Sugar Creek Publishing

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 223

February 5, 2016

“Man of Steel”

Please forgive the hiatus. The past three weeks have been especially difficult, but only dog lovers will understand the state of mind of an owner in the wake of a beloved canine companion’s death.

If you have been paying attention over the past few years, you have noticed a not-so-subtle undercurrent among not only advertising, but also attitudes and strong character traits among our younger people. By “younger,” I mean those 30-40 years of age.

Watching the popular HGTV series “House Hunters” is a real eye opener. Disregard the exorbitant ridiculous in terms of real value per square foot. (Sorry for that comment, but as the daughter of a talented builder and a woman who oversaw the building of a fairly large home, I do know home construction.)

Witness these young people as they walk through prospective homes. The first thing you notice is that they are shopping for a home that is likely what their parents had by the time they were in college. It is hard to believe that their folks started out the way they ended not an isolated attitude today.

What ever happened to “starter homes” — those dwellings that were far from ideal, but cozy enough to shelter newly married couples determined to do better as years passed? What ever happened to being satisfied with ordinary and not demanding unique and top-notch in a first home?

It beats me!

Now, let’s hop from attitudes to character traits. When I was in high school, I dreamed of going to college; yet, I understood that the financial burden would be hard for my parents to shoulder. As it worked out, I went away for a semester and then came home to get a job and pay my own way through school. Butler University welcomed me, as did two wonderful jobs. True, rearing three active boys interrupted that education. Yet, I did finish over time and graduated college the same year as my eldest finished high school.

Working your way through school was not that unique back in the 1960s. Many did it, and I am happy that I was numbered among them. Today, that “pay my own way” posture is all but extinct. Instead, a sense of entitlement has taken over a large number of collegians.

Currently we witness throngs of civics-deficient students clamoring for someone else to pay their way through school. Recently, I saw film interviews on Ivy League campuses. Students there embraced the reporter’s faux movement to do away with the First Amendment. Talk about illiteracy of government to the extreme?

Here it is in full color and, I fear, not isolated.

I can remember my grandparents saying that the worst thing that could happen to you would be “going on the dole,” or getting government assistance. My, how times have changed! When the statistics are cited, it is possible for a single mother with several children to pocket more money through welfare and entitlement programs than full-time workers.

There are, of course, many parents today whose sole purpose is to guide their children to good lives by teaching hard work and moral values. However, these parents are widely absent from news media or movies.
Instead, filmmakers focus on aberrant behavior and shocking lifestyles — giving high marks to same sex couples or households absent a father. When, for instance, was the last time have you saw the evening news feature a solid, two-parent family with high school children that hold down part-time jobs and go to church every Sunday?

And when a high profile person puts the spotlight on the disintegration of the American family, the media attacks him or her as if a pariah.

As a teenager, I never saw anything to equal the things we see and hear today. I know that many of today’s returning veterans need help adjusting, but I also recall clearly who came back from WWII and Korea. Contrasting the man of 1950 to many men today, I deem the 1950s man a “man of steel” — but not George Reeves or Christopher Reeve. And today’s man, generically speaking, I see him as emasculated. Sad, isn’t it?

Those men in the late 40s and 50s, many of whom took advantage of the GI Bill to finish school, went on to lead productive lives. Few of those men ever spoke of what they had seen, and yet I know that their experiences must have been horrendous. Those who didn’t further their education took jobs in manufacturing, founded small businesses and began families — with high numbers buying their first homes, and opening savings accounts for retirement.

Bottom line, they grew up with a work ethic and world-view widely absent today. Reared by parents and grandparents who worked hard, few of those men would grow old with even a small percentage of what young people expect to begin with today.

Backgrounds steeped in patriotism and faith coupled with hard work turned out men and women of stronger mettle than we see today. I can imagine those men shaking their heads when witnessing the antics and demands of the 30s and 40s set today. Evidently, made of far sterner stuff than their descendants, I believe that they would consider the mindset of parents over the past thirty years who offered their kids “an easier” life not only short-sighted, but also dangerous.

Just what will happen if this nation is plunged into really dire financial conditions? Given the national debt, that is not unforeseeable. Could they measure up to a real challenge when it comes to money and lifestyle? Are they capable of facing real trouble? Job losses? Downgraded lifestyles? I wouldn’t bet on it.

It’s time that someone stepped up in the public forum and sounded the alarm. It isn’t crying wolf, either. It is a legitimate warning.

The folks who coddled their kids and accepted and went along with the “no losers” mentality when it came to athletics are to blame for this. Making life easy for a child never prepares him or her for the tough day-to-day struggles that lie ahead.

There is no telling what is around the corner for us, but to turn over the reins to a generation populated to an appalling degree of “me first” individuals gives me more than pause. It frightens me.

