ON THIS 4TH OF JULY: WHAT DOES THE FLAG, WHAT DOES FREEDOM, MEAN TO YOU?

I was watching a film the other day.  It was a WWII film: The Story of G.I. Joe, (Ernie Pyle’s Story of G.I. Joe) depicting, (as many films have), the firsthand and up close atrocities of war and the Nazi regime. 

It occurred to me, as I was watching: What of the Americans that belong to the Neo Nazi Party, the KKK and other assorted hate groups that idolize the Nazi regime?  Do they watch these films and root for the Reich and not American, or allied, soldiers laying down their lives for our freedom? 
How does any member of one of these groups call him/herself an American, or serve this country and its’ flag ….or honor Veterans in any fashion?
 
We fought against tyranny… in Germany, Korea and Vietnam. The “cold war” and threatened nuclear war with Russia has been ongoing since, and before, the Bay of Pigs. There were many political gains made by these wars, which doesn’t diminish the actual sacrifice by our soldiers, or the fact that our young men and women died, or were wounded, defending our country’s stances – right or wrong.  It does depict, however, the greed – at any cost – of war.  

I can’t, in my wildest dreams, imagine a soldier who liberated a Nazi death camp, and in seeing, firsthand, the horrors there say “They deserved this…..they were Jews.”  I believe those images stayed with them the rest of their days.  I would guarantee that fact.  We now have “camps” springing up all over this country for “illegal” immigrants, and the propagandist’s state blatantly that “They deserve this…they’re just immigrants.”

We now have an administration that upholds Neo Nazi’s, the KKK, N. Korea, Russia and prison camps for children and “illegals”.

Let that sink in as you rest your hand on your heart to honor the Flag, and this country, on this 4^th of July.  Who do you root for?  What do you stand for? Who, or what, do you honor?

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

                                            D.F./2019 DefendingPeace.com

DIVERSITY

It’s a harsh world we live in.

Diversity acceptance should be the norm – but it’s not. We rarely accept our own differences – the ones that make us unique, let alone accept what is foreign to us or is a challenge to our norms.

How we deal with encountering diversity will measure us:

• We can either look the other way,
• Engage awkwardly as if some “kindly act”,

…..or perhaps we simply open our arms and hearts and listen and learn.

That’s humanity.

“Ignorance and Want” What will this Holiday season bring?

Everything that is being written today is smoke and mirrors. Orchestrated to confuse what is “normal” living, or human behavior – with deviant behavior, and justifying it with the confusion. A person would have had to live in a vacuum not to have had some sexual flirtations or advances – people are sexual creatures.

But as my mom would say – “Mind your manners and respect other’s boundaries. AND if you don’t like the lifestyle – take yourself out of the given situation that causes you pain. Be responsible and accountable for your actions, Donna!””

Having lived within theater and music circles all of my life – I understand the lifestyle – it’s more familiar than a business setting. I accept (and welcome) it. But I’ve chosen those circles – nobody forced me to. Do I have boundaries and enforce them? Of course I do.  I also enforce my boundaries in business. Have we become so brain dead that we can’t decipher our own life choices? Or so robotic that we force all behavior to fit in or out of a “shaped” box which is dictated through tyranny or fascism?  This is playing conveniently into the Anti-Net Neutrality bill that the GOP is trying to force through.  Suppress and control.

In oppressed societies, historically – confusion, limited access to music or dancing or theater, what we read, how we speak and the economy – is controlled.  The entire planet fights against this…. Except the United States.

A huge fraction of social media lemmings, the GOP and those that vehemently defend their “vote” in this past Presidential election are welcoming (and orchestrating) losing our freedoms.  Those that oppose are sent to the gallows. How soon will it be that these supporters lose their personal freedoms and bellow to the heavens that they were duped?  Too late….everyone loses.

Sound familiar?  Follow your history from the ancient empires to Cuba to the ultimate terror: Nazi Germany.  It’s not new – it simply has a sleazy new coat and underneath?:  Ignorance and Want …… Ignorance and Want. 

The “Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future” are going to be very busy this holiday season….we can hope.  

Let them eat cake….New Mantra

Today I read a response to a meme that shook me to the core.
By now, we’ve all seen the meme:

 

I wasn’t enraged because the response was vicious or cursed – on the contrary: It was elitist and dismissive and only one sentence:

“Mountains,out of mole hills….typical.”

