Most people I know are virtuous hard working people. They seek wisdom, exhibit courage, revere honor, and are generally measured and respectful in their words and judgement. Empathy and caring is a tricky thing to show authentically at scale. Some choose to virtue signal and tell you want they intend, how much they care while focusing on how much better it would be if they had more control. I tend towards a different model. I care deeply, but I believe that my actions and choices, in spending of precious resources like time and money, must deliver results in support of my principles. To be nice is nice. To actually help others is nicer. My concern, shared by most, is that leaders also set an example of morality and character. This is unavoidable and critical. How I perceive words and actions can be completely disconnected from reality when leaders play the spin game. All leaders do it. All leaders must do it. Competency in this game is about using character and record of results to find the right balance. Inspiring the masses is an extraordinary ability and responsibility. Until Trump came into the picture it was almost always about walking the lukewarm middle to avoid a radical appearance. He trumped this norm and embraced a model of in your face, out loud thinking, and counterpunching that broke the mold and hit the reset button. Donald Trump is not a nice measured communicator. He does get the job done in my view. In his next term, I’d like to see him adopt a more measured persona. Alas that want is not effective in national elections and the current environment. Trump’s drain the swamp approach reset the playing field. He bears responsibility for ushering in and condoning a “key signature” that is harsh and mean spirited. A decision is starkly presented for US. Do we prioritize result over rhetoric. Nice, well mannered elderly intentions over snap decisions and sometimes harsh decisions. I like what Biden said last night. Character is on the ballot. America’s character is not built on flashy rhetoric and Marxist progressivism in my book. My choice is clear. To keep America great, we must get results and then manage the optics. Managing optics up front with controlling and autocratic decisions in the back rooms is toxic. The central committee begins then to set the moral standards and uses rule of law and force of government to destroy the rights granted by God. When coupled with a victimization, cancel culture that rejects rule of law in favor of mob movements, the rights of the people to speak and live freely are damaged and maybe even destroyed. A deep feeling of resentment and disgust spreads like a virus as omnipotent morality reigns in place of one on one decisions. My solution, vote your conscience and search your heart. Go to church and put God back in charge because of your own interpretations. Talk less, smile more. Above all, decide if you prioritize image over results. To evaluate the results you MUST get past the image and find real numbers and metrics that matter. Look ahead, but don’t ignore the past. With politicians and leaders, past results are a predictor of future decisions. My view of politicians is that most are not virtuous hard working people. They ignore wisdom, rarely do anything courageous, are willing to sacrifice honor for poll results and votes, and in recent years are not measured and respectful. That last one, I’d really like to get back to measured and respectful, but when push comes to shove, progress will provide jobs, and security both physically and financially. I can overlook the bad behavior if the results continue to pile up. If I see decisions ultimately bearing fruit over time and at scale. That is the bar. Progress is not about who is nicer, it is about what decisions best enable life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. On that front, we have come so far, but we have so far to go. Choose wisely when you vote. “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” —C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics (1970) "Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
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Powerful men standing together black and white, young and old, committed to a secure future rooted in individual liberty and justice for all. Justice must be coupled with liberty. Mob rule is not rule of law.
The current strategy of the left that paints conservatives as racist is a fear response. If the Democrats are forced to embrace principle and practice they will lose. Their only hope is to divide and destroy using emotion, cancel culture, and identity politics with the goal of retaining and increasing power. Spreading fear and allowing misery is deplorable on all sides but particularly when its foundation is rooted in a legacy of lies, and anecdotal extrapolation. Conflating and Confusing... are pillars of politicians. Voting blocks are amazing tools and hard for rational, liberty minded individuals to embrace. We all want security and prosperity and the opportunity to pursue happiness. People are equal. Ideas are not. Practical liberty exists in the shades of gray. #2A is just one issue, but it is a big one because it embodies individual rights and power. Local and immediate. Stuff to consider for voting for leaders - what is best for exactly who???
WHAT are the plans ahead… EXACTLY?
LOCKDOWNS
Breaking News!! Very little in the real “local” world is actually about President Trump.
He doesn’t represent conservative right Christian principles any more than Biden represents the progressive left. Ultimately we vote on ideas, not people. This is why identity politics and the emerging cancel culture born of a victimization systemic oppression mindset is useless. We cannot live on past success and failure any longer. We can live and love into a future based in service ams choice in place of control and dependency. In community and society based on liberty, we can choose to help. I do think that President Trump is the best choice available for now but I dream of a brighter future. Every group, family, and relationship has cracks. Here is the thing. When that foundation stone is under intense pressure, it is NOT possible to repair the cracks. If nothing is done, then cracks will widen and eventually the foundations will crumble completely leaving a disaster zone for everything, and everyone connected. The problem to manage is repair, without driving wedges into the cracks and making the problem worse.
