Heroes Walk Next To Us

Today, more than ever, we all need a dose of "courage" to overcome the challenges that confront us. But where do we find it?

We need to understand that in the past everyday people, like us, have somehow manifested and embodied that essential courage. 

People have gathered unbelievable strength and courage to confront the challenges that confronted them. They transformed into heroes and performed unbelievable acts of courage without which all would have been lost. 

That terrible, fateful day, Vice President Mike Pence became a hero. That day, he transformed into an essential, courageous defender. He put aside loyalty to an out-of-control psychopath and stood solidly, fulfilling his oath to the Constitution of the United States.

Caroline Kennedy: We can no longer take our democracy for granted #profileincourage

https://youtube.com/shorts/0D3zhHUg7hI?si=DT9tzTv5UUGcoDfy

“We can no longer take our democracy for granted.”

Ambassador Caroline Kennedy says today’s moment in America requires more public officials and other institutions to have the same kind of courage Vice President Mike Pence had when he put his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on January 6, 2021.

Watch the full speech: https://youtu.be/1BDiu7od7dQ

2025 Profile in Courage Award Ceremony: Vice President Mike Pence Full Speech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nlQqIj5CF0

Sworn Duty

Washington Crossing the Delaware River, by Leutze Emanuel Gottlieb
Metropolitan Museum of Art New York USA The Bridgeman Art Library*

Here is the message for each Elected Congressional Democrat: Get off your a**!

Pull on your combat boots and Do Your Sworn Responsibility to, "Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States".

This is your moment. Now is Your Time to muster up courage and live up to your heritage.

Remember the oath you affirmed when you took office?

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

Now is that "Come to Jesus" moment to fulfill you sworn duty and ensure that every vote counts this November.

Here is the story...

Investigative reporter breaks down the real reason Republicans ‘threw a fit in Wisconsin’: Trump’s GOP is ‘canceling the American people’s right to vote’, Chauncey DeVega, Salon, alternet.org, 12 Apr 2020.

Excerpts:

"Last week, Trump admitted that “You’d never have a Republican elected in this country again” if Americans were universally permitted to vote by mail."

"Trump is just channeling a belief that has long been expressed both in private and in public by Republicans and other members of the right-wing movement. On this, Trump and the Republicans are correct: According to public opinion polls and other research, the American people overwhelmingly reject their policies and goals."

"Because democracy is antithetical to today’s Republican Party, Donald Trump has repeatedly condemned voting by mail because he believes it will be disadvantageous to his chances of winning another presidential term in 2020. In the final analysis, Republicans want to make voting more difficult even if it means more Americans will fall ill and die from COVID-19."

"Last Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court endorsed Trump and the Republicans’ ongoing assault on American democracy. In a 5-4 decision, the court’s “conservative” majority ordered that Wisconsin’s primary election could not be delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, and no extension would be allowed for mail-in ballots. This decision forced the people of Wisconsin — most notably nonwhite people, students, young people, and other Democratic Party’s base in cities like Milwaukee and Madison — to choose between their lives and their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote."

"The Democratic Party’s leaders have apparently decided that expanded mail-in voting is a necessary measure, and the best way to defeat Donald Trump in the context of the coronavirus pandemic."

"In reality, matters are not so simple."

*The Significance of Washington Crossing the Delaware: Do Not Give Up!

Independent, Investigative Reporter Greg Palast


Please go here for the interview transcript.

Will Dem Party Leadership Find Their Courage?

When it comes to failure to recognize change or emerging innovative ideas, the books are crammed with corporate leadership’s failure to grasp onto the coattails of impending change and make the leap forward. Management of companies like Kodak, IBM, Xerox, Sears, etc., are emblematic of failed leadership, blunders, and outright ineptness.

You may even remember some of those companies when they were powerhouse behemoths. The leadership of each made decisions that seemed logically correct to them at the time when they were on top of the heap in their respective business areas – no doubt decisions to “stay the course” selling technology, products or services that made them millions of dollars in previous years. The only problem: times changed. And, management failed to perceive that change and failed to react accordingly, to provide their companies with courageous leadership when it was required.

Lack of courageous leadership is a classic failure of management and is repeated in countless ways each day.

Lack of courage, or cowardice, can also infect political leaders.

For example, the Democratic Party leaders are clearly showing a courage deficit when it comes to Bernie Sanders as their potential candidate.

It’s sad isn’t it when leaders disregard the wishes of their own people. For instance, “Polling consistently shows that most Democrats approve of key parts of Sanders’ economic agenda, including single-payer health care, the Green New Deal, tuition-free college, student debt forgiveness, a $15 minimum wage, breaking up big banks, and paid family leave.”

“For each of those issues except single-payer health care, a more modest percentage of all Americans — but still a majority — signal their support.”

“That said, support levels among all Americans drop significantly once voters are informed about the policies’ costs.”