Thus…it garnered an immediate response.  But NOT my typical response.  NO:

“It might be an entirely different “mole hill” if your daughter, wife or son was: black, gay, Jewish, disabled, sexually assaulted or abused, killed or raped.

Of course that never happens, does it? Or maybe it just doesn’t happen to you. And the defense of the assaulter can always state that “It’s just a mole hill” – can’t they? Now they can – now they have a green light.

THAT may now be the “typical” – let them eat cake. The Twitter feeds were lit up with “The minute T wins, I’m gonna grab me the nearest pussy.” (Hundreds literally) NONE of this is typical – and I’m offended to my very core.”

YES: I’m offended.
YES: I’m scared that hate, bigotry and permissiveness is the new Mantra of our highest office.  

And if YOU’RE not scared – your mountain must be very high indeed.

 

Do we STAND with the Water Protectors at Standing Rock or bow to corporate Dakota Access [DAPL]- rotters of our Planet?

 I believe that those who are invested in, or control the enterprises of, OIL look aside for the dividends that will eventually come – but how can we continue to step back from corporate control and enterprise, and watch the rest of the planet and peoples expire through abusive greed.

The common man surely is not benefiting from investment, and certainly not the Sioux …. and we will all suffer most severely after these rotters have long gone and lived high. How can they look at their children and grandchildren and say “But WE lived large, by destroying your future?” How can any of us?

     And where WHERE is our government? What are their stances on this and the other pipelines that are being laid??

So I throw this down to you legislators:  STEP UP!!! Show your worth!!!!!

Disability Fashion: Look at Who’s Front and Center in the NEWs!

Disabled models – on the runway – on the front pages of major news communication AND being featured on the webpages of new – up and coming – clothiers. Fabulous, right??

ALL jumping on the bandwagon to visually “support” the disabled and in return gaining significant “Feel good” press…. HOWEVER with little or no exceptions… providing absolutely no products that are specific solutions to the disabled market’s clothing needs, outside of their general clothing line.

Putting disabled models on the runway and not providing specialized benefits is what the disabled already HAS, what they have always dealt with and simply put: marketing and publicity play at it’s worst.

This offends me on so many levels.

http://returnondisability.com/disability-market/

It’s more than time to recognize this market in the investment world, in the fashion world, in the business community and for it’s Global impact.
And.. It’s time for a real change…. a real answer… and some heavy funding to make this a multi-billion dollar industry:  By doing good, serving disabilities and making a profound, dignified CHANGE!!

DIGNITY BY DESIGN ENTERPRISE

https://angel.co/dignity-by-design-enterprise
Angel.com for Dignity by Design

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Share this with all investors, angels, philanthropic communities, Veteran’s organizations and Disability advocates.

Making a REAL change for the Disabled!

Recapping the Year? Perhaps a tad……but first: Happy Holidays to All from Dignity by Design!

First and foremost:
HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all and may we all have Enough….

May the holidays enlighten us to diversity, and usher in a new year of Dignity for all!

As for this year and Dignity by Design: We’ve had our ups and downs. It continues to be a challenge to enlighten the financial community on the importance of disability services and products for the disabled, veterans and elderly.  When I say may we all have Enough….I mean that we should all have enough dignity, enough respect, enough joy and enough Ability to love ourselves and feel blessed with what we do have…..

It’s not easy in these tough economic, employment and Social Media crazed times to be
grateful for the hard times, the sick times, the lonely times and the times of loss.  So with the Holidays upon us, I wish you Enough…. enough strength, love and fortune to anticipate 2015 with hope and a renewed joy!

Veterans of the United States And to all that have fallen before you:

I want to take this moment to show my gratitude to you, personally.
Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Family:

The most influential Veteran in my life was my Dad: Leslie Walton. My Dad was part of the glory, sacrifice and triumph of WWII.  He was a pilot in the Army Air Corps, (before it became the Air Force as we know it today); he lost his leg in an airplane accident and spent a year in the hospital recovering.  His aeronautical triumphs continued after the war with Honeywell.  He loved flying, he loved his country, he was a man of honor and a great father.  And my mother was by his side – every step of the way – through thick and thin. They were the inspiration for my company:
Dignity by Design.  (www.dignitybydesign.com)

Country: I hope that these images will be as inspirational to you as they were to me:

(Minneapolis Institute of Art – 5/2014)

http://www.dignitybydesign.com  “Serving the disabled and Veterans globally”