Marriage Equality, the Supreme Court, the Extreme Conservative Fringe Anthony Kennedy & Ronald Reagan by Mike Broemmel

Over the course of the first hour following the release of the opinion by the Supreme Court in the marriage equality case, I received, messages from people indicating that the decision has "upset God," is a "sad day for America," and that "Ronald Reagan is turning over in his grave." I feel compelled to address these messages (and public posts) and I do so now.

First, unlike some of my conservative Christian friends, I'm do not believe that I am capable of getting into the mind of God. In fact, neither can they. In the end, God is all-powerful and all-loving -- everything is possible with God, including a universe in which people of the same sex are able to be joined in marriage as a testament to their love and commitment to one another.

Second, no matter the side of the marriage equality issue a person may be on, this is in fact not a sad day for America. Like many people, I'm thoroughly frustrated with many things going on in politics and government today. For example, I am not a fan of the ACA because I think in the end it is doing (or will do) more harm than good. I'm not necessarily on the same page as the U.S. Supreme Court in regard to its decision yesterday regarding this law. But, the Court has ruled and that issue is off the table. The court has ruled again today, and the issue of marriage equality is the settled law of the land. In short, our system of government (as clunky and cumbersome it oftentimes is) still works. June 26, 2015, is a happy day for America.

Finally, to those people who have the audacity to say Ronald Reagan is spinning in his grave with today's decision of the Supreme Court, I take great umbrage. I am sick and tired of the extreme right wing fringe of the GOP (which, I admit, is a considerable segment of the Republican Party today) literally taking the name of Ronald Reagan in vain. Ronald Reagan would not be supportive of the extreme right wing fringe of the GOP today. In fact, as I did in 2008, I rather imagine if Ronald Reagan were alive today, he would switch parties and become a Democrat, the party he was a part of during the younger years of his adult life. (Keep in mind that Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon and Ford would likely bolt the GOP if they were alive today ... with Senator Goldwater driving the car.)

I had the privilege of working for President Reagan in the mid-1980s -- as a low ranking Munchkin at the White House. I don't pretend to be able to read his mind. However, and despite what some of his opponents say about him, he was one of the kindest, most considerate and decent people I've ever encountered -- ever. Mrs. Reagan is supportive of marriage equality. Although I'm not trying to play into the cliché that what Mrs. Reagan wanted, Mr. Reagan did, it is not a stretch to say that the former President would share her position on this issue.

I addressed the issue of Ronald and Nancy Reagan and the LGBTQ community in an article I wrote a few years ago on the early days of the AIDS pandemic. I include a portion of that article here to further explain my thoughts on why it is utterly inappropriate for the GOP fringe to misappropriate the mantel of Ronald Reagan in the (now over) debate on marriage equality:

"First and foremost, nothing in the history of either Ronald or Nancy Reagan supports the proposition that they harbored an anti-gay agenda. No credible evidence supports the contention that the Reagans believed a minority segment of the population deserved death because of their sexuality.

"The Reagans were products of Hollywood, a community with a notably higher percentage of homosexuals than the population of the country more generally. Indeed, Ronald Reagan served eight years as the president of the Screen Actor’s Guild, the paramount union in the entertainment industry.

"The Reagans counted as close friends men in the industry ultimately outed as gay. The sexuality of these individual’s certainly was known to the Reagans well before the public at large gleaned that information.

"During his tenure as governor of California, Ronald Reagan faced media coverage over the inclusion of homosexuals on his official staff. He hired gubernatorial staff members without regard to sexual preference as early as the late 1960s and early 1970s, well before his more liberal counterparts in elective office considered doing the same. He joined with Jimmy Carter and Harvey Milk in opposing a California initiative that would have barred homosexuals from teaching in classrooms."

On some level the most important legacy a U.S. President leaves the nation is found in who he (or she) appoints to the U.S. Supreme Court. In my estimation, two of the most outstanding and honorable Associate Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court were Reagan appointees Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy. Justice Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in the case making marriage equality the law of the land. Justice Kennedy wrote:

"No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage.

"Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."

In the end, Ronald Reagan is not spinning in his grave today. He is smiling down on Anthony Kennedy, and the former President is applauding the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court granting marriage equality to all of the American people.

They Are Still Children - Utilizing Research from Mike Broemmel on Juvenile Justice System

“They Are Still Children”

By:  Ms. Terry D. Glover

Date:  April 28, 2014

Course:  ENG:215 – Research and Writing

 

Professor:  Robert McKinley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

            Across the United States, thousands of children have been sentenced as adults and sent to adult prisons.  Nearly 3000 nationwide have been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.  Children as young as 13 years old have been tried as adults and sentenced to die in prison, typically without any consideration of their age or circumstances of the offense.

The United States Supreme Court declared that death-in-prison sentences imposed on children are unconstitutional and the Court has now banned death-in-prison sentences for children convicted of non-homicide crimes and mandatory death-in-prison sentences for all children.  Trial courts must conduct new sentencing hearings where judges will have to consider children's individual characters and life circumstances, including age, as well as the circumstances of the crime.  (Equal Justice Iniative 2014 [1]). 

With all the attention in the news media concerning our children, one would wonder, what is wrong with our children?  According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, in 1999 juveniles accounted for 103,900 violent crimes and in 2000 they accounted for 98,900.  Across the board the arrest rate for violent crimes committed by juveniles between 1999 and 2000 dropped 5 percent.  Violent crimes include: assaults; homicide; rape; robbery; arson; auto theft; burglary; larceny/theft; vandalism; and weapons possession.  (Einstein Law 2008 [2]).

            However, the Bureau of Justice, Juvenile Violent Crime Statistics, describes violent crimes as murder, forcible rape, robbery and assault.  Based on their definition of violent crimes, their statistics from 1999 show total arrests was 67,916 thru 2008 total arrests was 73,970, there has been a steady increase.  See the chart below for total breakdown of violent crimes:

 

Year	Murder	Forcible Rape	Robbery	Assault	Total
2008	974	2,505	27,522	42,969	73,970
2007	1,011	2,633	26,324	43,459	73,427
2006	956	2,519	26,092	44,424	73,991
2005	929	2,888	21,515	45,150	70,482
2004	1,065	3,038	18,554	43,611	66,268
2003	783	2,966	17,900	43,150	64,799
2002	806	2,937	18,288	43,879	65,910
2001	957	3,119	18,111	44,815	67,002
2000	806	2,937	18,288	43,879	65,910
1999	919	3,182	18,735	45,080	67,916

 

This information was last verified on April 28, 2013.  (Statistic Brain [3]).

            Although the statistics go back to 1999, violent crimes committed by our youths began before 1999.  Our children have been on a slippery slope that has had costly consequences on their families as well as the families of their victims.  How can we help our children turn this behavior around, we first need to address what the goal of the juvenile justice system is, it’s goal is to keep citizens safe and rehabilitate delinquent youth.  Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, policymakers are not always able to establish programs that achieve these goals.  While preventative and rehabilitative measures have been shown to significantly decrease the occurrence of juvenile offenses, the benefits of such programs can take years to take effect. Increasing the number of juvenile penitentiaries may help keep citizens safe; however, unless rehabilitative policies are enacted, delinquents may continue to commit offenses when their sentences are up.

            In 1974, the Juvenile Justice System established the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, called for a "deinstitutionalization" of juvenile delinquents.  It required that states holding youth within adult prisons for status offenses remove them within a span of two years (this timeframe was adjusted over time).  The act also provided program grants to states, based on their youth populations, and created the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).  Through reauthorization amendments, additional programs have been added to the original Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.

            The system finds itself irresolute at present, faced with the discouraging prevalence of crime, a lack of funding for preventative programs, and disagreement over the principles that define its very foundation.  Ideologically, funding, and practically are the three main hindrances to the juvenile justice system.  (Einstein Law 2008 [2]).

