Listen Up America...There Is a Better Way!

Every member of upper and middle level management in the corporate world needs to read this book, perhaps several times, and let the powerful message sink in. Placing it in a personal library will keep it handy for future reference and as a constant reminder of what it contains.
    The true fact of the matter is, anybody who oversees the activities of employees, including those within municipalities, hospitals, school districts, colleges and universities, would benefit immensely from "Stronger Than Steel." This would include CEO's, presidents, various vice-presidents and even those who chair the board of directors. "Stronger Than Steel" is a tool that never stops giving, never stops performing.
     While out of print, it would be well-worth the effort and nominal expense to obtain a copy...or two. And no, I'm not going to tell you what this excellent book is about. But I will say it should be considered management's Bible if it wants long-lasting success in the everyday workplace.
     On a final note, perhaps those working within state and federal government should grab hold of a copy. Heaven knows, it's not like anybody in the hallowed halls of bureaucratic turmoil couldn't learn a thing or two about how to deal deal fairly and honorably with fellow citizens. The formula that Dr. R.C. Sproul lays out, a formula worked by the tireless efforts of Wayne Alderson regarding corporate management, is timeless and invaluable beyond description. Dr. Sproul captures the heart, the very soul of Mr. Alderson's belief that there's definitely a better way for people to live and work together. Read "Stronger Than Steel" and see if you don't heartily agree.

Since the Civil Rights Movement, Have We Really Come Very Far?

The state of Kentucky, along with the United States, has lost one of  the foremost activists regarding human equality and dignity. The passing of Georgia Davis Powers will be felt by a great many people. She was 92.

Powers was Kentucky's first black woman to serve in the state Senate, a world ruled by white men in 1967. And she stayed there for 21 years. In those years, Powers became close to Dr. Martin Luther King.
But before she hit the floor of the Kentucky legislature, she pushed for and got a civil rights law passed in 1966, the first southern state to do so.

"She was a powerful voice for those she served:..," wrote Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo. And by the looks of it today, this nation needs more voices just like that of Georgia Davis Powers, whether on a state's legislative floor or in Washington DC.

An aspect of  Powers' life that I found especially profound was when she, as a teenager, worked in a 5 and 10 cent store. As an employee of the store, the young Georgia was required to tell black customers they weren't permitted to eat at the counter. Black folk were good enough to buy thread, gifts, knickknacks, magazines, toiletries and countless other articles available in the store...but not eat a meal at the counter...with white folk.

The hateful and destructive political rhetoric that flies today unchecked and is accepted as "truth" regarding minorities and those of the Muslim faith in particular undermines what Powers and others like her struggled to achieve for so many years. We're retracing our steps, conceding victories and battles won, at the expense of others. We are regressing, not progressing, because this nation is still made up of millions of small minds and hardened hearts. Bigotry, in all of its shapes and sizes and manifestations, is alive and well in the United States of America.

When listening to politicians and political candidates (I really try not to) and reading about them, the 1960's and what was accomplished...the Civil Rights Act (1965) and the Voting Rights Act (1966) and much more...seem so far away. That time period seems but a distant dream...a distant memory.

And I feel we are rapidly approaching once again that mindset where "others" different from "us" will once again be seen and judged as inferior....or worse. It hasn't been perfect since the 1960's but I sense a strong movement in that unsavory direction, to reestablish a beachhead for intolerance, despite various state and federal laws. And there are telltale signs of that attitude expanding. Oh yes, we shrewd Americans have developed ways around laws and Constitutional amendments; think voter ID requirements (33 states have one form or another); continued Congressional district gerrymandering; profiling specific people in the name of national security.

The current political dogma, practically a mandate if you're a "true" American, requires we see all Mexicans as killers or rapists; for those who are more "broad-minded," that can be extended to those from Central and South America. "Coloreds" in general are still regarded as shiftless, crack-head troublemakers.We're to fear all Muslims and that fear dictates what we, as a nation, must do something about them. That is tantamount to "Round up the usual suspects." But, alas, Manzanar and other internment (concentration!) camps are an even more distant memory....a mere historical footnote.

So, have we come very far since the days of the civil rights movement? Chronologically, yes. But in our nation's heart and soul? Not so much. Just look around you; listen to what's said about your co-workers or neighbors; notice how different ethnic peoples, those who differ from the "norm," are treated, categorized and pigeon-holed. Listen to "popular" talk shows; watch or listen to the news; read editorials. Virtually anybody in this nation who is "different" is dissected, criticized, chastised, scrutinized...and suspected...to the ultimate detriment of this entire nation. Even our current president has been called "boy," "uppity," and "ape" by a supposedly educated, erudite and "enlightened" GOP. I guess those terms need to be redefined.

The political arena stirs up...foments...distrust and stimulates the anxiety and dread within this nation. It has become "Them versus us." And it couldn't happen if this nation, down deep, didn't really feel that way about all those "foreigners" or "undesirables" and how they threaten our way of life...the "American" way of life. Going even further, several high profile individuals have stated "eloquently" and passionately, while others have hinted at...America is for Americans. Those words have a terribly familiar ring to them.

Only the people of a nation, any nation, can turn the tide of prejudice and bigotry. And it looks like it's high time the citizens of this nation once again took the bull by the horns as they did in years gone by and showed the world once again who we really are. If we don't, if we let political candidates and political parties define us, define who we really are, we might as well turn in our membership to the human race because in the end, the United States of America will no longer qualify for membership; she will have relinquished her role as leader of the free world...forever.