Category Archives: State Politics

Police Are Trying Hard To Meld With Communities

Lately it at least appears that the police in some states around the country are really making an effort to bond with the communities that they protect and serve.  Hopefully, these communities will reciprocate in kind.  There is no doubt that there will continue to be police officers who will reject this effort and continue to abuse their power but like in any job, not everyone will abide by the rules.

We can also rest assured that there will be those in communities around the country who will find reasons, even if they are knowingly fabricated, to reject the efforts of communities to bond with the police because they are driven by anger.  Some are angry because they feel that people of color are raising a fuss and creating turmoil for no real reason because everything is already equal and this so called discrimination against them by the police and other white people is a figment of their imagination.  And people of color are angry at what has been happening to them for decades and the thought that this has been deliberately ignored by our elected officials and others who are in power.

And because those powers that be have patently ignored this situation and continue to wink at it while the lives of numerous people of color have been and continue to be lost, those who comprise these groups feel that something else must be done, even if they haven’t the faintest idea of what that ‘something’ is, before any attempt at reconciliation between police and people of color around America can even begin.

I believe that that ‘something’ for the majority of people of color is validation.  They want white people to openly and sincerely recognize that discrimination against people of color simply because of the color of their skin still exists.  They want them to realize that there is such a thing as white privilege.  They need this validation if they are to be able to move forward and work toward reconciliation.  That notwithstanding, those on the police forces around the country and those in communities throughout America who, for whatever reason, reject efforts at reconciliation must realize that whether or not they intend to be, they are a part of the problem and an obstruction to the solution.

Although the police officers and community members who feel this way may have a valid point and a right to their righteous indignation, this will never be an effective tool in helping to solve this complex problem.  This is not to say that those involved in working to find a solution to it cannot harbor these feelings, but it does say that if they are serious about solving the problem they must be able to move beyond them.

If both sides can move beyond these feelings then a solution can be reached and we can begin to heal.  Although there are no guarantees, if we work together and arrive at a solution the odds are in favor of police officers and community members gaining a better understanding of the complexity of the others situation.  By each side viewing the situation from the others’ perspective we can grow and develop a foundation that assures that each group is and feels mutually respected and appreciated.

There will no doubt still be times when these groups disagree and there will be anger and bickering but it will occur on a completely different level; one which is not driven by the divisiveness of race, raw feelings and that plays out under the shadow of suspicion of the lack of equal justice under the law.  I said in an article that I wrote and posted to this blog on July 13, 2016 entitled ‘All Lives Matter.  They Always Have, Do Now And Always Will’ that I believe that America’s young people will ultimately be the ones who will solve our problems involving race and our country’s policing dilemma.  These thoughts were reinforced by a poem entitled ‘My White Boy Privileges’ that was written by a 14-year-old Caucasian boy and posted to social media, which went viral.

This teenage boy openly acknowledged that he recognized because he is white, he has privileges that people of color do not have.  He said, and I paraphrase here, he would be afraid if he was not on the top rung of the ladder.  He further said that when he sees a policeman, he sees a friend and someone who is there to protect him and he would not trade places with anyone.  There is nothing wrong with him not wanting to trade places with anyone and voicing that sentiment.  What is important is that even while wrapping himself up in that ‘white privilege’, he does not refuse to recognize that not all people have that privilege.

The response to that poem on social media as of the time that I wrote this article represented a microcosm of what is a polarized America when it comes to race and policing in America.  Some people responded with appreciation and understanding and others responded with distain and hatred.  What all white people in America need to understand is that people of color do not want to take that sentiment and privilege away from white people, they simply want to be able to experience that same sentiment themselves by virtue of being afforded that same privilege.  This is not too much to ask and it is something that, against all odds, we can and should work together to do by initiating honest and sincere discourse on America’s problems regarding race and her problems with the policing of American citizens.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

All Lives Matter. They Always Have, Do Now And Always Will

Earlier today when I posted this article I asked that Mayor Giuliani think again about the comments he made about “Black Lives Matter” and erroneously asked that he insert the word “Jew” for the word Black in those comments and after doing that if he would still feel the same way.  The word that I intended to use rather than “Jew” was the word “Italian”.  That error has been corrected and I apologize for it . 

I have been writing about the use of excessive and lethal force by the police for a long time now; I have thought about those things even longer.  But for some reason – combined with the recent tragedies in Baton Rouge and Minnesota involving the killings of two Black men by police, when I read about the killings in Dallas of five innocent police officers and the wounding of seven others, I was literally overcome with emotion; so much so that while in the midst of struggling with those emotions I could not help but to wonder how President Obama and all of the other officials who must regularly deal with these types of situations as a representative of all of their constituents are able to make it.  How are they able to do this time-and-time again, maintain their composure, and survive mentally?

Elected officials are saddled with issues that are tough enough to deal with without divisive comments like those coming from past public officials like former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Representative Joe Walsh.  These men know better than to say something like this because they have been in the shoes of these current elected officials.  No matter how much they might hate President Obama and want to take advantage of an opportunity to play politics, this is not the time for that.  America needs to come together and heal.  The country is in a dangerous place and Americans are in desperate need of leaders who can pull us together not tear us apart!

All of the finger pointing, fighting and taking of sides is, however unfortunate, America’s citizens way – in what is a nightmare-like, schizophrenic way – of crying out for help.  But schizophrenia-like responses is neither what we want nor need from our elected officials especially at this point and under these circumstances!  What we need is combined leadership from all of those whom we have elected to represent us; to represent America!  What makes things even more freighting is that when it comes right down to it, that leadership space currently appears to be a virtual vacuum because there is not a mutual commitment by our elected officials to step up and do the jobs that each was elected to do.  They are without courage.