            Additional problems facing the juvenile justice system include mental health services, placement options, addiction treatment service, recidivism prevention resources, and educational programs.  The U.S. Justice Department and other experts agree that a significant majority of juvenile offenders are afflicted with different types of mental health conditions, disorders and problems.  These experts include Robert Agnew, author of the recently published "Juvenile Delinquency: Causes and Control."  A major problem associated with the juvenile justice system is the lack of appropriate and suitable mental health services.  This includes a lack of community-based services for juvenile offenders who are not in detention.  Moreover, detention facilities in many instances also lack an appropriate level of suitable and sufficient mental health services for juvenile offenders.  (Broemmel, 2009 [4]).

            With growing numbers of minors entering the juvenile justice system each and every month, stretched resources have created problems associated with the proper placement of offenders.  Detention facilities are overcrowded and also understaffed.  There are neither enough beds nor enough supportive and therapeutic resources available to these facilities to address appropriately the needs of juvenile offenders.
            Justice Department research underscores that a significant percentage of juvenile offenders break the law in the first instance either to obtain illegal drugs or while using these illicit substances.  Yet another of the primary problems associated with the juvenile justice system is a lack of sufficient addiction and substance abuse treatment resources.

As is the case with mental health services, the lack of appropriate drug and alcohol abuse and addiction treatment resources is found both in association with community-based programs for juvenile offenders and within detention centers.  (Broemmel, 2009 [4]).

            Perhaps the most significant of all problems associated with the juvenile justice system is the high recidivism rate.  Although the U.S. Justice Department does not maintain specific statistics in this regard, the agency does note that nearly all states continue to report a high percentage of juveniles re-offending after serving a term of probation or detention within the juvenile justice system.

The four primary reasons why recidivism rates are high within the juvenile justice system are a lack of appropriate placement options, insufficient mental health services, inadequate substance abuse treatment programs and slim educational opportunity.  In the end, the inadequacies and problems of the juvenile justice system have created a constant cycle in which minors head in, out and back in to the juvenile justice system.  (Broemmel, 2009 [4]).

Research has long shown that locking up young people puts them at greater risk of dropping out of school, joining the unemployment line and becoming permanently entangled in the criminal justice system. States and municipalities have thus been sending fewer young offenders to juvenile institutions and more of them to community-based programs that keep them connected to their families and reduce the risk that they will engage in further crime. The number of children held in custody plummeted from about 107,000 in 1995 to less than 71,000 in 2010 and is still falling.

This is all to the good. But the authorities could bring even more juveniles into the mainstream if they did a significantly better job of educating them. That means paying more attention to the learning disabilities, emotional problems and substance abuse issues with which these youngsters are disproportionately afflicted and which often helped land them in trouble in the first place.  It is a mistake to assume that all children held in juvenile facilities represent “hard cases” beyond redemption. Indeed, a new study, by the Southern Education Foundation, a nonprofit group based in Atlanta, shows that nearly two-thirds of the young people who were confined in 2010 were confined for nonviolent offenses.

Moreover, disproportionate numbers of these young people have special needs.  Federal data from 2010 show that 30 percent had learning disabilities, 45 percent had problems paying attention, and 30 percent had experienced physical or sexual abuse.  It should come as no surprise that most of the young people entering juvenile residential institutions are behind in reading and math.  These children do not get the attention in school that they need to succeed and get even less of it in juvenile justice facilities.  A federal study showed that in 2009, fewer than half of students in state juvenile justice programs earned even one course credit and that fewer than one in 10 earned a high school diploma or a G.E.D.  This makes it unlikely that most of them will succeed at school once they are released and more likely that they will get in trouble again.  (NY Times 2014 [5]).