For most of our history, loyalty was given first to God, then country, then family. It’s hard to fathom that in a time when sports fans seem to have more allegiance to their favorite team than to their God or country.

I know I should believe that it’s never too late to change things, but this “gimme, gimme I deserve it” attitude only seems to spread as years pass. Visit again the young couple and the wife that complains that the kitchen in the house she considers has no granite countertops and stainless appliances and the husband that wants his entertainment center and “man cave.” Well, the closest my father came to a room of that sort was his desk. And what did he do there? He read. Both of my parents read.

Oh, we had a television my folks were not only very well read, but also self-educated. I would offer the fact that the two of them would far surpass the younger set in terms of breadth of knowledge. Doesn’t say too much for our educators, does it? Today, young people clamor to be entertained. It’s as if they run away from everyday life to escape into a faux reality.

Looking back, to top it off, my parents came from generations replete with good, old-fashioned common sense. What’s more, that common sense fueled a fierce push to make sure that children of my generation knew the meaning of hard work and respected their elders.

Work was not a dirty word. It was the path to a better life. Remember, the only place that success comes before work is the dictionary. Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 219

September 2, 2015

“Mis-America”

No, the title is not a spelling error, but simply a creation of this writer, a person who remembers well the day when America was — indeed — that shining city on a hill that President Ronald Wilson Reagan described.

America today is a shadow of her image forged at the end of World War II. Known worldwide as the defender of freedom and responsible for freeing more people than any other country in history, the America I knew as a child spiraled into a continuing growing abyss of debt and untrustworthiness. Although seen over a couple of decades, the low point of federal government and its operations have increased markedly over the past seven years.

A combination of a Congress unwilling to hold down expenses and a growing populace relying on the federal government for its very existence — coupled with a progressive agenda bent on serfdom for many of us — have ushered in a really dangerous situation. Today we witness the fruits of that nonsense in an economy recovering from recession far slower than it should, largely due to an unbelievable number of federal regulations aimed at businesses.

At the forefront of this is a corpulent federal bureaucracy that feeds on public largesse as if it were a forest fire starving for fuel. The fuel in this case is, of course, our tax money. In the end, we foot the bill and many of us are none too pleased about the prospect of passing on astronomical debt to our grandchildren within a society that is more and more centrally controlled.

Far from a comparison to the famous Miss America beauty pageant attracting huge television audiences over decades, instead of inspiring awe and appreciation, the current “Mis-America” should scare the socks right off of you.

Domestically? Since when have so many Americans been content to accept government support and not aspire to achieve on their own? How is it that respect for authority is absent in countless locations coast to coast? How on earth do we tolerate having law enforcement personnel fear for their lives simply in the course of doing their jobs? Why do we allow tiny splinter groups of people to wreak havoc on our daily lives and endanger those entrusted with our protection? Where are our voices?

The answers are stark, and they reveal more than we want to know about the costs of our timid complacency. Common sense hasn’t ruled for some time and I don’t see it resurging anytime soon.

When the government began to pay women who had children with no father in the home, it not only encouraged out of wedlock birth, but it also ushered in generations of homes without a male role model. And authority? Crime ridden neighborhoods buckle to gangs and we see a pitiful litany of and desperate children devoid of any dreams for a real future. God bless those mothers who do strive to keep their children off the streets and out of harm’s way. It must be a terrible way to live.

Exposure is the key here. If a child is exposed to loving themes, faith, and high example, he or she will look forward to personal success with relish and pride. There is no replacement for a strong masculine role model either in the home or at least in the neighborhood. However, if a child is exposed to violent movies, music and video games that desensitize any modicum of empathy or charity, then the child is a prime target for gang membership, drug use, and crime. A sense of belonging rules.

Consider the movies, music, and games available to our youth. The link is unmistakable. Prurient content draws children in like a moth to a flame. Easy money and reward for bad behavior only heightens the problems of inner city kids and the gangs win life after life — that is, before snuffed away at the point of a knife or a gunshot.

When you combine a large and growing, disgruntled, underemployed, angry portion of American youth with a declining job market, the result is far from pretty. In the end, as much as we are what we eat, we are also what we see and what we hear. Consider that for a moment. Filth and violence top gentility and generosity. Pulling away from our foundation of faith has only added fuel to the fire. No moral compass yields no conscience or morality!

In truth, we emulate the prime influences in our lives. Contrast the history of the American cinema. The most successful studio pioneers were immigrants who came up the hard way and fully appreciated both the freedom and the entrepreneurship America offered. Their films inspired real patriotism during World War II and film’s leading stars traveled nationwide selling War Bonds. While many of those movie stars were not angels in their personal lives, the studio heads took great pains to keep the actors’ actresses’ personal foibles from public view, resulting in stellar role models for young moviegoers.