I, for one, am looking for an epiphany of sorts, or the proverbial “bravery pill” that the Dem leaders can swallow to help them find their spines, recognize that the nation is calling for a clear change of leadership in the White House and the U.S. Congress, get out of the way, and smooth the path for the person who will make that change happen. Additionally, it’s clearly up to the Dem leadership to find a way to secure what their people are demanding.

Source Links:

50 Examples of Corporations that Failed to Innovate, Katrina Aaslaid, valuer.ai, 22 Nov 2018.

Democratic Leaders Willing to Risk Party Damage to Stop Bernie Sanders, Lisa Lerer and Reid J. Epstein, nytimes.com, 28 Feb 2020

Trump lashes out at Fox News for new poll showing him losing to all the Democratic candidates, Aaron Rupar, vox.com, 28 Feb 2020.

Polls show most Democrats, many Americans back key Bernie Sanders' policies, Louis Jacobson, politifacts.com, 25 Feb 2020.

Dem Leader Sanders Freak-out is Not About Politics. It's About Power, Rob Kall, opednews, 2 Mar 2020.

Courage to See Truth & Speak It

He’s just another con man hustling the American people; but, he’s an accomplished corporate media manipulator. That is one of Mr. Trump’s advantages.

Common people, those with “eyes to see”, know a con man when they meet one. Few, though, are willing to call him out.

Courageously, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has called him out.

Courage is her advantage. Her courage may catalyze ours and help bring us back on course toward the United States we believe we are.

Here’s the whole story:

'Always About the Con': Ocasio-Cortez Says 'Virtually Every' Trump Policy Designed to Loot Public Coffers and Enrich His Cronies, Jake Johnson, Common Dreams, Inc., 4 Sept 2019.

"Since corruption isn't popular policy, racism works as the cover for the con. That's why addressing racism isn’t a 'distraction'—it's key to understanding the hustle against working people." -more-

Bruce Springsteen & Joe Grushecky That's What Makes Us Great - 2017

Teeth, Enamel & Courage

 A human tooth is repaired. Though enamel is the hardest tissue in the body, it cannot self-repair.
Photograph: Zhejiang University/Science Advances

After all these years, I still hate going to the dentist.

Since I was little, going to the dentist meant major pain.

But, today, there is hope. Not about less pain, but about a new way to fix tooth enamel other than to drill out the old stuff and fill in the new repair.

Scientists may have found a way to grow new tooth enamel.

Thank you, Dr. Scientist!

Someday I might muster the courage to go to the dentist again.

Here’s the whole story:

Scientists discover way to ‘grow’ tooth enamel, Nicola Davis, the guardian.com, 30 Aug 2019.

Scientists say they have finally cracked the problem of repairing tooth enamel.

Though enamel is the hardest tissue in the body, it cannot self-repair. Now scientists have discovered a method by which its complex structure can be reproduced and the enamel essentially “grown” back.

The team behind the research say the materials are cheap and can be prepared on a large scale. “After intensive discussion with dentists, we believe that this new method can be widely used in future,” said Dr Zhaoming Liu, co-author of the research from Zhejiang University in China.

Tooth decay is extremely common: according to 2016 figures about 2.4 billion people worldwide live with caries in permanent teeth, while 486 million children have decay in their milk teeth.

-more-

Courage

Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (1926)

Somewhere within us resides an itty-bitty spark of courage.

We need to look hard to find it.

Then, give it some air and nurture it into a brilliant flame.

We need that hidden spark to help us try to make fewer bombs, rifles, landmines, fighter jets, missiles and aircraft carriers.

Because with a tiny fraction of what we spend on war materiel each year, we can employ our people in good-paying jobs to rebuild our water systems and stop polluting our rivers, lakes and oceans; rebuild and modernize our roads, bridges, cities and family farms; make our healthcare system the best in the world; educate and train all our people; dive like our future depends on it — because it does — into decentralized and diversified, sustainable energy systems.

We can do these things and much more with an itty-bitty, mouse-sized portion of what we spend on war materiel.

All we need is the courage to find that spark and nurture it.

Transitioning from a war economy into a peace economy... it's time... because we are braver, stronger and smarter than we think.

Sen. McCain… Man of Courage

Sen. McCain votes "No".

Occasionally a few Congressional people conjure up courage to do the right thing by the people of the United States. One such moment was when Sen John McCain voted against Republican amendments to destroy “Obamacare”. Just for that moment alone Sen. McCain deserves not only the Congressional Medal of Honor but the everlasting admiration of the people of the USA.

 

Yet, John McCain was so much more than that one vote. He was a man of courage throughout his life. He will forever be my hero.

 

Here is why…

 

Healthcare... No One Left Behind

Sen. John McCain stood tall once again last night. The man who refused to leave his comrades behind came through for the people of the United States. *

He is my hero.

Despite Donald Trump’s diatribes and ridicule. Despite the president’s minion’s continuous threats to withdraw federal funding from the people of Arizona, Sen. John McCain remained true to his love for his country, his wisdom, his own healthcare challenges and, yes, his honor.

