Dunn Writes Well

Write a biography for those we do not understand or do not like

While listening to a fascinating interview of author and biographer Richard Norton Smith describe how he discovered what really “made some famous persons tick”, it occurred to me that the act of writing a biography could go a long way to understanding someone else’s essence.

Only when we know all the intimate details of the ancestry of someone else do we really appreciate how they evolved. Maybe that’s why I so enjoy watching the “Finding our Roots” show hosted by Dr. Henry Louis Gates. Knowing about someone’s upbringing, neighborhood, school, friends and life/work/social experiences (including the good, bad and ugly) will help us more fully understand why they think and act the way they do. Only then might we better appreciate them. To me, that’s what “critical race theory” is and I have no problem with that. Maybe to make it more palatable to some people we could call it any of the following:

Critical truth theory….or just drop the word “critical” if that’s what upsets some people. Who could be against the simple telling of the TRUTH. Document what happened, when it happened, how it happened and why it happened. Just the facts. No judgements.

Glaring case in point is the Tulsa “Riot” which now is more accurately described as the Tulsa “massacre”. And why is it that I only heard about and appreciated the “Trail of Tears” atrocity concerning Native Americans after I took a tour of Georgia as an adult. Guess I was busy watching cowboys and westerns and The Lone Ranger as a kid in the 1960’s.

Years ago schools had kids write to “pen pals”. Maybe what we need today for everyone is “life exchange pals” for everybody. Just knowing and understanding about eachother would go a long way to “peace on earth” from the local level upward. Now there are going to be some whose biases and stereotyping might only get reinforced when the curtain is pulled back concerning the lives of others. For the hard-core haters and ignoramuses they may need additional coaching to better understand and appreciate others.

I emphasize again, this does not mean you have to agree with everyone else but it will go a long way to “agree to disagree but not be disagreeable”. And let’s be clear about the following: If the culture you are discovering advocates things like honor killings, female genital mutilation and racial supremacy….you are not expected to say “that’s ok and I appreciate your perspective”. Hell no.

In sum, maybe we all should be required to write biographies about each other and conduct active listening interviews with each other in our workplaces, schools, neighborhoods and nations.

I’m hurting, angry AND I’m a patriot!

With the passing of the anniversary of the 2021 insurrection (riot or whatever you want to call it) at the U.S. Capitol, I wanted to draw a comparison of myself and those who participated that day.

My characteristics, my circumstances:

I’m facing over 25 years of college loan payments. I will probably be dead long before that debt is paid. I’m looking at living out the balance of my life as an indentured servant.
I’ve worked over 40 years at 2 and 3 jobs. Still living hand-to-mouth with nothing to show for it. Worked overtime much of this time. Worked on an innumerable number of well intentioned efforts. Wonder if it was not all for naught.
I have not taken a vacation (i.e., a week away relaxing somewhere) for well over 20 years. Days off have included activities such as burying loved ones, moving the belongings of deceased family, cleaning out basements and garages and painting rooms.
I’m house poor paying over 50% of monthly income for the past 30 years just to survive in astronomically overpriced housing market of Fairfield County in CT.
My mortgage will be paid off within 2 years (good news). My house continues to deteriorate and may even collapse (or I might collapse before it) within 2 years (bad news).
I’m now aware of all the lies that have been propagated all these years: Gulf of Tonkin naval incident was NOT caused by the North Vietnamese, the Soviets did NOT have military superiority, NO weapons of mass destruction were ever found in Iraq, the elites in government, business (big pharma, big banks, big insurance) are NOT working in your best interests (I could go on and on).

So what’s the characteristics and circumstances of the participants of the January 6, 2021 insurrection?

Their specific stories and backgrounds may differ but they all seem to have one thing in common…..they were not happy campers. And my sense is that they share many of the above listed list of grievances and regrets I listed concerning myself.

Now, here’s where I differ from them:

I only condone violence in cases of self-defense. They caused the violence and the cops had to do the defending.
I support the rule of law and the constitution. They claim to be supporting the constitution but in actuality the events of that day resembled more of a coup and that’s anything but constitutional or orderly.
I do not blame any president, institution or organization for my circumstances and my woes. As the saying goes, “I made my bed and now I have to sleep in it”.

