Civility

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to attend a one-day conference at UCF sponsored by the Florida Diversity Council.  It actually was an event I had not ever intended on attending but the invitation was extended so I went. 

And I'm so glad I did.  The keynote speaker was Donna Brazile.  Her credentials and experience are long and varied, but she basically has great knowledge in the area of politics and the inner workings of Washington, D.C.  She is a political correspondent and regularly appears on news channels like CNN. 

It was a very somber moment when we all shared in a moment of silence in honor of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords who was shot in the head at an event in Arizona.  Ms. Brazile knew her personally and stated what so many in the media have already said about her.  She was kind, smart, and wanted to make a difference, and most importantly - she is strong enough to pull through this.  Each day looks better and better for her and I hope that everything ends up well and that she is okay.  It's going to be a tough and long road for her, but it is possible.

Her speech was funny, but also quite touching.  I know that I have watched political news hours and shows with people from each party battling back and forth.  I, of course, have my own political views just like anyone else and am prone to disagree and argue with my TV.  However, at the end of the day, we are all human.  We are U.S. citizens that have the freedom to make our own choices and express them.  It seems so often that Republicans and Democrats hate each other so much, which is scary since we all need them to work together to help our nation.  I wonder if after appearing on such shows together if they just turn their backs and toss out a few personal insults off the air.  But Donna said that is not the case.

In her many years, she has fostered great friendships and relationships with people who have shared completely opposite political opinions.  These are people she has invited to her home, that know her family, that truly care about her.  These are the kinds of things that the people need to know about and actually witness.  Not the nasty mud-slinging we see day to day.  There is goodness there.  There is civility there.  Please take this from behind the scenes and let us see it.  I still do not know if there was any political motivation for the shootings that took place in Arizona, but I do think that the political rhetoric that is out there can be potentially dangerous.  We should be careful of the 'us vs. them' mentality that turns ordinary people into enemies just because they have a different opinion than you.  Be passionate, but respectful.

She ended with letting us know that there was a potential move to get all of the members of Congress to sit wherever they wanted - not this whole 'Democrats on one side of the room, and Republicans on the other.'  I think that would be a pretty powerful show of unity.  Unity - I think Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be proud.

Meet my new puppy!

Happy New Year!  Shame on me for not introducing my new puppy back when we first got him in December.  His name is Tommy - yes, Jerry and now Tommy!  Ahh, I would have much preferred something like Wheezy since he had this funny little sniffle he was doing.  But isn't he cute?  I feel like I have a matching set of Shih Tzu.

More pictures to come!