Walking Dead
The government shutdown has done more than close parks and furlough workers. Thousands of lobbyists are roaming like zombies throughout the streets of Washington DC trying to impact decisions when no decisions are being made.
Fortunately, since zombies primary food is brains, most will starve to death inside the beltway before they can cause problems more serious than their normal activities.
Posted in Actor, Celebrity, Communications, Culture, Government, Leadership, Media, Politics
Tagged Government shutdown, lobbyist, Washington DC, Zombie
The comedian Gallagher pointed out that to really understand something you need a fresh set of eyes. He’d use examples of his daughter’s description of things, such as calling a restaurant a “dinner store.”
We’re in Washington, DC. As our nation’s capital, it is somewhat surprising to see how cosmopolitan it is. Take every dialect, every style of clothing, evidence of every religion, mix thoroughly and you have the District.
I’m not naïve, and have seen parking lots covered with the cones the police use to mark bullet casings and other evidence. That happens with every large city.
But with Washington, the thing that has struck me this trip is talking with the people who are first generation Americans. There is a common theme. They came to raise their children – many who were not yet born when they arrived. How they learned the language. How they learned to coordinate – to fit in without losing themselves and their heritage.
I guess as a melting pot America does not reduce its people to a homogenous consommé, but instead to a rich collection of flavors that contrast with one another. The spicy with the tart; the savory with the subtle in a wonderful blend.
But the best part is that as we’ve talked to people, so many have expressed a common theme. They came here – they became Americans because of opportunity. Not a guarantee or a promise – but a chance.
And then I remembered being told that my own great-grandfather came here from Poland in the 19th century for the same reasons, with the same challenges, and the same dreams.
Posted in Blog, Communications, Culture, Education, Family, Friends, Future, Government, History, Immigration, Leadership, Media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Religion
Tagged United States, Washington DC
As with most historical figures, as time passes, our recollection of The Reverend Doctor King changes. It’s sometimes hard to believe that so few years ago we had legally enforced segregation. That the Pentagon had separate bathrooms for blacks and whites because of Virginia law. That Norfolk shut down its public school system rather than integrate. That Rosa Parks was arrested for keeping her seat on a public bus.
Dr. King brought these ugly facts to the forefront, but did so in a way that made it impossible to ignore.
We all think of ourselves as the “good guys” and prior to the 1960s, equality was not something we wanted to think about. Whites weren’t biased, it’s just that blacks and whites were seen as different, or so we wanted to believe.
It’s true, blacks and whites are different. Not because of being black or white, but because each of us is an individual and every individual is different. It took us a long time to figure this out.
Today we look around and congratulate ourselves on making a lot of progress. We have a black president starting his second term. Neighborhoods are integrated. Mixed families are becoming more common.
However, making progress is different from reaching a goal.
It’s because Columbus found land in the New World that he’s renowned, not because he set sail. Armstrong wasn’t the first astronaut to head to the moon, he was the first to actually get there. Progress is good, but it’s only a step in the right direction.
We’re making progress, but we need to continue.
Today we may see Dr. King as an icon – an ideal. Like Washington, Lincoln, and so many others, in life he was not a marble statue but just another individual. The difference is that people like Washington, Lincoln, and King took on the challenges, took the heat, and told us what we needed to hear, whether we wanted to hear it or not. King was a man, not an icon, but that’s what makes what he did so monumental. He stood up when others feared to.
Celebrate tomorrow as a day that marks one more step forward for humanity.
Posted in Celebrity, Communications, Culture, Education, Family, Friends, Future, Government, History, Holidays, Leadership, Media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Religion
Tagged discrimination, integration, King, Martin Luther King, New World, Norfolk, Pentagon, racial, Rosa Parks, segregation, Virginia, Washington DC
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