Yes, I’m angry and hurting, feeling marginalized, disrespected, trapped, threatened, and anxious just like members of that mob on January 6th.

However, I differ in one major way. I’m a patriot and they are not (despite their claim to be patriots). Like some of them, I question authority and have a healthy dose of skepticism but I am not blinded by conspiratorial theories, outright lies and a blind faith in demagoguery. As a patriot, it’s my patriotic duty in these twilight years of my life (and I have seen a lot of life) to work like hell to never let mob rule undermine our democratic (small “d”), constitutional form of government.

I hope that I have presented a balanced, thoughtful response to last years mayhem and if you are of like mind, I would greatly appreciate your support and feedback.

Check out http://www.dunnwriteswell.com concerning this blog and similar blogs from this socio-economic, poli-sci, cultural commentary junkie.

Why do we hate each other so?

We connect on so may levels, enjoying laughs, sharing stories.

I tell my mall stories based on 15 years as a mall cop

Neighborhood pals, high school and college buddies share hilarious tales and hijinks.

Every conversation starts with the phrase “remember the time when”. We end up toasting to good times and pledging to “keep in touch”.

But the mood changes, awkward silence descends and in some cases acrimony takes hold when the following words are uttered:

Democrat
Progressive
Socialist
Liberal
Left wing
Biden/Obama/Hillary/AOC/Kappernack
Republican
Conservative
Right wing
Trump/Rand Paul/Ted Cruz/and even the mention of Marjorie Taylor Green

So what do we have in common and where do we go from here? Hopefully, here is some common ground:

Everybody agrees that nobody should freeze to death or starve to death

Everybody agrees that children should be able to read, write, add , subtract, multiply, divide.

Everybody agrees that we all need to be safe, defined as not being murdered, raped, beaten, robbed, etc.

Everybody agrees that sick persons need basic medical attention (i.e., broken arm must be set, medicines need to be administered, life saving operations must be conducted, etc.)

How we achieve the aforementioned minimal bar, minimum standard for society to survive? Persons of all political/attitudinal strips seem to agree that if this safety net is ripped, society unravels.

So why is it that once any of the above listed terms are applied (liberal, conservative, etc.), we can not agree and we degenerate into an “us vs. them” mode?

What if we set the bar so low (with no political or philosophical label on that bar) that society could function without polarization and acrimony.

How might this look?

It could be a GBI (Guaranteed Basic Income) based on principles of simplicity, efficiency, effectiveness. No big government, no means testing requiring the completion of forms affiliated with a bloated bureaucracy to coordinate a myriad of programs and regulations. This will appeal the the “small government” folks and those whose primary concern is cost-effectiveness and Return On Investment (ROI(). Nobody starves and nobody freezes, unless they squander their GBI (and conservatorships could be arranged for those most likely to squander). Everybody gets to read and write and everybody gets to live their life without being physically violated. Is that too much to ask for? I would hope that persons from every part of the political spectrum could buy into this concept. If you can not support this minimum standard of living, I would seriously question your callous perspective on humanity and I would watch my back when in your presence.
It could be soup kitchen style food distribution. No frills
It could be housing designed for short term needs to keep persons warm/dry. No frills.
It could be clothing distributed to keep persons warm/dry. No frills
It could be clinic style medical triage style to address immediate medical needs
It could be education certifying that the basics of reading, writing, arithmetic are achieved (something that many of todays students can not demonstrate despite copious amounts of funding). No frills.

Most persons would agree to this baseline level of services . This would serve the dual purpose of keeping persons alive and stabilizing their circumstances enabling them to forge beyond the subsistence level. This would give them at least the opportunity to climb up the socio-economic ladder.

If the warring factions of the left/right, liberal/conservative, red/blue states could buy into this minimalist strategy, it might break the log jam and avoid getting bogged down in the minutia of policies, formulas, regulations, value/culture wars and petty grievances. It would be both humanitarian (saving people from falling off the financial cliff) and pragmatic (maximum impact with minimum cost). Arguments and priorities could be debated among the factions for programs extending beyond this minimalist strategy but at lease the log jam might be broken.