But please, allow me to get back to Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Representative Joe Walsh.  Mayor Giuliani’s record says that he is a good and reasonable man.  I don’t know that much about former Representative Joe Walsh since he only served one term in congress but I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he is likely a good man but one whose opinion, based on his congressional record, obviously differs from mine.  And based on that congressional record, as to whether or not he is a reasonable man, from my perspective, is debatable.  His short record in congress says that he is not so I would not recommend that he be intricately involved in any effort to solve America’s policing problem.

Although I strongly disagree with Mayor Giuliani with regard to the things that he says about Black Lives Matter, I strongly feel that he should be among those who should sit down and work to resolve this problem.  If by some miracle I could have any input at all, my opening comment and question to the mayor would be; “first, think of all of the things that ‘Black Lives Matter’ have done and been involved in and the comments that you have made about that organization as a result of those things.  Then, insert the word Italian for the word ‘Black’ into all of those thoughts and comments.  Would you still feel the same way?

As I have watched and continue to watch things play out among our young people of all colors I believe that they will be the ones who will ultimately resolve this problem.  I do not know if this is because those in my parents’ generation and my generation grew up fighting to be seen as and treated equal and, as a result, gained enough ground so that many of our young people who did not experience that struggle take it for granted that equality is a given so do not even incorporate the lack of it for some into their thinking or if it is because of other factors unknown to me.  But for whatever reason, despite the color of their skin, when any of these young people are treated differently from their counterparts they begin from the starting point of “I am just as good as you are so what is your problem?”  They do this whether they are addressing the police or anyone else.  Unfortunately, this is what gets too many of our young Black men killed by police officers.

This same attitude by young people applies when they are stopped by police officers.  Young people have the audacity to question police officers if they treat them in an unprofessional manner.  And for young people of color – especially young Black men, to do this even when these police officers, treat them differently from the way that they treat their white counterparts seems to quickly escalate these situations.  In situations where white police officers – of which some already fear them simply because of their color – are involved, this has too often proven to evolve into a life or death situation.

If a person of this young generation does not like someone it is more likely than not that it is due to that person’s personality and not because of the color of their skin.  If a person of this generation feels that they are being treated differently from what they perceive to be normal then they are going to question it.  So my question to Mayor Giuliani is; is this something that justifies a police officer killing a Black man or any other person of color?  Should it justify them killing any person despite their color?  And if so, why is it that it is more often a person of color, especially young Black men, who are killed for this rather than a white person?

In the meantime – while we work to solve the policing problem, perhaps our elected officials, their leaders and those who are considered to be among the elites of each party should espouse the examples set by these young people and incorporate lessons learned from them into their way of thinking and governing.  Even if it doesn’t help things it certainly could not hurt them.  And it would also likely do some good for those of us everyday Americans in my parents’ generation and my generation who are not elected officials to have some new light shed on our way of thinking by these young people.  We don’t have to agree with them on everything that they have to say but surely we can agree on some things.

With the situation that America is in now all of us, regular citizens and elected officials, need to focus on that situation and reevaluate what it is that we really feel and truly believe as Americans.  America is a great nation and we can make it even greater.  We just have to be willing to focus and work together.  It will take a lot of hard work but we can do it.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

A Letter To The Mayor

In light of the recent killings of two Black men by police in Baton Rouge and Minnesota and the killing of four police officers and the wounding of eight others in Dallas, I wrote a letter to the mayor of Denver.  I decided to share it with you in the hope that it will inspire you to write to your federal, state and local officials to tell them about your concerns about policing in your communities and ask them to please do their best to help resolve this problem.  I also hope that you will offer any ideas that you have to help solve this problem and help in any other way that you can.  The letter follows immediately below.

July 9, 2016

Dear Mayor Hancock,

Because I know that you are a busy man I will get right to the point and be as brief as possible.  I am writing to you because of the recent incidents around the country involving the police and the citizens that they police.  When you view the pictures in articles on policing that have saturated the media lately, you can see it in the faces of every reasonable person involved in these situations, despite political party affiliation or the side of the issue that they stand on; the despair, strained emotions, frustration and pain.  The sense of virtual hopelessness expressed on the faces of those in these pictures, with regard to this situation is palpable.  I saw that on your face when you spoke about it.  Yet, one can still detect that glimmer of humanity and sincere desire to solve this problem that all reasonable people – through it all – are determined to and somehow cling to.

I have read numerous articles on the above mentioned incidents and strongly believe that it is far past time for our elected officials to stop playing politics and step up to solve this problem.  There are reasonable politicians in both parties and you can do this.  The problem is not going to go away without a lot of hard work.

There are also many reasonable police officers who have aired their points of view in favor of police officers and many civilians who have aired their points of view in favor of those who are being policed.  In some cases, police have sided with the civilians points of view and in some cases civilians have sided with the police’s points of view.  Among the police and civilians, these are the type of people who need to be intricately involved in working to solve this problem.

Many highly visible people throughout the country have asked regular citizens to reach out to our politicians at the federal, state and local levels.  That is what I want to do by way of this letter.  I have a suggestion as to how I believe that officials in Denver can be proactive in working toward a solution to this problem while at the same time helping to prevent Denver from someday facing a situation like those in Baton Rouge, Dallas and Minnesota.

America needs to Fix The Problem With The American Police Force Now.  That is the title of an article that I wrote and posted to my blog on December 15, 2015.  The suggestion/template that I am offering to help solve our policing problem begins in paragraph 9 of that article.  So rather than provide that information to you in this letter and make it even longer and less likely that you will read it I provided the aforementioned link to that information.

