There is great joy in being a kid. You do everything without a care in the world. Kids go to the playground and just play. They’re not looking at skin color or nothing. All they see is another kid and automatically just want to start playing. When they finish playing and leave to go their separate ways, they notice something different but not quite sure what to think. At that point it happens. They ask that one question that can shape them for the rest of their lives. The only reason they ask that one question is because they’ve either led a sheltered life or they’ve only hung around people of the same kind. “Momma, why did the kid I was playing with look different than us?” *PAUSE AND HAVE A TWIX CANDY* that’s a commercial and it’s a good one because people, in my opinion, should pause before they answer that question. I was asked that question and my response was, sweetie, she’s an American just like us. I can hear the screams now from the congregation. You’re wrong you should tell your daughter she’s a strong black woman because she’s going to face challenges that will be different from others. WOW! I guess I’m wrong then. God forbid I teach my child to accept people for who they are and not judge them by the color of their skin. Why am I writing about a strong topic such as race? Well, I’ve been contemplating this topic for a long time and it was driven further from a conversation had with my close circle of friends. We talked about my home town.
Even though I call it my hometown, I wished I truly felt it in my heart. I only use the term because my family is still there and if it weren’t for them, I probably wouldn’t go back. I’m not running from anything there, I just hate dealing with stupidity. Those are harsh words and I know that but if you saw things from my eyes, you’d agree. Growing up there was great and I can’t take anything from that. I learned a great deal about people and developed a talent to read people for who they are and blend with the environment. I accepted people for who they are. On many occasions that ability backfired and I ended up in situations where I was told niggers aren’t allowed here. Then there were situations where I was told you’re not welcomed here. The other situations were actions were golden, door slammed in the face. All I walked away unharmed. I have the gift of gab to talk my way out of anything. I saw things and experienced things that really shaped the way that I think. My parents treated me differently than my fellow siblings. I never heard negative words about another race come from them. Now if you ask my older siblings, they can tell you some things that would shock you if you knew my father. I was never privy to those conversations because lessons he taught me were hard work and putting your heart into everything you do. No one will do them for you. Eventually, it will have to be recognized that you are a force to get behind because you will get the mission done. I want you to see people for what they bring to the table not the color they show up in. That lesson has stuck throughout my entire life. So I look back on my lessons learned and look at my “hometown”. Why do I still see a house divided?
I was coming off the trail as a Drill Sergeant in the Army and I made a call to home. I was talking with my mother and she said some words that truly made me laugh. She said your brother is running for mayor. I almost dropped my phone. So I called him up and asked that question, did I hear mom correctly? You’re running for Mayor? He confirmed her statement. So jokingly I said to him, brother if you get elected, I will move back home. Well I be damned if he didn’t win. It truly shocked the crap out of me. His first words when I called to congratulate him were, so when you moving here? I laughed and told him at that time, brother, I really mean this; there is no way I am moving back there. The city has no growth potential because the town is too historical and because of this, it won’t grow. It’s a southern town with old values embedded. Everyone has a place there and it is seen every time you drive through it. There’s a definite line right through the heart of it. A step forward may have been taking since you’ve been elected but it is only the beginning of a long road to true equality. This is not a one sided look either; it’s on both sides. While setting in his office one day, I noticed a news article with “Black Mayor’s Conference” in the title. No other words stuck out but that. So me being me I had to ask, why is there a Black Mayor’s Conference, its 2010? The response made sense because it is true; a non black mayor will not go through the same type issues. It made sense but can be argued. If you’re looking for equality why separate? Most people will scream out because of all the trials and tribulations encountered during the growth of America. I still say those fights were for equality and many men died during that fight and we still continue to separate ourselves. I’m curious now though. I’m wondering if there’s such a thing as the White Mayors Conference. Probably so, I’ll Google that later. That’s a whole different debate there anyway. The reason I brought that up is because people, other than black refer to him as “that black mayor”. I’ve never heard people refer to previous mayors of my “hometown” as that white mayor. I just found that odd and with serious racial overtones to it. Even with what he’s going through now I’m wondering if it were a white mayor in office, would that person have the same issues. Some people who will read this would probably say, no they wouldn’t because they would’ve made the proper decision. That’s funny because I read somewhere that the mayor doesn’t have absolute power, he’s just a tie breaker in the vote for anything proposed to the city. As any official in an office where the title makes them “the man”, they also assume the position of the fall guy. It’s unfortunate that the fall guy is “that black mayor” This type of behavior is rooted in my “hometown” even with my class, which was the first integrated class to start together.
