Fanning the Flames of Civil Discord?

In absence of true leadership chaos, and often violence, will inevitably prevail.  I find it most interesting to note, however, that as civil discord burns brightly on the home-front (presently in Baltimore and previously in Ferguson and other cities throughout the nation) the national focus on global concerns (earthquake in Nepal, Iran military maneuvers around Strait of Hormuz, Nuclear Weapons Deal with Iran, ISIS and other terrorist activities around the globe, Implications of Clinton Foundation Donations w.r.t. foreign powers gaining undo influence and potentially compromising national security, etc.) is rather conveniently diminished.  Perhaps current 'leadership' chooses to fan the home flames of discord toward a greater, overarching, political end? [As opposed to speaking on the situation in any constructively meaningful way, so as to diminish the rhetoric of an ongoing national divide by addressing the underlying issues plaguing communities, such as the one in Baltimore Maryland, while emphasizing the fact that anytime an unarmed U.S. citizen winds up dying in police custody it is a tragedy which must be thoroughly investigated, prosecuted if necessary, and learned from so as to prevent future such incidents from occurring again.]

Also have to wonder, if media outlets would chose to minimize their ongoing, 24-hour, visual coverage of rioting and destruction if the allure towards violent protest and destruction might in some small way be diminished, because the perpetrators would no longer have a guaranteed national television audience. Everything in moderation: including media coverage of violent protests?

4/29  The city curfew seems to have been effective in curbing further violence in Baltimore.  Have to applaud community members, civic leaders, church officials, etc. who found the courage to stand in the streets of Baltimore last night in order to speak in favor of ordered protest, in compliance with the city-wide curfew, over violence and destruction.   It is my sincere hope that justice will prevail in getting to the bottom of the events which lead to the tragic death of U.S. citizen, Freddie Gray, while he was in police custody.

5/13 Thinking we need to focus some "nation-building" right here in America, in cities like Baltimore.  Where supportive communities would work to build strong family foundations and improved educational opportunities,  leading to meaningful and lasting employment and career opportunities.  Because a never-ending handout, alone, will never amount to true freedom and equality.  The illusion of  entitlement to "free stuff" being consistently pushed by liberal progressive policies (failed policies) is the real injustice, not this resurrected narrative of "ongoing racial inequality." The narrative of "racial inequality" offers no definitive solutions.  Instead we have only finger-pointing, victims and violence,  which amounts to a misconception of division towards the end rallying voters to the base for the upcoming 2016 Presidential Election. Would that we would, that we could all see ourselves first and foremost as Americans and then work toward meaningful solutions to real problems from there.

Mini 'State of the Union': August 9, 2013

“Dichotomy”…  Refers to diametrically opposed traits, ideas or concepts, where the objects being contrasted and compared must be mutually exclusive  (i.e., no overlap exists between the members of each given set).   Dichotomies are useful in science and mathematics (e.g., developing keys to clearly identify species in science or developing mathematical theorems).  While useful in science and mathematics, dichotomies are often incorrectly employed in politics and advertising in order to over-simplify a given idea or problem.  Learning to identify these rhetorical tricks in language communications, particularly with respect to political agendas,  can be extremely useful.  For example, a politician running for office might say “we need better roads, therefore we need to raise taxes.”  This of course leaves out the option of re-allocating existing funds, or of using funds in a more efficient way.  The gross-over simplification of the issues is a trait common to many politicians who want to encourage uninformed and easily swayed people to vote for them and/or to agree with and support their policies and political agendas.

Perhaps, given the political environment in which we find ourselves these days, the terms ‘sophistry’ and ‘hyperbole’ would be useful terms to have familiarity with, as well,when assembling your reasoning arsenal.


[ And it doesn't have to be "them vs. us" ... We can come together, work together, in a bi-partisan effort to solve the many problems which plague our nation, but first and foremost must come recognition of the glaring fact that we must put our fiscal house back in order in order to have any hope of putting America back together again, let alone striving to restore "excellence".  Denial can only carry you so far.  You can't build Utopia with a credit card, no matter how much you believe and desperately try.  When the number of people taking from the system exceeds those who are putting something into the system, the house of cards will collapse.  And somehow, I can't shake the feeling this collapse is looming in our not too distant future.  Seriously, is this --a legacy of collapse and unrecoverable economic chaos-- the legacy you want to stamp your name onto for future generations to bear witness to? ]