If you would prefer not to click on the link please Google my blog site, Political Pawns And Puppets.  When you reach the site, type the title in the link that I provided into the site’s search box and this will bring up the article.  In the event that you might be interested in reading all of the articles that I have written on this subject, simply type the word ‘police’ into the search box.

Respectfully,

 

Eulus Dennis

cc:

Stacie Gilmore, District 11 City Councilman

Hickenlooper For Vice President?

It is floating around out there somewhere that Governor John Hickenlooper is on a list (short list?) to be Secretary Hillary Clinton’s  running mate; but so is Senator Elizabeth Warren.  Should he be her running mate or should Senator Warren (or someone else) fill that slot?  What are the things that suggest that Governor Hickenlooper should be that person and what are those that suggest otherwise?  For now, let’s ignore the ‘someone else’ scenario and focus on Governor Hickenlooper and Senator Warren.

First, let’s explore the reasons that suggest that Governor Hickenlooper should be that person.  Number one, Colorado is a purple state and, from the perspective of the Clinton supporters, it would be great if Secretary Clinton could win Colorado.  Number two, Governor Hickenlooper is well accepted in Colorado by both Democrats and Republicans.  Still, many Democrats feel that he is not as solid a Democrat as he should be so do not fully trust him.  But on the flipside of the coin, which brings me to my third and final reason, many Republicans find him acceptable as a reasonable Democrat who will at least listen to the collective voice of Republicans even if they are not completely willing to accept him into their fold as someone who they can trust as they would a fellow Republican.  A perfect fit for a purple state, right?

If Governor Hickenlooper were Secretary Clinton’s running mate he would likely attract disaffected Republicans who just cannot stomach voting for Donald Trump.  While doing this, he would still be attractive to those Democrats who do not feel that he is as solid a Democrat as he should be because, despite their limited trust of him, their first priority is to unite the Democratic Party and defeat Donald Trump.  That means that the odds would be that he would tilt the scale in this purple state in Secretary Clinton’s favor.

He would also likely draw into the Clinton camp – although they would never publicly admit to voting for her – other Republicans who closely follow politics, are well informed on political nuances and are concerned about the survival of the Republican Party who cannot stomach supporting Donald Trump.  These Republicans could also heavily influence and otherwise impact upon other Republicans who are straddling the fence and still in a decision-making mode as to whether or not they are going to vote for Mr. Trump.  Although Colorado might not have a large amount of electoral votes to offer compared to some other purple states, these electoral votes and Governor Hickenlooper’s potential ability to draw other Republican voters who might otherwise not vote for a Democrat could prove to be a tempting prize.

The negative side of Secretary Clinton choosing Governor Hickenlooper as a running mate would be that he would not attract the Bernie Sanders supporters as effectively as would Senator Warren.  The tough task comes in comparing and measuring the negatives and the positives presented by these two potential running mates, correctly sifting through them, and then arriving at the right conclusion that will help catapult Secretary Clinton to victory and seal her place in history as the first woman to occupy the White House and claim the title as the President of the United States of America.

Now, let’s talk about what Senator Elizabeth Warren has to offer.  First and foremost, Senator Warren already has high visibility nationally and she is the darling of progressives.  All of those who support Senator Bernie Sanders would likely quickly acquiesce to the will and leadership of Senator Warren.

Senator Sanders and Senator Warren were close before he became a presidential candidate and they remain that way now even though she recently endorsed Secretary Clinton.  Although Senator Sanders has not yet suspended his campaign, he has noticeably toned down his attacks on Secretary Clinton.  He has refocused his rhetoric from her to that of the economy with emphasis on addressing wealth inequity, securing a 15 dollar per hour minimum wage, taking big money out of the election process, better regulating Wall Street and placing a greater emphasis on reinvigorating Main Street and the middle class.

There is no doubt that Senator Warren would be able to help unite the Democratic base and stoke their enthusiasm, but she would likely be unable to draw disaffected Republicans to the Democratic ticket as effectively as would Governor Hickenlooper.  Many of those Republicans that might be drawn to the Democratic ticket because of Governor Hickenlooper would likely find it totally unacceptable – and therefore repulsive, if Senator Warren were Secretary Clinton’s running mate.

Other Republicans throughout the United States would likely dismiss even the thought of voting for Secretary Clinton if Senator Warren was on the ticket because they consider her to be too far to the left and, therefore, less likely to hear the voice of Republicans and – even occasionally – advocate for them even when she felt that their ideas were better than those of her fellow Democrats.  They might feel that she would not urge the president to give reasonable consideration to their input and concerns and press her to give meaningful consideration to their points of view.

Should Secretary Clinton pick Governor Hickenlooper who would likely be able to pull the base together, although not as assuredly so as would Senator Warren but would likely attract disaffected Republican voters?   Or, should she pick Senator Warren who would certainly pull the base together but would likely repulse disaffected Republican voters because those Republicans consider her to be too liberal and therefore tone-deaf to Republicans and their ideas?  For all intents and purposes – with these two candidates, these are the only two choices available to her.

Secretary Clinton can take the input from all of those in her campaign under advisement.  But in the end, the choice as to which option she will choose is hers, and hers alone, to make.  The stakes are extremely high because the choice that she makes will ultimately impact on not only her but on all of us as Americans.  Let’s hope that she makes the right choice.  Of course, the ‘right choice’ depends on which side of the ledger you stand on.  I am absolutely sure about which side I stand on; how about you?  Stay informed and always vote.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Senate Bill 191 Sleight Of Hand

The Colorado Court Of Appeals reversed judge Michael Martinez’s dismissal of the lawsuit filed in 2014 by the DCTA questioning the ‘Mutual Consent’ provisions of Senate Bill (SB) 191. Since the reversal, the Colorado Supreme has agreed to hear the lawsuit.  Both the DCTA and DPS have said that they are glad that the Supreme Court agreed to accept the case and both sides expressed confidence that their side would prevail.

