Civil Disobedience

Greetings All,

           Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” is an essay he is inspired to write 

upon being incarcerated for not paying his taxes.  Published during an era where  

slavery is widespread, Thoreau’s ideas are not popular and crosses the lines of the 

status quo. While this may be true, Thoreau’s philosophies are later inspiring to great

 men such as Martin Luther King and Mohandas Gandhi.  Accordingly, Thoreau’s 

 insights in “Civil Disobedience” are ground breaking and unveils his sense of

 bravery.

            Zachary Taylor, the 12^th President of the United States, is in office at the time 

“Civil Disobedience” is published.   Taylor has no political experience and wins the 

election solely based on his military credentials.  Taylor, being the last President to 

own slaves, is a sign that Americans are starting to change their views on equality  

issues.  Thoreau helps pave the way to equality in America, but his efforts  are 

sadly unnoticed during his lifespan.

            Thoreau believes in the need for government “ but at once a better 

government” (1615).  Convincingly, the sincerity and wisdom of Thoreau’s words 

would make him the ideal candidate for president during his era.  I can only imagine

 how much further along this country would be if he were elected President.  In fact, 

even if he is some type of advisor to the President; his influences would have made a

 major impact. 

            All great men and women seemingly share a common trait of bravery.  

Hence, one can only imagine the nerve it took to go against the grain of society; 

especially during the time of slavery. How refreshing it is to learn about a man from 

this period who not only questioned authority but published his own works to make 

his impression felt; even when the masses deemed  his material as irrelevant during 

his tenure. 

            I regard Henry David Thoreau as a great American thinker.  Above all, he is

 a man of great principle and true virtue.  Thoreau’s words of wisdom has stood the 

test of time and has becomes more relevant as time passes.  Clearly, he was a man

before his time and there is much to be learned from him.  It's my hope for our

leaders in modern society take a refresher course on Thoreau’s common sense, 

equality-conscious way of thinking.  

Cal Sloan

 

           

           

Urban Legends

Family,

Fact,
This book was published 6 years before the Civil War in 1875 by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Advice,
Read it or listen to the audio book. Put it on your "Bucket List".

Opinion,
This book is a work of Art! Considering the time this book was written, it's quite possible that this piece of historical American literature alone ignited the flames of the Civil War (1861-1865). For far too long, the general public has regarded the name "Uncle Tom" in a derogatory fashion. However, nothing could be further from the TRUTH. Truth is, Uncle Tom was a man who was the epitome of LOVE with unwavering VALUES purely manifested by his beliefs in the teachings of the BIBLE; which in the end cost him his life. All things considered, the point I'm striving to make is despite the seeming inconsistencies, the toils of Uncle Tom's misfortunes and his sound biblical ideologies should be memorialized and revered with commendable prudence.

Each 1 Teach 1√

Cal Sloan

Evolution

Greetings All,

           This country frankly, has come a long way in its reasoning on social policies.  The actions of the few have made phenomenal waves for the masses.  We have witness, through history that people are willing to die for human rights.  For example, euthanasia, slavery, women's rights, etc.  The fore-fathers of the Constitution created a living breathing document that has significantly stirred this nation in a proper direction. But of course, it didn't start there. People have discovered better ways of living sense the stone ages.  That's what makes the human race unique.

         Now the evolution or revolution of gay rights are taking center stage.  Being a student and God willing a professional in the field of Social Work, I feel an obligation to approach this issue extremely clairvoyantly.  First, human rights has no exclusions. Therefore, all society members deserve dignity and respect. One's sexual preference will one day evolve probably at the same pace as the other civil rights movements of the past.  One day we wont think twice upon seeing the same sex hold hands or displaying other proper signs of affection in public.  It just takes time!

           Time is the key word.  What's nice about evolution is good and useful qualities tend to remain and improve.  On the other hand, evil and unproductive qualities tend to dissolve and find their remains in history books.  The positive waves I will strive to make today, in the back of my mind I'm hoping will make a difference tomorrow.

Cal Sloan

Thinking outside the Box

Greetings All,

        It's quite evident that most of America's problems involves that lack of revenue to support this country.  Claims of Social Security running out of funds is a direct reflection of our elected leaders not coming up with ideas of raising money.  Anyone that tells you that there should be less government in our society is a supporter of Darwinism (survival of the fittest).  That would only send crime through the roof.  It's also fascinating how the majority of Americans overlooks the subsidies the larger corporations receive as not being a form of welfare.  We are clinging on to outdated forms of government.  Less face the truth, the Constitution we live by was written and signed by sanctimonious slave owners.

