Sons and Daughters of Liberty

What does it mean to be an American today? Whether you are a U.S. citizen by birth, or a naturalized American, you should think about this daily. What is an American? What is it about our way of life and culture that makes millions of foreigners risk life and limb to get here? Do we have a unique American culture? Why do people fear us? Why are there those out to destroy us? These are the questions and issues that will be explored here.

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Location: Pasadena, California

Monday, December 29, 2014

I'll Give You Something to Blog About!

To all the people who keep writing these "To the Person Who Hurt My Kid's Feelings" blogs: when I was a kid, guess what? Sometimes people, other kids mostly, but sometimes adults, said rude or mean things to me or my friends. Sometimes we said rude things back, sometimes we didn't (depending on how big or how many they were, haha!), but one thing certainly NEVER happened. We never had "our day ruined," nor did we run home crying to mommy or daddy so they could blog about it to everyone and reveal to the world that we were coddled, over-protected cry babies. 

Why? Because our parents taught us that there were good AND bad people out there, and how to deal with both. They taught us the Golden Rule, "Sticks and Stones...," and that sometimes life wasn't fair, and they told us not to whine about it. They raised us to be independent, self-sufficient, tough and thick-skinned, to roll with the punches (and punch back!), to survive on the streets, to know how to stay out of trouble, when to stand up for ourselves, and when to run. 

Our parents taught us that we weren't entitled to anything unless we earned it. "Want a trophy? Win First Place!" was their motto. And guess what else? When we did something bad, our parents SPANKED us! With belts! And we never told any social workers or teachers because our parents LOVED us and raised us in a loving home. And they taught us to love God and country, respect them, respect our elders, and to respect authority, as THEY did. And when a teacher, babysitter, or neighbor told my parents we had done something wrong, my parents believed them, and just didn't jump to our defense because we were their kids (and we'd get spanked again!). 

There were consequences for our actions. Us kids had to take personal responsibility, and only then, after we EARNED respect, good grades, privileges, etc, would we get our allowance, get to take the car out, stay out late, etc. Blog about THAT!


The New McCarthyism

Attacks on controversial Health Department chief put us all on a slippery slope


Dr. Eric Walsh, director of the Pasadena Public Health Department, was recently placed on paid administrative leave. This was done so the city could conduct an investigation into allegations made by a Pasadena City College student activist group that Walsh had made bigoted comments while delivering one or more sermons in his role as an associate pastor at his Seventh-day Adventist Church, which may be affecting his job performance.  

Naturally, a city has a stake in ensuring that all the citizens it serves feel they will be treated humanely, fairly and without prejudice or discrimination in any form, and that none of the city’s policies, procedures or codes of conduct have been violated by any member in their employ. I’m fine with that. 
 
What I’m troubled by is the idea gaining traction in our society in which a person, no matter their title, position, level of education, training and professionalism, can be ostracized and publicly branded a bigoted hate-monger based not only on their religious beliefs, but on how they worship in their church, or preach from their pulpit.

Whatever Dr. Walsh’s personal religious beliefs may be, is it that difficult to conceive that the man would be able to check his religion at the door when he went to work? That as a medical doctor, his personal faith would not interfere with his ability to deliver compassionate, professional health services to all citizens, whatever their race, creed, religion, sexual orientation or political persuasion happens to be? By the way, Walsh has been doing just that in his post, without complaint or public outcry. I know, because I have worked with him and his staff and have seen firsthand the types of services they offer, and have used them myself. I have seen no bigotry or hate toward any group on the part of Dr. Walsh or his employees.  
 
The idea that someone is incapable, or physically, psychologically or emotionally unable to keep their personal beliefs to themselves and act in a professional, compassionate and humane manner in a work environment, whether in government or the private sector, invites serious questions. 

So, a member of the National Rifle Association can’t organize and lead an anti-gun violence coalition’s gun buyback or peace march because they believe in an American’s right to own firearms? Conservative Republicans can’t volunteer at a homeless shelter or food kitchen because they might believe that poverty and homelessness are the fault of individual actions and behaviors? 
 
I’m Presbyterian. I believe that Jesus Christ is God, one and the same, who came to us in human form, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. I believe Jesus rose on the third day to ascend to Heaven, where He (God, the Son) sits at the right hand of God (the Father). I believe that people are born saved or not, and that everything is predestined, whether we like it or not. 

Now, there are some who would disagree with my religious beliefs, and even others who might be offended by them. Does this make me a hate-filled bigot? Does this mean I am now incapable of carrying out my duties as a police officer, which I have been doing for 21 years, or as head of a nonprofit agency dedicated to helping families struggling with mental illness?

