Epistle on Cleveland Culture of Losing

No doubt my comments will not make everyone in this region happy but I have some distinct thoughts underscored after watching every game of the now concluded NBA finals with Golden State clearly the better team.  Let me first say that I played a great deal of basketball in my life and understand the game, the rules, the logic of team-based sports and will add that the ability of each of these men are beyond belief from my personal perspective.  LeBron James is a superman no doubt but what I watched closely was the he is not a team-based player. We saw it in Miami and we have just witnessed it in the GS series.

 

Yes, some key Cleveland players were MIA thus more of the load fell on Mr. James but he is perfectly capable of shouldering that load and did admirably. However, when Mr Naismith invented this game of basketball and its evolution to 2015, team-based means just that, it is TEAM that wins championships and the Cavs did not display much semblance of grasping this golden ring of reality; no pun intended.  GS outgunned, out manned, out played and played as a cohesive band of brothers was my scouting report of the six games.  The shooting skills were astounding but not only of Curry but several others. They were a team of hustle, class, driven, take no prisoners and I loved that for that is basketball in its purest form. The MVP Award for the series was absolutely correct with Mr. Igloudala as the recipient.

 

Cleveland's offense was, well, LBJ; period. He controlled the ball far too much for far too long and in far too many instances.  Mr Smith will undeniably and rightly will be traded for his performance was sketchy at best and his appearance of attitude was a downer.  The Big Russian center, for me who played center, was wonderful to watch. Big, strong, agile, tough, driven, soft shooter; he was my personal hero on the Cavs.  The Cavs not only lost; they were beaten but I think they pretty much beat themselves for not utilizing all the tools in the bag thus relying far too heavily on Mr. James.

 

So this season is over, thankfully, and there will be much trading, whining finger pointing in the three weeks before the 2016 season starts (smile.) but fact it, to me, what we witnessed was a capsule of the Cleveland sports culture be it football, baseball, basketball, badminton or horseshoes; there is not a culture of winning.

 

Culture is defined as the sum total of the behaviors. Given that, one would say the issue and focus of my epistle is that the behaviors that exude themselves in Cleveland sports for whatever the reason does not spell or smell WINNER. Remembering that there is no change until there is a measurable change in behavior, then behavior is the culprit, right?

 

The sad part for me is I have never seen a more avid, hungry, desirous fan base that want and deserve to be satiated with a championship in something but year after year after painful year the season ends with ducked heads and angst.

 

I will close with the fact that Golden State absolutely deserved to win that championship for every Warrior that took the floor played not for themselves but selflessly to make the team look cohesive. The shooting skills I saw were beyond amazing surpassed only by the passing skills of each of the players; that is team-based sport at its best.  And to add to the joy I feel for GS to know Steph Curry is a publicly open professing Christian only adds to my savor of that great championship team.  We got to watch class and classic professional basketball in Golden State that soundly beat a weaker, hurting, too-LBJ dependent enterprise.

 

In other words, to change a culture, behaviors must change dramatically beginning at the top and it works its way down to the floor operator. Mind you I am speaking to the Cleveland professional sports enterprise; it is broken and has been far, far too long!

He's Still Working on Me

Many of you will remember this song from the late 1970' s by the Hemphills; a simple, profound. toe tapping song. Read the lyrics:

He's Still Working on Me

He's still working on me

                                      To make me what I ought to be
                                                It took Him just a week
                                         To make the moon and stars
                                 Sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars
                                  How loving and patient He must be
                                            He's still working on me

There really ought to be

                                                    A sign upon the heart
                                                        Don't judge me yet
                                              There's an unfinished part
                                                    But I'll be perfect just
                                                    According to His plan
                                       Fashioned by the Master's loving hands

In the mirror of His Word

                                                        Reflections that I see
                                                          Make me wonder why
                                             He never gave up on me
                                                       He loves me as I am
                                                  And helps me when I pray
                                          Remember He's the Potter, I'm the clay

This is one of my mornings when my brain is in gear with so many thoughts rumbling the the attic of my brain.  I will be singing this song among others twice today.  When you read the lyrics, the profoundness of the words really cascade over my soul.  As a sixty-seven year old man, I find the essence of this song to be as applicable to me today as they did when I was ten.  See, I believe that for God's children, as long as we have life, a gift from God, that we have a work to do and likewise, God will continue to work on us.  I personally can testify this morning morning that I sense God's crafting in me each day I am given; what a blessing that is!

