The bully pulpit and other political devices.........

   Definition: According to Wikipedia, a “bully pulpit” is defined as a position sufficiently conspicuous to provide an opportunity to speak out and be listened to.

   I recently came across an article about Theodore Roosevelt, one of our more colorful American Presidents and remembered that he had coined the phrase “bully pulpit”, using the White House as his 'pulpit' from which he attempted to generate public support for his political policies and agendas. For sure, being President of the United States, today more commonly referred to as POTUS, is certainly a position of power and of potentially significant influence, a 'bully pulpit' for those who wish to be leaders. But along with that advantage of 'the pulpit' comes responsibility and a level of respect for the influence it yields. Perhaps local state houses also become 'bully pulpits' for governors or wanna be's and other local leaders as well.

   Before going on, however, let me add that in the days of President Roosevelt, the word 'bully' had a much different meaning than it does today, a more positive meaning. 'Bully' was an adjective meaning wonderful, superb, outstanding. When someone shouted “bully for you” it meant “good for you!”

   Today, however, the term 'bully' has a different meaning. A 'bully' is someone who uses 'negative tactics' as a way to force, intimidate or dominate others, bullying tactics.

   From a bit of my past, at a fairly young age, Timmy Barrett would attempt to bully me on the playground after school in an attempt to get me to give him my baseball glove. No way! Of course, my first name often contributed to taunts and name-calling as well from some of his friends.... until the day I picked up a stick and whacked Timmy across his forehead. From that point on and after a trip to the principal's office, Timmy never bothered me again.

   From the days of Teddy Roosevelt to 2017, being a bully has evolved from being “wonderful and superb” to being someone who uses force and coercion to get what they want. Sound familiar?

  Having been on the side of one who has been bullied, at the time I was too young to really understood the motivation and reasons. Yes, I had a nice baseball glove, lived in a home with a mother and father, did not live on the street or was not homeless as a child.

   I had goals and dreams. True. I came from a middle class family, although some thought my family was rich. I wanted to go on to college, become successful at a job and raise a family. I felt an obligation to give back to my country and community. I wasn't angry, didn't carry a chip on my shoulder because I had been forced out of my house to live on the street or feel the need to make fun of others others who I perceived as better than I was. I had the support of caring adults in my life, both family and friends.

   A person can not walk through any school hallway at any grade level in Maine without seeing the signs and posters about “bullying'. “Just Say No to Bullying.” This is a Bully-Free Zone.

   But I have come to the conclusion, over time and life experiences, that the key to whether someone becomes a bully or remains as one as an adult is rooted in role models and a feeling of being in control of one's life. The prerequisites for success are a matter of perception. If a person feels there is an imbalance is social or political power then that person will use the behaviors they feel necessary to either level the playing field or in some cases, even gain the upper hand. And often those behaviors will follow into adulthood.

   I often wonder what motivates someone to run for a political office. Is it a desire to serve, to give back in some way to those who had been a positive impact on a life or is it driven by the need to gain or regain control over something which there is little or no control. Is it to gain the advantage of having a 'bully pulpit' in order to be heard?

   It was easy for me to pick up the stick and hit Timmy in the forehead. It felt good! And although I was frustrated at the time with Timmy's constant bullying me, standing up to the bullying may have turned out to be a good thing. I proved to myself and others at a young age that I could take on the bully and win.

   In its original definition, a 'bully pulpit ' was a position of conspicuous opportunity to speak out and be listened to. But that definition has changed. What happens when a 'bully pulpit' becomes nothing more than a present day 'bully'? Is that effective leadership? And what happens when the bully realizes that no one is listening or cares any more?

The Twelve Days of Christmas revisited.......

   I am so excited that the President of the United States has given his permission for us to say "Merry Christmas" again that I thought I would celebrate his personal holiday generosity by updating some of  my favorite holiday carols...oops...I meant to say Christmas carols.
 
  So for starters, I thought I might start with the 12 Days of Christmas. You all know how the tune goes, so feel free to sing along.
                 
                                                                                               
                                                                        😃😃😃😃😃


   On the 1st of Christmas my President gave to me......a "yuge" income tax increase to offset the decrease he gave to himself, his family and the others living in the swamp.

