected leaders alike.

Some mainstream media outlets, which should be preserving a core tenet of democracy, freedom of the press, have instead defiled it by becoming propaganda machines.

How much does this growing trend reflect, mimic or represent what is occurring in communities and among citizens across America?

Do the war of words and the willingness to disregard the democratic traditions and institutions that have sustained this Republic put its democracy at risk?

There are retired respected military generals who are concerned that America is in fact on a slippery slope, where our democracy could be at risk, based on the pervasive authoritative and poisonous positions that have dominated the political landscape during the last several years.

Many Ukrainians, no doubt, did not think their democratic way of life was in jeopardy of being annihilated. No doubt, many thought that despite the protests and the infighting with Russian insurgents, their country was still pretty secure.

How quickly things can deteriorate. How quickly divisive words can turn into divisive battles and all-out war.

What we see happening in Ukraine and the threats to other democracies, should motivate and inspire us to fight for and protect our democracy.

To make it better, work to enable it to live up to all of its potential and promise.

Who among us really wants the alternative?

(photo by Albina Lavrentyeva/iStock Images).

As we near the end of another Women’s History Month, it is abundantly clear that one month is woefully inadequate to celebrate, let alone cover, the myriad of contributions women have made and continue to make in fostering the well-being of this nation and society.

The fact that we set aside a month to recognize those contributions bespeaks of where we have been — and also how far we need to go.

Hopefully, there will come a day when the accomplishments of women will be interwoven in American and world history as accurately and completely as that of men. But that day is not today. So, we press on.

Even the monthly commemoration of women’s history in America is relatively new.

While the celebration can trace its beginnings to the first International Women’s Day held in March 1911, there was no significant weekly or annual monthly recognition in the United States until 1987.

It was President Jimmy Carter who, by proclamation in 1980, created National Women’s History Week. Subsequent presidents followed suit. But it wasn’t until 1987 that Congress passed a law designating March as Women’s History Month.

It has taken centuries for the significant contributions of women to be recognized at all. There are those who would argue that one month of acknowledgement is better than none at all. Many would readily agree.

There are good things that result. There is heightened awareness, which is a great thing for little girls to see the many possibilities there are for their lives. The programs and commemorations serve as reminders to all — men, women, boys and girls — of the abilities of women and the unswerving appreciation and respect they deserve.

However, during Women’s History Month, we often find the same names and faces remembered, honored, exhibited and discussed in classrooms and community programs year after year. What about all those other women who go unrecognized?

Women have made and continue to make significant contributions, generation after generation, to American and world history. They continue to do so in every aspect of our daily lives, beginning with the priceless, irreplaceable role of motherhood. And it expands in every direction from there.

In 2022, there are very few areas, professions or important roles in our society that women are not fulfilling and fulfilling them as well as men. But is it being captured in the history books and taught as part of American history as it rightfully should?

One could ask why do the inequities, marginalization, disrespect and disregard continue?

We need to dispense with a few misconceptions.

For centuries and across generations, a lot of misunderstanding, resistance and obstruction that women have faced and endured, and continue to do so, in their quest for equality have been based upon the misguided notion that women want to be men.

Women do not want to be men. What they want, have fought for and continue to fight for are equal access to an education, equal pay for doing the same job, equal respect and freedom from sexual harassment and sexual abuse in the home and in the workplace.

To achieve equality, why must women deny, minimize or marginalize their womanhood, the things that make them uniquely female? Men do not have to change, alter or change their essence as they seek to have access to educational and job opportunities. Why should women?

Fifty years ago, women, through the Women’s Liberation Movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s, were fighting to gain equal access and equal opportunity in the workplace. They wanted to be recognized for their abilities to be more than sex objects, housewives and mothers.

While gains have been made in women having access to more job opportunities and breaking out of many stereotypical roles in the workplace, they still have a long way to go when it comes to receiving equal pay, promotion to senior/CEO level positions and corporate board representation.

During the fight to gain equality and respect for their abilities, many times women have had to project attributes —from dressing to speech — to prove they are just as smart, just as capable as men. Women do not want to be men. They want to be themselves and not be penalized or degraded for it.

The #MeToo movement seeks to end sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace.

Equality between men and women need not be an adversarial endeavor. One need not gain at the expense of the other. Mutual respect for abilities, positions, and contributions can be beneficial for all.

Men and women can work together with mutual respect and share in the benefits of equal treatment across the board without losing identity that is uniquely theirs.

So, what are some take-aways as we come to the close of another Women’s History month?

Did your knowledge, understanding, and appreciation increase about the roles women have played in society since creation and more importantly since the founding of America?

Does this new awareness inspire a change in perception and behavior as you interact with the girls and women in your life—at home, in the workplace, in your daily encounters?

Is this month-long celebration a source of inspiration to bring about meaningful change to correct the systemic disregard, disrespect and inequities that are played out daily?

We know that one month is not enough to cover the myriad of contributions women have made and continue to make every day in this nation and in all society.

So, if the commemoration doesn’t serve to inspire and motivate us to work toward improving the conditions and positions of all women, why have we bothered?

Simply to run through the paces, assuage some guilt momentarily, to give license and comfort to continue as usual the disregard, the marginalization, the disrespect?

We hope for progress in the days, months, and years ahead.

Or will the contributions of women be forgotten, dismissed, until the next Women’s History Month?

seperation of church and state

A cursory review of American history shows the central role God and religion played and continue to play in our politics.

From the Revolutionary War to the formation and drafting of our most sacred national documents, God and religious principles are boldly infused throughout.

The phrase “separation of church and state” is not found in the Constitution.  Instead, it prohibits federal and state governments from nationalizing any religion, creating a national church or favoring one religion over the other.

The misuse and hypocrisy come into play with the sporadic denials or discriminate efforts to separate or invoke the use of God and religion to support or defeat one policy position or another.

Tensions between separation of church and state and the roles God and religion play in shaping public policy are seen in the ongoing debate around issues like abortion and LGBTQ rights.

But perhaps the most notable example of church and state working hand-in-hand is the role religious leaders and churches play in our elections.

There is a reason why candidates tailor their messages to appeal to certain religious doctrines and beliefs to gain support and to solidify a voting bloc.

There is a reason why candidates go to Black churches to make their case. The support of Black congregants can determine the outcome of an election.

There are blurred lines and porous borders between church and state, which are often crossed in our politics and daily lives in both obvious and subtle ways to gain an advantage when promoting an agenda.

So why the pretense that never the twain shall meet, let alone mix — when they meet and mix all the time? Are we being hypocrites when we yell foul in one instance and turn a blind eye in another?

Perhaps the confusion is between separation of church and state and the role God and religion play in our institutions, traditions, and our daily lives.

The Founders were very clear and deliberate about the centrality of God and religion in the vision, mission and purpose in forming America.

Some of our most endearing patriotic songs invoke the presence and blessings of God, from “America the Beautiful” to “Battle Hymn of the Republic” to “My Country, Tis of Thee.”

Songs, and music, have a way of reaching our better selves. In these divisive times, revisiting them, humming and singing along could go a long way in reviving a positive and healthy patriotic spirit.

But the integral relationship between God, church and state doesn’t stop there.

Even our currency proudly displays and proclaims, “In God We Trust.”

The role religion has played in the developmental history of this country is everywhere.

As we witness how low our public dialogue has sunk, the increasing inhumane conduct toward each other and the contrived displays of righteous indication by those same perpetrators, one could conclude that they are signs that America is losing, or indeed has lost, its moral compass.

Just as a person’s faith is linked when it comes to advocating for candidates, legislation and laws, they could be even more valuable in reclaiming what is honorable and good for American society overall.

A few examples come to mind.

Maybe following the Biblical teaching, “Love thy neighbor as thyself”— or as the non-religious would say “treat each other as we would want to be treated”— would bring civility and respect back in our public discourse.

Maybe we will ensure that everyone, regardless of race or gender, are treated with the same dignity, respect and believe implicitly that they are entitled to all inalienable rights.

Maybe fighting for the care of the poor and orphaned children among us would have as much priority as protecting the unborn.

Just maybe.

The foundation is there. God and Biblical principles have been embraced and adopted in our most sacred documents, our patriotic songs, our public ceremonies and traditions honoring our flag and country.

Religious leaders and their congregations all across America have been and continue to be actively engaged in the political process.

There is more to be gained by fully embracing the connection between church and state, when it comes to defining us as Americans, than continuing the practice of selective separation when it is convenient.

The church-state connection, in many ways, is what has determined America’s character and set her apart from the very beginning.

We need not be hypocritical about how that connection could be applied to improve our relationship with our fellow citizen and country.

Whether in marriage, friendship, or work, it is often difficult to remember the good when difficulties arise (photo by wildpixel/Stock Images).

We are the United States of America. At least, that is who we have always claimed to be.

But are we? Have we ever been?

Considering where we are today, and the state of our public discourse, it begs the questions.

The brazen and hateful divisions playing out in almost every aspect of American life did not just suddenly come about.

Despite our fractured and factious states, we have always managed to rise above them, and preserve the things we hold in common and, therefore, keep America.

But why do we seem so far apart today, and will our pulling in opposite directions ultimately sink us?

No doubt we have been treading turbulent waters in major areas of American life.

Many of us have become pandemic weary during the last two years, having to endure social restrictions, unwelcome mandates, vaccine confusion, all levels of illness, loss of jobs and businesses, and, of course, more than 900,000 COVID deaths.

We could add that we are battered, tired and worn down by what seems to be entrenched partisan dysfunction in government at nearly every level in a way we have not seen in recent history, with no apparent end in sight.

Then there is the age-old and endemic malady of racial intolerance and racial violence, occurring in the most unsuspecting places for reasons that remind us that we still have not found a lasting cure.

These health, political and social headwinds are further compounded by an economy that seems to defy stability and predictability, straining our ability to budget and meet today’s needs let alone plan for the future — fueling the separation and dog-eat-dog behavior among us.

But these conditions and forces weighing on us as Americans are not new. So, why does it seem the nation is in a more vulnerable state than ever?

