UE Students Feel Unsafe on Campus

 In 1934, Evansville College admitted its first black student, Zerah Priestly, after an 80-year period when black students were not permitted to attend the college.  In 1934, social conditions in the United States were at the point where Evansville College was the last major college in Indiana to allow a black student admittance.  Racism and "Jim Crow" laws and policies were the norm in many parts of the United States.  The common theme was to treat black people inhumanely.  Lynching of black people throughout the United States were commonplace.

In 2023, some 89 years since the doors were opened to black students, a climate of "unwelcomeness" still exists towards black students at the University of Evansville (UE).  Systemic conditions exist that make UE at times an "unsafe" environment for black students.

Recently several black students attended a student function at a UE fraternity house.  At the function, black students were called the "N" word by several of the European American UE students at the function.  The official response of UE to the incident so far has been underwhelming. Last night the UE Black Student Union held a meeting to air grievances regarding the lack of an official response by UE to the incident and black student feelings of being unsafe at UE.

As a 1980 graduate of UE, I urge university officials to take appropriate disciplinary actions against the students who initiated the hate speech against the black students. A failure to do so would be a "wink and a smile" towards all students who believe in verbally assaulting black students, or anyone, with hateful words.  A failure to act condones poor behavior.

UE we await your response.

TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board - A "secretive" organization creating public policy

 What is one of the most secretive organizations in the United States?  That would be the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board.  The Board consist of 18 appointed members of the entertainment industry and 5 "public interest" members.  Representatives from Hulu, NBC, CBS, and the Boys and Girls Club of America are some of the group members  The group meets in private and the names of the members are kept hidden from the general public.  This private group is responsible for creation of ratings and descriptors for the TV shows and movies the general public watches.  You will never see this group interviewed on television.  The group interacts with the public via a one way communication of survey results that they proudly say always supports the rating system.  The rating system they oversee is supposed to serve as a guideline to parents and others who want to be aware of the content of the material they or their children, nephews, nieces, and grandchildren are about to view.

The Board stated that recent survey results indicated that 95% of parents feel it is important to know about sexual situations in the program they are about to watch.  One issue that has come up is to understand how the Board defines "sexual situations"?  Are scenes featuring two women kissing, or two males kissing in a bed defined as "sexual situations"?  Currently such scenes are not labeled as sexual situations and have been pushed out as viewers in TV shows and movies without a warning that the program contains such scenes.

Do you as a viewer want to be forewarned about the presence of scenes that involve homosexual behavior or non binary gender behaviors?  "Sexual situations" is a descriptor that needs to be defined by the Board.  If sexual situations does not involve homosexual behavior or non binary gender issues, then separate descriptors need to be created for homosexual and non binary gender content.  In addition the ratings and descriptors need to remain on the screen for at least a full minute.  Please contact the Board via the below methods to express your views on the adequacy of current ratings and descriptors related to homosexual behavior and non binary gender content.

TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board
PO BOX 771
Washington, DC 20044
TVOMB@tvguidelines.org
(202) 570-7776

The Good News

We are in a world destined for destruction in a horrific chaotic manner.  God created a system and method for human beings, as broken as we are, to have eternal life beyond this world.  God's system was to place His son in a human form on Earth.  He then allowed for that son to suffer and die for OUR sins.  That system opened a new door for all people to achieve eternal life.

This system/method is in place.  The rules for humans to follow have been established in those words given in the bible.  Now it is up to each of us to overcome the human ways of the world and to adhere to God's rules if we want what God has offered.  The path to the offer is through the narrowest of gates.

What is your choice?  What is your chosen destination?  Begin/continue your journey.  The path is full of obstacles.  Tread carefully and in constant prayer.

Mr. Hamlin and StandAndPray

 No longer being a fan of football, I was unaware of the tragic event that occurred to Mr. Hamlin prior to posting my prior blog on StandAndPray 2023. What really caught my attention was how many football fans were suddenly motivated to pray in response to the tragedy. Would it not have been better to Stand And Pray during the playing of the national anthem to include a prayer for the safety and well being of all the players?  No, what we as humans do is pray after a negative event has happened.

Next Sunday football fans across the world will be likely asked to stand for a moment of silence in honor of Mr. Hamlin.  Some of you football fans might even take that opportunity to say a silent prayer.  But, then you will go right back into the human behavior where you remain standing with your hand over your heart , and your beer in your other hand to honor your nation during the playing of the national anthem.

Prayerfully, Mr. Hamlin will recover.  Prayerfully you will not be asked to stand at a future football game in memory of Mr. Hamlin.

So now I will ask you again.  Before your next football game or any sporting event, can you simply StandAndPray during the national anthem?

Stand and Pray at our Sports Distractions #StandAndPray 2023

 And so it continues.  In the United States, maybe in other countries also.  Before we start our sporting events, our cultural or governmental traditions have established a moment where we stand as the flag of the government is displayed and the associated national anthem played.  We are asked to stand, respectfully take off our caps, and sing along with the anthem (if you know the words).  Sometimes we are asked to place our hand over our heart.  These are human instructions on what we should do, whether we want to or not.  If you do not follow these instructions, you are frowned upon.  And please do not even think of taking a knee if you are one of the combatants on the playing field preparing for your "game".  In some countries this pre game ritual has been linked to respecting those who have fault in our human wars.  Those people sent off to practice our utmost human stupidity.  The act of killing each other over human values.  Property/land, power, resources.

