Cops and lives that matter

A tough subject for sure.  As with all complicated issues, there are no easy answers, and my comments are more observations than anything else.  

The “Black Lives Matter” movement has generated a lot of controversy and I don’t agree with all of the hub bub.  I suspect that people have a problem with it because of fear.  They fear that if they say that black lives matter that they will lose something.  Perhaps they will feel that they owe something, that they have failed at something, or that acknowledging that black lives matter will then require a response on their part.  And so people just don’t want to admit it.  No one wants to admit that there is a problem, because that would require a need for a solution, or at least some kind of response.  If you’re a white person, you’re probably pretty comfortable with the status quo - no need for any change!

Along with the other tons of stuff that gets posted on social media, I saw a nine-box cartoon that makes an excellent point about people demanding that we say “All Lives Matter” instead of “Black Lives Matter.” 

I like the analogy.  Yes, all lives matter.  But there is an issue with black lives that I think needs to be addressed right now, and I’m not scared to say it.  I don’t know what that looks like in it’s totality, but for the present, I think that it means showing some solidarity with the “Black Lives Matter” movement.  Is it perfect?  Of course not.  Neither is the church.  Nor any charity.  Nor any company.  There are bad people everywhere.  I don’t think that it negates the whole idea.

In regard to the police…

I’ve been saying it a lot lately, and I’ll say it again: you could not pay me enough to be a police officer in this day and age.  I can scarce imagine a tougher job in America, and I make no attempt to exaggerate.  As nice as it is to hear the gratitude for my military service, policeman deserve it WAY more than I do.  Short of deployment to a war zone like Afghanistan or Iraq, policeman face far more danger on a daily basis than those in the military.   Being a cop is crazy dangerous.  

Body cameras certainly should be part of the solution.  However, can you imagine any profession where every second of your performance can be analyzed by the masses?  I can’t.  I do not seek to make excuses.  However, how men (and women) respond when they feel that their life is in danger is hard for any person to judge.  EVERY traffic stop has the potential for something really bad to happen.  If I were a cop, EVERY traffic stop would have my heart beating at twice its normal rate.  I would quit due to anxiety problems within two weeks!  Police work is thankless - they are either being criticized for doing too much, or for not doing enough.  I don’t want to trivialize it, but it’s like Monday mornings around the water cooler when EVERYBODY seems to be qualified to criticize the quarterback who is getting paid $18 million a year because he’s the BEST at what he does.  Except with the police, the consequences are real.  People die as a result of their action (or inaction).  

That’s a start.  I may have more to add later.

My View on Police Shootings, Gun Control and the Politics of these issues

Last night there was another shooting tragedy, this time in Dallas with two snipers opening fire on police officers (killing 5 and injuring several others) who were on location to oversee a peaceful protest against police brutality.  The protest was organized due to two police shootings earlier in the week that occurred in Louisiana and Minnesota, at least one of which was witnessed thanks to video by millions of Americans.  This is the most recent of a string of confrontations between uniformed personnel and the public that ended in shootings where innocent people were killed.

Quoting from A Few Good Men (you know I love this movie) "Those are the facts of the case and they are undisputed."

But that's seems to be where we go off the rails, common sense ends, sensationalism erupts, logic goes out the window, and differences in opinion emerge.  It's really sad.

We need to find common ground and remain focused on that common ground when we disagree on what to do.

I wanted to speak my mind and share a couple of thoughts on these events without prompting a never-ending argument or debate with those who I don't know, and don't know me.  Remarkably, doing so on this blog site will accomplish that since our readership appears limited solely to my two brothers and our Mom and Dad!

The first point I want to make is this:  There are good people in this world, and there are bad people in this world, and they come in all shapes and colors.  Black, white, and everything in between.  You can't differentiate between good and bad people based on their outward appearance, the color of their skin, their ethnic origin, or for that matter whether they wear a badge or uniform. That last part is sad to say, but it's true.

