congress

Sabrina Fulton is Standing Her Ground Against The ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law

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Theme:– Operation C.R.U.S.H. Against Gun Violence, Bias and Clouded Vision

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings recently to continue the gun reform debate. Even with the shooting of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, there hasn’t been much movement. Sabrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mom, stopped by to say she’s standing her ground against the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law.

This law is a “legal problem step-child” of the Castle Doctrine & Second Amendment. The Castle Doctrine says someone has the right to shoot if they feel their home/life is threatened. Since many of the Founding Fathers were slave owners, the Second Amendment was in part a way to manage/suppress revolts.

This helped to make guns a growing fixture in early American life. As the nation went from one war to the next the fascination for guns grew. Some veterans brought back guns upon returning home. So America’s gun climate has been fueled in part by slavery, wars, gun shows and other societal effects.

We saw more firearm-related activism with groups rallying for gun-rights. There was a spike in purchases by hobbyists, hunters and for ‘hood protection. So maybe reform policies are hard to pass in Congress because some prefer an ideological boxing match rather than dealing with the sociological miss-match.

Fulton believes ‘Stand Your Ground’ is a big reason for her son’s untimely death. She can’t fathom how such a law remains in place across many states. For Fulton it’s personal even though it’s not about taking personal issue with gun owners. That might be the message anti-violence advocates hope is received.

Footnote: To be anti-violence doesn’t make you anti Second Amendment, just like to be for Civil Rights doesn’t mean you hate Government or its leaders.

Sean Hannity Might Have Played Russian-Roulette with Obamacare Worker

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Theme:– Operation J.U.M.P. For Jobs, Justice & Unsung Dreams

The blame game continues in Washington. Some are pointing fingers after the shutdown. Others are saying the Healthcare.gov site has been a debacle. Hearings on Capitol Hill try to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Sean Hannity might have played Russian-Roulette with Obamacare worker.

Reports are that he interviewed a customer service rep on his radio show. Not sure if the purpose was legit beyond “inquiring minds” but the Atlantic Wire writes that the worker was fired the next day. A mother of two, she provided information about the rollout of Obamacare and put her job on the cutting block.

Hannity reportedly offered to pay her yearly salary. He also said it would be a gift which according to his accountant made it tax free. The woman was overjoyed for sure. Fired and then getting a year’s pay in a matter of days. But that’s not the case for others. There’re about 5 million who’ve gone under the radar.

They are known as discouraged or marginally attached workers. The number keeps growing as the unemployment rate dips. That is the often overlooked stat in the Jobs Report. Operation J.U.M.P. sure hopes to connect with them similar to how Hannity served his caller (of-course, after getting her fired).

Some say Hannity was trying to get a scoop on Obamacare. It’s back in the news since the Shutdown is almost old news. After going from insult to injury, he apologized and made amends. But for the POW (prisoners of work-loss) or workforce MIA, let’s hope other big-money moves can come thru for them too.

Footnote: Operation J.U.M.P. is about connecting resources to the long-term jobless in a way similar to how a Church provides resources to those “sick and shut-in.”

Benjamin Netanyahu Had Some Choice Words About the U.S. Shutdown

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Theme:– Operation J.U.M.P. For Jobs, Justice & Unsung Dreams

The U.S. shutdown is behind us! After 16 days of “made-for-tv posturing” our elected officials have re-opened important services in Washington. One side still feels it was worth it. The other side is frustrated by it. Even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had some choice words (get to that in a minute).

President Obama briefed the nation on Thursday as well as Saturday in his weekly address. In looking back he gave his own post mortem on the situation. In looking forward he outlined a few workable objectives. They include budget balancing, immigration reform and making government work better.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Washington is broken. Some have referred to it as dysfunction. There’s the old saying “if you keep on doing what you’re doing you’ll keep on getting what you deserve.” That’s one way to see why Operation J.U.M.P. hopes to motivate social change.

A few of the workable objectives include branding reinvention across business and community. This involves having a purposeful sense of identity in the marketplace. It’s also about innovations in social change. This means breaking the mold to discovering new opportunities worth their weight in gold.

Netanyahu told CNN that Israeli law avoids a shutdown. After six months of not having a budget the government is required to call emergency elections. This forces all parties to get with the program and get in the groove. Otherwise, the people could potentially shake things up by voting them out of office.

Footnote: Operation J.U.M.P. is kinda like a groove thing. In the words of that song from back in the day by Peaches and Herb, “shake your groove thing yeah yeah, show them how we do it now.”