 

Just this morning I awoke with the thoughts of a young jail inmate I met a few weeks ago and was impressed with what I saw. I cannot begin to count the times that sense has touched me when meeting a jail inmate during a chapel service. There is just that inexplicable something that touches my heart.  I found that inmate on FB and wrote a brief message of encouragement; at 4 am this morning.  I immediately got a response indicating that that person needed that word of encouragement and I invited, begged that that inmate come to my church Sunday. That, for me, is part of the miracle of God's timing of events for His children.

 

There are so many that will read this that are facing some really tangible, painful circumstance and in many, not all, cases, the circumstance of the pain is self induced thus reaping the harvest of consequences for poor choices.  But from that pain, chastening is a right word here, God is doing His work in each of some. Another song I sing has a lyric that says;

 

Sometimes He calms the storm, Sometimes He calms me, Sometimes the storm rages but but I feel the sweetest peace

 

That is a perfect description of the Christ centered walk I believe.  None of us like the storm but we all learn from the storm for there is a next new storm on the horizon.  I want my blog this morning to be a pearl of encouragement for whoever reads this this day.  I feel such a closeness to my family all of which are still asleep. My twleve year old grandson is on a mission trip in Panama City Beach, FL and my prayer has been that God would use that trip to reveal some spiritual realities for his young life. I meet people everyday that are simply amazing to me and many are in their own storm so my hope and my prayer is that God can use me to lift them from the fears and worries usually via somgs I get to sing. I love that ministry in song for it is I that stands most blessed.

 

I will close simply by stating that God is never done with us until He takes us home. We live in a world of chaos and angst on a scale I could have never imagined.  But through all of that I can rest assured that, yes, God is still working on me to MAKE ME WHAT I OUGHT TO BE.

Benchmarks Along the Journey

June 5 .... for me, as with all of us, there are dates that are speed bumps along our interstate. Filling those special and unique dates are memories, hopes, disappointments; the spectrum of emotion and each of you reading this are thinking of some of your speed bumps just seeing this.  I have several special dates in my hard drive such as my wedding anniversary, our children's birthdays, my first grandson's birthday of Oct 1 that forever changed my life.  I remember the dates of my salvation experience of August 15, 1960 vividly as if it was yesterday.  But June 5 is and always will be special to me for there is a major component of my life, the military, that I rarely have opportunity to speak about but will briefly here.

 

June 5, 1970 was the first day of Basic Combat Training at Fort Bragg, NC. I was older than most of my fellow recruits. I chose to join the Army even though the draft was alive and well but the decision for me to join the Army, the National Guard to be more specific, was founded more on a need to fill a gap that began with my dad; a World War II combat veteran.  Like most little boys then, we played Army every day and each day, Monday through Friday at noon, a band of us would gather at George French's den to watch war movies on Channel 13 out of Birmingham.  America always won thus that was as it should be; America Wins! Most days we would retire to the battlefields of Norris and Hill Avenues, break up in the Americans and Germans, hide, and initiate combat operations with china berries being the ammunition of choice. It amazes me I can actually see this screen and not have been blinded by the hard green berries but I made it.  The War would last a couple of hours or until our mothers would beckon us home but we would fight another day valiantly ... but the Americans won.  I bought with grass cutting money I earned Army surplus insignia, canteen belts, back packs, would have bought grenades but they were out that day; SMILE. Americans won!!!!

 

As the years crept up on me and I had friends going off to some place, Asia, where ever that was and then I would hear my best friend was killed by a booby trapped child. I could not register what that meant. Then there was another and then another; boys I had known well but no more. Then I had friends that came back from there acting, well, much differently. I thought it was me that had somehow changed and did for many years.  But reality hit me that it was Vietnam and America was not winning apparently.  But way down deep in my being I yearned to be there, to be part of it, to contribute to the freedom that America represented.  I saw the impact of WWII on my father that came in the form of alcoholism; a terrible, heinous addiction that is made even more terrible with the generational scarring that is burned into the family living through that. I will leave that point here for there are still deeply rooted scars I have buried so do not care to unearth but many of you know exactly what I am talking about for far too many of us lived it.