            Without doing any research I would guess that there are multi millions of illegal immigrants living amongst us.  These people are not paying taxes, as a result we are losing countless dollars in revenue.  I would also go as far to say that most of these immigrants live in poverty because they can't even obtain a driver's license, which by the way is not free. This would prevent millions from obtaining a better job.

         

             What's wrong with creating jobs by legalizing immigrants who can show proof of residence for a particular number of months? A bid for public contractors to build a facility and under government regulations could process the proper paper work or just make it a government ran entity. A charge of $3500 per person would put a significant dent in our deficit.  We can put a large portion of the funds back into our society for education and child welfare. This is an idea that would raise money for the good of all American.  Im sure our elected leader can appoint a committee to devise a plan to make it work in the best interest of the United States.

Cal Sloan

"Conventional Wisdom"

Greetings All,

       
             Success relies on a firm foundation, despite the subject matter.  In this case, the subject is the future of the United States.  The foundation that needs to be addressed are our children.  From birth an example of excellence needs to be established.  Our society must focus on the environment that our kids are witnessing and realize that change wont come overnight unless we start today. To explain, there is a culture of poverty.  Generation after generations are unable to break the cycle of poverty.  Hence they become products of their environment.  In essence, more resources are needed to identify our children who's parents are not setting that example of excellence and build academy based schools, that stresses discipline, physical fitness, and academic excellence from pre-K through four years of college.  These academies need to be located in the heart of impoverished areas for the world to see that our country is leading the way on dealing with poverty.

          Most addicts and drug abuser are beyond recovery.  Why should their children be sucked down the drain with them.  We can save this particular portion of our population and break the cycle poverty.
This would provide our society with a stronger foundation of adults who have been groomed since a child to make advantageous decisions. Ultimately, they will teach their offsprings the same lessons they were taught. Conventional Wisdom suggest!

"The Lottery"

Greetings All,


         Documentary The Lottery, by Cory Booker et.al, and directed by Madeleine Sackler is a corrosive dissection of facts that highlights the failing academic state of affairs of The United States of America's educational system.  The motivation of my words shall unveil my thoughts on the issues assembled in this film.  In addition, I will address the fairness of those issues while on occasion offering variant rationales.  Ultimately, I will convey the educational memories of my childhood.

          The Lottery disclosed alarming statistics on the disparity of academic achievement separating the upper and lower classes.  For example, 50% of low income children will fail to graduate by the time they reach 18 years of age. The roots of the deficiency, inappropriately, are the adults and politics.  To explain, per the documentary, little is to be gained during election time without the support of the teacher's union.  The teacher's union appear to be selfishly clinging on to a formula for education that is unsuccessful and obviously, according to the success of the charter schools, outdated.  Apparently, the main focus of the union is flawed because their principle concerns for the employees and not the children.  As a result, or perhaps a cause, a staggering share of low income 4th grader are illiterate.

            The faces of the status quote can no longer be accepted.  President Obama and Newark New Jersey's Mayor Cory Booker advocate soundly for more charter schools as per noted in this film.  Their message is one of more accountability in our school system.  The teacher's union must evolve if it is to survive.  I contend that if any particular school is not producing on appropriate levels that it not be closed, rather legally forced to separate from the union and adopt the charter school system, minus the lottery. The lottery would only be fair if a new school was established.

                 I attended a private Catholic school as a child in a poor neighborhood of Cleveland,Ohio; walking distance to my grandparents house.  Sadly, although I retained the basics perhaps, my grade point averages were not much to be desired.  It wasn't until I established a path to a higher education (as an adult over 40) did I truly experience diversity.  Only until then did I appreciate what knowledge has to offer.  In the spirit of Socrates I humbly submit that I know little to nothing at all. However, I inspire to learn all I can, so I too can make a difference.



Cal Sloan

"Enough is Enough"

Greetings All,

I'm sure with the recent civilian killings in Afghanistan has the average American wondering, why are we still there?  I'm too, one of those average Americans asking the same question. Haven't we either captured or killed enough of the enemy?  More importantly, haven't enough of our citizens paid the ultimate sacrifice.  When is enough, enough?  The Taliban has been forced out of Afghanistan and has felt the retaliation of our Armed Forces.

The premise of my words is job well done, mission accomplished! It's time to come home.  Now we are dealing with our own troops killing the same people we are supposed to be protecting; which sadly is the case for 10 year veteran Staff Sergeant Robert Gales.  His four tours of combat has obviously taken a toll on his mental state on mind. What else would cause a war hero to tarnish his commitment to his country with such heinous acts of murder. Americans have been at war for far too many years.  America needs to honor our fallen heros by ending all wars and use those resources allocated for  war efforts and make a difference here in the United States. Enough is Enough!

Cal Sloan