Because DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg has not yet returned from his six-month sabbatical to live abroad with his family, according to him, as he promised them that he would years ago, Acting Superintendent Susana Cordova is at the reins. Being a good soldier, of course, she echoed a statement that Superintendent Boasberg made earlier during the lawsuit process.

According to an article in Chalkbeat in March 2016, Ms. Cordova said “DPS believes lawmakers were right to allow districts to end forced placement, especially because of its effects on high-poverty schools. “‘If districts must go back to forced placement, then those students are the most likely to have teachers who are not the right fit forced into their schools.”‘

Earlier during the lawsuit process – again, according to Chalkbeat, Superintendent Boasberg said “‘Forced placement of teachers into schools where they do not want to teach, or where the school is unwilling to offer them jobs, is wrong. It’s wrong for kids, it’s wrong for teachers, it’s wrong for schools…'”  What a scenario for sleight of hand and a bunch of smoke and mirrors that statement set up.  For right now, let’s go with the sleight of hand and forget about the smoke and mirrors.

DPS’ sleight of hand? They are telling us that they are extremely concerned about all of these unfortunate teachers who will be forced into schools where they do not want to teach while these teachers are in essence crying out; please do not place me there, I would rather ultimately lose my job and be unable to pay my bills than be placed there.  Please do not put me there!  And they are telling us that they are abundantly concerned for these schools that are unwilling to offer these teachers jobs but are being forced to accept them while principals and teachers at these schools are openly crying out; none of these teachers are worthy and capable teachers, I implore you, do not send them here!  DPS says that this is wrong for kids, it’s wrong for teachers and it’s wrong for schools.

Now, let’s rewind to the ‘Dance of the Lemons’ days back in the 1990s. Do you remember those days?  For those of you who either just do not remember or were not even yet born in those days, this was a time when DPS was struggling to rid itself of teachers that it did not feel were meeting DPS requirements but could not fire them because of tenure.  Instead, they were forced to place them in any schools that had openings.  They referred to this situation as ‘The Dance of the Lemons.

While some of these teachers might not have met requirements, there were others who, whether or not they met requirements had acquired powerful enemies either in the schools, at the 900 Grant Street (DPS Administration) level, or both. Even though some principals might have wanted to hire some of these teachers, if they knew that they were on the Administrations unwritten blacklist, these principals would have had to be out of their minds to hire them if they valued their own jobs.

Sleight of hand? Just like the Administration was feinting great concern for teachers, schools and DPS children’s learning experience but actually setting the stage to use SB 191 to get rid of unwanted teachers while at the same time likely covertly coercing principals not to accept these teachers; principals were secretly wanting to hire some of them while feinting not wanting to hire them and influencing their personnel committees not to accept them.  Oh what a tangled web we weave…  I would quickly add that even the teachers who were not meeting requirements deserved due-process.  But DPS desperately needed to solve this ‘Dance of the Lemons’ problem when suddenly (or not so suddenly) SB 191 materialized.

Coincidentally (or not so coincidentally), their problem was solved, right? Wrong.  Because in order for SB 191 to solve their problem DPS would have to abuse it.  That brings us to the point that we are at now.  If you juxtapose SB 191 and ‘The Dance of the Lemons’ problem, it appears that the solution is there.  But it cannot be there if it requires abusing this bill.  And DCTA is arguing that this is exactly what DPS is doing; they are taking a ‘the end justifies the means’ approach to solving what they see as the problem and this should not be allowed.

Again, as I said in an article that I wrote a few years ago in the Denver Post, the fact that the DCTA and an arbitrator disagree with supporters of SB 191 about the interpretation of the mutual-consent provisions of the bill does not make SB 191 a bad bill. But neither does it make the DCTA and the arbitrator who agreed with them ogres who do not care about Denver’s children but, instead, place their own interest above that of providing these children with a top quality education.

I agree with the DCTA. I also believe that DPS lost a lot of excellent and dedicated teachers by way of their use of SB 191.  Through SB 191, they have done harm to the quest for Denver children to get the best education possible rather than enhancing that quest.  DPS should take a step back from what it views as the best path forward to educating our children, reassess the situation and try again to collaborate with those in the trenches such as students, parents, teachers and principals and with other experts in academia to reach the right solution for educating all of our children.

And when the DPS Administration is interacting with these teachers and principals it should not punish them for their input when it does not agree with the line of thinking of that of the Administration but should objectively consider it. DPS Administration should make the final decision but that decision should not be based on abusing SB 191 or any other bill or law.  Instead, it should be based on the spirit and intent of forging the best team possible and securing its loyalty and trust to assure that children attending DPS receive the best education possible.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

What kind of a Democrat are you?

Let’s see now; how do I brand myself as a Democrat? Am I a liberal, progressive, moderate, neoliberal…?  Am I a populist kind of guy/gal or am I more of an FDR type; just a regular liberal?  Wait, maybe I’m a leftist type Democrat.  No…, maybe I’m a neoliberal; yeah – that’s it, I’m a neoliberal.  W-e-l-l with the way that I think, I’m probably more of a social conservative Democrat.  No…  But I know that I can’t be a libertarian because that’s Republican, isn’t it?

