Times are Changing (Again)

Times are Changing (Again)

                A commentary

                By J. F. Kelly, Jr.

 

Generational differences in values, attitudes and beliefs often cause tensions and disagreements between age groups. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, younger people today act quite differently in many ways from younger people of earlier generations. They tend to be more permissive, tolerant and inclusive, among other things.

For a vivid example , look at the results of recent balloting in that most Catholic of countries, Ireland, which just became the first nation to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote in spite of the opposition of the Church. Moreover, it wasn’t even close, with nearly two-thirds of the vote in favor. The outcome of the vote was all the more dramatic when one considers that only 22 years ago, homosexual behavior was a crime in Ireland and the Catholic Church’s influence on education and daily life was pervasive.

It can be argued that the Church’s influence has grown weaker because of its well-publicized sex scandals, much of which involved homosexual behavior. Priests are role models, after all, and many young people may have concluded that homosexual behavior is normal and acceptable. It didn’t help the Church’s position, moreover, that some priests reportedly were in favor of legalization. More likely, though, its influence is waning because young people are being socialized in the popular culture, in the secular schools, the media, movies and TV to be more accepting and inclusive than their parents and grand-parents were. This was reflected in the voting, with youthful voters overwhelmingly in support of legalization and older voters generally in opposition.  The change in values and mores has occurred in most other western countries as well in sharp contrast to attitudes toward homosexual behavior in Arab and other Muslim countries where it is often punishable by death.

It’s often noted that Pope Francis himself has reached out to gays asking, “Who am I to judge?” Still, the Catholic Catechism remains unchanged regarding the matter, so is the Pope offering false hope to Catholic gays by sending mixed messages?

The Catholic Church forbids abortion at any stage of pregnancy without exception even in cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is endangered by the pregnancy. Even in Catholic Ireland, where abortion is illegal, Irish law makes an exception where the mother’s life it at risk. The Catholic Church also forbids any artificial means of contraception, offering its members only the so-called “rhythm method” for minimizing the chance of pregnancy. Surveys, however, suggest that well over three-fourths of Catholics and perhaps as many as 85% ignore that particular teaching.

Church leaders assert frequently that its values and teachings are under assault by the popular culture where anything that feels good is considered acceptable and that its teachings will not be influenced by the increasingly permissive society. But it is the young people who are driving those changes in our society and they clearly want to live by those more inclusive standards that they have been socialized to espouse. Young people are the future of the Church.

All leaders need followers or they have no one to lead. And to be successful leaders, they have to listen to the followers, at least now and then. If the followers are questioning why homosexual behavior, same-sex marriage and contraception are wrong, they need to be told why, convincingly and from the pulpit, not just in a printed Catechism that few read after Confirmation. Otherwise, their flocks will increasingly consist of “cafeteria” Catholics or Catholics in name only. Put another way, leaders need to look back over their shoulders occasionally to see if anyone is still following.

May 31 2015

Let the Campaign Begin

Let the Games Begin—————————

                A commentary

                By J. F. Kelly, Jr.

 

The 2016 elections are still a year and a half away but the campaigning is already well-underway. With a four-year presidential election cycle, it’s probably never too early to begin campaigning for election or re-election, so the public has to put up with mind-numbing campaign rhetoric about a third of the time. That’s unfortunate because all that time and resources spent campaigning could be better spent on more productive things and, in the case of incumbents running for re-election, actually doing the job they were elected to do.

A sitting president, governor, mayor or other officeholder elected to a four- year term might be in campaign mode for half of it, posturing for re-election. For a U.S. representative elected to only a two-year term, campaigning never ends if they are seeking re-election. Moreover, the desire to be re-elected and to remain popular with voters probably influences some of their decisions.

U.S. senators, elected for a six-year term, don’t have the same degree of urgency so they can devote much more time to actually doing the job they were elected to do (not that they necessarily will). So wouldn’t it make sense to extend the term of U.S representatives to six years also and limit presidents to a single, six-year term like they do in Mexico? Not having to spend any time campaigning for re-election, they could spend all of their time in office doing the job that they were elected to do (not that they necessarily would, either).

