The Truth About Santa! (PG-13)

This whole Christmas thing is out of control. You want to know what my dad and his brothers woke up to on Christmas morning? Of course you do, you’re still reading. They woke up to a new pair of blue jeans, plastic six-shooters, and a piece of fruit. This was the usual for most of his childhood Christmas mornings. DHR would probably take your children away if you did this now.

 

You know who’s responsible for this? Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. Yep, the jolly (kidspeak for alcoholic) old fat man himself. You see, this all started in the mid-1900’s when Saint Nicholas, or “Santa” as we know him, decided to turn up the heat on consumerism and therefore solidify his place in our culture for decades to come. Santa is smart like that. During my father’s childhood, Santa catered to the values of “The Greatest Generation.” You know, the men who went off to fight wars and watch their brothers and comrades-in-arms die for the sake of their country. Santa knew that with this war-hardened generation, just recovering from the Great Depression, too many luxuries could spell his demise.

 

So, the corrupt and conniving owner of North Pole sweatshops played it safe. Have the elves grow some fruit, make some cheap toy cowboy pistols and sew denim. Then, gradually outsource Christmas and phase in a consumerist mindset. By the time deregulation began we were primed for Operation Consumer Christmas Overload, Phase I. Behind the scenes, the drug fueled, free-love culture of the 60’s and 70’s had taken its toll on the elf labor pool and set the stage for this secret plan. You see, elves were now needed for hallucinations, shopping malls and wrestling (yes, they used elves for midget wrestling). So, consumer-minded, profit greedy, slave-driver Santa, contracted his elves to other companies, in the name of higher margins. He then leaned heavily and directly on the toy companies to meet his gift-giving demands.

 

It seemed like a win-win for all. More toys, happier kids (at least on Christmas morning) and a greater appreciation for the overlooked elf populace and their talents. That is, until enough brains were fried, everyone learned love is in fact never free, nor is VD; and consequently, we were all left with a bunch of lazy liberals who really didn’t want to work too hard, rather, they chose to sit back, deny God, blame “the man” and promote socialist policies that benefit those with a lack of motivation. All this while mumbling peace, holding up two fingers and driving cars named after insects. Everything according to plan.

 

Now, what was Santa left to do? How was he possibly going to continue breaking and entering, sexually assaulting childrens’ mothers, that would then be glorified in songs sung by said children, while continuing to profit from his slave labor back in the North Pole sweatshop? Piece by piece.

 

You guessed it. More stuff. Not just that, but he also decided to play up his role in childhood development and behavior. He knows who’s “naughty and nice”. The creep even sees you when you’re sleeping. So kids, if you’re bad, Santa will bring you lumps of coal or bundles of switches. Problem solved. Kids are lured into falsely modified behavior in order to gain reward, with no regard for the moral principles that should in fact promote and bind them to said positive behaviors.

Elf on the Shelf? More of the same. Capitalist Santa at his best. Just another way to manipulate bratty, spoiled children into behaving so we don’t actually have to do any, you know, parenting that prevents these brats from becoming egotistical, narcissistic adults who raise an even worse generation and spend even less time actually parenting them.

 

You see what happens when you outsource Christmas? You see what happens when it’s all about an alcoholic, obese, peeping tom creeper who abuses reindeer (where’s Sara McLaughlin and her ASPCA commercial for that?) breaks into peoples’ homes, eats all their snacks, cops a feel of some kids mother (no wonder we have a single mother epidemic, bet he’s behind that too!) and drops off some Chinese toys, outsourced to the lowest bidder and marketed with millions of dollars, in order to create this Christmas demand frenzy?

 

Wake up people. Santa sucks! Enjoy your families. Enjoy good food. Enjoy your friends. Most importantly, celebrate the reason for the season, Jesus. I’m not sure if Jesus ever met Santa, as, by most estimates, they missed each other by about 500 years. But I wish he would have. I really believe, if Santa had been given the same revelation as the apostle Paul, all of this could have been avoided.

 

Lastly, I need to be transparent. Although Santa never once visited me as a child, I hold no ill-will. I’m not bitter. No big deal, Santa. Yes, I may have snuck out of my bed on Christmas Eve and made sure the door was unlocked, since we had no chimney. Just in case. I mean, I didn’t want to be the kind of person Santa proved to be. A liar! I was good (rarely, but I know worse kids that did get presents) and I believed, and you never came!

