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Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

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While many conservatives respond to Bernie Sanders’ speech at Liberty University with frustration, dismissing him as a left-wing socialist, one Liberty graduate was not so quick to dismiss Sanders. In fact, he argues that Sanders is the candidate campaigning on the principles of Christ. “When I heard Bernie speaking in that way, when I saw that guy on stage at Liberty University, I saw John the Baptist. . . .crying out to the religious leaders, the Pharisees of his day,” said the graduate, calling himself Jim, “calling them corrupt and complicit with those who have all the power and all the money and all the wealth, and abandoning the people that God loves, that God cares about…”

 I give a few bucks to Bernie Sanders from time to time. In exchange for that I get emails all the time. They generally end up in the trash, but this was of interest to me because he spoke at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University about the importance of equality from a biblical – Old and New Testament – perspective.
Dear Alan,

Earlier this week I spoke at Liberty University. For those of you who do not know, Liberty University is a deeply religious institution. It is a school which tries to understand the meaning of morality and the words of the Bible, within the context of a very complicated modern world. It was founded by the Reverend Jerry Falwell, and the vast majority of people at Liberty strongly disagree with me, and perhaps you, about abortion, marriage equality, and other issues.

You might be asking yourself, “Why on earth would Bernie Sanders go there?” It is a fair question within the context of our modern politics.

I spoke at Liberty University because I believe that it is important for those with different views in our country to engage in civil discourse – not just to shout at each other or make fun of each other.

It is very easy for those in politics to talk to those who agree with us – and I do that every day. It is harder, but not less important, to try and communicate with those who do not agree with us and see where, if possible, we can find common ground. In other words, to reach out of our zone of comfort.

So I went outside of my zone of comfort. Watch this video of my remarks there and read what I have to say about the ideas of morality and justice as they relate to income inequality and other critical issues facing our nation.

The message I gave at Liberty University is that the moral choice is to fight income inequality, and that the just thing to do is to work to make our society more fair. Below are some of my remarks to Liberty from the video above, but I think it is important to share them with you here as well so that you can share with others how I approach these issues.

I am far, far from a perfect human being, but I am motivated by a vision which exists in all of the great religions – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and others – and which is so beautifully and clearly stated in Matthew 7:12. “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the prophets.” The Golden Rule. Do to others what you would have them do to you. Not very complicated.

I told the crowd at Liberty University that I understand that issues such as abortion and gay marriage are very important to them, and that we disagree on those issues. I get that. But there are other issues out there that are of enormous consequence to our country and the world and that maybe, just maybe, we don’t disagree on them. And maybe, just maybe, we can work together in trying to resolve them.

Amos 5:24, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”

Justice. Treating others the way we would like to be treated. Treating all people with dignity and respect.

It would, I think, be hard for anyone in that room where I spoke to make the case that the United States today is a “just” society or anything resembling a just society.

In America today there is massive injustice in terms of income and wealth inequality. Injustice is rampant. We live in the wealthiest country in the history of the world but most Americans don’t know that because almost all of that wealth and income is going to the top one percent. We are living at a time where a handful of people have wealth beyond comprehension – huge yachts, jet planes, tens of billions of dollars, more money than they could spend in a thousand lifetimes. But at the same time, millions of people are struggling to feed their families or put a roof over their heads or find the money to go to a doctor.

When we talk about morality and when we talk about justice, we have to understand that there is no justice when the top one-tenth of one percent own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. There is no justice when all over this country people are working long hours for abysmally low wages, $7.25 an hour or $8 an hour, while 58 percent of all new income being created today goes to the top one percent.

There is no justice when, in recent years, we have seen a proliferation of millionaires and billionaires while, at the same time, the United States has the highest rate of childhood poverty in the industrialized world. How can we talk about morality when we turn our backs on the children of this country? Twenty percent of the children in this country live in poverty and that includes 40 percent of African American children. There is no justice when, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, children in our country go to bed hungry.

There is no justice when the 15 wealthiest people in this country saw their wealth increase by $170 billion dollars in the last two years. That is more wealth, acquired in a two-year period, than is owned by the bottom 130 million Americans. And while the very rich become much richer, millions of families have no savings at all and struggle every week just to stay alive economically, and the elderly and disabled wonder how they stay warm in the winter. That is not justice. That is a rigged economy designed by the wealthiest people in this country to benefit the wealthiest people in this country at the expense of everyone else.

There is no justice when thousands of people in America die each year because they don’t have health insurance and don’t get to a doctor when they should, or when elderly people are forced to choose between food or medicine because our citizens pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. That is not justice. That is not morality. That is simply an indication that we are the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care for all as a right.