With the way that things are going today and with all of the different names that are floating around out there for those who are Democrats and those who are Republicans, people who are not political geeks but who regularly follow politics struggle to identify themselves (without an argument from those who identify themselves by the same name but define the name/term differently; e.g., conservative/conservatism). Even the political geeks and political pundits argue about this.

Right now USA Today has a headline that declares, “Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders battle over meaning of ‘progressive’. That’s right, each candidate and members of their respective staff are saying things like, he is not the gatekeeper of progressivism and she can’t be a moderate one day and a progressive the next simply depending on who she is speaking to.  If you presented all of the labels available to the regular Joe Democrat or Republican and then asked them, which one are you; do you think that they might have a tough time responding?  Remember when you could just be a liberal, moderate or conservative Democrat or a moderate or conservative Republican?

There are a lot of people who might argue that Democrats ran away from the ‘liberal’ word because Republicans had painstakingly defined it for Democrats and put it out to the world as something terrible and because Democrats were not able to effectively change that definition, they simply renamed it ‘progressive’. But this time Democrats defined it before the Republicans could trash it for them; although, obviously, we still argue over the definition.

So what is the big deal with all of this ‘I am a liberal’, ‘I am a progressive’, ‘I am a moderate’, ‘I am a social conservative’ Democrat etc. and etc.? Is it hard for the candidates to put less emphasis on that and focus more on the nitty-gritty stuff because the media and other political pundits emphasize it because it makes talking about politics more in-depth and, therefore more challenging and interesting to them?  Is it because the candidates themselves emphasize it for purposes of media coverage because they know that this is a tempting hook for the media?

I guess the regular Joe is left to either figure all of this out or just ignore it if they are to determine who they want to vote for then actually get out and vote for them despite the fact that all of the labels create some confusion as to what each candidate actually stands for. To make matters worse, it appears that they will be relegated to decipher this while different candidates are saying I am a liberal so I stand for this, I am a progressive so I stand for that.  And their opponents are saying, how can he/she be a progressive when they don’t stand for this, how can they be a progressive when they don’t stand for that?  He’s not a liberal, he stands for this!

But wait, you haven’t reached the finish line yet; there is still more to contend with. You are only dealing with the primary election.  You have to caucus for your candidate if you really want them to have a chance to win.  That’s right.  You can’ just go to their political rallies, show your support and let them know that you will vote for them in the primary and general election; you have to caucus for them.  Do what?

Ask most people (usually the regular Joes of the world) if they are going to caucus for their candidate and they will likely tell you yes because they have heard the word before. Then ask them what it means to caucus for their candidate and usually they don’t really know: you will normally get a bunch of stammering from them or just a blank stare.

What most people don’t know is that their candidate could have, for sake of a simple example, 1,000 supporters and someone else’s could have 500. However; if at caucus 100 (10%) of the supporters of the candidate with 1,000 supporters show up and 125 (25%) of the supporters of the candidate with 500 supporters show up, the candidate with 500 supporters will win.  Of course the process is significantly more complicated than what the example depicts but that is generally how things work at a caucus.

If you do manage to reach the finish line with your candidate as your Party’s nominee, the general election will still leave you and your candidate of choice to deal with all of the liberal, progressive, moderate, conservative etc. and etc. labels. But you will have successfully made it through the primaries process so the rest should be easy.  All you have to do now is stay informed and get out and vote.

That notwithstanding, hopefully the gatekeepers of liberalism, progressivism, conservatism and all of the rest will help us out before the 2016 presidential election takes place. Good luck to all of the regular Joe’s out there, you will probably need it!

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

African American Republicans Should Step Up

Why don’t influential African Americans in the Republican Party like Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Michael Steel, Allen West, Herman Cain and Dr. Ben Carson step up and speak up to try to help save the Republican Party from self destruction? Are they afraid of the repercussions that they might be faced with?  Are they afraid of the personal damage that they might sustain from the sheer impact of any blowback that they might receive?

I tried to find out how many African American Republicans there are but could not come up with a definitive answer. Even if there are very few they should step up and speak up.  They should at least make an effort to educate the conservative faction of the Republican Party on the perspective of African Americans and other people of color on these ‘pure’ conservative points of view.

I read and then reread E. J. Dionne’s recent article, “Republican self-destruction is fun to watch, but bad for us all”, dated January 29, 2016 in The Washington Post. I learned some things that I did not know about conservatives, in particular pure conservatives, and their perspective on governance.  Although I do not agree with all of the things that they advocate in how they believe that America should move forward I believe that there can be common ground and that Democrats and Republicans should seek that common ground.  But that presents a major problem because pure conservatives believe that compromise with the Democrats is a deal breaker and therefore a non-starter.

As naive as it might sound coming from me, someone who has followed politics for a very long time; after reading Mr. Dionne’s article, it strikes me that perhaps I never really knew the definition of conservatism. Maybe the definition is continuing to evolve and I will never fully understand what conservatism means.  A lot of conservatives still argue about this so I shouldn’t let something like that bother me.  But the point is not whether or not I can define conservatism.  Instead, the point is what the takeaway for me was from that article and its impact on my thinking as it relates to influential African American Republicans.

I have watched Michael Steele defend the Republican Party many times on the Hardball with Chris Matthews Show and on other MSNBC shows. I have witnessed him bristle when others on those shows rightly asserted that congressional Republicans in Washington were divisive, seemed to be more interested in obstructing than they were in governing and that they are a Party that is continuously becoming more exclusive, older and whiter.

Michael Steele is a Republican and I can understand why he becomes agitated and comes to the defense of his Party when he feels that someone is attacking it. What I do not understand is how as an African American he can know how many of those in his Party feel about people who look like him and still remain attached to it without making any effort to fix it.  How can he be comfortable with that?

