Reminiscent of two years ago, the election on Nov. 6^th will have people throughout the country feeling happy and sad. The results will be tallied and whatever the makeup is of Congress and State Legislatures around the Nation there will be calls for recounts, calls of voter fraud and other issues that will try to infringe on the process that our nation uses to elect citizens to political office. The process is not perfect, and there will always be issues that can be improved but it still is the best opportunity for a Free Society to have elected representation. No matter the political outcome we, as a nation, need to always remember that we are Americans First, before political affiliation and before personal agendas. Throughout our history there has been division, anger and protests, but that is also why we are blessed to live in this great nation, as we have the ability to express ourselves. However, we need to always remember that no matter how angry or frustrated we may be, the people we are upset with have the same passion and love for this country as we do, just different thoughts as to what the role of Government is and how certain items in our Constitution should be applied. If we each recognize that ALL AMERICANS make up what is the Greatest Nation on this Earth and that it is our differences and passion that makes us the envy of those around the world, then we can continue to achieve The American Dream. We need less anger and more conversation. America is Great because of all of us but without civility it could lead to a civil war. GOD BLESS AMERICA.

Any type of abuse, including verbal, physical, or sexual is bad. I can’t imagine what a victim goes through and will always pray for their healing, peace and justice. However, as a country we have forgotten about a group of other victims. Those that have been falsely accused of various accusations. Sometimes finding the truth is not always easy but there have been and will be more cases of False Accusations. Many cases over the years have been proven to be false..we can go back to Tawana Brawley (Al Sharpton’s claim to fame but both Sharpton and the accuser ended up paying fines when proven it was made up) Let’s not forget the Duke Lacrosse team…there are plenty more. The penalty for false accusations are very weak which does not serve to deter those that want to make up lies that can destroy someone’s reputation, family and career. Many of us average citizens, including myself, have had to defend ourselves from false accusations. It is one thing when a guilty party tries to defend themselves in order to reduce a penalty or find a technicality but to try to defend a False Accusation becomes difficult as we have to prove something did not happen and it becomes one word against the other and in most cases the accuser is given the benefit of the doubt. As human beings we are emotional and we tend to form a belief based on our own thought process and feelings. However, if we truly believe in the American System of Justice and the adage of Innocent Until Proven Guilty we should all take a step back before making judgements. Sometimes we have the opportunity to hear from both the accused and the one making the accusation, sometimes we don’t.   When we serve on a Jury we are asked to look at the evidence without our emotion and feelings. It should be up to the accuser to Prove their accusation not the defendant to prove they are innocent. If we don’t, we are no better than countries like Russia where you are guilty if the government says so even if the evidence does not prove it. GOD BLESS AMERICA.

With the recent “Me Too Movement” and the current Supreme Court allegations it seems that the conversation that is left out regardless of whether allegations prove to be true or not is the state of the “Sexual Environment” in the country. There is certainly not just one aspect or one reason why sexual misconduct/allegations may occur. However, we can look at our society over the past number of decades and see significant changes that have been contributing factors.

One does not have to go further than looking at Television shows (even ones produced by Disney designed for kids) whether on network TV or Cable, Motion Pictures and Music, to see a bombardment of sexual innuendos, normalcy of pre-marital sex, and a tendency to glamorize immoral activities.

We can look at the percentage of people, especially those under the age of 30, that do not put Faith and the following of GOD’S teachings as a priority. The biggest lesson lost is that of respect for fellow human beings.

Although there have always been divorce, the average age of both the husband and wife both increased to the 40’s in the early 200’s which puts most children in their teens, at the time when communication and education from parents become most crucial.

We need to also look at the state of many families for the past 30 years, more than not, at some point both parents need to work to put food on the table and thus less time to talk with and set moral standards for children growing up.

Social Media and all forms of instant communication can both spread good and bad and as a society we have done a poor job of controlling the bad influences.

Any type of physical or sexual actions towards an individual against their wishes is a terrible thing as are accusations that are false.  We are quick to judge for one side or another and never stop to say what we can do to change the trend in our society that has caused the actions, acceptance and false accusations. Individuals, and our society as a whole, will continue to suffer the consequences unless we can stop the causes and recognize that we are all responsible for societal trends.

As the rhetoric heats up with the mid-terms getting closer I have a few questions for those that are running for office and those already in Congress.  Some apply to Democrats/Republicans and to Both.

