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Chapter 8
Getting home from the store, we see
the media is there in full force. All
the major networks, all the national news stations, everybody.
It looks like a crisis of some sort, someone holding out in my
house; maybe a hostage of stature. It
is sort of scary, but at the same time very exciting.
I have some real mixed emotions, but oddly enough, feel calm about
it all. As we approach our
driveway, the media file in lines, making a lane for the car to reach the
garage door. “What do you
want me to do honey?” as Margie drives the car in to the driveway. She
looks pale. “Just pull up to
the garage door and stop, I will figure this out as we get out and see
what they want.” “Be
careful what you say Goldie. Please
don’t make life difficult for us, and do something we will be ridiculed
about. Everyday I see what
happens to someone that does something stupid and the press gets a hold of
it; their lives can change forever. I
trust you, and will always be with you, but think before you speak, and do
what you think is right.” Do
what you think is right. Do
what you think is right; these
words repeating in my mind over and over as I got out of the car, and
faced an intimidating bunch.
Without hesitation and before I could
even stand up straight, the questions start coming at me.
“Golden Simms, Mr. Simms, can we ask you some questions?”
Without me speaking they continued.
“What are your intentions of your remarks?
Do you have a political agenda?”
I thought for a moment, as Margie’s words kept repeating in my
head,
“Be
careful what you say Goldie. I
trust you. Think before you speak, and do what you think is right.”
“I have no political agenda.
I am a simple working man with some personal views and ideas, and
only had the floor for a moment to give my opinions to Senator Douglas.
Everything kind of snowballed from there.
I guess the ideas got the attention.
It sure wasn’t my good looks.”
The crowd laughed at that remark, with the apparent self jab that I
made. I had the moment to calm
down, and was starting to feel more comfortable.
I figured a relaxed response was a good one, and felt in good taste
with it. “What is your take
on privatizing social security? We
have many worried with the bill coming before congress pretty soon, and
wanted your take on the issue. I
thought before I spoke, remembering Margie’s words once again.
“This issue is all a result of the present economy.
The Social Security goes in to a General Fund.
This fund is being used as a catch all fund, to pay for many other
expenses and to pay for programs that do not work.
If I was an auditor for a private company, and saw them dipping
into the company’s retirement fund for daily cash flow and incidentals,
it would throw up red flags for system failure and I would see a gauntlet
coming. If we fix the economy
by improving the trade ratios and mandating big box stores to supply an
acceptable percentage of our goods then our economy would start in the
right direction and create immediate employment.
If the government then would lead the way to encourage
technological exports that generate income tax, our economy and now
affordable tax base would pay back that social security that it has been
taking from, then the social security fund could actually pay back the
contributing individuals. I
think offering another option is fine, again using the fund only for what
it was provided for. Just
think, if the social security fund was a stand alone fund drawing interest
without all the dipping we have been doing, we all would have some pretty
well off retirees that would spend lots of dollars back into our economy
and fuel the economy once again. It
would be one of the best programs in the world.
We just need to stay out of it.
Fix the economy, and we do not need to take from social security
anymore. Then we can provide
for the needs of our elderly as well as offer earlier retirement ages, as
well as create new jobs when they retire early.
It seems magical in results, a snowball effect, with retirees
buying social security funded vacation homes, motor homes, RV’s, now
enjoying retirement and touring the country, and they would be providing
recirculation of that social security money right back into the
economy.” Margie is looking
at me with no visual emotion. I
can’t tell if she approves or disapproves.
I look at her, squinting my eyes a little, looking for any sign
that she is ok with things. She
means a lot to me and feeling the sense of guidance from her, I am looking
for that approval. She is the
only one that I get that feeling with, with most things discussed together
before we make our decisions. I
feel out on a limb, out on my own with this, a very funny feeling.
The questions keep coming. “How
do you feel about the
Iraq
war? Should we pull our
troops?” Again with a pause
to reflect and think through the question, and to handle this sensitive
issue with kid gloves I answer, “It is not an easy answer.
I agree that the area is a hot bed for terrorists, and if we let
them build up their strength, we will see many attempts at the country
like the world trade center disaster.
We have not been attacked in this country since
Pearl Harbor
in such a devastating fashion. I
also believe though
Iraq
is now in a civil war state, and we are now made judges and control units
of a civil war. I do believe
at one point we need to step out, but the current administration got us
there, so we now have issues we must deal with because of these decisions.