 

But I wanted to be part of making America a winner; badly did I want that. But during that time I was wanting to get my college education. The lottery clearly indicated being drafted would not happen and while there were many thrilled about that for themselves, I was actually quite disappointed deep in my gut.  But I wanted to be part of making America win.  I was actually asked to join an Armor battalion NG unit, the same on my father had been in that mobilized into WWII.  I jumped at the chance and June 5, 1970 was a day in infamy for me as I unloaded a truck inside Bragg along with twenty other young boys when these men in these strange campaign hats upended my life beginning with twenty five push ups while still on the truck with five others jammed next to me doing the same thing. And there was the new colorized language that was frightening and filled with words and profanity I had not heard before. I thought I had turned right instead of left. But I knew where I was and found myself loving the structure, the marching, the competitiveness and the order of things; loved it! That was BCT and America won. That story goes on but I want to jump three years ahead to June 5, 1973!

 

In 1957 an Officer Candidate School for Army National Guard was established in Alabama called the Alabama Military Academy that after a one year stint of very structured, very educational and very high expectations to be met, you were commissioned an officer in the US Army!  I served under several of the men that graduated from AMA and was asked on several occasions to choose to attend the Academy. As a newly wed and building a career, and wanting to finish my degree, it was a major decision but I made it and June 5, 1973 as a Sergeant E5, life changed for me once more. I will paste in a paragraph I put into the AMA FB site earlier today to give you a flavor as again I was the oldest member of my AMA class which made the physical issues more challenging but worth it:

 

At exactly this time 43 years ago at Fort McClellan, AL, George Bowdoin was speaking sweetly in to my right ear and Bob Tanner even sweeter into my left ear and Al Golden was poking my left ear gently with his swagger stick and blue senior cadet helmet liners were buzzing around like wild coyotes howling; welcome to AMA Cadet Williams. Thus begin a 13 month journey ending 20 July 1974 to create the happiest, most humbled, hyper excited men to make that journey to my butter bar pinning. Having had many experiences in my life before, during and since that journey, the AMA experience has positively impacted my life in more ways that any other venture I experienced. Great family of officers I share a brotherhood / sisterhood with around this world. The values of AMA are unswerving and Forever the Bond ... meaning just that! What a blessing to count myself part of that amazing fraternity and COL Alton R Barnes and his legacy will go on and on. Just wanted to share my anniversary that so many have trod! And yes, IT SHALL BE DONE! AMA 18.

 

I will close with the reality that life for a set of choices that lead to the speed bumps on the interstate of life.  The military component of my life was, is and will continue to be a major portion of my life for it has fingerprints on every decision I make to this very day.  Attaining accelerated rank and command positions in some tough units with some tough guys made me tough and resilient and caring and knowing that with the right focus and drive, mountains can be moved and yes, America can win!  A highlight of my life was in 1981 when my unit I was commanding, the 31st Armored Cavalry Troop was awarded the esteemed Draper Armor Leadership Award. It was the first NG unit in the southeastern US to ever win that Award for it was an Award for 143 men and our machines of war that worked harder, fought harder to be the best than any other group of  men in my life. I was so honored by the Award I could not stop crying from joy for days after. 

 

So June 5, for me, is a day the Americans won!

Americans; What do we want to be, really?

This is an excellent WSJ piece by the always excellent Peggy Noonan and I highly recommend reading the entire piece.  I have frequently watched intention Mr Bremmer many times on various interview talk shows and always find him a bit cocky a big big extremely intelligent and well researched for his research, like the NYT Tom Friedman, is done on the ground where things are really happening.  I absolutely believe the thesis of the WSJ piece is spot on meaning we are at a cross road in so many avenues politically, societally and diplomatically.  At the center of this journey to somewhere resides the most inept national leadership I have witnessed in my lifetime.  I will just let the Noonan piece tell the story but I challenge each of you to devour it, read it again, ponder it and reread it, please.

Choosing a Path in the World Ahead

A strategic thinker considers three different futures for America.

ENLARGE

Photo: Martin Kozlowski

By

Peggy Noonan

Peggy Noonan
The Wall Street Journal
 

June 4, 2015 7:10 p.m. ET

14 COMMENTS

Presidential candidates have begun to nibble around the edges of the most important question of 2016, which is what approach we should take toward the world in the 21st century. This of course is not only an international-affairs question. Foreign-policy decisions bring domestic repercussions and effects. Sometimes they are dramatic and sometimes long-lasting.

