Dear Kiddies

Life is Great in this country partially because you do have some political power and choices as a citizen. Keep in mind that whether you like it or not, politics will affect every aspect of your life. I’ve always told you that you should adopt your own political and religious views – you do not have to adopt mine. However, your politics should reflect the fact that you have used your brain and not just allowed a sound bite to form your political opinions.

Be Very Suspicious

Currently there is lots of  talk on the news about football players taking the knee and whether it’s unpatriotic? You can develop your own opinion on this, but you need facts and not propaganda. Do not confuse what comes out of the mouths of the talking heads on TV as facts. In the taking the knee controversy, it’s easy – listen directly to the players  taking the knee and then develop your own opinion whether you believe what they’re doing is right or wrong. That opinion should not be based on your gut, that’s for digesting food. Think about the Constitution of the United States plus the Bill of Rights and whether the players are violating it? Yes, this will actually require understanding something about these documents. Read them, they are short unlike this post, and don’t let someone tell you what they mean. If you don’t quite understand what they mean, look for different interpretations of their meaning and adopt the one that seems to make the most sense to you. Then think about whether curbing what these players are doing could lead to a slippery slope of other free speech restrictions? Could that eventually impact things you either care about or nonetheless feel should not be restricted? Politics is like chess, you have to think a few moves ahead and always keep in mind the sad saying “… I did nothing and then they came for me.”

If you hear something on TV, radio, or from a news feed somewhere that seems controversial, always look for context. Never accept a short statement without understanding what preceded and what followed it plus under what circumstances was it made? Always look at the source of the information and whether they stand to benefit from the statement!

You kids are going to have to run this country soon and I hope you are more honest with each other about what are the real problems facing us and how to sincerely best fix them. While this post sounds pessimistic, I still believe that the United States possesses the potential to be the best place to live on earth. Good luck to you guys and sorry for the mess we are leaving behind.

Dad