In our world today, our families, our churches, our institutions are under immense pressure. Cracks which have been present forever, are being stressed and widened. Many of these “institutions” will suffer catastrophic failures. As a leader in my family, in my church, it is my job to care for the entire system. I seek to repair the cracks, or at least fill them. HOW? First, I use time to remove pressure and then I find the strong pieces, and use them to carry the load for the weaker sections as we add strength. The mortar is love, but the solution requires more than simply loving and accepting. It is a balancing act of stress and relief, communication and care and accountability for change. Understanding the true pillars of the foundation is a required step. For me, that is faith and commitment to God. As a family comes apart, there are flex points.. fulcrums and pressure points. The process is the same for bring one together. We must accept the cracks, and seek to fill them so that we can lift one another and shore up the foundation. Disagreements must not be allowed to move to contempt. Actions and decisions affecting the “whole” must take into account the needs of the individuals. People are equal. Ideas and solutions are not. Decisions and actions separate but they also unite when connected to a shared purpose. Unity of purpose does not require uniformity of action, but it does require a shared understanding and direction. FAMILY. FAITH. These are flawed and cracked… but the foundations rooted in stone, rather than sand will stand the pressure… and by working together, we can find a way to avoid collapse. IF… we choose to do so. For me, it is unacceptable to see the coming failure and do nothing, but doing something must not spread divide and weaken the whole. We must agree on the definition of the whole. Rep. Jerry Nadler is a deplorable example of leadership. He represents NY10... Hard to believe but in NY anything can happen apparently. His political Theatrics are in full swing. There is NO professionalism and civility in the words or tone of his opening statement. #MakesMeSick
AG Barr is an honorable man who shouldn’t be in the room with that disgraceful excuse for a leader. AG Barr, I will stand with you anytime. Carry on. The response and action plan for conservatives to make America greater.
Honor. Love. Faith. Sacrifice. Awareness and education of history. Reverence for sacrifice and service Respect for rule of law and authority Commitment to community Choice and Liberty coupled with consequences Family and Life in faith over fear. Singing and saying something serious. American lives matter. A hallmark of knowing something important is the ability and willingness to stand up for it in the face of withering criticism. Great change occurs from holding to principles and ideals above practice but a balance is required.
To accomplish change based on what I know, a platform is required. People, processes and tools that pass the test of scale and duration. All of this occurs under the great assault of normalcy coupled with mob insanity opposing. Information and knowledge are far apart in 2020 it seems. 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. 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. #Fridayfighty list. Most of this isn’t even remotely new. Pondering this list is why I can’t sleep.
The governor of Va has used his executive order “power” to execute what little remaining solidarity there was in the Commonwealth of Va. His mask mandate is an unnecessary, too late, political stunt that will likely blow up all of us. Businesses are now placed into the position of policing an immoral and ill conceived policy(not a law). Their customer base will focus on the useless mask as a token in place of relationships, community and services. The businesses are forced to stand and be counted as they comply with a one size fits all approach. Lord Northam is wrong to do this to our state. His DCCC handlers are pulling the strings and sacrificing him to their cause. The leftist central planning view is the only chance they have to fight the right way. I pray that liberty minded Virginians will recognize this agenda.
as to businesses, if they require a mask and deny services... that is their right and choice. They will suffer the immediate and local consequences for their decisions. The path from the governor is clear. The people must choose and they will. In the short term, our division is now on display and tensions will only inflame the wounds. What is happening in Minnesota does not automatically equate to my community and neighborhood. I know my neighbors. I know the police in my area. The rush to assign intention and correlation and destroy local and private facility must be limited. Talk to people. Ask questions. Remove the fear and we can make progress together.
The national and global narrative is important but local is exponentially more important. Each of us is responsible for our behavior and our community. What is for thee, is not for me. I wasn't prepared. BTW, I'm still not.. I haven't been tested even though I'm an MD... briefing the public, but I can't explain the legal issues to you. We will need to take the details offline and engage the lawyers. Wear a face mask unless youre eating in a restaurant or exercising... and police will not enforce this. The VDH has the ball... That is all. wait. Let me be clear that I have no idea what I'm doing, I'll need to call my DCCC handlers to explain the details to you. #idiotincharge the good news is that I'm now creating an environment where my morally superior supporters can turn on their fellow virginians openly. Because the left is all that is really protecting VA from the right way.
Paraphrased with full humor that is not funny after the GovVa Covid 19 conference on 5/26 When people out there can’t reason anymore they start calling you fat. This is their way to feel superior in their intellectual deficit. What is particularly deplorable, is when adults go after kids and family publicly.
The pain that these deplorables must have felt all their lives must be excruciating for them to be so rude and vicious to other humans. It is hard to keep from despising them. Generational discrimination is passed down indeed and it crosses racial boundaries. Like a virus. Diseases. Not new.