There is no justice when low-income and working-class mothers are forced to separate from their babies one or two weeks after birth and go back to work because we are the only major country on earth that does not have a paid family and medical leave policy. That is not justice. That is an attack on family values that everyone should be appalled at.

There is no justice in our country when youth unemployment exists at tragic levels – with 51 percent of African American high school kids unemployed or underemployed. No. We apparently do not have the funds to provide jobs or educational opportunities for our young people but we sure do have the money to throw them into jails. Today, the United States has more people in jail than any other country on earth, and many are serving time in inhumane conditions. That is not justice. That is the destruction of human life.

I am not a theologian or an expert on the Bible or a Catholic. I am just a U.S. senator from the small state of Vermont. But I agree with Pope Francis when he says: “The current financial crisis… originated in a profound human crisis: the denial of the primacy of the human person! We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose.”

He also states: “There is a need for financial reform along ethical lines that would produce in its turn an economic reform to benefit everyone. Money has to serve, not to rule.”

In his view, and I agree with him, we are living in a nation and in a world which worships the acquisition of money and great wealth, but which turns its back on those in need. And that must end. We need to move toward an economy which works for all, and not just the few.

Throughout human history there has been endless discussion and debate about the meaning of justice and the meaning of morality. I hope that by getting out of my comfort zone and speaking with the students at Liberty University that I can be a part of a dialogue with people who might not agree with us. I hope that some of them conclude that if we strive toward morality and toward justice, that it is imperative that we have the courage to stand with the poor and working people of our country.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

Trump and Bernie 2015 reminiscent of Wallace and RFK 1968

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rfk quoteTrump and Bernie resonate because, in their own ways, they both recognize the “comfortable past” never existed.

I mentioned before that 1968 was my first dose of politics. Back then, Wyoming was a purple state and presidential candidates campaigned in the Cowboy State. For me, it was mostly about the symbols of politics like the campaign buttons and bumper stickers. My mission that year was to collect a bumper sticker and button from each of the candidates. Since then I’ve managed to scrounge buttons for Democratic and Republican nominees starting in 1900.

The country was in quite a bit of turmoil – the Vietnam War was in full swing and talk about civil unrest, it was nothing like it is today. Cops bashing anti-war rioters with billy clubs, manhandling blacks protesting racial inequality. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 – one of LBJ’s lasting legacies – and Voting Rights Act in 1965. Mainstream America was having some trouble adapting – like when the SCOTUS made gender identification a protected class.

The country was totally out of control and LBJ decided not to run for re-election, it brought every yahoo out of the woodwork, just like today.

George Wallace of Alabama was the renegade, straight talker – sort of like Donald Trump. Wallace was an avowed racist – segregationist. The former Alabama governor and his running mate Curtis “Iron Pants” Lemay got the attention of much of the south. Seems he, like Goldwater, wanted to actually nuke Vietnam. Wallace drew enough support to turn the election to Nixon’s favor.

My Carey Jr. High School pal, Mike Whitehead, was big into Democratic politics mostly because of his parents. His mom, Janet Whitehead was Laramie County Clerk and his dad, Ed, was a state legislator. It must have been in early May because we were still in school, but a few months earlier, Robert Kennedy declared his candidacy for president. At that time, he was the carpet bagging senator for New York. He moved there, much like Hilary Clinton did, glad handed around upstate and won. He was the US Attorney under his brother, Jack, and LBJ.

Anyway, he made a campaign whistle stop in Cheyenne. Mike and I decided to go see him. We taped six pieces of poster board together and stapled it onto a couple sticks of lathe. I don’t remember what was scrawled on the sign with Magic Marker – which was new back in those days. I was the cartoonist for the school paper, The Tumbleweed, and drew a pretty good caricature of RFK on the bottom of the sign.

We rolled it up and hauled it on foot from Cole Addition to the Pavillion in Frontier Park. I came to realize that this is what old fashioned politics was about, The place was packed with supporters and the curious. He was there with members of his family, wife Ethel and maybe some of his kids. I don’t think he even said anything, He was like a rock star. Afterward, the senator noticed our sign. He came over and shook our hands and autographed a “join now” campaign card I picked up at the door, which I still have.

There was a reception for Senator Kennedy and his entourage at the Hitching Post after the rally. Mr. Whitehead was there and later emerged with some “real” autographs that he gave us. I was amazed that he remembered. I also learned at that event how accessible politicians can be at any level of government, I didn’t realize it then, but this was my first taste of federalism which has stuck with me to this day, not to mention my fascination with autographs.

