#A-TO-Z-CHALLENGE – LETTER “Q” - THE QUAINT NOTION OF UNDERSTANDING THE 1ST AMENDMENT OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

I've decided that finishing the #A-to-Z-CHALLENGE on my time line isn't such a bad idea after all. This gives me the chance to not only write, or make up some nonsense about my 'hood, but also to take a look at some of the more idiotic nonsense that is going on as regards to peoples' understanding of what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are all about in this here us. Emphasis on the “us” because I sure as HELL don't recognize this as the country of the U. S., that I was born in anymore.

The latest flap has devolved into what constitutes “patriotism”, I guess, with some people agreeing with Colin Kaepernick and others disagreeing in a very disagreeable fashion with his display of choosing NOT to stand during the National Anthem before a football game. The question is not one of patriotism and Kaepernick should be either supported or ignored, according to others' feelings. I get why he feels this way and I cannot disagree with him. But, for him to have been moved down to back-up quarterback and to be taking all of the abuse he has been given is unforgivable. He is merely stating something that he feels is wrong with our country, a right all of us share and if you don't believe me, read this, the 1^st Amendment of our Bill of Rights:

“The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitutions prohibits the making of any law respecting and establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religions, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble, or prohibiting the petitioning for a government redress of grievances.”

This was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights.

What Colin is doing is protesting; as is his RIGHT. It is our right to disagree, but not to interfere, nor to demote, nor to say stupid shit, as did Kate Moss, when she said Colin was denigrating a “symbolic song”. It's an “anthem”, meant to rouse a group, a cause, a country, and there is no symbolism in the thing. But, hey, Kate's just a hair-do. Nor is Kid Rock (and I love Kid's music, plus, he's another Michigander) correct in yelling F*ck Colin Kaepernick! during one of his concerts. If he wants to engage Colin in intelligent discourse he should. Kid, you're way smarter than that, I thought.

courtesy: gettyreuters

Colin Kaepernick has been demonstrating since the pre-season, but his message has spread and more and more athletes (not just football players) have joined him in his silent protest against the deaths of many African-Americans to police. In all fairness, many other people have died at the hands of guns: police, whites, Hispanics, children, the elderly. I live in a 'hood where my night-time Lt. regularly comes to my house on a "shots fired" call. I do not advocate for gun-control, but for stricter background checks. All lives DO matter and Kaepernick is taking a huge risk and a brave stand by doing what he is doing to START A DIALOG, not be treated like scum.

We used to have passionate discourse and disagreements in this country on both sides of the aisle, Republican and Democrat, and I guess Harold Stassen was along for the ride too, for several elections. People would have some damned heated discussions, but they ultimately led to compromises, or would at some point realize, both sides were unworkable and start over. It's what made us so strong. What kept us so flexible was the knowledge that you could walk out on any street corner, climb up on your soap box and spout just about any gibberish, with the exception of trying to foment the overthrow the government. That worked for YEARS and there's no reason to stop doing it now.

However, we're in this weird Joseph McCarthy-like era, where people are afraid to say what they really think – just look at what Reince Priebus did to his own Republican Party; by having them swear an oath of loyalty to their own party, so that they would support the EVENTUAL nominee. This has never been done in the history of any democracy and it undid the GOP, as everyone HAD to swear their fealty to Trump. No one dared say what they really thought.*

^{*source: jason linkins; Editor,Eat The Press, Huffington Post}

Protests, especially passive ones such as these are meant to foment a dialog. People need to look BEYOND what Colin is doing and question WHY he is doing such a thing. He certainly knows that he is not making himself popular; he's not doing this to be anyone's hero. He is trying to draw attention to a grievous wrong in this country that has just been recycled over and over and over and over and there is no relief in sight of it ending.

All of this hollering about #Blacklivesmatter, #Bluelivesmatter is just that; hollering, but I agree, it needs to be hollered. Full of sound and fury and signifying nothing. It's creating nothing but more fear on both sides, and it's a terrible fear.

Before one more person dies on ANY side to any accidental gunshot, we should all ask ourselves, “why is this young man doing this? Why is he so willingly making himself an object of controversy and derision? Why is he making people react this way?” I have an answer. He's forcing us to look at ourselves. By following his own belief that there is a problem and it's a big one I agree, he's hoping he can change other people's minds. He's hoping that maybe in his humble way, he can make us look into our hearts and see if yeah, we're not part of the problem and we take all of this way too cavalierly. He may ruin his future and his career, but by God, he's doing something he believes in. Can you say the same?

BLOGGING FROM A TO Z 2013 – LETTER “Q”

QUISLING

Vidkun Quisling was a middle-management politician in Norway, during the mid-30s until his execution for collaboration with the Nazis in 1945. But for that, ahem, stellar achievement, we might never have heard of him. As it is, his name has joined the pantheon of epithets that I for one, would never care to have associated with my name.

I guess smiling wasn't part of the portraitist's contract.

Vidkun was never one to let the grass grow under his feet, nor anywhere else it seems. Before going into politics, he proved himself in the military, joining the General Staff in 1911. His specialty was Russian Affairs and he himself had a hand in the architecture of the Russian famine of 1921 in Ukraine. I'm sure his father, a Church of Norway pastor, was displeased, although Wiki doesn't say. Vidkun went to Moscow with a colleague, one Frederick Prytz, and when he left in 1927, Vidkun stayed on and managed British diplomatic affairs. King George V, appointed him Commander of the Order of the British Empire, but was an Indian Giver, after Vidkun's later behavior. Two observations here. Couldn't the Brits have found an, oh, I don't know, an ACTUAL BRIT to manage their affairs? And, two, what did Winny have to say about all of this? King George being rather dim-mish.

King George V looks like Prince Albert, looks like Czar Nicholas, looks like Kaiser Wilhelm... They're not dim-mish; they're inbred cretins!

Anyway, our anti-hero mediocred his way back to Norway and started a party called the Nasjonal Samling in 1933. It didn't do much and didn't poll well. As classrooms go, so do parliaments; the NS just sort of hung out in the back of the classroom, throwing spitballs at the teach and passing notes. This went on for about 9 years, when Hitler and the SS with the Wehrmacht came a-knocking at the door.

Quisling collaborated with the German invasion and from 1942 to 1945, Vidkun Quisling served as Minister-President of Norway, working with the occupying forces. His government, referred to as the “Quisling regime,” was dominated by his old ministers from his Nasjonal Samling. The collaborators, unwittingly or not, participated in Hitler's Final Solution. I myself, believe they DID know what was going on. Quisling had finally reached the pinnacle to which he thought he belonged.

At the end of the war, Quisling was put on trial during the legal purge in Norway. He was found guilty of charges including high treason, embezzlement, murder, and executed by firing at Akerhus Fortress, Oslo, on October 24, 1945. During the war, quisling became synonymous with the word traitor. It is still in use today.

McCarthy wasn't a traitor, just unaware of how dangerous he truly was. Stalin said of him, "Why should we worry about tearing America apart? They are doing it to themselves."

In refreshing my memory of this WWII incident, I was reminded of a similar incident, that had results not quite so catastrophic, but were still horrible for the people involved. “Tail Gunner Joe,” or Joseph P. McCarthy, the junior Senator from Wisconsin was awash in his own mediocrity and by chance hit on the “Reds Under the Bed” idea and spent the next several years trying to get people to give up their friends, family and work colleagues as members of the American Communist party. My father was scarred by it, to the extent that he was upset when I stated my political views on national television. Neither of these men, McCarthy, or Quisling believed in what they were doing; they were corrupted by power and cared nothing for who became hurt in the process.