 

Whew. Now that I got that out… I forgive you dad. I’m sorry that Santa’s gifts of fruit and denim left you with a gaping hole of unbelief. Although your reasons for no Santa certainly had merit. It is true that Jesus’ birth date is never mentioned in the Bible. It also makes sense that if God had wanted us to know, he’d have told us. It’s even more rational to say, that if in fact we were going to celebrate Christmas, we’d specifically seek out the orphan and the widow because giving gifts to them is giving to Christ. I get the whole pagan holiday thing, now that I’ve researched it for myself. So, perhaps you were right.

 

But you know what happens to kids who know the truth about Santa from the beginning? They sit on your shoulders and excitedly and loudly proclaim, “See Dad! I told you he was real!” at the Disney Christmas parade while all the people around you stare at you like a pariah. It’s okay, stick to your guns man! I’ll just sneak up to my grandmothers and pocket some cash and years later, pen a passive-aggressive blog to lash out.

 

Santa, if you’re reading this, I forgive you too. Let’s make amends. You can begin making up for all the formative years of crushed spirits by bringing me a log cabin on a piece of land in the mountains with a crackling fire and a bear rug; or, if you’re into aviation, I’ll take a KingAir 350, because unlike you, I’m not self-absorbed enough to ask for something crazy like a G6. What’s that Santa? Sounds to you like an entitlement mentality? Well, it’s all your fault.

 

P.S.- Santa, please tell me there is no glitter in the North Pole?

 

P.P.S – I noticed your name shares the same letters as Satan. How you answer that last question will clarify which side you’re really on.

Call to Action: J-STAR Ministries Needs Us

I’d like to do something different. Although I’m sure I could have offered up another opinion piece on social or political issues, I want to beseech you to take action. I’d like to tell you about an organization and mission that needs our help. We need to step up, Longview. This year it has seemed that another week brings another shooting, another homicide, more gang violence. Where do we start? I’m glad you asked.

We need a concerted effort among churches, citizens, businesses and the government of Longview; collectively, we need to step up and make a difference. We need people to take onus and responsibility. We need to understand that if we do nothing more than lament and talk, we are, in fact, doing nothing at all.

There are organizations that already exist to make a difference in the lives of our youth. Organizations with a missional focus to reach and teach our young men and women to become productive citizens by overcoming adversity rather than succumbing to its pressures. Today I’d like to implore you to open your hearts, your minds and even your wallets to such an organization.

J-STAR Ministries (Johnson’s Success Through Attitude & Respect) was established in 2004 as a 501(c)3 non-profit youth organization. J-STAR prides itself in its missional focus to help today’s youth become tomorrow’s leaders. J-STAR works with students ranging in ages 6 to 18 years old, specifically with behavior issues. Students are accepted into the program through both parent and school referral, as well as court order. J-STAR also speaks at various area schools on the ABC’s of Life: Attitude, Behavior and Choices.

Once part of the program students are taught abstinence, anger management, citizenship, discipline, life skills, respect for authority and physical fitness. Students receive weekly visits to their respective schools to determine how they’re performing in terms of grades, attitude and respect for teachers and administration. On Saturdays, students meet at the J-STAR offices in the Pine Tree area of Longview in the Community Connections building to take part in various work from community action, physical fitness and even some leisure activities.

J-STAR can be found participating at local events and outreaches such as the Walk to End Alzheimers, The Alley Fest, Christmas parades, Western Days in Hallsville, Gusher Days in Gladewater, the Juneteenth Parade in Kilgore, volunteering at Truman W. Smith in Gladewater, Longview Dream Center, New Gate Mission, Highway 80 Rescue Mission, Coats for Kids Giveaways, J-STAR Ministries Youth Explosion and many others. Through these efforts, participants in the program learn to be thankful for the things in their life and to have compassion for those who struggle, while also accepting they are responsible for their own decisions.

I don’t need to rehash the statistics in order for us to all agree that Longview has a problem. Organizations like J-STAR embody how we make a difference: that is to reach one and teach one. We must step up in support of those who are gifted in this area. Patrick Johnson, founder of J-STAR, is one of those people.