Why are you not in favor of a flat tax? Everyone pay the same %. The more you make, the more you pay. No loop holes, no exemptions. Cannot be any more fair. In times of War or other times when the Federal Gov’t has a shortfall Congress could increase the % and in times of surplus they can lower. A one line Tax return and very little opportunity for fraud or cheaters.

If you don’t like the Immigration Laws, change them….why are you promoting not following our laws? That is Anarchy. If you can’t improve the laws, reduce the bureaucracy and make it easier for law-abiding immigrants to gain permanent status (Green Card, Citizenship etc.) then you are the problem.

Instead of Gov’t Controlled Health Care how about more choices? How about incentives to stay healthy? Impossible to prevent illness or disease but certainly can reduce the odds.

Where is the outrage with Hollywood that produces images of sexual promiscuity and disrespect for the human body?  They glamorize adultery, teen-sex, vulgar language and perversion.

Instead of pushing “Free College”, “Free Health Care” how about making sure there are no homeless or hungry children, veterans, or anyone else in this great nation that find themselves in a situation that should not occur in the wealthiest nation on Earth.

For those candidates remember, it is a job interview, don’t tell me what your opponent can or can’t do or why they are NOT qualified. Tell me what you CAN do and why you are the best person for the position.

Stop labeling one group as “victims” as a way to gain voters. The good and bad in our country affect all of us. We are joined together under the Flag of the United States.  Helping one group to hurt another is not in the best interest of our future.

Let’s get back to promoting giving to our community instead of taking.  When attitudes change, and people find the joy in helping others then differences become less noticeable and compromise becomes easier.

Why is GOD bad for our country? Encouraging Faith (not any particular religion) is the best way to give people the ability to share a common belief that is more important than any political party or individual idea.

If there is one thing that most in this country can agree on, regardless of politics, race, gender or social status is that our country seems to be divided. There have always been differences but since the development and domination of social media the message that seems to be spread in an instant is an “us against them” attitude. This is not one political party’s fault or any candidate. It is the fault of all of us. We as Americans have allowed this happen, have participated in its growth and have done little to stop it. We watch the Politicians, News Channels, Social Media, Celebrities and anyone with a following express anger, vulgarity and mean accusations about those that don’t fit into their particular personal beliefs.  No longer do people talk about differences without adding some kind of negative adjective to describe those they don’t agree with. There was a small respite of this Division post 9/11 but soon, and with a vengeance, the country started taking sides. However, when we stop, listen and discuss we realize that for the most part we are on the same side..the side of Being an American, and for most of us we also believe that we are All Children of God. We are a stronger Nation when we focus on our similarities and what we have in common as opposed to what we disagree on.  These next few weeks before the Mid-Term Election will no doubt be filled with a barrage of negativity from candidates, from the media and from anyone that has a platform to reach a wide variety of people.  I Say, Enough! Anyone that cannot talk about an opponent or individual with differing beliefs without using derogatory words, accusations or vulgarity should consider themselves as The Problem and just stop.  If Average Americans set the example than politicians that want to represent us and the media that wants to report to us must follow our agenda, not the other way around.  Let’s make kindness and respect the norm and not the exception.  Stop Blaming and Start Talking. #AllOneAmerica

It was a Tuesday morning 17 years ago when The United States of America changed. Our country was attacked, many lives lost, and the effects of that day will continue to be felt in many ways for generations to come. I remember attending the first Big Ten Football game post 9/11. It seemed all of us in the stands were a little nervous, being in a stadium with 70,000 + people and what could have been a target of another attack. When the National Anthem started we all rose, put our hand over our heart and listened to the words. By the end there was probably not a dry eye in the stadium. Then something else happened, people began to hug each other.  It wasn’t about our personal beliefs, our political differences or anything else that makes each of us uniquely individual but rather what brings us together as Americans..We were all proud that day, proud of what we were standing for, proud of what our country has meant. Remembering all the lives that were recently lost and all those that had been lost since our founding days. For the next few months flag pins, cars with flags and American Patriotism took the lead in conversations, in politics, and in the media. We were, One Nation Under GOD.   As the months past, the attitude of that day and the immediate aftermath began to change. Division started to grow and instead of looking at each other as Fellow Americans with some different ideas and opinions it became an “us against them” attitude.  If we can each remember how we felt in the Fall of 2001 maybe we won’t need another tragedy to come together but instead be a stronger nation because of what we have in common instead of focusing on our differences.

Lee Greenwood’s lyrics resonate now as much as they did then..

“And I’m proud to be an American Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the ones who died who gave that right to me
And I’ll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today
Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land, God Bless the USA.”