Duty. Honor. Country. These words really do mean everything.

When it comes down to the hard times and our lives depend upon the man casting the vote. Thank God Sen. John McCain found the strength to endure.

He came back to Washington, D.C. He made his vote count.

No one left behind.

I wish John McCain were the President of the United States.

One more thing.

There were two other heroes last night. Sen Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska who joined with all 46 of the chamber’s Democrats and independents to defeat the Sen. McConnell’s repeated attempts to deny millions of Americans healthcare. Both senators endured Trumpian tweet tirades of scorn and ridicule, plus his minion’s threats to deny federal funds to the people of their states. Please go here for the whole story.

Photo above: John McCain lies in a hospital bed in Hanoi, North Vietnam, after being taken prisoner of war. (FRANCOIS CHALAIS)

*John McCain spent 5½ years in captivity as a POW in North Vietnam. His first-person account of that harrowing ordeal was published in U.S. News & World Report on in May 14, 1973. Shot down in his Skyhawk dive bomber on Oct. 26, 1967, Navy flier McCain was taken prisoner with fractures in his right leg and both arms. He received minimal care and was kept in wretched conditions that he describes vividly in this U.S. News special report.

Of the many personal accounts coming to light about the almost unbelievably cruel treatment accorded American prisoners of war in Vietnam, none is more dramatic than that of Lieut. Commander John S. McCain III—Navy flier, son of the admiral who commanded the war in the Pacific, and a prisoner who came in "for special attention" during 5½ years of captivity in North Vietnam. Please go here for more.


John McCain EPIC Senate Floor Speech After Health Care Vote - 25 July 2017

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Sen. McCain… Man of Courage & Honor

Congratulations Sen McCain, for the National Constitution Center's Liberty Medal honor.

Thank you, Senator McCain for the man you are. For your courage in the face of overwhelming odds. For your strength. And, for remaining with your fellow POWs at the North Vietnamese Hỏa Lò Prison, known as “The Hanoi Hilton”, until you and your fellow POWs could come home together.

I have no doubt that Col. Richard “Pop” Keirn, USAF, would agree.

Richard Keirn, my mother’s first cousin, was held for 7 years and 7 months in the Hanoi Hilton and came home with Sen McCain.

https://www.pownetwork.org/bios/k/k046.htm

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/10/16/emotional-sen-john-mccain-blasts-half-baked-spurious-nationalism/770686001/?csp=dailybriefing

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Courage to Do Right

Colbert To Trump: 'Doing Nothing Is Cowardice'

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2 Oct 2017

Stephen Colbert commends the victims and first responders of the tragic Las Vegas shooting for their immeasurable courage. Now we need courage from the President of the United States.


Sen. John McCain has the courage to do the right thing. Please take a few minutes to view this video: John McCain Receives the Profile in Courage Award

JFK Library
28 Aug 2008

Senator John McCain's acceptance speech at the May 24, 1999 Profile in Courage Awards.

Courage to Do Right

Colbert To Trump: 'Doing Nothing Is Cowardice'

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2 Oct 2017


Stephen Colbert commends the victims and first responders of the tragic Las Vegas shooting for their immeasurable courage. Now we need courage from the President of the United States.


Sen. John McCain has the courage to do the right thing. Please take a few minutes to view this video: John McCain Receives the Profile in Courage Award

JFK Library
28 Aug 2008

Senator John McCain's acceptance speech at the May 24, 1999 Profile in Courage Awards.

Cowardly Lion Had More Courage than all the Congressional R People Combined

It’s Wed am, following Pres. Trump's firing of FBI Dir. James Comey* and I am taking in today’s beautiful sunshine on gloriously beautiful Grosse Ile, MI. It’s a rare day indeed.

The U.S. House is on spring break after the R people passed Trump Care. The thought occurred to me… How are those Town Hall meetings going?  You know, those meetings when members of Congress go home to talk with the “Joe and Jane Lunch Bucket” people (the 99.9%) they are supposed to represent.

The answer appears to be they are going, but without the R people answering their constituents’ questions.

Why, you might ask?

Well, it’s because they are a bunch of cowardly no shows.

Unlike the Lion of Wizard of Oz fame, the R people will never get their medal for courage. After all, the Lion overcame his fear and did go into the Wicked Witch’s palace.

Overcoming one’s fear demons is very hard. Especially if your happen to be a soulless, psychopathic R person.

But, I understand. Looking into the faces of all those hometown people you have just screwed over and trying to think up a whole bunch of alternative facts must be really, really difficult.

*Critics at Town Halls Confront Republicans Over Health Care,Jacey Fortin and Daniel Victor, New York Times, 9 May 2017.

**Five questions for Trump after FBI firing, Katie BoWilliams, Jordan Fabian and Morgan Chalfant, The Hll, 10 May 2017.

King of the Forest - Courage - Bert Lahr - 1939