The very definition of conservatism by too many in the Republican Party precludes me as an African American, and no doubt many other people of color, from even considering becoming a member of that party. Why?  Because these Republicans want to go back to what they consider to be the ‘good old days’ when slavery existed (they now seem to want what fundamentally amounts to slavery in a more palatable form), there was no Social Security, no civil rights laws, no women’s rights, no gay rights, no push for universal health care, lower taxes on the wealthy, the government’s focus was on assisting “makers” and “job creators”, and there were fewer minorities.  This definition, which defines how Republicans really feel, is likely also what predestined them to fail in their effort to build a bigger and more inclusive tent.

It is nonsensical for anyone to believe that people of color would want to be part of a Party that wants them to subordinate themselves to white people and allow them to rule their lives no matter how nice and compassionate that those white people might be toward them. I wouldn’t do it and I am sure that today’s young African Americans would not do it.  I want to be equal to them and I want to be treated as an equal.  I want to be able to rise based on my ability and reach my full potential, no matter what that level might be and not held back because they believe that my cognitive powers are limited and I am not cerebral enough in their eyes.  I want to be judged by the content of my character, not the color of my skin.

If the true definition of conservatism is grounded in those previously mentioned things and those things are etched in stone and unmovable then therein lies the problem. It should not be this way.  That is why people like Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Michael Steele, Allen West, Herman Cain and Dr. Ben Carson should step up and speak up.  They have the opportunity and the responsibility to help the Republican Party get back on track.  Their efforts, even if not immediately successful, would be beneficial to the Republican Party, people of color, and to America.  America needs the entire Republican Party and that includes the conservative facet of it.

I don’t know if E. J. Dionne even gave a thought to calling out people like those that I mentioned. Even if he did, in his capacity it would likely be unethical and or against the rules.  In this blog, however, I am allowed to interject my opinion.  The downside is that I obviously don’t get anywhere near the amount of readers that The Washington Post gets and so this message will reach a lot fewer people.

Mr. Dionne said in his article that “An intellectually vibrant conservatism is essential to a healthy democracy. The United States needs conservatives willing to criticize the grand plans we liberals sometimes offer, to remind us that traditional institutions should not be overturned lightly and to challenge those who believe that politics can remold human nature.”  I agree with him.  And that is why we need the Republican Party and the conservative presence to remain a consistent part of our two party system.  They must not be allowed to self-destruct because of their stubbornness and lack of pliability.

And because their continued presence in the political process is in the best interest of America, whether we are Democrats, Republicans or Independents we have a responsibility to convince them that this is the case. Further, those previously mentioned influential Republicans should be leading the pack among those who should be first responders.

Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line

Will Denver soon become another piece comprising the Black Lives Matter focal point?

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey could soon find himself embroiled in the Black Lives Matter protests as a result of his track record as regards his lack of willingness to ever bring charges against a police officer and his recent decision not to pursue charges against Denver deputies that were involved in the 11/24/15 death of a black man in their custody. Although that man, Michael Marshall, had heart failure after these deputies subdued him, they were able to revive him to the point where his heart started beating again.  He was then transported to a hospital where he later died.

Prior to this incident, during late January 2015, the DA wrote a letter that criticized Denver Executive Director of Safety Stephanie O’Malley on the terminology she used in her written notice firing two Denver Deputies who used excessive force on inmates. In essence, he lectured her on her office’s findings which justified the firing and questioned whether those findings had been embellished.

Although the president of the police union had praised Ms. O’Malley and said “I think she’ll be fair when it comes to discipline…” when Mayor Michael Hancock first appointed her as Manager of Safety in December of 2013, since that time, the union’s relationship with Ms. O’Malley has soured and they are also at odds with her. This is not uncommon based on other situations around the country that have occurred when police officers were disciplined or even simply reprimanded for their actions.  Perhaps it is just the nature of the job when it comes to unions and those responsible to discipline their members.

The thing that strikes me as odd, however, is how the DA chose to address this issue. DA’s are usually the ones who insist on keeping things in-house while an investigation is going on or an appeal is pending.  In this particular case the deputies that were fired are appealing Director O’Malley’s decision.  But just like it is the nature of the job for relationships to sour between unions and those responsible to discipline their members, perhaps it is also the nature of the job for politics to come into play when politicians are among those involved in solving the problem.

Whether or not politics is involved in the feud between DA Mitch Morrissey and Safety Director O’Malley is not the point of this article. The point is that there is a movement – led by Black Lives Matter –  against excessive force by police that is taking place across the country.  There are situations like those that have occurred in New York City, Baltimore, Cleveland and many other places that have spiraled out of control; situations that might have been mitigated if the elected officials and other leaders in those cities and states had been ahead of the curve and prepared for them.  That is the point of this article and the reason for the following admonition.

Denver is a wonderful, forward-looking city with great amenities and more are constantly being added. Right now, though we have our problems, our city is relatively calm and divisiveness is not a major problem.  But signs of what has occurred and is still ongoing in the previously mentioned places are beginning to flare up more often here.  These things are garnering more and more attention from the press and in this case, that is not a good sign.

We do not want our city, Mayor Hancock, members of the city council and other civic leaders to have to struggle through what the aforementioned cities are continuing to struggle through. We want Denver’s citizens to be spared the turmoil and pain that the citizens in places like New York City, Baltimore, Cleveland and many other cities around America are contending with.

Perhaps we can help Denver to avoid this problem by letting our city and state leaders know that we want them to get ahead of the curve and figure out how to stop this problem before it gains good footing. Contacting your city council member might be a good place to start:  I’m certainly going to mention it to my councilwoman, Stacie Gilmore, at our next District 11 Town Hall Community Meeting on February 11th.

