But now I realize it has always
been in my control. I choose what to watch, and I choose when to watch. Life is always about the decisions and
choices you make. Sometimes those choices are necessary and good, other times
they are hastily made and regretted. But they are always there and once made must be
faced.
Decisions in leadership and
government are much the same way. Only
very rarely is a decision made with the intent purpose of hurting someone. For
example, when the hysteria of Japanese invasion ran through the West Coast and
the Nation’s Capital, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 and took
away the civil liberties of 117,000 citizens of Japanese decent. Of course it was argued at the time that this
was for their own protection from the outraged Americans of European and
African descent, but the irony of this rationalization is captured in this quote
from one of the internees, "If
we were put there for our protection, why were the guns at the guard towers
pointed inward, instead of outward?"[i]
For those who believe the best way to affect the evolution
of society to match their personal vision, and who favor an ever-increasing
role of a Government leadership isolated and buffered within the confines of
the Interstate 495 Beltway, I would offer the previous example of abuse as a
cautionary tale. Today we condemn the
bankers, Wall Street brokers, and large corporations because of their influence
and distain for the average worker, but we have allowed the condemnation to
shape the discussion into simple one of party politics.
We have allowed those who would control the debate to
shape the language in such a way that any disagreement with the agenda is
viewed as “racist,” “intolerant,” or just plain “trolling.”
The choice of our future is in our collective hands, do we
continue as we have, or do we alter the course?
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