GENTLY . . . .

 

LIFE IS BUT A DREAM

 Row, row, row your boat . . . .

For billions of years, you did not exist. Soon, for billions of years, you will not exist.

You do not exist. This is a dream.

THE CONSTITUTION

There are several great things about General Milley's farewell speech. It was short. It was simple. It was poignant. It was surprising. It left you wanting more. It told the uninformed what an oath means to some men and women. It shocked some under-educated people to learn what is in the oath of office and that military people take the same oath as the president of the United States.

It was rich with meaning and irony. What was he saying? He didn't swear alliance to the country he defended? 

No. He swore alliance to a set of ideals, ideas, and principles. He claims to defend a set of rules against its enemies. He knew he was defending the immutable, timeless, almost perfectly written guiding principles ever articulated.

And he knew the contemporaneous threats against which he was exhorting us all to defend ourselves and the Constitution that guides us.

Yes, but for General Milley and those of us who follow his leadership, we may lose our freedoms to a cult of autocrats and theocrats. General Milley's 30-second genius will save us if we listen and heed. The minority does not rule. A cult leader, a Hitler admirer, should not hold public office.

Yes, the Supreme Court was wrong about the second amendment, and yes, the electoral College was a mistake they could not have seen coming. But they set in motion rules worthy of our pledge to defend that set of principles against all enemies, even to the death.

SPRIGGS FAMILY TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. There are no gods, so don't worship any.
2. Question everything.
3. Learn to think critically.
4. Read a lot and then some more.
5. Do not lie, exaggerate, or stretch the truth.
6. Be kind to everyone, including all animals, and do not kill anyone.
7. Serve living creatures, country, and countrymen/women.
8. Recycle, reduce your carbon footprint, and do not litter.
9. Vote Democrat party.
10.  Contribute to society and help rid it of cult leaders and despots.

LET'S GET REAL

 

Let's get real. There is no evidence of supernatural beings such as gods, angels, sons of gods, holy spirits, unicorns, tooth fairies, or Santa Claus. Or anything spiritual. Before I go, I want to condemn all religious indoctrination. The universe is 13 1/2 billion years old, the earth is 4 1/2 billion years old, and monkeys did turn into human beings, but not during our lifetime.

I just ache trying to think of a way to get my message out. It is poison and should be marginalized to permit its believers their peace, but it should be removed from all social discourse and governance. Others, such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, are much smarter than I and more articulate. Dawkins's The God Delusion book is pretty popular. We need to place that on the nightstand of every hotel.

So much evil is done in the name of religion. They don't even practice what they preach.

The golden rule, which preceded Jesus Christ for centuries, is a cornerstone of their faith. Yet, it's never practiced with any enthusiasm or regularity. Thoughtful people realize that we have our own moral code as human beings, which has not been given to us by a supernatural force. It is derived from the imaginations of scared, pre-science-instructed, perhaps well-meaning people. Religion does appeal to the less intelligent and the totally undereducated group; there are a few exceptions, but only a few.

 The fantastic thing is that the evidence is overwhelming against the concept of the Christian God.

THE AMERICAN CRISIS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

We can all agree the American body politic is in crisis. So much so that polarization has led to paralysis. We need to debate the essence of the problem. We propose the question is whether we want to continue as a democracy or as an autocracy. 

We submit the crisis is that we are shedding the original constitutional democracy in favor of autocracy, perhaps even theocracy. The evidence in support of this view is the minority control of the cult leader and would be autocrat Donald Trump and his followers.

The elected politicians have demonstrated they cannot agree on the following course. Assuming the people wish to govern themselves in a democracy, we propose a course of action to right the ship before it sinks.

We need a national referendum on whether to proceed as a democracy. That takes too long and is a daunting task. A vital election looms around the corner. Action must be taken now.

We propose that military and industry leaders meet and agree democracy is the path to follow. They should then sign a declaration of support for constitutional democracy and strong opposition to any form of minority or autocratic rule. All media should publish this "open letter" to all Americans. The letter should oppose specifically the election of any "would-be dictator." To the extent the military/industry leaders deem it appropriate, they should propose additional actions to publicize the letter.   

MY OATH OF OFFICE AND WHAT IT MEANS

When I was commissioned as an officer in the U.S.Marine Corps, I swore the following oath in 1964:

"I, William J. Spriggs, having been appointed an officer in the Marine Corps of the United States, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God."

Once a Marine, always a Marine. The oath is forever. Now, I must honor it in these days of national crisis by fighting to preserve democracy..,  

WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA PART TWO

This will be brief. I will revisit these words often for refinement. I wanted to mark my 84th birthday with the solution to the problem.

Those of goodwill and good sense within the political class lack the power to marginalize the demagogues and their followers and stave off autocracy/theocracy. The union is in crisis, and measures are needed to avert doomsday. (I see the reelection of Trump as that day.) Please remain open to my solution even if you view the doomsday warning as unnecessary.

I propose the leaders of the military-industrial complex pledge to prevent autocracy/theocracy and to assume the leadership to restore democracy. They will sign the pledge document and take specific actions enumerated in the promise. They will pledge a unified commitment to restoring democratic norms. They also will sell to use their resources to effect a peaceful solution to the defined threat.

The enumerated actions will include addressing their respective constituencies on democratic principles, exerting their economic power to marginalize the attacks on democracy, and agreeing on the political leaders they support. Finally, they will promulgate a uniform code of American ethics.

Let's get started.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA PART ONE

A Gallup pollster called the other day to ask a bunch of questions. The first one was, what is wrong with this country? That caught me totally flat-footed.  I did not know where to start, and my list was so long I stalled. Finally, I blurted out an inadequate educational system and a lack of morality and moral standards. But before I get to those and others, let me start with the basics. Lack of governmental leadership.

I believe in a strong central government to lead our society. Within that structure, we need strong, wise, and empathetic leadership. We have been primarily bereft of that kind of leadership since FDR. The best school for leaders is the apolitical U.S. Marine Corps. We need to find the leaders there.

Honor, courage, commitment. Semper Fidelis. Ooh-rah. If you don’t recognize, relate to, or live by those values and traits, you are not a Marine, and you fail to understand you need to act like one. 

You’ve heard me refer to the Marines in my advice to CEOs. I’m here to say you are not worth your salt as a leader of human beings unless the Marine Corps values guide everything you do on and off the job. Nay, unless those values are you.

Ductus Exemplo? Lead by example. The official motto of Marine Corps officers. I’m proud to be one. And when I say the officers eat last, I genuinely mean it. CEO leadership is not about you but what you can do for the people and the organization you lead. If this is not the case, you are just feeding off others to satisfy your greed for power, recognition, and money.

What practical, timely application do these principles represent? Just take the work-from-home example for today. If you can’t figure out how to supervise the work remotely, you need to be replaced pronto. All it takes is empathy to realize what is best for your colleagues. A little scientific method exercise will tell you productivity increases. You would be astonished at how productivity increases when you act like a Marine Corps Officer.

The nation is in crisis. That is not hyperbole. Autocracy/theocracy is just around the corner. Demagogues are ready to take over as the stupid electorate blindly ushers them in. Sadly, we cannot change ridiculous. Nor can we ignore the younger generation that lacks a moral compass. Doomsday for democracy as we know it is likely. Where are the leaders, and from whence is their power? I have an answer, as radical as it may be.