The political scientist and global risk strategist Ian Bremmer, a foreign-affairs columnist at Time, has written a book asking Americans themselves to decide what our policy should be, and offering what he sees as three central options.

“America,” he writes, “will remain the world’s only superpower for the foreseeable future. But what sort of superpower should it be? What role should America play in the world? What role do you want America to play?”

The world is in flux, its tectonic plates shifting: Old settlements and dispensations are falling away, new ones are having rough births. No one knows what comes next. No American consensus has emerged. President Obama himself has never chosen or declared a foreign-policy vision, which has made nothing better and some things worse.

The worst choice now, says Mr. Bremmer, is to refuse to choose. We can’t just continue improvising—that has become dangerously confusing to our allies, our rivals and ourselves.
So what way do we want to go?

Mr. Bremmer calls the first option “Independent America.” We can’t be the world’s policeman; we’re not Superman. We must “declare independence from the need to solve other people’s problems and . . . finally realize our country’s enormous untapped potential by focusing our attentions at home.” We spend too much on the military, which not only adds to our debt but guarantees our weapons will be used: “Policymakers will find uses for them to justify their expense,” which will “implicate us in crises that are none of our business.”

In this view, our national-security bureaucracy threatens our own freedoms and strains relations with allies. The hidden costs of war include individual anguish, cultural stress and a demand for secrecy that “poisons American democracy.” Drones seem neat and effective, but their use is dangerous: “Our actions in the Middle East and South Asia make us more vulnerable at home, by persuading a new generation of Pakistanis, Yemenis, and others that it’s better to attack Americans who aren’t wearing state-of-the-art body armor.” Not every country wants democracy. “For all the damage a foolish foreign policy inflicts on US interests abroad, the greatest damage is done in the United States.” It follows that we must reorient our thinking: “It is not power that makes America exceptional. It is freedom.”

Is “Independent America” a pleasant term for isolationism? That charge, Mr. Bremmer argues, “is not meant to shed light but to close conversation”—to dismiss “every legitimate reservation that ordinary Americans have” about U.S. foreign-policy excesses and miscalculations. The best way to promote our values around the world is by “perfecting democracy at home.” Among the priorities: protect the U.S. from a terrorist attack “that might push America permanently off course,” protect our borders and infrastructure, clean up and invest in public education, put more money back in taxpayers’ pockets. Stronger at home will mean stronger in the world, which will note our renewal.

The second choice, according to Mr. Bremmer, is “Moneyball America.” The job of U.S. foreign policy is to make the U.S. safer and more prosperous, full stop. Some things must be done in the world, and “it’s in America’s interest for Americans to do them.” But we are not Hercules, and our resources are finite. We must focus our attentions “where they are best able to promise U.S. national security and economic opportunity.”

We should lead international efforts against terrorism, join coalitions of the willing, build partnerships—“Never walk alone”—do more with less, keep our eye on the bottom line. Our military should be state-of-the-art, but we should look to make the arms race into a trade race. Look to America’s value, not its values. There is no bias toward projecting strength; the U.S. should get over its obsession with looking weak. “Those who make American foreign policy and those who implement it must be guided by both discretion and humility.”

At the end of the day, Mr. Bremmer says of the world, “everyone . . . is playing Moneyball.”
The third choice he calls “Indispensable America.” This involves a burly, all-in commitment to international leadership. It has practical and idealistic aspects; it is a long-term project but one consonant with our greatness as a nation. “America can never establish lasting security and prosperity in the interconnected modern world until we have helped others win their freedom.” We are called to “promote and protect” American values globally. “No one else will fill this breach.” We are the world’s only indispensable nation because only we have the means and will to stabilize international politics and the world economy. America is exceptional, and its work is not finished. “America must now think bigger and in more ambitious terms” than ever before. “We must build an entirely new foreign policy” based on the insight that in a globalized world “we can’t succeed unless others succeed too.” Get over ideas like peacetime and wartime: “We live in a world of permanent tension.” We can’t solve every problem, “but this does not excuse us from the responsibility to solve the ones we can.” As to cost, “the United States can pay its debts by simply printing more money.” At the end of the day the dollar will still be the world’s reserve currency—still the safest port in the world economic storm.