Mr. Johnson has been married to his wife Shana for 15 years and they have six children. He spent nearly 10 years in the United States Air Force and is a disabled veteran. Mr. Johnson is also certified in anger management and is a behavior management specialist. He previously worked at the Kilgore crisis center as a volunteer coordinator and is a certified basic life coach working to rehabilitate abusive men.  He has counseled married couples in anger management and domestic violence situations. Mrs. Johnson is the head basketball coach at Harleton High School and also volunteers in J-STAR Ministries, focusing on working with young women in the program.

J-STAR administration and volunteers also include past participants in the program who have gone on to be accepted and attend LeTourneau University, UT Tyler and other post-secondary centers of education as well as being successfully and gainfully employed in various sectors. These former students are a testament to J-STAR and Mr. and Mrs. Johnson and their heart and gifting in working with troubled youth.

J-STAR needs your help, Longview. Funding has seen a steady decrease over this year and the program is in jeopardy. There are approximately 130 churches in the Longview area and businesses too numerous to number. Yes, many oil and gas related businesses are suffering, but any help gets J-STAR closer to the goal. Christians, I implore you to step up and fill the gap for a ministry that is heeding its call and accepting its responsibility to our community. People of Longview, I encourage you to reach out to discover how you can lend your time and/or talent to J-STAR. The harvest is plentiful but the workers truly are few. Let’s not allow yet another organization, beneficial to Longview and its youth, die on the vine.

J-STAR ministries can be found online at www.jstarministries.com or reached by phone at (903) 424-1757. Let’s all step up and do our part to insure that J-STAR continues to reach our youth and expand its mission for the betterment of our future. You never know, the next child reached because of your contribution may just be a life saved from the violence and gang culture so prevalent in the Longview area.

Reactions On the Resource Officer and High School Student In SC

I’m not sure what it is about our society that leads us to always feel the need to take a definitive stand on every single issue. It’s quite possible, and often true, that in conflict both sides can be at fault. Yes, one side can be more responsible, but that shouldn’t keep us from being open and honest about the fault of the party we align with either. Things are seldom black and white (no pun intended).

In my opinion, the recent episode involving the young female high school student in South Carolina and the male deputy and school resource offer is a perfect example of this. Everyone seems grouped into two sides: 1) Total support of the officer and complete blame for the student or 2) Total support of the student and complete blame for the officer.

Based on the information available many things seem clear. First and foremost the young lady should have complied with the directive of authority. She was instructed many times by both teacher and officer and refused to comply. A good result cannot be expected after a display of such defiance.

With that said, this officer was out of line. His aggression far exceeded both necessity and the situation.

In today’s climate of racial tension, hostility, and overall disdain for law enforcement why on earth would you choose a tact of aggression toward a young black female in a non-violent confrontation? As a white male, you couldn’t pay me enough to put my hands on a young female, much less of the opposite race, unless there was absolutely zero alternative and all other options were exhausted. To expect this to end well is poor judgement on the officer’s part. Not to mention his seemingly troubled history of aggression.

I hate that law enforcement finds itself in this predicament. I lament the fact that they don’t receive the respect nor appreciation they should; however, they are trained professionals and they have a higher responsibility than the average citizen, both in terms of respect and in effort to diffuse, especially in non life-threatening scenarios.

Slamming a young female to the floor with that much force could not have been the best option no matter how wrong or defiant she was. If these are the kinds of decisions and choices public school officials and resource officers are making, perhaps home school and private school are now much more attractive choices.

I believe in discipline. I believe in kids respecting authority and doing as they’re told, but I also believe in adults exercising wisdom, restraint, and common sense. I will say in fairness that had I been this child my father may very well have made this officer seem mild-mannered. However, not every child receives this type of upbringing.

It seems this young lady is a lonely product of the foster care system. An orphan. I believe we should all be able to extend grace to someone who befits the focus of the heart of Christ. The orphan and widow. You cannot hold this child to the same standard of those who were blessed to have parents who cared and instilled values. Does it make her actions right? No. But it does shed light and perspective as to why a militant approach should have been even less desirable.

