Month: March 2018

My lovely wife Jenny and I covered this event. We took the blue line train from Long Beach to Downtown Los Angeles understanding that both traffic and parking would be a problem. We arrived about 1 hour after the initial march from Pershing Square Park to the Los Angeles City Hall.

As a side story, the trip from Long Beach to our destination was eventful. We sat next to a schizophrenic woman that was incessantly talking to her invisible friends, discussing her 4 year exodus on the streets, and how it related to the bible. Behind us were a quorum of men of color discussing their sexual exploits and their lack of regard for their partners. That was just the start of a very surreal day!

Our train ride exposed the seedy underbelly of the city of Los Angeles. After we hit Compton, we saw a plethora of tent cities lining the train line, and it did not end. It was truly depressing to see how this great city has fallen so low after the decades of Progressive leadership.

Once we got to our destination, the march was well underway. We saw young families already coming back from the march, lots of them, they were retreating and going home. That piqued our curiosity and we walked fast to the City Hall from the Square, where the march started. We were met then by many more young families that were leaving.

The event looked more like a carnival than a social justice march. There was a huge sound stage, and when we arrived a rock group was playing and the sound speakers, enough to fill a city with music, were blaring. Later, left wing speakers were discussing on stage how we had to get AR-15’s banned and that the second amendment was outdated and had to be abolished. There had to be 20,000 people staying at this rally in front of City Hall. It reminded me of a 1970’s outdoor concert. I counted at least 60 port-o-potties there. There were BBQ’s everywhere, and people were selling tee shirts and other paraphernalia that supported many disparate causes, including school shootings and other issues. They were selling tees that attacked the 2nd amendment, Capitalism, Republicanism, the NRA, nationalism, and shirts that called conservatives Nazis and Fascist’s. It is interesting to note that these Capitalists were making money selling Communism/Socialism!

We interviewed a number of people. Many were willing to talk, and some were willing to be photographed or directly quoted. Many that we interviewed were Communist and Socialist activists, and they were expounding on the benefits of “One World Governance”, the disarming of the civilian population, and embracing a Communist/Socialist form of economy in order to have “World Peace”. Others were adamant that the second amendment had to go, that it was antiquated and we outgrew it. They said that we have outgrew this amendment and no longer need to have the benefit of personal protection or have any fear of an intrusive government. Australians were there to tell us about the wonderful benefits of the disarming they did in their country. It was a ban that was only 1/3rd effective, but none of them brought that up.

As we walked through this Liberal Progressive Socialist street party, we found booths for the Communists, Socialists, the Green Party, and a host of other anti-American venues. We talked to all of them, and for the most part they believed that our present form of economic system and governance is outdated, and they have a better way. Of course that was to a tee “One World Governance” and Communism/Socialism, and the total disarming of the civilian population in order to attain “World Peace”.

Just about everyone we interviewed were blaming school shootings on the NRA. They emoted that the NRA was an arm of the Republican Party and was directly responsible for the shootings, and indicated that their money to support Republicans was blood money, and all Republicans shared responsibility for the shootings because of that. They said that the NRA spreads lies, only really protect gun manufactureers, and are directly responsible for what has happened with school shootings.

Evein though most families with children had left, there will still some there, and those were using the children to carry signs, many with expletives that imparted the idea that the NRA was totally responsible along with the Republican Party for school shootings. Their signs said that the second amendment had to go. We were aghast at this tactic and did not photograph those exploiting their own children.

There was a small counter-protest group. They numbered about 20, and were across the street from the main crowd. They had a loud speaker, and were expounding on how the 2nd amendment was something not to be vilified, but cherished. They were summarily shouted down by the “Proletariat”, and threats were made. The police ended up escorting them to their cars with an order. “Go home”, which they did. Jenny and I followed them out, but the police would not allow us to interview them.

We went back to the action, and immediately saw a preacher that had arrived. He had a very big sign pleading to the masses to repent for the good of their souls. He had a loud speaker system with an amplifier strapped to his body and was preaching the gospel. A few of the Communist women we had interviewed earlier then attacked him, knocked his mike off of his hand, and started slapping him. The LA County Sheriffs came to the rescue just in time, and stayed around him for the rest of the time he was there.

There is a sizable group of persons that are hell-bent on changing our countries direction. They are passionate, and they want to adopt a Communist/Socialist Global Governance system that would bury the United States of America. They want “One Word Governance” and their movement is very dangerous.