Second point: All lives matter and we have to quit needlessly killing innocent people because of what a small percentage of bad people have done.  If a bad HR professional does something egregious like shooting an employee who doesn't perform, that doesn't entitle anyone to wage war against all HR professionals and start killing them in retaliation.  Because there have been some bad cops that have killed innocent people doesn't mean we should start shooting all cops as a means of resolution.  I read a quote from Gandhi today (who knows if it actually came from Gandhi that said "an eye for an eye just means everyone is blind."  Profound whether it came from Gandhi or not.

Third point:  Video evidence clarifies exactly WHAT happened, but provides very little clarity as to WHY it happened. Millions of people now have the benefit of seeing what happened in these confrontations via video evidence.  But many jump from seeing WHAT happened to making a lot of assumptions about WHY it happened.  As an HR professional I have limited training into investigation.  But one of the basic premises is to withhold judgment until you've gathered all the facts that you can.  When someone who is white shoots someone who is black (or vice versa for that matter) it doesn't automatically mean that their motivation for shooting that person was because of the color of their skin.

Fourth point:  Our men and women in uniform have an unenviable job that deserves the benefit of doubt when their actions are being judged.  They are tasked with protecting us and themselves. And they put themselves in harm's way daily.  In my opinion they should be given the benefit of doubt because of this sacrifice.  The world is far more dangerous today than it has been in the past. I'm not saying that those in uniform have a license to kill or harm others solely based on the uniform and their motto to serve and protect, but they are entitled to the benefit of doubt in doing a job that is thankless, and where differentiating between good and bad people in a split second is challenging at best, impossible at worst.  I've reached this conclusion by putting myself in their shoes.

Last point:  Anyone who kills or harms others with a racially motivated bias should be brought to justice, uniformed or non-uniformed.  It's that simple.

So where to from here?  Good question that isn't getting enough thought, focus, and media attention right now.  Here's my proposed solutions, certainly open to criticism and suggested improvement.

• Mandate uniform cameras on all police personnel - this will shed light on the truth with the caveat of my second point above.  It helps solve the problem.
• Pass stricter gun laws - I believe it the first amendment and in gun ownership in America.  But I'm also moderate enough to support background checks, strict permitting, waiting periods and limiting some firearms from being in public hands.  
• Develop more respect for the men and women in uniform - I don't know exactly how to make this happen or what form this suggestion takes, but there is all this public BS about how much we appreciate those who protect our freedom.  Do we really mean it?  If so, we don't seem to be showing it.  In my limited interactions with the police, military and uniformed personnel I've found that "yes sir, no sir" goes a long way.  For a light hearted version and humorous version of what I'm talking about, check out this video from Chris Rock

I'm sickened by how polarized our country has become on issues that to me are more common sense than complex political problems.  

Treat people as you want to be treated, seek first to understand, show people common courtesy, assume positive intent, put yourself in their shoes; wouldn't any of these phrases rooted deeply in common sense go a long way in addressing the crazy and radical actions that are occurring on the streets in our country today?

And perhaps most importantly, what are we doing to correct course and tackle these issues with solutions and implementable change?  Isn't this more important than the outcries, the outrage, and escalation of difference being highlighted by our media?  

I'm genuinely interested in hearing from those I know and love on their thoughts and suggested solutions regarding these issues.  Not political, not partisan, just what you would suggest for improving what everyone agrees is crazy and unacceptable in terms of what is going on in our country today.

Read This Book

I'll try to avoid this post being a book report, but since I don't read as much as I should when I come across a book that resonates with me I feel compelled to share. Well Being, by Tom Rath and Jim Harter was one of those books.

It's an easy read (one of the key ingredients of a good book for me) on a topic many people struggle with most of their lives, myself included.  How to get the most out of your life and be balanced and happy.  And this book isn't just the qualified opinions of the authors.  It's backed up by Gallup research that ranks among the largest studies of human behavior on the planet.  They didn't survey 200 people to come up with the findings, rather millions.