This officer’s actions have now rendered him unemployed and open to possible litigation. He’s been smeared all over the media. I have no doubt he’d handle this differently if given another chance, and rightly so.

This young lady’s actions led to a situation that diffused and went poorly for all involved. Hopefully she also learns from this. Not to be a victim, but to make better choices that reduce the likelihood of situations like this in her future.

In this case two wrongs made an unfortunate situation even worse.

Halloween, You Suck!

Halloween is a faux “holiday” that exemplifies so much of where our country has gone wrong. Remember the days of innocent puppy costumes and bedsheet ghosts? Yeah, that’s all been served a colossal backhand into the past. Now we have girls in stripper outifts and boys thinking it’s cute to be a pimp. Nice work, America!

Kids going door to door expecting free stuff. Next generation of Bernie Sanders supporters in training. No wonder it’s hip to be socialist.

Back in the day kids were happy to get an apple, a piece of that cheap orange and black waxy garbage candy, and maybe forego both of those in lieu of a trick. So someone slammed the door in their face or scared them by jumping from the bushes with a sharp object. Why don’t you cry about it you little freeloader?

You know what kids? You want a bunch of candy? Get a job.

You want to dress up and pretend you’re something you’ve always wanted to be? Join the club. The sad reality is it doesn’t matter. Tomorrow you’ll wake up and realize no costume can turn you into the hero you wish you were. Do work, kid!

Only America could turn pumpkins into a multimillion dollar industry just so people can practice bad art on something that lasts a week. Just bake a pie for goodness sake.

Tell your daughters to put some clothes on and tell your sons to pretend to be something worth being. Then take your kids out in a field, give them a shovel, have them dig a hole and pay them minimum wage. Deduct 30% for taxes and take them to Wal Mart and show them how much candy they earned. Welcome them to the real world where candy isn’t free, someone pays for it. Then tell them all that whining they did while digging is why all that stuff in Wal Mart comes from China (that and child labor, enslavement, poverty, etc).

Keep your kids away from my house. My light will be off and I don’t want to take a chance of backing over Spiderman when I pull out of my driveway.

So what if my family loves candy, pumpkin carving, and seeing cute little kids dressed up and trick-or-treating? So what if the light really is on because my wife won’t leave it off. Don’t judge me.

Happy Freaking Free Stuff For Nothing and Inappropriate Costume Day!

We Must Be Heard!

By now, we’re all aware of the horror of the secretly recorded Planned Parenthood videos taken by the Center for Medical Progress. Please tell me you’ve watched. Tell me you’re as disgusted as I am. I’m not even sure disgust covers it. Repulsed, outraged, heartbroken all in one mangled hurricane of emotion.

How does this happen? How can we all be so desensitized to human life that we see this and don’t all, with one voice, demand our government bar the doors and stop business at every single Planned Parenthood facility in this nation? How can videos like this be everywhere for all to see and the outcry not be louder than any nation’s outcry in history?

Our country has complacently allowed organizations like this to systematically murder over 50 million babies since abortion was legalized. Here, let me give that to you with zeros: 50,000,000. In addition, the statistics behind the murders actually point to much more callous reasoning, such as race. In a country where many couples try to have babies and cannot, a country where adoption is quite expensive and exhaustive, we allow scores of innocent lives to be terminated every single day. 3,300 on average to be exact.

Legal murder is still murder.

How can Sarah McLachlan singing while pictures of abused puppies scroll across our television, enrage us and make us cry while picking up the phone to donate, yet these videos don’t seem to garner the same outrage and concern? Sadly, these videos really shouldn’t have told us anything we didn’t know. Whether we hear and see other people joking, bartering and having a great time while murdering a young life, abortion is still abortion. It’s legalized murder.

We are a nation that has been completely conned into believing women’s “rights” include the murder of a life created by a voluntary action. Yes, I understand some women are impregnated by rapists but we’ll get there in a moment. In our country today, rather than tell someone to exercise self-control and educate them on the significance of sex, we tell them it is okay to murder the product of that very act. As if those young lives are mere inconveniences. Mere unwanted side effects of our lusts.

What the hell is wrong with us?

