Interest or not

Tag: history

  • Commentary on US Veteran Jason Watson

    Jason Watson is a 17 year US Military Veteran. United States may always need more Americans to join the Military. Members of the US Military serve to protect United States and our interests foreign and domestic. This is a noble and honorable cause. The Men and Women of the US Military train rigorously to protect Americans at all times on land and at sea and in outer space. In an ideal world every member of the US Military will complete their service safe and sound and honorably discharged from duty. The world isn’t ideal and United States isn’t ideal.

    Members of the US Military have fought relentlessly to defend our interests and our fellow Americans at home and on foreign soil and over 250 years many have lost their lives and paid the ultimate sacrifice protecting United States.

    As a US Citizen born in Colorado and growing up in United States I’ve grown to love my freedom and know that freedom isn’t free. I don’t take freedom for granted and know that my freedom and the freedom of my fellow Americans have a lot to do with the brave men and women of the US Military who are at work day and night every day of the year.

    This July 1st Veteran Jason Watson ended his Military career when he spoke up for what he believes in. Jason Watson spoke about political matters above and beyond what is considered acceptable to do by members of the US Military. Mr. Watson’s speech went above and beyond what his career trained him to do. While Mr. Watson’s speech excluded himself from being in the Military it did not change his status as an American US Citizen. Mr. Watson deserves all the protection and rights the Constitution gives other US Citizen’s.

    Politics is a slippery slope and by entering political debate you’re either winning or losing. The political debate Mr. Watson entered is fierce. Americans on both sides of the isle and independents are surely debating what to do about Mr. Watson relating to his July 1st speech.

    I would like to see Mr. Watson live in peace and comfort and free to live his life to the fullest. These are my hopes and wishes for him.

  • A worthy reason to migrate

    While it makes sense to be financially prepared before moving to another country, having enough money to migrate to another country is not possible for many men women and children escaping oppression and violence by the hands of the government where they are from. Weather and environmental hazards such as Earthquakes as an example can be just as devastating reason to migrate in some situations.

    In the United States Americans work hard for the freedoms we have. US is financially the wealthiest country on Earth. US has the most powerful military on Earth. Americans can travel to many countries around the world and feel a sense of security that many people in foreign countries can’t travel to and don’t feel the same sense of security when visiting.

    This freedom Americans experience when traveling internationally has much to do with allies we’ve created with foreign governments over many generations and US military presence in many foreign countries.

    This is good for US Citizens traveling on vacation, to work and when migrating to a foreign country. Our strongest allies share some of the same freedoms Americans have when it comes to traveling the world.

    Border security around United States is very important. Keeping border security strong along international borders keeps unwanted people out of United States and helps US authorities know who where and when Americans leave US and return to US.

    As the country with the most financial wealth and the most powerful military Americans have a large responsibility and would be wise to use our power very carefully at our international borders and when on vacation, working and migrating to a foreign country.

    The total number of people living in United States is 4.2% of the total number of people on Earth. One statistic indicates the total number of people on Earth is 8.2 billion. Approximately 349 million of humanity as a whole are living in United States. The rest of humanity living outside of United States are approximately seven billion eight hundred fifty five million six hundred thousand humans.

    Americans are better off focusing on helping our citizens living in US and solving our problems in our country. When it comes to helping citizens of foreign countries Americans can do a lot of good. Knowing where to send foreign aid is a controversy. US are not allies with every foreign country. In fact we are in a violent conflict with the foreign government of the country of Iran for example. Until there is lasting peace between US and Iran it doesn’t make sense to attack them and to send them foreign aid at the same time.

    Terrorism is an ongoing threat to Americans in US and around the world. US are not allies with every foreign country. Foreign countries such as Russia and North Korea for examples have tepid relations at best with US. This has to do with wars US was in with these countries in the past. And with the war Russia is in with Ukraine our ally. The Korean war ended a long time ago. The cold war ended not as long ago. Those wars are both over and done. Still, relations between US and these foreign countries are not at ease.

    While most destinations on Earth are safe for Americans to travel to there are many human destinations that are not safe for Americans. Before planning to travel to a foreign country you might want to check with the US Embassy of the foreign country and learn travel advice to the country as a whole and to specific destinations in the country.

