The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

The Dirty Bakers Dozen

In America today, we have a baker’s dozen of problems that strike at the fabric and soul of American society. The continuation and non-resolution of these problems are tearing us apart and leading to the disintegration of our society. These problems are of our own making, as our actions and inactions to resolve these problems have led us to this point in American history. Much of these problems are ideologically based, as we have lost our understanding of our founding "American Ideals and Ideas", and we are groping for a new understanding of what constitutes American society. In this groping, we are transforming America, and we have forgotten that change and/or new does not necessarily mean better, as I have examined in my Article "Change and/or New".

These baker’s dozen of problems, in alphabetical order, are:

Abortion

Your beliefs on the morality of abortion define your belief in the meaning of human life. The question of abortion is, “Is an unborn child a human being or not a human being?” Your answer to this question determines your stance on abortion, as I have written in my Article, "The Abortion Question". In many ways, the abortion question is analogous to the slavery question that faced America at its founding, as I have written in my Article on "The Analogy of Abortion and Slavery". It is an existential question that needs to be resolved in America. It will define who we are and what we believe about the importance of human life. As an existential question, this must be resolved, or we will continue to tear ourselves apart, and if we come up with the wrong answer, then we will be wracked with convulsions to our society until we get it right.

Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Alcohol and Drug Addiction are on the rise in America. Dependency on alcohol and drugs is a scourge that is taking the lives, health, and future of Americans, especially young Americans, according to the National Drug Helpline webpage “Addiction Statistics in America”. In my Article, “Addiction”, I relate that anybody can succumb to addiction, as addiction is a human condition, and we are all human. Addiction knows no bounds of nationality, sex, race, creed, culture, socio-economic, intelligence, etc... Addiction is a big problem for the person addicted, their loved ones, their family, their neighbors, their co-workers, and society as a whole. Addiction can take the form of substance abuse or psychological abuse. It is easy to become addicted, as it often occurs gradually and a little bit at a time before you realize you have become addicted. In every way, shape, or form, addiction needs to be confronted and overcome for the benefit of all those who are addicted and America as a whole.

Family and Faith Destruction

In my Article "Systemic Family, Education, and Faith Problems", I examined that the decline of the two-parent family, the failures of public education, and the loss of our faith in God and our American Ideals have contributed to the decline of America, much more than any of our other problems. The combination of all three of these problems is the main cause of the problems in America. The problems of Systemic Family, Education, and Faith are the problems that we need to correct to achieve a better America. It will also allow us to solve our problems peacefully as we strive to achieve the ideals of America as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

Non-Judgmentalism

In our attempts to be fair-minded and inclusive, we have become non-judgmental. In my Article, “Who are you to Judge?”, I point out that we all make judgments in our life. Whether it be who we wish to associate, to whom we wish to engage in commercial transactions (both goods purchased and services retained), for whom we will cast our ballots in elections, to the guilt or innocence of someone when we serve as jurors on a trial. These judgments are necessary for the proper functioning of society. We often judge by the words and deeds, the behaviors and actions, to even the appearance of others. It is how we make these judgments that are important, not that we make these judgments.

If you have led a legal, moral, and ethical life, then you may judge others based on your legal, moral, and ethical values. If you have not lived this life but have changed your life for the better, and are repentant, then you may judge others based on your changed life. If you are still leading an illegal, immoral, or unethical life, you do not have the right to judge others. For those who would respond that if you have done ill in the past, then you have no right to judge others, I would remind you of one of my “Truisms”:

“Just because you have committed an unlawful, immoral, unethical, or unwise act, and upon reflection determine that it is an unlawful, immoral, unethical, or unwise act, does not preclude you from speaking out against others committing that unlawful, immoral, unethical, or unwise act. It does not make you a hypocrite, it makes you repentant.”
  - Mark Dawson

Judgmentalism is important in making a determination as to the good or the bad of any situation or of any person, group, or organization and then making a decision as to how to proceed in any situation or whether or not to associate with a person, group, or organization. To be non-judgmental is to allow for any behavior or actions by any person, group, or organization that they would undertake. This non-judgmentalism leads to a disorderly society in which anything is permissible if it does not violate the law. And what often goes first is civility and respect for others which leads down the slippery slope to disarray and the disintegration of society.

Open Borders

Our immigration laws are not being enforced, the Coronavirus Pandemic restrictions on these illegal immigrants are being ignored, and the illegal immigrants are being dispersed across America, which incurs additional costs to State and Local governments for the provision of social services for these illegal immigrants. Some of these illegal immigrants are drug runners, gang members, human traffickers, and other criminal elements, as well as many of them have infectious diseases. This is a human catastrophe, as I have Chirped on "03/15/21 The Human Catastrophe of Illegal Immigration".

