How Do-It-Yourself Braces
Can Leave Gaps In Treatment
In an age when consumers are looking for ways to reduce costs and gain convenience, direct-to-consumer orthodontics have increased in popularity.
But in some cases, bypassing traditional orthodontic care for mail-order/do-it-yourself aligners can cause problems, dental professionals say. And legislation in California was passed recently with those issues in mind. The bill includes measures designed to protect patients who undergo direct-to-consumer orthodontic treatment.
“Direct-to-consumer aligners are designed to eliminate visits to an orthodontist by allowing treatment to be completed from home,” says Dr. Ana Castilla (www.dranacastilla.com), an orthodontist and the author of the book Smile of Your Life: Everything You Need to Know for Your Orthodontic Journey. “While this may seem very convenient, there’s much more to creating straight teeth and a great smile than simply moving the teeth.
“Effective orthodontic treatment includes considerations about your jaw alignment, bite, and mouth as a whole, and many direct-to-consumer treatments can’t properly assess all the features of your oral and dental health. And if orthodontic treatment isn’t done correctly, irreversible and costly damage can result, such as tooth loss and a misaligned bite.”
Castilla explains the potential pitfalls of do-it-yourself braces:
Lack of x-rays. With many direct-to-consumer orthodontic treatments, a patient submits an impression and photo of their teeth using the company’s kit, and the company then sends custom sets of aligners. “Due to the nature of its service, direct-to-consumer companies do not offer any way for x-rays of your teeth and jaws to be taken,” Dr. Castilla says. “Therefore, your doctor is not only planning and monitoring your case remotely, he or she is doing it without any diagnostic information. Thus, conditions that could affect your orthodontic treatment such as bone loss, cavities, extra teeth, impacted teeth, bridges, implants, etc., may be missed. This can result in loose teeth, fractured teeth, gum recession and other unfortunate side effects.”
No in-person monitoring. While part of the lure of do-it-yourself braces is avoiding visits to the orthodontist, Dr. Castilla says those visits can be spaced out to every 12 to 15 weeks, and that seeing an orthodontist results in important details not being missed. “An orthodontist will not only take the necessary x-rays to diagnose your case properly, he or she will also continually monitor your progress in person to make sure your aligners fit properly and your treatment is going as planned,” Dr. Castilla says.
Fewer capabilities. “It is important to understand that direct-to-consumer and doctor-delivered aligners do not have the same capabilities as traditional orthodontic care,” Dr. Castilla says. “Direct-to-consumer aligners do not offer elastics or attachments, which are bonded or glued to certain teeth that require more difficult movements. Thus, direct-to-consumer treatment is limited to more simple cases where you are mainly improving the alignment of the front teeth and not necessarily fixing the bite. If you are looking for bite correction to get a healthy bite that will help you keep your teeth for a lifetime, then treatment with an in-person orthodontist is the way to go.”
Broken communication. “If you have any questions or concerns about your treatment, most direct-to-consumer companies will provide you with a phone number where they have multiple customer care representatives who can assist you,” Dr. Castilla says. “You can often even email your provider. However, if the concern is with your teeth themselves, it may be very difficult for them to diagnose you and they may just tell you to visit your dentist.”
“When deciding on direct-to-consumer aligners,” Dr. Castilla says, “it is important to understand that this type of treatment is not for everyone.”
About Dr. Ana Castilla
Dr. Ana Castilla is an orthodontist and the author of the book Smile of Your Life: Everything You Need to Know for Your Orthodontic Journey (www.castillaortho.com). Dr. Castilla is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and is dedicated to both education and research in the field of orthodontics. Her research on indirect-bonding techniques has been published in the Angle Orthodontist journal. Dr. Castilla was born in Ecuador and grew up in the United States.
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Today, roughly 15 million Americans are suffering from clinical depression. Of those 15 million, about half will either not respond or cannot tolerate drug medication. Additionally, 2.2 million Americans suffer from OCD and roughly half do not respond to conventional treatments, such as medications and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, leaving millions feeling hopeless. The good news is, a proven and safe technology --an FDA-cleared helmet (2018) for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) -- called Deep TMS is now available in Springville - just south of Provo, and less than an hour from Salt Lake City.