    Chaos from violence against other people and chaos from weather hazards continue in United States and around the world. Weather hazards and violence against other people displace men women and children every day all around the world. The US Government can only accomplish so much to alleviate loss of life from hazardous weather. Hazardous weather is not always predictable and often surprising to everyone it effects. Sometimes violence is the answer to win a war. To uplift people from an oppressive government violence might be the answer.

    Voting doesn’t effect the weather however voting to put more money into building architecture that is more secure against the effects of hazardous weather helps save lives. Voting doesn’t stop a violent act but voting to make sure there’s enough money to hire and employ police to work in a community saves lives.

    There are locations around the world that look like some of United States most dangerous neighborhoods. Reasons a neighborhood is dangerous are many and often have to do with the history of the neighborhood and the government of the country of the neighborhood. Political instability often leads to a poor economy. A country that has been in war after war for many generations might have a very fragile economy.

    In United States what a strong economy is and what a fragile economy is, have many definitions made by many Americans. Typically the political party in power says they are making the economy stronger from shambles an apposing political party left it in. This changes every 4 to 8 years.

    I urge the Trump Administration to let Venezuelan citizens who are trying to leave the rubble of their homes from the very recent Earthquakes in Venezuela a welcome to live and work in safety and invite to migrate to US.

  • Love, Hate, Peace and War

    As a straight white man I have a lot of privilege that other Americans do not. I don’t hold hate in my heart for people who are different than me. Guarding my peace is more important to me than becoming enraged at someone else with a different life experience.

    I believe that humanity is at it’s best when people accept others for who they are and as Tim Walz said, “mind their own business” when it comes to issues like two consenting adults in love regardless of their gender, and when it comes to the issue of women having the legal right to make their own reproductive health care decisions safely and without repercussion from the Government.

    Much of the privilege I have is based in a historical context. In US White men were the only citizens who could vote for many years before women, black and native American people were allowed to vote. Thank God we no longer live by those barbaric laws.

    Freedom is not free and it doesn’t mean as a US Citizen I have reason to hate another human for how and where they were brought into life and where in the world they live. I believe peace is achieved through strength when leaders of countries look to their citizens’ shared similarities and for ways to work together internationally.

    Growing up as a citizen in a nation with the most lethal military is a mixed blessing. I’m grateful for the feeling of safety I have in the US and when I travel internationally and because US has the most powerful military is not a reason for the military to engage in combat anywhere in the world. Sovereign nations do better for their citizens and for the world when working towards peace without conflict that leads to violence.

    Unfortunately peace on Earth is not the reality in every country and region. It never has been and to some extent probably never will. Still, I choose to work towards peace apposed to building weapons and training to fight. I am grateful for the men and women in US Military who make it possible for me to live in peace and their battle whether in preparation for combat and when in combat is not my battle. I don’t provoke foreign nations and I don’t start fights. I’m good at avoiding violence. My ability to avoid violence doesn’t mean that I don’t care about who wins in a fight. I want the good guy to win in a fight whether violence decides who wins, and in civil fights in court.

    I am a middle age man and have learned there are two sides on a coin and two sides to a story. Choosing heads or tails on a coin toss often decides how a game will start. Stories are not as straight forward as a coin toss. A story might involve two people and affect many people. A story might involve one and more families and affect millions of people. A story might be about a country and have an effect on many other nations.

    The more characters in a story makes for more outcomes. Not everyone wins. Many stories are about love and about comedy and have nothing to do with violence. Even in a story that has violence a lesson can be learned. That is life and life is worth living.

    I think the decision for the US military to enter into conflict with Iran was made in haste. The argument to start a war against Iran is weak. I doubt Iran would have enriched their nuclear material to a point where they would have made a nuclear weapon. I worry that the war US instigated against Iran is a beginning of a larger global conflict that could come to be WW3.

  • Small and large decisions

    If you are a US Citizen and age 18 and older you can vote and I encourage you to vote. The first time I voted I was 18. I’ve voted in every presidential election since and in many local elections.

    You can keep who you voted for a secret. It’s your vote and not someone else’s. While elected politicians and Americans campaigning to get elected are known for their politics, citizens with no interest in becoming a politician are encouraged to voice their thoughts and opinions about local and national politics and on how US Politicians agendas effect foreign countries in the world around us.

    I care about my neighborhood, community, State, this Nation and about what Americans do around the world. This is why I voice my opinion near and far.

    As an American and US Citizen you are free to express yourself and speak up for what you believe in. This is a fundamental freedom Americans have, and it is important for us to share our thoughts and opinions throughout life.