While many of us may be experiencing some of these forces for the first time, we would do well to remember that many of our family members, and generations before us have gone through similar storms in this country, and some would argue even worse.

Previous generations suffered, died, but lived through a very virulent and deadly pandemic, the Spanish Flu of 1918, which we could learn from.

Previous generations weathered the Great Depression, two World Wars, other foreign wars in Korea, Vietnam, Dessert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, the 2008 economic collapse and now the still ongoing war against terrorism.

The nation survived the greatest divisive threat to its very existence of all, the Civil War.

No doubt, all Americans were not on one accord in how those challenges were handled. But there were enough Americans willing to put aside personal beliefs and differences, become united and pull together in the same direction. The nation prevailed.

Some disunity has always been with us and always will be. But we can continue to coexist amid our differences, and not only survive but thrive.

But where is our collective will to continue to move America forward in the same direction as a nation?

Is our collective will just sick and tired, or is it drowning in a sea of self-destruction?

In today’s environment, it certainly seems hard to diagnose the state and condition of our collective will to work together to preserve and build upon what is good about America and the way of life it affords.

It certainly isn’t readily evident when we survey the discord occurring in most aspects of our public lives.

Even the things we seem to agree on, organize around and work together for are those things that further divide us into hard camps, pulling us in opposing directions. We are either pro or anti vaccine; pro or anti-immigration; pro reasonable gun control measures or anti-gun control; pro voter rights or pro voter suppression.

We don’t seem interested in finding common ground.

We cannot even agree upon what is truth and what is a lie, and we have organized around one or the other. The greatest example today, of course, is the two camps that seem to be intransigent about the 2020 Presidential election, one believing it was fair, and the other believing it was fraudulent.

The discordant list goes on and in critical area that undermine the unity that is needed to help this nation survive many of its current challenges and achieve stability.

What will it take for us to realize that we are in this boat together and we need to rally around our collective wellbeing?

Certainly, not another foreign attack on our own soil like 9/11 or something worse to make us realize that we have come too far as a nation — through good times, bad times, terrible times, terrific times — to allow superficial, prideful, selfish, self-serving priorities to undermine the greater good.

Whether in marriage, friendship, or work, it is often difficult to remember the good when difficulties arise. We become too willing to disavow, dismantle, walk away, destroy something that is inherently good, worth saving and ultimately in our best interest.

This seems to be where we are as we have hit some strong gale winds blowing against the American way of life.

Are we going to do what we can to navigate the storms and not wade or sail in directions that could ultimately sink this great nation?

We seem to be rowing in opposite directions as we struggle to chart the future course for America. But at our core, we forget that we are more together than apart.

And when tested, as we are today — and as we have been in the past — it was our core and collective will that enabled us to rise from the muck and mire, and it kept us from drowning.

Will there be enough of us willing to get our bearing and row in the same direction, once again, to make sure America remains a safe harbor?

A view of the front portico of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

The distorted misinformation about affirmative action is once again raising its ugly head around the potential nomination of a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Before any qualified, likely overqualified, Black woman is nominated for the Supreme Court, her reputation is being tainted by the notion that the only reason she is being considered is because of affirmative action.

The deliberate disparagement is not only coming from misguided divisive media personalities, but also from the U. S. Senate.

What a gross injustice to attempt to discredit and marginalize Black women in America one more time, in the most public way — casting one more debasement in their historic march toward equality.

Must American history continue to bear such an ugly stain.

What is affirmative action?

Affirmative action has a long history in this country as an attempt to stop and correct the systemic discrimination and oppression of Blacks. The initial attempts began during the Reconstruction Era (1863-1877) shortly after the Civil War.

Laws, policies and guidelines have been passed across a number of presidential administrations, which include those of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama.

These policies sought to provide the rightful and legal path for equal access to employment, education, housing and other rights and privileges for Blacks and later women.

But affirmative action has been deliberately and maliciously recast over the years, most notable in the admissions process to institutions of higher education, especially when it comes to the admission of Blacks.

Former President Donald Trump sought to roll back affirmative action policies enacted during the Obama administration, particularly those addressing admission to higher institutions of learning.

There seems to be a collective amnesia as to why there was a need for affirmative action measures in the first place.

When it comes to Blacks, unlike any other group in this country, there have been centuries of denial, disenfranchisement, oppression, unequal or no access to a quality education, jobs, housing. Even the basic humane privileges, like having access to a place to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom or get a sip of water, were often out of reach.

So, today, affirmative action measures put in place to stop these egregious practices are perceived as unfair and as some unmerited advantage for simply enabling Blacks to access what is afforded and readily available to other Americans.

Frankly, no amount of affirmative action measures can undo or remedy the degradation and deprivation Blacks have suffered and endured during the history of this country and continue to endure.

Being Black and a woman has another set of daunting challenges and burdens of proof, which brings us back to the subject at hand: The prospect of having the first Black woman jurist on the Supreme Court.

Why must the jurist chosen carry the stain that she was only chosen because of affirmative action? Why is President Biden being singled out as doing something out of line?

Was it considered affirmative action or out of line when President Ronald Reagan declared while campaigning that he would appoint the first woman to the Supreme Court? Was it affirmative action when he followed through and appointed Sandra Day O’Connor?

Was it affirmative action when Jewish (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan), Italian (Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito) and Latina (Sonia Sotomayor) jurists were appointed? What about Clarence Thomas, a Black man? Was President Trump’s appointment of Amy Coney Barrett affirmative action?

Was affirmative action even mentioned with these appointees?

Where is the animus, venom and recoil at the very prospect of a Black woman being added to the Supreme Court coming from? It certainly cannot be based on the lack of qualifications.

Whichever candidate is chosen, you can be assured that she will be just as qualified, if not more so, than some current justices.

Whoever is chosen, it is worth the time to review their qualifications before concluding it is just another affirmative action appointment.

February, the shortest month in the year, is Black History month, which was established as a national observance in 1976 by President Gerald Ford. Clearly one month is woefully inadequate to cover the history of Blacks in America.

But there might be some enlightenment to be gained by spending a little time to look at the extraordinary achievements and contributions of Blacks, particularly Black women, before there were any affirmative action measures in place.

The space here is inadequate to name them all. Some names are familiar and well known because attention is brought to them once a year or on some special commemoration. Many are not. But to name a few: pioneering suffragists like Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, Fannie Barrier Williams; world renown authors like Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou; distinguished political leaders like Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan.

And then there are the brilliant mathematicians and scientists like Melba Roy, Katherine Johnson, Christine Darden who despite discrimination were critical to the achievements at NASA during the 1960s; and trail blazing educators like Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, Nannie Helen Burroughs who established institutions, and Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser who became the first black female psychologist in 1933.

If you are unfamiliar, take some time and look them up. As you do, there is no doubt you will learn of so many others who have achieved throughout American history.

Black women have made, and continue to make, extraordinary contributions in areas and disciplines from A to Z — from the arts to zoology, without affirmative action.

They do not deserve wearing the yoke of having done so because of some special treatment or privilege. What a gross disregard for succeeding despite the hurdles and roadblocks and doing it exceptionally well.

Godspeed to the first Black woman named to the highest court in the land.

May she wear the deserved honor proudly.

Whether you like history or not, there are things when it comes to Blacks and the subject of race that are undeniable: America embraced and maintained an institution of slavery for centuries, culminating in the Civil War (photo by iosebi meladz/Stock Images).

Critical Race Theory.

Uncritical Race Theory.

Factual Race Theory.

Call it what you will. But as the saying goes, “A rose called by any other name is still a rose.”

Racism called by any other name is still racism.

So, let’s step away from the naming, and name calling, and try to find some common understanding based on facts and truths about race and racism and how they have manifested, and continue to manifest themselves in America.

First, let’s acknowledge and agree that the subjects of race and racism are uncomfortable for many of us when it comes to having an open and honest conversation at home, in a classroom, at a community forum or any kind of discussion.

Too often, suppression, denial, distortion, false accusations, casting blame, engendering guilt and fear mongering seem to be the more comfortable paths taken.

These are the paths being chosen in state legislatures, Congress and in school board meetings across America opposing Critical Race Theory. But it need not be this way.

Facts about race and racism in America should be treated honesty and truthfully without suppression or censorship. Such an approach could be freeing and healing.

Second, Native Americans, Irish and Polish immigrants were subjects of race and racism, but they have managed to assimilate. Blacks, more so than Native Americans or any other group, are the predominant and enduring focus when it comes to anything race in America.

Third, a complete accounting of American history about Blacks has never been taught at any level in the educational system in this country — from grade school to post graduate school. No matter what level each of us completed, we have first-hand experience and know this to be true.

Whether you like history or not, there are things when it comes to Blacks and the subject of race that are undeniable: America embraced and maintained an institution of slavery for centuries, culminating in the Civil War. The vestiges, problems, practices of inequality, discrimination and oppression of Blacks have been an integral part of American life and society and continue to this day.

During the last several decades, there have been attempts to integrate Black history and the Black experience in America in some areas of study in our schools. Most notably at the secondary level, it occurs during Black History month. In college, it occurs in classes that focus on African American studies.

But such recent efforts to address the long-standing void and absence of Blacks and the black experience being left out of the history of America are band-aids at best.

If American history was taught in its totality — factually and truthfully — finally real progress can be made when it comes to healing and improving race relations.

One has only to look at race relations in their own neighborhoods, communities, cities, states and this nation to know that race and racism are topics that need to be addressed — in all of its facets.

How does anyone or anything grow, get better without self-examination — examination that is thrown bare, unvarnished, approached with clear eyes and anticipation, seeking understanding and a better path forward.

Such a study or discussion need not cast aspersion, blame, or engender guilt.

While egregious acts committed by our ancestors cannot be undone, we need not be a part of them continuing. We can neither absolve, totally insulate ourselves, nor live a life of detachment.

If we are willing to shed the misconceptions and stereotypes around the notion of race, it could go a long way to stop discussions from becoming emotional and incendiary.