Those issues might have never been there if we handled it
differently. We are in damage
control mode now, if you will. This
is not a policy; this is a series of chosen historic paths by our chosen
leaders. Now the new
administration’s decisions will make the difference as to how we write
the rest of this chapter. I
can say this. I believe a
person can be held accountable for their actions, and I believe the
actions taken against mankind were inhumane, and it would have been
difficult to reach a peaceful solution although should have be tried.
I do know though, that there are over a 1000 news publications and
papers over there now. There
are many secular groups that have their independent rights to their
beliefs now that they were never able to have before, a human right.
Democracy comes from the grass roots up.
It is happening, but is a quiet process.
We must focus on this grass roots democracy and teach it to see it
grow. We have people that
strike against pockets of our country and we strike back with peaceful
solutions like protests, sit-ins, and we band together.
The ones that attack our system with their rhetoric, we defend
ourselves and our rights with peaceful protests and methods.
I think the education of the people in how grass roots democracy
really works is what’s most important.
If they want it, they should be taught to band together to make it
happen. It is not the military
that creates democracy, it is the people, and they must know they can’t
just run in fear. They must
stand up with their future heroes. Strength
is in numbers, and the numbers must be allowed to grow.
They must stand up and make themselves known, and if attacked,
assailants can be held accountable for their actions, not their motives.
You can believe, just must act with peace and dignity.
A democracy can not be made up of people hiding in houses.
At some point they must come out and join together to make up the
masses and be heard. We too
can prosecute someone that infringes on human rights of the masses that
have weapons that the people can’t fight themselves, but we must limit
our activities to go directly after the assailant as a lawful action, and
then come home. Governments
should go after the assailants, not a part of the entire region; the
entire country. We take out
the assailant and in this case being a leader; let the grass roots people
band together to grow in numbers, elect the governments, and then the
governments can govern. We had
our Civil War in
America
. They must too now, with such
opposing views. We can not
manage that. We should not be
in an “occupied” state. We
have no rights to that except for the very short time, then the people in
that area must band together to decide on their own what their destiny is.
We should teach them how, through our peaceful solutions that we
employ here to handle our issues. Attacking
a leader of a country must be done with enough evidence for the best court
case in the world. If indeed
we go after them for human rights, that should be the purpose, but should
be a last resort for action of that magnitude and have true evidence.
It will create a vacuum with its ramifications, as well as a
probable civil war. We should
know that up front. Their
people must be their strength.”
“What about abortion Mr. Simms?”
The press got really quiet. I
looked at Margie and she was sheet white.
I knew this topic was among the most debated and emotionally
charged topics in the country today. It
was rightfully so. “It involves all very hot issues possible to the
human senses including life itself, freedom of choice, faith, babies and
youth, decisions of fate, and no one person should have to be the one to
determine these answers. I do
believe in preservation and the protection of life.
I believe if there is any way for a happy ending, that we should
try to make that happen. I
also realize there are circumstances in every case that are different and
a possibility of a choice needs to be considered.
I do not believe you can focus on the right of an embryo, yet
forget any rights of the mother, even issues of health.
This is why our fundamental system is set up the way it is.
Laws are made to cover the general goals and best interest of the
people with all ethics and faith in mind.
The individual courts then set up for the debate of these
extenuating circumstances. We
must let our fundamental system work.
It is a good system. I
also believe these final and blanketing decisions can be dangerous and
individual cases need to be scrutinized and debated in our higher courts
however, the Supreme Court has the highest authority, and a single
person’s ideas are not conceivably a good answer.
There is no one answer for every case.
We are faith based, a result of our proud freedoms as such in this
country, and we do pray in our ways for everyone that has seen the
negative side to these issues. I
ask myself, what would God want me to do?
Even atheists however they exist, again their right, should have a
“sense of good” to follow. Compassion
is the only common thread in every case, in every conceivable faith, and
the need in society for such. No
one person can fix it for everyone.”
“That is a sort of a non response
isn’t it Mr. Simms?” “You
asked me my opinion, I gave it to you.
It is no one’s job to give you something to hate or go after.
It is not my goal of any sort to give you ammunition.
You see the problems with this issue, and the needs to discuss it.
