Good morning to our 2 Paragraphs Family. At the end of this coming July the Libertarian Party of California will be having its annual convention when I anticipate submitting a proposal for its new party platform. A draft of it is now being submitted to you for your thoughts and comments. All feedback is appreciated! Here is the draft:
A friend and neighbor of mine has a bumper sticker on his car that says: “Trump/Vance 2024 Never Surrender.” Flat out, I have no problem with people publicly supporting their political candidates, and in fact appreciate it when they do. But I have a large problem with saying “Never Surrender,” because it strongly implies that we are at war with each other! And this directly contributes to the polarization
What every successful civilization needs is leaders. “Leadership is defined as the ability of an individual or group to influence and guide others towards achieving shared goals. It involves aligning people in a collective direction and enabling them to work together effectively. Key characteristics of good leaders include vision, communication, integrity and the ability to inspire others.” So what does it take to be a leader?
The “Common Wisdom” is that when a President appoints a Justice to the US Supreme Court that the President can count upon that Justice pursuing the President’s agenda. But a close friend of mine, who is truly aware of realities in today’s world, actually sent me a list of Justices in significant cases since 1940 who voted against the Presidents who had appointed them.
There was an editorial in the May 2, 2024 edition of the Orange County Register about which we all should be concerned. It called attention to the fact that a graduate student at Tufts University who is here on a student visa was recently arrested and taken to a Louisiana jail and is being threatened with deportation for doing nothing more than writing a Pro-Palestinian op-ed piece for a local newspaper. The thrust of her column was to protest American support for the war in Gaza. It did not recommend violence or otherwise taking inappropriate action. But if that is not a violation of our Free Speech Rights under our Constitution, I have trouble thinking about what could be a greater threat. So I believe we all should be concerned about this result.
It really is not so hard. In my view, our nation’s immigration policy should be based upon the following five maxims:
1. It is our decision who comes into our country either to visit or to live, and not the visitor’s;
2. One strong reason our country is Great is because over the years so many people from around the world have immigrated here so they can roll up their sleaves and pursue the American Dream. Those who have shown they are a boon to themselves, their families and our country who have not already become citizens should their paths be streamlined to become citizens;
Toward the end of the 18th century, England began sending convicts to Australia. The transportation was privately provided but publicly funded. But a lot of convicts died along the way from disease due to overcrowding, poor nutrition and little or no medical treatment. In fact, between 1790 and 1792, 12% of the convicts died, to the dismay of many good-hearted English men and women who thought that banishment to Australia shouldn’t be a death sentence. On one ship 37% perished.
I am writing this edition on the Fourth of July, and thinking about where we are as a country. And that has led me also to wonder if this 2 Paragraphs series is living up to expectations. Why? Because seldom do I get feedback that discusses or enlarges upon the issues, or challenges me with countering points of view. So now I am asking you to give me some honest feedback.
In April of 1831 Alexis de Tocqueville set out for the United States from his native France to study the American penal system. So for nine months he traveled by steamboat, stagecoach, horse and canoe to numerous places in our country, all the while meeting and speaking with large numbers of people. Then he returned to France and wrote about what he had seen and learned about our penal system.
Happy Memorial Day, which is today. But as we use the day and weekend to gather with family and friends to travel and have good times, let us also remember the meaning of this day. According to the Congressional Research Service, it is a day of reflection and remembrance of those who died while serving in the U.S. military.
Taking many lessons and insights I gathered while presiding over our high school Peer Court program over the years, I wrote a musical entitled “Americans All,” which takes place in an after-school “detention” class room, and is meant to help mentor our junior high and high school students. Peer Court is a program that involves subjects from some real juvenile court cases who have been screened by the probation department and who have acknowledged that they committed the violations.
One of the things that I believe sets me aside from most people is that, at a fairly early age, maybe while in high school, I decided that one of the worst things that can happen to people is to be on their deathbeds, look back over their lives and think “I wish I would have,” or “I wish I would not have.” And, I am gratified to say, I will not be in that position.
Right after the 2020 elections, this column strongly proposed that Congress establish a transparently-neutral commission, probably comprised of retired judges, to investigate all allegations of fraud and suppression of information in and during our nation’s elections and then to disclose publicly its findings on those issues, regardless of where they lead us.
In the February 26, 2023 edition of the Orange County Register there was a Letter to the Editor that caught my eye that included the following statement: “I once had a political science professor who never told us his opinion and encouraged robust dialogue in class. A student asked him one time why he bounces all over the issues and never provides the class with his opinion.
When I was a child my parents drummed it into my head: “Jimmy, if you ever get lost what will you do?” Correct Answer: “I will find a policeman; he is my friend.” Regretfully that is seldom taught in our society today. Why? Because due to police unions and the doctrine of “qualified immunity,” police who misbehave are often not able to be held responsible for their actions.
Recently I read a pamphlet entitled “Great Myths of the Great Depression” by Lawrence W. Reed of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). This article discusses the history of government actions that caused and perpetuated the Great Depression which lasted from 1929 until the middle of World War II.
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