Over 500 million dollars of taxpayer money is funding the holocaust of our nation’s babies. Innocent babies that had no voice or choice in our selfish, murderous act. Taxpayer money. Not only is the slaughter house of Planned Parenthood allowed to operate lawfully but it’s also paid, with our money, to do so.

I’ll admit that I tend to lean conservative (Far right libertarian according to the political quadrant test); however, I try and remain at least civil in my disagreement with our president. I can’t do that here. The statement given by the White House press secretary, Josh Earnest in which he referred to the videos as “a tactic by extremists on the right” is beyond pathetic. It’s despicable. It’s an injustice to every single American. Every single person and every single branch of Planned Parenthood should be receiving a DOJ investigation and an IRS audit so thorough they go bankrupt attempting to comply. Too bad their schedule is booked investigating conservative organizations.

So let us recap: A woman’s right means she can have all the sex she wants, with whoever, whenever she pleases because it’s her body. Fair enough, until your actions create another body. But then that little body, those little organs that are apparently a hot commodity on the black market for all the reasons that life is life, is not a person. Kill it at will. Throw it in the trash. Forget it.

I’m no scientist but I feel safe in saying it took sperm to fertilize that woman’s egg in order to create that life. So, where’s the man’s right in the abortion debate? Yeah, he doesn’t have one. Let a man skip out on child support and a court will be all over him. Let his sexual partner murder a child he helped create and he’s out of luck. (I am staunchly opposed to and disgusted by deadbeats and my other blogs can attest to this) That’s the whole women’s right movement in terms of murdering babies, in a nutshell.

This is not a black or white, right or left, male or female issue. People, this is a human rights issue. There is nothing on this earth more precious than a human life, even more so when that human life is innocent.

We are complacently allowing murder, genocide even of our unborn.

The left always screams, what about rape? What about it? It’s terrible and those responsible should be punished to the full extent of the law. However, that innocent life had no say. That baby didn’t rape you. Perhaps we could use some of the half a billion dollars in taxpayer money for a shelter and care center for raped women who become pregnant. They can receive therapy and counsel as well as health care and when their child is born, if they just can’t handle it, there will be a line of families honored to adopt that child.

My fellow Christians, we must stand here. We must. My fellow Americans, we must rise up here. We must join in one voice that refuses to be silent in the name of each unborn baby that has been a murder victim in our nation. We are not civilized if we do not. If we are complacent in the face of this, we are an accomplice. We cannot let this go.

An organization founded by a racist, family hating, socialist, man-hater has been exposed. Planned Parenthood must be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Federal funding for this horrific abattoir must end immediately.

Let me end by saying this, if you are a woman reading this and you have had an abortion, this is not directed to you or your action. This is directed to the institutions, the fraud and often even encouragement that led you to make that choice. This is not meant to condemn you in any way as we are all guilty under God’s law. I pray you find peace, forgiveness and hope in Him.

The world didn’t need my voice on this. It didn’t need another blog, but I had to do this for me. Out of all the topics I choose to write about, sometimes with satire, oftentimes with blunt candidness and myriad other forms I had to put this in writing. I had to make my stand clear, even knowing it won’t be popular and it will most certainly attract attacks, outcry and rebuke from a certain element. Let them bring it. In comparison to the pool of broken, torn and bloody body parts and organs that cry out for a voice, I’ll face their wrath any day.

I Am Offended and the Government Should Stop It From Happening

I’m offended. I’ve been done an injustice. My very happiness has been threatened. To be fair, we were only granted rights that allowed for “the pursuit of happiness” and apparently that loophole makes being a judge fun. However, I’ll soon be taking my list of things that offend me to my city council, county commission, state representatives, congressman, senator and all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.

My case needs to be heard. No one should be subject to these travesties in any progressive country that truly represents the well-being of its citizens. The following offenses by my fellow countrymen and many illegal aliens have been detrimental to my pursuit and directly infringed on my quality of life:

1) Use of glitter. This abomination, better known as Satan’s dandruff, has been creeping toward world domination for decades. Those who support the use of such a dangerous element in our society have been quietly launching a crusade to ingrain glitter into our culture under the guise of being “for the kids” and “art”. It has no place in our modern world. It is invasive and intrudes on my right to glitter free privacy. Not one veteran of our country has ever gone on record as having fought to defend the use of glitter, nor has one single veteran ever been on record as having personally been a user of glitter. It’s time we put a stop to this madness before not one spec of this promised land remains glitter free.

