Ken's Comments

I am not a fan of the organization that goes by the name "Black Lives Matter" but I am in complete agreement with the concept that Black Lives Matter.  There are three events in recent months that should be rallying points for all people to come together and recognize it is time to not just protest but offer ideas on how to do more to end the inequality that still exists in America. The events I refer to are: The killing of Ahmaud Arbery - in Georgia a young man killed for no apparent reason while he was jogging and then the local police and local DA find no reason to charge the perpetrators The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis  Learning of the higher impact of the Coronavirus on black communities All Americans, regardless of color, deserve to be viewed as individuals and not by skin color, religion, or any other grouping.  All Americans deserve the same opportunity, the same treatment and respect, the same justice.  Unfortunately, the three events I ...

It was an opportunity to unite the nation to do something positive, to bring people together to fight racial discrimination and injustice in the policy and criminal justice system.  And it's been lost. In February, Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed by Gregory and Travis McMichael and a local district attorney said there was not sufficient evidence to charge those two with a crime.  A tragedy and a total disgrace.  Thankfully, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in and the two men have been charged. Last week, George Floyd was killed by a police officer who refused to take his knee of Mr. Floyd's neck for an extended period of time and while ignoring Mr. Floyd's pleas that he could not breathe.  Another tragedy and total disgrace. These two cases point out that, sadly, there still remains injustice towards black Americans in the police and the justice system. These two cases could have united Americans to come together to fight this, to demand chang...

I rarely post political thoughts on Facebook.  It's a nice way to keep in touch with family.  I like to see the stuff they post.  I leave politics for this blog.  If they want to see my thoughts, they can come here. But today, my nephew said something and it demanded a response.  I responded both to his comment and then posted my views on all the violence.  I am reposting it here because this is where these views normally belong and some of the people who read this may not be on Facebook.  This is what I said: I reject the idea that violence solves problems.  Jackie Robinson started dramatic change in American not by fighting back on the baseball field.  He started change by turning the other cheek and using his talents to show people they were wrong. Martin Luther King, Jr. continued that process not by fighting back when Alabama police turned hoses and dogs loose on him and his marchers, but by maintaining peaceful protest.  Rev...