And yet, the advice and guidance that comes from this research is very simple. Challenging to live everyday perhaps, but simple.  That's another ingredient of a good book, the ability to take a complex challenge that millions of people wrestle with and boil it down into simple and understandable actions that can address the issue.

So, without further adieu, here's the executive summary (a different way of saying 'book report'). There are five essential elements of Well Being:  Career, social, financial, physical and community. Each plays a prominent role in well being over your lifetime.  The five elements aren't completely mutually exclusive, so some decisions/actions in your life might have a positive/negative impact on multiple elements.  At the end of each chapter outlining each of the five elements there are three recommendations (see, only three) for boosting your well being in that element of your life.

Spoiler alert, here they are:

• Career Well Being
• Everyday, use your strengths (see StrengthFinders)
• Identify someone with a shared mission who encourages your growth, and spend time with them
• Opt into more social time with people and teams you enjoy being around at work
• Social Well Being
•  Spend six hours per day socializing with friends, family and colleagues
• Strengthen mutual connections in your network
• Mix social time with physical activity
• Financial Well Being
• Buy experiences, not material possessions
• Spend on others instead of yourself
• Establish 'default systems' to lessen daily worry
• Physical Well Being
• Get a minimum of 20 minutes of physical activity per day, preferably in the morning
• Sleep enough to feel rested (7-9 hours) but not too much
• Set positive defaults when you grocery shop, focus on buying foods that are red, green or blue
• Community Well Being
• Identify how you can contribute to your community based on your personal mission
• Tell people about your passions/interests so they can connect with you on relevant groups/causes
• Opt into one community group or event, start small

There are some really great nuggets of knowledge that are contained in each chapter on each essential element.  It's a great read, and one I got pretty fired up about after reading it.  I'm not a voracious reader but this book ranks among the best I've read all time.

Off the top of my head here are the books that have resonated with me the most:

• A Whole New Mind
• Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
• Sh*t My Dad Says
• It's All About the Bike
• Rich Dad Poor Dad
• The Richest Man in Babylon
• The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

What are the books off the top of your head that you feel are among the best you've ever read?

Well Being is a superb book and easy read that I highly recommend.  If you're into self help/actualization as much as I am, and perhaps even if you're not.  

The Warriors and the "Regular" Season

To be honest, I haven't thought a whole lot about the Warriors beating the Bulls regular season wins record.  I agree with you Brad, that things change.  And yet everyone is still following the "chase to beat the record."  Is it the same record if it's not the same basketball as it was when the Bulls were kings?  Perhaps I am a curmudgeon, because I'm "old school" in the sense that I think records should be incidental to the game, not the goal or focus of the game.  Just ask Gregg Popovich how he feels about records!  That's why he rested his "big three" for a Friday night prime time match up with the defending champions Miami Heat back in the day (and then got fined for it).  The Spurs were at the end of a long road stretch and didn't need the W - his starters needed rest.  No Ed, it doesn't make for good TV, but in that case I think it did make for an NBA championship.

Don't get me wrong - I am as much about entertainment value as the next guy.  One of the MYRIAD of things that irritate this curmudgeon is the I-like-NCAA-basketball-because-it's-more-fundamentally-sound speech.  I don't watch the NBA to watch lock-down defense and low-scoring affairs.  I like fast breaks, monster dunks, and downtown threes.

But let's get back to where the REAL money is in sports, and that's in post-season wins, and especially championships.  The Warriors have to know that if they don't take home the O'Brien trophy when it's all said and done, then in a couple of years no one will remember that they won 73 games.  The reason people remember the 96 Bulls is because they won the championship.  The Spurs have had 17 consecutive 50-win seasons.  You'll hear that mentioned occasionally, but not much.  Why?  Because it's not a championship.  The Warriors BETTER win it all.  I doubt that the two of you have to search very hard to find near-and-dear examples of excellent regular seasons that ended in forgettable fashion.