2) Poor eating habits. We are not a third world country so it’s time we quit eating like it. It is among my inalienable rights to be able to eat or socialize in public without the disgusting, distracting, despicable, reprehensible (ran out of “d” words), grotesque, annoying, and cringe-worthy eating habits found in the general populace. I firmly believe that laws should be enacted that among the first offense of smacking or talking with your mouth full in public a UFC trained law enforcement official punches you in the face. Second offense is incarceration. If I could only count the times I’ve had an otherwise pleasant movie or dinner outing ruined by some deplorable (Hah! Another “d” word!) and apparently starved Neanderthal whose excessive crunching, bits of food or cringe-worthy smacking made me want to scream and tase them with a couple trillion volts then, well, I’d be able to count really high.

3) Males in skinny jeans. Let’s just take a common sense approach here. What if a band of ISIS terrorists storm the beaches on either coast or even the Gulf of Mexico. If all the males have to take up arms immediately to offer resistance, what happens if a group of our armed men run up in skinny jeans? Yes, you guessed it. We lose the fight for several reasons. One, your fellow combatants are laughing too hard to fight. Two, the terrorists only abstain from laughing because terrorists only laugh evil laughs and not for fun so they’re still raging war. Three, our men in their skinny jeans can’t maneuver without being too constricted. Come on, you’ve never seen one combat hero accomplish anything in jeans that tight. Now, I know the case could be made for cowboys but their jeans allow for boots and with boots, well, they make all the difference. My conclusion here is that men wearing skinny jeans support ISIS and weaken our military. Man up, fellas and wear man pants rather than something that looks like you either got them from an egg-shaped canister or you’re trying out for Peter Pan. (As a side note, although Peter Pan is a male character he is often played by females. Why you ask? Because only females will wear those tights!)

4) Being offended. If we had been proactive and already established the Pansy Police we could have avoided so much of this. Stop being offended. We can disagree. It’s okay. People disagreeing does NOT make them a bigot (look it up). People being intolerant of the opinions and ideals of others are bigots. So, people who don’t agree with gay marriage aren’t bigots any more than those who do agree with it. Stop being offended that people actually believe in God and the Bible. Stop being offended that people don’t believe in God and the Bible. Stop being offended over a flag. Stop being offended that a flag was removed from state capitols where it had no business. Everyone get over yourselves. Unless something threatens you physically or otherwise violates your basic human rights (happiness not among them) then SUCK. IT. UP. There are too many of us with too many beliefs. We cannot all agree. You can speak out. You can voice your opinion. However, from here on out, you can no longer be offended. Alright, fair enough. This is impossible. Often offense is a natural reaction and one cannot help it. How about we put it this way: Your being offended means nothing. It gives you no rights and no one should have to alter their behavior due to your offense.

*As a side note to Christians: Our God is not in the least threatened by this or anything else this fallen world has to offer. He knew it was going to happen. You should have too. His Kingdom will still come. Want to know when people will really want to know our God? When we get busy doing and quit just talking. You have every right to state your position in love for God’s children but you do not have a right to be hateful and mean to people. Speak truth in love or it’s not really truth. (Mark 12:30-31)

5) Facebook. While I’m on a roll I may as well tackle this one. Facebook makes it difficult on a beginning blogger that isn’t willing to hand over their credit card number and agree to a daily promotion fee. I can share a blog on my personal page and have it liked and shared 20 times more than the actual The Weekley Blog page. This sucks. You, Facebook, can put ads wherever you want. Your entire premise began as a social network for individuals. Stop limiting my exposure in newsfeeds! So, this one is a tad selfish but I’m okay with that. It’s my right and you’re no longer able to be offended. Here’s how you the reader can help: Like, Share and Invite Friends who have lots of time on their hands, need to be offended or need someone to laugh at/with. Together, we’ll show Facebook Pages who’s boss.

Check out more at http://www.WeekleyBlog.com, Longview News-Journal at http://www.news-journal.com/blogs/reader/2015/jun/18/the-weekley-blog/ and at The Weekley Blog on Facebook. Be sure and tell my friends at Longview News-Journal how much you love The Weekley Blog (www.news-journal.com/contact/) and if your last name is Weekley change it first or they’ll be on to me.