In essence, fiscal conservatism meets social progressivism.

Maybe then we could all get back to enjoying ourselves sharing stories, laughs, and good times. Ah the good old days!

Children Lost In The Mall

This is NOT a story about a mother who lost her toddlers in the food court.

This IS the true story of 5 youngsters who lost their moral compass, rampaged thru a mall on the day after Christmas (aka, National Mall Riot Day), got arrested for disorderly conduct and one of them threw a punch at a cop. All of these juveniles ranging in age from 11 to 15 were egged on by at least 30 other children (similar ages) who likewise lost their way in life.

How did it all start? Two girls were fighting, others joined in, crowds formed and when cops interceded one of the 15 year old’s took a swing at the cop. Bad idea. By the way, he was also wearing an ankle bracelet since he was already on probation for armed robbery. I always thought that probation and ankle bracelets were intended to monitor the movements of criminals thereby protecting society from further mayhem but I digress and that’s a topic for another day, another rant.

If you can envision the stage of the Jerry Springer Show with combatants on stage falling away while audience members hoot/holler with fights breaking out everywhere, imagine an entire mall engulfed in this behavior. That’s what’s happening all across America on the day after Christmas. So much for “Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men”. These children have lost their way and so has America if we continue down this path. And it’s not just on the day after Christmas. This behavior occurs throughout the year, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings.

How do I know all of this? As a mall cop for 15 years, I had a front row seat to this mayhem. I have observed despicable behavior as youngsters spit at each other, sucker punch each other, gang up on each other and hurl racist insults at me because of my uniform and the color of my skin.

Am I bitter? No.

Am I sad. Yes.

Sad for them.

Why?

Because:

If they remain on the same track, they will never amount to anything in life. They will never achieve their full intellectual and emotional potential
They will go thru life angry & fighting. What’s most sad is the fact that they will never realize why they can not dig themselves out of their own hole of hate.
They will demand respect of others but never demonstrate it to others
The day will come when they insult and abuse the wrong person. In a worst case scenario if their mall mayhem behavior escalates, they will end up homicide victims or homicide suspects

So what’s our options? Some say….

Lock em’ up. Juvenile hall. Scare em’ straight. Some even say, lock up the parents.
Leave em’ alone. or Warehouse ’em. They’ll grow out of it. Maybe for some but most will just wallow in their own angry juices or just get worse.

We’ve been doing the above strategies for years at great cost with seemingly no positive results.

Maybe we should consider the following to get beyond this quagmire and find a cost effective, long term solution:

Mandated, long-term, intensive therapy for all combatants. This includes the parents/guardians over a sustained timeline. Get to the bottom line, the root cause of why these lost children act and think the way they do.
For every delinquent (let’s call ’em what they are and not sugar coat this), customize intensive interventions since the kid on probation with the ankle bracelet for a prior armed robbery is way more damaged goods than the youngster whose biggest offence is being mouthy and belligerent.
For those (kids and parents/guardians) who comply with the aforementioned intensive interventions and for those who demonstrate progress over time, let any criminal charges be wiped clear. For those hell bent on avoiding the therapeutic, redemptive route, let the criminal charges stick and ban them from access to places of business (malls, movie theatres or wherever their behavior causes chaos).

That’s my observation and recommendation. I would love to hear any other thoughts concerning how we can FIND these LOST CHILDREN and in the process find the soul of our nation before it also is lost.

Cops in the future

What shall be the role of cops in the future?

Who will want to be a cop in the future?

Who would we want to be a cop in the future

Full disclosure: Being Irish-American, I come from a long line of cops including my father and numerous uncles and great-uncles.

Growing up I planned to start out as a cop, maybe move up to the FBI, maybe attend law school and maybe somewhere in the process become a prosecutor. Lots of maybes and none of this happened. However, I did become a mall cop working weekends for over 15 years. So I sort of became a cop. I also had a birds eye view of all the good-bad-ugly that cops deal with.

