150 Years

Today is the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.  It represents the thoughts of the United States' greatest president.  Abraham Lincoln rose from a humble beginning, facing adversity all through his life, and met his challenges with courage and thoughtfulness.  He carefully thought out his plans and actions to obtain the results that would be best for the country.  The more I learn about him, the more I am impressed.  I highly recommend Doris Kearns Goodwin's book "Team of Rivals" and the Lincoln movie from a few years ago starring Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln.  These will give you a good picture of the man from several years before his election as president to his death.  There are many many books written about him - you can find other good ones also.

There are five copies of his Gettysburg Address and this is the one that is considered the original.  It is the only one that is signed and dated, and it is the one that is inscribed at the Lincoln Memorial.


Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863


The Address was carefully written, not on a train going to the event as folk lore would have it.  Mr. Lincoln gave much thought to these words and the thoughts he wished to convey.  He followed a skilled orator on the program that day, Edward Everett, who spoke for about two hours, which was customary for cemetery dedications of that day.  After the ceremony was completed, Mr. Everett said to President Lincoln that he envied him because he (Lincoln) had said in two minutes what had taken Everett 120 to recite.

To me, his speech challenges us to continue the great task that faced the nation then, and still.  Lincoln reiterated the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence and proclaimed the Civil War as a struggle for the preservation of the Union sundered by the secession crisis, with "a new birth of freedom," that would bring true equality to all of its citizens. He also redefined the Civil War as a struggle not just for the Union, but also for the principle of human equality. 

I have hope that there will be leadership of this country that will act with the courage, understanding, and forethought that Mr. Lincoln displayed as well as with the dedication to the principles of human equality set forth by our founding fathers.

Take care.

Mandatory Service - a solution

A piece that I heard on NPR over the weekend brought an old idea of mine back to my consciousness.  I think the piece was on the Bob Edwards program on Sunday morning and he was interviewing a retired Army colonel who has recently written a book about the status of the country and the military.  This person is now a professor at a prestigious school out East, perhaps Harvard, I can’t quite remember and haven’t gone back to check.  Not that important to me.

His focus was on the difference in our Army between now and WWII and the Korean War times.  We had an Army created by the draft then, and prior, and everyone served, there basically few exemptions (even conscientious objectors had to perform alternate service).  The Kennedy boys served (one was killed and one injured severely); Ted Williams, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, flew fighter planes for four years; movie folks served; and, even a few years later, Elvis Presley was drafted and served two years.

The point was that the whole country was invested in the wars - everyone sacrificed and served.  There was a selflessness that existed and that created strength of effort and consensus.

Over the years we have become a selfish society.  Materialism reigns.  What is in it for me?  While individualism has many good aspects to it, such as creativity and independent thought, it has also tended to break down the existence and our sense of community.  We are so busy worrying about ourselves that we do not see the bigger picture and the needs of others who are lacking the basic protections and benefits of society.

This can go in many directions, but today I wish to follow up on the colonel’s thoughts alone.  He was proposing that we should not have an all-volunteer military force because what that basically does is exclude a vast majority of the population from participating in the nation’s defense and therefore the possibility of the ultimate sacrifice for your country.  With all of our injuries and deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think that in all of the Congress, there was one relative who served.  How many of the infamous top 1% do you think has served or is serving?  Even how many of the shrinking middle class do you think has volunteered for service?

Since such a small part of our people serves, only a small part cares.  And, since that small part is generally the lower economic folks, they have hardly any political clout.

I agree this is a problem.  But we have many service needs in addition to the military.  I have been in favor of mandatory service for all persons at the age of eighteen for many, many years, but of course I have no particular forum from which to advocate.  So today I do that here.

Mandatory service at eighteen, for two years, can be good for all of those young people and for our country.  For young folks, it provides an opportunity to serve others, to mature and recognize that there are many needs in our communities.  It can provide employment, training, empathy, stability, different experiences, a chance to interface with others of different backgrounds and values.  For the country it can create a better sense of awareness in its citizens, a closer feeling of community and responsibility, a source to provide services to all citizens at a lower cost, and having a citizenry that is invested in improving the country and holding its decision-makers responsible.

Everywhere there is a need; there is an opportunity to serve.  We have had Volunteers in Service to America for many years, the Peace Corps, Teach for America, Project Head Start, and other organizations designed to help our citizens and citizens of the world.  During the depression, Roosevelt started many such organizations, such as the CCC and the WPA's Federal Art Project, to help people and communities.

We do not have a Great Depression today, but we do have unemployment that is much higher than it has been for many years.  One segment of our society, our youth, has suffered such that the future of our country and its work force is threatened. 

I think that mandatory service will help young folks mature and have empathy, but it also will provide work, wages, and skills for many.  It will also provide a sense of pride and worth.

Like all things today, there are no simple answers or easy ways to implement such a program.  But it is worth starting and working on until completion.

I will write more later.  What do you think?

Take care.

Not posting on politics today – a pleasant change.

Instead…I had a wonderful ride from Lake View to work in Hyde Park this morning.  Nice and cool, a NE tail wind, waves crashing over the bike path at some spots, wonderful dark puffy clouds racing quickly across the heavens with the sun peeking out from time to time, and my fastest time southward this year – 50 minutes.

It was the kind of morning that I wish I had a helmet cam to record this beauty.  The path was not as busy as usual for a summer day, although there was no threat of rain.  The sun was mostly hiding on the north side of town, but I could see it shining on the water in some places out in the lake.  Once I passed McCormick Place it started to show itself more regularly as the clouds made way for its assent into the sky.

