We are facing a major growing pain in current society.  We seem to be unable to deal with issues from the past through the lens of our current societal norms.

In an article from CNN, “Laura Ingalls Wilder’s name has been stripped from a prestigious book award because of racist themes,” we are rejecting the good works of an author because she spoke in the vernacular of her times.

This is a dangerous lesson to teach our children. When I explored my family history, I found that my ancestors were a part of the slave trade one hundred years before the Civil War. I do not suffer guilt for having been a descendent of slave-owners.  I celebrate the progress our country has made to improve equality.  Our founders acknowledged in 1783 the coming challenges in the Preamble to the Constitution with the words, “in Order to form a more perfect Union”

It is unrealistic to assume that we will ever achieve a perfect union just as it is unrealistic to hold our ancestors to the standards we have already achieved. As a child grows, we make marks on the wall to indicate progress just as we collect the art, history and stories of our past. We should not erase those marks. They are our institutional memory and they remind us not to make the same mistakes. It is a teachable moment to educate young readers that in the past, the process of forming a more perfect union includes remembering that the good people of the past did bad things by todays standards. Not only does a child learn right from wrong, but so does society.

In trying to erase Laura Ingalls Wilder from our institutional memory, should we also erase Walt Disney whose movies and cartoons contained the racist vernacular?  Should we erase Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb from the Major League Record book because they never played against African-Americans?  Should we erase Abraham Lincoln from our history because he spoke these words in the Stephen Douglas debates, “I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races?”

In order to form a more perfect union, we must look at these events from the past as benchmarks of our progress.  We must also realize that the events of today will plant the benchmarks of progress toward our future.

On a related note, we are now going through a transition in the workplace.  It is no longer acceptable to treat men and women as other than fair and equal colleagues without regard to gender. As more offenses come to light, we feel free to condemn and reject those who have committed offenses in the past.  There should be no statute of limitations for this condemnation of criminal acts from the past.  Forgiveness of non-criminal acts should be earned.  But we are a forgiving society and there should be a road forward for those whose bad behavior was only in the distant past.

We must keep the marks on the wall that indicate our growth. We must erase the bad behavior in the present. Most importantly, we must  keep the memories of the past both good and bad.

I am staying at Extended Stay North which has “Free Wi-Fi” provided by InnFlux.  It is a total ripoff.  Every one of their competitors provides enough speed to stream video from all of the popular services.  Except InnFlux and Extended Stay.  They charge a premium for average speed wi-fi.  Hulu, Apple Video and youtube will not even stream low quality video over Innflux at Extended Stay.   They say they cater to business customers but not if they have to pay a premium for acceptable speed.   Don’t stay at Extended Stay if you want acceptable wi-fi.

In the spring of 1970, I was a student at Westerville High School and a cast member of the spring musical under the direction of Ron Nocks.  On one Thursday evening rehearsal, I was neither an experienced actor nor a talented one and I was most certainly not able to act as if I was not afraid of heights as I carefully climbed down a naked flight of stairs onto a raked stage wearing a helmet obscuring my vision. Later on, as a teacher, I would have hoped that I could have cared enough to individually help a student through a difficult problem and possibly even help them gain confidence.  I know that many of my students would agree that I was that caring teacher.  I know that some would not.

That evening, Ron Nocks was not that caring teacher.  At the rundown that evening in Room 201 in the presence of the entire cast and crew, he publicly dressed me down for my lack of confidence and my lack of courage.  He used his wicked and well-honed sarcasm to embarrass me and make me an outcast among kids who had been my classmates and neighbors since kindergarten.  Specifically, he asked me if my toilet was closer to the floor to compensate for my fear of heights.

I was never a victim of sexual abuse by Mr. Nocks or anyone else.  I know that most of the students in that room loved and worshipped Mr. Nocks. To a man with the ego and talent such as his, it leads him to appreciate the hero worship among his favorites and sometimes to take advantage of them as he has admitted. It also leads to an arrogance that allows him to verbally abuse the students who were not his favorites. It is this collection and exercise of raw personal power toward subordinates that has become such a difficult issue at present.

I do not desire nor expect an apology.  If he is in such a mood, maybe he could join me in apologizing to my students who received some of the same sarcastic treatment because that night in Room 201, he set an example and gave me, a high school junior, permission to act that way to my students in the future.   That is the crux of this problem.  That is the chain of abuse that goes from generation to generation.