Remember, I said contacting your city council member is a good place to start not to end. Elected state officials should also be on your list of those to contact as well as any others that you believe would be beneficial in helping to assure that this potential problem is addressed expeditiously, mitigated – or if possible, prevented.  After all, we don’t just want Denver to continue to be a great city to live in; we want Colorado to continue to be a great state to live in!

Eulus Dennis

Fix The Problem With The American Police Force Now

Lately, under pressure by the public, video after video that show police officers abusing their power by using excessive force or deadly force have been released by police departments. Most of the time these videos have reflected the opposite of what the police at the scene spelled out in their reports. Even after these videos have been released and police officers have been indicted and faced a jury, most of them have been freed and allowed to keep their job.  How does this make you feel?

Whether there release occurred because the laws in place dictated that they be released or whether it occurred for some other reason unknown to the public, the system has to be reevaluated and fixed. The best word for what the police officers in these videos have done is hubris.  The same word applies to all of the other cops who abuse their authority.  They do it because they can and they know that they will not be held to account.

It seems that when their actions are questioned the offending police officers’ unanimous response to this problem and citizens who disdain it is; so it’s hubris, what are you going to do about it? And that is the question before the American people: what are we going to do about it?  So far the answer is “nothing”… because we just can’t get our head around the problem.

Here is an idea for those politicians and heads of police departments around the country. Get serious about fixing the problem with policing now and stop hiding in dark corners and ignoring it or simply employing the old tired and worn out kick the can down the road approach to it.  Americans are tired of politicians and others who are in positions of authority using the timeless Potomac Two Step and Kick The Can Down The Road vaudeville-like routine to shirk their responsibility.

No one wants to step up to the problem because it is a political hot potato so they have convinced themselves that it is a massive problem that is all but impossible to solve. As a result, instead of working to solve it, they are spending a great amount of their time in the spin room trying to come up with talking points that will be acceptable to the public and the rest of their time doing actual trial runs on us until they can come up with the ones that we will find to be most palatable.

These politicians and other authorities are trying to convince the majority of Americans that they will continue to chip away at the problem in order to make things better but that this is a problem that is simply too big to solve; kind of like the banks that are “too big to fail”, that’s just the way that it is. They want to project to us an image of the old cliché of an elephant in a dark room that everyone is allowed to touch where everyone comes up with a different description of what is there because they all touched a different part of this huge animal.  Without knowing that this is an elephant there is no way that they can decide what they can do with or about this thing that is in the room.  Voila!  The situation involving policing in America will be resolved if only they can reach this point with their spin then effectively sell it to the public.

My analogy may sound harsh but I do not think that it is harsh because this avoidance by those responsible to address this problem has more to do with the impact that addressing it will have on their personal careers than it does with the supposed fact that it is impossible to solve. It is understandable that no one from the fair-minded street cop to the fair-minded top cop to the fair-minded ambitious politicians wants to attack this problem but someone has to step up to it.

Here is something that might help them to man up, woman up – or whatever it takes, to get them to step up to the problem: a template, so to speak, on how to determine that it is an elephant that is in the room so that they can determine what they should do next. First, turn on the light!  That should make things a lot easier.  If you continue to keep your heads in the sand or hide in any dark corner that you can find to avoid tackling the problem then it will never get fixed!

Now bear with me while I present the template that I have to offer. The bad cops on the street have a roof over their heads, which consists of – from the top down – ; the chief, deputy chiefs, division chiefs (senior command), commander, captains, lieutenants (command) then the sergeants, corporals, private first class cops and finally the buck private cops all of whom I will refer to as the street cops.  This roof prevents the rain (accountability, fairness and justice) from falling on them.  They know this is the case so they feel free, and perhaps even motivated, to conduct themselves in any way that they please without fear of any consequences.

If any of the cops in this chain of command are unscrupulous or dirty cops then this forms a portion of the roof over the heads of any other unscrupulous or dirty cops. If the top of the chain of command is unscrupulous or dirty then it is likely that many if not all of the others in that chain of command are that way because they were selected by the corrupt chain of command or their selection was influenced by them.  If this is the case then the roof is complete and these dirty cops are completely protected from the rain.  If there are cops in this chain of command who do not fit this unscrupulous, dirty cop mold they are usually intimidated and too afraid to challenge the status quo.

The police force senior command and command are usually heavily influenced by the Manager of Safety and the Mayor. Even if the Manager of Safety and the Mayor are individuals who are honest and above board and believe in fairness and holding members of the entire police force to account, there are political implications that, as a politician, the Mayor is extremely likely to consider that would impact on how he decides to deal with any problem with policing.  If there is a problem for the Mayor then this is likely a direct problem for the Manager of Safety and indirect problems for all other politicians that could become entangled in the effort to fix the problem.  This is why we are witnessing what we are experiencing now in America when it comes to addressing the problem of bad policing and what to do about correcting this problem.

So how can using the aforementioned template help in getting those responsible for fixing this problem to step up to it and fix it? Here’s how.  First, the Mayor must appoint a Manager of Safety and Chief of Police that is clean and did not come up through the ranks.  This is where we as voters and the public come in because we too have a responsibility to fill.  We must apply pressure to the Mayor to select such a chief and let him know in no uncertain terms that if he refuses then we will make him pay via recall, at the next election if applicable or in his efforts to further his political career if he is term-limited and cannot run again.

Once the new Manager of Safety and police chief are in place they can begin to replace those corrupt cops in the senior command and command ranks. This will remove the intimidation felt by those in the ranks of the scrupulous street cops and motivate them to begin to help clean up the problem before the ax even reaches their level because they now know that the rain can and will fall on these unscrupulous cops.