For children with parole-eligible sentences, unique release and re-entry challenges too often create insurmountable obstacles to parole and successful re-entry.  Young people who have been in prison since they were adolescents need help learning basic life skills.  (Equal Justice Iniative 2014 [1]).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

 

1.      Equal Justice Initiative Article, “Children in Adult Prisons” 2014, retrieved on 04/27/14,

http://www.eji.org/childrenprison

2.      Einstein Law Article, “Juvenile Crime” 2008, retrieved on 4/28/14,

http://www.lawyershop.com/practice-areas/criminal-law/juvenile-law/crimes

3.      Statistic Brain, “Juvenile Crime Statistics”, retrieved on 4/28/14,

http://www.statisticbrain.com/youth-violent-crime-statistics

4.      Broemmel, Mike, Article, “Problems with Juvenile Justice”, 2009, retrieved on 4/27/14,

http://www.ehow.com

5.      New York Times, Article, “The Next Juvenile Justice Reform’, dated April 20, 2014,

retrieved on 04/29/14, http://www.nytimes.com

 

 

 

 

A Conversation with a Cast Member from The Baptism by Mike Broemmel

A conversation with Lindsay Rom, playing the role of Della Proctor in the Theatrix USA production of The Baptism by Mike Broemmel.

The Baptism tells the tale of the residents of Worthington, seemingly typical small town folks -- the farming family, the widow and her circle of friends, a young woman with a new baby. Despite the seeming normality, something sinister brews beneath the surface of daily life in the tiny village. The play has something of a Twilight Zone feel.

The town gathers on a stormy night for the baptism of May Proctor's baby son. The audience become congregants and participate in an event they will not soon forget.

Check out the YouTube video of the conversation with a cast member of The Baptism by Mike Broemmel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHqKUxrIO0w

Media Relations for Small Business Seminar

The Media Relations for Small Business Seminar is an intensive session designed to aid small venture owners and managers to take full advantage of traditional and new media opportunities and solutions. Armed with the information and strategies gleaned from the seminar, a small business is able to reduce money spent on marketing and advertising while increasing its public presence at the same time.

Topics to be discussed during the seminar include:

•Developing a comprehensive media relations plan
•Crafting the ideal press release
•Strategies for networking with the media
•Strategies to effectively integrate new and traditional media
•And many other vital media-related solutions for small business

The seminar will be held on Thursday, July 23, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. A box lunch will be served at noon. The seminar will be held at the West End Theatre and Arts Center, a new multi-purpose center located at 9373 W. Colfax Blvd. in Lakewood.

Seminar participants will also receive a copy of The 10-Point Press Release Plan: Profitably Promote Your Small Business.

Seminar presenters include a former member of the White House Staff of Media Relations and Planning, who also has extensive experience providing professional media relations services to businesses and not-for-profit organizations.

Early bird registration is $50. After July 1, registration is $75. Space is limited to ensure optimal opportunity for discussion and exchange.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0948aca72ba0f58-media

Meet the Cast of Six Joan Crawfords by Mike Broemmel - Paul Escobedo as Rock Plymouth

Six Joan Crawfords by Mike Broemmel is the tale of a half dozen has-been divas who star in a faltering stage play, Miss Tangerine’s Diary, as it tours from Toledo to Topeka to Tupelo. Enormous egos and lack of introspection abound, resulting in comedic turns from one scene to the next. The comedy unfolds backstage, over the course of a trio of acts set in three separate cities.

A character study, Six Joan Crawfords features six women who view themselves as larger than life despite life largely leaving them behind. Six Joan Crawfords is an original play, premiering with this production. It is also the inaugural production to be staged at the West End Theatre and Arts Center in Lakewood at the 40 West Arts District.

Paul Escobedo as Rock Plymouth:

"Paul is a Denver native with 19 years of acting experience. Paul is best known for his work at the Community College of Aurora (2008-2011) and portraying Stephen in The Shadow Box at The Edge (2013). Paul appeared in the Theatrix production of Goddess People earlier this year. Paul thanks Mike for this opportunity and the rest of the cast for all their hard work. (Here's your comedy mom, I love you.)"

