It doesn’t take much to realize that people in general are more frustrated and less tolerant of others than they were ten years ago. A trip to the grocery store can sometimes be challenging. So, I was not surprised when I read the following in the NY Times today.
By many measures, Americans are feeling frustrated with their government, their economy and their fellow citizens. Nearly 80 percent are dissatisfied with the country’s direction, according to Gallup. People spend hours screaming at one another on social media. Many Americans consider people with opposing political ideas to be so wrong that they don’t deserve the right to express their views. Polls also show an alarming degree of skepticism about democracy and openness to political violence. We are forgetting our manners, our sense of decency, our sense of caring, and our sense of tolerance for others. It is scarry. We all need to re-read the Golden Rule. See my Quote of the Day for a refresher.
Today I had a conversation with a female army veteran who served in Afghanistan. I asked for her take on what is going on in Ukraine. Her initial reaction got my attention when she said she is more scared now than she has ever been in her life. She saw no strategic reason for Putin to occupy Ukraine other than a desire for their lithium, which Ukraine has 5% of the world’s lithium. She went on to say that she felt Ukraine was not Putin’s end game. She believes Putin is rich and bored and needs to expand his control to feed his ego. She also felt Putin did not believe that our ‘commander in chief’ (her words) was strong enough to challenge him. However, she was glad that the U.S was not challenging Putin. She was adamant that the U.S. should not get involved directly in the conflict. She also felt bad for the average Russian citizens for all they have endured under Putin. It is always great to get other opinions on issues.
The men’s Sweet Sixteen starts on Thursday with U of M taking on Villanova, two teams that have been very successful in the tournament in the last 5 years. U of M is second only to Gonzaga in the number of NCAA tournament victories during the last five years, and Villanova is has won it all twice in the last five years, including a victory over Michigan in the 2018 championship game. Villanova is favored by 6. I believe if both teams play their “A” game, Villanova will win by more than 6. As we have learned so many times in this tournament, it is not a sure thing a team is going to play their “A” game on any given night, which is why Michigan has a chance to win.
Also playing on Thursday is Duke vs. Texas Tech. This is a game with national interest as Duke’s legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, will retire at the end of the season. Coach K, a graduate of West Point, is the all-time leader in wins for division I men’s basketball. In addition, he has made it to 12 final fours and won 5 national championships at Duke. He was the head coach of the gold medal winning Olympic men’s basketball teams, in 2008, 2012 and 2016. He was also, the assistant Olympic coach on many other gold medal winning teams, including the greatest of all teams, the 1992 Dream Team. He is a two-time inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Olympic Hall of Fame. Although I did not pick Duke to win it all, I am rooting for Duke to win it all, as long they do not have to play Michigan. A sixth national championship for a person who has been so good for the game of basketball will be a fitting end for this legend.
We lost a groundbreaking and glass ceiling breaking leader today. Per the NY Time, Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright (84) died today. A child of Czech refugees who fled from Nazi invaders and Communist oppressors and then landed in the United States, where she flourished as a diplomat and the first woman to serve as secretary of state. The cause was cancer, her daughter Anne said. Enveloped by a veil of family secrets hidden from her for most of her life, Ms. Albright rose to power and fame as a brilliant analyst of world affairs and a White House counselor on national security. Under President Bill Clinton, she became the country’s representative to the United Nations (1993-97) and secretary of state (1997-2001), making her the highest-ranking woman in the history of American government at the time. It was not until after she became secretary of state that she accepted proof that, as she had long suspected, her ethnic and religious background was not what she had thought. She learned that her family was Jewish and that her parents had protectively converted to Roman Catholicism during World War II, raising their children as Catholics without telling them of their Jewish heritage. She also discovered that 26 family members, including three grandparents, had been murdered in the Holocaust.
Pray for peace and tolerance. What are you doing to stop the violence? Get vaccinated and get your booster.
Orchid of the Day: Coach K.
Onion of the Day: Putin.
Quotes of the Day: “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” Luke 6:31 “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31
Video of the Day: Coach K.