Today is a different story. Most children are exposed to hundreds, if not
thousands, of screen deaths before they turn twelve. If life holds so little value in media, how can we expect children to value it in real life?

More than anything, the increasingly worrisome decline in the moral and fiscal fabric of the country can be given another title — but not one of beauty: “Mis-Management.”

It is not a fluke that three non-government types have soared to the top of the polling data across the country. You see, entrepreneur Donald Trump, Dr. Benjamin Carson and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina bring the key single ingredient to the 2016 electoral cycle. They are managers. This talent shines in the following, albeit brief, work histories.

Donald Trump runs a huge business conglomerate employing great numbers of people, Dr. Benjamin Carson managed the fragile environment of neurosurgery, including a team of professionals who depended on his judgment — all the while accomplishing amazing operations that impressed physicians around the world, and Carly Fiorina headed an international company those products continue to lead the world of print technology.

Today, “Mis-America” earns her name. Moreover, the American people are being misled. Investigative reporting is dead, or so it seems. Where are the Woodward and Bernstein of our generation? Investigative reporting seems to be dead. If not, someone would have uncovered why IRS personnel delayed applications for conservative groups applying for special designations as C3 entities and exposed those responsible. If reporting were alive, someone would have named those within the Veterans Administration who delayed care for our vets and cost lives in the process. Yes, veterans died due to delays in diagnosis and care. Those VA employees should have been fired immediately. No firings yet!

If we saw good investigative, unbiased reporting, billions of dollars would not have been channeled to so-called “green companies” –- all at taxpayer expense. Wasted billions. No wonder that many of us distrust government at its highest levels. Ponder good that that kind of money could have done if it had been spent wisely and aimed at fiscally defensible projects.

And what of the merits of what was sold to Americans —and rushed through Congress without a single opposition party vote — as a top-notch healthcare system? Why didn’t the Congress have to use it? A good manager would never have administered so inequitably. If it were the very best form of health care, then why allow anyone to opt out? The answer is that the favoritism of inequality equals the death of freedom. Shoving something down the people’s throats without public input is tantamount to tyranny. Oh, this administration pushes inequality when it suits their agenda, as in the nebulous area of salaries, but it totally ignores inequality in its own practices.

Lastly, “Mis-America” misinforms. Because leisure and entertainment rule among a large sector of the population, far too many people pay little attention to the political pulse. Remember this: a misinformed public will fall for anything. Run the gamut here from “If you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan,” to “Global warming is settled science.” Oh, please. Science, in and of itself, evolves constantly. Otherwise, there would be no breakthroughs and we would be stuck in the past, never progressing at all.

A complacent, uninformed public eager to get something for nothing is easy prey for the snake oil salesman. Beware of his spiel. There is no free lunch. Someone will pay for it and it could spell your end.

Mis-America? Sadly, yes…. Not only are we misled and mismanaged, but we are also misinformed. That, dear readers, is a toxic mixture. Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 218

August 5, 2015

“Words? Better yet, action.”

Forty-eight hours remain until a stable of potential candidates take the stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Would that their answers equal the memorable lyrics of the music so enshrined in that building.

Yes, song lyrics… Maybe that is a stretch for some of you, but take a moment to think about the overall morality and unusually apt messages of the songs we remember from the 50s and 60s. Oh, there were anomalies with car wrecks and tragedies, but most of the songs were seminal in their wisdom.

For example, review the lyrics of 1968’s “Get a Job!” by The Silhouettes. Today’s version might be “Create a Job!” We have the lowest participation rate in the national workforce in decades. True, more and more of us are slipping into the retirement years, but what of the college graduates and even the high school graduates who cannot find work?

We can lay part of the blame on governmental demands, and most small employers will tell you that health care costs cut deeply into their bottom line and deter them from expanding their employee numbers.

Getting back to the music, consider “The Great Pretender” (1955). Let’s hope that the men behind the podia actually answer with meaty answers instead of spewing “acceptable” rhetoric to avoid being caught up in a mainstream media firestorm.

I doubt if Mr. Trump has any such fear. Not long ago, most of us thought that straight talk had disappeared from the political scene. And then came Donald Trump…. Yes, “The Donald” who stepped away from working in his father’s successful business and launched into his own. He hasn’t done badly, has he? He did not succeed by making milk toast decisions or giving lukewarm answers to either his associates or his competitors. The “Great Pretender”? Not Trump….
And then there’s the 1958 hit “Yakety Yak” by The Coasters. There are few of us that have — at one time or another — thought that political spiels were nothing more than Yakety Yak and uttered as simple sound bites. No substance….

The Miracles brought us “Shop Around” in 1960. Isn’t that what this whole event Thursday night is about? Viewers need to assess the abilities and depth of each of these men. Like the lyrics suggest, Mama told her not to settle on the first man who came along. Instead, she should take care to shop around. So should primary voters.

