Must I Apologize For Talking Politics?

Ya, that's the question -- not only today, but for the past few years.  Why?  Well, let me count the ways...

Up front, everyone in the world knows I tend to think about teaching or coaching hockey -- morning to bedtime (and, a lot of folks probably think I'm inventing new hockey drills in my dreams).

I have to go off on a tangent for a sec here, because it matters a lot to my title question.  What I'm getting at right now is my personal climb up the hockey ladder.

In every case, I was on my own -- to leave an engineering job I felt stifling, and to experience numerous failures and successes moving up that ladder.

Even in recent years, the choice has been mine. For example, while I'm no longer coaching teams or running hockey skill clinics and schools, I've been able to determine my own fate in a number of online projects --  from book writing to running an online radio station to virtually helping hockey coaches, parents and players with their game.

And, while I spent most of my life in the hometown my ancestors chose long before I was born, only 3-years ago I was free to move 2000-miles away -- for a new job and a warmer climate.  

In reality, though, family comes first to me.  As an example, I can't tell you what it meant to lose my dad, the best friend a young guy could ever have.  Anyone who sees us together, or follows our online exchanges, knows that Brenda and I are soulmates -- no question, case closed.  And, friends are probably tired of me frequently mentioning other family members, including the stories I tell about helping raise my grandson, Tony Chic.  Then, of course, I wrote that piece recently on losing my best little buddy, the Raggamuffin.

So, why do I say all this?  It's because of all those things that matter so much to me can be either taken away or greatly influenced by politics.

Let me go a little further with that, however, by sharing something that really got me going today.  Shown below is something that appeared on Facebook earlier today, and I implore my friends to read it...

Seeing that, I added a comment that includes something my friends here may not know... 

"I studied in Moscow when it was still under Communist control. And, while their sports and hockey programs were unbelievable to learn from, I felt so badly for the common people I saw and met there.:

Oh, man, I can't emphasize enough the looks on the faces of average Russians, each and every one of them showing a busted spirit, or no hope for a better life than the one assigned to them.  That's right:  citizens under the Socialist/Communist Party were assigned their roles, they were assigned where they'd live, and so much more.

A sad aside...   I made friends with several of my study group's Russian interpreters, including a young, former figure skater who told me, "I can always recognize Americans, because they're always laughing."  Man, that broke my heart, because I knew exactly what she meant.

So, must I apologize for talking politics on occasion in my Facebook posts and Twitter tweets?  Hmmmmm... 

I think my grandparents would have had heart attacks if a Socialist was getting serious consideration for the presidency during their time on earth.  In fact, something like that probably would have stalled their going through all the hardships they did in order to get to the US.  And, while I can't speak for the reader's ancestors, I do ask you to please consider that one.

That's not even the half of it, though...  I mean, a couple of generations later -- even without any supposed non-Capitalists running our country, things have changed for the worse.  Little by little, rights have been lost, and our Constitution has been eroded.  

Which brings me to another reflection...  When I was an older teen or a young 20-something, the USSR's leader, Nikita Khrushchev, announced something to the effect that, "We do not have to invade the United States, we will destroy you from within."  That sounded absurd to my young ears at the time, but I'm surely wondering how far-fetched it seems today.

All that said, I think caring so much about my family and friends is good enough reason to worry about the direction of my country.  Even more importantly, I care about what life will be like after I'm gone, for my grandchildren and their children.  

I'm hoping they're able to choose to work at something that gives them satisfaction, and I'm hoping they'll be able to travel or strive for the home of their dreams.

I tend to lose a few Facebook friends right after I post a political opinion -- could it be that my fair-weather friends were afraid to hear a contrary position.

And, I had a long time friend post to no one in particular on his Facebook wall, something to the effect that he wasn't going to tolerate any more political discussions.

Still, none of the above seems possible -- at least to me, unless I and thousands of others keep a vigil, and not apologize for talking politics.

 

PS:  The following came to my inbox today.   I don't think one has to get into political party choices here, but we definitely should look carefully at anyone who espouses the following (from a book by Saul Alinsky, these noted as "eight levels of control..."

The first is the most important.

1) Healthcare– Control healthcare and you control the people.

2) Poverty – Increase the Poverty level as high as possible, poor people are easier to control and will not fight back if you are providing everything for them to live.

3) Debt – Increase the debt to an unsustainable level. That way you are able to increase taxes, and this will produce more poverty.

4) Gun Control– Remove the ability to defend themselves from the Government. That way you are able to create a police state.

5) Welfare – Take control of every aspect of their lives (Food, Housing, and Income).

6) Education – Take control of what people read and listen to – take control of what children learn in school.

7) Religion – Remove the belief in the God from the Government and schools.

8) Class Warfare – Divide the people into the wealthy and the poor. This will cause more discontent, and it will be easier to take (Tax) the wealthy with the support of the poor.

Sound familiar?  As a matter of fact, does it sound like anything Khrushchev would have proposed?  Ya, I think so.