Stewards of the Planet

What are you going to do about it?

The best hope belongs to us.  

I was asked around the time of the first Earth Day about what I could do for the environment. The questioner thought the whole idea was just stupid.You may remember at that time lakes that foamed with detergent, rivers that were on fire and dump sites that were seeping with toxic waste getting into the ground water. I had to think for a minute. I said something vague about recycling and reusing. Turns out there are some simple things we could do right now as individuals.

Back then,concern about the environment was a bipartisan issue. I'm convinced it can be again, if we are all willing to do what we can to change the course of events. If we're willing to step forward and do something, we can lead our leaders. Maybe it starts here. Doing nothing is not an option.

BBC Minute On What We Can Do to Slow Down Climate Change

Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone.

If your time to you

Is worth savin'

Then you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'.

Bob Dylan

The Route: Phil’s Unfinished Story

What is Hate?

It's a real issue

In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia. 

-George Orwell

Is it speech? Is it graffiti? Is it a name? Is it an attitude?  Is it coded in traditions? Is it assumptions?

Hate crimes rose again in 2017. That's an increase each year in the past three. Law enforcement data shows a 17% increase over 2016.
Hate crimes in schools are up. 
Antisemitism is increasing, up 37%.

ProPublica Is Tracking Hatred

Here's part of what they've found.

• More than half of hate crime victims don't file reports to the police, according to a June BJS report.
• Many police officers get little to no training about how to handle hate crimes. Only 12 states have statutes requiring this type of instruction at police academies.
• At the local level, there are widespread discrepancies in what police consider a hate crime, as well as confusion about how and whether to track hate crimes as such.
• Last year, almost 90 percent of local law enforcement agencies reported having zero hate crimes in their communities.
• Even if hate crimes are investigated, they aren't always prosecuted. In Texas, 981 potentially bias-motivated crimes were reported to police from 2010 to 2015. Only eight cases ended in convictions.
• Like local police, federal agencies often fail to send their hate crime statistics to the FBI, too.
• Violence by white supremacist groups sometimes goes unchecked by police, as was the case in Charlottesville and with members of the so-called Rise Above Movement.

In the real world, as lived and experienced by real people, the demand for human rights and dignity, the longing for liberty and justice and opportunity, the hatred of oppression and corruption and cruelty is reality. -John McCain

The Southern Poverty Law Center Defines Hate Groups

The Southern Poverty Law Center defines a hate group as an organization that – based on its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities – has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.

The organizations on our hate group list vilify others because of their race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity – prejudices that strike at the heart of our democratic values and fracture society along its most fragile fault lines.

Fear is the most debilitating emotion in the world, and it can keep you from ever truly knowing yourself and others - its adverse effects can no longer be overlooked or underestimated. Fear breeds hatred, and hatred has the power to destroy everything in its path. -Aucoin

How can we end hate? The SPLC came up with ten ways!

• 1. Act
• 2. Join Forces
• 3. Support the Victims
• 4. Speak Up
• 5. Educate Yourself
• 6. Create An Alternative
• 7. Pressure Leaders
• 8. Stay Engaged
• 9. Teach Acceptance
• 10. Dig Deeper

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.  MLK, Jr.

Hate crimes in schools are up. Antisemitism is increasing, up 37%. 

Nationalists

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. -George Santayana

I am a nationalist. Donald Trump

Nationalism cost over 100 million lives in the first half of the 20th century.

It's Armistice Day.Today it's called Veteran's Day. We celebrate those who sacrificed so much in the time of war. The Armistice marked the end of World War I.

It was called the war to end all wars. The Great War. It was fueled by raging nationalism. The Armistice brought temporary peace. There was hope when the League of Nations was formed, but without the participation of the isolationists United States, the League failed to hold the peace. 37 million people died in the first World War. 80 million died in World War II as the allies fought off fascism and more nationalism. It makes me wonder about the rebirth of nationalism here and in Europe. Why on earth would we go there again?

The animated short is "A War to End No Wars" published by Cog In The Works Media. .

The Last of the Melting Snow is performed by The Leisure Society.

Dragonflies and Hope

Change is coming

I've always had an affinity with dragon flies. Spending many weekends at the lake brought me up close with these beautiful creatures.I used to stand at the end of the dock, hold up my hand, and before long. one would land on my index finger. The dragonfly would pause, rest for a few minutes while I was able to examine their delicate features. 

At my father's family memorial at the lake, one landed on my finger while offered up a prayer. It was a touching moment for all of us.

They aren't all that delicate. I found out later that some can fly as fast as 40 mph. 

I've missed the connection with dragon flies. I haven't had much of a chance to go to the lake since a radical change in our circumstances since 2009. Like millions of others, the great recession took my job, and the recovery has been slow and incomplete. My boss at the time thought we should top asking the top 1% for contributions because their portfolios were damaged. They've all recovered and then some.

Reconnected

This summer there was a re-connection of sorts. In August dragonflies were flying close to the student driver car I use as a driving instructor. Golden fireflies flew up close on several occasions. It seemed odd. There's no lake anywhere near where I take my students, but the visits were welcome.

Intrigued, I looked up the symbolism of the dragonfly. According to Dragonflytrasitions.com, "In almost every part of the world, the Dragonfly symbolizes change, transformation, adaptability, and self-realization. The change that is often referred to has its source in mental and emotional maturity and understanding the deeper meaning of life."

None of that  can happen with a focus on the past tinged with regret. Maybe the dragonflies are telling me it's time to move forward. I can't affect the outcome directly, but I can improve mine. I certainly look forward to the opportunity. The change is long overdue.

Maybe the dragonflies are trying to tell us all something. It starts with our votes.

Bob Seger - Detroit Made

Some people collect cars. I do too, but instead of restoring three to four thousand pounds of sheet metal, I collect videos for my driver's ed students.


More to come...Suggestions?

How about this adaptation from American Graffiti! Do you remember when we used to cruise the Ave?

Hot Rod Lincoln Originally released in 1960 by Charlie Ryan and the Timberline Riders. I like to show this version by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.

Elvis bought a Pink Cadillac for his mom. When I went to look up this tune, I found one by Jerry Lee Lewis and  one by Bruce Springsteen. So...why is the Cadillac black?

Low Rider has been used in 17 Films starting with Up In Smoke.

Freedom of the road...Born to be Wild!

Kinda like radar love?

How to Turn - Vision (the most important thing)

Every time I share this with my students, the light goes on. They've been looking down the hood with their parents trying to give instructions like turn more or turn less. If the student uses their eyes, they will be able to turn smoothly. If they bring their eyes up and look down the path of travel, the car will follow.

And what about Tailgating?