On the cusp of the midterm election that those on both sides of the political divide say may be the most important election in our lives, I thought you may find an excerpt from my new book both insightful and cautionary.
Since this is a long passage from the book, I am breaking it into parts. To those who see value in these words, please take the time to read each part.
This how I commence the last chapter:
Telling the story of a pending revolution has been challenging and disconcerting. Yet, this is a story that needs to be told. Think of this analogy. In police parlance, the term “in progress” is used to describe a crime that is current—it is happening now. Having responded to thousands of “in-progress” calls, I know that many crimes have been interrupted prior to completion. In the same way, responding in a timely manner can intercede and stop the momentum toward revolution. At least, this is my hope.
Seeing the revolution as “in progress” gives us the opportunity to do something to intercede. Telling the story involves explaining what is happening and why. It is difficult to lay out yet crucial to understand.
This book commenced by projecting how certain crimes can be seen as representing a larger trend. Seeing the macro from the micro enables one to see what most miss. Understanding that these are reflective of something larger changes one’s perspective. Seeing the why and the how is crucial.
The reason—the motives—why people commit crimes is what we ought to look for. Knowing what some do reflects what others are thinking can give insight into the future. Hence, showing that certain incidents may reflect larger trends gives us a window into the worldview of what others may do in the future. Similarly, showing that allowing crimes and disorder to go unabated may devolve into chaos is another window into the future. This was done by showing how policies directly impact results. It is cause and effect—seeing the future by understanding the dynamics of policy decisions. This also implies adjusting policies can achieve different results.
In short, this book took on progressive policies for what they really are— for what they are designed to do. We are getting what was intended. This included looking closely at what most ignore—or are afraid to directly address: race, religion, and politics. Not only were these not ignored but were focused on with facts and logic, not emotion—nor groundless accusations. Ironically, because discussing these can be combustible, most do not honestly address what is most likely to divide us…