On this Martin Luther King Day, talk of more civility in Congress would probably prompt the civil rights icon to ask, "what took you so long ?"
Better late than never, although the passionate debate of issues should never be sacrificed in the name of not offending someone. After all, the great civil rights battles of the past half a century involved passion and that passion spilled over into violence.....It is in some ways its the price of progress.
I like the idea of mixing up the seating for the State of the Union. In this age it's silly to see the spectacle of half a room cheering and half sitting.Increasingly this notion of all of us living our lives on one side of an aisle or another is something that diminishes as you get further away from the rarified atmosphere of capitals of government.
Of course those who don't want to eliminate the "aisle" are the party leaders as its herd metality that enforces discipline within the parties and without discipline the whole system collapses.
Lets see what happens...In the meantime enjoy your King Day.
Congress Members, After Tucson, Work for More Civility - NYTimes.com
13 comments:
Dr. King dreamed of a society that judged people on the merit of their character .... and that often does seem like a dream to many Americans who are fighting to find their place in the system. We graybeards continue to wonder if we'll still be allowed to contribute to society, or just simply be discarded. The middle aged have been part of national nightmare since the crash that threatens our quality of life. Keep hope alive and lets all honor Dr. Kings courage in the face of adversity on his day and pray for better ones ahead.
MCM
I feel like we should pass an offering plate after hearing Mr Mike's post. And here we go, talking about prayer again. No Christmas, no God, but pray like crazy. Its like I'm listening to MSNBC.
Be careful what you wish for Mr. Mayor.
Many of our problems are the result of too much kumbaya and compromise.
Remember when we had bipartisan support for the war in Iraq?
Looking back, how many democrats wished that had not happened?
I wish Bush did not compromise and pass the Medicaid part D prescription drug giveaway.
I wish Clinton did not compromise and pass NAFTA creating that giant sucking sound that Ross predicted.
I wish Bush did not compromise and keep GM going long enough for Obama to commandeer it and give it to the unions.
I wish Clinton did not compromise and repeal Glass Steagall.
I wish the Democrats did not compromise and allow their party to be taken over by the extreme left.
Mike, I am only too happy to judge based on someone’s character like MLK calls for. But that calls for consideration of their actions (and inactions).
It is in fashion today to misinterpret and cut short the quote "Judge not, that ye be not judged”
And so the liberals conclude that all ideas are created equal and no one is worthy of delivering judgment.
Does MLK go on to tell us, once a person is judged by the content of their character, what should take place next? Was the verdict supposed to be a private matter for their permanent record or perhaps he would have approved, that in extreme cases, a vitriolic deliverance would be appropriate?
Darn it, now 2:43 is pounding away with sense on another matter. OK, I'll stop it. But we have to admit this new contributor is a great addition to the family. Absolutely outstanding.
Who shamefully dares to speak of civility at the Federal level when all The Ruling Class knows is violence & the threat of violence? From the IRS to the TSA; from 70 years of the warfare state to drone attacks; from the nation with the largest % of citizens in prison to Gitmo; the greatest practioneer of uncivility and violence in the world is Washington. It is become so natural, this violence, that during a football game the commentators can remark of "troops in 175 countries" without sparking a national conversation as to why.
Anon 2:43
Great question, how does the man of character express himself; I mean this from the bottom of my heart. Shout it from the roof tops and let your voice not be stilled by the trepidation of the meek, for it is the meek who need you to champion their cause ...
MCM
Please stop running that photo. Its a condescending statement of self promotion. Should we be grateful that you're shaking the hand of the less fortunate? Nobody here is running for anything. I don't know how a man of character expresses himself. But you don't do it by claiming moral high ground. Unfortunately, that's what we get from all this party line stuff. I'm conservative because I don't view government as the answer to much of anything anymore. I also know how much money they lose when they provide services. I don't view myself as having any moral high ground. That I leave to my liberal friends.
Anon 9:47
Also very interesting: "Should we be grateful that you're shaking the hand of the less fortunate?"
Not the point. We should make sure less fortunate have a voice, and minorities in state as Mayor blogged are already concerned, Mayor wrote, "The 49 member Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucus says Governor Cuomo is not doing enough for "communities of color". The group put out a statement in response to Mr. Cuomo's State of the State Address."
That's a fact that has to be addressed by right thinking people who want the system to be fair to people who are struggling in the now. We can't bury our heads in the sand and act like its not so and pretend that everything will be okay tomorrow. They need our help now. Ids the Governor's new economic plan a reworking of trikle down economics ala Ronald Reagan? Some people are worried it is and that it won't help soon them and their families soon enough.
MCM
I always take my lead from the 49 member Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucaus. Then I have a photo taken of myself being sennnsitive. Then I feel good about myself for the rest of the day. The important thing is to have others see the photo. Good PR.
You'd have been better off getting the new hat.
You guys have to get one thing straight, when people are out of work it can get violent quick. You old enoughto remember burn baby burn. I am! More then a few inner cities were burnt out, Detriot, Watts, New York City Harlem, etc.
the arrongance of this Government: Federal, State and local is they think the population could never go to the streets and act out again. That could prove to be a serious miscalculation on their part in the end. Time will tell, but I'd hate to see it happen all over again.
MCM
Are you suggesting that if we, the people don't find you work that you deem appropriate you will get mad and act up, Mikey? That sounds like something you would accuse Palin of. How bout this. If the government can't find you a job you like, we'll pay you unemployment for the rest of your life. Would that be to your satisfaction?
Again, please reconsider the use of the photo. I'm not sure it presents the image you think it does.
I went to Palin's defense Anon 10:27 on Radio ... be fair
Photo -I have no vanity ... image comes from heart as far I am concerned..
MCM
Mike, just continue to do what you're doing in your promotion photo. Seek out a guy who doesn't dress like you, is a bit down on his luck, shake his hand in a public place and have a photo taken. Then given him the honor of listing to a couple of your Corporate and Political Communication lectures. I'm sure he will walk away with a new found appreciated for what higher education is all about. But if you really want to make a difference, you have to invite him over for Thanksgiving dinner. Its clearly the image you're after. I'm beginning to like that photo more and more. I wish I had thought of it. Great PR.
Post a Comment