From My Seat

We live in a very cynical world right now.  According to Dictionary.com the definition of cynical is "believing that people are motivated by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity." or "concerned only with one's own interests and typically disregarding accepted or appropriate standards in order to achieve them."  Yep, I think that sums it up. Everyday we are bombarded with news about our President, who is the living example of being motivated by self-interest.  Whether we are talking about him proposing rescinding protections for Transgender youth in High School from bullying or redefining how overtime is calculated for non-exempt employees throughout the country, Donald Trump is concerned about retaining power and that will only come by appeasing his supporters.  Another powerful weapon he skillfully uses is fear.  He is the King of Us vs. Them; whether we are talking about the minority vs. white communities or Christian vs. Muslim commun...

Well, I guess it's better late than never huh?  I am behind in my posts so I'm starting here with an observation about what happened to Native Americans during the early 1600's. According to the text there were several conflicting challenges that truly assisted in the demise of many of these native people.  While there was a significant opportunity to participate in the growing economy of trade and desirable good, such as furs and pelts of beaver, rabbits, etc., the spread of disease and fighting between Indians Nations kept Native Americans from playing a more prominent role in our history.  These factors played a part in the ultimate demise of the Native American community but nothing has sustained its impact on the Native American people like the legacy of the introduction of alcohol and the scourge of alcoholism within the Indian community. The quote by Miantonomo, the Chief of the Narragansett people, truly impacted me.  He said, "...Their cows and horses ea...