It is already being used in leading institutions including Harvard, Mount Sinai and the U.S. Navy, as well as hundreds of psychiatrist offices across the country with more than 10,000 patients benefitting. For a visual explanation on how Deep TMS works, click here. Here is the easy-to-understand explanation:
· The helmet works by administering magnetic waves (magnetic fields similar to an MRI) to target deep structures of the brain that impact OCD symptoms and areas that are affected by mental illnesses like clinical depression - major depressive disorder (MDD). The non-invasive helmet contains an electromagnetic coil is placed near the forehead.
The open house will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 22 from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM at Cedar Psychiatry, 672 W. 400 S., Suite 201, Springville, Utah 84663.
· The event will feature a chance for the public to meet the providers and staff at the clinic, along with BrainsWay representatives, and receive a demonstration of BrainsWay’s Deep TMS for the treatment of OCD and MDD.
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*For a review copy of The Busy Leader's Handbook or an interview with Quint Studer, please contact Dottie DeHart, DeHart & Company Public Relations, at (828) 325-4966 or simply reply to this email.
Grace Under Fire: How to Manage Yourself During Stressful, Busy Times
Workplace stress is a reality, says Quint Studer. But how leaders manage themselves in the
middle of the storm is everything. These insights can help leaders—from CEOs to middle
managers—successfully navigate the stressors of the modern work environment.
Hoboken, NJ (October 2019)—There's no question about it: Today's workplace can be stressful. The long work hours, the endless flow of information, the competing demands on our attention—all of these factors can make us feel perpetually overwhelmed and out of control if not managed well.
The conditions that lead to stress are not "bad" says Quint Studer. They're just reality.
But he says the best leaders learn to deal with the conditions and problems that lead to stress in a way that keeps everyone on track. "How you behave when times are bad truly defines you as a leader and sets the tone for how others manage the situation," says Studer, author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Busy Leader's Handbook: How to Lead People and Places That Thrive (Wiley, October 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-57664-8, $28.00). "If you create a culture where people fall to pieces when things get tough, it will be too stressful for employees (and they will likely leave), productivity will suffer, and all this ultimately will make your job harder."
Studer explains that relationships are defined by how we behave under stress. Difficult, busy times can put strain on relationships, but they can also forge stronger bonds if handled the right way.
"When your team sees you pull things together and navigate them out of a tricky situation, it can be a huge credibility builder," says Studer. "Conversely, when they see you fall apart, it can create a trust deficit that is hard to recover from, even when things settle down."
A few suggestions for managing yourself with grace under stress:
First, eliminate as much stress as you can by being a well-run organization. Work to create a best-odds environment for eliminating problems. Things will go wrong from time to time. You can't control everything. However, there are lots of things you can control. Make sure you have good processes and procedures in place for eliminating avoidable headaches. For example:
Learn to prioritize (and teach others to as well). A big to-do list should not freak you out. Everyone is busy and they should be. Just use the list to work in a sensible order (evaluating daily what is most important). Often we try to close out small tasks to make room for bigger ones, when what we should be doing is prioritizing our to-do list and staying focused on the things that really matter. Just "getting things done" may feel good in the moment but what really matters is getting the big things done.
Simplify when things get stressful. "Bring order and clear thinking to chaotic situations," says Studer. "Keep an eye on what really matters and what can be cut away. A good leader can make a potentially crushing workload feel manageable. By taking a cool and methodical approach, you can make a huge difference in helping others stay focused and productive and keep their stress reactions in check."
Create a culture of calm. Be sensitive to the messages you're sending out. Model calmness when things are chaotic. You teach your employees how to behave based on how you behave. The things leaders do, both positive and negative, get mirrored. And research shows that the ripple effect of negative emotions is considerably more intense than that of positive emotions. If employees see you panicking, they are likely to panic. If they see you staying calm and focused on solutions, they will mimic this behavior as well.
"Also, try not to show physical signs of stress," says Studer. "Wringing your hands and pacing around anxiously will not make things better. In fact, it will likely make your employees more worried and stressed out, negatively impacting their performance."
Don't blow things out of proportion. Do everything you can to keep a level head. Sometimes our tempers flare when things are stressful. Try to avoid letting little things turn into big problems. When leaders lose their cool, problems only escalate. People get upset, and their productivity plummets. Plus, explosions can cause long-term damage and tank a leader's credibility. In the end, all of this means more time fixing avoidable problems.
