The Pen is Mightier than the Sword - Part 2 - "What's In A Name?"

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By Any Other Name would smell as sweet"
~ Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

And how true this is about roses, but unfortunately roses and humans are far different.

Although living, a rose does not have free will and is incapable of making choices and changing its nature when it becomes necessary for survival.

Humans can, and will, adjust any aspects of themselves that they are able, when they realize that happiness and success depend upon that change.

A human will further their training and education. A human will seek professional help for a problem. A human will stop their substance abuse. A human will reform themself.

Unfortunately, there are aspects of being human that a person cannot change. Skin color, age, visible disabilities, these are all aspects that are difficult to alter.

Yet not only are these visible aspects of humanity used to make snap judgements, people use other information to also discriminate against their fellow human beings.

This human behavior is systemic and institutionalized, and even ingrained into our society at every level, and has been going on for decades.

Don't believe me? When is the last time that you filled out any type of "official" paperwork when you weren't asked to indicate your gender and racial background?

Just as the human race encompasses a broad spectrum of descriptors (race, gender, religion, political affiliation, social background), so does the discrimination.

Making laws and rules to "correct" the issue is not only unsuccessful, it causes the development of additional problems. (University of California v Bakke is just one of many examples.)

For the record, I don't believe that there is "reverse discrimination". I do believe that discrimination occurs when any member of a group treats an individual differently based on not belonging to that group.

When you attempt to advance one group for opportunities and reduce the availability for others as a result, you are contributing to the problem.

Yet government agencies, educational institutions, and employers chest thump and give each other "attaboys" for on-boarding easily identifiable "minorities", as long as those minorities aren't a potential problem.

Ever wonder why we have a serious problem with homelessness, addiction, and criminal recidivism in this country?

Those populations constitute individuals that transcend any visible or societal quantifiers, and they are discriminated against at a far higher rate than any other "group" you could name.

The homeless are unable to get housing because they don't have "references" or a current address. They are often unable to gain/maintain employment because of their lack of a stable living situation.

Addiction is considered a disabling condition, and just as a diabetic has that condition for life, so does an addict. Addicts (as opposed to casual drug users) are covered under the ADA, and are therefore not subject to discrimination in hiring practices when reasonable accommodations allow their employment.

Most employers won't hire someone they know is an recovering addict, even when that individual will agree to random testing and lengthened probationary periods. I know of one company CEO/President that did just that despite positive interviews, references and recommendations from multiple individuals within the company. (Ironically enough, in that instance the company has a number of government contracts.)

Individuals with a criminal record? Not only can't they find employment and housing, they are unable to escape their poor decisions from the past. Despite our society claiming that they are willing to "let bygones be bygones", anyone with a criminal record, even just a misdemeanor, is often denied on a rental application and a job application. (Unless you are rich or a social media cause celebre - then you find offers falling into your lap.)

Small wonder that many individuals in these three populations "relapse". They are unable to secure simple things (home, work, stability) that most of us take for granted.

Even in their daily social interactions, the instant an individual is suspected or identified as being homeless, an addict, or having a criminal record, they are ostracized or treated differently (and not in a positive uplifting way).

It is impossible to finger point any one group in our society as discriminatory offenders, just as it is impossible to define any one group as the victims.

Anyone can change their social media profile for an hour or a day. Anyone can brag about the "efforts" they make that last an hour, a day, a week, or (rarely) a month. This is not new behavior. Most of these individuals will be on to the next cause within a short period of time.

Instead, point the finger at yourself. Ask yourself what you can do to change your practices and beliefs. Ask yourself what you can do to help the least of these. Ask yourself how you can lead others to make a change.

Life Matters! Truth Matters! Behavior Matters!

Homegrown Terrorism

Less than 50 miles from the Southern White house at Mar-a-Lago lies an independently functioning cell of the biggest terrorist threat to this country.

If you listen to Fox and Friends, they had a broadcast from the Lighthouse Diner on US 1 in Tequesta, just 30 miles up the road from Mar-a-Lago and a mere 15 miles away from this particular terrorist cell.

None of the security for either of these knows that the threat is so close, because it has become background noise in our society.

The operatives in this terrorist organization are from all walks of life. They are both citizens and immigrants, legal or otherwise. They are from all races, religions, and orientations. There is no quantifying them under a single demographic that can be targeted and wiped out.

Illegal drugs and the culture it propagates is destroying American society faster than any outside enemy possibly could.

At this point, you might be thinking to yourself that "terrorism" isn't the correct word, after all, we have already publically acknowledged that we have a drug "epidemic" or "crisis" or "problem". Shouldn't terrorism be reserved for describing extreme threats?

If you are of this mindset, you obviously have never had a family member, friend, or loved one become a front line victim of drugs.

Examine the first four definitions of terror from Merriam-Webster and you will find that they all apply to this situation. (Click link here.)

a state of intense or overwhelming fear; violence or the threat of violence used as a weapon of intimidation or coercion; a very frightening or terrifying aspect; someone or something that inspires fear

The addict lives constantly at this level of fear - wondering if they will be discovered, where to get the money for the next fix, whether the next fix will kill them, whether the dealers they owe money to will kill them, whether they will end up incarcerated, wondering how long they will be in withdrawal until they get their next fix.

The families of the addict dwell in this zone, once they learn about the addiction - scared that they will find the addict dead, frightened of the drug paraphernalia that the addict leaves around, worried about the repercussions from the dealers, trapped in the cycle of constant requests for money, frightened to discover theft of valuables that the addict sells, pawns, or trades for drugs.

The dealers themselves are the terrorists, the source of the fear for the users as well as their friends and families. Often, they capitalize on the slowly expiring love and loyalty that friends and family have for the addict. They actively threaten harm to the addict to squeeze more money out of the friends and family. They threaten harm to the family to coerce the addict into theft or dealing drugs.

Even the recovering addict lives in a state of anxiety and fear, much of it caused by our society. Once they get clean, they often are unable to gain employment which leaves them unable to provide for themselves or their families. They have restricted access to ongoing support systems because of a shortage in our healthcare system. Nobody will trust them - not employers, not friends, not family. Each time they fall, it becomes easier and easier for them to relapse - it is a vicious cycle.

Once you actually have someone close to you become involved in drugs, you learn just how pervasive the fear is, dwarfing the threats that appear in news blurbs.

These terrorist acts are occurring every day, every hour, every minute, under our noses. And the impact is going significantly unreported.

Our society sweeps it under the rug. Obituaries list "sudden death" rather than "drug overdose". Wealthy families hide the addict in costly rehabs and send them on extended vacations. Middle class families use all their healthcare resources on detox and rehab until the money runs out. Poor families hope that law enforcement will take the addict off their hands.

There are homeless people living in tents and shacks in the woods all over this country, existing at panhandling and working as day laborers long enough to get the money for their next fix.

We are spending millions of dollars and countless resources taking out "high profile" targets that are a "credible threat".

We are spending millions of dollars of United States money battling "outside threats" from other countries.

We are spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money waging political infighting battles.

But we aren't even spending a fraction of that to combat this home grown terrorist threat.

There aren't enough treatment facilities.

There aren't enough employers who will give a recovering addict a fighting chance.

There isn't enough money or latitude for law enforcement to make tactical strikes on the bases of these terrorists on a routine basis.

We don't need to worry about another country "taking down" our society, we are allowing it to happen from within.

Time to refocus and channel all our energy, resources, and money towards breaking the hold of these terrorists on our citizens and freeing them to once again have the quality of life they deserve.