We will be doing another article on this topic. We have a lot of research to do on the groups that were there, and those that paid for the event. Stay tuned….. Also having trouble adding pictures, but when that is resolved, I will let you know. Have dozens of interesting pictures that I cannot seem to download to the post…..

All too often in today’s political and social environment civility is sacrificed and instead polarization is the result. Our two great ideological tribes are in constant conflict. On the right, on-line dialogs go to mocking mainstream conservatives as not being willing to do what it takes to win. They mock those who will not engage in the same tactics as their left-wing brethren. It seems that many on the conservative side of the spectrum seem to lean towards “losing gracefully” instead of being seen as lacking in manners.

The leftist “social justice” activists scorn engagement and civil dialog as respectability politics. They instead favor shout downs, boycotts, on-line shaming and other unproductive methods to eliminate non-conforming dialogs.

There are important issues that need to be addressed. DACA for one is something that most American citizens agree on. We want this injustice righted. These people had no choice but to follow with their parents when they decided to cross the border, and they should not be held responsible for the actions of others. Even this issue is paralyzed in the depths of the politics of polarization. The Democrat party wants to hold onto this issue as a wedge narrative for the mid-term elections. The Republican Party wants to eliminate the issue altogether by offering amnesty covering three times the number covered by Obama’s executive order, but the Democrats in congress will not vote for the solution, not a single one of them.

The truth is that neither of these ideological tribes has the true answer to our issues. They both spin their arguments largely for self-aggrandizement and acquisition of power. There is no altruism in their hearts. The polarization has caused them to grow further apart, and we are in the middle, being fed their alternative realities and becoming more polarized and angry ourselves.

Is civility a virtue? Not always. There are times when one needs to stick to their principles. There is a time to be nice, and at times one needs to fight for what they believe to be right. Jesus, someone that most think was the nicest person on earth, cleansed the temple of Pharisees and money lenders with his whip. Even God has his limits.

There are cynical calls for civility all the time. Even though both sides of the coin seem to be tolerant of their most radical oppressors, they are completely repulsed by similar actions on the other side. It is a very cynical double standard. Those that criticize Michael Moore’s latest “documentary” are absolutely engaged in conservative radio and Fox News. Conversely, on the opposing side, love Michael Moore, the mainstream media, and cannot even consider making a case that Louis Farrakhan is worth condemning.

Civility calls are often very cynical. Every time there is a shooting, the left blames the result on conservatives, and calls for them to find civility and agree with them that the reason for the shooting was conservative politics. In fact, few if any of these shootings are the results of political ideology. On the other side of the coin, conservatives make a call for civility when the left aggressively goes after a social justice issue, saying that the behavior is untenable. This type of call for civility is exploitation rather than true lamentation.

Civility is not surrender. You do not have to surrender your values. Our moral obligations are both dependent on and independent from the listener’s response. Truth is the obligation of all of us in our discourse, even if it will make someone feel bad. No one should want to harm the other, that is not the goal. One has to realize that the act of persuasion may enrage an opponent.

There are 3 key elements to civil discourse:
1. Humility – Even though you believe you know the truth, you may not have the skill to communicate it succinctly. Don’t be self-righteous, it doesn’t work and will turn off your opponent. Express your ideas with conviction. Understand that your opponent may be brilliant and at the same time wrong and stand up for what you believe. Do so in a respectful manner that is not meant to hurt or enrage, even though that may be the end result.
2. A person of conviction is relentless in expressing their ideals. They are also flexible, and undeterred by threats and verbal abuse should listen to the opposing side and analyze their line of logic. Understand that facts trump emotion and be prepared for those that would accuse you of lying or hurting feelings. That is just not an intellectually honest argument that would be put forth.
3. Understand that everything is not a “national emergency” and should not be infuriating. Thoughtful concern is something that can win arguments, or at least tone down the opposing emotions.

If we treat each other respectfully, engage to listen more than to talk, and weigh each argument for what it is worth, we will be on our way to having a more civil discourse in our society. In fact, we can learn from each other and endeavor to find that vast grey area between our ideologies. When we get there, we can come together and move our society on to greater heights. If not, we do nothing but become more divided. If we are to work towards making our nation a better place for all to live, we need to work hard to get along respectfully.