Within one week, the greatness of America has included pipe bombs mailed from Florida, talk of blackface, the mass execution of people going to pray, and racist robocalls to influence our state elections. What is it in ourselves that we sense the need to separate to experience wholeness, or is it this: when we don’t have clear public leadership in power, our worst private instincts get released?
George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are often studied as the pillars of American leadership, with more books written on these two than any other President. Both were given the trust to keep things together under trying times. We will not always have strong leadership available, and we are fortunate that we live in a democratic system of checks and balances. The founding fathers saw the rise of despots and zealots that might take advantage of executive power, and they saw that the wisdom of the masses could be usurped with enough doctrine and intimidation.
I wonder if we would recognize a Lincoln or a Washington in today’s America? It may be an issue of scale, or the inability to differentiate the big things, the important decisions, from the small ones. For our state governor’s race, some of us might not equate the shortsightedness in accepting free tickets at the same level of making profit off the sick and while in public office. Others may look at one issue, a woman’s choice for example, and use that as a standard for support, regardless of the threat to our pillars of democracy by the rest of the big decisions. If we are unable to practice some scale, some degree of distinguishing one bad thing vs. a lot of bad choices, then democracy will falter.
In the days of old, anyone could have a good idea, yet if the King said otherwise, it didn’t matter. Unless we want to be ruled by such simple logic, we must do a better job of seeing the bigger picture of things. We do not suffer from mass incarceration, high economic inequality, and corporate greed because of our sins or an unseen hand of a god. We allow these things by the people we elect to make decisions on our behalf. Someone decided it was American to incarcerate more people, ration more healthcare, and allow sky is the limit profit without paying a fair share of taxes. The media has not helped, but it is up to us to distinguish the important facts from the entertainment and fiction.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde warned us on being two-faced, of holding ourselves to a different appearance in public, yet doing evil in private. The anger or frustration we vent may be misplaced if we haven’t looked at our own role first, especially when it comes to who we support and put in office. Tallahassee experienced several years of job loss under a Let’s Get to Work slogan, our prospects improving only when the national economic picture improved. Until we can develop our abilities to scale our beliefs, consider this criteria: who has the most interest in the common good, who shows a willingness to get out of a comfort zone or change a view when faced with the facts, and who can get us to jobs with benefits, universal healthcare, and real environmental protection? Mr. DeSantis could have made movement on any of these things and didn’t. His service to country is to be appreciated, though service to country is no guarantee of wisdom or success in elected office.
There may be no knight in shining armor in our governor’s race, though the choice between these two is clear. When it comes to scale, we ought to put a stop to the last two years of disorder and put our trust in one of our own.
Daniel Parker is an author, educator, and public servant. He may be reached at 13scribes@gmail.com
Disappearance of Leadership Has Unleashed the Hyde in our Jekyll added by Daniel Parker on
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Andrew Gillum Exposed by Staffers in Undercover Video: ‘This Is a F***ed Up State’
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Andrew Gillum StafferProject Veritas
31 Oct 20183,591
2:02
A Project Veritas video released Wednesday night deals a shocking blow to the campaign of Florida’s Democrat gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum.
Omar Smith, who is a staffer for Gillum, said that if Gillum is elected “None of the programs that people are hoping for would happen.”
When questioned on whether or not voters knew that, Smith responded, “That’s not for them to know” and insisted that it be kept a secret.
“So, let’s go back to Mr. Gillum’s platform, right?” said Smith, who claims to have attended college with Gillum. “Raise the corporate tax in Florida from 7 to 11 percent. That will never happen. Raise teacher’s pay to $50,000, that will never happen. Give me another position. Medicare for all, that will never happen.”
Smith continued by slamming the state of Florida and using racial slurs and referring to white people as “crackers.”
“This is a f***ed up state,” said Smith. “It’s a cracker state.”
Smith also stated in the undercover video that the campaign has “to appeal to white guilt
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/10/31/andrew-gillum-exposed-by-staffers-in-undercover-video-this-is-a-fed-up-state/
Like we all didn’t already know this. Liberal babble Mr. Parker. Liberal babble.
Suck it up buttercup
I’ll tell you one difference between Trump and the Democratic Party.