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Offered Free Coffee to Help End Shutdown

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Theme:– Operation J.U.M.P. For Jobs, Justice & Unsung Dreams

Who knew public figures in Washington had a heart? Washington D.C. is another story but that coffee company in Washington State is setting an example. With the political stalemate flirting with checkmate something’s gotta give. So Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz offered free coffee to help end the shutdown.

He made a deal with customers. If they’d buy someone else their favorite beverage they’d get a free cup of their favorite brew. This was to encourage customers to urge the political leaders in Washington to come together. Schultz isn’t shy about social issues as Starbucks recently took a stand on guns in stores.

He’s concerned about the “unending cycle of dysfunction and doubt” during these uncertain economic times. Other CEOs have chimed in expressing their frustration with how our elected officials are handling the country’s fiscal matters. Sometimes their actions feel like a made-for-tv movie with a bad plot.

The message that the CEOs are echoing regarding our economy is similar to what is being said by Operation J.U.M.P. about the job market. There’re too many people experiencing doubt and despair due to hiring uncertainty. For them, sometimes it might feel like a bad dream before the nightmare ends.

Starbucks sees giving away coffee as a ‘spark gesture.’ It’s about connecting with customers based on their normal concerns and desires. They hope to make an impact by paying-it-forward with a ‘java boost.’ So it is with Operation J.U.M.P. in connecting with the jobless, restless and those feeling related distress.

Footnote: Operation J.U.M.P. is about coming together as a community to provide a java-like boost to those seen as dispensable or overlookable.

Miriam Carey’s Final Moments Have Left More Questions Than Answers

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Theme:– A Conversation on Gun Violence, Bias and Mental Illness

Just over a week ago there was breaking news about a shooting near the Capitol. At first information was sketchy with parts of the D.C. area on lockdown. As word spread it was revealed that the incident started at a White House side street. Miriam Carey’s final moments have left more questions than answers.

It seems police on the scene felt a sense of danger. In the age of terror-alerts that we live in many are on guard and even on edge. Footage of the incident shows Carey driving frantically maybe even erratically from the scene. With police in hot pursuit, the vehicle ended up crashing outside a Capitol security gate.

We’re told no weapons were found in the vehicle. Actually, her 1-year old daughter was rescued after the gun-fire and police chase ended. Carey was clearly no threat to authorities. Her sisters say she was suffering from postpartum depression. So they’re wondering why things had to end in such a violent way.

Some experts feel that our system is not setup to effectively handle mental health issues. This might even carry-over into our gun reform debate and the associated stigmas. While Carey might have been dealing with depression, others are dealing with post-war, post-recession and post-incarceration blues.

Does the system provide enough public awareness on the faces & facets of mental illness? We provide training for army recruits on handling a weapon. We see lots of books and movies about managing relationship issues. Maybe it’s time the community ups its game in serving those handling other stresses.

Footnote: Stigmas associated mental illness can affect some people similar to how biases affect others. They feel like an outsider or even worst sometimes as an outcast.

Is John Boehner on the List of U.S. Hirings or Firings?

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Theme:– Operation J.U.M.P. For Jobs, Justice & Unsung Dreams

The government shutdown is set to enter its second week. There’s no budge or budget in sight. Many are hurting as kids don’t have daycare and seniors don’t have eldercare. Our leaders spend more time attacking the other party than attacking the problems. So, is John Boehner on the list of hirings or firings?

That’s a question many ask as we approach the holiday season. A few retailers have already announced their temporary-help hiring plans. This is also a time when some companies announce layoffs to their workforce. The holidays can be a time of higher consumer confidence but lower workplace confidence.

It’s almost as if our government needs a ‘jump’ right now. Some in Congress need us to ‘jump’ in their faces and ask what’s wrong with them. This is no way to run a country as a business or to run a business as we run this country. If government were a private business the Corporate Board would have to act.

As citizens we are the Board and we’ll have to decide the next time we vote. But in the meantime let’s do our part in providing a J.U.M.P. (joining in unity to motivate progress) to our communities. This is what we’d do if the service truck didn’t show-up for that stranded “runway-model” motorist.

Let’s remind John Boehner and our elected leaders to be there for us like roadside service. If the service truck is a no-show then motorists will cancel their business contract. Maybe as we give a ‘jump’ to others, some in Congress will get the hint. But those who miss the point should miss their curbside perks.

Footnote: The holiday season as a time of high consumer confidence and equally high workplace anxiety is a good time to begin joining in unity to motivate progress.