The year 1965 gave us Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence”, but — so far — that does not apply to a number of these men. Consider, for instance Governor Mike Huckabee’s comment on Obama and Israel. While shocking to some, it was pointed and clear. Abandoning Israel and agreeing to allow Iran to be a nuclear power is tantamount to launching a new Holocaust. It’s ironic that mainstream media have no problem in assigning ugly terms to conservatives, and — more specifically — Christians. And where is the reaction to Christian beheadings overseas? Just as the administration cannot label Muslim Terrorists, neither can it identify those beheaded as Christians. How sad….

Even sadder is that the song title does apply to President Obama in 2009 when the young people of Iran begged for support. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the fallout of that inaction. Fallout? Sorry, apt choice, but perhaps a poor choice of words there…

1968: Tommy James and The Shondells offers another great title, “Mony, Mony.” While the spelling is wrong, the meat of the words could not be better. If there is one thing that we all worry about, it’s money. Businesses need to keep more in order to hire more. Workers need it for existence. Government needs to bring it in huge amounts. However, it needs to adopt a fair tax that applies to all. Yes, good old money. In short, money makes this nation hum. No lyrics needed for that tune.

If you doubt that, take a look at Greece. My, isn’t it the model of success for socialist policies? But, I digress. Back to the music….

1969 brings two titles to conclude this column.

First, consider Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused.” What better adjectives to describe the middle class across the nation, and — more specifically — the inner city families who hoped that the first black president would bring help to their neighborhoods? Nothing like that happened, and crime rates have continued to skyrocket in the inner cities around the country.

The Beatles close this column with what should be the goal of the next man to bring his acumen and determination into the Oval Office, “Come Together.”

At over seventy, I remember clearly every president back to Eisenhower. I have never seen or heard more divisive statements than those uttered by our current president over his terms in office.

We, as Americans, deserve better than this. We deserve a return to true representative government. We deserve a president committed to ridding us of mammoth federal debt, gutting waste in every government agency, dismantling the Department of Education, and returning lawmaking to the congress instead of ignoring its implementation by the judicial branch.

Lest the ground shake above the graves of each and every Founding Father, Americans need to demand a return to the government they envisioned and one that Benjamin Franklin, in particular, feared would not last. Recall his comment when a woman asked if the US constituted a democracy. His reply, “A republic, madam, if you can keep it.”

Can we restore it? Can we keep it? Pray that we can. Heed carefully the words of those who step up to the podia on Thursday night. The venue could not be more apt. “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”? You bet! We need to rock the political establishment and roll forward to a better future.

Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 217

“Gullible’sTravels”

July 15, 2015

It seems as if Rod Serling is writing the copy for our news these days. Surely this must be the twilight zone. America, the country that would never negotiate with terrorists, sitting down with the Iranian government leaders to write a deal that even Serling would recognize as science fiction.

Most of us know how we came to this point, but we worry that a good portion of the electorate has come to only view the government as a source of income and ignores the primary responsibility of protecting the American people.

Government expansion defies all common sense. It virtually has its nose in everything from what you put in your tank to what you put in your mouth. And as far as foreign policy goes, it went….

How’s that “reset button” going with Russia? What about recognizing Cuba without any mention of human rights? Add to that Iran, and all I can summarize with is that our former and current Secretaries of State fit a slightly altered title of a popular children’s story: “Gullible Travels.”

It works, doesn’t it? These two people and our president are naïve to the point of disbelief. They amass a lot of air miles; but, in all their travels, they make a serious mistake. They ignore history. They ignore history. They side step the fact that four Americans are held or missing in Iran today as we transfer billion of dollars that will undoubtedly funnel arms and aid to the terrorists that they support in Israel, Iraq, North Africa, Yemen, and Egypt. Even in the midst of the negotiations, the head of the Iranian government led the chant, “Death to America. Death to Israel.” So just what has our administration done? It has penned an agreement with a nation bent on our destruction. And so I assign them a new title, and not one of presidential appointment or assumed coronation. They are not “The Incredibles,” but they are the “Gullibles.”

I see them that way. What about you? Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 214

May 25, 2015

“Memorial Day – 2015”

No American holiday is more important and less featured in our schools than Memorial Day. Not only do young children lack an understanding of its importance, but they also are limited to agenda-driven history in their textbooks. Why publishers and editors seek to dismantle history is an anathema to me. What’s more, it is very dangerous.

History is the best teacher. Its events provide critical benchmarks; “red flags” if you will, to warn us of what might come if we make decisions that mirror those among similar circumstances.

If you do not believe me, take the time to find a current textbook and compare it to one published in the 1950s. My husband and I have done it, and the comparison is startling. The glaring lapses should upset anyone who values patriotism and the value of history to a solid education.