   On the 2nd of Christmas, my President gave to me....cuts to my medicare (as a retiree so I would have to pay more out of pocket ) and with it a guarantee  to increase  my health insurance premiums.

   On the 3d of Christmas my President gave to me..... three chants of "lock her up"

   On the 4th of Christmas my President gave to me.... four different lies about Russia and his non-involvement in collusion.

   On the 5th day of Christmas my President gave to me..... five new tweets about Jim Comey. He just can't let this go!!

   On the 6th day of Christmas my President gave to me....  a complete 'unedited', edited set of Sarah Huckaby Sanders' White House daily briefings dating back to her first day on the job, along with a signed copy of her promise not to lie to the press.

   On the 7th day  of Christmas my President gave to me....all of his excuses and denials that he has done nothing to obstruct justice, at least in the past week.

   On the 8th day of Christmas my President gave to me.... eight denials that he ever touched or attempted to  mistreat maids a milking.

   On the 9th day of Christmas my President gave to me....nine drummers drumming with a list of all he has accomplished since he took office in January.     
 
   On the 10th day of Christmas my President gave to me....a year's free subscription to Fox News so that I can get the real news and not that fake 'stuff' the others  report out about him.

   On the 11th day of Christmas my President gave to me....eleven Big Macs, , 5 chocolate milk shakes and a bottle of antacid tablets.

   On the 12th day of Christmas my President gave me a list of everyone he has or will fire before the end of the year

   And on 13th day of Christmas  ( oh my, one too many),  my President gave to me......his official letter of resignation, resigning from the position of President, because he found it interfered with his golf schedule and his overseas trips to check on his new hotels in Russia!

   And with that......I wish you all a Merry Christmas and maybe something to look forward to next year
 

Tired of it!!!!! Just plain tired

Perhaps the time has come to reread Henry David Thoreau"s Civil Disobedience.

What if...............

There is a commercial on television where the word 'life' is part of a product name and as part of the advertisement, they highlight the word 'if' within the word 'life'. Very clever, and very true. Life  holds a series of 'ifs' for us and it is up to us to do what we will when confronted with those 'ifs'. How many times have you heard someone say...”what if I don't pass the test” or “what if I am late to the appointment.”

What if people said... “may I, please, and thank you?” Would it be a kinder world? Would people be more polite toward each other? Would there be less violence. Interesting to think about!

Baseball caps have become part of a wardrobe and a culture. But what if... a young man took off his cap upon entering a room or restaurant. What would happen if the young man removed his cap upon meeting someone new. Would that person thing more highly of the young man?

What if...politicians kept the promises they made during the campaign and worked as hard after the election as they did to get themselves elected. Now I know promises are hard to keep  and as a result, some might decide to make fewer promises or at least make ones they know they can keep.

What if, on a given day, no one used a cell phone or a blackberry and just went about life as it used to be. A person was recently interviewed on his way from an eye exam. He was concerned that his sight was failing. He reported that he texts someone about every forty to fifty seconds. No wonder his eyesight is going bad. His texting  may have been preventing him from a daily schedule of personal hygiene as it appeared he needed a shower, a shave, and a comb. Come on, every forty seconds???

What if... everyone stayed within the speed limits on the highways? Would there be fewer accidents and could money be saved with fewer police and lower insurance rates? So what if it took a bit longer to get to where your were going. Leave earlier.

What if... a law were passed to force families  to sit down and have dinner together once a week? Before someone comes unglued with my suggestion of government interference into everyday life, I know the law would never pass. I mean, look at the biker helmet law. And that one is designed to help save lives. Think about the potential positive outcomes of sitting down together as a family or with friends (for those who do not have families). You wouldn't have to text them for at least an hour!

What if... stores were not allowed to be open on Sundays? Is it really necessary to  shop seven days a week? There once was a time when.........I think it was called the 1950's and most of us grew up OK!

And what if, just for a minute each day, we stopped to think about how fortunate we are to be able to live and move about freely, wear what we want, think what we want, eat what we like and read what we enjoy.

Please feel free to send me your “what if”...........

Life begins at 40 and other 'pearls of wisdom' for living....