Ask yourself a few questions, beginning with: Do you think there are many human races or just one? Whether you believe in science or religion or neither, there is ample evidence that there is just one race, the human race. We are all 99.99% the same.

Take your pick. Consult the Bible or the Human Genome Project. Another comprehensive resource is the book, The Myth of Race, by Robert Wald Sussman, a professor of Physical Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis.

There is only one race. We all come from different ethnic, geographical, and cultural backgrounds. But that is as far as real differences go.

Period.

Many historians and sociologists have shown that our contemporary understanding and treatment of the word ‘race’ is a social, political and economic construct advanced to make one group or groups subservient to another.

Many of us have fallen for it, in one way or another, and have allowed it to form and perpetuate unnatural barriers, divisions, derision, downright hatred and discord among us—toward people we do not even know or ever had any direct personal contact.

Ask yourself another question: Are you willing to honestly re-examine your views about humans who do not look like you, act like you, live like you, or believe everything you believe?

Different colors in nature, variety and new experiences seem to be welcomed and seen as the spices of life, except when it comes to humans.

What do you find wrong with that picture?

We can hang on to our racist, bigoted, stereotypical notions if we choose. We are the losers when we do.

We can get knotted up in our underwear, sidetracked and misled by the most recent attempt to address the issue of race and allow fear mongers to keep us at odds with each other—all because it is called by the new name, “Critical Race Theory.”

Would you be more willing to have an honest factual conversation about how race has played out in American history, and continue to play out, if it were called “Uncritical Race Theory” or “Factual Race Theory”?

We are doing ourselves, our children, and many generations of Americans a grave disservice to continue to build strawmen and use ad hominem to advance hurtful and destruction positions when it comes to how we should get along as caring and decent human beings.

Our leaders in state legislatures and Congress should stop the charade when it comes to addressing the destructive history of race in America.

No matter what you call it.

2022 can be the defining year — a turning point — in what America becomes. What life will be like for our immediate families (photo by Choreograph/Stock Images).

Like it or not, we all are members of a larger family.

America.

As residents of a community, city and state, we are kin folk. Whether by blood or as neighbors; nearby or afar; friends or strangers; we all are related, by circumstances, in one way or another.

So what sane, sensible, rational and caring person deliberately does things to hurt and destroy the wellbeing of his or her family?

Our immediate family unit operates by norms, rules and expectations that guide individual behavior. The same holds true for our American family. There are principles, laws, policies and regulations that must be respected and upheld if we are to survive as a national unit.

Just as reckless, thoughtless and selfish behavior can destroy a family unit, the same type of behavior is a sure way to destroy our nation.

Such irrational behavior is playing out in America in an attempt to undermine our government and the electoral process.

The facts about the 2020 presidential election and what happened at the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol are clearly evident. But perpetually pushing false narratives are examples of dangerous behavior that put American democracy as we know it at risk.

The blatant propaganda about these seminal events is a clarion call.

If every caring and rational citizen is not alarmed by the growing trend of lies, misinformation and threats of a possible civil war if future election results do not meet expectations, we should be.

In the weeks and months to come, we must do what we can to stop the efforts to dismantle one of the fundamental tenets of this Republic: The sanctity of democratic elections.

Waiting until the results of the 2022 election or the 2024 election may well be too late.

Would you watch a problem festering and getting out of control in your immediate family before you decide to something about it? Would you tolerate and accept a constant barrage of lies, misrepresentations and deception from a family member?

Many are willing to believe that the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was a peaceful protest of patriotic Americans — even though we saw the mayhem, lawlessness, attacks on police and threats to kill or harm lawmakers as it all unfolded in real time.

At what point did you stop believing what your eyes see? Can someone really convince you that the sky is green when you are looking dead at it and see that it is blue?

There are those who hope that destructive behavior shall pass. That America is strong enough to withstand misguided attacks from within.

Anarchy and autocracy are the ugly sides of democracy. Whichever is allowed to take hold and reign is determined by the will and fortitude of the people who stand to be impacted.

Creating chaos, peddling lies and misinformation, feeding conspiracy theories and preying on those who feel they have been short-changed on America’s promise are sure ways to dismiss and minimize what is good about our democracy.

More importantly, it opens the door for the seeds of autocracy to fester, grow and take hold.

Are we forgetting the value and benefits of belonging and maintaining loyalty to our larger democratic family that is America?

America will not survive and be sustained unless we remember. Unless we fight to protect it.

Pause and seriously imagine what life would be like if our democratic form of government, as imperfect as it might be, were not in place.

In this divisive political season, it so easy to forget and so easy to take for granted all the benefits of our democratic form of government. Are you willing to sit idly by and let it be destroyed by those who seem willing to be led by lies, deception and misinformation?

The overriding decision before us: Will there be enough Americans who will choose to uphold and protect our democracy or just watch its demise?

You would not sit by and allow threatening forces to destroy your immediate family. You would intervene. You would do something.

Plus, we must remember that our immediate families are not islands. The health, wellbeing and future of family members are inextricably tied to the health, wellbeing and future of America.

If we allow our government to fall into further chaos and dysfunction, it will be just a matter of time before greater pain is felt in our households. By our precious loved ones.

2022 can be the defining year — a turning point — in what America becomes. What life will be like for our immediate families. A recent poll offers a glimmer of hope that we might be finally seeing the light.

Now is the time to take three critical actions.

First, take every opportunity to consistently confront the lies and misrepresentations spewing from politicians with personal agendas and extreme media sources that play into and continue to spread them.

Sadly, a great percentage of our fellow Americans has bought into and believe those lies and misrepresentations because they refuse to search for the facts and truths for themselves. They think the course we are on will be good for them.

Second, demand that our voting rights are protected, and our election process is secure to prevent the shenanigans, lie, and potential disruptions of citizens legitimately casting their vote.

Great societies fall when those of us who know better choose to do nothing. The annals of history are strewn with examples.

Third, ask where are we headed as a nation and, if you don’t like the answer, do something about it while there is time.

Our individual families make up the greater American family.

For better or worse.

(photo by vencavolrab/Stock Images)

As a new year dawns, many of us may find it difficult to be very hopeful about anything as we continue to see so many negative forces impacting our daily lives. But we all have choices. We can choose to be resigned and discouraged, or we can choose to do something about it.

The New Year’s tradition includes gathering with family and friends to ring in another year and make resolutions to change and improve some aspect of our lives.

Making personal resolutions is good. But when you look at the state of your community, city, state or nation, are those resolutions enough?

Can we afford to not look beyond our personal circumstances, no matter what they might be?

Amid the angst, anger, disgust, or powerlessness we may feel about the two negative forces that are directly impacting every aspect of our lives — a raging pandemic and relentless political dysfunction — we cannot afford to remain silent or do nothing. Both are major threats to what our lives could be like in the future.

You rightfully ask, what can we do as individuals or collectively?

We can do a lot.

First, we can fully embrace and accept the fact that each of us has a role to play in bringing about change. It is not left up to someone else.

For example: Each of us has only to look at whether our action or inaction has contributed to how we are affected by the coronavirus. When it comes to the political disfunction, each of us must also acknowledge how our action or inaction allows it to continue.

We do not have the option of washing our hands from the two most negative forces impacting our lives at this very moment which will continue to impact us in the new year. If we insist upon staying on the sidelines doing nothing about either, they will not get better automatically.

Secondly, we must accept personal accountability and hold others accountable.

How can we do that? We can start now becoming well-informed citizens and exercise the greatest power we have at every level of government that impact our lives — from the U.S. Congress, to the statehouse, the county legislature, to city hall.

Our participation at every level and our vote can make a big difference.

At the end of the day, what is done or fails to be done in those legislative bodies is felt in our households.

Thirdly, embrace the opportunities in 2022 to get involved where it will count if you want to see real change.

We cannot afford to be passive observers who get excited or angry about what is happening around us. Venting is not enough. Neither the nation’s health nor politics is a spectator sport.

Shortly after the new year dawns, we will be bombarded with an avalanche of political postering and campaigning, some of which is already well underway.

How will we be able to distinguish between the two narratives — factual and false — competing for our support and vote?

There are many things we can do.

One, take the time to become informed. Get information about issues from multiple sources. Just listening to or watching our favorite news outlets is not enough. To understand and get a more complete picture of what is going on, we must look to different sources, whether we like or agree with them or not.

Two, don’t just listen to what candidates or elected officials say. Watch what they do and have done.

For example: Is the elected official who is asking you to put them back in office vaccinated and wearing a mask but is silent and downplay or outright rail against others getting vaccinated or wearing masks?

Compare their positions to the rate of infection and deaths that you see occurring every day, as the virus mutates and rages.

Another example: What has any candidate said and done about the issues that directly impact you and your family’s quality of life? The state of the economy? Your wages and ability to earn a living? Access to affordable health care? Family leave? Adequate housing?

Three, take it even further. Do those candidates share your values and principles when it comes to the meaning of patriotism, voting rights, education or decency?

With all the efforts taking place in state legislatures, from changing how we cast our votes or redrawing legislative districts for political advantage to dictating what can or cannot be taught to our children in schools, are you okay with it?

At the end of the day, what politicians do, more than what they say, will directly impact your life and that of your family members. On a larger scale, those same actions will determine what kind of nation we live in, who we become as Americans.

Are you okay with that? Are you content to remain on the sidelines and just let harmful things unfold without you making a deliberate effort in trying to stop them?

Our sensible actions against a raging coronavirus and our active participation in the 2022 elections will have short and long-term consequences.

As we reflect upon what life has been like as this year ends, and a new year begins, what are we willing to invest in making things better, to change the downward and destructive trajectory that we are on as a nation, as Americans?

Making traditional personal New Year resolutions is not enough. Resolving to exercise the immense power we the people have with our involvement and our vote is desperately needed.

Stopping the negative forces impacting our lives, and our nation, next year is left up to us — not them.

Whoever your “them” might be.