Patriotism is a value learned and nurtured early in life. Those members whose ages span their 80s and 90s taught citizenship for my generation. Moreover, they exemplified it. They lived it. Our schools were busy with Poppy Day when we made posters featuring soldiers and sailors. We were taught how important they were and we revered them from an early age.

Our songbooks were full of the service hymns. To this day, I can do a pretty good job with the lyrics of the songs of the Army, Air Force, and Navy. We marched and sang carrying American flags. When was the last time you saw children doing that?

Yet, I worry that ours may have been the last generation to really learn about the sacrifices of those who served or supported the military of the United States. Clearly each military man or woman earned our highest respect. Many witnessed close friends die under the worst circumstances possible, yet few freely discussed their experiences.

I think that may be because pain endured in battle imbeds so deeply in the psyche that those who suffer inner scars are most reluctant to speak about them — even with spouses or children. I know from speaking with World War II families that few of their men or women came home and talked about what happened during that conflict. There was an unspoken understanding that there were some things you just did not ask. Those who returned were happy to have survived and their families knew that.

Today, as many of us travel to military cemeteries, place flags on headstones in community cemeteries, or attend public gatherings to honor our servicemen and women, we will take a moment to reflect on true sacrifice.

The seminal question, however, is what can each of us do to teach our children the critical importance of our military? Clearly, not everyone is cut out to serve, but those who do share a bond far different from the one shared among friends and coworkers.

I make it a point to thank every person I see wearing a military cap denoting service. A chance encounter might be in a retail store, at a restaurant, or simply passing on the street, but it does spark a reaction. To a person, the gesture inspires a smile and that little glint in the eye that is unmistakable. Someone cares. Do you? Remember, were it not for them, none of us could live or worship freely. Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 213

May 17, 2015

“Listen…”

It is highly unusual for me to write on a Sunday and I do apologize for a three-week lapse in columns. However, in the wake of recent events, even this news “junkie” finds her usual enthusiasm for headlines and major stories diminished to the point of near exhaustion. Like many of you, I fear the apparent collapse of foreign policy and recognize the looming terrorist threat for what it is but feel helpless to remedy the situation.

Years ago, when cellular phones were just beginning to take over as everyday items for us as Americans; a television ad ran touting the performance of one cellular provider over another. You probably remember it.

The ad featured a person holding a cell phone and constantly asking if the person on the other end could hear him. Jocular as it was, it merits examination as the bell weather for what we face now.

For as much as my generation has trusted in our government’s ability to protect us as a people, attitudes are changing in response to a growing sense of insecurity. Our enemies are, unquestionably, among us. Absent uniforms or other visible identification, they threaten invisibly. This, above all other considerations, distinguishes them from any other enemy we have faced in the past.

Oh, there were Germans who pretended to be Yanks dispersed among our troops in Europe during World War II; but even they were tripped up by our vernacular. Army issue uniforms did them no good. You see, with no exposure to American slang, the Nazi impostors fell victim to their training. Even good American accents could not disguise their lack of knowledge.

To a great degree, our leaders suffer from the same malady and we are at risk for their blatant ignorance of how serious a threat we really face. Every day, we awake to messages reminiscent of those espoused by Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich in the 1930s and 1940s. World domination was his dream then and it is the Muslim terrorists’ dream today.

Clearly, we should take the speeches of Tehran as truth, word for word. When Iran’s Supreme Leader asks for followers to launch worldwide jihad, perhaps he takes a page from the Madison Avenue playbook of the cellular provider.

After all, he is asking the same question. “Can you hear me now?” Can we? Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

# 212

“Staying connected…”

April 16, 2015

The other evening I happened to overhear a young person (twenties perhaps…) discussing the upcoming presidential election process. The lack of knowledge not only shocked me, but it also frightened me.

I remember how excited I was to reach the age of twenty-one so that I could vote. Today, that age has dropped to eighteen — more in line with the age at which our young people can serve their country.

Civics was taught when I was in high school over fifty years ago, but the emphasis was on the process and the importance of being informed. None of our teachers expressed any particular opinion on party or candidate. Instead, they stressed the value of the vote and how important just one vote could be. That still holds true. For, in many cases, one vote per precinct can put a candidate over the top and insure victory.

Today, the information gained with one click outstrips the amount that it took students of my generation days of intense research in libraries and newspaper archives.

One would think that, with that depth of data at your fingertips, this generation would be the best informed of any time in our history. Well, while that sounds good, it does not hold true for the majority of those in their late teens and twenties. They are more interested in movies and music than politics. Currently, staying connected needs to be on a personal level.

