What We Learned From Today's Hearing

The testimony of Ford and Kavanaugh ended about an hour ago.  So here are my initial observations about what have we learned today:

1. That some people do not find Ms. Ford credible while others do, and some feel that they must defer to her simply because she is a woman.  Some find Ms. Ford credible in the sense that something happened to her or that she truly believes that something happened.  As Sen. Booker said, she “told her truth.”

2. We don’t really know what “her truth” is.  There is absolutely no proof that her truth is actually the true facts of what happened.  Ms. Ford has produced no corroborating evidence and the supposed witnesses she produced have all denied under penalty of perjury that what she claims happened did not happen.

3. Once the allegation that the Democrats held secretly for weeks was made public, the Republican members have conducted investigations that the Democrats refused to participate in.  The senate judiciary website documents the investigations in detail.  These investigations are not unlike the investigations that would be conducted by the FBI; an FBI investigation would simply ask the same questions that have already been asked.  An FBI investigation does not make conclusions about the testimony.

4. Judge Kavanaugh steadfastly denies the accusations against him.  He actually has some contemporaneous evidence in the form of his calendar/diary for the period of time during which Ms. Ford claims the event occurred.  That calendar/diary records the events, including gatherings and parties, that Judge Kavanaugh attended during the summer of 1982 (when the event allegedly occurred).  The party that Ms. Ford describes is not listed.

5. What we have is two people whose testimony conflicts.  The accuser has brought forward no corroborating evidence and that which she proffered to the committee did not support her testimony.  It is not Judge Kavanaugh's duty to prove himself innocent, but the duty of an accuser to prove her allegations.

6. The Democrats could have brought Ms. Ford’s allegations forward to the committee and had them investigated out of the public eye as was Ms. Ford’s wish, but instead they chose to use them politically as a means of stalling the appointment of a Justice to the Supreme court.  Their plan, long before Ms. Ford came forward, was to keep Kavanaugh from the court by any means necessary.  Ms. Ford, sadly, became a weapon of the Democrat’s political agenda.

7. Democrats do not believe that these accusations entitle Kavanaugh to due process.  Yet, these are criminal allegations and while they may have been brought forward in the wrong venue (i.e. not the court of law where she still could have brought the charges), in this country under our Constitution, an accused is entitled to due process.  One is not found guilty of criminal charges without proof beyond a reasonable doubt.  To determine, based on allegation alone, that Ford's story is true in essence finds Kavanaugh guilty of the accusations, requiring him to live with that pronouncement for the remainder of his life.

8. The argument that this is not a criminal prosecution so no need for proof just does not fly.  It reeks of McCarthyism and Communist Show Trials.  Yes, it is not a criminal trial in the sense that it is not taking place in a court of law, but rather in some way attached to the nomination hearing.  Nonetheless, the effect is the same on the accused; in fact, it is really worse because if a decision is made just on who is “more believable” then there is never a definitive decision about the guilt or innocence of the Judge and he will live the rest of his life with this question hanging over his head.  Similarly, Ms. Ford will spend the rest of her life with the question of whether he story was provable or not/whether it was really true or not.

9. Democrats’ search and destroy mission continues as they have already obtained a URL for the next website dedicated to stopping the next judge.

10. To keep a qualified jurist from the Supreme Court because of unsubstantiated allegations is a new low for the politics of hatred and a serious wound to our Constitution and our Democracy.

11. There is also the effect on women and the MeToo movement which I have previously addressed.  Suffice it here to say that demanding all women be believed or that all men must be guilty not only destroys a basic tenet of our Constitution, it also has a way of minimizing the true and serious allegations of sexual misconduct while at the same time demeaning women with the implication that they must be so weak that they can’t stand up to the demands of proving their case.  It also has a way of creating a victim mentality in all women.

12. This is a completely unsubstantiated allegation against the nominee (note, I am not saying that Ms. Ford did not suffer some sort of sexual encounter with someone, nor am I saying that she does not believe it was with Kavanaugh, nor am I saying we should not have sympathy for whatever it is that she is going through).  An accusation, without more, is not enough to give rise to a no vote against an otherwise qualified candidate.  That is true regardless of one’s political views or views about women or the MeToo movement or anything else.   We know what the votes were going to be before these allegations were made.  Despite delays and efforts to find some sort of corroboration, they still have no proof other than the words of the accusers. The Democrats would have us delay further, conduct duplicate investigations,  as they search for something/anything to completely destroy the judge. What they are doing is making a mockery of the nomination process.  Anyone who changes their vote based on the flimsy accusation presented here should not be reelected; it is clear that they have no understanding of fairness or our constitution or our democracy.

