Face to Face - The Ultimate Instant Message

August 4, 2009: Bill Clinton flew via private plane to North Korea in order to negotiate the release of two American journalists convicted of spying in June and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. Kim Jong Ill gets what he wants, an photo opp with one of the most popular men of recent times in the world as well as being able to look more human by giving a special pardon. I applaud Former President Clinton for negotiating for both the pardon and the immediate release of these two young Americans. A face to face meeting is the best way to handle these kinds of tenouos circumstances. Ill knows that he is already on shakey ground with us and it is in his best interests to seem more amiable and civilized. Curious that President Obama used a face to face meeting to heal wounds and attempt to improve relations in racially charged Cambridge, MA. In college, there are courses built around professionalism, communication and negotiations. They all revolve around body language. I think we are seeing a renaissance of belly to belly communication. Let's get back to speaking to people like adults, treating people with care and attention as well as eliminating confusion and ambiguity. Be part of the renaissance. Go see someone face to face who doesn't expect it. Go make a difference.

Policing in America

The Sgt. Crowley and Professor Gates incident in Cambridge shows how something small can grow exponentially. Police need to understand that they have to do more than enforce laws and protect property and people. They have to do a better job of managing their own public image. We have a similar image problem here in Allentown. The criminal justice courses during my college years helped me to understand the sometimes overwhelming responsibility placed on the shoulders of local police officers. It's a tough job with limited financial rewards. Many a riot, both here and abroad, has been caused by a single action that was viewed as over the top. If a police officer shares his lunch with a homeless person or takes the time to talk to a youth heading for the wrong path, it isn't news worthy. We don't hear about it but I can assure you it happens more often then you might think. I don't know about you but I would feel threatened if I found a cop in my home, unexpected and uninvited. Regardless of my race, it would be upsetting and we have to remember that Professor Gates has both significant education and years under his belt. To be disrespected by an intrusion in his own home was probaby quite a new experience to him. He could only compare it to his own racial charged experiences with Police over the course of his lifetime. Without sensitivity and attention paid to how Police have historically dealt with people of color, it is too easy to turn a misunderstanding into a national furor over race relations and police biases.

I am glad President Obama is taking the time to calm the rhetoric of hate with dialogue in a mutually neutral location. Both men will quickly learn that when you are a guest of the White House, you have no authority, no rights and no power except what your host has granted you. This serves as the perfect place to see each other as human, fallible and flawed. Just as God intended.

Amusement Park Atmosphere

July 26, 2009:
I recently returned from a week in Williamsburg, VA with the family and enjoyed some time in Busch Gardens Europe. The park was moderately busy for a weekday and I would give it an 8 for cleanliness. They had staff picking up lose trash and there was an attendant inside each bathroom I used throughout the day. Yesterday was Good Shepherd Employee Appreciation Day @ Dorney Park. A day for employees to enjoy a subsidized entry into the park and a cook out type meal throughout the day with a menu of Fried Chicken, Hamburgers and Hotdogs. The Hotdogs and Hamburgers were fine but the Chicken was very dry. Be that as it may, it was a wonderful gesture by Good Shepherd Rehabilitation towards its employees. My problem is with the filth throughout Dorney Park. I observed several feminine napkins and two diapers in the wave pool as well as a fair amount of candy wrappers. My wife tells me the ladies room was like wadding into a river of urine. No attendant and a smell that would knock a buzzard off a week-old deer carcass. Our family has season passes and it makes me question the value in continuing that purchase next year. Just an onservance from my life and times.