The Lake was in a moderate rage, kind of purple and green colored, with wave after wave crashing shoreward.  No swimmers or boats out this morning.  Hardly any dog walkers either.  I only saw one fisherman at the opening to Burnham Harbor.  The beaches were being groomed on the North Side, but the job had already been completed by the time I reached the new 31^st Street Harbor.  It always gives such a fresh inviting look after the previous day’s activities.

I could see the steel mill smoke stacks in Indiana and on the far south side easily and early in the cold, crisp air.  Of course the best spot to see is from the 47^th Street “hill”, but I also saw them when crossing the Chicago River underneath Lake Shore Drive.

I kept pushing and pushing.  Pedaled in higher, harder gears.  And my friend the wind made it all possible.  I didn’t stop for my usual water break just past the museum campus on the hill by Soldier Field – just kept going.  I didn’t need to look at my watch to know this was going to be a fast day.  Pushed past the 31^st Street Harbor, past the 47^th Street hill, past Promontory Point, past the man selling his bananas and apples on 57^th Street  in front of the Museum of Science and Industry, and then across Stony Island, up 59^th Street, cross the Midway Plaisance where Blackstone would cross, over Dorchester, and then at work.  Hooray I made it.

And now, dear friends, please know that I will ride home into the wind this evening, and I will be in lower gears, going slower, and it will take me much longer than 50 minutes to make the return journey.  But it will still be beautiful and I will still feel lucky to be able to make this ride many times.

Take care.

Here we go again.  What started out as a plan from the Obama Administration to cover all of our citizens with health care has been subverted again.

As you may know, about 25% of our population is not covered by health insurance and another 25% is under covered.  This is in the “leading” country in the world.  Check the statistics yourself – we are an embarrassment compared to the other industrialized countries.  Infant mortality, health care for the elderly etc., etc.. – it all lags behind.

When President Obama came into office, he proposed to fix this large matter.  However, it will be costly and there were many groups opposed – primarily our friends the Republicans.  Instead of working together to implement a program over time that meets our needs, the Republicans would rather fight the whole issue and leave those who are uncovered in the same perilous situation. 

But, as you probably already know, those who are uncovered or under covered do get sick (more frequently and more seriously because they do not have any preventive care or regular checkups.), and therefore someone has to pay the cost of this care.  It isn’t free for the docs and hospitals to provide.  The rest of us and our insurance plans, pay for these costs. 

A well thought out plan could meet our needs – a healthier population that help to keep this country strong – justice in the delivery of services in this country.  Not easy – some sacrifices necessary – would take a phase in period - everyone must be a part of the plan to keep the cost per person reasonable.

But now the nation’s businesses get a year deferment.  And the most recent transgression: our wonderful leaders in Congress – both parties, mind you – have asked for an exception for all the members of Congress and their staffers – about 10,000 strong – and they will remain under their very generous federal health insurance plan with its subsidies.  President Obama bowed to the complaints on Capitol Hill and agreed.  They should be under the exact plan that the rest of the country is under, with no special subsidies.

What an embarrassment!  But the Congress certainly isn’t embarrassed. They live in a different world and are a privileged class.  They certainly won’t talk about this when they go home for the late summer break.  We look foolish to the rest of the world, again.  And we are creating a class system in this country – the haves and have not’s.

Think about it.  Talk to your congress members.  We need an equitable plan, not more of the same with the lack of health care and health insurance.

Take care.

Politicians can not be trusted!

Even if politicians are talking together somewhat and doing a little compromising lately, they are still performing in an inadequately.  Dictionary.com gives the second meaning to politician as “a seeker or holder of public office, who is more concerned about winning favor or retaining power than about maintaining principles.”  This means that they cannot be trusted.  Cannot be trusted!

A recent example, out of many, is the whole gun control issue after the horrible shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut.  After all the outrage is expressed, after a former colleague and victim of violence, Gabrielle Giffords, appears before the Congress to express her strong feelings that corrective action in controlling the proliferation of weapons in this country is absolute necessary, after a number of other similar incidents over the past few years – what is being done?

The debate is not over, but do you think that the Congress will put any control on the sale of semi-automatic attack weapons; on the sale of the huge ammo clips; even on the registration of all arms sales?  No.  That is basically because the NRA is one of the strongest lobbies in the country and they gives plenty of money to many of our “fine” congressmen.  Even the Democrats are pulling back their proposals.  There is no principle involved here, just keeping their seats in the Congress and all of the benefits, and “benefits”, that go along with them. 

The next time some of these folks come out to mourn the victims of another shooting, ask them what they have done to stop the violence. Why do they fail to take common sense actions?

Think about it, and take care.

Let's get it right

In listening to NPR this morning I heard about the long standing rule that the U S House of Representatives has followed.  It is that the Speaker of the House will not report a bill out to the full House for consideration unless a majority of the majority (in this case the Republicans) is in favor of the bill.  This rule has followed the philosophy that the bill must help the Republicans (majority) in some way.  

I thought we elected our representatives to do what is best for the country, not for their party!  What an outrage and how self-serving.  

What made this news worthy today, I guess, is that Speaker Boehner created an exception by passing through a bill that did not have a majority of the majority support.  Then it did pass because the Democrats supported the bill in numbers sufficient to pass the bill.  He said that the new rule would be to not pass a bill out without the majority of the majority support when possible.  Kudos to Speaker Boehner !!  Perhaps a little of what the American people have been saying is getting through, at least to Mr Boehner.  Forget crass partisanship and act in a manner that will benefit the country.  Compromise is acceptable, hard lines and hard heads are not.

At this point the issue doesn't matter, but the process certainly does.  We have many challenges facing our country and we need smart people working towards solutions that will help.

That brings me to the Food for thought that I posted today:  

In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?   Augustine

We need more peace and justice in this country, and in the world, and Mr. Boehner's change is at least a step in the right direction.

What do you think?

Take care