I constantly get texts from Trump asking my opinion of how he’s doing and what actions he should take.
I’ve been a member of the democrat party my entire life and they never once asked what I thought about anything.
Thank you for this response. I would invite you to share your opinion with both sides, while recognizing your opinion competes with many others in a democracy. If you feel slighted, then tell whomever you believe should be listening. Make sure your opinion is sound and reasonable. There is also strength in numbers, and a higher chance of being heard of others share your view.
Disappearance of leadership? No, we have leadership. We have Jekyll leadership and we have Hyde leadership. The only question is, which one is red and which one is blue?
Trump is that leader and as you suggested; you can’t see it!
Let us agree to disagree but we can continue some civil discourse. I appreciate your reading.
Oh touché. Well played.
Thanks for joining the conversation Please elaborate on your point of view and perhaps we can have a discussion.
Please enlighten the lunatic.
Toby, calm down. Look in the mirror. Where is the lunatic?
The commentary really is meant to know ourselves better, aka our own Jekyll and Hyde. For a good read, please find, Evil, by John Sanford.
I think the facts show that Gillum is a leftist funded entirely by a nazi collaborating Bond villain in the service of globalist interests that seek to invade and undermine the fabric of our society, trample on our Godgiven rights so boldly declared in the constitution and reduce the free people of this just nation into subjects of an unelected foreign bureaucracy.
On the other hand Desantis stood against uranium one and supports the great American Revolution that is sweeping aside the tyranny of the new world order and empowering patriots throughout the world.
https://conservativebase.com/desantis-reports-of-uranium-one-the-clintons-obama-mueller-will-be-investigated/
America is once again a.beacon of freedom and we see liberty loving people the world over casting off the chains of socialism.
I think we can all say a prayer that our liberties will not be infringed by lunatics, that we will not turn our backs on God and country and that those who do so under whatever guise they represent will end up on the wrong side of history.
Ok.
I thought you were a “discussion” kind of Liberal Mr. Parker. Is “Ok” all you got?
How is he supposed to reply to something so void of sense? I’ll reply:
You are a moron. “Uranium One” is a conspiracy that stupid people believe. It makes all seven Benghazi Congressional Hearings look a success at “proving” proving something. (Where were the convictions from those hearings, again? I keep looking for them!)
I mean, Republicans own Congress, right? Why not hold ten, twelve, fifteen “Uranium One” hearings? Ponder on that one for a quick minute, Dirk. Why not drag Hilliary back to the Hill to testify? The evidence is clear! (right?) Jesus, Trump screams “Lock Her Up” every time he can get five hundred QAnon followers to come to a truck stop, so why hasn’t he appointed a special counsel to “investigate” Uranium One? It just makes no sense, but then again, I’m just a dumb librul! Explain it to me, but please use small words and long, run on sentences.
Do you think it is just possible that the people in charge of who would call Congressional hearings realize the reality that there is more evidence of a pedophile ring in a pizza shop that the underpinnings of Uranium One? Or maybe Soros has them all under his control?!?!?!??!
The Cheeto In Chief just tried to take a dump on the Constitution by proclaiming loudly that he can use executive order to bypass birthright. But you don’t care, because it is about brown people, so you can go on bleating about wonderful it is that you are a protective of Constitutional rights, that were ‘God Given’. Which God, is the right God again?
Hey, how’s that wall coming along, anyways? Has Mexico paid for any of it yet?
Want more?
Why are you replying to me?
Couldnt agree more with everything u said… The cheeto in chief…. Smh.. Great art Daniel Parker…keep up the good work.
Hey Dirk –
I can’t reply to your comment down below, so I’ll reply here.
“Why are you replying to me?”
Because you claimed that you wanted someone to refute your idiotic claims, and further, because it is important to illustrate how ridiculous your assertions are under the most rudimentary analysis.
Why hasn’t there been any Congressional hearings on “uranium (n)one”? Did you ponder that one, any, Dirk? If the evidence is clear, why not ‘lock her up’? Maybe you should scan the QAnon threads for some rationale behind this mystery.