To be fair, politics fails to exude the high interest of the entertainment world; but that does little to address the shortfall in information so endemic in interview after interview by “on the street” reporters. Do what you can to spread the word that a vote is the most precious privilege you have. Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

# 211

April 8, 2015

“Sticks and Stones”

Some days, common sense is absent from the public forum. So it has been for the past several weeks here in Indiana. A law that simply prohibited any level of government from making a law infringing on religious liberty was skewed to imply that it promoted discrimination of a very small portion of our population. Ah, yes, those persons within what is deemed the gay community took on a law that parallels the one signed by President Clinton

–– a law co-sponsored by Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich. Bi-partisan? Yes.

This unexpected onslaught of misinformation placed a pall over the state to the degree that national media focused on it day after day, impugning the state’s credibility and making our governor out to be far less a man that he is. Not that that was a big surprise. Mainstream media, combined with a liberal bent in education, never ceases to push their favorite causes. It is their influence, in combination, that endangers American life as we know it.

A champion for freedom long before he went to Washington, D.C. to serve in Congress, Mike Pence hosted a radio show for years. His down to earth comments were not lost on Hoosiers. In only a few years, his fine reputation went beyond the airwaves to the political scene.

A conservative pledged to the liberty of all Americans, Governor Pence has suffered the unwarranted slings and arrows of a determined minority bent on making everyone else in society fall into line with their beliefs. Hoosiers are divided on whether he should have asked to have the law amended. Clearly, it could have stood on its own.

Maybe the gay community should take note of those who initially came out in support of it, only to end up in the stands to watch the Final Four. Did they stay home from the best possible site to see collegiate basketball? Nope. Take Apple CEO, for example. He stormed forward with comments that soiled Indiana’s reputation and then blissfully flew into Indianapolis for the NCAA National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium. Maybe someone should ask him to defend his sales practices. His company sells products in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Middle Eastern countries where homosexuals are put to death if identified. Maybe he should remove Apple iPhones and iPads from outlets in those locations. If he is such a strong spokesman for the gay community, perhaps he — using an old phrase — put his money where his mouth is! Don’t hold your breath for that one.

Freedom of choice is sacrosanct in America, but some aspects of life should be kept private. No doubt, sexual preference apart from the majority heterosexual persuasion has been around for a long time. However, the current, incessant push to scream “civil rights” is not only disappointing, but also threatening. Why threatening? If taken to every level of daily life, it endangers the spirit of the entire population. And a dispirited people does not band together easily.

It’s time that the gay community tried to rehabilitate itself into a group that, while defending its beliefs, ceases to constantly impinge on those of the rest of us in order to make a point. That kind of rhetoric wears on many of us.

As a grandmother, I do not want the gay lifestyle marketed to my grandchildren under the label of tolerance. Tolerance is a two-way street. Maybe it’s time that the gay community toned down its language and metered its actions. Not that I expect that to happen.

For decades, the schools have been more intent on gender sensitivity than to teaching basic skills. Try to explain to a teenager at a cash register that you received too much change. Try to fathom why that same teen has no idea that 88 cents is just 12 cents from a dollar. Yet, that same teen would be very apt to come to the defense of the gays as a legitimate group. Go figure… Sorry about that, figuring was a poor choice, wasn’t it?

Too many of our young people rely so much on electronic devices and popular culture that they no longer think on their own. Sad. Combine the specter of a stilted view of sexuality with a reliance on devices over brain matter and you have the ingredients for disaster. Heaven forbid if we find ourselves fraught with the failure of those wonderful little devices.

A whole lot of good that sensitivity will do for the younger set then. Do have empathy for those who live a lifestyle that we cannot defend or understand, but also do remember that a house divided against itself falls. (Thanks, Abraham Lincoln.) We are more a divided people today than any time in our history, and widespread support for traditional marriage and religious liberty among our young people is fading fast.

I guess the old saying goes, “As you sew, so shall you reap.” Well, we may be in for a bitter harvest. Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

# 210

March 25, 2015

“Had he lived…”

Forgive the recent hiatus, but my husband took me on a two-week camping sojourn and we enjoyed it thoroughly. Getting out into the woods and basking in nature surely tops the fast lane.

However, the only time we encountered the letters “w i f i” was in the word wildlife! Alas, Internet connections are absent in most state and national parks. That is fine with me, by the way.

Today, we seem to co-exist with acronyms. IRS comes to mind when the month of April rolls around. History buffs immediately recognize DAR, and the litany of acronyms of our military and its equipment ring a bell with anyone who has ever worn the uniform. And, of course, NRA for many of us.

Beyond all the short forms we use in everyday life, we need to remember how much we are connected minus technology. The very fact that we are all God’s children more than surpasses the well-touted “6 degrees of separation.” However, setting the tone for this column, we are all connected as Americans.

No matter what election level, from state to national, a cacophony of barbs launches. The ugly result has morphed into a completely inaccurate portrait of one political party: The GOP.