With a four- year presidential election cycle, the nation is in campaign mode far too much of the time and, for much of the public, it gets a little wearing after a year or so. Granted, it keeps the media busy, but it inflicts upon the public endless, repetitive, political blather and campaign ads largely consisting of silly and simplistic dramatizations by third-rate actors which insult the intelligence of the voting public which, I acknowledge, is not easy to do.

An excessive amount of campaign time also increases the likelihood that candidates eventually will self-destruct. If you give politicians enough time, they will sooner or later say something stupid. Expect a lot of this with the over-crowded field of GOP candidates and the time available in which to mess up. If the campaign for the nomination lasts long enough and is as contentious and self-destructive as the last one was, there may actually be no candidate left standing and they’ll have to bring back Mitt Romney at the last minute to run. That would be all right with me, by the way.

Much is said during every election season about the responsibility of every eligible voter to vote. I think much more emphasis should be placed on the responsibility of every eligible voter to become informed on the issues and the candidates before voting. Voters who will not make a reasonable effort to do this will probably believe any campaign promise or political ad they want to believe. They are likely to vote based on superficial characteristics of a candidate that appeals to them, like appearance, youthfulness, speaking ability or charisma. Personally, I think youthfulness and good looks are overrated, possibly because I’m deficient in the latter and have long since left the former behind. Presidential elections, in particular, have begun to resemble beauty pageants or popularity contests and the candidates become sort of like contestants.

Uninformed and gullible voters who will believe anything they read or hear in a campaign speech or political ad only because they want it to be true deserve the kind of government they get as a result, good or bad. So do those who vote for a candidate primarily because of race, ethnicity or gender.

So as the campaign begins in earnest, let’s resolve to make ourselves as informed as we can. Let’s exhibit a healthy skepticism toward unrealistic campaign promises and remember that the primary purpose of campaign advertisements is not to inform you but rather to get your vote. The candidate that slings mud to get elected does not deserve your vote. Remember that we are voting next year to elect a person to the most powerful elected position in the world, not necessarily the best debater, or the best-looking or the most charismatic candidate. Remember also that the one we elect will have a profound effect, not only on us, but on the direction of the entire nation.

Let the fun begin and may the best contestant—I mean candidate– win.

May 18, 2015

Discipline Begins at Home

Discipline Begins at Home————————————–

                A commentary

                By J. F. Kelly, Jr.

 

With urban riots back in the news, the search is on again for answers and, as usual, most of them miss the mark. It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that the reason for the violence is frustration and rage over police brutality, neglect of black neighborhoods, unemployment among young black males and poverty in general and that the solution is more money to address all of these problems.

But that’s been the alleged solution for decades now and it simply hasn’t worked. We have poured money into public schools, more per pupil than most other advanced countries. Still, black student achievement in public schools lags in spite of gains by other minorities. We have poured money into inner city housing only to see much of it trashed and crime rates soar in those areas. As for why the riots, incidents of blacks being killed by police are just the excuses for violence as protestors chant “No justice, no peace.” I doubt that the rioters care as much about the black victim as they do about demonstrating that they have the power to disrupt and intimidate the entire community by burning, terrorizing and looting.

Why is it that before America became a welfare state, not many decades ago, when people weren’t rewarded with payments for not working and for having babies out of wedlock, there were virtually no urban riots?  Today we are enjoying the blessings of the hard-won civil rights movement. We have a black, two-term president, two successive black attorneys-general, dozens of black mayors, police chiefs and commissioners and diversified police departments in our major cities. Government hiring is color-blind. Still we have urban riots and demonstrations over police actions and methods.

What has changed? Have police become more hardened in dealing with young black males because of the high number of interactions they have with them, many involving resistance and abuse toward policemen? Perhaps, but I have another, simpler answer. What has fundamentally changed are our moral standards, attitudes toward childbirth out of wedlock and tolerance for anti-social behavior. We are experiencing today what can happen to a segment of society when so many of its children are reared out of wedlock without a father in the home to model and teach proper adult male behavior including the treatment of women. We are reaping the fruits of a breakdown in the family structure in the black community; throughout much of society as well, but particularly, as statistics clearly show, among African-Americans. A majority of black children are reared by single, mostly young mothers, some of them children themselves, who struggle to provide financially for their children with little time left for parenting and with few parenting skills.