I will take a side trail for a moment to talk about something that you touched on Brad.  I actually LOVE the debates about players or teams from different generations and who is better.  And the reason is because they CANNOT be answered.  You guys have heard me mention before (probably) that human beings used to debate trivial things for hours and hours because there was no definitive answer handy.  That doesn't happen anymore.  If someone makes a comment like, "Notre Dame has won more football National Championships than Alabama has," then people could pass hours arguing about it.  But not anymore, thanks to Google and his cousin Siri, we can get a definitive answer almost instantaneously.  But those generational questions?  Well, no one will ever be able to answer those questions, and THAT is what makes it a fun discussion.

Scottie Pippen says that the '96 Bulls would sweep the Warriors.  So what do you think?

Ed on Warriors

Nice post Brad.  I agree with the generational comparisons and with the changes in the game that these comparisons don't do justice to how different the game really is.   I also agree that the greatest players from each generation are perfectly suited for playing the game in their generation - an insightful point.

I've told friends that the Warriors to me are the Spurs with more sugar and pizazz.  I didn't and don't like the Spurs, not because they aren't or weren't a great team, but because they were boring to watch. Sure, an occasional great pass or spectacular shot, but generally they just put the ball in the hole, played great defense and won lots of games.  As a spectator that doesn't benefit or lose from wins/losses, I want and prefer entertainment in addition to sound basketball.  That's the Warriors.  As you pointed out, the Warriors play team basketball, but in an exciting way that's tons more fun to watch than the Spurs.  My point is not to pick on the Spurs (sorry Marco), but rather, to praise the Warriors.

I'm a self-admitted fair-weather NBA fan but I must admit that because the Warriors are chasing the Bulls record I want to know if Golden State won nearly every night.  Checking my phone or ESPN to find out, and seeing the highlights of what they do to win basketball games.  It's exciting and fun even for someone who doesn't generally follow the NBA.  The Warriors chasing the record set by the Bulls in the Jordan era has been very good for ratings, the NBA, and fans.  Any time you can take one of the game's most iconic players (I was careful not to say greatest of all time!) and insert him into discussions about the current year's teams it is going to be a huge win.  

One further note, and comparison.  The 'my generation' Detroit Pistons also played team basketball that was exciting to watch.  They won lots of games and had a colorful cast of characters that played the game as a band of brothers.  But they were thugs and they prided themselves on that.  Another admirable element of the Warriors seems to be the way the players carry themselves ... on and off the court.

I read a story about Steph Curry being interviewed by Craig Sager following one of the Warriors wins (I'm fairly certain you both saw it as well so I won't attach it here) where Steph was asked about whether they should pursue the Bulls regular season record, or rest players in preparation for the playoffs. Given what Craig is wrestling with Curry had the perfect answer, "I mean, seeing you and what you're doing, we've got no excuses. Your an inspiration for us to just keep doing what we're doing, keep fighting, and that's the mentality that we have and it's kind of contagious, so thank you."

With that on and off court presence and mentality I don't think there are many people cheering against Steph Curry and the Warriors.  So I'm eagerly watching to see if they break the Bulls record, and their probability increases with every win.  I believe they will.  And if a record goes down by my beloved Bulls (I have the same admiration for those Bulls teams that you do Brad) then I hope it goes down at the hands of this Warriors team.

Fun to watch and full of class (from what I can tell) ... GO WARRIORS!

73 -9

I've been contemplating for the last couple months how I feel about the run of the Golden State Warriors this year. An increasingly prevalent story line for this incredible team has been their pursuit of the Bulls record wins in a season. 72-10 is the best 82 game record and occurred during the Bulls heyday when I was a huge fan of the team and Michael Jordan. It appears inevitable that this year's Warriors team will eclipse that record. How do I feel about that?

My initial perspective was that I didn't want them to beat the record. The Bulls were my team at the time that I played and was most interested in basketball. I want to remember that Bulls stretch as the best team in regular season history. But as I thought about it I found myself sounding like all those retired professional athletes that lament the game (not just basketball; baseball, football, etc.) that is played today, how pampered players are today, and how their teams would have kicked the teams of today's butts.