The best thing is to let our fundamental system work, again back to
the fundamentals. These issues
need to be debated on a case by case scenario.
Compassion is our answer; abuse is the result of evil.
Abuse of anything is wrong and that is what should be illegal.
People should continue to protest, voice their opinions, show
options as I see advertised. Compassion
for the child is ever so important, but we must consider compassion for
the mother too. Many of these
situations are a result of a bad situation elsewhere, so you are fixing
something that is not perfect to begin with.
One must work through these things individually.
Technology is becoming a factor in these same issues.
We have a chance to cure people with this new technology, but too
involve some of the exact same issues.
We have our donor card filled out on our driver’s license.
If it is my DNA they want, so be it.
It is what that common thread of compassion would want me to do.
Abuse of things for gain is not compassion’s way thus the courts
should judge those actions. Actions
can indeed be judged. Motives
do identify reasons for actions but are not the crime.
Again, it is the action that should be held accountable.
I try not to judge the motives of people, as long as they do the
correct actions to get their views heard.
Things are ever changing. However,
fundamental “guidance by compassion” will never change.”
I turned back to look at Margie, and
she looked relieved with my answer. It
was that moment that I relaxed a little now sensing that she was ok with
it. It gave me a sense of
calm, as the questions kept coming. “Mr.
Simms, what would you do with internet fraud?
The world has the ability to link, a growing part of our commerce,
and we see fraud as a run-a-way problem?”
“Well ma’am, we have a lot of lawyers out there with a keen
sense on market trends and where the money is.
Lawyers have become in many markets a commercial activity, to look
for opportunities, and as a responsibility of a lawyer to make a case for
their client, are always pushed to increase revenues, as well as be able
to accept cases based on merit. The
cases are pushed towards the frivolous side of the line as the needs for
cases increase. This is a
result of the number of lawyers we have.
This is a hot bed of cases of fraud out there for these lawyers
with solid written evidence straight out of their computers as well as
transmitted over the internet to take to court.
I would hold anyone responsible that has any internet fraud in
their computer. A computer
containing fraud is a “super hot item”, like a pound of drugs, and one
can see jail time, maybe loose everything they own if they have a computer
with this sort of content. There is not much difference in breaking a
window to steal money, then to take data such as credit card numbers
through internet fraud. It is
just as big of a crime, and can be targeted to thousands.
Is that any different than breaking a thousand windows, to steal
from a hundred homes? These
are big crimes! They disrupt
the course of business everyday and costs money to people in most cases,
even if it is something simple like taking job time to report these things
to the authorities. This is
loss in productivity, a real dollar loss.
The cost to the economy is huge.
I think there is a need for laws that allow big rewards to the
attorneys that prosecute and handle these internet fraud cases.
A network could be created on that same internet system for sharing
of these pieces of evidence to match up, and then the attorneys can go
after them. This could be done world wide, to round up these interstate
and international criminals. Half
of the assets of the criminal can go to the lawyer for example, half go to
the criminal system, to support the jails to house them.
Many of the cases the actual monies taken could go to back to the
people they committed the crime against.
Again fundamentally, hold compassion for individuals, yet we must
hold individuals accountable for their actions."
"Fundamentals are again the key.
I want to thank everyone for your questions, but I do have some
things to tend to. We have not
eaten yet and we are getting pretty hungry.
Again, thank you for your questions.”
“Mr. Simms, Mr. Simms”, they were calling as I walked into the
house. These are deep
questions they are asking. I
sure didn’t really want to get into all of that.
I am no lawyer, but see what lawyers are there for.
In many situations, they make our system work.
Holding compassion as a guide for them too is ultimately important.
“Did I do OK Margie?” There
was a long pause… “I
don’t know Golden, I don’t know…
She seldomly calls me Golden. I
didn’t get my vote of assurance, and started to make me worry.
What was I getting myself in to?
The news was quiet tonight, as a
missing person dominated tonight’s headlines.
It was actually refreshing to see we did not make any news at all.
A certain feeling of normalcy was starting to settle in for the
moment. I knew something would
come out of these evenings’ events, but for the moment, I was seeing a
reaction time that could be described as the eye of the storm.
The first wall hit, now we are in the eye.
The back side will hit us. For
the moment though, it was an odd but comforting sense of quiet, a time of
rest. For now, no damage from the storm or confusion was happening…
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