This is a Crucial Moment for America

There are two major political practices in our country today that are converging to make the circus that is the Kavanaugh nomination a frightening and serious moment in American history.

One is the historical (beginning at least as long ago as the 1980s;  for a summary of some of the most egregious see: http://video.foxnews.com/v/5839042505001/?#sp=show-clips)  efforts by the Left to keep from the bench (both Supreme and Appellate Courts) judges appointed by non-Leftist administrations; judges that hold the view that a judge must focus on law, not policy, and should interpret and apply but not create law.  This view, while consistent with the Constitution, contrasts with progressive views that would like to have more partisan judges willing to make, change, or ignore law when policy demands; that is, they seek activist judges.

The trouble with this is that the attempt to destroy via unsubstantiated accusations just because one doesn’t agree with the philosophy of the nominee is totally un-American.  In this country we have elections and when a more conservative party wins, of course they will appoint more conservative jurists.  The answer is not to smear these nominees with false and unfounded accusations, but simply to win the next election.  And, in the meantime, to use the actual criteria (as laid out in our Constitution) for choosing a Justice.

The other practice is the use of identity politics to stir up hatred that can then be channeled against those standing in the way of progressive power as well as assist in the unfair and unfounded attacks against those with differing views.  This method creates an identity group, finds affronts to members of that group, and then demands that any accusation of that group be believed without more.  The Left uses these identity accusations to gin up a sort of mob-hatred against anything that might keep them from power.  (An interesting piece on the underpinnings and beginnings of the hatred that goes hand in hand with identity politics is: https://outline.com/TXW6L8)\

There are historical parallels to this mob-like hysteria.  Of course the Salem Witch Trials come to mind.  But also, what about the lynchings of Blacks in the south?  A white woman could claim a Black man sexually assaulted her and without more he would likely be lynched.  More recently, the instigation of anti-white and/or anti-law enforcement hatred reached a peak during the Obama administration as many believed any Black person arrested or injured by law enforcement was wronged and the police became targets of both verbal and physical assaults including murder.  Individual incidents and their facts become no longer relevant as an entire identity group is urged to rise up against another group.  And now we have MeToo where “women must be believed.”  That command goes directly against our Constitution.

America was founded as a democratic republic.  It has stood as a shining light to other countries, especially those whose people live under dictatorial regimes with little if any freedom of thought or speech.  One key underpinning of our democracy has been the principle that one is innocent until proven guilty.

That phrase, uttered often and easily, actually has great and deep significance.  If one can be found guilty without proof or evidence, without any sort of due process, without an opportunity to face his or her accuser and tell his or her side, without the opportunity to cross-examine the accuser to pull out additional or questionable facts, without all the procedures that we equate with fairness and justice, then the many freedoms and rights that we hold dear fail and fall.  And without those rights, our country as we know it must also fall.

Allowing one to be determined guilty on the mere accusation of another  silences all our First Amendment rights.  One cannot speak freely, hold religious beliefs, express those beliefs, associate with others if someone else who finds those words, beliefs, actions offensive can simply accuse with the result that the accused is in someway cast aside and silenced.

Yet isn’t that what we see happening now?  The accusation against Brett Kavanaugh should not be used as a political tool to thwart the Constitution and our Democratic Republic form of government.  If the accusation actually occurred, or even if Ms. Ford simply believes it occurred, her claim should receive the due process that our Constitution demands.  That includes both due process for the accuser and due process for the accused.  And, that is why this accusation belongs in a court of law where the goal is justice, achieved through due process, rather than a goal of revenge and political gain.

There is another concern with the use of these tactics (questionable accusations to derail nominations of otherwise qualified jurists and identity politics to foment mob hatred against those standing in the way of the fomenters’ power).  As it becomes clear that those qualified individuals on the wrong side of the hatred will be vilified and destroyed, it becomes less and less likely that they will come forward to serve their country.  How many people are willing to put themselves and their families through the ordeal that Judge Kavanaugh is currently enduring?

