Honesty in politics--or are those two mutually exclusive??

I was talking to a Muslim friend of mine who is very much a Barack supporter. He was explaining to me that he has recently become disappointed in Barack because of his pandering to the Israeli/Jewish vote. He feels this approach is alienating many Muslims.

That disappointed me. I have been very impressed with the high road Barack has taken so far. I hope he doesn't digress now.

It made me think of a recent documentary I saw on PBS's Independent Lens. The documentary followed the first year of Libera's first female president.

At one point President Johnson Sirleaf addressed a crowd of upset citizens. When she spoke to the cameras about the event, she explained that the people are used to politicians telling them lies and feeding them what they want to hear. The citizens then go away happy, but nothing changes and nothing gets done. President Johnson Sirleaf explained her approach...to be honest with the people.

Good for her! With all of the corruptness that we hear about in Africa, it is nice to hear that someone is willing to take the step of faith to be honest with the people, earn their trust, and prove to them that an honest approach can help the country progress. Honesty may not always be what people want to hear, but it gives the real picture and allows us to work from there.

As I watched her speak, I thought...But what about the United States?? Could we handle honest politicians? Could we handle the truth?

If we had a politician who walked up to the podium and was completely honest, how would we respond?

Unfortunately, I think Liberia is a step ahead of us on this issue.

Why do I say this?

If a politican were able to be honest and real with people, Barack and his people would say, "So what?!" when politicians try to insinuate that he might be Muslim.

If a politician were able to be honest, they wouldn't have to talk around the issue of "Why do you think low-income, uneducated White people don't like Barack?" Instead, they would hear the interviews out of West Virginia...and listen to the comments from people who blatantly will not vote for a Black man...and they would say out loud that racism exists and needs to be dealt with in our own country in order for us to move forward as a nation.

A politician with the desire to be honest would notice the underhanded tactics companies created in order to capitalize on the sub-prime mortgage scandals. The honest politician would challenge (or, perhaps, chastise) those companies who have reaped the benefits while leaving large numbers of people without homes.

I recognize that these are only a few of the issues that cause politicians to carefully construct their words (it would take quite a long blog to address all of the issues we "spin" and side-step as a nation). Politicians look at their certain groups/voting blocks in order to craft a message that will draw in and not alienate certain groups of people. Listening to President Johnson Sirleaf, though, her commitment to being honest with the people is so refreshing.

I hope that as we move forward, Obama and McCain will proceed with an honest dialogue in their debates as well as their conversations with the public...without the fear-mongering...without the below-the-belt insinuations...without the pandering.

Is the United States ready for that? Can we handle it?

Daverse lounge

Lighted only by glass globes suspended from the ceiling and Chinese paper lamps scattered throughout the room, Daverse Lounge feels as if you are walking into a type of club. There is a low buzz of talking as people stand in line for free Starbucks drinks and then search for a seat.

The environment absolutely amazes and enthralls me--not because of the club-like atmosphere and the free coffee (though free Starbucks is always exciting!). Not because it is primarily for teenagers (though there are a few adults scattered around who go so they can take in the event as well).

Daverse Lounge amazes me because it is the only place I've ever experienced where people can come together and just be. At Daverse Lounge, the environment is set up so that all judgment is suspended. Teenagers come from Highland Park High School to South Oak Cliff and everywhere in between. They come to present their deepest thoughts and emotion in the form of poetry.

Teenagers listen to each other with rapt attention as one speaks of inner struggles and fears as she tries to understand her own sexual preferences. Another has formed a poetic response to girls at school who have told her to lose weight. Still another grapples with her dual identity of being Hispanic and African-American. A 11-year old boy stands up and waxes eloquent for a good 3-4 minutes about the state of our country, the political game we play, and how war is affecting us. Two young men have created a tag team effort to describe their "difficult" life of being "pretty boys" that girls don't take seriously. Yet another young man stands up and speaks of his virginity and his intent to stay pure.

I commend Will Ritchey for bringing it together and creating such an amazing environment where everyone is accepted, applauded, and patted on the back.

It is socially conscious. It is spiritually energizing. It is...

Real.

Honest.

Safe.

Accepting.

Wouldn't it be nice if church had those characteristics??

Honesty is the best policy

Public high schools and colleges are almost all back in session now. Everyone is back to learning...or are they?

I read this New York Times article and was reminded of all of the teenagers I know who have entered college. Not a single one has entered college without having to take at least one (and often times two or three) "developmental" course their first semester in college.

Who takes developmental courses, in Texas at least, is determined by a score on a placement test. Depending on how high (or how low) a person scores, they will be placed in reading, writing, and math classes. Developmental classes cost money and are required before a student is able to take regular classes in those subjects, but do not count as college credit toward their degree.

My frustration is that elementary and high schools aren't being honest with their students, thus getting them to a level of education that they think they are prepared for, but they really aren't. The kids that I have worked with are often given extremes. Either they are given messages that they can't do or be something (i.e. "You can't read." or "You'll be pregnant by the time you're 16.") or they are given false hopes (i.e. "Sure! Apply to Texas Tech." ...when they are barely scraping by with C's...or "Here's is your 100% on your research paper!" ...that is riddled with grammar errors and wouldn't pass a good 3rd grade teacher's criteria.).

We owe it to our kids to be honest with them! However, with honesty comes some work on our part. No one wants to be told they aren't good at something without love and concern to help them with it. Love takes work. Whoever is willing to speak the truth must also back it up by taking the time to help them improve. With our time-crunched schedules, I don't know how many people are really willing to do that.

Several years ago Mike* (now 20) had just struggled through high school and graduated through an alternative program. His belief was the school kept passing him because they wanted to get rid of him. His theory may not have been too far-fetched.

I was appalled when he came home one day in 11th grade, extremely proud, showing me his research paper with 100% written on the front. His English teacher had given him 100% without any comments or corrections whatsoever. The misplaced periods, mis-spelled words, lack of capitalization at the beginning of a sentence, fragmented sentences, etc. did not deserve a C, let alone a 100%! Although I did talk to the school about the dis-service they were doing to their students, I never was able to find out if that teacher was reprimanded or even spoken to. I was frustrated not just at what was happening to that particular student, but what was happening to all of the students who were led to believe they were doing 100% work.

When Mike entered Community College after nearly dropping out of high school, but finishing through an alternative school, he needed three developmental classes. The college counselor we talked to would not allow him to take any more than those 9 hours. Therefore, his entire first semester did not count for anything except catching him up to where he needed to be.

I have always been honest with him about his academics...often to the point of hurting his feelings (as he has informed me). My goal was not to convince him he was inadequate, but to let him know that others weren't being honest with him and if he wanted to succeed, he needed to work hard because he hadn't been properly prepared.

Though he really enjoyed his first year of college, he did not go back. He does, however, always stay in touch. He calls when he is looking for an honest answer about something. He has also learned that he can be a resource to others. His phone calls often are about trying to help someone else get tutoring for their son or legal help for their brother or dental services for their child. I believe that despite his hurt feelings at times, he wants the truth. He wants to help others with the truth. I think what he realizes is that there is love behind the truth.

I wish our school systems would figure this out. There is a lot of work to do in our schools these days. Giving children inflated ideas about their current abilities will only hurt worse later. We need to be honest and we need to help them work toward the level of achievement of which they are perfectly capable.

*name has been changed