After months of closure and weeks of deep cleaning, overdue maintenance, and overall improvements, we reopened our restaurant yesterday. I am relieved and thankful. Seeing all the trees and little sunshine indicates we are not out of the woods yet, but there appears to be a little glimmer of light off in the distance.
After months of closure and completing “Distance Learning” using chromebooks and google classroom–my school year is also nearing the end. It has shown me that while adaptations can be made and some semblance of teaching can continue, the mule that is public education cannot suddenly be re-imagined as a thoroughbred.
Your restaurant and your better half are both awesome…it was good to see so many there that agreed.
Online school ain’t the same…I’m very glad the year is almost over…
FWIW, I have been getting takeout more often with locally-owned places.
There is a pizza and sub sandwich place in my town that has been open since 1964. There doing not too bad during the shutdown (as most of their sales were takeout, though they have taken somewhat of a hit due to lack of lunchtime office worker to go orders). Even though there is no sit-down eating in the restaurants, I get the takeout and eat on a nearby public bench.
We just visited 3 restaurants that reopened (1 was packed but theoretically still 6 feet apart), and all the owners or managers here said the same thing: “carry out kept the doors open but we have been seeing steady increases and are super excited to be open!”
I wonder why I haven’t read hardly ANYTHING about how devestating this could be to public education.
Question for the house (and I truly don’t have the answer):
In light of the populist movement for racial justice, in this election year, will the POTUS side with the populist reformers who demand racial justice, or will he side with those who wish to preserve the status quo, who either don’t acknowledge racial injustice or who like it this way?
Is it racial injustice? Or…. do we have a sizable segment of our population who have bought into victimhood? If so, isn’t the solution to teach initiative, self respect and sound vision, rather than resentment and illusory daydreams?
How do we do that? …. Hmmm
(Rhetorical questions – no answers anticipated)
“Is it racial injustice? Or…. do we have a sizable segment of our population who have bought into victimhood?”
If I was black and saw repeatedly my black brothers and sisters murdered by the governing authorities charged to protect them, along with being discriminated against in virtually all aspects of American life, I would probably buy into victimhood. I mean, Em, how much is enough?
I football player takes a knee on a field to a song, and Trump and others go into an uproar. A cop takes a knee on a black man’s neck, and it’s buying into victimhood. Astonishing.
Or are you smarter and wiser than the 91% of African Americans who didn’t vote for President Dumdum in 2016 — BEFORE everyone found out what he’s all about?
“In light of the populist movement for racial justice, in this election year, will the POTUS side with the populist reformers who demand racial justice, or will he side with those who wish to preserve the status quo, who either don’t acknowledge racial injustice or who like it this way?”
There’s no doubt he will side with his base.
However, I think we make a real error in simplifying these matters.
Yes, we witnessed an unconscionable act of murder.
Yes, we have seen millions peacefully protest.
In the aftermath we’ve also now seen police officers murdered or injured and billions of dollars lost in looting.
I’m still waiting to hear concrete proposals to actually change things.
A cop takes a knee on a black man’s neck and it’s buying into victimhood ….
I was addressing looting and burning (some whites were participating)
Jean,you excell at twisting words … Lawyering?
Sadly, i expected such, but we come from different life experiences… Different perspectives…. There are no constructive thoughts that i can or will add to this thread…..
🙏
God keep
The last time this happend, it culminated in the assassinations of police officers, regardless of race. No knock warrants need to all but stop. Conservatives and whites should be concerned about the killing of Breonna Taylor. Her boyfriend was defending their home against armed intruders. Isnt “Castle Doctrine” a Conservative Plank? What about Daniel Shaver? A white guy shot in the back while he was crawling backwards by a cop who had “You’re F–ked” engraved on the receiver of his AR-15? What about the black social worker shot in the leg while laying in the street on his back with his hands in the air pleading for cops not to shoot his autistic client who was sitting in the street playing with a toy car?
I didnt understand before, but I think it helps to frame “Black Lives Matter” with an addendum “Black Lives Matter, Too!” That’s what they really mean, yes?
I don’t know what qualifies for a concrete proposal, but there are concrete proposals being created and circulated for police reforms, and at least one, the banning of choking, has been passed in at least one city. We’ll see how many reforms are passed and by how many cities.
I sadly watched my the FB of my son’s 4th grade teacher. She cut ties with a white friend who said she loved her yet was concerned about Covid-19 given the protest gatherings and said that she recently lost someone. Teacher is black. A friend of the teacher amped it up to criticize the white friend. I checked the white friends feed, yeah, unfriended. Another relationship destroyed, sad to say the least. The teacher also previously implicitly advocated the looting “that’s what insurance is for.” Nevermind that black and brown businesses have been destroyed, and minorities killed.