Knowing that the roof has been removed and that the rain will fall on them will be just as effective on the good cops as it will on the bad ones. Good cops will become more comfortable with challenging their fellow officers whenever they begin to abuse their power.  And if that is not enough then they will likely feel more comfortable with reporting these officers to their superiors.  However, the fact that unscrupulous and dirty cops might also begin to clean up their act before the ax reaches them must not mean that they get a get out of jail free card and should not be replaced and still held accountable for what they have done.

All police departments hierarchy are not set up the same way in every city as the one mentioned in my example; but correcting the problem should function the same way by working from the top to the bottom. This suggestion is not something that is meant to be a panacea but, instead, is meant to be at least a starting point for those who have procrastinated for so long and are continuing to resist fixing this problem.  It is not something that is expected to work overnight or without a lot of hard work and planning.  Even if people continue to gripe and complain, which we probably will, until the problem is fixed at least those responsible to fix it will have gotten off the dime and began making a reasonable effort to do so.

Eulus Dennis

President Obama Defined

Who is this Barack Obama? In the eyes of the Republicans he is fickle, weak, does not understand the Middle East, a timid decision maker, not so bright, a liar, a person who does not love America, an illegitimate president, a president who leads from behind, a president of America that any of the 2016 Republican presidential candidates would be better than and many other negative things that would comprise a list that is longer than I would care to mention.  Further – in their eyes, he does not pound his chest nearly enough to emphasize America’s strength or bully the rest of the world and threaten to annihilate them if they do not see things the same way that we do and agree to do them exactly our way.

Now I will tell you who my president is in my eyes. He is a strong and principled president who always leads from the front despite the tremendous demands of his office and the additional unwarranted and unnecessary weight placed on him by his fellow politicians whose number one goal was to make him a one-term president and now is to deny him any victories in order to ruin his legacy even if those victories are in the best interest of America.

He is a president who is consistent, strong, completely understands the volatile and sensitive Middle East situation, a strong decision maker, extremely bright, a truth teller who constantly monitors the emotional atmosphere of our country and world situations then skillfully incorporates the results – in consideration of the American people and the volatility of those situations – into his determination and the delivery of his message as to how America will handle these problems. He is a president who loves America and all of her citizens, without doubt a legitimate president, a president that has accomplished great things for our country, a president who is definitely not irreplaceable (no one is) but one who will leave big shoes to fill.  And finally, he is not the blowhard which it seems that Republican leaders around the country and Republican politicians in Washington want.

Obviously, my view of President Obama is the flip side of the coin that depicts how his Republican adversaries and others who see him as an illegitimate president view him. I believe that my perspective coincides with that of most other reasonable people whether they are Democrats, Republicans or Independents.  They might not like him or agree with the decisions that he makes but they do not condone denigrating him and sabotaging his leadership before American citizens and the world based on those things.

The best way to replace President Obama and prevent people like him who support his perspectives and way of governance from leading the country is to exercise your right to vote! I would quickly add that in doing this, the process should not in any way be sabotaged to prevent anyone who has a right to vote from exercising that right.

We are a democracy and have to work harder to act like one no matter how angry and frustrated we might be or might become with one another. We must realize and accept that this type of governance can be and usually is messy but also realize that it is what has helped to make America the great country that it is.

In realizing and accepting this we can continue to fuss, fight and complain but we must not let anything or anybody separate us based on race, religion, gender or any such thing; weaken us and then exploit that weakness for their personal gain or the gain of any cause that they might champion. To do so is playing right into the hands of ISIS and other terrorist organizations like it.  This is exactly what they want America to do!

I have disagreed with decisions that President Obama has made, felt the frustration of not receiving equal treatment as an American by those in power as well as from everyday white American citizens based simply on the color of my skin, been disappointed because my white brothers and sisters either cannot or do not seem to want to understand that disappointment and marveled at those white people who do not believe that there is any such a thing as white privilege. I get upset with them – many of whom I consider to be my friends, and gripe and complain (sometimes to them) about their lack of perception and inability to see something that is (to me) so blatantly obvious.  I can only imagine the reciprocal because I have not lived it but many of them are likely just as frustrated with me and my seemingly inability to see things from their perspective.

But I firmly believe that the great majority of white people want things to be fair and want everyone who is willing to work for it to have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. There are too many white people who have, from since almost the time that the first load of slaves were delivered to the shores of America, privately – and later openly helped people of color to advance for me to be wrong.  And during the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, white people have openly stood arm-in-arm with their black counterparts in an effort to achieve equality for all people.  And they have done this while all the time being ridiculed by other white people and at the risk of their own personal safety.  This is something that should not be taken lightly or for granted.

So I encourage all of us as Americans to consider these things in our decision making and to always incorporate them into our thinking before we act. I understand the fear that all of the recent senseless killing has engendered because I too am afraid.  But we cannot let fear rule us, instead, we must manage it.  We have all been afraid before at one time or another and have come through it safely.  I would wager that if we reflect on those times that we were afraid most of us would arrive at the conclusion that we were better off because we managed that fear than we would have been had we not managed it.

And again I say – if we must, let us fuss, fight, complain and disagree – in a civilized way – about the issues and how our country’s leader handles them but as Americans, let us always remain civil. In addition, politicians whom we have elected to lead and guide us must determine to avoid the temptation to sabotage our president’s leadership and programs and embarrass America in the eyes of the world in pursuit of political gain.  There are much better ways for them to achieve their goals and do it honorably.

Eulus Dennis