    I believe a good politician doesn’t rely on their label as a Democrat or label as a Republican or label as an Independent and instead leads by setting a good example. A person’s character is more important than the name of their political party.

    People who want you to succeed and live a happy healthy life will encourage you to speak up when you want.

    Every story has a beginning, middle and end. And in every story, there is a challenge, whether it is small or large. Whether you are at the beginning of your story, in the middle of it or near the end play an active role. Learn from other people who have realized the results you want to achieve and remember to trust your gut instinct.

    Everything I’ve written in this post may seem obvious to some although not enough people understand and utilize these basic inalienable rights we have as Americans.

    If everyone around you makes your decisions you could be a prisoner locked in a cell. When to wake up, when to sleep, when and what to eat, when and where to move are all dictated by prison guards.

    Critical decision-making skills are learned as a young child grows into an adult and throughout life. At some point most elderly people need to rely more and more on younger generations to help them live healthy lives in peace and comfort. A lifetime of good decision making makes living a long healthy and happy life in peace and comfort possible for seniors and the oldest people alive.

    Surround yourself with safe healthy people who actively make your neighborhood, community, this nation and the world a better place to live.

  • I’m glad Thanksgiving day is over

    Americans throughout United States are encouraged to come together and share meals together on Thanksgiving day. I think the idea is great and it is also a cause of a lot of unwanted pressure.

    This Thanksgiving I was home alone with my pet dog. I ate good food and took my dog for a walk at a nearby park.

    I miss my family who are all very far away. I could not afford to travel to be with my family on Thanksgiving day.

    That’s ok, there will be many more visits and vacations I share with my family.

    Americans have many stories about Thanksgiving. One is that early settlers from Europe and Native Americans came together and shared food. While that may be true, early European settlers were the aggressors in many battles against Native Americans. Many Native Americans were killed and their land was taken from them.

    My ancestors are European and settled in United States many generations ago. Certainly some of my ancestors were the cause of Native Americans grief and loss of life and land.

    I wouldn’t change Thanksgiving and I am also sensitive to Native Americans and their struggle for equality. Native Americans deserve to have the same rights and opportunities as those of us from European settler ancestors.

    Native Americans are US Citizens and deserve the same rights as all US Citizens. Native Americans deserve to own and live on their ancestral lands that they govern when they choose to and to live anywhere in the Americas.

    Native Americans culture is beautiful and sacred and well and alive throughout United States and the Americas.

    Unfortunately Native Americans have been discriminated against by non-native Americans for hundreds of years.

    Americans young and old do the world a favor by respecting and caring for Native Americans so they may live in peace where they wish and prosper in their own communities and in society side by side all Americans.

    No one is illegal on stolen land.

    Immigrants make America great.

    Peace and love

  • Remember

    We are making new memories for younger generations. Youth from, raised, and brought up in United States will remember mixed messages in the media and on news reports as they grow old enough to vote and form their own opinions about the men and women they wish to elect as leaders.

    That is the power struggle. The struggle for power is continual, it always has been in US and on foreign soil. US Citizens have the freedom to vote in United States. Hold this freedom close to your heart and vote.

    Fascism has not been major breaking news in United States for many many generations. The Government has recently, this month of October 2025 designated Antifa as a terrorist organization. For that reason individuals who say they are Antifa I steer clear of.

    Whether you support or resist the current Government policies, as a US Citizen you have the right to speak up to our elected officials and have your voices heard. Peaceful assembly at a peaceful rally, peacefully protesting a policy is one of many ways to get your point across to our elected officials.

    You can still yell and scream and hold up a sign while assembling, respecting the property peacefully at a rally.

    Fascism is a word I’ve heard seldomly over the years mostly in the context of a conversation about the distant past. It didn’t make much sense to me when I heard the word fascism used and it doesn’t now. More modern words to describe politics are Democracy, Republic, Liberal and Conservative.

    While each one of those four words have extreme examples some individuals went to, in general they are much safer to use and in most cases not the views of extremists. Being a moderate or a centrist is what the political party in power does to lead the masses. While the political party in power leans to the left Democrat or to the Right Republican, going to any extreme alienates a number of their constituent’s, their citizens and their voters.

    It’s necessary for a politician to claim the name of a political party when leading. Names have meanings. Old names, recent names and new names. While Democracy and Republic names are far from new they are modern. Independent is also modern. Stay safe and pick a modern political party you believe in that best represents you and your interests.