Charleston: Home Grown Terrorism

Tragedy. Terrorism. Sadness. All appropriate terms when thinking of the actions by Dylann Roof, 21, when he chose to violate the peaceful assembly conducted by his 10 victims, 9 of which he shot down in a cold-blooded and hate-filled shooting spree.

Mental illness? I’m not sure it’s possible to not be mentally ill when you’re in a place dark enough to allow you to prepare for and carry out such a heinous crime. I’m not sure terrorists aren’t mentally ill. I suppose this debate would be left up to the clear definition of mental illness, which to me changes nothing and is simply an issue of semantics used for someone guilty of these atrocities to avoid capital punishment.

Ignorance. Hate. Intolerance. How the roots of this evil begin. Taught and learned behavior. Scary. The love of money may be the root of evil, but ignorance cannot be far behind.

This young man chose the oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church in the south. This same church counted among its founders, Denmark Vesey. Vesey was executed for allegedly trying to organize a major slave rebellion in 1822. The church was burned to the ground and rebuilt by one of Vesey’s sons.

This was a terrorist act. This was, in fact, domestic terrorism fueled by demons allowed to root themselves in the heart of a young man who was very ignorant and misguided. Perhaps that was enhanced by drugs and a twisted ideology. We may never know for sure. What we do know is that this most certainly appears to be premeditated execution of defenseless and peaceful victims.

My dad often used the quote based on 1 Corinthians 15:10 and traced to John Bradford, “But by the grace of God go I.” We all like to think we could never be guilty of an act of this nature and fortunately that holds true for the vast majority. What we can be guilty of though, is the very fabric sewn into the poisonous beliefs that foster these acts of vile contempt and unadulterated evil. History proves ignorance is very fertile soil for fanatical acts of terror.

I am so very thankful that one of the clearest memories I have of being disciplined as a child came from my having called a black woman a “nigger”. I’ll never forget it. The lady did nothing to me to provoke words of any kind. She sat in her car next to me where somewhere in my roughly 9 year-old mind I conjured up the word so often used by one of my family members when speaking of virtually all black people. I remember the lady’s husband coming out and being told what had transpired. Somehow, he collected himself enough to wait on my father to emerge. His encounter with my father was animated. I don’t blame him in the least. I remember my father, as calmly as he could, removing me from the passenger seat of his truck and standing me up to look this man and his wife in the eye and apologize. I still remember the embarrassment and shame on his face. I also remember the discipline and discussion that took place at home.

Thank God this was my father. In south Alabama, in a rural setting, surrounded by otherwise good people that ignorantly used derogatory terms and ideals of black people he was an exception. I never understood why he refused to allow me to hang a Confederate flag in my room. Revisionist history and ignorant people had taught me it was about “state’s rights” and a war of “northern aggression”. Never mind that the primary right in question was whether or not one man could legally own and enslave another and when told no, decide to pick up their toys and start their own country.

To read civil war history in textbooks that were taught in southern states up until the 1950’s and in some cases the 1960’s is nothing less than shameful and embarrassing. We didn’t teach “some” people this. We taught all our children these backward, racist, revisionist versions of history.

This happened in Charleston, SC. A beautiful city steeped in the tradition of the old, Confederate south. One of the last few holdouts that still flies the Confederate flag. To black Americans this flag is a symbol of oppression, regardless of its history. Does it still fly for education and acknowledgement of a troubled history or does it fly as a symbol of pride and salt in the wound of those who were oppressed under that very flag?

This troubled young man with hate in his heart needed somewhere to direct his sickness, his anger, his disease. Somewhere, somehow in Charleston he found something to blame. He found somewhere to direct his vitriol. He found something to blame his discontent on. That thing happened to be disdain and hatred for another race. His haunting words spoken to the person who pleaded for him to stop, “No, you’ve raped our women, and you are taking over the country…I have to do what I have to do.” Sometimes we realize we’ve not come as far as we like to think.