While many do a commendable job under very difficult circumstances, many simply cannot cope and in the absence of adult male supervision and role modeling, their sons become rebellious and anti-social. They are easily recruited by gangs which take the place of family. They are prominent among those who disrupt order in school classrooms, creating an environment that is inimical to learning and often dangerous. They can make life miserable for teachers and for those students who want to learn.

When they finally make it through school or drop out, they are ill- prepared to earn a living except perhaps through dealing drugs. They transport their angry, resentful aggressiveness to the community. They got away with this behavior at home, in the schools and they expect to get away with it in the community. They are the ones who are quick to riot, burn and loot, not for any noble cause, but because they are angry at society, those who they see as prospering in society and above all, angry at the police who they have been socialized to believe are the enemy.

When these social issues are raised, those who raise them are often denounced as racist but it is not racist to try to better understand these problems because unaddressed, they are causing race relations in America to worsen. The violence and destruction caused by rioting in Ferguson, Baltimore and elsewhere has not solved anything and indeed has damaged race relations while making conditions even worse for the mostly black, law-abiding resident of the burned-out neighborhoods. Police restraint in the initial stages of the riots only made things worse by encouraging them to continue.

Without question, some police departments need to examine their policies and procedures for interacting with young black males, but solutions to the problems of urban violence aren’t going to come from police reforms. In fact, as more and more policemen are being killed in the line of duty, the safety of policemen is now becoming an urgent concern which will call for greater caution on the part of police and even less tolerance for those who act aggressively toward them and do not obey their instructions when stopped or questioned.

May 11, 2015

You Just Can’t Reason with Cats

You Just Can’t Reason with Cats———————————–

                A cat commentary

                By J. F. Kelly, Jr.

 

I read recently in a magazine that when sustained eye contact is maintained between dogs and humans, bodily chemicals are activated in both that can produce a strong bond. No words are necessary to the process. It’s sort of love at first sight, if you will. You may not want to try this with just any dog, though, especially a loose Pit Bull or a police dog on duty.

Looking up from my magazine, I said to nobody in particular, that I sure missed having a dog. Our beloved adopted Miniature Poodle, Charlie, passed away two years ago at the age of 15.

“What?” snarled Mimi and Mewsetta, our two black female cats, in unison, awakening abruptly from a cat nap. “The very last thing we need around here is another dog to clean up after,” said Mimi. “You guys can hardly keep up with cleaning our cat box.”

“I’ll say,” interjected my wife who cleans the cat box twice daily in accordance with our negotiated division of labor agreement. “Cleaning up after multiple adult cats is no picnic,” she added.

“At least we use the cat box so it’s all in one place,” protested Musetta, Mimi’s long-haired sister. “Dogs just go anywhere they please and in Coronado, you’re required to catch it and bag it almost before it hits the ground or somebody reports you to the dog poop police. Do you realize how silly you look following a dog with a plastic bag which, by the way, is an environmental hazard,” she noted.

“Maybe,” I responded, “but dogs are so affectionate and obedient. I miss having one around. When you look into a dog’s eyes, you see unconditional love and a desire to please. When I look into your eyes, I often see total indifference. And when I call, you don’t always come like a dog does, except, of course, when you’re being fed.”

“That’s unfair!” snapped Mimi. “That’s what cats do. They’re supposed to ignore people. You got a problem with that? Then don’t be saying ‘Here, kitty’ all the time. That ‘here, kitty’ stuff makes me gag.”

“Then there’s the water shortage,” said Mewsetta.

“What’s that got to do with it?” I asked.

“Dogs require frequent bathing or they stink,” replied Mewsetta. “We don’t.”

“Says you,” I retorted. “You like to roll in the dirt.”

“That’s what brushes are for,” said Mimi. If you brushed us more frequently we’d stay clean and we wouldn’t get hair balls.”

“What you both need is a good vacuuming,” I said.

“Don’t even think about it,” Mimi warned. “Remember, we still have front claws.”

“A bad decision on my part,” I retorted.

“Stop it, both of you, “ Mewsetta pleaded.

“Dogs also require a lot of drinking water,” Mimi persisted. “You have to place large bowls of it on the floor and they slobber when they drink. They also drink out of the toilet.”

“That’s disgusting,” said Mewsetta. “We drink out of the sink because we know how to turn the faucets on,” she said proudly.