  • I’m very glad that Barack Obama was POTUS for eight consecutive years. The fact goes to show that Americans can and do show humanity. While before Obama was president there were many successful Black Americans in business, with US Government careers and in entertainment it was Obama who rose to the highest office in the nation. For the first time an official representing the Black minority led the country. Before Obama was POTUS there was more intimidation minorities experienced when it came to leadership roles in the US Government and business. Black entertainers have had a solid foothold in American culture for many generations but the farther you look back in history, Black people and people of many other minorities working in entertainment were subjugated to smaller roles and reduced pay and often received roles that portrayed the individual as uneducated and unintelligent.

     I am Generation X and grew up learning how Martin Luther King united Americans around US and was a humanitarian leader people around the world celebrated. MLK is no longer with us. MLK has been no longer with us for many years. It was good news for Americans and for humanity when Barack Obama was elected POTUS. Barack Obama became not only a leader of Black people but a leader of Americans and a global leader for humanity. America and US has done a lot of healing since Obama’s Presidency from 2008-2016. For the first time minorities around US looked to a leader that represented everyone.

    While there were many Americans and US Citizens who did not vote for Obama and did not want him to be POTUS and were discouraged with Obama leading US and America, more US Citizens voted for him and were glad he was leading the country. Power struggles are part of life. There are always people and groups and individuals trying to have the most power and control. That is human nature and that is an aspect of humanity.

     The current POTUS Donald Trump is unique and original like every POTUS throughout history. Donald Trump leads Americans and the US and appeals more to white people. White people are the cultural majority in United States. Having a white American as POTUS is not new. Every POTUS throughout US history was white accept Obama. More and more over time white US Citizens make up less of the population.

     I grew up in a predominately white community in US. That was normal to me. At 26 I moved to Los Angeles California where I experienced for the first time living in a very culturally diverse city. I was excited, and I was challenged. It was challenging to be around and meet people from different cultures most of the time. White people are a minority in Los Angeles. I was not used to residing in the community as a minority and living as a minority when I was in public. Deep down inside I felt threatened. I felt threatened that most of the people I saw and met skin color was darker than mine. I felt uncomfortable when I passed through a largely gay neighborhood.

    In truth what I perceived as threats were not threats at all and were challenges of living in a community new to me and very different than where I am from and very far away from the community I was born into. I moved far away from Los Angeles since and am grateful for the challenges I experienced living in Southern California. Overcoming challenges makes an individual stronger. While living in a culturally diverse community could present challenges for people from smaller communities with less diversity, cities are a part of life on Earth and civilization as we know it. Cities tend to be more culturally diverse than towns.

     I would not trade my past living in the city for the world. Living in the city has to do with who I am today. Moving far away from where you were brought up is challenging for everyone who embarks on the adventure. Every adventure does not end in success. What’s normal in one place is considered strange and unheard of in another place. The financially wealthiest people on Earth are challenged when moving to live and reside in a community far away from where they were brought up. Many people never move far from where they were brought up. Often when someone moves away into a community that is new to them it is for a work opportunity that did not exist where they are from.

     Other times the reason to move is greater than a new work opportunity. The reason to move might involve romance, adventure, being in a new place and meeting people in a community beyond the same faces and places where a person is brought up. Be careful out there.

  • This is a first

    I’ve never done this before. I want to thank United States President Donald Trump. I was raised in Democratic homes. And in Democratic neighborhoods. I was taught that us Democrats were correct in many more ways and Republicans were wrong in many ways. I’ve always voted Democrat and don’t anticipate that changing.

    A truth is. There are two sides to a coin and two sides to a story. In a boxing match there are two fighters. In a boxing arena each fighter needs their opponent to fight. In politics words are what are used to win a debate, a campaign, an election.

    In the worst case men and women turn to violence, and is something I condemn. I’ve never seen Trump speak live at a rally. That’s ok. Rhetoric is a word usually referred to with a negative tone. The truth is that both Democrats and Republicans use rhetoric in their speeches and my guy or gals rhetoric sounds a lot better to me than the opposition’s rhetoric.

    There have always been either a Democrat POTUS or a Republican POTUS in charge of the white house in Washington DC since I was born. And this is how it is today. While many Americans are weary of the two party system, it has worked long before I was born and through the years. It makes sense to me that there are two parties continually jockeying for power. Right, wrong. Left, right. True, false. Fact, fiction. Here, there. Then, now. These are opposites and while it is said that opposites attract they also repel.

