Democracy at best is messy and it requires work to be effective. At it’s worst democracy represents special interests and is not reflective of the majority of those who inhabit our great nation. I notice that I have to strive not be too quick to find fault or point fingers when “they” infringe on my pursuit of happiness. But when it comes to actually participating and showing up for the discussion, often, daily life gets in the way. Oh sure, I vote and I follow current events when I can but it occurs to me that more is needed. Our political system today seems to be taken over by politicians who’s primary aim is to be re-elected and to serve that goal must align themselves with corporate money and objectives to prevail.

It strikes me that the "take back" slogans so prevalent in today’s sound byte culture are disempowering and create a lose/lose dynamic. Take back our lands…take back our rights…take back our country are sentiments that imply these things were stolen or taken without our permission. In my view they were not. I think that we have abdicated our responsibility we have silenced our voices. We have invited others to make our decisions for “us” and often it is those who speak the loudest and with the most extreme views who receive the most attention.

While there may be some disagreement as to who may have uttered the phrase “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” There is little dispute that it as relevant now as at any other time in our history. Please consider attending the Community Conversations event. Your input and voice is needed.

We are fortunate to feature two esteemed guests (please see short bio’s below) who will share their experience and thoughts on our Us and Them topic. Join us for an evening of provocative conversation and remember without you, there is no conversation.

Sincerely, Douglas Caputo

Shadman Bashir received a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) Faculty of Law, University of Peshawar, Pakistan and a Master of Law (LL.M) in Comparative Law (English & Islamic Law), California Western School of Law, San Diego. He is currently Visiting Professor of Law and International Relations at the Udvar-Hazy School of Business at Dixie State University. Professor Bashir has offered classes in Criminal Law, Business Law, Global Law, War and Terrorism and American Government and was speaker at the Kennedy Center Lecture “Tragedy of Errors: Contemporary Pakistan” in February of 2015 at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. His lecture “Cocktail Terrorism: Mistakes in Proper Understanding of Issues and Implementation of Policy” was recently presented at Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah

Janice Brooks is an inspirational visionary. Her avocation as a professional speaker, public affairs strategist, creative business consultant, community activist, poet, freelance writer and storyteller all reflect her creative genius. Janice is a Social Entrepreneur with a motivating passion for creating, producing, and supporting transformational experiences that heighten and enliven the artistic, creative, cultural and literary arts.

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”