Growing up I planed to be a cop given the following ingredients:

It’s just what we do as Irish Americans
It’s all about fighting crime, catching bad guys. My favorite shows were cop and detective shows (Hawaii 50, Adam-12, Mannix, Cannon, Spencer For Hire, Highway Patrol). Obviously I grew up in the 1960’s
It’s the uniform, gun, nightstick, handcuffs, siren, pride, honor, respect

As time when by, I spent a career community development, community organizing and years of working in the affordable housing field (including over 7 years managing public housing). During these years, the philosophy of “community policing” and “weed & seed” were in vogue. All well intentioned and necessary but unfortunately this organic, grass roots approach to policing did not have roots deeper than specialized units and public relations campaigns. Meanwhile, the rise of civil disturbances, 911/terrorism, and mass shooters spawned the growth of SWAT tactics and the militarization of police forces. When budgets tightened, choices had to be made between addressing root causes of social disorder (therapy, counselling, etc.) and clamping down on criminals in a show of force (i.e., 3 strikes and out laws, all cops looking like SWAT team members, etc.). In the classis economic show down of “guns vs. butter” the guns won out.

Which brings us around to todays watershed moment concerning social justice and a reckoning about the future of policing. For the record, I oppose the use of the term “defund the police” since I recognize it’s an emotional flash point that derails further conversation. I prefer the phrase “reimagining the police” and infusing the notion of getting the most “bang for the buck” (aka, Return On Investment ROI) when rolling out the nature of police work in the future.

So here’s my vision of cops and police departments of the future:

Is there room for social services and therapy ?

Redeploy and restructure departments with an eye toward cost effectiveness. Contract with a computer geek squads to tackle white collar crimes, cyber crimes, hackers and conduct social media tracking (within constitutional limitations of course). No need for computer wizzes to pass agility and strength tests. Just deputized them (if needed) and turn them loose to ferret out criminals in the cyber world and get one step ahead of them. Their computer skills could also augment the rate of closure for violent crimes (rape, murder, armed robbery, etc.) since digital stakeouts are more cost effective than physical stakeouts.
Contract with mental health agencies, counselors, psychologists, therapists, street outreach workers, juvenile counselors/mentors so they accompany the cops on appropriate calls for services and follow up as appropriate with suspects. By contracting with the aforementioned resources, these social service providers join the cop team without becoming beholden to the cop team/cop culture. Structure the contract for services so they deliver product by getting to the root cause of the criminal activity and thereby reducing the likelihood of recidivism. For example: based upon my mall cop experiences when a fight occurs among youths and they are being detained summon an appropriate mixture of the aforementioned team of social service providers who arrange for intervention sessions with the combatants including the parents/guardians of these combatants. If the juveniles and/or their parents/guardians fail to participate in the intensive/extensive counselling sessions, let the criminal charges be applied. If suspects and families agree to counselling, the record of charges will be wiped clean.
Contract with mental health and addiction service providers in a format similar the above describe contact for social service providers so that long term solutions can be applied to what are currently short term fixes.
Contract with specialists providing services for rape victims and domestic violence cases which require ongoing, intensive and compassionate interventions.
Contract with private investigators who have the time, expertise and track record to build a case for the state so that the case closure rate is so high that the expression “crime doesn’t pay” really means something.

So where do we go from here??

Ask every cop and police chief that you meet what they think should be done. Ask them if they feel overwhelmed by being a cop whose supposed to respond to any and all situations. Ask them if they are frustrated by all the repeat-offenders and the revolving door of justice as they re-arrest the same knuckleheads’ for the same offences over and over.
Now ask them how they feel about working on a team involving a full range of therapists, counselors, outreach workers and case managers at the scenes of crimes, with ride alongs and participating in follow up intervention sessions with them. If they show reluctance but still complain about being overworked and overwhelmed, consider this disconnect and let’s all re-examine what’s their motivation to be “a cop” and what role they really want the cop to play.

In conclusion……

There will always be a need to respond to bar fights (traditional cop role)
There will always be a need for someone ready, willing, able to respond to deadly threats and volatile situations (traditional cop role)
There will always be the random criminal passing through the community who is “up to no good” needing to be dealt with.

Maybe cops in the future could be a highly trained cadre of officers who have the mental, physical and tactical skills to address the above listed needs.

For all other situations, maybe specialization and collaboration (in whatever format that ultimately takes) would be the most cost-effective long term strategy.