And the idea that Soros is a Nazi is so just comical; the guy made billions of dollars by being a capitalist, he ran a trust fund of all things! I mean, the guy made billions of dollars in the capitalist USA, but somehow you think that his *real* goal is to destabilize the fabric of our society? If I saw someone say something that dumb in a movie I’d probably walk out due to unrealistic writing, and yet, there you type, apparently believing it.
If you have such affinity toward the Constitution, no doubt you were enraged when Obama tried to affect immigration via executive order. But did you have outrage when Trump comically attempted to do the same thing, only clumsier, and no doubt with a spur of the (senior) moment outburst? Or, let me guess, you only care about the wording of the Constitution if it is talking about how many guns you get to cling to? If it’s about brown people not being able to seek asylum, you could give a rats behind about the Constitution? Who would have guessed your fidelity to the Constitution was so selective? (everyone)
Want more?
I am not sure how to respond but I thank you for reading.
Well written Dan. I agree whole heartedly.
JP
Trump is bad. Gilliam is good. Boys are girls. Global warming is man made. Men are rapists. Homosexuality is sophisticated, entertaining, and fun. I’ve seen it on the TV and it looks fabulous. Let’s play dress up and worship Satan. A fetus is just a clump of cells. Trump is orange. Ha Ha that is funny. You are so clever. You must be a progressive. No really you must be a progressive. Otherwise you are a racist. Ambien is FDA approved. Guns are bad. Wouldn’t you rather have some marijuana? Are you feeling blue? We have a pill for that. Unwanted pregnancy. We have a pill for that. Just ask Dr Ford. She’s a psychologist. She would never lie. You should pay for my contraception and my 5 year olds sex change. Medical care is a human right for everyone. So is education. College should be free. Drink your fluoride. Let’s be codependent. Don’t criticize Islam. It’s the religion of peace. Let’s open our borders and our hearts. Let’s pay the catholic charities to help. After all those poor kids aren’t going to molest themselves. Trump is a nationalist and a member of the Klu Klux Klan. Ha Ha that is funny. Because he is a racist and a homophobe. He is very stupid. Ha Ha that is very funny. Hillary should have won. The Russians. I am not an NPC. I am a non-binary Native American. You should listen to me because I am the victim here. I suffer from low self esteem and feelings of anger that I don’t know how express in a healthy way. Because of YOU!!!. Don’t you meme me. You don’t know how I have suffered. You owe me.
So Vote for Gillum !!!!!
Thank you for reading. You covered quite a bit of territory. We live with facts, and we live with opinions. Some facts are harder than others to live with. Our opinions we can change, and might make us happier. We can also scale the significance of each fact or opinion.
Toby just pushed your chit back down your throat Mr. Parker. Where it belongs. Steve, if I wanted to read liberal babble, I can pick up the local fish wrapper.
Dirk, As TR’s impact in the community continues to increase, it is important to expose both fact-based journalism and the different views in our community on the issues we cover.
As we move forward, TR will look to lead a spirited discussion by including opposing views so that our readers will understand the full context of any issue. We believe this how journalism can inform and impact a community. I hope you will support is these efforts.
Sincerely, Steve Stewart
That’s what I figured, Steve. Your website, your rules. I’m sure you are aware that expansion attempts often distance your base.
Steve,
This is why our nation is stagnant, regressing even. Pandering to the “base” means pandering to the base of humanity, the bottom. I heard you on Preston’s show this morning…he asked you what you thought about Omar Smith’s snippets from a secret recording. You said you had mixed views. You obviously didn’t think it was as huge a deal as Preston insinuated. I agree, of course, but hearing you be honest with yourself even when it wasn’t the response Preston probably thought (hoped) you would have. That’s class, Steve. You and I will never agree on everything, but you are leading the journalism industry by example, and I appreciate it. I hope your site expands and benefits from a more balanced perspective.
Me too, it’s nice to have some fresh smart ideas… Dan Parker does a great job….
Poe’s Law in action!
“Poe’s law is an adage of Internet culture stating that, without a clear indicator of the author’s intent, it is impossible to create a parody of extreme views so obviously exaggerated that it cannot be mistaken by some readers for a sincere expression of the parodied views”
At least that is what I hope is happening here, otherwise I’d make a million dollar bet Toby’s van is papered with political propaganda.
Thank you for reading.