Headlines read “cases up, new record highs”
this is a good thing. The virus will spread as they always do. The morbidity rate for just about anyone under 70 is so small that it is largely insignificant. As the cases in the “99.9+% likely to survive” segment increase the human race develops the ability to fight back with its intelligent design immune system and systems.
the approach must be to minimize the deaths from this new threat. Period. That means isolating elderly, at risk segments and continuing life among everyone else. Yes the virus will spread. Yes. Folks will get sick and in rare cases die... That is LIFE.

we all live in face of fear and and make choices. I choose to LIVE and do the best I can as I always have. The viruses and sickness and tragedy surround me. My faith hope and love sustain me. The fear is a disease in itself and the impact and fatality rate of this global fear virus is at a record high. Cases are up and spreading even now.

We are all more than a little afraid of what these leaders will say next. That is the reality of our new normal. One is a leader. One is a follower. One of these is crass bare knuckled and sometimes shocking. The other is scripted programmed and almost always clueless. The question Americans must answer is who is best to get us through the next 4 years. Future requires more than words.

I am not afraid. Past history is not proof of future results but again, one of these is not like the other. Does tone matter? It does. Decisions and actions matter more.

some lead, some follow. Being afraid of what someone might say is weak. Suck it up buttercup and hold on for the ride. Buckle up. Gonna be rough.

The urgent question before us, THE USA, is what will be different going forward. 1965 Watts, LA92, USA2020? Blacks live matter! They mattered then, they matter now, they will always matter. We the people must change the perspective of division to avoid this devastating cycle of physical violence and cultural suicide.

Law Abiding citizens must stand together peacefully. Authority must be reformed and respected.

We can do better. Will we. I wonder.

If you want a friend or family member to know something, or if you care what they think, TALK to them. Social media has conditioned us to assume knowledge and intentions. This is a terrible way to live and communicate. The disconnect is real.

my newest social experiment is to go completely off of FB “proper” and evaluate my stress levels and connectedness. Difficult, yes. Healthy, yes. Recommended, yes.

I am LESS connected to the noise. I am MORE connected to things and people that actually matter. And shocker?! Stress overall is down because sometimes not knowing everything is just better.

I do desire connections with my FB friends but the cost must be managed. If you are connected to me and care what I think about something, don’t assume I know about it, text me or call me maybe. Even better, Visit. Personal connections are how we know the current stuff that matters.

Age of service never ended. Only foolish inexperienced leaders treat their customers as commodities. Brand matters. Personal. Institutional. Vested people care. The volunteers in and organization are front line reps.

I celebrate others success. I mourn their failures. I wish I could do more to help. I do all that I can without sacrificing my own family. I revel in the beauty of others testimonies in word and deed. As a conservative minded libertarian, I am branded by others. In a free country, I still get to speak and vote as I choose. This seems to be changing.

In the face of such division and exploding emotion, it now seems that the only viable path towards peace is to listen and be silent.  Once emotions have overtaken reason in the halls of power disallowing opposing views, we the people must assemble our platforms and proceed with caution.  We all lose in the violence of mob rule, and mob mentality... We must use our systems, and our relationships, and our legacy to garner support for action. 

Rhetoric is now useless and inflammatory.  It has been made so by the intense pain, real or not, felt by all sides. Individual pain is no longer separate from the collective pain.  In most cases, it seems that the ability to grant sincerity has been rendered not essential.  Our era of identity politics dictates that our brand is all that matters. This is a treacherous slope. 

​It is time to leave this place in every sense.  

Civil failures of multi-decade liberal strongholds are in full display: violent crime, crime, policing, housing, public services infrastructure, poverty, equitable education access, public health policy - respect for rule of law. — these are primarily the responsibility of state and local governments. #NYC #CA #Minneapolis #DC #Chicago #Baltimore #LA #SanFrancisco #SantaMonica #Philly #Detroit

when a party, an ideology, a governor and a mayor who have been in charge for decades duck and divert attention— blaming Feds??? , THIS SHOULD spark a protest and popular uprising. Those in charge of actual execution have shirked responsibility for too long. I pray that we the people will take a hard look at policies based on results rather than intentions and emotional rhetoric.

Wormtongues are toxic but they are most toxic in leadership when they are allowed to influence the people so directly.

Blaming POTUS is a sad attempt to blameshift for local political gain. Feds can do some things but most of the big complex problems are local. It assumes that the people are not educated, incapable of surviving and thriving, and dependent( socialist) reality is proving that one size does not fit all. Never did. Never will. #Federalism and StatesRights are Right on. Get to work folks. Governors. Mayors. Councils. Supervisors.

Distance is easier in the short term but deadly for long term. Relationships don’t survive in reality. Life goes on. As your choose your distance, you choose how your life progresses. Only you can decide how much relationship is required. This is further complicated by the reality that two way streets have different rules and expectations. As traffic increases, value increases.

It is done now. Recovering from the sound and fury is not simple and everyone does it differently. Our societal leaders rang the fear bell in March. We the people responded and hid away from life and one another. We denied our basic needs for community and faith and fellowship and embraced FEAR as our overseer. Authoritarian tendencies were encouraged because it was for the greater good, for public health, to save our most at risk, to save ourselves.
we the people are now afraid. Our fragile hold on trusting one another has been ripped away in most cases. Instead we now rely on the TV, on the Internet, on the government.
Dictators and authoritarians know that fear binds us. They use it to manipulate and control us. It is then followed by force.