Meanwhile, myself one generating off The Rez who only have 5300 registered members, and me, cut off by two closed adoptions, I’m sitting here eating popcorn, and throwing it up.
Marched yesterday. Mask was on and all was peaceful. After seeing some of the police responses in Philadelphia and NYC, I was a little worried, but they allowed the march to proceed peacefully. Really proud of all the young people. There is no putting this genie back in the bottle.
I’m so tired of the politicians manipulating a real issue for their political gain. So many on both sides suck. Conservatives pretend there is no difference between peaceful protesters and rioters/ looters, acting as if any protest is an attack on civilization as we know it. Liberals pretend that they had no part in creating the problem, even though they are the very ones making the local laws and hiring the police chiefs. Both sides blur the issue, hoping to smear the “other side” and get more donations, votes, and power. As I said, so many politicians suck. Will any of them be grown-up enough to stop the finger-pointing and grandstanding to actually start working on real solutions? Sigh…
I agree about the politicians. I must say, however, I was generally impressed with the young people yesterday. They were peacefully protesting racial injustice and the actions of the police here in recent years (we’ve had a number of incidents). I came away from it hopeful…
I think we’re seeing a seminal moment in our history. Social change often requires a spark.
Like when Emmitt Till was brutally killed and tortured in the 1950s and his mom insisted
on an open casket at his funeral in Chicago, so all could see the ugly, evil fruits of racism.
“To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try.” Rosa Parks
If I were healthier I would have participated in one of the peaceful protests. My godson wanted to do so,but the threat of violence hung in the air and I’m in no shape to either run or fight.
We would have been protesting against racial injustice and for better standards for policing all people.
From Twitter: Dr. Robert Jeffress, SBC, Pastor of First Baptist in Dallas
The only cure for the racism in America is a changed heart that comes from trusting in Jesus Christ. To try and heal racial divisions without that changed heart is like trying to cure cancer with a Band-Aid.
Jonathan Merritt — Follow-up question: Why is it that throughout history those who “trust in Jesus Christ” are also those who have perpetuated racial division and violence?
I’m not a Mormon, but I want to say something about evangelism.
Mitt Romney, who is a Republican Senator from the deeply red, conservative state of Utah, marched with the protesters today in DC. He spoke publicly as to why, and you can Google that if you are interested in his motivation and rationale. I found it inspiring.
Romney is so far the only Republican Senator to demonstrate solidarity with the protest movement by actually marching. This will not help him politically in Utah, so I believe his motives are genuine.
Mormons are very evangelistic. I believe that Romney’s (a committed, observant Mormon) proactive, public demonstration of his faith’s commitment to racial equality will serve as a witness of Mormonism and serve their evangelistic efforts with people of color in America. Anyone who examines the demographic data in America will notice that people of color is a growing demographic in America.
What astonishes me is that conservative Christians in American politics do not wish to demonstrate their faith and commitment to racial equality at this moment in time. My question is: Do conservative American Christians believe racial equality is a cause worthy of their witness?
Do conservative American Christians believe racial equality is a cause worthy of their witness?
Jean,
Great question!
I consider myself a post evangelical, not a conservative American Christian, FWIW.
To me, as a Christian, and I don’t care what camp you belong to, this should be a no-brainer. We can argue about how to get there, and that’s good. But God, Who created all in His image, doesn’t prefer one group over another, that’s for sure.
i think the conservative/Christian nationalists have spoken quite clearly not just now but over the last several years. Regarding the futur,e time will tell how your question is answered. Maybe they do think racial equality is a worthy cause, I hope so. On the other hand, I don’t really care much at this point.
Michael June 6, 2020 at 8:24 pm
There is so much injustice to address…the newest being that if you don’t address them to suit some folks then you become another oppressor.
Jonathan Merritt — Follow-up question: Why is it that throughout history those who “trust in Jesus Christ” are also those who have perpetuated racial division and violence?
-bob1
Of course the civil rights movement was lead by Christians, namely the REVEREND MLK, Jr and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
The abolition movement was also led by Christians.
There is a wealth of believers who stand up against racial injustice as well as justify racial hatred. Sadly.
I logged onto FB for the first time in a long time yesterday. I saw a post from a friend of mine that seemed to justify violence in protests through pointing out Jesus’ cleansing of the temple. I’m still processing this but it doesn’t seem like the appropriate application of that story.
It’s all yours today…please be civil…
After months of closure and weeks of deep cleaning, overdue maintenance, and overall improvements, we reopened our restaurant yesterday. I am relieved and thankful. Seeing all the trees and little sunshine indicates we are not out of the woods yet, but there appears to be a little glimmer of light off in the distance.
