Purple State, USA

Remembering the Fallen

Sun shining. Floating on a raft. Kids playing in the lake. Friends and family laughing. Picnics. Trophies for horseshoe contests. 4-wheelers and golf carts taking people from one gathering to another, waving at stranger or friend as they pass. Legend of a naked friend--having had perhaps one too many--going down a metal slide into the lake (no, the kids did not see--yes, I believe he regretted it lol). All of it surrounded by miles of open country, land most of these individuals are careful stewards of.

Can I tell you I celebrated this Memorial Day weekend with more thoughtful respect to our fallen soldiers than most Americans? That I paused to conciously consider the staggering number of individuals who have sacrificed for this country? Maybe not. But I can tell you that my eyes lingered a bit on the American flag each time it crossed my sight, that in the midst of the fun I found myself filled with gratitude. For this land, this life and these people.

So, floating on this raft, I pulled out my phone to share it with you. To all of our fallen soldiers and to every individual who has given and continues to give so much to make this country the wonderfully perfect, imperfect place that it is... We remember your sacrifice and we thank you.

Differing Opinions

I grew up in a primarily neutral world--the bright and ostentatious as socially unacceptable as the dark and morose. Emotions--good and bad--were to be tempered at all costs. It was about tradition, the status quo, the appearance. Not asking too many questions. Fitting in. An unspoken fear of different views, different opinions. It wasn't, Why don't they believe as we do? It was, What's wrong with them that they don't believe as we do?

Fortunately, I was so bad at living this way that by the time I was sixteen I had a new world. Of course, it didn't seem fortunate at the time. It was blinding and overwhelming, unfamiliar and scary. It was full of sights, sounds, people--ideas--that my previous existence would not have tolerated.

It changed me. Mostly for the better. I gained knowledge. And found respect. I learned not to be afraid of existence at any spectrum. Life is a persistent, giving force no matter where you find it. It should be embraced, felt, lived. It is possible to get lost in profound joy and devastating pain without losing sight of ourselves. It is possible to debate and compromise without it turning the entire world upside down.

The most significant thing I learned, though, is that there is only one truly reprehensible individual... the one who has no opinion at all. The people who aren't searching or thinking or seeing... they are the ones who do the most harm.

Show me a man angrily waving a gun next to a man looking apathetically the other way and ask me which one I think is, ultimately, the most dangerous. It is--hands down--the latter. The man who cannot bring himself to care, to form an opinion, to take a stand. He will always be subject to the men who do. He will never learn from them or be better for knowing them... or teach them or make them better for knowing him. He has stopped. He is weak and repulsive.

If we find ourselves on opposite sides of a debate, let me start by saying that no matter how vehemently we may disagree--thank heavens you have cared enough to show up, to form an opinion. The idea that we must agree in order to respect each other is misguided at best. At worst--and more often--, it is outright detrimental.

We grow through the intellectual, sometimes passionate, exchange of thoughts and ideas. Next time you meet someone with an opinion different than yours, how about consciously getting excited? After all, in front of you both is an opportunity to learn something new. Embrace it.

Arizona's Problem

Arizona has come under quite a bit of fire for its recent stance on illegal immigration. The law specifically under scrutiny is one that gives law enforcement officials the right to demand to see an individual's immigration papers if they appear to be in the United States illegally. The concern with this law is that it could lead to racial profiling. In hopes of curbing that, the law was recently amended to clarify that only people stopped or arrested for another reason can be questioned about their immigration status. Still, concern and opposition exist.

In addition, the federal government is now thinking maybe it needs to sue Arizona. Hello, Federal Government, where have you been all this time? I can only assume the real motivation for such an action would be anger over the fact Arizona obviously decided it was done waiting for congress to do something about the sticky issue of illegal immigration...