Pistol gun laying on top of medical mask in concept for dangers faced by front line medical personnel (Backyard Productions/Stock Images)

Whether driven to hang on to power, have access to money, or intoxicated by fame—when politicians say and do things that hurt and harm the people for their personal gain, it is greed of the most grievous kind.

Greed? Yes, greed. Greed has many faces and is manifested in many ways.

Whatever form of greed is in play, it fosters and protects selfish interests no matter what principles and laws are bent or broken, and no matter what negligence and harm are inflicted on others.

A pattern and practice of wanton and reckless greed can be seen in the actions of some politicians in the halls of Congress and in state capitols across America.

If greed of one kind or the other is not the driving force, what else explains the utter and unmistakable harm, even death, that continues to occur in two areas so critical to the health and safety of the American public:

• Getting the coronavirus under control; and
• Stopping preventable carnage and deaths by guns

How many more people need to suffer and die in both of these areas because of misguided legislative measures, or the absence of passing any meaningful legislation at all.

When did politicians gain the required knowledge to overrule what the scientific and medical communities have determined, based on facts and research, to be the best measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus?

Other than selfish political interests, what could motivate politicians to work against people wearing masks, getting vaccinated and practicing social distancing—even in the face of increasing rates of infection and death?

What audacity! What hubris! What dereliction of duty!

Furthermore, politicians are spending taxpayers’ money going to court to promote measures that will harm taxpayers’ health and wellbeing rather than protect it. It is happening in Missouri and in other states across the nation.

These same politicians see hospitals and healthcare workers unable to keep up with, or adequately care for, the unvaccinated Covid-infected patients crowding their emergency rooms and hallways, and families recounting the pain of losing loved ones. Have those politicians no conscience? Have they no shame?

But then, wanton greed has no conscience, nor shame.

For those politicians who persist in fighting data-driven science and good public health measures, what is the end game? Simply to get re-elected, to save their political careers.

How many more Americans need to fall ill, many with long-haul health issue for the rest of their lives; and how many more need to die? The current numbers of infections and deaths in the U.S. are staggering—more than any other country.

The people need to demand that politicians, who are fighting what is in the best interest of public health, stay in their lane. They should be passing public policies and measures that protect and promote public health, using the best facts and experts available do them.

Do you see scientists and medical professionals challenging or trying to undo state laws and the Constitution?

Politicians, please stay in your lane.

Then there is what seems to be the never-ending nightmare of random gun violence, where innocent unsuspecting victims are wounded or killed just going about their daily lives.

One would have thought that the all-too-frequent school shootings, where children are massacred by another child who gained access to a semi-automatic gun, would be a call to action. Whether the shooter has underlying mental health issues or succumb to a moment of rage, the paramount question is: How did he/she get access to a military style gun?

After the Sandy Hook school shooting that occurred nearly 10 years ago, many thought that the killing of twenty 6-year-olds would finally get politicians to pass meaningful gun control measures. The Columbine carnage that occurred more than a decade earlier had failed to do so.

Since both of those horrendous incidents, school shootings have become even more frequent. The most recent at a high school in Michigan, which highlights the loopholes in responsible gun ownership, and what happens when mental illness is present—a toxic and deadly mix that could have been prevented.

As a society we cannot come to expect school shootings or become numb to them. Since Columbine, there have been 305 school shootings—an average of more than one school shooting per month.

In addition to school shootings, random gun violence is perpetrated on shoppers in malls, grocery stores, even worshippers seeking restorative peace in churches, synagogues, and mosques.

Yet some politicians persist in using the Second Amendment to muddle the issue. They embrace and perpetuate campaigns to misinform and fuel public fears that there are efforts by the government to take away their right to own guns.

What is wrong with passing legislation that would regulate and enforce responsible gun ownership and usage nationwide? Other civilized and industrial nation have, and they do not have the same gun violence carnage as we do in America.

There are more guns in circulation—legally and illegally—than there are people in United States.

Some would argue there is more gun violence occurring on a daily basis in urban areas across America and that is the greatest problem. It is a great problem caused by many systemic and criminal ills. But that is no excuse for politicians not to do what they can to stem gun violence.

Politicians, passing gun control and safety measures is in your lane. Is your form of greed preventing you from doing so?

We elected politicians. Their number one priority should be to promote and protect public health and safety.

Whether dependent Americans continue to become ill and die because of misguided political interference when it comes to controlling and eradicating COVID, or whether unsuspecting Americans continue to be maimed or die by a crazed gunman with a semi-automatic gun, Americans continue to suffer needlessly.

What human costs are being inflicted because of political greed.

Will those politicians be held accountable? How?

When the holiday season is over, we will be besieged with candidates vying for our vote in the upcoming 2022 elections. Become engaged and informed. We need not continue the path we are on (photo by Stanciuc/Stock Images).

As we begin to resume some sense of normalcy in our lives during this holiday season, and as we gather with family and friends, it behooves us to think about and discuss a not so simple question: “Who are we?”

Who are we becoming, as a nation, as a city, as a community or as a family unit?

The future wellbeing of every person depends on everyone else. Our destiny is intertwined. These questions beg our attention.

As a nation, we have been and continue to be confronted by forces, and a lot of challenges — politics, the economy, social unrest, a seemingly uncontrollable pandemic.

The effects of these tensions and conditions are seen and felt in our states, cities, communities and our very households.

Who is America today? What is she becoming as a nation?

Looking at current debilitating actions — wanton lies, misrepresentations, disrespect, disregard for traditions and our Constitution — that happen almost daily in the halls of government, on partisan media and polarized communities across the country, it seems America is experiencing a major identity crisis.

If there are common ties that bind us and can lift us out of the negative morass and divisive state in which we find ourselves, what are they? How can each of us begin to promote and practice them in our daily interactions with each other?

A commitment to the answers could produce a sense of hopefulness that lasts beyond the holiday season.

We can begin by examining some basic beliefs and practices when it comes to our common humanity and those things that promote a good society.

For example: Distinguishing the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, selfishness and unselfishness, patriotism and sedition, racism and non-racism, white supremacy and nationalism, a concerned citizen and an unbridled zealot, 2^nd Amendment Rights and vigilante justice.

The list of blurred, blatant and misguided actions being played out in many aspects of our daily lives is dangerously long. Our collective tolerance of and apparent indifference toward these destructive behaviors indicate that there may be no end in sight.

What a slippery slope.

But America need not slide into irreparable or irretrievable brokenness. Such a state need not be the hopeless fate that we leave our children and their children.

How do we stop the slide?

First and foremost, we can no longer ignore the reckless distortions, dismissive attitudes and destructive actions occurring all around us. We are already seeing dangerous consequences. To ignore them is only to allow them to take hold and get worse.

We are at a critical crossroads. The very fabric of what defines America seems to be unraveling in front of our very eyes.

Our collective moral compass seems to be no longer working, providing good direction.

Even though America is far from perfect, there have been values that we, as citizens, have honored, respected and adhered to. We value individual rights. We value freedom of speech. We value patriotism and love of country. We value representative government, and we expect candidates we vote for to function in the best interests of ourselves, families, communities, and yes, our country.

If asked, no doubt many would proclaim, likely with righteous indignation: “YES, I believe in the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution.”

The overriding problem in the current environment is the growing trend that these rights and freedoms are not or should not be extended automatically to all citizens.

How do we stop this destructive divisive trend?

During this very partisan and potentially destructive time in our nation’s history, we must take time to revisit and discuss the meaning of these documents and rights with our family, friends, and in community forums with emphasis that they apply to all Americans.

Let our discussions include the values that make America great during a time when they seem to be minimized or forgotten.

Most of us expect honesty and integrity from elected officials and government employees just as we do from others with whom we interact. Our attention to truth is more important than ever. Listen critically. Listen intently.

Passive, intermittent attention on what is occurring all around us is simply not enough.

As the holiday season unfolds, and the traditional frenzy of shopping for gifts and gadgets subsides, hopefully there will be time for some much-needed conversations about the state of our nation, our city, our community, our family unit.

Such conversations need not be contentious or disruptive should they take place during or after holiday gatherings with family and friends.

One way to have ongoing and meaningful discussions is to establish rules of engagement. The first is to listen attentively to each other’s positions and opinions and try to understand what they are based upon. Agree that it is okay to disagree.

Everyone will come to the conversation with their own orientations, understandings, and experiences — many in common, many not. Be willing to show patience and respect.

Focus on the ultimate goal that needs to be achieved: How to stop the self-destructive course we seem to be on as Americans, the evidence of which is played out before our very eyes, every day.

Is it too much to ask — as we have an opportunity to reflect with our loved ones, colleagues, and neighbors — what each of us can do better to put America on a more positive path?

As tired as we might be from all that we have been through, as difficult as it might appear, we cannot afford to turn a blind disinterested eye. Not only is the quality of life as we know it at risk, but how America will operate in the future is at stake.

When the holiday season is over, we will be besieged with candidates vying for our vote in the upcoming 2022 elections. Become engaged and informed. We need not continue the path we are on.

Our immediate and long-term future as a nation is riding it.

The historic infrastructure bill is worthy of celebration, but so is the bipartisanship that voted it in to law (photo by photovs/Stock Images).

Is it safe to say that most Americans are sick and tired of all the partisan fighting dominating the national political landscape, causing gridlock and preventing virtually any progress in the halls of Congress?

No matter what side of the political spectrum you land, you must be feeling at least a sigh of relief, if not joyous exuberance, that something has finally gotten done that can benefit most Americans.

And it was voted on by Republicans and Democrats in both halls of Congress. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

So often, whether the headlines are good or bad, significant or insignificant, we tend to have a short memory. But passage of the bi-partisan infrastructure bill is a milestone worth remembering for a long time, for many reasons.

The very name of the bill, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, hits at the heart of critical areas that will have short and long-term benefits for Americans and the nation. Things we can see and feel that will have a direct impact on our daily lives.

In addition to the creation of millions of jobs, replacing old roads and bridges, the bill will make historic strides that address the climate crisis and advances the goal of transitioning to clean energy to slow if not stop the gross pollution of our environment.