After months of closure and completing “Distance Learning” using chromebooks and google classroom–my school year is also nearing the end. It has shown me that while adaptations can be made and some semblance of teaching can continue, the mule that is public education cannot suddenly be re-imagined as a thoroughbred.
fil,
Your restaurant and your better half are both awesome…it was good to see so many there that agreed.
Online school ain’t the same…I’m very glad the year is almost over…
FWIW, I have been getting takeout more often with locally-owned places.
There is a pizza and sub sandwich place in my town that has been open since 1964. There doing not too bad during the shutdown (as most of their sales were takeout, though they have taken somewhat of a hit due to lack of lunchtime office worker to go orders). Even though there is no sit-down eating in the restaurants, I get the takeout and eat on a nearby public bench.
CM, we are with you!
We just visited 3 restaurants that reopened (1 was packed but theoretically still 6 feet apart), and all the owners or managers here said the same thing: “carry out kept the doors open but we have been seeing steady increases and are super excited to be open!”
I wonder why I haven’t read hardly ANYTHING about how devestating this could be to public education.
Question for the house (and I truly don’t have the answer):
In light of the populist movement for racial justice, in this election year, will the POTUS side with the populist reformers who demand racial justice, or will he side with those who wish to preserve the status quo, who either don’t acknowledge racial injustice or who like it this way?
Is it racial injustice? Or…. do we have a sizable segment of our population who have bought into victimhood? If so, isn’t the solution to teach initiative, self respect and sound vision, rather than resentment and illusory daydreams?
How do we do that? …. Hmmm
(Rhetorical questions – no answers anticipated)
“Is it racial injustice? Or…. do we have a sizable segment of our population who have bought into victimhood?”
If I was black and saw repeatedly my black brothers and sisters murdered by the governing authorities charged to protect them, along with being discriminated against in virtually all aspects of American life, I would probably buy into victimhood. I mean, Em, how much is enough?
I football player takes a knee on a field to a song, and Trump and others go into an uproar. A cop takes a knee on a black man’s neck, and it’s buying into victimhood. Astonishing.
Em,
You’re just baiting us, right?
Or are you smarter and wiser than the 91% of African Americans who didn’t vote for President Dumdum in 2016 — BEFORE everyone found out what he’s all about?
Must be nice to be so woke.
“In light of the populist movement for racial justice, in this election year, will the POTUS side with the populist reformers who demand racial justice, or will he side with those who wish to preserve the status quo, who either don’t acknowledge racial injustice or who like it this way?”
There’s no doubt he will side with his base.
However, I think we make a real error in simplifying these matters.
Yes, we witnessed an unconscionable act of murder.
Yes, we have seen millions peacefully protest.
In the aftermath we’ve also now seen police officers murdered or injured and billions of dollars lost in looting.
I’m still waiting to hear concrete proposals to actually change things.
A cop takes a knee on a black man’s neck and it’s buying into victimhood ….
I was addressing looting and burning (some whites were participating)
Jean,you excell at twisting words … Lawyering?
Sadly, i expected such, but we come from different life experiences… Different perspectives…. There are no constructive thoughts that i can or will add to this thread…..
🙏
God keep
The last time this happend, it culminated in the assassinations of police officers, regardless of race. No knock warrants need to all but stop. Conservatives and whites should be concerned about the killing of Breonna Taylor. Her boyfriend was defending their home against armed intruders. Isnt “Castle Doctrine” a Conservative Plank? What about Daniel Shaver? A white guy shot in the back while he was crawling backwards by a cop who had “You’re F–ked” engraved on the receiver of his AR-15? What about the black social worker shot in the leg while laying in the street on his back with his hands in the air pleading for cops not to shoot his autistic client who was sitting in the street playing with a toy car?
I didnt understand before, but I think it helps to frame “Black Lives Matter” with an addendum “Black Lives Matter, Too!” That’s what they really mean, yes?
TNV,
There is so much injustice to address…the newest being that if you don’t address them to suit some folks then you become another oppressor.
This might be the last nail in the country coffin…
I don’t know what qualifies for a concrete proposal, but there are concrete proposals being created and circulated for police reforms, and at least one, the banning of choking, has been passed in at least one city. We’ll see how many reforms are passed and by how many cities.
I sadly watched my the FB of my son’s 4th grade teacher. She cut ties with a white friend who said she loved her yet was concerned about Covid-19 given the protest gatherings and said that she recently lost someone. Teacher is black. A friend of the teacher amped it up to criticize the white friend. I checked the white friends feed, yeah, unfriended. Another relationship destroyed, sad to say the least. The teacher also previously implicitly advocated the looting “that’s what insurance is for.” Nevermind that black and brown businesses have been destroyed, and minorities killed.