On the surface of it all, we were a tight knit group of students. I’m not going to say we never saw color the entire time together, but during the school hours, everything operated normally. You had your select groups that hung together; you know the football jocks hung together. The band geeks hung together. The drama club, 4H club, and so on and so forth. When did the color show? I’m not saying it had a part and I do not know what transpired because when I left my “hometown” I left. When I hear the stories about the class reunions that took place, it sounded as if there was a white reunion and a black reunion. Can I confirm this by saying I saw this with my own eyes? No I cannot. I can only go by the stories I heard. When it came time for the 25th class reunion, I was asked to come. So I asked, is the entire class going to be there because I would love to see everyone. Dead silence was heard over the phone. My response then was so we are doing a black reunion and a white reunion. Of course back tracking statements and a lot of stuttering took place. I’ve heard it all that “they” don’t want to work with us and “they” this and “they” that. How do I see this? It is a reflection on embedded old time values that has made its way into a class that all started together. Maybe I am seeing it wrong. So I was asked by another classmate, there are some people who would love to see you, can you come home and we will be on your time because we all know you’re serving in the military. Since I was asked, I came. Other times when I was asked, I wish I could say there was sincerity there but I felt like they wanted money more than they wanted to see me. I thought that’s what reunions were all about; to see one another and reflect on your days in school. I met with that select group and I tell you that I felt a real disconnect. The places that I’ve been and the things that I’ve seen really changed the way I think and see the world. I’m still the same clown as I was but a more direct person. So what do I want people to do from this? I want people to see that seeing color first and separating is not where we need to be. It seems we have fallen back into that old world again but at a more dangerous level. This is the electronic age and you can harm a person in a matter of milliseconds. So why bring harm to a person based off the skin they’re in. The whole story has to be told and I’ve learned that the people we think has our back are the same people who say differently when they’re behind closed doors. I may be too paranoid but a good thing is never a good thing. There’s always something lurking in background waiting to jump out and bring the whole thing crashing down.
As I read this, I can see a lot of people shut themselves off. They’re not going to take a bite of that Twix and pause. They’re not going to take the time and see it. They will automatically jump on that pro race wagon and ride out into the sunset and not believe it. They will scream out this is not true. All you will do is confirm that you’re not seeing me for who I am but seeing this as a black man mouthing off about race. I’m not mouthing off about race, I’m just making note that sometimes when we think we’re treating people equally, we still separate. Not all of us but the people who can influence sometimes do. Thanks for stopping by Stretch’s Corner. Just remember, these are just my thoughts and how I see it. Try to see it and tell me what you think. This is the one thing I do know, the world can’t be perfect but understanding one another is a start.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
SHHHHH.....You Better NOT Tell!!!
Shhhhhhhh……if anyone finds out about this, you’ll be kicked out.
I’ve been asked on many occasions, how I feel about the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Truthfully, I’ve never really concerned myself with it. I’ve held every leadership position one could hold in the military and I would think each position held, I always did the right thing. I’ve made those decisions that weren’t popular at all but someone had to be the enemy. As far s using this policy to kick a Soldier out the military, I’ve only used it when the Soldier wanted to leave the military. I’ve never had an investigation launched to pursue kicking a Soldier out under this policy. I’ve always been one to not look at a person for who they are but for what they bring to the table. I’ve always been the type of leader that your personal life is your personal business and not mine to intervene in unless circumstances dictated otherwise. A case of domestic abuse is one of those reasons but there are quite a few other issues that may arise which will cause that. All of them involve the military or local police.
So let us break down the policy. In a nutshell, if you’re gay, you cannot serve. Most Americans will look at this and throw the bullshit flag every single time. So will quite a few leaders in the military. It is sometimes obvious and in your face a Soldier’s sexuality but it was not mine to question. Does it interfere with the good order and discipline of the unit is what I look at. Are Soldiers coming to me and complaining about this Soldier’s behavior? Is the Soldier in imminent danger regarding their behavior? Does it look like Soldier’s really care? If there are no red flags, why will I dig deeper? Those that do dig will find something and violate the entire meaning behind DADT. That’s just my interpretation behind the policy because every policy is how you read it. Sometimes leader take the route to find a way to kick the Soldier out of the military. I never liked that style and always called them on it. I’ve been told not my unit and not your concern on many occasions regarding a myriad of issues and not just what I consider obvious biased towards a Soldier. So now America has grown into such a country of understanding that all corporations need to adapt. Yes I said corporation because the military organizations for all purposes are corporations now. It is a big business that can be seen from all the advertisements you see. We go after recruits the same way as big corporations do. We are competitive and will do what it takes to get people to sign up. With that, we have to adapt as those businesses do. Now the DADT needs to adapt. Here’s only my perspective as to why it hasn’t been completely abolished to open a few eyes.