Tickets are available at:

http://theatrix-usa.ticketleap.com/six-joan-crawfords/

Meet the Cast of Six Joan Crawfords by Mike Broemmel - Justin Vaughan as Freddy

Six Joan Crawfords by Mike Broemmel is the tale of a half dozen has-been divas who star in a faltering stage play, Miss Tangerine’s Diary, as it tours from Toledo to Topeka to Tupelo. Enormous egos and lack of introspection abound, resulting in comedic turns from one scene to the next. The comedy unfolds backstage, over the course of a trio of acts set in three separate cities.

A character study, Six Joan Crawfords features six women who view themselves as larger than life despite life largely leaving them behind. Six Joan Crawfords is an original play, premiering with this production. It is also the inaugural production to be staged at the West End Theatre and Arts Center in Lakewood at the 40 West Arts District.
Justin Vaughan as Freddy

With an extensive film background, Justin Vaughan marked his first stage appearance in The Baptism in the role of Jaye Lane. That performance was followed up with a principal role in The Baptism. Justin also has had principal roles in three films: Josh in The Cylinder, Mikey in Estranged and Glenn Jackson in The Digression State. He has appeared in roles in a half dozen other films. In addition to performing in films ... and now on stage, Justin is an experienced musician with professional experience.

Tickets are available at:

http://theatrix-usa.ticketleap.com/six-joan-crawfords/

Audience Testimonial about Goddess People by Mike Broemmel

An original drama in real time, Goddess People by Mike Broemmel is the tale of six people of different nationalities and backgrounds trapped in a shop as terrorist rebels lay siege to the surrounding village. Goddess People lets the audience inside on what becomes the most important 90 minutes in the lives of these individuals. The play is a character study of how six individuals respond differently to what may be the final moments of their lives.

Goddess People makes its world premiere in Denver.

Audience testimonial about the Theatrix USA #Denver production of Goddess People by Mike Broemmel. #theater #theatre #KansasCity - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lcxjy3e3tc

Comments about the Original Production of Goddess People by Mike Broemmel

An original drama in real time, Goddess People by Mike Broemmel is the tale of six people of different nationalities and backgrounds trapped in a shop as terrorist rebels lay siege to the surrounding village. Goddess People lets the audience inside on what becomes the most important 90 minutes in the lives of these individuals. The play is a character study of how six individuals respond differently to what may be the final moments of their lives.

Goddess People makes its world premiere in Denver.

Remarks from Eric Tausch, actor in the Theatrix USA production of Goddess People by Mike Broemmel - #theater #theatre #Denver #KansasCity - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReRYe_AtgkI

Six Joan Crawfords: New Comedy Inaugurates Denver-Area Performance and Arts Center

by Ronnie Myer

Six Joan Crawfords, a comedy in three acts by playwright Mike Broemmel, made its world premiere at the newly established West End Theatre & Arts Center in Lakewood, a bedroom community in the Denver-metro area.

Six Joan Crawfords is the tale of a half dozen has-been divas who star in a faltering stage play, Miss Tangerine’s Diary, as it tours from Toledo to Topeka to Tupelo. Enormous egos and lack of introspection abound, resulting in comedic turns from one scene to the next. The comedy unfolds backstage, over the course of a trio of acts set in three separate cities. A character study, Six Joan Crawfords features six women who view themselves as larger than life despite life largely leaving them behind.

Six Joan Crawfords features a strong ensemble cast featuring six female actresses cast as the divas appearing in the show-within-the-show, a seemingly doomed production christened Miss Tangerine’s Diary. The six diva roles have been cast by an interesting blend of both highly experienced actors as well as a couple who are new to the stage.

Lindsay Rom, with both film and stage credits to her name, appears as Constance Wolfe. The Constance Wolfe character is described as the former Florida Grapefruit Juice Queen (eat your heart out Anita Bryant) who routinely is mistaken for a male drag performer. Quite like the real world Bryant in the 1970s, Constance Wolfe is on a vitriolic anti-gay crusade. Rom pulls off a spot-on performance of a female actor regularly confused with being a man in a gown.