No doubt in the months and years to come, we will see visible results of this historic investment. So will future generations.

But there is something that is just as important to celebrate in addition to the tangible benefits of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It passed both houses of Congress with a bipartisan vote.

While the bipartisan margin may have been small and narrow, it was bipartisan, nonetheless. Hear. Hear.

Despite the diehard partisans criticizing its passage to advance personal political agendas, hopefully this historic passage signals a new beginning of civility, collaboration, and compromise — the core things necessary to conduct the people’s business.

Extreme positions, whether on the far right or far left, rarely rule the day. Rather, they only serve as sources of delays, animosity and dead ends.

So, what is the end goal of extreme partisanship? Certainly, not what is in the best interest of most Americans.

State legislatures around the country should take notice of what has just happened in the U.S. Congress.

Most legislative initiatives at the state level are hyper partisan. We have seen a surge in extreme partisan bills being passed when it comes to voting rights, abortion, COVID-19 mandates, implementing Obamacare and Medicaid expansion, even to what should or should not be taught in public schools.

Such hyper partisanship has travelled to Washington and taken up residency. So much so, it is difficult to tell which feeds, leads and emboldens the behavior of the other — the states influencing what happens in Washington, or the behavior in Washington influencing the states.

For example: Did the recent vote by Republican U.S Senators to block the Voting Rights Act legislation mirror the behavior in state legislatures?

Sadly, legislative measures about critical issues that affect most American, during the last decade or more at the state and national level, have been passed or impeded solely along party lines.

Has the partisan divide formed too wide of a chasm to close?

Has the public tolerated it so long that elected officials think that such behavior is necessary to get them re-elected?

It is so important that the bi-partisan passage of the infrastructure bill not be ignored, minimized or get lost in its material manifestations as important and meaningful to our daily lives as they may be.

Being able to work together as Republicans and Democrats to get meaningful and lasting things done is just as important, just as critical, just as necessary.

We can look to previous decades to see great examples of major pieces of legislation that moved this country forward and improved the life of Americans, which were passed by Republicans and Democrats working together to find a good, if not the best solution.

They have included foreign policy positions, the Civil Rights Act, the NASA program that put a man on the moon, Social Security reform, welfare reform, Food Stamps Act, Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP), tax reform and many others since this country’s founding.

Some recent examples come to mind: The McCain-Feingold Act for campaign finance reform; The Americans with Disabilities Act; the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups).

With such a great bipartisan foundation and record of getting things done, it should be something that elected officials emulate today.

Bipartisanship is about doing the right things for the right reasons.

The American public understands disagreement and opposing positions. The American public does not expect their representatives to adopt and perpetuate a state of dysfunction where only infighting rules the day.

The bi-partisan passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act may just only be a glimmer of hope, a flicker of light in a sea of political darkness, let us focus on that small beam and build upon the hope that there is greater light at the end of the tunnel of political discord.

That light does not have to be a train. It could be the dawning of a new day, where bi-partisanship rules, no matter how difficult or far-apart the initial positions might be.

The historic infrastructure bill is worthy of celebration, but so is the bipartisanship that voted it in to law.

As we see job growth, along with physical and environment improvements, happening all around us, let us keep that in mind.

With all the variant behavior of politicians constantly making the headlines, one must wonder what is considered positive leadership, and good public service (photo by Aquir/Stock Images)

When you look at the behavior of many elected officials, whether at the local, state or national level, how many would you identify as positive role models for young people who are looking to go into politics?

There are characteristics of a positive role model that cut across professions that can be guideposts for young aspirants. They are certainly needed in politics.

Do you think when young people look at what is going on in politics today they are motivated to seek elective office to make things better? Or are they totally turned off by the behavior they see?

Take a brief inventory of past and present office holders — mayors, state legislators, governors, Congressmen, Senators or Presidents — that you voted for or did not vote for.

Who would you point to as a positive role model if a young person in your life said they want to go into politics, to hold a public office?

One would hope that each of us has the capacity to suspend party affiliation and look at the positions, behaviors, and accomplishments of political leaders objectively, and honesty say whether he or she has performed in the best interest of their constituents, the well-being of their city, state and nation.

With all the variant behavior of politicians constantly making the headlines, one must wonder what is considered positive leadership, and good public service.

They are supposed to be abiding by the highest ethical conduct while upholding the laws, institutions, values and traditions that make America. Not caving to financial contributors, lobbyists and those with anti-American agendas.

No one can, or should, just wake up one day and say, “I want to, or I can be mayor, governor, president or hold any elective office.

Meeting the legal requirements to become President of the United States, a U.S. Senator, and U.S. Congressman is the easiest of all. The same is true to become a governor, state legislator, mayor, city alderman/councilman, a county executive or county legislator with minor variations in each locale.

Beyond the legal minimum, those who will work on campaigns, contribute financially and vote to put a person in office should be able to articulate clearly what makes him/her qualified to be there.

What qualities and qualifications would you tell an aspiring public servant they must have if they want to do what is best for the people, your city, your state, the nation?

Here are some that should be non-negotiable.

First and foremost, one must have a compelling call to duty, to serve, to protect, to be dedicated and committed to public service. A keeper of the public’s trust.

Holding public office should not be about gaining power, notoriety, selfish interest, and personal wealth.

One must possess uncompromising integrity, high moral standards and ethics, the absence of which should be a non-starter. The public can organize and demand it.

There should be thorough knowledge of the geography, its people and the structure and function of the governmental entity. Knowing the history and effectiveness of previous office holders should be part of the preparation. Representative democracy requires it.

Having a real command of the major issues, challenges and policy decisions should be a prerequisite. Such understanding must be sufficient to distinguish between good advice and bad, to provide leadership and direction.

Good communication, negotiation and consensus-building skills are a must to achieve meaningful outcomes in terms of legislation and allocation of resources.

Effective allocation of limited resources requires being a good steward of taxpayers’ dollars and a visionary, making the best decisions today to get the greatest mileage out of available resources while considering long-term needs.

Inclusiveness and compassion must be high priority. When one considers the complexity and diversity of any aspect of the American landscape, an elected official must have a healthy dose of both traits.

An effective office holder must perform the ultimate balancing act, making decisions to meet the needs of his or her constituency—the rich and the poor, the young and the elderly, the needs of minorities and the majority, the privileged and the disenfranchised, all while adhering to governing laws and regulations.

Given these values and qualification, who would you point to today as exhibiting and practicing the behavior of a good servant of the people, among the politicians that represent you, at the national, state, and local level?

Arguably, the president of the United States is the most visible, most powerful, most influential role model whose behavior is most readily seen.

Some national and international elected officials and leaders have been identified as great role models. You may agree with some on the list. You may have a list of your own.

In today’s political environment, taking inventory of which elected officials are doing a good job and are positive role models is critically needed.

It is worth a serious conversation with aspiring young people who may want to hold elective office but may be turned off by the behavior they are witnessing every day.

Next year, a crop of candidates, from political veterans to campaign novices, will seek your support and your vote in the 2022 elections.

There will be many opportunities to identify those elected officials whose conduct makes them positive role models.

What is on your check list of uncompromising qualities that make a positive role model in politics?

More importantly, which current elected official(s) would you point your aspiring public servant to as role models to emulate, to pattern their conduct and behavior after?

Pass your recommendations on.

Better access to educational resources to ensure achievement is a great path toward prevention and breaking the devastating school-to-prison pipeline practice (photo by Moussa81/Stock Images).

In America, the land of the free, there are more prisons and more prisoners than any other country in the world.

This is not a new phenomenon.

For decades, the rate of imprisonment in the United States has been more than twice that of its nearest developmental counterpart. The long-standing question, both at home and abroad, is why is the prison population so high?

One could argue it is to sustain a substitute institution of enslavement built on systemic denial of opportunity and disenfranchisement.

There are many reasons given, like waging a war on illegal drugs and overall increases in various crime rates.

But such answers do not get at the root causes and perpetuation of the nearly $200 billion mass incarceration industry that fuels the economy of states across America.

One must look at who makes up the prison populations across states and why. Pick any state and you will find Blacks make up disproportionately the highest rate of people in prison. For example, in Missouri, black people make up 12% of the state’s population, but 34% of the people in prison.

Overall, in America, Blacks are only 13.4% of the total U.S. population. They make up nearly 40% of the prison population.

Why are there more Blacks in prisons in America?

In every aspect of American life, Blacks continue to suffer or be victimized disproportionately. This has been the case since the founding of this country, after the abolishment of slavery, and even after the passage of Constitutional Amendments supposedly to make all things equal.

Blacks have been and continue to be denied equal access to a quality education, jobs, housing, health care services and other privileges afforded other Americans.

What has been the results? A debilitating and destructive state of poverty, delinquency and under achievement, which often result in a perpetual cycle of crime and incarceration.

Let’s look at the cycle of how Blacks end up in prison more than any other group in America.

It begins in grade school, with Blacks being disciplined and expelled at higher rates than other students.

Blacks make up 15% of all public school students but are 39% of those suspended or expelled from school.

A PBS New hour segment a few years ago highlighted a report that found that suspension and expulsion rates for Blacks were significantly higher than those of whites in 13 southern states. What is that reminiscent of?

The way the suspensions and expulsions of blacks are handled, often engaging law enforcement agencies, has created a practice called the school-to-prison pipeline, according to an investigation conducted by the Ash Center at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Missouri is one of the worst states engaging in this practice, suspending more Black preschooler than 44 other states.

There are trends that show a direct correlation between suspensions, expulsions, failure to complete high school and high incarceration rates. Those children are the same struggling academically and have disciplinary issues.

Yet, the growing practice across America is to invest more into building new prisons or renovating older ones rather than investing in schools and educational support programs. This is tantamount to prejudging and presentencing children who could benefit from meaningful intervention programs.

Another study found that almost every state spends much more money per prisoner than money per student in public schools.

Missouri spends $10,810 per student in 2021, and was spending $22,187 per inmate in 2015.