Maybe, finally we could get beyond that over used expression “Call the Cops!” expecting them to solve all of societies problems while the rest of us look the other way going about our business.

Your thoughts and feedback are always appreciated. And look for more of these criminal justice, social transformation themes baked into my upcoming novel entitled “Mall Child”

How “tough-love” Democrats can recapture voters

I describe myself as a tough-love Democrat.

Tough because I seek fiscal austerity, consequences for wrong doing (do the crime, do the time), and efficiency in program implementation (cut out the waste)

Love because I want everybody to be fed so they don’t starve, clothed so they don’t freeze, patched up when they get sick (without loosing their house or going bankrupt) and educated without paying for this education for the rest of their life.

Everybody along the political spectrum usually can agree to the above definition, unless they have an over-riding hot-button issue or they abhor anything related to the Democratic Party. If their minds are made up and their hearts are closed, they will never be won over to the Democratic camp.

I offer the following practical examples of how tough-love might engender unity over dissention.

Traffic lights throughout my state are slated to be upgraded to motion sensitive systems thanks the the Build Back Better funding. The end goal is to mitigate the backlog of vehicles waiting at lights causing congestion and adding to pollution.

Who could be against this? Liberals and Conservatives and everybody in between seems to hate traffic jams.

Democrats should make sure they get credit for this.

Let’s not stop there. I suggest adding the following component to make sure we bring into the tent the “law and order” aficionados. I propose adding cameras to all traffic light improvements. Maybe we could even add cameras to all those overhead signs on super highways and all those infrastructure bridge upgrades that are planned. If the cameras can document persons who blow through red lights and get convictions for anyone hurt or killed by their negligence, who could be against that? If this more robust camera system can assist with convictions of persons who have committed crimes and are fleeing from police, let’s do it. This is especially important in this day and age of witness reluctance and the dubious quality of eye witness accounts of crimes. The “love” is the infrastructure improvement. The “tough” component is the clamping down on criminality whether it is drag racers, fleeing criminals or even terrorists who might consider detonating our bridges and infrastructure. Democrats need to make it very clear that we are rebuilding society (love) while making it safer (tough) and not just “spending money” as others so often accuse them of doing. Lastly, for those on both sides of the political aisle who are concerned about “big brother” and “government overreach” attributed to such a comprehensive camera system, it should be very clear that images are only to be saved and used in the event that a crime is committed. Cameras unlike humans have no emotions or biases. For persons worried about overreach, let them explain their reluctance to the victims of crimes, especially those cases which are unsolved because of lack of evidence.

My second example of how Democrats can re-capture the market for those who seek a better society without outrageous costs includes the following

Build Back Better includes proposals for augmenting the human infrastructure in addition to the “bricks and mortar” projects. This includes more funding for mental health, education, etc. All good and well intentioned stuff (aka, “love”). But lets always bake in consequences and follow-up (aka, “tough”) for every dollars spent on the “soft stuff”. I make this recommendation after 15 years working weekends as a mall cop who has seen plenty of fights, disorderly conduct and angry outbursts. When any of the aforementioned disruptive incidents occur, why can’t the combatants be required to attend a therapeutic/counseling session to get to the root cause of the angry outburst and begin the process of behavior management. The number and intensity/duration of the counselling sessions could be dictated by the severity of the offenses, the depth of the anger and repeat offender histories. This restorative justice approach is the “love” component. If the combatants do not agree to this therapeutic schedule or if they fail to complete the proscribed series of counselling sessions, let the criminal charges be applied. This is the “tough” consequences component. For too long, the refrain has been “lock em up” . It has proven to be unworkable and ineffective and in some cases makes a bad situation worse. More recently, a hands-off, “leave em alone” approach to let combatants blow off steam for fear of being too heavy handed is equally unworkable and ineffective. In sum, if Democrats could corner the market with a mix of restorative justice (love) for those who are amenable to reformation and criminal charges (tough) for those who reject therapy. This approach will entice conservative law and order advocates without pandering to vigilante instincts.

Stay tuned for future blogs that delve deeper into criminal justice tough-love proposals. In the meantime, any and all suggestions and comments are most appreciated.