The inactions and non-reactions by the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government to this situation is a governmental assault against the Constitution, as it involves the non-enforcement of immigration laws duly passed by Congress and signed by a President. It is also changing the demographics of America at the National, State, and Local levels. If these illegal immigrants should obtain citizenship in the future, then our elections would be skewered by persons whose very first act in our nation was violating our laws. These illegal immigrants also have little or no conception of our American ideals and ideas, and they may not cast their ballots in elections with regard to these ideas and ideals.

As President Ronald Reagan has said, "A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation." This Open Border situation is untenable and may lead to the eventual destruction of our society as a people dedicated to the Rule of Law and our "American Ideals and Ideas".

Political Correctness, Wokism, and DEI

"Political Correctness", "Wokeness", and "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)" bespeak of an attitude of intolerance for different opinions and viewpoints from that of Progressives/Leftists. It is often accompanied by the attempt to restrict the free speech rights of those that would disagree with Political Correctness, Wokeness, and DEI. Political Correctness, Wokeness, and DEI often go hand in hand, but the usual progression is to establish Political Correctness to be followed by Wokeness and then the effectuation of DEI.

In my Chirp on "04/05/22 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)", I note that while the ideals of DEI are lofty, they are often very difficult to quantify in legal terms. And while the objective of DEI is noble, the means to achieve them are often ignoble. The real-world reality of DEI is that it is ERC (Exclusion, Redistribution, and Conformity,) which is the antithesis of equality, as I have noted in my Terminology webpage section on "Equity and Equality".

Politicization of Everything

A society is not all about politics, and politics should not all encompass a society but only be an important factor in society. Our culture, our arts and sciences, our business and commercial activities, and our personal lives are all equally important factors in our society. To have politics thrust into these factors is to demean these factors and despoil our society. This politicization often increases the divisiveness in America by disparaging the persons that disagree with the politics being advocated. As the Bible states in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” There is a time and place for politics, but it is not every time and every place. Consequently, we should exercise self-control and leave politics to the political arena and enjoy the other factors in our society free of politics.

Public Education

The public school systems in urban America are a failure. They fail to provide a good education for their students, they fail to provide a good environment for their students, they fail to prepare their students to become productive and contributing adults, they fail the parents of the students through their failures, and they fail the taxpayers who fund these schools.

As I have examined in my Articles "Modern Education", "Public Education", and “Indoctrination versus Education”, this failure is systemic. They are also failing America by not educating their students on our American history and our founding ideas and ideals, and their civic duties as Americans. Rather than teaching that America was a noble experiment in Liberty, Freedom, and Self-Governance “Of the people, by the people, and for the people”, and despite the flaws that we have strived to correct and overcome throughout our history, they are teaching their students to despise and disparage America for not meeting a utopian ideal throughout our history. It is time for public education to educate their students on our "American Ideals and Ideas" and the importance of "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" in the governance of our society.

Public Safety

America is experiencing a crime wave in the last few years, unlike other crime waves that we have experienced. A state of lawlessness that is occurring because the government is not enforcing the laws, and some people believe that they can break the laws without consequences. Prosecutorial Discretion is often utilized for the non-enforcement of laws that the prosecutor dislikes or disagrees with, as I have Chirped on “01/17/23 Prosecutorial Discretion”. Many acts of lawlessness are undertaken by those claiming to be victims of American society, and their lawlessness is just compensation for their victimhood. Neither excuse is a valid reason for the non-enforcement of the law or as a justification for lawless acts, and all of these inactions and actions are a violation of our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

As a result, peace-loving Americans no longer feel safe in their homes, on the streets, or at a business or commercial establishment. Many Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have given tacit or active support for this non-enforcement and lawlessness in the name of social justice, as I have written in my Chirp on “05/19/22 The Lawless Party”. At the same time, many Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders decry these actions in the name of Justice, as anytime that you place an adjective in front of the word ‘Justice’ you no longer have true Justice- you have favoritism (i.e., "Adjective Justice").

These Public Safety concerns lead many Americans to believe that they must take the law into their own hands to protect themselves, their families, and their property. While they have the right to protect themselves from direct assaults upon their persons, families, and property, this right is limited to imminent danger. Non-imminence requires that they await the protection of law enforcement persons to preserve and enact justice, as any non-imminence protective actions result in a state of injustice, as no one should determine and exact justice on their own. It is also true that no one should be subject to the capriciousness of others' unlawful acts upon their lives, families, and property without having recourse to justice against those who have committed the unlawful acts. It is an unfortunate fact that in this crime wave, people are being subject to the capriciousness of others' unlawful acts upon their persons, families, and property while not being able to avail themselves of the justice of the legal system due to Prosecutorial Discretion. This situation is indefensible, as it leads to the breakdown of the Rule of Law, and it may end up resulting in retributive actions to obtain justice by those denied justice by the current inactions of the justice system.

