Contributions in the final hours of 2019 helped us maximize the 1-1, $2500.00 match — thank you!

Now that 2020 is official, I want to share that I’m feeling optimistic about the year and about democracy — despite the volatility of the political environment. One reason is recent personal shift I had to make. For a few years the “dance floor” of our media/social media political discourse was taking a toll — becoming all-consuming and undermining my faith in humanity. I had to find a way back to the “balcony” from the “dance floor.” I’ll save the “how” for how that shift happened for another post, but suffice it to say, the perspective and occasional distance was what was missing and what I needed. When the time comes to get off the dance floor, the balcony lets me be entertained in the process. I can gain or regain appreciation and gratitude for dancing, dancers, and the dance. I know leveraging the benefits of the dance floor and balcony will help in 2020.

First thing this morning, I found myself inspired by the way John Roberts closed 2019 in the Chief Justice’s Annual Report. He decried the corrosive effect “rumor and false information” can inflict on democracy, declaring that Americans must pass on not only a functioning government but also “the tools to understand and improve it.” That’s what IPD does.

Here’s a small sample of responses I received from IPD’s year-end message (90% not suitable for printing) that illustrates the corrosive effect and called me up to the balcony:

Cris Gunn – “Ok, motivational speaker, your going to live under the bridge down by the river.”

Rollin Owens – “Sell that shit to Zimbabwe. The constitution of the United States was not written for or supportive of global governance. Take a hike. I’ll alert all other patriots to be aware of your efforts.”

Rick Roehler – “(CENSORED) you socialist pedophile mother (CENSORED) your a (CENSORED) cancer….”

Steve Hawkins – “Cliff Kayser should slip off of a subway platform in New York. Stupid moron. Take your dumbocratic filth and LEAVE America YESTERDAY !!!!. Venezuela is the result of democracy. Rape ,Robbery , murder , beatings. THAT’S just what government troops do.
Screw you.”

Bryan Cribbs Sounds much like intellectual theoretical nonsense. You must be funded by a George Soros organization. This sounds like something he is endorsing.

Wes Cohen Take your (CENSORED) democracy bk to commie land! This is a free republic!

Justice Roberts also said, “In our age, when social media can instantly spread rumor and false information on a grand scale, the public’s need to understand our government, and the protections it provides, is ever more vital…”