The solution to the sound of fear is the liberty bell. We stand up and sing together of our faith in God, and one another. We must embrace our lives and living in place of fear. We cannot unring the fear bell that our #idiotsincharge rang so recklessly but we can stand together and ring a whole chorus of bells into the future filled with faith, hope, and love. The fear is always there but it can be overcome with faith.

ON disbanding police-->> If Minneapolis wants no more police. Go for it. NYC, Chicago, LA, SF want less police funding and less police services — I think it is insane and it showcases a horrible disregard for public safety but it is their call.
This is a free country and states and localities CAN do as they choose. The rest of US will watch and learn.
FYI - police powers are almost wholly reserved for the states... by design within the federalism model. — issues should be taken up with the mayors and governors IMHO.
FYI 2– This foolishness will be catastrophic for the poorest and least able to flex and move.
Y’all better figure out who you are going to call when the actual evil criminals show up at your door. Arm yourself and educate yourself is my advice. Defunding and Abolishing will be a disaster.

Abolish the police is foolishness. Defund the police is misguided and reckless. I am watching my country listen to uninformed, inexperienced children for public policy. This is insanity.

Systemic Reorganization without cultural change changes almost nothing with huge costs. Any movement that REQUIRES 100% compliance by dictate is doomed.

Authority and enforcement MUST persist. Rule of Law is the only way. It is naive and utterly ridiculous to embrace an idyllic utopian view that is impractical and dangerous.

We have the best system of government in the world. We should be using it and reforming our representatives and leaders using our VOTEs.

We the people can and will stand together to reform America. The process for progress never ended and it never will.

Social media, particularly FB shows you what you “want” to see by design. It amplifies the echo chamber. Seeking diversity of opinion and real dialogue is extremely difficult and time consuming.

The new rage of Blaming conservatives for NOT seeing posts and ideas is lunacy. The nearly instant rage mobs grow and peak emotions to garner views/likes. It is NOT productive. The feeds show me what I like to maximize online time and retention, spurring the mob effect for the most extreme and provocative writing. This amplifies and extends the moral superiority based on popularity fallacy. We all lose in these crazy spikes of energy. Flatten the curve by logging off and talking to neighbors and friends and family for real.

I don’t know anyone that is opposed to peaceful protests. I don’t know anyone that supports violence against police. I do know a lot of people with highly disparate political views. Community relationships and civility can bridge gaps moving rhetoric into action. Local. Local. Local. Is how we the people change things. Coordinating and executing cultural change clearly takes much longer than anyone of us imagines. Generational transformation appears to be a system of two steps forward, one step back. Succeed and fail and adapt is a process. There is no magic bullet and one size does not fit all.

I think it is extraordinary process that more of my friends are posting honestly on social media. Dealing with pain and emotion and stress with healthy coping mechanisms is key to progress. It is a hard thing to hear when others speak their truth. It is not my view. It IS theirs and the struggle and burden to listen and hear them is on me.
This reverses as well. I have lived out loud on media platforms for over a decade now and even I struggle with sharing bad news and emotional instability. It is human. MY truth is that I have little patience for the victim culture of blame. The shame game regarding speech is futile in a country built on free speech.
I reject collectivist consumerism in favor of rugged individualism. Talking openly about my beliefs and principles is not easy. It has consequences for real. Sharing pain and sorrow without becoming a attention seeking victim is a difficult balance point to identify. It is not easy. I am confident that few hear me. They listen with their viewpoint and then debate or seek to debate line by line point by point. I am listening more carefully to others now and hearing more completely. Agreement is not required for respect and tolerance. It is helpful, and peaceful to be in the majority, and to be popular, but it is not reality.

check yourself as you listen. Speak boldly and do not be bullied into silence and compliance. Respect and consider others as the extraordinary children of God that they are. Realizing and seeking to clarify the divide is useful. Building a new bridge which accepts the differences but connects hearts and minds is key to our future. All of this begins with a foundation of honesty and relationship rather than blame and punishment.

Progress is hard bu necessary.

Journey well John. Gone too soon. We grieve your loss and celebrate your memory and legacy. Thanks for the friendship.

Last few days and weeks have represented a manic phase for me and many. In my mind, I can see clearly how so many threads are intertwined. Sleep is the casualty it seems. As I manage and prioritize my time and attention on others in place of self I am able to cope.
The unending victimization mentality is exhausting. It is true that each of us has different advantages and challenges. I am lucky to have made many good choices and experienced so many wonderful people. I want to share my blessings and I do but... others are not as lucky and dod not. Seeing and hearing them... the emotional toll is a high cost. The mission to love and serve in spite of the nearly constant noise floor of “gloom despair and agony on me” is essentially endless.
I have no idea how those without faith cope. Writing, working, and studying help me. I know that in Christ all things are possible and that He is with me always, and that my charge is simpler than can imagine. Share the good news that Christ saves and go, tell, and make disciples. It IS simple. I make it hard. The threads are all around me, like a warm blanket, protecting and keeping me from the cold hard world. Every day Is an opportunity to be love and serve in this endless variety show. I am not the producer.