Do you see how intolerant and potentially dangerous this type of thinking is? That’s the real bigotry that’s developing in this country; this idea that if you don’t believe as this or that group does, if you don’t believe in climate change and evolution, or if you believe that homosexuality is a sin as stated in the Bible, or that moral relativism is wrongheaded, secular bunk being sold to our children in public schools, or that rap music is inspired by the devil, and you express these beliefs in public, then you must be a hate-mongering, racist, bigot unworthy to hold any professional, business or leadership posts. 
 
Basically, it’s an end-run around the First Amendment, and it’s the same type of oppressive mentality that led to McCarthyism. Who cares if you’re not getting arrested, fined and imprisoned? If you can be publicly ostracized, placed on leave or fired, professionally ruined, have your livelihood stripped, or be forced to sell your property because of your thoughts, beliefs, writings, sermons or religious faith, it’s the same persecution and a violation of one’s constitutional rights. Freedom of speech, worship and the right to have a dissenting opinion or unpopular viewpoint are in serious trouble in this country.

Today, Dr. Walsh is on administrative leave while being investigated to see if his controversial religious views have impacted his job performance, based upon the complaints of a political group that didn’t like his beliefs. Tomorrow, you might be deemed a hate-filled bigot and placed on administrative leave, fined, fired and have your livelihood taken away because you a. voted Republican, b. joined the NRA, c. own guns, d. have a son in the Boy Scouts of America, e. belong to the Freemasons, f. wrote an article like this one …

Scary, isn’t it? 

This article first appeared in the Pasadena Weekly of May 14, 2014.


Location, location, location

There are better places than Old Pasadena to build the Armenian Genocide Memorial


As an alumnus of Art Center College of Design, I am thrilled that one of our own, 26-year-old Catherine Menard, produced the winning design for the proposed Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial, scheduled to be completed in Old Pasadena’s Memorial Park in 2015, the centennial of the beginning of the murders of more than 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks.
As a native of East Washington Village, Pasadena’s traditionally Armenian neighborhood, I’m also glad to see that this memorial, a timely and fitting remembrance of the 20th century’s first genocide, is finally going to happen.
However, I’m somewhat concerned that the same creativity and originality that went into the design apparently did not go into the selection of the location for the memorial’s placement. It’s not a stretch to imagine that someone went from Point A to Point B with the thought: “It’s a memorial. We have a park called Memorial Park. Let’s put it there.”
Good idea, except for one thing: Memorial Park is a remembrance space for US military service personnel, currently those who were killed in the Vietnam War and those who fought for the Union in the Civil War. It’s not a drop-off center for memorials from any number of groups from around the world that suffered some historical tragedy. If it were, or if it were allowed to become one, we would soon have a long line of “memorialists” clamoring for stone and steel remembrances to be erected there — from victims of the African slave trade and the Holocaust to the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II and the Rwandan massacre.
It’s not that those horrific events would be undeserving of their own memorials. Many already have them, only — and most importantly — they have been placed in appropriately well-thought out locations. I, for one, as much as I support the proposed Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial, would like to see Memorial Park remain the sole domain of US military remembrances.
This brings up my second argument. Memorial Park is small and on the verge of becoming cluttered, what with the Levitt Pavilion hosting concerts at the park’s amphitheater throughout the summer, a children’s play area, the Pasadena Senior Center, both war memorials and the old city library ruins. Why would anyone want to place the large and majestic Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial there anyway? Would it even fit? Old Pasadena, and for that matter the rest of the city’s west side, is already top-heavy with almost all of Pasadena’s artistic, historical and cultural edifices and institutions.
Are Pasadenans to be convinced that those who came up with the proposed home of the Armenian Genocide Memorial could not envision a better location for such a monument in East Washington Village or somewhere in East Pasadena?
I’m no urban planner, but even I could conceive of a stand-alone park space built at the intersection of Sierra Madre and Washington boulevards, or at Eaton Blanche Park, or any other suitable location in East Pasadena which could be turned into the home of Pasadena’s memorial, maybe one that included a roundabout, a parking area and a small visitor’s center, along with lights to illuminate it at night; a place where it would be separate, dignified and contemplative, and not just dropped into a “used” space in Old Pasadena like an afterthought. Think Washington, DC, or Grand Army Plaza in New York. Come on, be creative people! Let’s spread some of the cultural and historical wealth out east. Pasadenans and, more importantly, the victims of the Armenian Genocide, deserve as much.
This article first appeared in the Pasadena Weekly of of May 8, 2013.  Follow Victor Cass on Twitter @Victor_Cass.