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Each morning we get up and navigate our way through another day of work or play. But what really drives our actions, those beliefs that serve as our guide post and inspiration? Are they taught to us by our our parents, our religious or spiritual beliefs or are they some common sense set of standards that become part of our every day life?

Each day we are bombarded with 'pearls of wisdom' from those around us, those brief one liners that sometimes brings a smile to our face or a message to the heart. Here are  a few  that you may have heard.

I begin with a Maine  classic. “If it aint't broke, don't fix it!” It is quite apparent that this old adage has been rejected by many who run our government as it appears their primary purpose is to find something to fix, and if they can't, they make something up.

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Well of course it is! If it were not, it would be yesterday. Right?

When my daughters were younger and dating, prior to leaving the house I would warn them “ the night has a thousand eyes.” Very simple. “There could be someone out there who knows who you are.” There were times I knew about things even before they got home.

“It's not over 'til the fat lady sings'. Now I know there is a musical reference here, probably the opera. But I think the meaning  is that it's not over until it's over. Sounds a bit like Yogi Berra, don't you think?

Many people get very upset when they make  mistakes. “Making mistakes can mean that you are learning faster.” The key here, however, is that we learn from  mistakes. The definition of stupidity is said to be “ doing the same thing over and over the same way, hoping for a different result.”

There are several 'pearls' that fall into a common category. “Into one's life some rain must fall.”  Each day does not always begin sunny and warm. Once and a while we may be given  a bowl of lemons. What to do? “Make lemonade!” Life gives us choices and opportunities. We can either choose to act or not.  Remember, however, that by not making a choice, in reality, you are making a choice.... not to choose.

I overheard some recent high school graduates talking. One commented that he wished he could predict the future,  then he would know what courses to take in college. To my surprise, the other responded by saying that the best way the predict the future was to create it!” Wow, I was impressed. Now there was a true young philosopher or maybe he remembered what his mother had told him..

So if life truly begins at 40, were the first 39 years just practice?  Is the beginning of wisdom really 'silence'? Should you listen before you speak? Is it sometimes better to “do nothing''? Is 'true wealth not how much money you have, but how you live your life'?

By stringing some of these pearls together, you can make yourself a very nice necklace and in the process, live a pretty good life.

What shall I have for breakfast today?

   The sun peaks between the curtains in the bedroom window. It's another day. A new beginning. The first question, after a quick trip to the bathroom of course, is 'what to have for breakfast.' Trying to watch my weight, it's not going to be Frosted Flakes or some large cinnamon breakfast pastry. Yogurt again?

   After pouring myself a cup of coffee (no cream or sugar), do I want to watch the news on TV, read the morning paper, or read a few more chapters of the latest novel I started? Opting to read the newspaper, I usually go the the 'Horoscopes' first. While I generally do not allow them to determine the kind of day I might have, often they do provide some insight.

   On this particular day I am warned that it will be a day “filled with questions that may require difficult or elusive decisions, potentially effecting the next couple of days ahead.”

   Every day we are confronted with the need to make decisions, some of them very important, ones that could have a powerful impact upon life. As humans, we are generally very bad at making decisions and choices, especially when it comes to the 'big ones.'

   The process of making a big, difficult decision can cause sleepless nights, fear and regret for making the wrong decisions, or just not knowing the potential outcomes of the choices we make.

   Most of the decisions we make on a daily basis occur without really even thinking about them. What to have for breakfast or what to wear to work do not require a great deal of thought, unless you have a job interview and what you wear may have some degree of important. Does this tie really match my sport coat?

   As a child, many of the decisions that effect our lives are made by parents or older brothers and sisters. “If you tell mom or dad about the party, I'll kill you.” But I'm too young to die!

   The first important decision most face is...”What do you want to be when you grow up?”  How do I know? I can't even cross the street by myself yet and now I have to decide on a job or career. Whatever!

   Over time we do learn how to make decisions and we discover that there are really only two things to consider, 'you' and the process you use. It is at this point that things sometimes fall apart.

   The 'you' part is pretty simple. If you are having a good day, the decisions made may work out well, but a bad day may lead to much different results. Under pressure or stress? It probably is not a good day to make that all important decision. Let your body be your guide. Quite simply, how do you feel?