A newcomer to the stage, Sarah Rose, gives a delightful and strong performance as Taber Taylor. The Taber Taylor character saw her career hit the skids because of a sex scandal arising out of an incident at a Midwestern motor lodge. Evidently as the result of the motel tryst, Taber Taylor became something of a Born Again Christian, without any real understanding of the faith or any actual moorings regarding its practice. She alternately appears to be channeling Tammy Faye Bakker or Suzanne Somers as Chrissy Snow in Three’s Company. And Rose does it all very well.

Speaking of channeling, LaDios Muhammad as Leeza Spain does a catwalk turn during the show that brings Diana Ross front and center. Muhammad is also flush with film, television and stage credits, including two recent dramas in Denver: The Baptism and Goddess People. During a recent talkback following a production of Six Joan Crawfords, Muhammad remarked that Six Joan Crawfords was her first comedy. Her timing and delivery are solid and portend a future in comedic productions.

Cathy Washburn, an actor with a long history on the Denver stage, appears in Six Joan Crawfords as Cloria Ronson. The Cloria Ronson backstory includes being fished out of a fountain in front of a Beverly Hills hotel wearing only a gentleman’s top hat. Washburn is wry and witty in her portrayal of Cloria Ronson. Cloria Ronson is something of a foil of all the other divas and Washburn delivers with impact and wit. Even when playing in something of an over-the-top comedy, Washburn displays grace on the stage.

Another actor, OD Duhu, with experience takes the stage in Six Joan Crawfords. Duhu portrays Veronica Wonder, a fading entertainer with a fixation on Zsa Zsa Gabor and a penchant for stalking and being stalked. Duhu is another cast member who seems to be successful in channeling legendary performers. In the case of Duhu, she has a presence highly reminiscent of Pam Grier. Her performance as Veronica Wonder is both outrageous as well as magnetic.

Six Joan Crawfords features another relative newcomer in the cast as one of the divas. Tyler Kingsbury plays Claireen Fyck and brings to the stage a character that smacks a bit of Cloris Leachman in Young Frankenstein. Her dry delivery style, coupled with a Russian-like accent, renders her portrayal of Claireen Fyck memorable.

The cast includes characters beyond the six divas that are associated with the name of the production. On this list is a shrill, vindictive and flamboyant theater critic called Helgore Fine. Helgore Fine is another well-known stage present in Denver, Kathi Baerns. Baerns provides a robust performance, leaving those who may recall her feeling like Heddy Hopper paid a visit to the stage in Denver on which Six Joan Crawfords is performed.

This writer does avoid being the spoiler, but also notes that a unique turn in the casting of the show is found in the character of Ginger Snow played by newcomer Matahji Ameen. Ameen is the real life daughter of LaDios Muhammad, another of the players in the production. Ameen displays an essential sweetness in her portrayal of the awkward Ginger Snow.

Three men are round out the cast of Six Joan Crawfords, including veteran Paul Escobedo as Rock Plymouth. (If this writer has any issue with the production, it is with actually naming a character “Rock Plymouth.”) Escobedo is entertainingly outrageous in his performance. He is able to make an audience member not only laugh heartily at his portrayal of the floundering playwright but also ensures that those in attendance actually care for the chap.

Eric Tausch, a seasoned actor, portrays the generally intoxicated director Theodore Nixon. He is able to effectively convey different levels of sobriety – or lack thereof. He provides something of a centering factor in a production otherwise ensconced in quick quips. With that noted, he also delivers humorous dialogue with certainty.

Finally, Justin Vaughan portrays Freddy, the beleaguered stage manager. In the end, it is Freddy who is in the midst of the storm that brews between the six overblown divas, an obnoxious theater critic, a troubled playwright and a stalker. For anyone who has spent time backstage, Vaughan provides a believable and at times insightful performance as a theatrical stage manager.

