SIGN POSTS A COLLECTION OF ESSAYS VOLUME II
VIGNETTE
Take 1 “Soldier Captured!”
Take 2 Yes / No / I do not know.
Take 3 Comment and pictures scatter across the media of the day.
Take 4 The Colonel says, “Something is wrong here.”
Take 5 The General says, “The … the Commander-in-chief wants you dressed down.”
Take 6 The “Real Story” comes to light.
Take 7 “A possible deserter is being used by the enemy.”
Take 8 “Who waits upon the truth and acts accordingly?”
Take 9 “He doesn’t.”
Take 10 “We voted for him and that is what we got. It won’t happen again.”
Take 11 “We did not follow our gut instincts. Some voted their feelings.”
Take 12 “This Nation isn’t perfect—just the best thing going. When we make mistakes we don’t offer excuses, nor do we run ahead, pushing solutions that aren’t.”
Take 13 “Well, he was young, arrogant, naïve, as well as intelligent and charismatic—for those who could be fooled. He was available for only one term.”
Take 14 “This country needs a passionate, yet reasoned response to correct the sins of the past and of the present. We need to honestly pursue any intentional wrongdoing with the law of the land, or create new laws for a new age. All things move.”
Take 15 “When the sleeping giant awoke and looked at the winds of truth gently wafting from a Bill of Rights and a Constitution birthed by the forge of time and circumstance, the smithy hammered out a democratic call, “Change the course to that sacred bond of truth! Turn the politicians who are less than (and not enough), out to pasture. We will hold the helm and right the course. With prudence and patience, we will regain our vision and our understanding of that Godgiven gift of freedom—freedom to be honest with ourselves and every brother and sister who dreams with hope.”
SUFFICIENT SECURITY
“Stand and be recognized!” has been a sentry call from time immemorial. Was it justified? Was it needed? Did it serve a vital function? The answer is yes, yes, and yes again. Human behavior is just that: human. With all of the essential attributes of yeses, probablys, and maybes, we have lived for eons with each other.
The evolution of different forms of government testifies to the fact that we have sought, and are still searching for, an appropriate form for most of humanity, most of the time. As the sheer numbers of individuals on the planet increase, we must take additional measures to insure some modicum of decorum. What is needed, for the most part, is a form of government that recognizes essential freedoms while offering a measure of stability that gives one the opportunity to plan, with sufficient time and resources, projects that will benefit a large number of individuals. Capricious governmental behaviors offer scant tranquility, nor protection. We need periods of peace where resources can be dedicated to the long-term solution of the human dilemma: Life is change as growth. This is growth as an opportunity to integrate actual with potential in the realm of the possible.