Be careful about the words you use and the stories you tell. Avoid using words like "slammed" or "overwhelmed." There is nothing wrong with stating that you are busy, but how you talk about being busy and carry yourself impacts others. It has a ripple effect. Just because you are stressed, it doesn't mean everyone else has to be. Don't bring your stress to the people.
Keep the past in its place. Leaders can generate a lot of stress for themselves and others by rehashing mistakes and misses. Yes, frame these mistakes as learning experiences but don't keep talking about them over and over and telling the story. It just becomes gossip at that point. Instead of focusing on past challenges, look for what's right and constantly celebrate bright spots. This shifts the focus inside the organization.
Don't pretend to be fearless. "A common mistake leaders make is to pretend that everything is fine when it clearly isn't," says Studer. "Sometimes acknowledging that a situation or negative circumstance is real, and possibly even scary, is the best way to build trust with your team and get them to invest 110 percent on solving the problem. This is not the same thing as getting bent out of shape. You can be honest and calm at the same time."
Put some ground rules in place to help others manage stress. Busy, stressful times are when you need cooperation and engagement the most. Yet it's during these times that tension builds, emotions run hot, and people explode or otherwise behave badly. Recognize this and put a plan into place to help people deal with frustrations and conflict in a way that won't harm the team's ability to perform. For example, you might ask everyone to be mindful of their tone when communicating while under pressure. You might also ask others to jump in and help when they see a coworker getting overwhelmed. As a leader, you need to not only manage your own stress but help others manage theirs as well.
Master a few tactics for calming yourself down and teach others to do the same. If you feel yourself starting to get overwhelmed by stress, here are a few ways you can calm yourself down quickly:
Create a best-odds plan for staying healthy. This gives you the stamina you need—both physical and mental—to cope with stress and keep going. Sleep well, eat well, stay hydrated, and generally take good care of your body so you'll be in tip-top shape mentally. This requires discipline and planning, but health and well-being are too important to leave to chance. Good habits fall to the wayside during busy times. You may be tempted to skip lunch because you're too busy to eat, or you stay up till 1:00 a.m. working. Remind yourself that this is counterproductive. You can't perform if you are sleep-deprived and sugar-crashing because you didn't take time to pack a nutritious lunch and ate from the vending machine instead. If you aren't healthy, you won't be able to cope when stress levels kick into overdrive.
Be resilient/learn to reset. Setbacks will happen. Leaders must be able to bounce back quickly and continue to move forward even when things appear to be falling apart. Resiliency is essential as leaders need to have the mental wherewithal to offer support and continue to direct their teams. Being resilient comes from having good coping skills, supportive environments with a lot of psychological safety, a strong sense of optimism, grit, and the mental and physical stamina to sustain and move through stressful situations. Work on all of these factors but also know that resiliency also comes with growth.
"As with everything else, experience counts for a lot," concludes Studer. "The more seasoned leaders will be better at handling stress just because they have had so many years to learn to cope. They've seen what can happen when they don't handle stress well, and they are more motivated to change. If you are a new leader, know that this is a skill you build just like everything else. Use these tools and tactics and know that it gets easier every day."
# # #
About the Author:
Quint Studer is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Busy Leader's Handbook and a lifelong businessman, entrepreneur, and student of leadership. He not only teaches it; he has done it. He has worked with individuals at all levels and across a variety of industries to help them become better leaders and create high-performing organizations. He seeks always to simplify high-impact leader behaviors and tactics for others.
Quint has a great love for teaching his insights in books and has authored nine of them in addition to The Busy Leader's Handbook. His book Results That Last also made the Wall Street Journal bestseller list. Building a Vibrant Community, published in 2018, is a blueprint for communities seeking to revitalize themselves.
Quint is the founder of Vibrant Community Partners and Pensacola's Studer Community Institute. He currently serves as the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of West Florida.
To learn more, please visit www.thebusyleadershandbook.com, www.vibrantcommunityblueprint.com, and www.studeri.org.
About the Book:
The Busy Leader's Handbook: How to Lead People and Places That Thrive (Wiley, October 2019, ISBN: 978-1-119-57664-8, $28.00) is available at bookstores nationwide, from major online booksellers, and direct from the publisher by calling 800-225-5945. In Canada, call 800-567-4797. For more information, please visit the book's page at www.wiley.com
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Hi Jim,
Please feel free to use the below article as is. For a free copy of Sandra Miller's book, an interview, or comments by email for a story that you are working on, please reach out and I will be happy to coordinate.