Without diverse voices and the freedom to express them we lose a key ingredient of our democracy and instead begin to approach the necessary environment for a thriving dictatorship.  My two previous blog posts have discussed some of these points further.  I encourage you to read them.  Today I want to encourage everyone who cares about this country to open their eyes and see what is happening.  If your political leanings are on the Left, please open your eyes and see what your group is doing to America.  I realize that some on the Left no longer believe in America and seek to fundamentally change it.  I argue that this is a huge mistake.

I urge people to review history.  Countries which silence opposing viewpoints – by accusation and by intimidation – end up being a very unpleasant place for the majority of their people.  It seems to me that the convergence of political hatred and quests for power with ignorance of the very nature of our country and its constitution along with a willingness to ignore what it stands for have reached a critical mass; this is the time to either take a stand and say STOP or to acquiesce in the movement of this country to a very different and far less free place.  It is time to look beyond today and see the direction we are headed; if we allow this country to continue to veer Left to the point that it is no longer recognizable as the great country that it is, then it will be its own people that will have extinguished its shining light and they will have no one to blame but themselves.

It's About More Than the Nominee; It's About America

This is more than a fight for the Supreme Court.  It is a fight for America itself.

It is hard to keep up with the allegations as the Democrats try to block the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.  They made a mockery of the hearings, using innuendo and misleading if not false statements in their accusations against him during the questioning.  They have tried to stir up fear that he will take away all important rights if he is a Justice.  None of this seemed to work; the confirmation seemed to be certain, so what happens?  They pull a 36 year old, completely unsubstantiated sexual allegation out of the hat.  And, in this MeToo era we must indulge every possible statement by anyone.  Soon I suspect others will have sudden “memories” as they jump on the bandwagon to smear the nominee with completely unprovable and unsubstantiated charges and no way for the accused to defend himself since the current view seems to be guilty until proven innocent – an impossibility with a fuzzy 36 year old allegation that essentially amounts to he said – she said with no witnesses to substantiate either side.

This should remind one of the Salem Witch trials, but it is the Desperation of the Democrats that leads the circus here.  They lost the election.  The president has appointed a conservative judge – one who will follow the Constitution and the law rather than go with and make popular policy of the day.  That is, he will do what a Supreme Court Justice is supposed to do – apply and interpret the law, leaving law-making to the legislative branch.  The Democrats cannot abide this rule of law, this basic Constitutional principle.  They will only tolerate someone who will join them in their jihad against the president.

So, we have a woman come forward with some fuzzy recollection of a teenage party where some teenager that she now identifies as Kavanaugh made some sort of advance towards her.  And, what happens?  We indulge her.  There is so much wrong with this; let me make just a few points:

First, this was a bunch of high school kids at a party in the early 80s.  No one should be surprised that there might have been alcohol there and a boy might have tried to kiss a girl.  What high school student has not been involved in a situation where things started to go too far?  This is just part of growing up and learning one’s limits and values.   If it was anything more than that then one would expect there would have been some contemporaneous reporting to someone.

Apparently the accuser first recalled this event during some sort of marital couples therapy in 2012.  Now, it would seem that since she, her husband, and the therapist have all now agreed that she mentioned it then, that any therapist-client privilege has been waived.  I would certainly like to see records from that therapy, especially the context in which the statement was made and what else she might recall.   For example, was this alleged incident used to explain or excuse the problems in her marriage that had brought the couple to therapy?  Or as an excuse for some other behavior of hers?  What else did she recall about the incident?  What else could she recall about that period of her life? Is her personality of the sort that would enjoy the attention from the reporting of such an incident or the power of having the ability to bring down someone important?  (These are not “blame the victim” questions, but legitimate questions when one suddenly has a 36 year old recollection that has the potential to destroy someone else’s life.)

Beyond the specific allegation, I have a real problem with looking at someone’s high school record as if that somehow has some bearing on one’s ability 30 years into adulthood.   We all know that teenagers do some stupid things.  Some even do illegal things.  Psychologists tell us their brains are not yet fully formed.  For these reasons we have juvenile courts and juvenile sentences, most of which end when the child reaches adulthood.  Juvenile records are frequently expunged in order to allow the juvenile a fresh start.  And, yet, we are allowing one woman’s foggy recollection to destroy a life.