Speaking & Listening In The Age of Sound Bites

This is a reblog of a post I issued back on 3/1/21. I was motivated to repost it because I recently participated in a wonderful series of mindfulness seminars available at my job. The issues and response strategies remain the same so I felt it appropriate to re-visit. Plus, Thanksgiving dinner is fast approaching so advice to counter animosity at the dinner table seemed timely

Dunn Writes Well

The growing number of outlandish conspiracy theories and factual inaccuracies (aka fake news) prompted me to list some responses that I present for consideration and further discussion.

I propose a multi-tier level of responses ranging from conciliatory to debatable to “oh hell no, that’s crazy talk”.

Conciliatory and empathetic:

“You sound like you have a lot of pent up anger. What brought you to this position?”
“Have you held this belief for a long time or did you come to believe it more recently?”
I can see how your life experiences have shaped these beliefs. Likewise, are you willing to consider how they might be inaccurate?

Within this category might be the admonishment of “walking a mile in the others shoes” and “considering both sides of the coin”

Debatable and pleasantly/respectfully argumentative:

What is your source?
Have you checked other sources?
Have you absolutely verified the facts. Likewise, have you…

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Speaking & Listening In The Age of Sound Bites

The growing number of outlandish conspiracy theories and factual inaccuracies (aka fake news) prompted me to list some responses that I present for consideration and further discussion.

I propose a multi-tier level of responses ranging from conciliatory to debatable to “oh hell no, that’s crazy talk”.

Conciliatory and empathetic:

“You sound like you have a lot of pent up anger. What brought you to this position?”
“Have you held this belief for a long time or did you come to believe it more recently?”
I can see how your life experiences have shaped these beliefs. Likewise, are you willing to consider how they might be inaccurate?

Within this category might be the admonishment of “walking a mile in the others shoes” and “considering both sides of the coin”

Debatable and pleasantly/respectfully argumentative:

What is your source?
Have you checked other sources?
Have you absolutely verified the facts. Likewise, have you verified the alleged lies?
Why do you think the vast majority of people and news sources are not on board with this conspiracy theory and your interpretation of news and reality?
If your conspiracy theory and interpretation of reality is true, what are you planning to do with it? What is your call to action? What do you want me to do?
How can you be sure that you are not being gamed and duped by proponents of this conspiracy theory?
This category includes the theme of “let’s agree to disagree but not be disagreeable”.

Hell No…..this is patently wrong. It goes beyond wrong and it’s morally offensive.

Examples of this would include the following:

Holocausts deniers
Mass shooting deniers

Responses might include the following:

Don’t ever bring this up again with me. If you insist on doing so , it may be necessary to part ways.
Let’s talk again when you come back to reality.
Were you abducted by aliens and was a probe inserted with these ideas?
Have you been taking your meds?
Do you have any idea how hurtful these ideas are to the family/friends of the victims of the atrocities that you are denying existed?
Your interpretation is not only factually inaccurate, it is morally wrong because of it’s hateful, hurtful nature. If we continue on this path, it is likely to lead to atrocity, bigotry, and dehumanization.

I can not in good conscience join you on this journey to hell and I will do everything in my power to dissuade others from accompanying you.

Society By Membership

In my 2 years of blogging, this is the blog I had the most difficulty composing. My consternation evolves around the desire to NOT send the wrong message or be mis-interpreted. That said, I still wanted to create a post that provides a possible link between the left and the right camps. Progressive visionaries on the left (sometimes unrealistic) and disaffected, conservatives on the right (sometimes reactionary) bent on upholding family values. So here goes…..

I experience increasing levels uncivility and ungovernability. I’m thinking that a MEMBERSHIP based society and economic system, might be the way to go.

I cite the following experiences and scenarios:

RETAIL in general and MALLS in particular…..

Retail: BJ’s and Costco seem to have successfully pioneered the “members only” format. You can NOT just roam off the street into their stores. As a job developer finding jobs for clients , I was turned back at the entrance and could not even get to their human resources department. Being a membership entity, they know at all times who is in their store, when they were there and what they purchased. It got me to thinking about all the other places you can not roam into unannounced and uninvited, namely country clubs, golf courses, gyms, etc. Good for security, analytics, etc.