As I’ve stated, the military is a corporation. Money moves things. The only difference between us and those civilian corporations, we have to have a budget that is approved by the House and Senate to ensure proper spending. When you look at the dollar value of a company, we surpass all by billions. With that in mind, what will have to be added to the spending bill and how we’ll have to arrange regulations that govern the military to read? This may seem trivial to you but every document that a Soldier signs now have to have the following statement or something similar, Are you gay or lesbian? I know a few of you are saying, you’re kidding me? Well unfortunately no. This will tie into a lot at the end and hopefully I won’t leave any uncovered. All enlistment documents will now change. The reason for this statement leads to housing. Basic training is the first step in the line. Here’s the question. As a “straight” Soldier, are you going to make me live with a “gay” Soldier? Well unfortunately we can’t because now the regulation has to change and admit a clause regarding living situations. In basic training, these Soldiers are not always housed in dorms; they are sometimes housed in open bays; anywhere up to 40 Soldiers are housed in these bays. Now I have concern for the Soldier or Soldiers who answered yes to the question. We cannot deprogram stupidity in a day. This will not only be an apparent issue just in basic but will continue through initial entry training for their job skill all the way to permanent party position. The housing situation will just change. I know you’re saying Stretch, you’re just barking at your obvious reasons for keeping the DADT policy. Well it’s not the case and refusal to look at this, you will continue to what we call stove piping. Failure to look at all things involved in a decision will result in stove piping causing the issue to be hotter than it is. You get burned making a stove pipe decision. So now I have this brand new private in the military that says, I do not want to live with a gay person. Oh come on Stretch that will never happen. Don’t stove pipe and trust me, it will. So what do we do now? Well I guess will have to have separate billeting for those who are gay and those who are not. No you can’t. That’s called singling Soldiers out because of sexual preference and is a big time EO complaint therefore leading to relief of command. Yes, now you’re in trouble for thinking you’re looking out for the health and welfare only to violate a Soldiers equal opportunity right. Okay now I’m caught. What do we do now? Do we rewrite the entire EO policy? I’m stuck and don’t know what to do. Is there some kind of special circumstance I can look at to protect these Soldiers? As you can see by now, this one issue has dominated my entire role as a leader. More than likely, the leader will just say to hell with it, you guys are adults; solve your own damn issues. This one little issue is dominating my day. Unfortunately, it is not a little issue. It is a big issue. Allowing Soldiers to solve the issue on their own will result in someone getting beat. The after action to all of this will once again result in, relief for cause.
So let us continue on to IET for their job skill. In most cases, now these Soldiers are living in dormitory style rooms. These are two Soldier rooms with a bathroom. A Soldier goes to his leader and says, I do not want to live with this Soldier because he/she is gay. So now coordination has to be made to do the shift in rooms to get Soldiers in rooms with a “proper” roommate. Uh-oh, once again I’m about to violate EO policy and singling Soldiers out. Now Soldiers understand the inspector general (IG) system and lodge a complaint against the chain of command saying I’m singling them out. Well I can’t make a Soldier live with a gay Soldier or can I? No I can’t. Now I’m violating that Soldiers rights to be in an environment that he/she feels safe. WHAT?!!! Yes folks. I have to look out for that Soldiers health and welfare. You want to talk about damned if you do and damned if you don’t? You will look at this is say that is so stupid. By what reason is that stupid? Because this Soldier doesn’t like gays he’s stupid? Some people are not going to accept it, let’s just face that right off the bat. You cannot change the way a person thinks but to open their minds to change at this point when they come in the military. In most cases you can say you will in the military but this will be one of those cases you cannot. So now we’re in the permanent party situation. Soldier arrives to his/her new duty location. Remember those documents you filled out when you joined the military, now there’s a new form because the units are no longer responsible for housing their own Soldiers, the installation is. So now you feel out a document that says are you guy? Wow, again? So now the housing installation gives you a room that the Soldier living there is a straight Soldier. You know the cycle folks. Now this Soldier goes and complains that he does not want to live with a gay Soldier and the cycle repeats itself. Now the perception of the command doesn’t fall on the lowest commander, it will fall onto one of the higher commander’s that’s in charge of garrison. This person will have to carefully write their policy as to not to offend or violate a Soldiers right. So now that we’ve run into this situation what are we to do? Well I guess we will authorize the gay Soldier population the opportunity to live off post. WHAT?!!!! You can’t do that because now you’re singling out the straight population where they don’t have that opportunity.