We have no idea what the accuser’s motive is in bringing this accusation now.  What we do know is that it is unsubstantiated and that there is really no way for Kavanaugh to clear his name; even if the allegation does not keep him from the Court, he will always walk with this cloud over his head, this scarlet letter on his chest.  He has been denied the due process that any criminal defendant receives; rather, he is tried in the court of public opinion fraught with hysteria churned up by Democrats and the media.  He is guilty until proven innocent.   This is not the way America should work.

When I was in grade school a classmate gave me a valentine every day for a couple of months, then kissed me twice when we were alone on the steps of our classroom.  Today I guess we would call that stalking and sexual assault.  Perhaps I should check to see if he is rich or famous or perhaps up for some important nomination.  I know his name and actually have told many about it  extemporaneously both at the time of the incidents and through the years.  Just think,  I could suddenly realize the trauma this caused me and come forward to ruin this man’s life while enjoying my 15 minutes of fame, maybe get a book deal, and help the cause so as to be today’s darling of the resistance.

This is really where we are.  Anyone who does not speak out is complicit in the practice of doing whatever is necessary to destroy anyone who stands in the way of another’s goals.  Complicit in using anything from any moment in one’s life, substantiated or not, to destroy another human being.  In the days of Stalin, the Communists were famous for finding the most minor spot on the record of someone as an excuse to send them to the gulag for years.  The current behavior of the Democrats would seem to be taking us in that direction.

The Desperate Democrats, still not able to accept the simple fact that their candidate lost the election for President, will do any and everything they can to make sure that their opponent does not succeed.  They will not accept the Constitutional and Democratic process of our government.  Like little children they want their way and they want it now and the American people be damned.  They seem to fully believe that the end justifies the means.  Their end is restoration of their power, and they will lie, cheat, use people, and destroy people in order to achieve that end.  They have no regard for the Constitution or the rule of Law or Democracy.   They just want their way and they want to impose it on everyone else; elections seem to mean nothing to them.

So back to the nomination.  Every American citizen and anyone who cares about our Country and its form of government should be appalled by the Democrats' actions regarding the Kavanaugh hearing.  They have already revealed their ignorance of the role of a judge in our 3-branch form of government.  They have revealed that power for their Party is their primary if only goal.  They have revealed that they cannot accept or tolerate views and policies that they do not approve.  They have revealed that they are willing to deny to the people someone who will likely be one of the finest justices ever to sit on the Court simply as a way to “resist” a president they do not like.  This “resistance,” with their regular disparaging of Trump supporters, reveals that they do not understand how our democracy works or that, if they do, they are willing to destroy it for their own power.  Their encouragement of using unprovable and decades old allegations to destroy the reputation of a fine jurist reveals that they care nothing for the American people.

Someone needs to explain to the Democrats that this is not a game the goal of which is their power.  This is about our Country and what is best for its people – all of its people, deplorables included.  If we let the Democrats get away with their antics, if we let them stop a perfectly valid nomination, then we are empowering further their assault on our democracy and we are well on the way to losing America as we know it.

Principle or Partisanship?

One has to wonder whether the ever-present outrage of the Left against Trump and his supporters is a result of some underlying principles that they hold dear or simply pure outrage that he and not they are in power.  Let me suggest that the outrage is far more likely partisan – a reflection of their real anger at having lost an election and with that loss their power as well.  By cloaking their outrage in the guise of standing for universal principles and humane values, they perhaps hope to hide the ugly partisanship that they are practicing.

Here are just a few of many examples of actions or policies that the Left claims to find abhorrent today, but which they previously accepted and often advocated.

Refugees and Immigrants

I suspect that everyone is aware that President Obama separated families and sent illegal immigrants home.  Somehow that only became cause for alarm or impeachment when Trump became president.

But, there are other examples in this area.  In 1975 many Democrats including then Senator Biden and then Governor Brown of California argued for a ban on Vietnamese refugees.  Governor Brown sounded the alarm about the huge toll that the refugees would take on his state as he worked to keep them from entering the country.  Yes, this is the same Gov. Brown who now welcomes immigrants, both legal and illegal, to his state and many of the same people who now assert that enforcement of immigration laws by President Trump is inhumane.

So, apparently when President Trump enforces our immigration laws with an even hand, he is guilty of treason, of being like Hitler, of destroying America; but, when the Left enforces those laws or works to keep legitimate refugees out of the country it is perfectly fine.

