Sugar Creek Publishing

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.

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

# 208

“Accurate Description”

February 3, 2015

We throw the term “World War” out there with ease. Going back to 1914 and springing forward to 1941, these terms resonate with generations of Americans. In fact, these wars did not involve the whole world, but were relegated to Europe, North Africa and the Pacific Rim. True, they did involve nations far-flung from the actual battlefields. More specifically, Australia sent her armed forces fought the Imperial Japanese to secure peace in her region.

Today, the terrorist fight occupies nearly every continent. Beginning with North America and 9/11, we move to North Africa that includes not only the USS Kohl but also Benghazi. Add to that the kidnappings of women and young girls and the wholesale slaughter of innocents at the hands of Boko Haram. Moving again to the United Kingdom, consider the bus bombings that killed indiscriminately in July of 2005. Threatened beheadings in Australia raised the hackles of its government and moved it to protect its citizenry.

Charlie Hebdo is a stark reminder that nobody is safe — even at the workplace. The terrorists have no respect for human life. They view death as a martyrdom and fear nothing as they take innocent lives with abandon. Now we witness the barbaric burning alive of a Jordanian pilot.   Why Jordan, you ask? Well, ISIS leaders aren’t about to launch against Saudi Arabia or UAE. Jordan is stable and more than anything else politically, they seek instability in the region.

This is the first time in my lifetime (70 years and adding another) that the term “world war” actually applies. The question now is will the world, as a whole, respond?

Historically, the United States has stepped forward to defend their world neighbors. Sarajevo’s aftermath of World War I showcased the loyalties of untold numbers of Americans still holding strong emotional ties to Europe. Understandable, since the majority of Americans at that time had emigrated from Europe. World War II came home with Pearl Harbor. Sadly, few of our children learn about December 7, 1941. That Sunday morning forged a go get ‘em mentality that carried through to defeating the Axis and Japan. We are not so unified in spirit today.

Now we are so diverse in population that there exists no firm loyalty or visceral link to any one area of the world. All that taken in context, remember that there are American military bases scattered throughout the world proving our commitment to freedom and our continued concern for its spread around the globe.

The core of the situation sparks the critical question. Just how much are the Arab countries directly adjacent to Iraq and Syria willing to do to stop the terrorists? After all, their countries surround the main contingent of the ISIS fighters. How much would it take for strong Arab leadership to arise and go against it? We may see, since the Jordanian pilot was burned alive.

Nothing we have seen comes close to this horrific execution.

Add to this the fact that we cannot discount the probability that these terrorists will attack on American soil and we find ourselves seriously threatened. This movement will not be assuaged until totally defeated and exposed as what it is: unrelenting murderers without conscience.

Yes, worldwide media are covering the pilot’s death. And, yes, the film will not only inspire vengeance but also terrorist recruitment. It presents itself, in essence, as a “catch 22.”

I conclude with some of the final dialogue from William Wyler’s 1942 film “Mrs. Miniver.” The congregation of a small British church listens as the minister speaks against the backdrop of a shattered stained glass window. “This is the people’s war…” He went on to proclaim that they would fight it in every village across the land. His fervor is palpable and his emotion powerful. His words echo what everyone in that congregation was feeling. Righteous anger. Determination. Resolve.

A portion of the review of this magnificent movie on “The Forgotten Classics of Yesteryear” website says it all.

“ ‘Mrs. Miniver’ is just one of the numerous Best Picture* winners to be largely forgotten. But it remains a triumphant work of art for those who are willing to look for it. For although it was made explicitly for World War Two audiences, its heart, its soul, its message is one that will resound for ages.

If the world does not judge this a “world war” soon, it will more than have earned the term without anyone having applied it. World war? Yes. World response? Existentially needed, but will it arise? Back to Greer Garson and Water Pidgeon in “Mrs. Miniver.” We need to ignite that British grit across the globe. Pray for that.

* Oscars won: Best Picture — Best Writing, Screenplay — Best Director (William Wyler) — Best Cinematography, Black-and-White — Best Actress in a Leading Role (Greer Garson) — Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Teresa Wright).

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE

By Hetty Gray

# 206

January 16, 2015

“The Warp and the Wept”

In the wake of the Paris Charlie Hebdo slaughter and the subsequent siege at the kosher grocery in Paris, we hear a smattering of rebuttal from Islamic clerics. I so wish I could believe what I hear. One man clearly put the onus on Saudi Arabia and its push for a strident ideology that adheres to the strict form of Islam. To give you an idea of its practice, consider a man who will be publicly flogged every week for a long time because he chose to criticize Islam.

The following details come from a worldwide site reflecting the views of moderate Muslims who see a crass hypocrisy in the way they describe the Paris attacks and the flogging of an Internet blogger. Saudi Arabia on Friday publicly flogged a blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam, with Amnesty International condemning his punishment as a “vicious act of cruelty”.

A Saudi court in September upheld a sentence of 10 years in prison as well as the flogging for Raef Badawi, who has been behind bars since June 2012. Badawi was also ordered to pay a fine of one million riyals ($267,000, 192,00 euros).

The 30-year-old received a first installment of 50 lashes on Friday and is expected to have 20 weekly whipping sessions until his punishment is complete. Witnesses said that Badawi was flogged after the weekly Friday prayers near Al-Jafali mosque in the Red Sea city of Jeddah as a crowd of worshipers looked on. Have you seen this news on television, heard it on radio, or read it on line? Likely not. Paris overshadowed it.

What is really appalling is that it is not an isolated case. It is very common in Saudi Arabia, a country proudly touted as one of America’s allies. Isn’t it thought provoking to see the difference dissent makes here at home.

While Badawi waits his flogging, Boston’s I-95 corridor (both northbound and southbound) is shut down by two lines protesters chained together among highway barrels holding signs that read “black lives matter.” Of course, black lives do. All lives matter. In the end, it’s how those lives are lived — but that is another discussion altogether.

The seminal question is this. Where would these people in Boston, black or white, choose to live — America where their voices are heard and punishment is probably being hauled off to jail and fined, where opportunities exist for those who work hard, or in the Middle East where dissent is forbidden and where women exist as less than second class citizens? I wonder how far Beyoncé, with her phenomenal voice and beautiful body, would have gone had she been born in the a country where women’s rights are nonexistent?

Of course, there will always be diametrically opposed views on women’s roles; but — at the very least — women should be able to receive a decent education. That is impossible in many areas of the world today. It seems as if such attitudes come from history books and harken back centuries. Sadly, they do not. These values and norms are alive and thrive among many Muslim societies.

As others will agree, this dichotomy has no easy solution. Men are perceived superior, women inferior. It is hard to reconcile seventh- century practices in a twenty-first century world, but we face that situation today.

There are, undoubtedly, many pillars of Islam that deserve perpetuity. Care for the poor, sincere prayer, and peace come to mind. The reality is that we see very little of these. What we do see is that Muslims kill more Muslims than any other group. How tragic.

In the international community, all our world leaders need to come together to see the threat for what it is. If, as many contemporary moderate Muslim clerics claim, this push for death and destruction is truly a skewing of the Islamic faith, then it is up to the faithful to stand up for their faith and counter this warp.

Fabric weaves threads together to make a strong whole. So do societies. We describe the fabric elements as warp and weft. The unwieldy challenge we face today is the product of the warp of a major faith. In its wake, untold numbers of people wept.

Think about it. Better yet, pray about it.