I know a lot of you have read this and have stated that this is too far fetched. Well it isn’t. I can guarantee that this is the very foundation there is a hold up on the abolishment of this policy. Big money drives every corporation and even the military. If you have spent an inkling of time in the military you can see this. If you’re failing to see this, then you’re letting your passion blind you from the complete truth. Yes I admit there are a lot of people in the military who truly detest someone because of their sexual preference and that is a shame. There are also a whole lot of people who never liked this policy and really don’t enforce it. Here’s my take on all of this and the bottom line to how I think. I believe that every application in the United States should have race removed. We’re Americans and that’s all that matters. Maybe I misunderstood the words of the great Martin Luther King. I’m not going to quote him word for word or maybe not in the exact order but, when all White children, Black children, Asian children, all gods children can play together regardless of the color of their skin. So what does it matter? If you’re willing to put your life on the line in order to defend the Constitution of these United States, whatever you are is immaterial. Hey thanks for stopping by Stretch’s Corner. Remember, these are just my beliefs.
I’ve been asked on many occasions, how I feel about the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Truthfully, I’ve never really concerned myself with it. I’ve held every leadership position one could hold in the military and I would think each position held, I always did the right thing. I’ve made those decisions that weren’t popular at all but someone had to be the enemy. As far s using this policy to kick a Soldier out the military, I’ve only used it when the Soldier wanted to leave the military. I’ve never had an investigation launched to pursue kicking a Soldier out under this policy. I’ve always been one to not look at a person for who they are but for what they bring to the table. I’ve always been the type of leader that your personal life is your personal business and not mine to intervene in unless circumstances dictated otherwise. A case of domestic abuse is one of those reasons but there are quite a few other issues that may arise which will cause that. All of them involve the military or local police.
So let us break down the policy. In a nutshell, if you’re gay, you cannot serve. Most Americans will look at this and throw the bullshit flag every single time. So will quite a few leaders in the military. It is sometimes obvious and in your face a Soldier’s sexuality but it was not mine to question. Does it interfere with the good order and discipline of the unit is what I look at. Are Soldiers coming to me and complaining about this Soldier’s behavior? Is the Soldier in imminent danger regarding their behavior? Does it look like Soldier’s really care? If there are no red flags, why will I dig deeper? Those that do dig will find something and violate the entire meaning behind DADT. That’s just my interpretation behind the policy because every policy is how you read it. Sometimes leader take the route to find a way to kick the Soldier out of the military. I never liked that style and always called them on it. I’ve been told not my unit and not your concern on many occasions regarding a myriad of issues and not just what I consider obvious biased towards a Soldier. So now America has grown into such a country of understanding that all corporations need to adapt. Yes I said corporation because the military organizations for all purposes are corporations now. It is a big business that can be seen from all the advertisements you see. We go after recruits the same way as big corporations do. We are competitive and will do what it takes to get people to sign up. With that, we have to adapt as those businesses do. Now the DADT needs to adapt. Here’s only my perspective as to why it hasn’t been completely abolished to open a few eyes.