Security Clearances

President Trump revoked the security clearance of Brennan who no longer works for the government in any capacity, has no need for a security clearance, and was using (and perhaps misusing) his clearance for personal gain.  Those who are again finding this somehow treasonous or an impeachable offense have apparently forgotten that President Obama also revoked security clearances.         
       In 2013 James Clapper (who is now outraged by the revocation of Brennan’s clearance) was concerned about “threats to national security resulting from the increasing number of people with eligibility for access to classified national security information.”  The Obama administration then began a review in order to scrub and remove a number of security clearances.

So, apparently national security and possible misuse of security clearances is something that a president can be concerned about unless that president is President Trump.

Sex, Hush Money, and Underage Victims

It is alleged that Trump, before becoming president, paid former consenting sex partners to keep silent about their affairs.  Again, we hear this is treasonous or calls for impeachment.  Where was the outrage when, until recently, the Congress had a fund out of which they paid to silence individuals claiming sexual abuse or harassment by their members?

When there were unproven allegations that Republican candidate Roy Moore had improper behavior with minors decades ago, this was cause for the Left to raise the alarm not only against Moore but against anyone who argued he should have a fair day in court and considered innocent until proven guilty.   But wait – these are the same people who for decades have defended Roman Polanski who pled guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13 year old child.  And where is the outrage this week against the MeToo spokeswoman who it has now been revealed had sex with a minor.  These allegations which can be backed up with actual evidence or guilty pleas are apparently not as heinous as the allegations against Moore which lack such solid evidence.  Could it be that there are different standards for Republicans and Democrats?  Could it be that the outrage against Moore was simply an effective way to campaign against him?

We have a similar situation in the way that the accusations against Bill Clinton were treated and the sudden “woke-ness” when the allegations are against a Republican.  Sure sounds like partisanship to me.

Russia

This is a big one, but I will only cite enough to make my point here.  First, there is just the simple outrage when Trump meets with any foreign leader, but especially when he met and suggests future meetings with the head of Russia.   Yet, where was the outrage when Obama met with Putin and other leaders.  It was not labeled as un-American or treasonous as Trump’s meetings are.  And, while the Left daily asserts some sort of collusion between Trump and Russia in their  hunt to find evidence for those assertions, they seem to have forgotten that in 2012 Obama was caught on a hot microphone telling Russian President Dmitri Medvedev that he would have more flexibility to negotiate with Putin after the election.

Not even an eyelash was batted when Obama made that statement.  Directly to the Russian President.  When he was President.  But, when candidate Trump at a campaign rally joked about hoping Russia would find more of his opponent’s emails, the Left sees this as some sort of verifiable proof of collusion.  I call it grasping at straws.

Campaign Finance Violations

Cohen, in his plea deal Tuesday, stated he made payments to keep quiet women who allegedly had consensual sex with Trump long before he was a candidate.  In is questionable at best whether such a payment violates campaign finance laws, but, assuming it does, and, assuming that through some sort of twisted logic that automatically pins the violation on Trump, he would not be the first candidate to violate such laws.

There are indeed allegations against Trump’s opponent Hillary Clinton that sadly seem to be worthy only of being ignored by the Left.  There are allegations that the Hillary Victory Fund was a scheme to bypass campaign finance laws and allow huge donations to the Hillary campaign that were violative of those laws.  The committee committing the alleged violations was authorized by Hillary.  These alleged violations involve millions of dollars directly to her campaign, not payments of a few hundred thousand to alleged former lovers.

Once again, one sees the Left turning a blind eye to alleged violations of law by those of whom they approve while twisting and turning every law possible to attempt to convict their “enemy.”

Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings

In 1992 Democrat Sen. Biden, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, stated that if there were a Supreme Court vacancy, then President Bush should not name a nominee or, if he did, no confirmation hearings should be scheduled until after the November presidential election.  This became known as the “Biden rule” and was apparently just fine with Democrats until Republicans enforced it in 2016 when then President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to replace Justice Scalia.  They did not want to wait until November then.  And now, as the Brett Kavanaugh nomination moves forward, the Democrats suddenly once again embrace the Biden rule, though now in the context not of an upcoming presidential election, but a midterm election.  

So, again, do the Democrats really have a position on this, or is it just that if their person is in power we should forget the Biden rule, but if their opposition is in power then we should enforce it, in the hope that the opposition will be defeated and the Left will regain power after the election?