Six Joan Crawfords is the brainchild of playwright Mike Broemmel, who also directed the production. Broemmel’s most recent directorial credit is for last year’s revival of Jeffrey at The Vintage Theatre in Aurora, Colorado. 2015 has seen two of Broemmel’s other scripts hit the boards: The Baptism and Goddess People, both serious and somewhat controversial three-act plays that premiered in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe earlier in 2015.
----
Tickets: http://theatrix-usa.ticketleap.com/six-joan-crawfords/

Benghazi: It Matters, Dude by Mike Broemmel

President Barack Obama, members of his White House and State Department teams, together with his zombie-like minions (who refuse to criticize him no matter what he does or does not do in office) continue to deride and even joke about the need to investigate the aftermath of the attack on the United States Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Perhaps the cavalier attitude of Obama and his crew towards the truth reached new heights when a former White House staffer called Tommy Vietor responded to an inquiry about the Benghazi matter with a flippant: “Dude, it was like two years ago.”

In the interest of full disclosure, I described Vietor as qualified as a box boy dancer at a Ft. Lauderdale men’s nightclub but not suitable for any position associated with national security. I also must note that I eched the sentiments of the Washington Post, which editorialized about Vietor and Obama: “The staff reflects the boss. If the staff is rude, immature and callous, the boss almost invariably is.” But, I digress – somewhat.

I also need to disclose that I left the Republican Party and became a Democrat in 2008 largely because of profound disagreements with the manner in which the George W. Bush administration conducted foreign policy. Of particular concern to me was the war in Iraq. In addition, I opposed the Patriot Act (finding the name of the legislation to be very “Soviet” in its conception).

In recent days, a chorus of Obama backers are pointing to the Senate Intelligence Committee Report on the Terrorist Attack at Benghazi as evidence that the President and his team were cleared of any wrongdoing in regard to the incident and its aftermath. These Obama supporters contend that this “new report exonerates the President.”

In fact, the report is not new. It was issued in 2013. The report recently was declassified and made available for public consumption.

The key fact, completely and intentionally overlooked by Obama and his crew, is that the report was issued before emails from senior White House and State Department sources were produced that indicate the Administration in fact engaged in machinations (some would say shenanigans, others crimes) following the attack on the U.S. Consulate at Benghazi in September 11, 2012. During the Senate Intelligence Committee’s review of Benghazi, these truly “smoking gun” admissions were not provided to the Senators.

Obama and his minions are now arguing that there is nothing for the recently appointed House Select Committee on Benghazi to investigate. Such a statement is an example of what I have come to call “Obamaspeak.” In fact, with the revelation of the emails describing an orchestrated effort on the part of the White House and State Department to deceive the public about what happened at Benghazi, the need for a full and thorough investigation by the Select Committee is ever more important.

 The Benghazi incident and its aftermath is only one of many examples of a lack of appropriate Presidential leadership in the foreign policy arena. Of course, in the end, the foreign “policy” of Barack Obama is anything but. Foreign policy is defined as a “course of action” adopted by a government in regard to relations with other nations. In the case of the Obama administration, the foreign affairs of the United States are utterly rudderless, lacking in any defined course.

Obama further aggravates his lack of a cohesive foreign policy with egregious abuses of civil liberties. For example, despite his explicit promise to reign in the Patriot Act, he has expanded its application to the point that the principal architect of the law has called for its repeal because of Obama’s abuses. In addition, the illegal and unconstitutional conduct of the CIA, NSA, IRS, DEA, VA and the White House outpace anything seen since the Second World War (perhaps ever in American history). But, I digress, again – somewhat.

Perhaps more than anything else, Barack Obama is distinguishing himself as the most dishonest President since World War II – if not the most disingenuous President in American history. The lies emitting from the White House and State Department after the Benghazi attack really are nothing more than standard operating procedure for a White House that actually seems to enshrine what we were all warned about in George Orwell’s 1984. Perhaps on many levels, calling the Obama Administration “Orwellian” is a gross understatement.

As of this writing, approximately 70% of the American public (including Independents, Democrats and Republicans) rate Barack Obama as dishonest to completely untruthful when it comes to major issues. Indeed, this block of individuals continues to increase in number.