Just recently, the governor of Arkansas announced that the state is allocating $6 billion to build new prisons and renovate older ones. New prisons will also be built in New Mexico, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

The Alabama legislature passed bills and the governor signed them into law that will use up to $400 million of Covid-19 relief funds from the federal government to build new prisons and renovate others.

There seems to be no priority for funding education, prevention, and rehabilitation programs.

Where are the announcements from states about the millions of dollars they will be investing in early childhood education and educational programs to close the achievement gaps of the underprivileged, those likely to end up in the penal system?

Low-income, impoverished communities in the Black urban cores across America suffer most from the lack of or underinvestment in educational resources and programs.

It seems that state leaders and legislatures would rather plan, build, and invest in a future of imprisonment than one of accomplishment for our children, particularly Black children, perpetuating a profitable industry on the misfortunes cause by centuries of denial and gross disparities.

Over the decades there has been an acute awareness and discussion about the educational achievement gap between Blacks and whites. But what has been done about it?

While there have been some efforts to close the educational divide, major gaps still remain in basic areas such as proficiency in reading, writing and math skills. The gap is even wider when it comes to technology. Becoming technologically proficient is critical now and will be more so in the future.

Many Black children do not have adequate access to computers or Internet connectivity. This proved to be a major impediment to virtual learning during the height of Covid-19 when most schools were closed.

Better access to educational resources to ensure achievement is a great path toward prevention and breaking the devastating school-to-prison pipeline practice.

The pipeline is bolstered by the fact that Blacks received longer and harsher sentences than whites for the same crimes and the recidivism rate is higher.

One could conclude that failure to invest in quality education is just another way to silently guarantee that the mass incarceration industry will continue to thrive by using a revolving door of suspensions, expulsions, prison terms, and prison returns..

What will it take to change the priority from funding prisons to funding education to minimize, if not stop, the self-perpetuating cycle of crime and loss of freedom?

To not fully understand and acknowledge all of history — the good, the great, the bad, the despicable — is to forever operate in a false reality (photo by Piotr Wytrazek/Stock Images).

If you do not know your history or, worse still, know it but deny it, how on earth do you expect to learn from it and move forward?

Unfortunately, many leaders in government who can take actions or propose measures to correct persistent issues are either denying, ignoring or redefining history to disavow whether there is anything wrong or needs fixing.

Examples of such disavowal abound in legislative bodies across America with far-reaching consequences in shaping attitudes and beliefs. This impedes the passage of necessary public policies in many areas — too many to cover in this space.

However, there are two areas, in Missouri and nationally, where the vestiges of history continue to heave the sickness and ugliness that won’t stay down and beg honest assessment and corrective measures.

1) the treatment of vulnerable children; and

2) persistent racial inequality

At the national level, there has been the revelation of what was a pervasive practice of abusing Native American children to the point of death. For over a century, hundreds of thousands of these children were shuttled off to boarding schools across many states between 1869 and 1970 in efforts to indoctrinate them into becoming more American-like.

Unmarked mass graves with hundreds of victims are being discovered.

The U.S. Department of Interior has committed to fully examine the intergenerational impact of this atrocious period in America’s history.

But, after the findings, what will be done about it?

In Missouri, a state House committee has spent the last year investigating the state’s response to allegations of abuse at religious boarding schools that have operated for decades without any state oversight.

A NBC News investigation found that in at least 23 states, including Missouri, these schools are not even required to report they exist. Another 17 states, including Missouri, exempt religious boarding schools from licensing and oversight by state child welfare and educational agencies.

After hearing testimony from those who had suffered abuse, Missouri passed a new law requiring licensing and stricter oversight of boarding schools.

Unsettling questions remain: Were patterns and practices of abuse, before the recent revelation, ignored or totally denied for decades? Is it prevalent at other boarding schools?

But boarding schools are not the only issue.

Just last week, two other areas that the Missouri legislature needs to address have come to light. A Federal watchdog report finds that Missouri fails to report and protect missing foster children. Another national study reveals that children in Missouri have elevated levels of lead in their blood that is higher than that found in children in almost any other state. How long have these children suffered?

A deeper look at the state of the education of vulnerable children overall reveals that there continues to be a lack of understanding, denial or the tendency to ignore the gross disparities that have existed and continue to exist in public education systems across America.

Systemic disparities not only exist between Blacks and whites, but also between the disadvantaged poor and other socioeconomic classes when you examine the history of how America has educated its children.

These disparities in education have existed since the founding of our nation and they have impacted the quality of life for Native Americans and Blacks most predominantly.

But perhaps no area is more subjected to a lack of historical understanding, distortion, or total denial than race and race relations. Most recently this has been seen by all the growing animus and objection to teaching “Critical Race Theory” in secondary schools, colleges and the military.

Whether the meaning and purpose of critical race theory is fully understood or not, the issue has become divisive and politicized. More than 27 states with Republican legislatures have introduced bills that would prevent critical race theory from being taught in schools. A bill has even been introduced in the U.S. Congress.

The Missouri legislature has also held hearings on whether to ban the teaching of critical race theory when there is no apparent evidence that it is currently being taught.

While there may be much to dread and regret, there is much more to gain in facing  history at the state and national level when it comes to race. Not to do so continues to be a major impediment in eliminating systemic racism and inequality.

Then why not be committed to knowing all the history of Missouri or whatever state you call home, of America, and embrace it being included in the curricula being taught in our secondary schools and higher institutions of learning?

Fortunately, thousands of teachers in more than 115 cities across the nation are coming together to stand for what they label as “teaching the truth.”

The U. S. Conference of Mayors during its annual meeting this September adopted a resolution in support of teaching critical race theory in K-12.

Looking at the well-being of the vulnerable children among us and pervasive racial inequality are just two areas where history is often ignored or denied.

To not fully understand and acknowledge all of history — the good, the great, the bad, the despicable — is to forever operate in a false reality, fooling ourselves to our detriment and thwarting the kind of state or nation we could become.

Such denial and fear of history is grossly misplaced.

While egregious acts committed by our ancestors cannot be undone, we need not be a  part of them continuing. As Missourians and Americans, we can neither absolve, totally insulate ourselves, nor live a life of detachment. State and national leaders certainly cannot and should not.

So, why not acknowledge that dreadful things indeed happened in our state and in our nation and try to fix them? If not fix them, commit to charting a different path to stop the vestiges of those actions that still linger and cause grave harm today.

That is what knowing, acknowledging and understanding all the history of Missouri, or your state, and of America will do.

Or should do.

The 'Tribute in Light' memorial lights up lower Manhattan near One World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2018 in New York City (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images).

Just two weeks ago, we paused to remember those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, as the unthinkable happened: America was attacked by a foreign enemy on its own soil. In the aftermath, amid the horrid loss of life, the pierced veil of safety once thought impenetrable, the fear and uncertainty about what was ahead, Americans seemingly became one.

Back then, in spoken and unspoken ways, the values that we held dear as Americans took over in a way that was palpable. We wore our unity on our sleeves. We rallied around those values that unite us — patriotism, our democratic institutions, freedom and protection of our collective well-being.

Fast forward to today, 20 years later, where has that sense of unity gone?

What seminal events have brought out the worse in our behavior where we often  choose, unabashedly, baseness over valiance ? When did it start?

The years immediately following 9/11 we were united in spirit and actions to fight against the threat of terrorism to preserve our way of life. But while we were preventing foreign terrorists from attacking us, home grown terrorists were organizing in our midst.

Our politics was not filled with virulent rancor as we have today. Compromise was still possible between the two political parties. Peddling lies and declaring fake news as real news had not become a central part of the public discourse.

Little did we know that so many Americans would accept and fall victim to the lies that have rolled and continued to roll off the lips of leaders, and that the use of distorted news from many media outlets and voices would become commonplace.

Also, wedged between the unity that occurred after 9/11 and the crippling divisiveness of today was the election of America’s first black president.

On the surface that was a ray of hope. Many saw the election of President Barack Obama as America moving into a post-racial era.

Oh boy, were we wrong.

Since Obama’s election in 2008, race relations have deteriorated and many Americans believe that the gains made over decades have been lost.

Even though Obama was elected for a second term, partisan politics in Congress worsened, with Republicans openly expressing that their goal was to defeat whatever Obama proposed. Most times, they succeeded.

Meanwhile, all across America, more disunity was brewing and gaining a foothold fueled by lies and conspiracy theories.

Pervasive among the festering dissension is the pernicious conflict and discord along racial lines, with birthers putting a national face on the issue by claiming Obama was not born here, in an attempt to make his black presidency illegitimate.

The election of Donald Trump became the catalyst and embodiment of the other America — the silent America with many grievances, primarily along racial and economic lines. During the Trump presidency the manifestations of “Them vs. Us” became manifold whether grounded in truth or not.

For example, the unfounded peddling of the belief that immigrants were responsible disproportionately for rapes and the increase in crimes occurring in the United States became a mantra of which the vestiges have stuck in the minds of many.

Legislative measures to ensure equity and equal access — affirmative action, gender equality, voting rights — became increasingly sources of contention and disagreement.

This spreading cancer of discord has metastasized into other areas such as how patriotism is defined. Brandishing white supremacy, disrespecting the flag, undermining, and attacking the foundation and institutions of our democratic form of government are increasingly becoming the norm.

Another perennial divide is the continuing debate about what constitutes good gun control measures vs. Second Amendment rights. It has increased gun ownership among citizens and criminals alike that is unmatched by any other civilized nation in the world, resulting in higher rates of gun violence and gun deaths than any other civilized country.

Currently, we are living one of the greatest disagreements everyday: How do we come together to stop the catastrophic costs of the COVID pandemic.

Americans seem to be at odds about nearly everything.

Where have the values gone that once united us and gave us a common sense of purpose despite those social, economic and political areas that still need improvement?

We seem to have forgotten that unity in purpose can be achieved amid differences and imperfections. It occurs in many aspects of our daily lives.

Some would argue that the disunity that is so visible today has always been there, existing just beyond a façade of one America. That the United States of America has never been a country of states that shared binding values and principles, perhaps except when we were at war, and not always then.