Sexuality

LGBTQIA+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more, which are terms used to describe a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. There is no debate in America that members of the LGBTQIA+ community have the same "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" that all Americans possess and that they should be treated politely and respectfully by all. However, sexuality is a private matter and should be relegated to the privacy of your abode or to private establishments. Nobody has the right to thrust their sexuality upon the public, especially upon innocent children, as I have Chirped on "12/20/22 A Child’s Sexuality Development".

The LGBTQIA+ "Activists and Activism" has gone far beyond assuring the Natural, Human, and Civil Rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and is remaking America into a society of self-gratification. This self-gratification has often been the downfall of civilizations, with the prime example being the Ancient Roman Empire. Self-gratification is not a valid reason for public displays of sexuality nor for the institution of laws, rules, and regulations that allow for self-gratification in public places.

Tribalism

E Pluribus Unum – Latin for "Out of many, one" – is the traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal of the United States. Alas, this motto is being disregarded by "Identity Politics" and the subsequent division of Americans into tribes of race, religion, national origins, and a host of special interest groups. All of these tribes are competing with each other for government favors or special treatment, while the tribal members do not consider what is best for America and all Americans. Little consideration is given to the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of anyone outside of the tribe while they demand these rights for the tribal members. History has taught us that tribalism often leads to tribe warfare and, many times to the deaths and destruction of the tribes and tribal members involved in the warfare.

Victimhood

Being a victim is all the rage in America. Instead of taking responsibility for their words and deeds and taking control of their life, many Americans claim victimhood as an excuse for their failures or difficulties in life. In this, they often claim that they are the victim of an “Oppressive Patriarchal Hierarchy”, “Systemic Racism in America”, and sexism, as I have written in my article on “Feminism and the Devaluation of the Male”. They have forgotten or did not know that “Life is hard, and then you die.” It is not the difficulties of life that are important, but how you deal with these difficulties that is important. Or, as I have said:

"Shit happens. Sometimes you shit on yourself, sometimes others shit on you,
and other times shit just happens.
It doesn't matter how shit happens, it only matters how you deal with the shit.
You can either clean yourself up and smell the roses,
Or you can wallow in the shit and everything stinks.
And remember; It's just as important to learn from the shit,
as it is to clean yourself up from the shit!"
  - Mark Dawson 

Believing that you are a victim often leads to anxiety, depression, and hopelessness, which then often leads to anti-social behavior and criminal activities. Instead of allowing for victimhood, we should assist a person in gaining control of their life and helping them to achieve to the maximum extent of their skills and abilities.

Weaponization of Government

It is now abundantly clear to all rational and reasonable persons that the Weaponization of Government has begun in America, as I have examined in my collected Chirps Article on the “Weaponization of Government”. A Two-Tiered system of justice in the Justice Department and the FBI now appears to be firmly entrenched in the Biden Administration, as I have Chirp on "07/31/21 A Two-Tiered Justice and Governmental System" and "06/22/22 Injustice Department and the Federal Bureau of Iniquity". In addition, we have seen the corruption of the Intelligence agencies to support political policies and agendas and the degradation of the military to achieve social justice goals rather than to win conflicts. All of these actions represent the weaponization of government to support political goals rather than in their performing their duties and responsibilities.

This Two-Tiered system of justice is of the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists in one tier (The Upper Tier) and the Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives in the other tier (The Lower Tier). The laws and governmental actions are lenient or unenforced against The Upper Tier, while The Lower Tier is pursued, persecuted, or prosecuted for any infractions of the laws and regulations that can be alleged that they violated. This Two-Tiered system of justice has the support of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists as it advances their political agendas. As such, the Democrat Party is supporting the weaponization of government and lawlessness, as I have Chirp on "05/19/22 The Lawless Party".

This Two-Tiered system of justice was one of the major reasons that the American colonists revolted against the British Empire, and many of the particulars of The Declaration of Independence were about the Weaponization of Government against the American Patriots by the British government. If this continues, it may be necessary for another revolt by American Patriots to reestablish the Rule of Law and "A Just Government and a Just Society".

* * * * *

Alas, these baker’s dozen of problems are embraced by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, as they perceive an electoral advantage by exploiting rather than solving these problems. The Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders have difficulty countering this exploitation, as it requires knowledge and reasoning rather than believing and feeling to understand these problems, as I have explained in my "Dialog & Debate" Article sections on "With Facts, Intelligence, and Reasoning" and "Think vs. Feel - or - Emotions are Easy, Thinking is Hard". Part of this problem is that most people believe in "The Biggest Falsehoods in America" and base their ballots on these falsehoods. It is also an unfortunate fact that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders often sow the seeds of "Divisiveness in America" to stoke fear and loathing against Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders for electoral advantage.

It is, therefore, up to the American people to become cognizant of these problems and elect leaders that will solve these problems. Otherwise, we can expect that these problems will continue to tear us apart and lead to the disintegration of our society.