Like many Catholics I choose the Easter season to go to confession in the hope that God would forgive me and help me be a better person (it’s a Catholic thing). As I stood in line waiting for my turn to spill my guts, I kept going over the things I came prepared to share (I even wrote them down). However, I soon realized that those things paled in comparison with two things that have been constantly on my mind of late. So, when it came my turn, I went into the confessional, shook the priest’s hand, and proceeded to share the two things I had recognized only moments before.
– First, I have internalized a growing anger toward folks that don’t share my opinion about the state of our nation / world. Frankly, in my arrogance, I was angry at them because I was convinced that they were unwilling to face facts. I mean, come on people! Open your eyes! I’m right!
– Secondly, and most importantly, I realized that I was frustrated because I didn’t share my views freely… like I saw them doing. My Mom’s teachings kept coming to mind that I should be courteous and avoid upsetting someone. But more importantly, I was scared to express my views for fear of alienation and reprisal.
So, was I really mad at others that didn’t share my views; or, was I mad at myself for not having the courage to openly express my views? Woah, now that’s a revelation!
I realized that I would continue to be frustrated and angry until I overcame my fears and spoke out. I don’t know whether I am right about everything (or anything) but I must feel free to share my views, accept that some others won’t agree, and hope that I don’t alienate anyone. I pondered how to express myself in a way to avoid insulting those who have differing views, while causing everyone to give a bit more thought to what we want from ourselves, our government, our country and our world. I certainly don’t think I fit the stereotypes that have been used to categorize those that are opposed what has been going on of late. I see myself as a moderate that swings slightly left and right depending on the issue. I also find myself in agreement with the basis for some of the Administration’s policies; while being opposed to the way they have implemented them. As a result, I decided that the best thing I could do would be to confess what I do / do not believe in (do / do not support). Maybe, like the alcoholic at a AAA meeting, my sharing will start me on the road to forgiving myself and others. So, hi, my name is Dave and here’s what I do / do not believe:
• First and foremost, I believe that all things should come in moderation. I totally agree with the old adage that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I also believe that very few things are really “black and white” with almost everything falling into some shade of gray. I can give a bunch of examples regarding this from wokeness, to DOGE, to immigration, to DEI, etc. and will touch on several.
• I am totally opposed to demonizing those who are already marginalized, or who don’t coincide with specific policy positions. A couple examples:
o I cannot agree with the use of broad-brush terms like: “murderers, terrorists, rapists gang members and cat / dog eaters” when referring to migrants. There have been statements like: “They’ll cut your throat.” “We allow them to come in and raid and rape our country. That’s right, I used the word rape.”
According to the U.S. Department of Customs and Protection, in 2024 there were 17,048 crimes committed by immigrants / migrants (including crimes that had been committed outside of the U.S. and the crime of “illegal entry into the U.S.”). I struggled to find data on the total number of immigrants / migrants entering the U.S. in 2024, but every reference I could find puts it in the “millions”. So, if I said that there were one million immigrants (probably more like 2 or 3 million) associated with 17,048 crimes this puts the percentage of crimes committed by immigrants at a 1.7%. In 2023 the Cato Institute reported that 932 crimes were committed by legal and illegal immigrants per 100,000, while natural born Americans committed 1,221 crimes per 100,000. So, natural born Americans are committing more crimes per 100,000. In addition, about 87% of all folks living in the U.S. are natural born citizens (well over 250 million). This means that the large, large majority of crimes are being committed by natural born Americans. Bottom line, only a small percentage of immigrants / migrants are committing crimes, with the large majority only seeking a better life. They aren’t all murders, rapists, terrorists, gang members, and thugs!
o The elimination of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs has become a key goal for the current administration. As a result, there has been countless actions taken, and statements made, that negatively paint individuals that might fall within DEI categories (basically anyone other than white males). We’ve seen references to “DEI hires”. We’ve seen the Department of Defense (DoD) taking action to eliminate any reference that could possible be construed as being associated with DEI. The DoD has flagged reference to the U.S. warplane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima (the Enola Gay), because it includes the word “Gay”. We’ve seen the removal of references to medal of honor winners… because they were black. We’ve seen a variety of negative events being blamed on DEI efforts, including the crash of a helicopter into a commercial jet outside of D.C. There have been claims that the FAA has hired unqualified and incompetent air traffic controllers due to diversity hiring practices. One specific statement regarding the FAA, that came after the crash, was that it was “actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative.” NO! Not all folks that were given a step up under DEI initiatives are incompetent, or somehow lesser to a possible white male counterpart! The U.S. is a melting pot of races, creeds and sexual orientations and that has contributed to its strength!
Bottom line, I believe we should be focused on fully understanding the issues and addressing resulting problems in a thoughtful manner. The use of extreme references and unsupported accusations only hurts the situation by increasing animosity and divisions.
• I support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, that are intended to give every American an equal shot at the American Dream, provided they are willing to work for it. I recently read an article by Maria Cassano that looked at conservative and liberal perspectives of what DEI means. She then tried to put DEI in simple terms, based on what she believes: “DEI means that anyone who applies to get a job gets a fair shot, regardless of their age, skin color, who’s in their bed or what’s in their pants.” She then went on to describe what DEI should not mean. “DEI does not mean that hiring managers are lowering their standards to include people who aren’t qualified for the job.” This makes total sense to me.
White males have historically gotten an edge in university admissions and in hiring since our nation was formed. For example, in her article Maria Cassano, reported on an interesting study done in 2021 that sent out over 83,000 fake job applications and resumes. All of the resumes listed similar qualifications and experience. The only difference was that some applications included inherently black names while others included inherently white names. In the study every single company prioritized the applicants with the white sounding name. History will continue to repeat itself, and we will avoid using our best and brightest, unless we do something to effect change. It would seem to me that we should be focusing on ensuring that DEI programs are managed in a way that gives every American an equal shot at the American Dream, rather than insisting that DEI is evil or, in contrast, that DEI is the sole solution.
Well, I am only three points into this manifesto with at least twenty other points to go. Clearly this is going to take more than one post. So, chew on this one and stay tuned for further confessions of “Hi, my name is Dave…”
Leave a Reply to Joyce Weed Cancel reply