Ashley
How To Turn Your Midlife Crisis
Into A Life-Changing Adventure
Some people think of themselves as stuck in the mud at middle age, feeling as though they’re going nowhere after their children have grown up, graduated and moved on.
These people could be suffering from a “midlife crisis,” a well-known term for what some health professionals believe is a real psychological affliction, not a cultural myth. Studies show a high percentage of adults over the age of 50 have experienced a period of emotional turmoil in middle age in which they have a strong desire for change.
Sandra A. Miller (www.SandraAMiller.com), author of Trove: A Woman’s Search for Truth and Buried Treasure, thinks those suffering from a midlife crisis can overcome it by turning this time of restlessness and confusion into an adventure that can open positive pathways for the rest of their lives.
“The greatest thing you can do for yourself is to live the life you were meant to live,” Miller says. “Finding that life often requires an external adventure, but it first requires an internal journey to peel back the layers to discover who you are, what you want, and where you want to go.”
Psychologists say symptoms of a midlife crisis include the fear of aging and a longing to feel and act younger. But that doesn’t mean the answers are always found in quitting a long-held job, buying a convertible, or ditching the spouse for a love interest who’s far younger — as depicted in some movies and sometimes seen in real life.
“Many men and women in midlife are struggling right now with what I call a crisis of the soul,” Miller says. “They might have achieved the many trappings of a successful life, but they still don’t feel fulfilled on a deeper level.”
Miller offers three keys to shifting the mindset and taking a midlife adventure:
Determine what you’re looking for — and don’t be shy about it. What have you wanted to do for a long time but for various reasons have not? “Many of us think we should be grateful for all that we have and keep quiet,” Miller says. “But in our life journey we also have to explore our desires and what they might be showing us. If not, what’s the alternative? People need to be real about what they feel is missing, and why, in order to get the most out of the rest of their life.”
Break rules. “Too many people conform to the rigid boundaries created by their self-limiting doubts or fears,” Miller says. “And sometimes we never take action on our dreams, never cross those lines because we’re afraid of what others may think or how it’s not conventional. Essentially, we impose rules on ourselves that shouldn’t apply, so we need to break them in order to break through. To have a big, creative life, you’re going to have to break some rules. And it’s never too late to start doing that.”
Live in the moment. “Living your life in the moment every day while being mindful of your adventure means being fully alive — observing, absorbing and appreciating constantly,” Miller says. “There is so much to search for, but sometimes we go looking too far for it when discoveries are all around us. With the constant distractions of our phones and social media, now more than ever we need to stay awake and alert to the beauty that is there if we just look up and take notice.”
“How can you live your life so it means more to you?” Miller asks. “That’s what a midlife adventure can answer for you.”
About Sandra A. Miller
Sandra A. Miller (www.SandraAMiller.com), author of Trove: A Woman’s Search for Truth and Buried Treasure, teaches in the English Department of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She previously worked in the editorial department at NAL/Penguin and later worked as a literary agent. She has written stories, articles and essays that have appeared in hundreds of regional and national publications, including Modern Bride, Glamour, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, Yankee, and The Washington Post OnParenting blog. She has facilitated workshops on treasure hunting as a spiritual experience. Miller also has created her own armchair treasure hunt with a custom-made jeweled bracelet worth $2,200 as the prize. The bracelet is hidden somewhere in New England, and she will be providing clues through the blog on her website.
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Hi ,
To secure their online accounts people can use both - passwords and PINs. However, only a few understand how they differ and which one is more secure.
I’m sending you an article by the digital security expert Chad Hammond, who explains, when you should use a PIN and when a password.
Press Release is attached and copied below for your convenience. If you have additional questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
Best regards,
Laura Tyrell
NordVPN | Public Relations
laura@nordvpnpr.com
nordvpn.com
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PIN vs. password: which one is more secure?
Digital security expert explains, when you should use a PIN and when a password
By Chad Hammond, a digital security expert at NordPass
October 17, 2019. As users of this digital age, we have many different choices. You can enable or disable web cookies, depending on how much information you want a website to gather about you. You can use encrypted services or unencrypted ones, depending on how much you’re concerned about your privacy and security.
You can also use a PIN (Personal Identification Number) or password to secure your digital devices or online accounts. However, in this particular case, the choice for most of us is not as straightforward as it seems.