As I read, I found myself wondering how a politician would react. I think he’d find it all both too abstract and too concrete. He would want one from column A (independence of action and a shown concern for the home front), one from column B (of course safety and prosperity are paramount) and one from column C (a known willingness to use unquestioned military power can be a handy thing in the world).

Politicians hate to speak about their vision of America’s immediate place and role in the world for several reasons. They have risen in the ad hoc, provisional, moment-to-moment world of daily politics. That life teaches you long-term plans don’t have to be part of your long-term plan. In foreign policy especially, declaring a clear stand wins you committed enemies and tentative friends. Best to dummy up and speak in generalities.

But at a certain point all the candidates for president, even Hillary Clinton, will have to give a sense of what’s in their heads. They hope to guide U.S. foreign policy for the next eight years. It isn’t asking too much to that they speak about where we are and where we ought to be going.
Mr. Bremmer gave his choice at the end of the book. It seemed to me surprising from one who appears to have thrived in the heart of the foreign-policy establishment. He felt the tug of each course but in the end came down for Independent America, and for interesting reasons. Candidates especially could get the book and find out what they are.

The Lethality of the Invisible Hand

http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/morning_call/2015/05/alabama-steel-and-coal-firms-hit-with-layoffscuts.html

A childhood friend posted this on FB a couple of days ago and I read it quickly since I am originally from Alabama, lived in a family fueled by steel mill wages and have steel DNA flowing through me to this day. I worked in that huge Republic Steel  plant the summer of 1966 in Gadsden, AL; now completely shuttered and sold for scrap iron to China.  At my mother's funeral, she worked at that plant also during World War II, I was able to look out at the skeletal remains of that mill that employed thousands of men and women for many years. My grandfather organized the United Steel Worker's Union for that plant in the 1920s and was physically abused by the thugs in trying to prevent that from happening. All of that to say that I feel I have a pretty good handle on the Gadsden steel mill. I ate it, smelled it, heard it, lived it; it was our life two streets over from the bells, whistles and clanging of huge steel pipes and railroad engines.  That, however, was another time, another chapter, the closing days of a strategic shift in the globalization of commodity manufacturing in America; an America that had global dominance from the leadership of ruined dust bowls of nations from the devastation of the war in steel, tires, cars, etc, etc.

 

The steel industry in Alabama today, per the news piece, is a classic illustration and example of the lethality of Adam Smith's Free Market Invisible Hand. It is all about competition for it is all about the consumer seeking more choices and better quality and ever reducing prices.  THAT is the Free Market. There are winners and there are losers! The macro reason for the contraction of steel in Alabama is China as China transitions from an export based economy to and import based economy.  China was a major buyer of American made steel as was most of Europe in the years after World War II as was Japan and South Korea. As technology, free trade zones, cheaper wage labor became more and more dominant IN ORDER TO LIVE IN THE SHADOW OF THE INVISIBLE HAND, the American steel and tire and auto and etc, had choices to make as to how they spent their capital, how they worked with the human capital and how they embraced the globalization.  American steel makers generally chose to ignore the forces of globalization out of arrogance for America had always been the Big Dog in the House; no more!

 

Threading through all of this transition, actually transformation, was the stubbornness, expanding rule books and restrictions driven by the organization of unions in American manufacturing.  I will insert here a personal view on this for during that summer of 1966 as an eighteen year old kid working night shifts in the steel plant, I was appalled as the poor productivity, the astounding waste of time, over manning on jobs, sleeping five and six hours a shift, underground rooms with magazine racks where soft drinks could be bought, lawn chairs for sleeping, etc, etc. The relationships with the foremen and the workers was simply terrible. No respect, unions protecting workers known for poor performance, historically missing work shifts and controversy was at the core of labor relations.  That is a reality for both management and labor but a mantra for change that globalization of the industry forced.  Unions and Management chose to ignore to maintain a poorly productive status quo. The result was that as the waves of globalization washed the US steel, tire, auto, etc. market, bankruptcies became the norm as you will remember. I am now in the 1980s time period!

