Black Lives Matter ...

     Since the horrible assault and murder of George Floyd by seasoned police officers, my country has been in turmoil  - and rightly so.  I applaud my fellow citizens, of all races, for standing up to injustice, stereotyping, bigotry and hatred.   Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,"  - it is time for the silent majority to speak up against evil and stand up for what is righteous and just. 

      While it is unfortunate that a few criminals have tarnished the movement by looting and vandalism,  these lowlife, scum do not define the community, nor the cause. And I am offended that there are those who would take away focus from this movement to spotlight attention on those few criminals. It's like taking a tour with God in the His garden, so beautiful and magnificent and someone in the group spoiling the ambiance by pointing out a skunk in the back corner. 

     I am ashamed that police forces in most cities have lowered  standards to allow uneducated  cowards to wear the uniform and enforce the law. Uneducated - because they lack understanding and the wish to understand the different cultures that make up this great nation; cowards - because their answer to their own fears is brutality, bullying and offensive manners. Edmund Burke also said, "The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuses." We have lauded the heroes of our country during this Covid 19 crisis; because they continue caring for people in the face of danger to their own health and mortality.  The EMTs, nurses, doctors, caregivers, hospital custodians, first responders... have all continued to work with little thought to their own well-being.  That is what a hero looks like,  that is what the brave does, that is how the righteous think.  

     We need better screening for police candidates; we need to regularly re-evaluate officers for fatigue, burn-out, PTSD... and we need to have a fair way of removing these men and women from public service if any show signs of unbalance.  But most of all, we need for GOOD people to step up and choose to work in law enforcement. People who would use force as a last resort, who truly care for human life and who are thick skinned.  We need for everyone to respect the law and those enforcing it, even if you feel wronged.  Life is too precious to do any less.  

     So, yes I know that all lives matter, but today, now in America, it is the lives of black Americans at highest risk.  So pray for our country, pray for black men and women- young and old, pray for the police officers in your town, and pray for yourself to have the right heart, and a good conscious.  

      Finally, Edmund Burke said, "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little." Let's do a little something people, even if it's just changing how you look at things.   Amen.  #blacklivesmatter

Thank You Iran

Dear Iran,
     The destruction of Ukrainian flight  was such a terrible tragedy, but the blatant denial by the Iranian government, even before all investigation into the crash was completed, was atrocious and insensitive to the victims families and friends.  
      Everyone makes mistakes.  Countless soldiers have been killed by friendly fire or mechanical miscalculations,  people die in accidents everyday, children pick up guns and inadvertently shoot a sibling or friends, the list goes on and on.  Accountability, acknowledgement, and contrition goes a long way in the healing process for those families left to live out their lives with the loss.
      I appreciate General Hossein Salami's confession and heartfelt apology for the two missiles that shot down flight 752 and killing all 176 souls on board.  I believe that he was devastated by this horrible error and sincere in his statement, "I swear to almighty God that I wished I was on that plane and had crashed with them and burned but had not witnessed this tragic incident." 
      So now it's time to heal ... to pray for peace and comfort for the families and friends of the victims, to pray for peace of mind for the soldiers and leaders who shot down the plane and to hope for peace and calm for all of Iran and pray for a healthy relationship between the USA and Iran, well, with all the nations of this little planet.