The above are just a few examples of partisan maneuvering couched in the guise of standing up for principles.  It is hypocritical and dishonest.  But, what is really scary is that if principles can blow with the partisan wind, who next will be on the down side?  This is the problem when people become less concerned with law and freedom and true inalienable rights, and more concerned with creating a series of fleeting values that are geared to deny power to some while simply bolstering power for others.

So, next time you hear the Left assert that it is standing up for important principles of humanity or America or freedom, take a hard look at what the real motivation is.  Is it really a stand for principle, or just for partisan power?

The Costumed (Superficial/Shallow/Artificial/ Posturing) Society

People confuse appearances with deeper reality.  Perhaps it comes from misconstruing popular memes and sayings such as “If you believe it you achieve it,” “You can have anything you want if you dress for it,” or “If you want to be noticed, dress the part.”  Perhaps we are simply trained to focus on the superficial and to believe that if we get the superficial right, then we have succeeded in getting that which lies below the superficial right as well.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.

First example:

When someone has denied sexual allegations, does his resigning, being fired, or even committing suicide as a result of those unproven allegations make the women who made them feel empowered?  Perhaps it makes them feel momentarily powerful, but they are anything but empowered.  Instead, they have revealed a lack of empowerment in their absence from coming forward  or taking appropriate action at the time of the offense and more importantly in their inability to use the legal system or other procedural means that provide them the ability to prove their allegations definitively and receive true justice.  Instead of their own empowerment, they simply rely on the current nurturing of such claims by media and others, sometimes for their shock value alone and sometimes as a way of removing or destroying those whom are disliked.  That has nothing to do with true empowerment of women.

Second example:

People are encouraged if not often required by school, job, etc., to do some sort of good work and then broadcast their good works to others as if this is some sort of proof of their inner goodness.  It is not.  Yes, some people who do good deeds in the form of some sort of public or community service are good people within their souls, but that is not necessarily so.  Others may do good works because they are required to do so or because they believe that their good works are a way to advance their own agendas or simply their own popularity and acceptance.  That has nothing to do with true inner goodness.

You may ask “Really what difference does it make?  The “me too” allegations (even if some are less than accurate or taken out of context) are making people aware of the problem of sexual harassment and even good works done with less than good motives still serve the people to whom they are directed.” 

While that may be true, it is also an acceptance that ends justify means.  But in this case the perceived ends are only that – a perceived reality that sees only a superficial and whimsical truth.  There is a huge difference between outer dressing and truly meaningful actions.  Just as fashions change, so too do societal trends; what is meaningful today may be insignificant tomorrow.  Women who are feeling powerful as they see their allegations have major impacts on the lives of the men accused may not feel so powerful when society takes a different view of such allegations.  But, if the focus of “me too” was instead to truly empower women with an inner strength that is not dependent on the whims of society or the strength of others, then that empowerment would remain regardless of the current posturing of society. 

Similarly, while any good works are helpful at the time they are done, if they are only done because that is the current fashion of society, then they can end when the designs of society change.  If we encourage good works only for superficial or selfish reasons we are doing nothing to create good persons within themselves who would choose to do good works regardless of the current trends and whims of society.  Hence those good works and their benefit to those served could easily end, whereas if we were more concerned with creating truly good people then those works would be far more likely to remain permanently ongoing. 

Posturing is not Being.  I can put on costumes that make me most anything, but who I am is the person with all the costumes removed.  It is who I am in my soul.  That inner being is what gives me strength, not the clothes I put on; it is what gives me whatever goodness I may have, not the clothes that I put on.  Yet, society seems to be dazzled only by the clothes, the costumes.  We think that they are the definition of whom we are.  We think that our costumes alone will define and sustain our world.  Yet, at some point those costumes fall away and we are all left with a deeper reality that we must face.

It seems that today so many fear facing that inner reality, and so they simply don more and more costumes, costumes that make themselves and others feel good, but which can be discarded anytime at their own or society’s caprice.  The souls of so many in society seem empty, yet they do not understand that superficial costumes and actions will not fill them up.  And so, society itself begins to lose its soul.

We all need to step back from the daily hysteria, posturing, and shallow if not artificial interests and behaviors of our society.  We need to take some time to focus on what lies beneath the surface, in ourselves, our children, and our society.  We need to forget our costumes and nurture our souls.  For it is only that inner and deeper truth that empowers us and our society, giving us all a better and more meaningful reality.