    I am open to a different political party coming into power in DC and I don’t anticipate that happening anytime soon. Donald Trump has managed to keep war away from United States. Sometimes it takes a physically strong man to show strength and shake off threats from a foreign adversary. Was United States threatened by foreign adversaries before Donald Trump began his second term? The answer is yes and no. In general no and there are terrorists in the world that would harm Americans and American interests if they could.

    Is terrorism a threat to United States? Yes and no. In general no and it is very important for Americans to stay vigilant to protect our interests domestically and around the world from terrorists that would otherwise take advantage of us if we let our guard down.

    I think Trump is doing well in these regards. A Change of power of leadership in United States at the top happens every four to eight years. It has been this way since long before I was born, through the years and currently on schedule. Some percentage of Americans have expressed concern that Trump will remain president after 2028. I for one have not bought into that rhetoric. Were not there. It’s 2025. I don’t see that happening and I don’t see many US citizens concerned with the topic.

    America has changed a whole lot from when I was a young boy. The Cold War ended. The Cold War was something I learned that ended when I was a young boy. Donald Trump is older and lived through more of the Cold War until it ended. The Cold War was a long lasting and pervasive threat to Americans for many years. I grew up at the tail end of the Cold War and I’m sure Baby Boomers have their own take as to what the Cold War meant to them.

    From what I’ve learned there were no casualties in the Cold War. No bombs dropped, no missiles launched, and no fighter jets deployed. From what I’ve learned the Cold War was a build up of tension and verbal hostility between U.S.A. and Russia what was known as U.S.S.R. at the time and a build up of weapons of war. Eventually the tension dissipated, and verbal hostility cooled and the stockpiles of weapons of war were reduced. It was a victory for U.S.A. and for U.S.S.R. both. A win win.

    United States is at peace on our soil. We are protected by our military domestically and the brave men and women of the US military are stationed around the world protecting our interests abroad. It is a blessing US is at peace on our soil and that’s not to say there is not crime on our streets. Crime is a problem in every city in the US and in smaller communities to some extent. Counteracting crime is not my work and is not my call.

    The conservative approach is different than the liberal approach not just when it comes to crime but also economics. There are many topics I disagree with Donald Trump about. I can leave it at that.

    I’m better off not defining liberals and conservatives something younger generations will surely do as they grow and choose who to stand up and vote for and sink their teeth into details of specific causes they believe in and build their opinions including everything worth fighting for, hopefully in a civilly and in debate.

    God bless America

  • Old Glory

    My post today is about ways to be an American United States Citizen and be proud of who you are while being sensitive to people around the world who do not have freedoms Americans do. First of all, Freedom isn’t free. People around the world should feel free to live in the country where they were born. Even in United States this freedom to live in US when you were born in US is being questioned.

    If a US Citizen breaks the law I think they should be held accountable and brought to justice. I don’t think they should be deported. The idea that US Citizens could be deported makes no sense. Dual citizens for example of United States and Mexico have more freedoms to live and travel between both countries. This might seem like a great freedom but in fact it means much more. If you are a dual citizen of US and Mexico it is inferred that you are loyal to both countries. US and Mexico are allies and we share our southern border. It’s easier for US Citizens to travel back and forth to and from Mexico.

    Mexicans have a more difficult time traveling back and forth between US and Mexico for several reasons. United States economy is stronger that Mexico’s economy. Mexicans often want to migrate to US because of opportunities in US that are not available in Mexico. Americans from as far south as Chile travel north to Mexico trying to migrate to US. When they arrive at the US Mexico border it’s difficult for US Border Patrol to identify what country they are from.

    The US Mexico border is the last line of defense US Citizens have from keeping unwanted Americans out of United States. What makes an American born south of United States border want to migrate to United States include many reasons. Their reasons are not always good enough. Just like any country around the world, United States wants citizens with good reasons to be here. Being born in United States is a good reason to live in US most of the time. By most I mean the vast majority of the population of United States who were born in US deserve the right to live in US.

    US Citizens who live in US and commit a crime should be held accountable and brought to justice that includes serving time in jail or prison in United States. I don’t understand why a US Citizen who is found to have committed a crime would be deported. US soil is precious. US prisons are often overpopulated. It’s still US soil on US land. And people in jail and in prison should serve their time until their sentence is done.