Mall: The common areas such as the food court, lobbies, vestibules and public corridors have become no-mans-lands, free-for-alls for youths who want to hang out and cause trouble for hours on end. When asked to leave they shout back to mall cops and regular cops alike. All sense of respect has evaporated over the last couple of years and everyone is terrified to take a stand and assert authority. Home delivery of whatever is needed be that food, products or services will replace the public arenas because the average person and patron wants no part of that mayhem. With memberships comes deliveries to fortified homes compete with alarms, cameras and pre-arranged services so there will be no interacting with strangers who have not been vetted.

This also got me to thinking about a prior blog in which I proposed gated communities for persons of all income groups, not just the wealthy. Why not extend this notion of limited access and intelligent access to all establishments and situations. A horrific crime committed some years ago in a neighborhood where I worked while I was trying to provide affordable housing and increased stability still haunts me. It provides the impetus for this proposal. An immigrant owner of a corner deli was shot point blank with a shotgun totting 16 year old girl during a robbery. Here we have a hard working immigrant trying to pursue “the American dream” while laboring in a distressed neighborhood commonly referred to as a “food desert” where there is a lack of grocery options. I suggest that the hard working, honest, law abiding residents of this neighborhood might support a “members only” shopping experience. Both they and the merchant might then shop/trade in a safer, more peaceful environment. Under this scenario, I envision somewhat of a speakeasy environment reminiscent of the 1920’s during the prohibition years. Ironically, we might deploy a 1920’s tactic in 2021. Access control through physical infrastructure (bullet resistant doors/windows and buzz in/buzz out entries) complete with plenty of closed circuit cameras would provide security for both merchant and shoppers. Maybe even utilizing facial recognition technology (with participants permission of course). Couple this with membership and you might be able to prevent killing of innocents be they shop keepers in armed robberies or mall patrons in mass shootings. It got me to wondering, how many more vulnerable front line service workers, teachers, and co-workers lives might be saved if membership was implemented and access was denied to those intending to disrupt or worse yet harm.

On a much milder note, a members-only system would provide retailers and businesses serving the general public with greater ability to control their space and the quality of life for them and their patrons. I offer this thought after years of experience as a mall cop dealing with career shoplifters and belligerent, offensive patrons. Rescinding membership by banning persons who repeatedly steal, curse, spit (yes spit) would bring control back into the lives of these struggling merchants and a sense of pleasantness and security to the customers who are truly customers.

My humble observation having worked for decades in distressed neighborhoods and struggling malls, is that the average person wants more control in their life. They want nothing more than to shop in peace, wake up in the morning to find that their car has not been stolen, and walk about without hearing the F-bomb uttered by every other person they encounter. As the social fabric deteriorates with less confidence in cops to police, teachers to teach and parents to nurture, the demand for a members-only segmentation of the population will only increase. When people feel they have no control over their environment, a sense of hostility grows. They feel they are ignored and insignificant. This might explain the groundswell of conservative, nationalistic populism, tribalism and polarization. It might explain these resentment sentiments among persons of all socio-economic and multi-cultural backgrounds.

I emphatically note that civil rights can not be allowed to be trampled upon when considering a membership based society. Rule of law must still be the law of the land. However, if one’s documented behaviors (be it proven as criminal or disruptive in nature) causes their membership to be revoked or adjusted, then we might instill a much needed sense of personal responsibility for the consequences of our actions. Moving in this direction would go a long way toward addressing the sense that social norms have run amuck and nobody is held accountable for their actions any more. Depending upon the level of infraction or disruption, the suspension of membership could be adjusted accordingly. Draconian methods and criminalization of anti-social events might be avoided. Who knows, with suspensions of memberships and re-instatements based upon good behavior, we might even bake in some positive behavior modification. It is my hope that this potpourri of ideas will appeal to persons of all socio-political, cultural and economic stripes. If implemented rationally and without malice or prejudice, we might create a society that we all deep down desire. Maybe this is something that persons from every corner of the political/cultural spectrum could agree upon. The common denominator would be the desire to move about in society in safety and with a sense of civility and pleasantness. Now that’s something to think about.