Today, more and more, it seems we have only been united superficially, symbolically. Deep down, one must ask do the majority of Americans believe in values that foster a common humanity afforded all citizens regardless of race, religion, economic status, gender, or age.

More so than ever, America looks like a nation that is losing its identity and is struggling to define its core values and a path forward.

It is left up to us as Americans to uphold and live those values that will change the course of disunity that we are currently on.

But do we even know, anymore, what those values are, which most Americans could agree upon today, that will bind us together as a nation?

(photo by andriano_cz/Stock Images)

Labor Day is set aside to celebrate and honor workers across many industries whose efforts keep America running each and every day.

Have you ever thought of elected officials as being part of the workforce that keeps America prosperous and working in the best way possible? More importantly, do elected officials perceive themselves as part of the American workforce? Or do they see themselves above the typical worker, perched on some lofty pedestal?

Just as importantly, does our fan club behavior contribute to how they perceive themselves, and encourage the liberties they take in doing, or not doing, their job?

As we pause this Labor Day to honor workers who contribute to the economic and social well-being of this nation, those same workers should never forget that they are employers themselves. Elected officials work for the people. Our tax dollars pay their salaries and benefits.

It was members of the American labor movement that fought to set aside a day to honor workers. Also, they organized labor unions to improve working conditions and achieve better wages for work performed. In many ways, that work continues today.

But back to the behavior and decisions of many elected officials who are employed and   accountable to the people who voted them in office. What is their job performance, their contribution to the social and economic well-being of the people who elected them, and the nation?

Elected officials can be evaluated at the local, state and national level by those who put them in office.

Whether or not they are performing the duties that are within their power and scope of responsibilities can be most readily observed by following the actions of the Representatives and the Senators that make up the United States Congress.

What do you think about that august body receiving an annual cost of living increase, and yet they are not able to agree upon increasing the minimum wage for the lowest paid workers in the labor force?

Many Americans are struggling to make ends meet because of low wages that are inadequate to meet the cost of living.

How many elected officials, based on their salary and access to other economic opportunities, leave office wealthier than when they arrived?

Former President Harry Truman, from the Show Me State, wrote in his diary in 1954, “An honest public servant can’t become rich in politics.” By implication, he is saying honest politicians should be working on behalf of the people, not themselves.

What do you think about members of Congress having access to the best health insurance policy, and yet cannot find it within themselves to create a path for every American to have access to good health services?

Many working Americans do not have and cannot get basic health insurance for themselves of their families.

Then there is the perennial fight over the issue of fair taxation—everyone paying their fair share of taxes. Is Congress passing legislation to make sure that the people who hired them are not carrying more of the tax burden than they should?

But it is not just some members of Congress who are not performing their jobs in the interests of the people who hired them. There are state elected officials from governors to members of the legislature, mayors, county executives and their legislative bodies who are not passing laws and policies to benefit the people.

There is no greater current example of the impact of poor job performance of elected officials at all levels than how they have failed to do what is needed to help control the catastrophic effect of COVID on every aspect of American life.

At the end of the day, voters expect elected officials at all levels to work on their behalf. Policies and laws ultimately impact not only wages AND access to health care but the very quality of life from the family unit to the community, city, state and nation.

This brings up the other side of the employer/employee relationship. For those of us who have worked in any industry, has your employer hired you and left you to your own devices, to do what you wanted without reviews or accountability? Doubtful.

We, the people, must do our jobs by holding elected officials, our employees, accountable. Elected officials should not be allowed to put their personal interests and agendas ahead of those who hired them. Other workers would never be able to get away with doing that.

Do we as a disengaged and, oftentimes, doting public assign elected officials star quality, hands-off status?

By what measures do you evaluate your elected officials? Job performance should be evaluated at every level of government. It would be best to monitor those actions along the way.

Each of us needs to ask ourselves, what kind of boss am I?

When it comes time for an office holder to be rehired, when they campaign for your vote to continue in that job, each voter has an opportunity to fire or rehire.

In the private sector, it is rare that an employee can continually hold a position when their job performance is hurting or not advancing the well-being of the company that hired them. It is no different for employees that we hire to ensure that the government functions at its very best.

Do you consider elected officials as part of the labor force being honored on Labor Day?

After all, they have one of the most important and significant jobs — working on behalf of the people, and the prosperity of America.

We must never forget that.

(photo by gguy44/Stock Images)

Wars are not always fought by armed military forces with guns, bombs, stealth fighters, and sophisticated weaponry. And the enemy is not always clearly defined. Even the reasons for war often lack clarity. But the divisiveness and fighting still rage, nonetheless.

At first glance, you might think characterizing the divisiveness that America is experiencing today as a different kind of “civil war” is a bit overstated.

Just pause and think a moment.

First, we need to fully understand the meaning of those two words.

The meaning of the word civil is distinct from a military matter. Civil means those things relating to ordinary citizens who live in the same country and their associated concerns. It also includes the disorder or conflict occurring between citizens of the same country.

A closer look at the meaning of the word war shows that it is not only defined as a sustained armed conflict between military forces, but also as a conflict between political groups involving hostilities of considerable duration and magnitude.

Many wars are fought and won with words, ideas, philosophies — often misguided words, misguided ideas, misguided philosophies and the amorphous “us” versus “them” dynamic.

Given the complete meanings of both civil and war, it can be said that America is indeed experiencing a different kind of “civil war” with battles on multiple fronts. Sadly, all of the battles are not just a war of words. Some include or have the potential of violence.

One current pernicious battle involves the persistent charge that the last presidential election wasn’t legitimate and that it was riddled with voter fraud. The vitriol and divisiveness, even violence, among citizens is more than palpable.

More disturbing is the growing concern from authorities over the increasing chatter of extremists threatening even more violence to overturn the election. We all remember the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election.

Another battle in full force involves the efforts of many states to change, eliminate and obfuscate the basic bedrock of what it means to be American — each citizen exercising their right to vote. There are even calls for forensic audits of the last election, suggesting  fraud when there is no evidence.

This battle is indeed reminiscent, in many ways, of America’s Civil War.

That war was fueled by one overriding issue: whether it was in the best interest of the country to continue to enslave and suppress a whole race of people. Many remnants of that war still linger.

There seems to be no end in sight of the vigorous and vociferous efforts of those states that are enacting policies and laws to change how citizens exercise the freedom to vote. The efforts are divided along ideological, political, and racial lines. How can one not be reminded of the fight over the abolition of slavery in terms of motives to suppress a basic freedom?

The legitimacy of the presidential election and ongoing efforts to deny the vote are not the only battles brewing in this country.

There is the growing battle of nationalism masquerading as patriotism. These skirmishes right now are manifesting themselves in the proliferation of anti-immigration sentiments, blatant acts of white supremacy and the random acts of domestic terrorism against targeted racial groups or those of different political persuasion.

When there is a tug between nationalism, which focuses on selfish interests, and patriotism that puts the welfare of the country first, the situation is ripe for civil unrest.

Even the response to getting America over the pandemic can be characterized as a civil war battle of sorts. A large segment of the country is fighting against every measure,  refusing to do those things that would help stop the virus. Another segment is trying to do what it can to prevent the spread.

The divisive response to COVID has been just as harmful and deadly as many other crises this nation has ever faced, including military wars.

America is divided on many fronts. The chasms in some areas are very wide and very deep. Those who care about the future well-being of this country should be concerned whether we as a nation will be able find a way to close them and not only coexist but thrive as a unified nation.

Or, will this different “civil war” of conflicting values, philosophical views and political positions —false and factual— keep us at odds, leading the nation to the precipice of self-diminution and self-destruction?

America has always been a nation with a tapestry made up of different people with unique cultures that enrich our humanity.

But the very rights, privileges, and values we hold dear are at risk because of the growing discord and civil unrest fueled by misplaced, misunderstood, and misguided information from those who have put selfish interests before what is in the best interest of preserving or improving the well-being of the country.

There seems to be no end in sight of the battles around the claim of a false presidential election, unsubstantiated voter fraud, racial hatred, and a deadly pandemic.

Two truths have withstood the test of time. One, a house divided against itself will not stand. Two, a great country is not destroyed by an external enemy but from within.

America is indeed in the midst of a different kind of “civil war” with battles on many fronts and is approaching a critical crossroads. The road taken will have consequences with defining and long-term effects, which will determine who America wants to be, or become.

The looming question: Will the outcome make life in America better or worse?

(photo by Sono Creative/Stock Images)

It seems that getting control of the coronavirus has brought front and center the question: When should an individual’s right become more important than what is in the best health and welfare of the people, the country?

The Bill of Rights places high priority on individual freedoms — the bedrock of our democracy that we value and guard zealously. Those rights are why we are proud to be Americans. They are why we, and so many before us, are willing to lay down our lives to protect and safeguard our democratic way of life.

The Constitution is also clear about the limitations of our individual rights.

No one has autonomous ownership of individual rights. Each of us shares those rights with every fellow American. Therefore, they are not to be exercised in a vacuum. We simply are not free to do what we want with reckless abandon, not caring about how our actions might impact others.

While the Constitution has many safeguards and protection for individual rights, it also has guardrails to secure and protect the public interest. Every level of government is free to enact laws to do so, and those laws govern our behavior in many aspects of our daily lives.

While you are free to buy and own a car, you are not free to drive it on public roadways without meeting certain requirements: a valid driver’s license, valid car registration and current automobile insurance should you damage someone else’s car, property or person.

Even your personal behavior is governed by laws when operating a car. You must wear your seatbelt, observe speed limits and you can’t drive intoxicated.

If you are found to be in violation of any of these safeguards that protect the public, there are serious consequences.

School districts all across America require proof of children being immunized against the most communicable childhood diseases: diphtheria, tetanus pertussis, polio measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox. Most responsible parents start the immunization process within the first few months of a child’s life.

Children whose parents have chosen not to vaccinate them, exercising their individual parental rights, are not and should not be allowed to put other children at risk.