    Be a law abiding citizen is what to do. Many US Citizens break the law and should be held accountable and brought to justice and serve time in jail or prison in US. Many more US Citizens are law abiding. That’s the way to live.

    An American born south of the US border who wants to migrate to US might want to claim political asylum. If the country they fled is killing or mistreating their citizens is a reason a person born in a foreign country might have to apply to US Government claiming political asylum.

    The world overall is safe for people in their own country and that is not the case in every country around the world. Were there are wars citizens of war torn countries have good reasons to leave to a country that accepts them if they are not going to fight back or can’t fight back.

    Americans in US have it good. We are free to live in our country and we are free to travel and migrate to a foreign country. These are precious freedoms. Life is precious.

  • Civilization, differences and solutions

    POTUS Donald Trump would have appealed to me when I was an elementary school student. The bully mentality meant a lot back then. Would he have appealed to me in a good way or a bad way I do not know. Some kids bullied me at recess and I bullied other kids at recess. It didn’t help. It wasn’t good. Bullying happened and it was a big deal. It hurt and then I hurt my peers. As I grew I learned to avoid violent confrontations. On TV seemed to be an everlasting fight between people of all ages and races locally and nationally and around the world. This was the late 1980’s. I was 10 years old.

    The cold war was grinding to a close. At 10 years old I didn’t know what the cold war meant. But I did know that the last of it was there and then and that it became the recent past. Later I learned that the cold war was a build up of nuclear weapons and bombs and that eventually United States and Russia agreed to reduce their stockpiles of military weapons. The reduction of weapons deescalated the tensions between the two countries. No missiles were launched, and no bombs were dropped during the cold war. On television the old war was world war 2 and on television shows from much further in history documented world war 1. The old war, world war 2 was not ancient and it was a war fought by my grandfathers both serving in the US Military.

     My grandfather who was alive at the time looked and sounded to me at 10 years old, very old. At that young age, many very old people looked like they had been in a war. They survived and it looked like war took a lot out of them. Later I learned that old age is natural and what everybody experiences over many years of growing. Old age has nothing to do with war. There are many story tellers who are elders and many of their stories are about topics other than war. Ancient civilization, for example in America and Africa and Europe and in Asia looked different in each continent.

     Humans from different races around the world lived in smaller communities. There were battles and violence and there was also peace. Humans have evolved learning how to live and work together. Humans living in community learned to plant crops and grow large scale agriculture. This is how many people around the world are fed to this day.

    Despite all the advances in engineering and modern architecture and science and technology, there are still many human problems society and civilization have not solved. There is plenty of food to feed every man, woman and child. And every day people go hungry, are malnourished and die of starvation. Health care has come so far since electricity was harnessed and the light bulb was invented. So many inventions have been made including the locomotive train and railroad system. The motor that runs on fuel. Airplanes and satellites. Still despite all the industrial advances, people are left to die alone when not enough trained paramedics and available ambulances are ready and able to service a region.

    Problems haven’t stopped happening. Problems people have in 2025 didn’t occur 10 years ago. Pollution in the environment causes problems for humans and animals. Pollution causes people to get sick. Toxins in the environment make some places unsafe to live for humans and animals where the only thing that live are cockroaches. Mysterious illnesses such as covid effect the global population for several years and although a vaccine helps to reduce and stop the disease the origin of it is elusive. Was covid created in a laboratory in a city in China that leaked or was it from a little black winged flying bat that defecated on agriculture and spread in food?

    Solutions in 2025 are created with Artificial Intelligence on a computer and on a cell phone. Personal computers and cellphones didn’t exist when I was 10 years old. A remote controlled television was a luxury. Televisions and computer screens took up more space and were the shape of boxes. A movie was first viewed in a large theatre projected onto a screen the size of a large wall. How movies are shared has changed a lot. Many movies are not shown in movie theatres. Many movies are first viewed on televisions, computers, cellphones and tablets.

    Email and instant texts and video chats and virtual meetings are often the fastest way to communicate with people. Long distance phone calls are of the past. Limited minutes on cellphone service are of the past. Music unites people locally, nationally and around the world. Music is also used in politics and while it can spread patriotism it can also spread messages of hate and fear and violence and racism. Music is loved and loathed, celebrated and shunned. Music is powerful, use it wisely.