Yes, the Grand Old Party suffers the slings and arrows and, to my mind, does very little to defend itself. Perhaps it is because most of us who espouse to its beliefs hold to the tenet that mixing it up with the mud slingers and their unfounded charges only puts us at their embarrassing level.

Consider the large cities led for decades by Democrat mayors. Their residents are the poorest and most needy of all. When you assess the progress made by Republican mayors of major cities, you may find a flaw here and there — but overall, they are in much better financial shape.

Welfare and its attendant policies have crushed the black families of this nation. Go into a poor inner city and you will find children — students with ability and promise — relegated to the worst schools. Yet, most of their school budgets are higher than suburban schools. Go figure… And what of the kids? Minus role models seen before integration, i.e. black merchants, doctors, dentists and hard working blue-collar men and women, children have no stable adults to emulate. Minus neighborhood schools and involved parents, and any dreams of success fall far short of what they should be. And we, as the wider society, are poorer for it.

Have you ever wondered how very different our lives would be had he lived? The “he” to whom I refer is Abraham Lincoln, a lifelong favorite of mine. I do not have every book written about him, but a packed shelf in my office more than illustrates my high respect.

Consider the facts ignored by those who label their political opposition as biased, racist, and who knows what else. How convenient for them to forget the facts. Oh, yes, they appeal to emotions. Facts just get in the way of their twisted message. And what do they forget?

It was a Republican president who freed the slaves. When he died, his dreams of welcoming the south back into the fold died with him. He did not believe in punishing Rebel sympathizers beyond the day that both sides met at the Appomattox Courthouse to end the Civil War.

He wanted a firm union. I, for one, believe that Lincoln not only would have worked tirelessly toward a goal of north and south working together for a stronger nation, but also would have presided over a robust rebuilding of the south to heal the wounds between the two sides.

When Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency in the wake of Lincoln’s assassination, he had no such plans. That he allowed the recently cemented union to disintegrate into a prolonged situation of poverty and an atmosphere of anger and resentment against the north is not much of a legacy, is it?

Moving ahead to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, the southern Democrats fought against promoting equal rights for Negroes and voted against the bill. It was Republican votes that carried the day and secured passage of the civil rights legislation that guaranteed and equal footing in society for our brothers and sisters of color.

Yet, at election times, Republicans find themselves demonized with Democrats claiming to be the true friends of the black community. Sadly, the family unit of the black community has suffered terribly. The so-called “War on Poverty” accomplished little more than rack up accumulate trillions of dollars in spending with little real progress to show for it.

For more than fifty years, Democrats have slandered and demagogued Republicans so much that generations of black Americans actually believe the accusations and view the Republican party as one of oppression. In truth, nothing could be less true. Oh, there may be a few who stray from the conservative mindset and set a poor example, but the GOP has never over-promised and under-delivered like the Democrats have.

Clearly, victimization is a thriving industry. Its leaders scream racism even before the facts of any case are known. They stir hatred for no reason and perpetuate the image of not the ugly American, but the ugly law enforcement officer and — once again — the ugly Republican.

And so we steel ourselves for another round of this garbage…. I fault the GOP for not seeding really good programs within our inner cities. Just showing up at election time does nothing to raise its image.

If you want to see a good program in action, investigate Robert Woodson and his Center for Neighborhood Enterprise. He doesn’t make excuses for his brethren, he lifts them up by giving them hope and opportunity. The very fact that many of you are unfamiliar with him is a testament to the lack of integrity in our press today.

The press should be showcasing programs like his — programs that work, run by black men and women working hard and making real changes in communities most at risk and most in need of help.

Are all Democrats of the ilk that we see in election years? Certainly not, but I don’t see very many standing up to complain about the festering hatred preached by their leadership.

Is there fault within of both parties? Absolutely. However, a glaring difference exists in the mindset between the two. What happens when the GOP identifies misbehavior? Once exposed, the offender soon disappears from public view. He or she steps down. Whether a personal or a financial lapse, history shows that the GOP is determined to rid itself of disreputable officials. Expulsion tops excuses. Our black brothers and sisters (Yes, we are all that in the eyes of God!) have been goaded to envy and hate others. What a waste of potential.

r.

Gerald Irons Sr.

Posted: Thursday, March 19, 2015 7:00 AM, The Huntsville Item

By Winston Spencer Jr. Read on and take heart. Role models are out there!

1. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the famous line that there are no second acts in America. It’s clear he never met Gerald D. Irons Sr.

Irons is perhaps best known as a former National Football League linebacker who played six seasons with the Oakland Raiders back in the 1970s, then four more years for the Cleveland Browns.

For most folks, the NFL may have been the crowning achievement in life. For Irons, that was only the beginning.

“I remember being in the seventh grade when a teacher asked the class what we wanted to be in life,” Irons said to more than 200 students, educators and others Wednesday at the Gaertner Performing Arts Center on the campus of Sam Houston State University. He came to Huntsville for the “President’s Speaker Series.”

