Reflection: SOTU-2019

​Related Reading:
On Politics

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​As I close my eyes and drift away to a land where there is love, health, peace, and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

    The truth is that the other day, with much commotion of holding off from the State of the Union address, the SOTU finally did take place on February 5th, 2019. I myself enjoy watching these addresses each year. They remind me of pep-rallies, such as those we recently saw between the New England Patriots and the LA Rams, before the Super Bowl Sunday 2019 final game. Of course the difference is: in one case we are talking football, and in the other we are talking the politics of a nation, domestic and foreign. However, we can find some similarities between the commotion and gatherings that are created from each event. 

     The State of the Union is an opportunity to reflect upon the current state of politics, the achievements, and also the continued efforts that are always a work-in-progress. Of course the address does not mean that we have to agree upon everything, but rather reflect upon what has been said. The disagreeable points can also be offered as points for work-in-progress, for politicians who are in opposition, or in a position where they want to build upon the efforts by others. One element that struck out to me the most was the fact that there is a new speaker of the house. Everyone who has read my earlier writings would know that I don't agree with this decision, because of the implicit and the explicit biases that are present with a leader of the house minority, being a speaker as well. Biases of course revealed themselves with the facial expressions, eye gestures, the final clapping of the hands, as well as Pelosi not formally introducing the President of the United States. Pelosi as speaker of the house continues to be of concern, where a Speaker who is party neutral would probably serve well and better, for the purposes of being able to listen without swaying to a particular political side.

     With regards to the women who were invited to wear white, to symbolize the accomplishments of women, particularly the historical suffrage movement for the right to women voting. I myself found this a bit off-putting, especially because social progress has been made. Just because the color white symbolizes this, it does not mean that it is politically or socially correct. If we want to bring the idea of implicit meaning, we could think about how this could also be thought of as an act of racism, and a disguise for prejudice behavior? Something to think about--? Women's rights as well as minority rights continue to evolve, we could think about how to update the colors that are signify important history, such as women's suffrage so that they are more inclusive. Why should women celebrate suffrage, to only separate this from inclusion and minority rights? 

     With regards to the President's address there were some mimics from last years address, such as  the MS-13 gang, and the demands for the wall. I think there could have been more comments with regards to the Government shutdown, as to the effects and why it was thought necessary in his view. There were mentions of deaths at the hands of gang menders, but there were no mentions of the deaths at the hands of border security, particularly at the U.S.A. southern border. The discussion and the silences once again reveal what is viewed as important and not, in the view of the President and his administration. Despite the lacks, these are once again talking points to find real solutions, for the protection of America, which should also include the vulnerable populations / individuals who are seeking a safe haven in America. 

     There was a strong message of unity which was very agreeable. One that I've written about much. Whilst there will always be disagreements between political parties, which is a given, and a reason why they are called democratic exchanges to advance democracy. A nations politics should never be so extreme, or divided that unity for national and international security are frayed. It should always be remembered that the discords, divisions are preyed upon by foreign enemies / spectators, who view these as mechanism to create further divisions.

     Nations must and should learn how to balance internal democracy, political exchanges, and still be strong and unified for the sake of a nation. And this should be the common ground, the binding force that can unite any depth of divisions. This was the most important point to address, that I feel strongly about.

    Pelosi's clapping, and facial gestures were a sign of disrespect to the very nation that she serves, given the context of the event and the authority that she now unfortunately holds. Which once again reveals the need for a party neutral speaker. 

My thoughts to share with love & kindness! :) 

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand-written on February 6th, 2019.
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