As I’ve stated, the military is a corporation. Money moves things. The only difference between us and those civilian corporations, we have to have a budget that is approved by the House and Senate to ensure proper spending. When you look at the dollar value of a company, we surpass all by billions. With that in mind, what will have to be added to the spending bill and how we’ll have to arrange regulations that govern the military to read? This may seem trivial to you but every document that a Soldier signs now have to have the following statement or something similar, Are you gay or lesbian? I know a few of you are saying, you’re kidding me? Well unfortunately no. This will tie into a lot at the end and hopefully I won’t leave any uncovered. All enlistment documents will now change. The reason for this statement leads to housing. Basic training is the first step in the line. Here’s the question. As a “straight” Soldier, are you going to make me live with a “gay” Soldier? Well unfortunately we can’t because now the regulation has to change and admit a clause regarding living situations. In basic training, these Soldiers are not always housed in dorms; they are sometimes housed in open bays; anywhere up to 40 Soldiers are housed in these bays. Now I have concern for the Soldier or Soldiers who answered yes to the question. We cannot deprogram stupidity in a day. This will not only be an apparent issue just in basic but will continue through initial entry training for their job skill all the way to permanent party position. The housing situation will just change. I know you’re saying Stretch, you’re just barking at your obvious reasons for keeping the DADT policy. Well it’s not the case and refusal to look at this, you will continue to what we call stove piping. Failure to look at all things involved in a decision will result in stove piping causing the issue to be hotter than it is. You get burned making a stove pipe decision. So now I have this brand new private in the military that says, I do not want to live with a gay person. Oh come on Stretch that will never happen. Don’t stove pipe and trust me, it will. So what do we do now? Well I guess will have to have separate billeting for those who are gay and those who are not. No you can’t. That’s called singling Soldiers out because of sexual preference and is a big time EO complaint therefore leading to relief of command. Yes, now you’re in trouble for thinking you’re looking out for the health and welfare only to violate a Soldiers equal opportunity right. Okay now I’m caught. What do we do now? Do we rewrite the entire EO policy? I’m stuck and don’t know what to do. Is there some kind of special circumstance I can look at to protect these Soldiers? As you can see by now, this one issue has dominated my entire role as a leader. More than likely, the leader will just say to hell with it, you guys are adults; solve your own damn issues. This one little issue is dominating my day. Unfortunately, it is not a little issue. It is a big issue. Allowing Soldiers to solve the issue on their own will result in someone getting beat. The after action to all of this will once again result in, relief for cause.
So let us continue on to IET for their job skill. In most cases, now these Soldiers are living in dormitory style rooms. These are two Soldier rooms with a bathroom. A Soldier goes to his leader and says, I do not want to live with this Soldier because he/she is gay. So now coordination has to be made to do the shift in rooms to get Soldiers in rooms with a “proper” roommate. Uh-oh, once again I’m about to violate EO policy and singling Soldiers out. Now Soldiers understand the inspector general (IG) system and lodge a complaint against the chain of command saying I’m singling them out. Well I can’t make a Soldier live with a gay Soldier or can I? No I can’t. Now I’m violating that Soldiers rights to be in an environment that he/she feels safe. WHAT?!!! Yes folks. I have to look out for that Soldiers health and welfare. You want to talk about damned if you do and damned if you don’t? You will look at this is say that is so stupid. By what reason is that stupid? Because this Soldier doesn’t like gays he’s stupid? Some people are not going to accept it, let’s just face that right off the bat. You cannot change the way a person thinks but to open their minds to change at this point when they come in the military. In most cases you can say you will in the military but this will be one of those cases you cannot. So now we’re in the permanent party situation. Soldier arrives to his/her new duty location. Remember those documents you filled out when you joined the military, now there’s a new form because the units are no longer responsible for housing their own Soldiers, the installation is. So now you feel out a document that says are you guy? Wow, again? So now the housing installation gives you a room that the Soldier living there is a straight Soldier. You know the cycle folks. Now this Soldier goes and complains that he does not want to live with a gay Soldier and the cycle repeats itself. Now the perception of the command doesn’t fall on the lowest commander, it will fall onto one of the higher commander’s that’s in charge of garrison. This person will have to carefully write their policy as to not to offend or violate a Soldiers right. So now that we’ve run into this situation what are we to do? Well I guess we will authorize the gay Soldier population the opportunity to live off post. WHAT?!!!! You can’t do that because now you’re singling out the straight population where they don’t have that opportunity.
I know a lot of you have read this and have stated that this is too far fetched. Well it isn’t. I can guarantee that this is the very foundation there is a hold up on the abolishment of this policy. Big money drives every corporation and even the military. If you have spent an inkling of time in the military you can see this. If you’re failing to see this, then you’re letting your passion blind you from the complete truth. Yes I admit there are a lot of people in the military who truly detest someone because of their sexual preference and that is a shame. There are also a whole lot of people who never liked this policy and really don’t enforce it. Here’s my take on all of this and the bottom line to how I think. I believe that every application in the United States should have race removed. We’re Americans and that’s all that matters. Maybe I misunderstood the words of the great Martin Luther King. I’m not going to quote him word for word or maybe not in the exact order but, when all White children, Black children, Asian children, all gods children can play together regardless of the color of their skin. So what does it matter? If you’re willing to put your life on the line in order to defend the Constitution of these United States, whatever you are is immaterial. Hey thanks for stopping by Stretch’s Corner. Remember, these are just my beliefs.
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