Am I saying that revisionist history and flying a Confederate battle flag make for lunatic rampages that leave people gunned down in cold blood? No. What I am saying is we have a serious and festering underlying issue in this country. We all want to ignore it. We want to point fingers. Truly, people this sick will always find some justification, but how is race still available as the basis of such evil?

The vast majority of us would rather draw a line in the sand and point fingers. Be they at welfare recipients, people of a differing race, religion, political party or any other assorted difference that leads us to not just disagree, but actually have contempt for those who disagree with us.

We all choose to excuse our prejudices and hide behind the various reasons mentioned above. How much time do we all spend trying to separate our biases and understand the position of the other side? One thing I know is that it’s not just the other side’s fault. It’s both sides. It’s the rigid, line drawing refusal to compromise, grow and understand together.

I want to see the first color-blind generation. We’ve made much progress but we still have so far to go. It won’t happen without some very difficult conversations, education, open-minds and more important than all, love. It’s time to wipe the slate clean and see people as people. That’s it. People trying to make their way in a dark and fallen world, just like you and I. Make eye contact, smile, forgive, laugh, lend a helping hand, hug your family and tell them you love them.

Bring love back. Perfect love is what casts out fear. This world needs Jesus, even when it wants to ignore Him, disprove Him or develop an alternative. Not religion, your creator. Pray for the victims and families in Charleston. Pray that this young man’s crime doesn’t become a rally cry for other broken and angry white kids looking desperately for an outlet to channel their aggression. Last but not least, pray for our nation.

React vs. Respond: Improving Your Company’s Culture

In case you missed it, check out React vs. Respond:

The Weekley Blog

Re-act: Respond with hostility, opposition, or a contrary course of action to.

Re-spond: To react favorably to.

When laying the foundation for a thriving culture within a company whether it’s to maximize potential, achieve growth or turn around a struggling company it is imperative that the foundation laid is one of responding and not reacting. Reactions are at the root of inefficient time management, gossip-culture, finger-pointing, and toxic leadership. Responses are typical of a culture that is well rounded, confident, well-led and with an overall sense of teamwork necessary for the greater good of the organization.

Companies with a reactionary culture find each and every day mired in running from problem to problem. They may very well have a team of competent individuals; however, if leadership doesn’t allow for a top-down mentality of responding versus reacting then this culture will be nearly impossible to shift. It’s key in this situation…

View original post 567 more words

When Employees Leave, How Does Your Company React?

Good employees are painful to lose. From a leadership perspective I always find myself stuck considering what I missed or what I could have done to make sure that person stayed on board. Perhaps that’s giving myself too much credit but nonetheless I always look at me first. As difficult as these situations are, they offer the perfect opportunity for a company and its leadership to display its true character and the real value it places on those who help them get there.

How a company responds to a key employee’s resignation is a healthy indicator of how they value people and the amount of integrity at the highest levels. For instance, if upper management decides to use the opportunity to point out all of the flaws in the employee and all the mistakes they’ve made then the integrity and professionalism tank is running low. However, if the corporate stance is to show appreciation for the service and accomplishments that the departing employee played a part in then it’s a relatively safe bet you’re in a company that truly values people as people and not just as a driver of the bottom line.

The departure should also serve as a time for you and your company to do a gut-check. Could you have done things differently? Is the other position or company perceived as being better than your company? If so, why? When honest self-evaluation is conducted both individually and as a corporation then improvements are most certainly sure to follow.

The key in leadership is to recognize your employees for what they bring to the table as well as their potential in the future. If you can make a sound and accurate judgment on this early on, then you can plan for how to stay ahead of the curve on pay raises, promotions, etc. This insures happy employees and happy employees are productive employees.

It is true that in most cases people never quit their team, they quit their leader. Although there are exceptions to this. Sometimes your company may not be in a position to elevate the employee to the position they desire and maybe even deserve. Perhaps the company cannot afford the raise to meet an employee’s salary demands. There are times when you just have to let people go, even the good ones. The key is that in these times, make sure you and your company conduct yourselves with the type of professionalism and integrity that makes people think openly about a return or to tell others good things about working for you.

Hopefully this isn’t too common for you or your company but when it happens now you have some perspective to assist you in your handling of the situation. Class and integrity are valuable so make sure you retain them even when you don’t retain employees.