I didn’t learn until later, that this was the first stop on a long train trip through Nebraska which ended in Omaha just before the Nebraska primary in mid-May. Having won the California primary, Nebraska was a key state for him and he won it.

Three weeks later, my clock radio turned on early in the morning to a live broadcast from Los Angeles about Robert Kennedy’s murder. He was shot at close range by a bad guy named Sirhan Sirhan.

I was shocked.

What would America be like today had RFK lived? After winning California and Nebraska, I’m pretty sure he would have been elected president. It’s impossible to say what kind of legacy Bobby would have left, but I imagine the war would have ended earlier, Watergate for sure wouldn’t have happened.

I wonder if Bobby would have made deals with the commies like Nixon did. Of course, his trip to China was designed to draw fire from his Watergate battle at home.

In 1968, the Republicans tore themselves apart, much like what is happening now. With his populist message, Kennedy was drawing huge crowds where ever he stopped, much like Bernie Sanders today. Our not-so-charismatic vice president Hubert Humphrey stepped up trying to fill the void Kennedy left. South Dakota senator George McGovern tried to pick up the pieces, too. In the end, Nixon and Agnew would defeat Humphrey and Muskie – a senator from Maine by 500,000 votes, largely because of George Wallace’s Stand up for America third party run.

… and then there was campaign ’72. That’s a story for another day and about Hastings College “Legislators and Lobbyist” class field trip out to Nixon’s inauguration with Debbie Hemmingsen Bills, Karen Doerr​ and fearless leader Denny Storer​, et al.

If RFK was inaugurated, I probably wouldn’t have been tear gassed at an anti-war demonstration.

In the 2016 election cycle the Republicans want to take us back to the Reagan years and the Democrats want to relive the FDR administration. I just hope whoever gets picked just tries to move forward. via Barbara May​

VWs are life, Gregg Allman RIP

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I traded my ’93 Eurovan for a new Golf Sportwagen. It’s named after Gregg Allman.

 
I saw country tock bluesman Gregg Allman died. My car is named after him.

My VW life has gone full circle. In 1979 I drove a new white VW Scirocco. It was a replacement for a sky blue Ford Pinto station wagon that was in a rear end collision with an oil field mud truck. 

Luckily, it didn’t explode. The differential bolt did get jammed against the gas tank. Had I been at a complete stop, it may have been a different story. I was slowing down to take the turn towards The 3003 Club – that’s another good story for another day – under the Burlington Northern tressel by where the Fireside used to be.

My lawyer and fellow 3003 Club member, Thomas Padget, worked over the insurance company and I finally was paid. The Pinto was surplussed to Rick Thamer when he was on his way to Lubbock. I bought the Scirocco in Laramie.

Anyway, I can’t remember who went, but a bunch of us drove from Gillette to Denver in early August to see the Allman Brothers at the Red Rocks. Maybe John and Dara Corkery remember who else went. I know Mike the News Record photog was in the car.

When we rolled into Denver, the VW threw a timing belt and was towed to Mountain States VW on South Colorado Blvd. After the show, I was dropped off at a motel nearby – across from the Celebrity Sports Center. We had multiple rides.

My car was fixed the next day. While waiting, I walked down to a matinee at the Century Theater and saw ‘Alien’ in 70mm. There were a few people sitting in this huge round theater. The newborn space monster scene was alarming on that gigantic screen!

I must have returned to Gillette in one piece.  when I moved to Lander a year or two later. I didn’t drive it much for a couple years since I lived in an apartment above the Ace Hardware store on Main Street – mixed use urban living before it was hip. What happened to the Scirocco? I sold it to Bill Sniffin

Meanwhile, 47 years later, I decided it was time to bag the old hobby VWs in favor of something more practical. Over the years, I’ve tinkered with air cooled engines – a ’63 Bug, ’65 Karmann Ghia, ’72 Super Beetle convertible. I decided to get more modern with a ’95 Eurovan Winnebago and ’93 Weekender. 

The ’93 was a bit of a lemon on it’s last legs and rather than hassle with selling it myself, I chanced upon Emich VW – formerly Mountain States – which deals Eurovans. I got a good offer – even though I got worked over pretty well by the mechanic like I was selling on ‘Pawn Stars’. 

I ended up with a 2015 Golf Sportwagen – a chopped down Eurovan. It’s the first new car I’ve owned since the Scirocco and the first with airbags.

That Colorado Blvd neighborhood has totally changed and the VW dealership is an island now surrounded by big box retail, but pulling into that parking lot brought back some good memories. I named the car ‘Gregg”.