Yes, there has been some controversy over vaccines, but the vaccination requirements of children attending public schools prevail.

So, here we are facing the greatest and maybe one of the most costly controversies of our time: When should individual rights be more important than the public interest to get COVID under control?

Why should anyone be allowed to spread a health-threatening, life-altering, and deadly virus simply because it is their right not to take a vaccine or wear a mask? While each of us has the right to make that decision as we function in our own private space, we do not have the right to practice that behavior in a public place, putting others in harm’s way.

You can run the risk of infecting yourself all day long, and deal with any consequences in your home on your property. But the government has the right to restrict your access to public places when you refuse to adhere to rules, regulations, or mandates.

This virus is not only making our fellow Americans critically ill and taking many lives unnecessarily, it is hurting our lives and this country in so many other ways. Our health care system is being pushed to the brink. The economy, while rebounding, is still a long way from where it needs to be. Our public schools are in disarray, putting the education of some of the most vulnerable children at risk.

We are all familiar with the freedom of speech analogy. Yes, we all have the right to speak freely. But we do not have the right to speak lies and untruths that cause harm to the public. The famous example: You can’t cry “fire” in a crowded theater, causing a possible stampede where people could be injured or killed, when there is no fire.

That brings us to the other damning place in which we find ourselves when it comes to effectively getting the coronavirus under control: the false and reckless speech coming out of the mouths of elected officials and other leaders, downplaying the dangers of the virus and the need to take the vaccine or wear a mask.

Many of those same elected officials, leaders and media personalities have quietly taken the vaccines themselves.

Such individual right to speak freely, irrespective of facts and truths, is being done at the expense of the public good. Fear and resistance surrounding the vaccine is causing high infection rates and increasing deaths among the unvaccinated — many of whom have sworn allegiance to elected officials pushing politics in a healthcare crisis.

As much as we value and want to protect our individual rights, we should be just as concerned about protecting the welfare of the public — doing those things that are, and will be, good for us all.

We have met challenges many time before, choosing to do what was in the best interest of our fellow Americans and this country. We have done it during wars, natural disasters, and during other local, regional, and national crises as we faced them. COVID is no different.

Getting COVID under control in this country is in all of our best interest — in every aspect of our lives.

More importantly, how will individual rights play out when we face another public crisis?

Voters lined up outside the Boone County Government Center to cast absentee ballots in November 2020. (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)

America just recently commemorated its birthday, Independence Day, celebrating freedom from the oppressive monarchy and aristocracy from which its forefathers fled.

But the weeds of aristocracy — the stubborn and relentless efforts to choke out equal representation — could not be more evident than in the recent surge across the country to make it more difficult for American citizens to exercise their right to vote.

The Declaration of Independence is unequivocal about the principles on which this nation was founded and what should guide it moving forward.

We are familiar with these famous often repeated words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

How is the consent of the governed determined and received? Through the right and act of voting. How a citizen casts that vote should have been settled long ago. Furthermore, the process should be the same for everyone.

But how has that fundamental principle enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, and proclaimed and outlined in the Constitution of the United States and its amendments, fared during the last 245 years? The American Revolutionary War freed us from the rule of a monarchy and aristocracy, establishing the United States as the first modern constitutional democracy. America has fared well in some areas. In many other areas, not so well. Especially the bedrock principle that “all men are created equal.”

Since its adoption, it has been very clear that the principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence applied primarily to wealthy white men. The ongoing fight around voting rights is the greatest evidence of how deeply the weeds of Aristocracy are embedded in how America grows or fails to grow and achieve equal representation for all.

Look at what the journey has been when it comes to exercising the most basic right of voting. We only need to remember that white women — not all women — didn’t get the right to vote until 134 years after the Constitution was ratified, with the passage of the 19^th Amendment.

The fight for Blacks to get and exercise the right to vote has been a bit more arduous. While the 15^th Amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1870, barred denying voting rights based on race, it left the door open for states to determine the specific qualifications and requirements for voting. This door allowed southern state legislatures, particularly, to use all kinds of hurdles — poll taxes, literacy tests, guessing how many jellybeans were in a jar — to disenfranchise a majority of Black voters.

It took Blacks 179 years after the Constitution was ratified, and long after the passage of the 15^th Amendment, to be fully granted the right to vote with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

But the issue is still not settled.

Fast forward to today. The weeds of aristocracy are blossoming in many state legislatures who are passing restrictive laws in efforts to stunt the desires of new voters and choke out millions of eligible, legal and needed votes to carry out the will of the people.

Despite the rights and privileges the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution proclaim are endowed to all citizens, the non-aristocratic citizens are the most at risk for being denied them — Blacks and other people of color, the poor and the elderly.

Their equal representation, their voices, stand to be weakened and silenced by the growing weeds of aristocracy that are seizing and taking over their fundamental right to, freely and without obstruction, cast their vote.

So how do we counter, if not permanently stop, this onslaught of efforts to impede equal representation? How do we go about ensuring that every legal and eligible citizen is able to cast their vote?

There are major legislative efforts working their way through the halls of Congress to protect the right to vote. Whether or not meaningful federal legislation will find success remains to be seen.

There are those who are adamant about leaving the details of the requirements and how votes are cast up to individual states as it has been since the adoption of the Constitution.

But what has that practice gotten us? To a place where all these new rules and regulations are emerging and being passed whether they are warranted, needed or not. In the meantime, this bifurcated approach to preserving the most critical and defining element of a healthy democracy is putting the future of our democracy at grave risk.

The Constitution has been amended a number of times to protect and improve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for its citizens. Is it time for the Constitution to be amended to clarify once and for all the qualifications and the requirements for voting across all states and for all elections and electoral processes? Wouldn’t that be the best way to ensure and safeguard equal representation for all?

Amending the Constitution is a major deal. In addition to getting legislation through Congress, any amendment requires ratification by 38 states before it becomes law. Major change takes time. But given what is happening in many states, the timing to pursue a Constitutional amendment is now.

Such an amendment would go a long way to discourage and stop the weeds of aristocracy from proliferating, at will, to suppress America’s growth toward a better and stronger democracy.

(Photo by Dave15957/Stock Images)

The state of Missouri, the “Show Me State,” is located in the heart of America.

In addition to the sass and symbolism the nickname and location connote, what a great geographical and strategic position to be in — to lead, to bring about positive improvements in the lives of its citizens and be a great example for our nation.

Missouri could be a show place to a nation that seems to need a beacon as it tries to resume a path for political healing, economic growth, healthcare delivery and other areas that would promote overall wellbeing.

How did Missouri come to be known as the “Show Me State?” While its origin is uncertain, there are several stories. But irrespective of the exact origin, the nickname has stuck and is flaunted proudly in casual and serious conversations among Missourians. Why not let it propel the state to greatness? While proclaiming something has to be shown to us, why aren’t we showing others?

What is the “Show Me State” showing its citizens and the nation? Are the policies and actions being adopted achieving the greatest good for Missourians? Should those policies and practices be emulated as good examples for the nation? Let’s take a look at a few critical areas.

The first that comes to mind is how the state of Missouri has responded to the coronavirus. As of this writing, the state has one of the lowest vaccination rates among states in the nation. As a result, the state is experiencing the highest Covid hospitalizations and second highest rate of new infections in the country from the Delta variant.

It wasn’t that long ago that vaccines were being returned because there was no demand for them.

Where does the blame lie for this detrimental turn of increased cases? There is blame to go around, from policy decisions, or the lack thereof, to the persistent disinformation, and to those who simply refuse to take the vaccine or wear a mask. When there is a crisis of pandemic proportion, we all have responsibility and a role to play. The response has been a disservice to Missourians.

What missed opportunities to be an example for the nation.

Ineffectively fighting the coronavirus is symptomatic of a larger health care delivery problem. There is the perpetual challenge of providing health care services to some of the most needy Missouri citizens, including mental and physical health care for the homeless.

Citizens of Missouri voted for Medicaid Expansion to enable the state to do just that. But guess what? Many of the very elected officials you voted vote to represent your interests have ignored and subverted the will of the people by refusing to pass legislation to fund Medicaid Expansion, which would provide those needed health care services. Why?

Failing to provide good healthcare options is not the only area where the “Show Me State” has little to brag about. The state also has a serious deficit of affordable and available housing. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Missouri has a shortage of 122,075 homes. How can this be when the Missouri Housing Development Commission, which oversees affordable housing, has hundreds of millions of unrestricted dollars that could be applied in a more urgent way to address the growing housing shortages for low income families?

As you might expect, the housing problem is especially acute in Missouri’s largest cities of St. Louis and Kansas City. But there is also a shortage of affordable housing in smaller cities and rural communities all across the state. Even more critically are the housing needs for a growing homeless population, which has been more exacerbated by the pandemic.

There is no excuse for not being able to provide adequate shelter for the homeless.

Let us not forget about how the “Show Me State” fairs when it comes to crime.

Let the statistics speak for themselves. “Missouri has the fourth-highest murder rate of 11.3 murders per 100,000 residents. Murders in Missouri are disproportionately concentrated in metropolitan areas – about 90% of murders committed in 2017 in Missouri were committed in metropolitan areas. St. Louis and Kansas City are two of the most dangerous cities in the United States.”

But all major cities in Missouri are not blemished by high crime rates.

What further confounds the apparent inability or the lack of will to address these debilitating problems in the “Show Me State” is the fact that Missouri has a growing surplus of available funds, reaching record levels, that can be applied to help solve them.

Rather than holding back that record surplus, which belongs to taxpayers, or bickering and debating about how it should be or should not be spent, why not apply some of those dollars to obvious areas that so critically need resources, like the ones identified above. There exist many ways to get it done. No need to reinvent the wheel.

While we boast and brag about being the “Show Me State,” exactly what are we showing Missourians, and our fellow Americans?

Missouri, like America, has many things that are good, but there is much more that can be done to make life better for its citizens.

With that great symbolic and geographical designation of being located in the heart of America, we should embrace it and “Show Them” because otherwise brandishing the “Show Me” identifier rings hollow.