Meanwhile, myself one generating off The Rez who only have 5300 registered members, and me, cut off by two closed adoptions, I’m sitting here eating popcorn, and throwing it up.
TNV,
I’ve seen lots just like that.
It’s just a never ending spiral into a pit of hate…
Marched yesterday. Mask was on and all was peaceful. After seeing some of the police responses in Philadelphia and NYC, I was a little worried, but they allowed the march to proceed peacefully. Really proud of all the young people. There is no putting this genie back in the bottle.
Duane, what did you march for?
I’m so tired of the politicians manipulating a real issue for their political gain. So many on both sides suck. Conservatives pretend there is no difference between peaceful protesters and rioters/ looters, acting as if any protest is an attack on civilization as we know it. Liberals pretend that they had no part in creating the problem, even though they are the very ones making the local laws and hiring the police chiefs. Both sides blur the issue, hoping to smear the “other side” and get more donations, votes, and power. As I said, so many politicians suck. Will any of them be grown-up enough to stop the finger-pointing and grandstanding to actually start working on real solutions? Sigh…
EricL
I agree about the politicians. I must say, however, I was generally impressed with the young people yesterday. They were peacefully protesting racial injustice and the actions of the police here in recent years (we’ve had a number of incidents). I came away from it hopeful…
Duane,
Good on you for protesting!
I think we’re seeing a seminal moment in our history. Social change often requires a spark.
Like when Emmitt Till was brutally killed and tortured in the 1950s and his mom insisted
on an open casket at his funeral in Chicago, so all could see the ugly, evil fruits of racism.
“To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try.” Rosa Parks
If I were healthier I would have participated in one of the peaceful protests. My godson wanted to do so,but the threat of violence hung in the air and I’m in no shape to either run or fight.
We would have been protesting against racial injustice and for better standards for policing all people.
From Twitter: Dr. Robert Jeffress, SBC, Pastor of First Baptist in Dallas
The only cure for the racism in America is a changed heart that comes from trusting in Jesus Christ. To try and heal racial divisions without that changed heart is like trying to cure cancer with a Band-Aid.
Jonathan Merritt — Follow-up question: Why is it that throughout history those who “trust in Jesus Christ” are also those who have perpetuated racial division and violence?
Michael
As my wife is immunocompromised, she really deserves the credit for agreeing that I should take part…
I’m not a Mormon, but I want to say something about evangelism.
Mitt Romney, who is a Republican Senator from the deeply red, conservative state of Utah, marched with the protesters today in DC. He spoke publicly as to why, and you can Google that if you are interested in his motivation and rationale. I found it inspiring.
Romney is so far the only Republican Senator to demonstrate solidarity with the protest movement by actually marching. This will not help him politically in Utah, so I believe his motives are genuine.
Mormons are very evangelistic. I believe that Romney’s (a committed, observant Mormon) proactive, public demonstration of his faith’s commitment to racial equality will serve as a witness of Mormonism and serve their evangelistic efforts with people of color in America. Anyone who examines the demographic data in America will notice that people of color is a growing demographic in America.
What astonishes me is that conservative Christians in American politics do not wish to demonstrate their faith and commitment to racial equality at this moment in time. My question is: Do conservative American Christians believe racial equality is a cause worthy of their witness?
Do conservative American Christians believe racial equality is a cause worthy of their witness?
Jean,
Great question!
I consider myself a post evangelical, not a conservative American Christian, FWIW.
To me, as a Christian, and I don’t care what camp you belong to, this should be a no-brainer. We can argue about how to get there, and that’s good. But God, Who created all in His image, doesn’t prefer one group over another, that’s for sure.
i think the conservative/Christian nationalists have spoken quite clearly not just now but over the last several years. Regarding the futur,e time will tell how your question is answered. Maybe they do think racial equality is a worthy cause, I hope so. On the other hand, I don’t really care much at this point.
Michael June 6, 2020 at 8:24 pm
There is so much injustice to address…the newest being that if you don’t address them to suit some folks then you become another oppressor.
THAT IS PROFOUND
Jonathan Merritt — Follow-up question: Why is it that throughout history those who “trust in Jesus Christ” are also those who have perpetuated racial division and violence?
-bob1
Of course the civil rights movement was lead by Christians, namely the REVEREND MLK, Jr and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
The abolition movement was also led by Christians.
There is a wealth of believers who stand up against racial injustice as well as justify racial hatred. Sadly.
I logged onto FB for the first time in a long time yesterday. I saw a post from a friend of mine that seemed to justify violence in protests through pointing out Jesus’ cleansing of the temple. I’m still processing this but it doesn’t seem like the appropriate application of that story.