There is another option for our pre game ritual.  I propose this option to all regardless of your faith, religion, or national human origin.  Regardless of your race, gender, or economic status.  As you are asked to "please rise, remove your caps, and join in the playing of our national anthem", simply stand and pray.  

Stand in acknowledgement of the God who created humanity.  Pray either silently or out loud for the continued grace of our Creator who allows us to continue to live despite our continuing to stray from the course which our Creator established for us to follow.  Pray in thanks for all that you have, whether it's the material and economic benefits that allow you to even attend this "game"; your health which allows you to be alive at the game; or just pray for spiritual guidance in your life and in the lives of your family members.  Pray in acknowledgement that the sports event is just a human distraction from the rigors of real life.  Yes, the sports event may be your "time out" from the drama of real life, but your act of "StandAndPray" is your action of acknowledging what really matters.  Stand and pray is your acknowledgement that you are always "time in" when it comes to your spirituality.

Romans 1:23  (NLT)  And instead of worshipping the glorious ever living God, they worshipped idols made look like mere people and birds and animals and  reptiles.

TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board still Missing in Action

 Episode 4 of the "Best Man: The Final Chapters" series on Peacock was rated TV MA.  Among the content of the episode was a coverage of one of the youthful characters coming out as being non binary.  The scene included the character dressing as the feminine side of "their" non binary personality.  The descriptor that was shown along with the TV MA rating was "coarse language".  Their continues to be no descriptor being used by the TV Parental Guidelines that forewarns audiences regarding an episode or movie containing scenes of a non binary lifestyle or same sex relationships.

As a service to the watching public, instead of us continuing to be surprised and shocked by these scenes, the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board needs to establish a descriptor that clearly forewarns viewers regarding the specific content of an episode or movie.

A descriptor of LS=lifestyle choices, and SSR=same sex relationships, is desperately needed if the Board continues to allow this "peek-a-boo" treatment of audiences.  Board membes, why do you insist on shocking and surprising audiences with scenes that cover non binary lifestyles and same sex relationships?  What is it that makes you think everyone is aware of these situations and accepts them?  Do you not owe people who do not want to watch such scenes a forewarning?  Is this a matter of economics where adding another descriptor would cost the industry some exorbitant amount of money?

Please educate the public on your rationale.

"Florida is where woke goes to die" - Governor of Florida Declares in "victory" speech

 The education of Governor Desantis starts.  The governor of Florida has the attributes that European Americans adore.  Male, European American, war veteran, European Wife and children.  Plus he is using all the traditional code words that support a "God bless European Americans, and no one else" ideology.  In his comments after the election that gave him a second term, he made two catch phrase comments.  "Freedom is here to stay" and "Florida is where woke goes to die".

Let me address first the "...woke goes to die" comment.  Governor Desantis.  Your high school and college education apparently did not cover the 1960s and the civil rights struggles during that period.  During the early 1960s and even before, people would venture into the southern states of these United States to register black people to vote and to support their civil rights.  These efforts were not met peacefully by all the "fine people" in the south.  People risked physical harm and even death in making those efforts. In 1964 three men, Mr. Chaney, Schwerner, and Goodman were killed for their civil rights activities in the south.

So Governor, you are correct that activities that deal with freedom, openess, and inclusion are often met by violence.  Your statement that "Florida is where work goes to die" reminded me of the lives of the three men murdered in 1964 and the many others killed, harmed or run out of the south during those years.  You carelessly used the word "die" in reference to the beliefs and views of people in this country.  The same country whom you want to become President and lead all the people in the United States, to include those who call themselves "woke".

I suggest you meet with vaarious components of people who express to have a "woke" ideology.  Learn and understand what it means before you condemn it and the people in it to "die".  You will find out that the ideology covers a range of viewpoints.  It is not focused on specific races of people.  One component of "woke" is to include facts about the history of this country, to include your state of Florida, that have been swept under the rug and hidden from public knowledge or discussion.

Your statement declares that the truth will never see the light of day in Florida.  You want to paint a clear blue sky as your worldly landscape free of any rain clouds.  Being a native of Florida, you know that the storms and hurricanes cannot be stopped.  All we can do is prepare for a storm and in some cases flee from the storms/hurricanes.  I have never heard you say, "Florida is where hurricanes come to die."  You should welcome a dialog of clarifying what does "woke" mean and how it can lead to the improvement of these United States.

Next, your comment "Freedom is here to stay".  I never knew there was a threat to freedom in the United States?  What are you talking about Governor?  Does freedom mean, the freedom to think one way?  The same way that Ron Desantis thinks?  Freedom for who?

I have no hope that the United States will ever achieve the lofty goals of equality for all, no racism, or anything that establishes a semblance of real humanity.  Selfishness, racism, stupidity, ignorance will continue with pockets of rationale human behavior scattered across the land.  Whomever reads this article I pray you live in a rationale "respectful of others" environment.

I look forward to the next governor of Florida declaring, "Florida is where we peacefully respect each other".