Peggy Noonan is one of the first people to calmly and regularly address the inherent dishonesty of Barack Obama, and did so during the 2012 election campaign. She initially wrote that the American people seemed to think that the president oftentimes fibbed or fudged.. Her position evolved, while watching Obama in action during and after the campaign. She ultimately (and correctly) concluded that a majority of the American people believe that Barack Obama is a fairly constant liar. He is. And, on this point, I do not digress.

Ultimately, with the reputation President Obama and those around him developed for dishonesty, the House Select Committee on Benghazi has important work to undertake. The Select Committee must answer the question of whether or not the President (and others in his service) lied after the attack on the Benghazi Consulate to protect his reelection campaign. In addition, the Select Committee must answer the question that hearkens back to that asked during Watergate hearings over 40 years ago by recently deceased Senator Howard Baker: What did the president know and when did he know it.

The Stigma of Suicide: A Personal Reflection by Mike Broemmel

Over the course of the past couple of months, I have read quite a number of essays, blog posts and other pieces written by friends, colleagues and strangers on the subject of suicide. Just this morning I read a post on Facebook by a priest who made mention of the death by suicide of one of his friends. The news media is replete with reports of people taking their own lives. These include particularly heart-wrenching stories of children who have killed themselves.

As some of the folks who may read this piece know, I am called upon from time to time to speak at different events, many times on the ups and downs, ins and outs, triumphs and tribulations of my own life. On occasion, what I share in this essay is included in those presentations. Because of the fact that suicide touches so many lives, I decided to pause this evening and share my own personal story through this essay.

Although I occasionally do include this experience in presentations, please know that this remains a very difficult and challenging event for me to share with a reader. Normally, words flow easily from my pen and my mouth; however, such is not the case when it comes to what I am sharing today. But, after a good deal of deliberation, I determined it best to set aside my personal comfort and share this experience openly through this essay.

At a particularly low point in my own live, about a dozen years ago, I found myself in a state of true, unbridled despair. On the day after Christmas in 2001, I truly thought I had nothing left to live for, that my life was not worth living – that I lacked any value.

My circumstances were so bleak that evening that the only material objects I had on hand (besides the clothes on the back) were a roll of toilet paper and the stub of a pencil. I determined that I could sharpen the pencil, by scrapping it against a cinderblock wall, and turn it into a makeshift blade. With the sharpened pencil stub, I intended to cut into my wrists and end my life. Indeed, my project progressed to the point at which I actually was able to puncture my flesh.

Nearing the point where I intended to complete my sad objective, at the juncture where I was prepared to take my own life, I had what I can only described as an inspiration. At that moment, I was inspired to write a short story – something I had not done for many years.

In that instant, I turned away from my intended task of self-destruction and went to work. With my sharpened pencil stub, and with shreds of toilet paper, I started writing. I carried on with my creative task until dawn.

I am a person of faith. In looking back on that night some time later, I came to realize that the inspiration to write a story, the inspiration that saved my life, came from God. But, I came to understand something else very important.

God provides us with the tools necessary to meet the challenges we face in our daily lives. In this case, what I thought were meager possessions – a roll of toilet paper and a stub of a pencil – were tools through which I could choose to end my life or undertake an inspired task. The reality is that a person may not recognize what tools exist in his or her life, let alone understand how to use such resources properly. This was the case in my own life, at least initially.

Oftentimes, only the support of another person provides a person in a state of despair the assistance necessary to carry on. Only through the support and assistance of another person does an individual laboring under suicidal ideations understand what tools he or she has in his or her own life, tools which can be used to build a positive future. Sometimes God’s inspiration comes in the way we communicate and connect with someone in need.

Unfortunately, because of the persistent stigma attached to the contemplation of suicide, many people – including children – do not reach out for help. As more people come forward and share their own experiences with potentially life-ending decisions, I truly believe the stigma attached to the subject of suicide will lessen. I offer this essay as my own small contribution to this process.