I read the law getting so much coverage in Arizona. Does it have the ability to be abused by the wrong individuals? Yes. If it is abused, should the full force of every civil rights law come down on the heads of whoever is foolish enough to abuse it? Absolutely. Does it mean Arizona is wrong to try to protect its citizens where the same federal government now threatening to sue them has failed? No.

To be clear, I don't believe in discrimination in any form. I believe that individuals should be judged by what's in their hearts and their heads, not by outward appearance. I know and work with plenty of legal immigrants that our country is better off for due to their presence. Honestly, though,--news media and activist spin aside--I don't believe Arizona set out to write a law to discriminate against anyone.

Yes, the fact is that most individuals entering this country via our southern border are Hispanic, but I believe this law would have been written if they were purple aliens from another planet. Perhaps I am naive, but I believe the law in question was enacted for one very sincere reason... to deal with the fact there are valid reasons not to permit individuals to enter this country illegally.

We are a sensitive society. We have been taught to ignore statistics rather than risk hurting someone's feeling by acknowledging their reality. Statistically speaking? Arizona has a problem with illegal immigrants. Statistically speaking, odds are great Arizona's southern border is being disproportionately used--or could be used--as an entry point for illegal drugs, workers or terrorists.

I don't live in Arizona, but let me assure you that if I see someone sneaking into my house or onto my property--no matter what color of the rainbow they may be--I will demand to know by what right they enter. They have minutes to show me their badge or some document certifying their right to be in my home before I take matters into my own hands. If they are lucky, that means before I call the police to come collect them. Why doesn't Arizona have that same right? Why doesn't every state shouldering the extra burden of trying to help secure this country's border?

Leave Arizona alone. Let it deal with the repercussions of its laws and amend its laws as its citizens see fit. After all, where is the federal legislation on this? We've been hearing about it for a long time. Everyone agrees it's a problem. If someone else--the federal government or another state--has a better idea for immigration reform, then how about they also quit talking and do something?

Arizona finally quit talking. Good for them. And, as a citizen of the United States, let me also say thank you, Arizona. Thank you for finally having the guts to take this situation seriously.

Self Control

This past week I read an article on CNN about activists who are displeased with KFC over their Pink "Buckets for the Cure" campaign. For those unfamiliar, KFC has pledged to donate fifty-cents from each bucket they sell to Susan G. Komen for the cure.

They are unhappy because KFC sells more than a few products that are less than healthy which can lead to obesity and other issues linked to an increased risk for cancer. You can read the entire article here. 

To an extent, I agree that the irony is a bit hard to ignore. My other thought, though, is that KFC could simply be doing nothing. They were going to sell buckets of chicken this year with or without helping Komen, so kudos to them for donating. It is more than they had to do. Period.

What really aggravates me about this article and others like it is the underlying message that it's somebody else's fault we are all so fat. If it's not the fault of the restaurants who sell unhealthy food, then maybe it's the fault of congress for letting them.

Shut up. I mean really. Shut up.

What about the right of fast food companies to expect we won't eat the entire bucket in a single sitting? The fact is, if these companies weren't making money selling those menu items with ludicrously high calorie\fat\sodium content, then they likely wouldn't be on the menu, would they? What about the right of congress to worry about things like national defense and national infrastructure without also being asked to regulate our waist lines?

I have actually lost a significant amount of weight in the past 1-1.5 years. People who notice often want to know what diet I went on. I call it the common sense diet. It goes something like this: I make sure I got off my butt for at least thirty minutes a day, regardless of how much work I have yet to do; I throw in fifteen minutes of weight lifting to tone the arms; I haven't stopped eating junk food, but I have started eating less of it. When I'm craving Taco Bell or curly fries from Arby's, I still go... I just don't feel the need to eat it all. I eat enough to take care of the craving and throw the rest away.

Here's the thing, guys. We are a free society. Why would we want or expect corporate America to be regulated into making decisions for us? Won't we be better off if we learn to control ourselves, before all these groups with really good intentions regulate every last Krispy Kreme off the map?

Now that... would be truly tragic.