“Having the courage to speak against prevailing opinion in civil strife is often greater than that demanded on the battlefield” is a statement made by Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894). His main contribution to medicine was an 1843 essay on a contagion (disease) later identified as measles.
This measles disease can be controlled by immunization of a child at early ages. In today’s practice, school districts require that every child be immunized. There are, unfortunately, a certain small number of parents who do not want their children immunized. As the number of un-immunized children increases, this virus disease invariably makes a come-back. This is unfortunate, because measles is one disease which almost was eradicated worldwide.
This same disease was brought to the Americas by the Spanish Conquistadors. Native American tribal populations had never been exposed to this viral disease. Consequently, the resident population had never developed any immunity.
Measles epidemics happened amongst indigent peoples with the consequence that an estimated 60% of the native indigent population died. Historians often do not mention the impact of this measles disease because of their focus on what the European immigrants were accomplishing as they invaded and took charge as the dominant population.
It takes a certain level of courage for parents to decide not to have their children get measles shots (i.e. be immunized). They must stand up against the professional opinions of public health specialists and the attendance requirements established by school authorities. This issue is revisited every school year, especially when students return to their classes after their summer vacations.
Our communities must begin to consider ways of identifying and neutralizing certain strong-willed individuals.
At the national level, the current President, Donald J. Trump, is a contrarian who consistently does not perform according to traditional expectations. There are also several elected obstructionists. Mitch McConnel, (Senator: South Carolina) is the best example of an elected official who is extremely partisan and an effective obstructionist.
For example, all the proposed legislation which were initiated by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and endorsed by the House Democratic majority, ended up on Senator Mitch McConnel’s desk and have stayed there. As Senate Majority Leader it is his job to schedule these items for consideration by the Senate. The Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, has not processed any legislation sent by the House of Representatives.
This is obstruction by those who are elected officials whose re-election must not happen during the coming 2020 Presidential Election Year.
I am concerned that the Democratic Party strategists are focused upon efforts which may Keep the House Blue plus result in the election of a Blue Senate (i.e., flip the Senate from Red to Blue). Having both the House and the Senate with a Democratic Party Majority is their objective. Achieving that would simplify passing proposed liberal progressive legislation.
While I am a registered Democratic voter, I am also aware that the best legislation is crafted when bipartisan debate and negotiation happens while the legislative issue is being crafted. This friendly adversarial debate is part of the checks and balances which ensures that all advocates of special interests have their voice and vote heard at the conference table.
It is very important that all special interests’, especially those advocates of women, low income working class, and retired elderly, have a presence (seat, voice and vote) during these preliminary conferences to ensure that their concerns are presented, heard, and included.
The present Trump Administration does not accept the current Global Climate Change evidence collected by climatologists. Trump has decided not to recognize Global Climate Change as being ‘really important’.
According to a Sierra Club official, “Here’s why our planet needs you today — the United Nations just released a report with a dire warning — without immediate action, global warming will fundamentally transform our world. These consequences are not for future generations to experience at some distant date, they are already here. If we don’t do something now, global warming will lead to social disruption, economic damage, and public health impacts on a scale never seen before.”
I do not understand how all that scientific evidence which climatologists have recorded and collected can be ignored. Global Climate Changes are happening: Higher temperatures; larger more destructive storms with longer cycles. Non-traditional global weather events having higher energy levels are happening now.
Higher weather temperatures (even if it’s only one-degree Fahrenheit), result in higher moisture content clouds. Then when these cloud’s temperature drops below the dew point’, very much higher volumes of rain fall.
This process results in the experiences being reporter: Flash floods; higher water volumes flowing down creek beds and rivers. Homes built on lowland flood plains end up being surrounded by rainwater which makes roads impassable.
The very good outcome of all this is that this community’s six-year drought was broken; its reservoirs are almost full. Thus, our supply of drinking water is assured, and ‘Life is Good’ again.
It takes courage to speak up! It takes courage to remind the nay-sayers amongst us, that our lifestyle is much better than that of many others.