   In general, good moods often equal good decisions,  while bad moods...

   The second thing to consider is the process to use. Some people use intuition, others may take a more rational or organized approach, such as laying out a decision tree or map or use the Ben Franklin model, consisting of a piece of paper with two columns, one  labeled 'pro', the other 'con'. Worked for him.

  Some thoughts about making good decisions? First. Listen to instincts, but don't let them be the boss. Next. Try to look at all the alternatives. Third. If you have a bit of time on your side, separate yourself from the emotions of the moment. Distance gives perspective. Fourth. By not making a decision, you are, in actually, making a decision. You are deciding not to decide. Not a good idea if you are seeking an outcome of some kind.

   So,  what to have for breakfast today? Instead, I think I'll just go back to bed and try to catch an extra minutes of sleep.

How looking back maybe just got easier...

   My first car was a four door 1964 Plymouth Valiant. It was light blue with big old white wall tires. I don't remember too much else about the car, only that power windows had not been invented yet and that if I went through a puddle of water, the car would stop. It seems as though there was a design flaw, that being the placement of the alternator in the engine was near the bottom of the engine block, too close to the road and when it got wet, the car would shut down. OK. Before someone else says it...it was a fair weather car.

And who can forget that a gallon of gas was just 31 cents.

   Despite the little quirks, the car got me back and forth to college in West Virginia for several years, out on dates in Fair Lawn, N.J and most of the time, on time to summer jobs, except when it was raining of course. It served its purpose.

  Fast forward to  late 2016. I recently bought a new car, at least new to me. It is just a bit over a year old with low mileage and is nothing like that 1964 blue Valiant. Yes, it has power windows and I don't think it will stop running in the rain. Tucked somewhere inside the radio, I guess, is something called 'Bluetooth' that allows me to talk on my cell phone without it leaving my pocket. I don't even have to dial a number. I push a little green button on the steering wheel and this voice asks me what number I want to call. Cool!

   Heated seats are nice, especially in colder climates and rear hatches on SUV's that pop open with the touch of the key are great when your arms are full of grocery bags. But what I really like is the backup camera.

   Now I am not getting any younger and one of the things I am finding is that my mobility is not quite what it use to be. Sure. I can still swing a golf club or throw a tennis ball for the dog. I can still look in the rear view mirror or turn my head to the left or right when I am ready to back the car out of the garage or from one of those tiny parking spaces at the mall. But what I have found is that the backup camera really does help, with an addition view, although it does take a bit of getting use to.

   Put the car in 'R' and a picture immediately appears on a screen in the dashboard. Now, the first time I did this, the car salesperson was standing immediately behind the car, his face just inches away from the camera. He laughed and I screamed. He is pretty scary to look at, even in the camera.

But after some practice, the camera has become a helpful driving tool. In the garage, I start the car, shift it into reverse, after I have opened the garage door of course, and I get a full picture of my driveway and the neighbor’s house across the street. I sure won't back into his house now, not that I ever did.

   With some degree of ease and feeling a bit more aware of those things going on around me, I now slip in and out of parking places at the grocery store, the local Dunkin Donuts and Walmart. I still adjust the rear view mirror, and look behind me to the left and the right before stepping on the gas, but the camera does add another level of safety.

There have been a lot of changes in cars and trucks since my first 1964 Plymouth Valiant. Power window, heated seats, backup cameras are only a few of the innovations designed to make the journey through life a bit easier, more comfortable and safer.

   We know that sometimes when we drive, we need to backup in order to move forward and get to where we want to go. Life in general is like that also. That backup camera inside the car gives us not only a picture of where we have been, but also where we need to go before moving forward.

   The same holds true for life outside the car. While we don't have our own electronic backup camera, we probably have something just as good. I think we call that 'life's experiences', lessons and memories. It may not be quite like what we see on the screen of the backup camera on the dashboard of the car, the things we remember can often remind us of what's behind us, where we have been and where we are may be headed.

   And as for that new backup camera? Already I wonder how I have managed to get along without it for so long. Whoa! How did that shopping cart get there?