Career: Military vs. Peace Corps

We’re all familiar with the military career and all that comes with that:

Benefits, pension
Lifetime guarantee of “3 hots and a cot”
Health care, VA benefits
Sense of purpose, camaraderie
Sense of order, chain of command, discipline
Potential to gain skills, learn, grow
Potential to “rise up in the ranks”
Potential to “see the world”
Serve your country, make the world better (maybe)

So what if you wanted all the above described features but was not keen on being sent wherever and whenever Uncle Sam wanted. The military is not like ordering from a restaurant menu selecting only those items that appeal to you. What if you did not agree with the mission or understand what was the mission? Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan come to mind.

Might joining a revamped and robust Peace Corps with both a foreign and domestic component appeal to you?

What are my motivations behind this proposal?

On the foreign front….we need to identify those countries that can be salvaged where we can “win their hearts and minds” thereby stabilizing them and preventing an exodus of immigrants. Various Central American countries come to mind along with moderate “hot spots” throughout the rest of the world.
On the domestic front….we need to identify those distressed areas (be they urban, aging suburban or rural) where an infusion of positivity will turn the tide of despair and inertia.

Who might be a candidate for a Peace Corp type career that was modeled upon a military career? Probably a person who….

Wants to work productively for the balance of their life without worrying that the job will disappear, medical benefits will lapse, career advancement and learning opportunities will be limited.
Is not particularly concerned about getting RICH. Having a guarantee of a roof over their head, food in their belly and a doctor to see them when they get sick is more important that the rat race of chasing the evaporating American Dream of the big house surrounded by the picket fence and the mountains of debt. Minimalists and survivalists are encouraged to apply. Materialist’s not so much.
Has an ability to contribute their talents and advance their skills within the context of a natural curiosity about other cultures, lifestyles and circumstances (be they foreign or domestic).
Wants to serve their country but not necessarily in a militaristic fashion.

So what might be some of the missions and tasks to be tackled by the domestic Peace Corps?

An army (had to use that phrase since in keeping with the military analogy) of gardeners. Establish community gardens and backyard gardens (reminiscent of the Victory Gardens of the WW2 era) that would provide health fruits/vegetables, encourage self-sufficiency, environmental friendliness, just to name a few advantages. See my upcoming blog where I elaborate on this notion of a nation wide gardening campaign
An army of tutors and mentors to get students re-engaged in learning, practical skill training and goal setting. See my upcoming blog where I elaborate on this proposal to revamp our approach to teaching and mentoring so we move toward micro-teaching/mentoring rather than the warehousing of students. Teaching and mentoring slides more into the category of life coaching.
An army of community mentors working with the criminal justice system supporting the police (not replacing them) providing the extra coaching/mentoring for those whose issues (addictions, anger, depression, etc.) are sucking them into the criminal justice system. This army of counselors/mentors would enable cops to be cops investigating and apprehending truly bad ass violent criminals and thieves. See my upcoming blog for more on this augmenting (not defunding) of police and the criminal justice system.

As for the Foreign version of the Peace Corps…..

Follow a formula as outlined above concerning the domestic version but adapt it to the needs of the host country.
Make sure participants are adequately protected. Even though we would not be sending them to the world hottest spots, we do not want to set them up as potential hostages or victims. This is becoming increasingly important as world affairs continues to deteriorate and American’s have an increasingly large target on their backs. In addition to having a guardian presence (subtle military presence nearby just in case), the participants need to be well trained in self-defense and survival skills. I propose extension of this martial arts/weapons training and self-defense training to the domestic participants to be ready to react to increasingly hostile environments fueled by animosity, polarization, bigotry and downright orneriness. I offer this suggestion after 15 years as a mall cop and over 30 years working in distressed neighborhoods. An upcoming blog will elaborate on this notion of creating a more defensive citizenry prepared to counter punch when attacked. To be clear, the spirit of this blog will be vigilance not vigilantism.

Various components of the above described outside-of-the-box proposals are baked into my upcoming novel about an eclectic extended family in a near term dystopian world, so stay tuned for details. In the meantime, let me know your thoughts/reactions and if anybody wants to read some or all of this novel in its draft form and provide feedback, I would be delighted to supply you with as much or as little as you desire.