Death. Not new. Partisan division demagoguery and misinformation dissemination. Not new. Americans celebrating their utter dependence and conformity to “the government” - experts, leaders, academics... NEW My country and world view is built on a foundation of self reliance, work ethic, faith in God, and an overwhelming desire to better myself in pursuit of success. The descent into dependency and fear over the past months is staggering. We the people have allowed and encouraged a narrative which preaches that contact with neighbors and family will literally kill you. The pervasive spirit as of May 16 is that the government will save you if you just follow the rules. Government leaders do NOT know the answers nor the way forward for me and my family. I am not dependent on them, they are dependent on me. This paradigm shift is core to the American dream. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.... give me liberty or give me death... Why are 300 million Americans acting like sheep? They have forgotten what it means to BE American. Our wealth and entitlement lifestyle has insidiously infected us with a self focused fear. In place of rugged individualism, we the people now lift up and celebrate conformity, collectivism, and consumerism as the apex of a fallen culture. This is not American. This is not the way. I will not comply. Perhaps I never really did, but at least I see more clearly now. The future is built on faith and family and Americans acting like Americans, taking care of one another, stepping up boldly and leading the world. sheeple, snowflakes, Karens, and cowards should step aside and follow. American? Yes, yes I am and I approve this message. Lord Northam ... week ago. Would not consider a regionalized strategy assisting western and southern VA... he said that politics would divide his beloved commonwealth and it was not safe.
-->> Today(now) - Will allow NOVA to be considered separately from the rest of the state. Here is hoping ALL of my NOVA friends come to SWVA to visit, shop, and seek entertainment. True southerners welcome you. Bless your hearts. When we in SWVA speak, he disregards utterly. When NOVA speaks(Dems) — he steps up and salutes, changing direction. His floor is only hard if you disagree. This flip flop behavior is so typical of Dems and it IS DEPLORABLE. Politics of regions only matter to those in charge... Dems must be ejected for western and southern va to ever have a chance at prospering. Lord Northam is concerned about his control over regions, not the citizen’ safety or “unity” - I’m excited to watch Americans learn and embrace that their states are unique and empowered and special. I’m proud to be a Virginian. I’m not like other people. My state is not NY or CA or DC and I reject that as a premise. My representatives in state and federal govt speak for me. I’m ashamed of many of them. I respect and will campaign for those I agree with. That is how the system works and it does work. Also, we can do better.
I don’t agree with Lord Northam our exalted high Governor but I respect his position as our leader. We can and must govern ourselves within the Republic. How we make decisions is in crisis. My version of the US culture has become dependent on the national media and its anecdotal, limited context, ratings driven sensationalism. We hear about isolated instances of tragedies and emotional, gut wrenching stories and we the people begin to extrapolate and apply those outliers to the entire population, to our local world. This WRONG.
One size does not fit all. It never has. It never will. The divisions and natural biases of our world views is bubbling up and exploding. The guidance and governance for large populations is radically different from families and households and neighborhoods in a free country. We as Americans are allied to do things differently, succeeding and failing, even moving from region to region when necessary to find better decisions makers and conditions for living. We are connected but separate. Reopening America is a state by state, locality by locality decision at this point. We will see good stories, and we will see tragic examples of outliers. When we gravitate towards the Covid19 anecdotal deaths and hot spot stories, and the appropriate grief we are missing that overall, the risk and mortality rates are low. When we ignore the inconvenient truths that millions are in devastating home situations now because of our collective shutdown choices. Jobs gone. Lives in chaos. Families struggling with depression, hunger, and the basics of life. When we ignore the overwhelming evidence that our medical system is safe and instead looks to politicians and bureaucrats and MEDIA for medical and health guidance we FAIL . Our doctors and nurses are amazing, and our system is built on individual, local responsibility, and day to day decisions. Doctors get their expertise from their expert organizations. They are trained to discern between anecdotal data and true guiding medical science. When we ignore the experts in front of us for the personas and stories on the TV and internet we fail. Good decisions are hard. One size does not fit all. Americans must stand and be counted. We must succeed and fail. We can help one another by connecting to those around us. Doctors. Pastors. Teachers. Farmers. Neighbors. Our individual experience is not automatically relevant to the world. It IS relevant to US. Here. And Now. The value of being honest and authentic online exceeds the negative consequences. Support comes from principled actions and consistency not moderation and pleasing everyone. Perhaps this is the message of our age. We must be who we are. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and let the people decide who receives power. We see the results of appeasement and moderation via the party establishment over the last decades. This is all we know for certain. What has been is what has been. Results matter. Grey... Black... White... shades more severe than we imagine.
This is why Trump and Sanders have such strong support. We live in severe times. |
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