“But then you don’t turn them off,” I replied, “and that wastes water. And, by the way, Fur balls are disgusting, too.”

“We’re not purrfect,” purred Mewsetta.

“I’ll say,” I agreed. “I do think we should look into adopting another dog.”

“You do and I’ll look into moving out,” hissed Mimi.

“I rather doubt that,” I said. “You two have it too good around here. Anyway, you don’t have to panic. We’re just thinking about it for now.”

“Whatever, Jim,” snapped Mimi. “By the way, the cat box is full, again.”

“What’s new?” sighed my wife.

May 9, 2015

Thoughts on the Burning of Baltimore

Thoughts on the Burning of Baltimore—————————————–

                A commentary

                By J. F. Kelly, Jr.

 

It happened again. After a funeral service in Baltimore for a black man who died in police custody as a result of severe spinal injuries, gangs of mostly young black males rioted, burning, looting and throwing rocks and bottles at police.

This is an all-too-familiar story of lawlessness and anarchy triggered by allegations of police brutality even before the investigations are complete and all the facts are known. The allegations in this and several other highly-publicized cases appear to have been valid. Six Baltimore policemen, three white and three black, were arrested and one of the black policemen charged with murder. The violent responses, however, are never valid, no matter what excuse is given. The violence and destruction of private and public property was perpetrated by lawless black hoods who likely cared little about Freddie Gray, disrespecting his memory, drawing attention away from his funeral and ignoring the grieving family’s wishes. They cared instead about acting out rage, seeking revenge and helping themselves to store merchandise in the process.

Among the early casualties were a CVS pharmacy that served many poor and elderly blacks, a century-old Italian deli and a black parish building that was about to be converted to an elderly low-income residence. Store windows were smashed, autos trashed and burned, businesses looted and torched. One store owner gave the rioters all his cash and pleaded with them to just spare his business. They torched it anyway.

Freddie Gray would be alive today if he hadn’t run from police. Running from police while black, or while any other color for that matter, may not be a crime unless the runner is evading arrest but it is a very bad idea especially when the police order you to stop. Mr. Gray certainly didn’t deserve to die. But neither did the owners of those businesses and their employees deserve to have their livelihoods destroyed, nor did innocent people, mostly black, deserve to have their neighborhoods devastated. Fires destroyed at least 19 buildings, 144 vehicles and many jobs. Over 20 policemen were injured, at least one seriously. The National Guard was required to restore order but the destruction remains.

And what did all this accomplish? Did it achieve justice for Freddie Gray? Justice can never be achieved by arson, vandalism and looting. Will it lead to better relations between the police and the black residents?  Injuring dozens of policemen and destroying police vehicles is not an ideal way of encouraging better relations with the police. Will it lead to improved race relations in America? Are you kidding? People are seriously tired of watching images of rampaging young blacks trashing, looting and burning businesses and then complaining about a lack of jobs.

The police largely stood by, watching the destruction. President Barack Obama, speaking by phone to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, urged that police practice restraint. They did. But restraint against rioters is an invitation to continue rioting. Restraint may work on non-violent demonstrators practicing civil disobedience but not on rioting mobs. They have to be stopped at the outset by whatever means necessary before they escalate, requiring much greater force and lots more resources. The excuse for failing to use force was that most of the rioters were juveniles and that force would have been inappropriate. Nonsense. These were not children throwing a tantrum. They were criminals destroying property and endangering innocent lives.

The president could not resist using this tragedy as an opportunity to say that police departments need to take a hard look at their policies regarding encounters with young black males. Perhaps they should but how about responsible black leaders and parents also taking a hard look at how young black males should react when they encounter. (Hint; don’t run away. Don’t wise off. Show some respect. The policeman is the adult in charge.) And don’t say that you disapprove of the violence but understand the reasons for it. That’s a cop-out. There is nothing that justifies this kind of violence. Nothing. The time for excuses is over.

Finally, parents, including single moms, even those who say they can’t control their juvenile sons, need to learn how to get control or be held accountable for the actions of their minor children. Discipline starts at home. Faced with a fine or jail time, the parents of some of these gang bangers might start learning parenting skills and the need for tough love. Of course, it would probably help to have a father in the home to teach and model appropriate adult behavior.

May 3, 2015