“She called on one student and they said they wanted to be a doctor. Then another student said they wanted to be a lawyer. Well, no one had ever asked me what I wanted to be before. I thought hard about it. When my turn came, I said I wanted to be a professional football player.”

The teacher, feeling Irons had answered her question, moved on to the next student.

“I said, ‘Hold up, wait a minute. I’m not finished. I also want to be a husband, father, a businessman and a lawyer,’” Irons continued. “That teacher told me that it was humanly impossible to do all those things. Pick one and move on.”

The future vice president of business development with The Woodlands Development Company recalled how small he felt, as the class, along with the teacher, laughed at him.

“I went home that evening and my parents asked me what was wrong,” Irons said. “‘Nothing.’ But they wouldn’t let me get away with that. When I told them what happened they said that I could do anything if I was willing to work hard.”

God bless men like Mr. Irons. He exemplifies the value a strong family and respect for education? We are all equal in rights, but we are not equal in ability. Since ability determines success, America’s schools need to be able to train and guide students for a wide variety of jobs. The fact that nearly 50% of our population now depends on some sort of government assistance illustrates the fact that we are systematically depriving people of their inner initiative. Dependency is a flawed strategy and we are mired in it.

Sadly, I fear that America will continue to decline if our young people fail to achieve. Gerald Irons is right. Encouragement is priceless. Dreams are precious. Parenting is important.

What that message were the mantra for all families? I believe that given the chance to move upward over the past fifty years, the American black family would have blossomed exponentially.

Abraham Lincoln wanted all his people to succeed. I pose a question about the last 150 years. How would America be if Lincoln had not died? Sadly, that question is as unfinished as his life. Had he lived….

Think about it.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

February 20, 2015

# 209

“Step in time…”

No, not Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in a rollicking melody from “Mary Poppins”…. Far from it, sadly.

People seldom consider that the passing days of their lives are also pages in the history of the world. For more than a thousand years, fury and war have raged among the peoples of the Middle East. The same differences that sparked the earliest conflicts continue to fuel those we see today.

Some paid attention to the gathering storm a few years ago; but, for the most part, world governments simply ignored the spreading furor — thinking that the volatile Middle East would define the physical limits of its battlefield.

Not so. The specter of a worldwide caliphate was not possible in the centuries preceding ours. Now, with technology connecting people easily, no area of our world is truly safe from the ongoing threat of ISIS and other like groups. Most of us might not think about existential threats, but those threats really do exist.

The late 1930s saw the pacifists who sought to appease Hitler drown out those recognizing the menacing threat of the Third Reich looming over Europe. Hitler’s appetite for conquest and control of his neighbors was not to be satiated. Neither concession nor promises of non-involvement swayed him from his heinous plot.

History is our greatest teacher, but the White House ignores the events and refuses to name the enemy for what it is. If, in fact, every administration is a virtual “step in time,” then we must have stepped into a warp curve of Rod Serling’s “Twilight Zone.”

For the first time in our history, a non-governmental entity seeks to inflict terrible carnage and barbarism upon innocent people, including not only Muslims who will not comply with their view of Islam, but Jews and Christians.

More over, their plans are not bound to Europe and the Middle East. They have us in their crosshairs.  One comment from Libya’s shores last week said it clearly, “Next stop, Rome!” The Pope sees the threat. He names it.

While Popes rarely come forth with profound political statements, his words on Islamic terrorists says it bluntly and without reservation. The Pope preaches love between and among people with the core of that love a family.

Contrast, if you will, the difference between an American mother who purposefully tries to steer her twelve-year-old son into an interest that could lead to a good job with the fanatical Muslim mother who urges her son to become a suicide bomber. Stark? Yes. Alien to Western culture? Definitely. Real? Yes, real and growing — a deadly threat to each and every one of us.

Every freedom we have in this country puts us at risk in some way or another. However, our porous borders and our refusal to monitor illegal immigrants is further complicated by the lax, dismissive attitude at the White House that puts Americans at the highest risk since our founding. Add to that the military communications office that divulges ISIS battle plans to its enemy months ahead of time and the result is a situation that not only defies logic, but also begs redress.

Pray that someone turns the tide. Pray that someone takes that one first step to face the exploding, relentless spread of militant Islamic terrorists. To date, several presidents have died in office and one has resigned. The U.S. Constitution includes the mechanism to remove a president, but “High crimes and misdemeanors” is an objective and ambiguous. We have become so acceptance of deceit and ineptitude, I do not look for a groundswell of protest from the population at large to challenge decisions being made with reference to our military strategy and delivery.

So, in the end, we are left with a painful dilemma. For me, as an American, it spawns a question I never expected.   How can America defend herself if those entrusted to do so will not? Think about it.