 

During that same time frame, Southeastern United States began a new system called Right-to-Work meaning people had the choice of being in a union or not and the choice was overwhelmingly Not.  As a result, foreign transplant auto firms began multi-trillion dollar capital flows into the US turning the SEUS into global export for steel, tires, autos, etc. Let that sink in for a minute! But the unions are collecting billions of dollars and dues from a shrinking workforce to grease political coffers to keep RTW out of the Rust Belt and to constantly attack the productive operations in the SEUS location; a losing battle but more and more destructive to steel families. Plants closed enmasse, bankruptcies being gobbled up by French and Luxembourgish and Indian steel giants cutting out all benefits for retirees and their descendants. My mother is a classic example of this reality!

 

It is a tragic, sickening story but it is a story of the machinery of the Invisible Hand. Whining will not fix a poor situation that was creating and spawned over decades for then it becomes cultural; thus what I describe above.  Some will read that above and will not like it but facts are facts and I lived the facts as did many that may or may not read this.  As the wheels of the Hand continued to cut through the waves of the sweeping globalization, China, to protect her own growing 1.4 billion consumers, had to invest capital into core industries to ensure availability of good and services for the population; steel, auto, tires, etc, for example.  With all the shifting described above, China in the year 2000 had 64 high tensile steel plants, huge and brand new high technology steels mills in operation or under construction. What the result was a global glut of steel production capacity.  That over capacity was high grade, much cheaper steel for the consumer so, where would you buy?

 

It is painful to see the Invisible Hand at work but it is more frustrating to witness the lack of strategic planning and execution by industry executives to do what is necessary to increase the higher value production; not whine and politic to get jobs back that are gone and gone forever. That has never happened in the economic history for America has transitioned from an Industrial-driven economy into an Information / Service GDP nation. China is heavily into their own Manufacturing economy and they are doing a much better job than America did in positioning itself for the global view on steel, tires, auto, etc.

 

I will close by stating that America has lost its footing and vision driven leadership fueled by inept political leadership which we all are painfully witnessing on many fronts. In economics, you do not back back; you move ahead faster and better than the competition. We Consumers demand that!

A View from the Cheap Seats

Last evening with my long legs jammed into 1940 era wooden seats with this 400 pound man sitting in front of me jamming my knees into my elbows watching a graduate recognition program, my mind stepped back from the clamor of names being called and things being handed out to the cacophany of applause of parents and grandparents and looked at the event through a different lens. This assessment of projection continued long after the event was over and even to this morning. I know, before I describe, that the other components of my life created the coloration of the lens through which my mind was assessing today looking ahead to the tomorrows.

A gay administrator, dozens of children all excited to be moving to the new, next grade in school, seeing many different configurations of parents meaning multiple attempts at marriage that fell apart with new spouses entering the lives of the kids being celebrated. Add to that, for me, my ten years of university teaching some of which had sat in that same old gynasium listening the the same cackle of applause plus the other dimension of my life, tweleve years working in jail and prison ministry some of those souls having sat in those same seats listening to their vintage applause. My mind began to process with all those streams coming to confluence about what lay ahead for this year's occupants of the gym seats; thus why I call this a View from the Cheap Seats.

So much hope, so much joy, so much desire, so much excitment; that was the elixir of last night from the view of those cheap seat occupants which was right and normal and good. But in looking ahead from my vantage of so many thousands of prisoners and students in these last few years of my life knowing some of these kids last night were linked via blood or relationships to those in the orange or blue jumpsuits or sitting in my classes, my heart heavied at the world into which these young cheap seat occupants were about to cast their nets of hope into.

See, our world is so very much different than the world that existed when I sat in the cheap seats in the late 1950s. Much of the details I do not recall but I knew even with the craziness of my life then, life felt okay. But when factoring into today the algebra of divorce rates, crime rates, drug abuse rates, societal deteroriation stories and statistics, student loan debt, very poor political leadership, a world seemingly on fire and getting hotter; those factors along cause me great concern for these kids with nets in hand looking and wanting things just to be good and calm and peaceful. They are not!

As I watched the unfolding of the program, I found myself retreating to this quiet, disconnected place where my mind processes and projects. That can be a scary place but a place like that exists in my psyche. I yearn for these kids, including my amazing grandchildren, to find their path and the light to guide their journey early. I long for them to be strong enough to withstand the forces that would pull them down and away from their potential to break loose from the chains of constraint and seek the sunshine of enlightenment and success personally and professionaly. I want to be there to protect and example the right and wrong but that is not the place for a grandparent I realize. The root structure for that work resides inside their homes with parents and siblings with grandparents there to encourage, love and nurture the seeds planted by their parents, our children!