Here is the news flash to our father as well as the rest of the world: things change. Everything changes over a 20, 30, 50 year stretch. And just because it changes doesn't mean its bad, it doesn't mean the people involved aren't as good (as players or people), or that there is some nefarious conspiracy that favors current events. It simply means that things have changed.

In order to fill the void driven by 24 hour sports TV and radio, discussions about "the best players/teams of all time" and comparing players across generations have become necessary. The best 50 NBA players of all time. These are incredibly difficult comparisons and do an incredible injustice to all players or teams involved in the comparison. The game Julius Erving played was different than Rudy Tomjanovich, which is different than the game played by Michael Jordan, which is different than the game played by Kobe Bryant. I don't think Lebron would be as successful as he is today if he had to play in the 70s. And I don't think Jerry West would be nearly as successful if he had to play the game of today. Players and teams are a product of the game as it is played in their generation. They aren't better or worse, they are perfectly suited to the game that they played when they played it.

I'm not going to be one of those curmudgeons that wants my era of basketball to always be considered the best. The Bulls teams during the run led by Michael Jordan were the best of that era of basketball. And the current run of the Golden State Warriors is the best we are seeing in the game right now. I'm excited to see history, I hope they beat the Bulls 72-10 and I hope they win another NBA championship.

One other important component to me is that I like the Golden State team, I like their players, and I think they play the game the right way. It is a team sport and the reason they win is not because Stephen Curry is the best player in the NBA. They win because they play as a team. Curry is Jordan, Klay Thompson is Scottie Pippen, Draymond Green is Horace Grant. Andre Iguodala is Dennis Rodman. They've figured out how to put their egos and bank accounts aside and sacrifice just a little personal gratification to win the ultimate team prize. The San Antonio Spurs are the same way. And the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder probably won't win an NBA title until their leaders learn the same lessons and are willing to make the same sacrifices.

Go Warriors!

Where did March go?

Didn't want March to slip into oblivion without a post from any of us.  And since I seem to have the most free time on my hands I thought I would pen a quick post. 

I know I've been too concerned with what I perceive as "strong content" before I'm willing to post. Well, sometimes just writing is better than nothing at all.

As Spring arrives with occasional bursts of Winter hanging on, I'm longing for warmer weather, outdoor activities and my next career opportunity.  The warmer weather and outdoor activity that are on tap for me include:

• Cycling, training for RAGBRAI
• Fishing
• Doing a 14er
• Lawn care

I'm really looking forward to RAGBRAI and spending a week with my two brothers on a trek across Iowa, with 20k of our closest friends.  The cycling is secondary to the time we spend together.

Fishing - I finally extended myself to find some nearby bass fishing here in Denver.  And to my pleasant surprise there are some lakes with pretty good bass populations in them.  I'm eager to try them out pre-spawn once the water warms a bit more.

The 14er is something I said I've wanted to do since I moved to Colorado.  I'm mixed on how much conditioning I need to have in order to do one.  I'm targeting one of the two easiest so I'm hoping that I'll be in good enough shape with my RAGBRAI training that I can do one with Haley and the boys without too much trouble this Summer.  

And the lawn.  A few weeks ago when it felt like Spring I raked and fertilized my back yard.  Blisters on my hands and a broken rake later I was happy to have manually dethatched my lawn for Spring. Since then we've had 16-20 inches of snow and my snowblower has been used a half dozen times while my lawnmower sits idle.  But I'm hoping that getting it down when I did will make for a quick recovery to a plush green lawn. 

I continue to pursue my next career move and have thoroughly enjoyed spending the increased down time with Holly and the boys.  But I'm also ready to get back at it, but am committed to being pragmatic about making sure the next opportunity is a better cultural fit than my last gig.  

So while I look out the window and blowing snow (we aren't supposed to get more than an inch or two) I'm eagerly looking forward to the warm 65-70 degree weather that is being forecasted for this coming weekend.