I will never receive justice nor will any other victim of the abuse of power by those with talent and position. But if there is justice to be paid, follow the advice of Coach Hayes and Pay it Forward.  Don’t abuse.  Don’t accept abuse and don’t tolerate it towards others in your presence or in your organization.

That said, there is a paradox. Before and even after that night, I was a fan of the work of Mr. Nocks and I attended his plays.  More specifically, I admired and emulated him as a public address announcer during the morning announcements and I became a very accomplished sports public address announcer in San Diego.  That’s the rub.  That’s the quandary.  That is the love-hate relationship we have in our society with people who have immense talent or power. But, that night, he hurt me.

Rick Lakin

Retired Teacher and Publisher

Chula Vista, California

Comparing Obama’s Presidency to Great Athlete Performances

The list of iconic events that have occurred over the last eight years is too long to mention here, but no one can choose one as a signature moment in Barack Obama’s presidency. Many will be forever linked to his legacy.

It’s rare that two individuals can simultaneously have such a profound impact on the course of history by their actions. Think of their greatness being destined to intertwine with one another. After January 20th, the comparisons will begin on the major events of the Obama’s presidency to a great performance by an athlete.

The Stimulus Act

President Obama signed the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into effect in 2009. The law was designed to kick-start economic growth during the midst of the nation’s greatest recession since the Great Depression. Weeks after the stimulus was implemented, unemployment claims were down, thus beginning a trend that continued for an amazing 23 straight months and pumped 3.7 newly created private sector jobs into the economy.

LeBron James and Barack Obama have shown an abundance of promise and exhibited a surplus of confidence at the beginning of their careers. However at first, both shied away from their greatness and failed to grasp a leadership role. Too often, frustrated Democrats were disappointed with Obama’s failure to challenge the Republicans on certain issues. When a crisis came up in his first year in office, Obama relied on the help of his Cabinet members and Congress to solve the problem.

Wall Street Reform

After heated negotiations, President Obama gained enough votes to make the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act a law that puts strict regulations against the financial sector after their reckless behavior that caused the Great Recession. Dodd-Frank tightened requirements on the large banking and lending institutions by requiring them to sell derivatives on exchanges or clearinghouses. The law negated the bank’s ability to trade with customer’s money for personal profit.

The actions of a transcendent figure moves very rapidly. We all enjoy watching their career unfold before our eyes, and hopefully to witness some of their crowning achievements in-person. Roger Federer and Barack Obama struggled at first with the expectations placed on them, but once they hit their stride, no one could contain their dominance. Obama didn’t need the assistance from Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid to gain the necessary votes for this legislation to become law.

Auto Industry Bailout

Despite opposition from all sides, President Obama injected $62 billion of federal money into an ailing auto industry to bail them out. In return, the government received an equity stake in each company and the agreement to restructure their management practices.

It will be hard for an individual to duplicate the greatness of Barack Obama and Usain Bolt. Each accomplished their goal without much fanfare, while still maintaining a sense of humor despite being disrespected by their peers. It might take a decade before Obama is applauded for his decision to bailout the auto industry. His critics cannot deny the fact the country’s Big Three Automakers have shown a profit for the first time in two decades.

The Affordable Care Act

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, and this changed the healthcare industry forever. The law gave medical insurance to 32 million citizens that were previously uninsured. Obama accomplished something that past administrations failed to achieve: universal healthcare for all.

The president dodge the opposition much like MVP candidate Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers eluding defenders in the pocket. Obama never became distracted by what was going around him, especially when there was serious doubt if the law would ever get passed. Even after victory, Republicans argued that he didn’t gain a mandate from Americans because Obama took full advantage of a Democratic-controlled Congress.

The Killing of Osama Bin Laden

Osama Bin Laden was the world’s leading terrorist, who was behind the 9/11 attacks. Intelligence information confirmed Bin Laden was hiding out in Pakistan. The president ordered a U.S. Navy Seal team to raid his secret compound and kill him.

Barack Obama and Derek Jeter are the true definition of a leader. Neither ever bragged and often gave credit to others for any achievements accomplished. Each played or governed like a true gentleman by never cheating or trying to gain an unfair advantage on their opponent. Obama praised the Special Forces unit for completing their mission, but also retrieving al-Qaeda documents.

Notice that after I type this, the individual letters stand very still and form words and thoughts. Letters have been doing this for thousands of years. That’s what letters do best. It is not a challenge for letters. They don’t need a videographer to take their picture as they stand still. They don’t need an entire internet to celebrate the fact that they just stand still. That’s what differentiates letters from people.