These kids will rise and fall in a world where LGBT is more the norm than the exception. These children will see aberrant family situations that will become a new norm. These young people will come to accept the shock of suicides and drug abuse as part of the process instead of the horrific reality it is. I have witnessed that first hand in so many of my university students so I know this new crop coming up will be even more desensitized. That is exactly what Satan yearns to have happen for the Wrong to be viewed as Right and what is Right to be cast into the sea of doubt and disbelief.

I realize at this stage of my life that I invested far too much of myself into my work and not nearly enough into my two amazing children. They needed more of their dad than they got and for that I am deeply apologetic. But if there is salve for that hurt it comes in the form of grandchildren and the five I have lift me each time I am near them. Seeing those young kids last night and now another large group at another graduation this morning, I find myself saying a quick prayer for each as they cross that stage for God will touch them, guide them, protect them and give them clarity of mind to make right choices in friends, actions, desires.

We as parents, grandparents, friends have a solemn responsilbity to this generation as it stretches its arms toward the sun but the sun is much, much different than the sun of my cheap seat years. There is great challenge but still there is astounding opportunity for right choices. Pray for this generation adn their parents to turn or return to the place God created them to be which is focused on His teachings, His Scriptures, His Example.

Light in the Tunnel

Good morning on this simply beautiful morning in NE Ohio.  Was in South Carolina on the Isle of Palm last week and thoroughly enjoyed the drive, 683 miles, the weather, the quaintness of the place, the people, the service at the hotel, the seafood meaning I can never again eat at Red Lobster in my life knowing it is frozen for weeks before it makes it to a plate, really enjoyed the city of Charleston including a quick drive through the campus of the Citadel.  Yes, a good week but the caveat to that was no laptop, minimized TV viewing meaning I was on the third ring of Saturn as to knowing what was going on in our ever changing world. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed the trip and slept so well!

 

So here we are on a cool, clear Tuesday morning and seeing a new, terrible earthquake in Nepal, ISIL growing stronger and more deadly, watched another intriguing Charlie Rose interview with Mike Morrell, former CIA and NSA director and always enlightening.  What was underscored through that interview simply is that Iran is emerging as the power player in the Middle East perceptually due to Iran's new "partner", the Obama United States.  The Gulf conference in Washington has been snubbed now by at least four Gulf country leaders headed by Saudi Arabia thus rebuffing our POTUS due in large part to this strange affiliation Mr Obama appears to have established with Iran.  Stated: ISRAEL MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH.  Let that soak in for a few minutes for those words and sentiments have emanated from the very lips of the Supreme Leader of Iran as well as operatives like Al Qaeda and ISIL. So, seems to me there is reasonable belief that the ultimate objective is the elimination of Israel coupled with the establishment of an Iranian led-caliphate that will be dominated by the Shia while the Sunnis murder each other. Oh, and by the way, just saw where the number of people in America claiming to be Christian has dropped by nearly 10%. I believe there are many dots to be connected in that paragraph.

 

The escalating racial divide in our own nation coupled with this unparalleled attack on uniformed police across our nation is more troubling to me personally than the above paragraph litany. If this were a kindergarten class I would call a "time out" but that is far too simple in this cauldron of hate, angst, fear and disgruntlement.  I took issue with Mrs. Obama's racial-inflammatory remarks at Tuskegee University's graduation when and where I would think and hope the First Lady would have sought to bring peace. But she took issue that she had been held to a different standard because she was black and that each of those graduates would as well. The First Lady should be held to a different standard not because he is black but because of the position she holds.  I should be held to a different standard, for example, because I live in the North but grew up in the South and claim Jesus as my Savior. I admit it; I want to be held to a different standard. I believe you get my point!

 

I cannot escape this eery sense there is a plan in place to incite the fires of racism while this president is still in office that will divide our nation on a scale we have not witnessed. I do hope I am wrong but my gut keeps telling me that is the a master plan. The whole socialization via the Democratic folks, ie, ObamaCare, is yet another piece in that puzzle I believe.  The scary part is that the other side of the aisle cannot get organized with a cohesive plan nor candidate to carry the POTUS banner in 2016. Thus, Mrs. Clinton, right now, will by default find she and Billy in the White House and the juggernaut will pick up more speed.  

 

Yes, my name is Jim and we have a problem, don't we?