The other day I also had the very same discussion among my friends with three different sides of opinion. One side was backing PINs and claiming that they are safer than passwords. Others couldn't believe that PINs made up of four, six, or eight digits can be more reliable than long and complex passwords. And the third group was claiming that both PIN and password serve the same purpose of identification and are safe to use. All sides had valuable insights, but we couldn’t reach an agreement. Sparked by this discussion, I decided to look deeper into this topic and look for the truth.
PIN stands for a Personal Information Number and is used the same as a password to prove that you have the right to access your data. A PIN usually consists of a string of four to eight numbers, and it was first introduced in the 1960s together with cash machines (ATMs). The obvious drawback is that a PIN is limited to 0-9 numerical digits. A PIN made up of four numbers offers 10,000 possible combinations. That may seem like an easy nut to crack, but it’s not as straightforward.
PINs are normally used on touchscreen devices and always require manual data entry. An automated brute-force attack may not work as most of the systems that use a PIN also specify maximum attempts count before disabling the device.
For example, if your device limits PIN entry to six attempts, there is a 0.06% chance that someone will be lucky enough to crack the four-digit code. Of course, if your PIN is ‘0000’ or ‘1234,’ the probability of being hacked increases massively.
A good password is a combination of numerical digits, upper- and lowercase letters, and various special characters. It could also be a phrase made up of words with the same requirements. Like the PIN, the password concept first appeared in the early 1960s and has been used ever since. A 10-character password has 59,873,693,923,837,900,000 different variations, and most of you are probably thinking you know which of the two is more secure. However, it's not all about mathematics.
Passwords are used online or for devices like computers, which usually don't have any limits on failed attempts. That’s why passwords can be compromised with the help of an automated brute-force attack. Of course, not all attacks are practical, as most of them would take years to crack a strong password. Buthacking technologies are evolving fast, making such attacks more sophisticated and successful.
Going back to the discussion that I had with my friends, we can safely say that all the opinions were correct in one way or another. The answer to this question depends on where you use your PIN or password.
If you want to unlock your touchscreen device, the safest and easiest way is to use a PIN because of the manual entry and the attempt limit. When it comes to online accounts or computers, passwords are much safer due to the simple math of available combinations.
Also, you can enable multi-factor authentication (2FA) in most online accounts . The 2FA adds another layer of safety, minimizing the risks of automated brute-force attacks. Even if someone manages to get your strong password, they won't be able to access your account, as the second step of verification will stop them.
ABOUT NORDPASS
NordPass is a new generation password manager shaped with cutting-edge technology, zero-knowledge encryption, simplicity, and intuitive design in mind. It securely stores and organizes passwords by keeping them in one convenient place. NordPass was created by the cybersecurity experts behind NordVPN - one of the most advanced VPN service providers in the world. For more information: nordpass.com.
Are Rude And Crude The New Norm,
Or Will America Bring Back Civility?
Can we talk?
Joan Rivers made that catchphrase popular decades ago, but in 2019 the answer to the late comedian’s heartfelt query appears to be a resounding no. Whether it’s tweets on social media, pundits on TV, politicians in Washington, or parents at a youth soccer match, much of the communication we engage in today is ill-mannered, inconsiderate, vicious and sometimes downright cruel or violent.
In short, civility is taking a beating.
“Incivility occurs because we lose sight of what it means to be an ethical person,” says Dr. Steven Mintz (www.stevenmintzethics.com), author of Beyond Happiness and Meaning: Transforming Your Life Through Ethical Behavior.
“Ethical people do not berate others. They certainly don’t promote violent behavior. Being willing to accept the ideas of others who may not agree with you is a sign of civil behavior. It values those with opposing views as members of humanity.”
Ellen DeGeneres made that point recently when she became the target of online outrage after she was seen enjoying a Dallas Cowboys football game with former President George W. Bush. Those taking umbrage with DeGeneres didn’t understand why she would hang out with someone whose beliefs and ideals are diametrically opposed to hers.
“When I say be kind to one another, I don’t mean be kind to the people who think the same way you do,” DeGeneres told a studio audience. “I mean be kind to everyone.”
An annual poll by Weber Shandwick, a public relations firm, found that 93 percent of Americans believe there is a civility problem in the country, and Mintz says that, whether people realize it or not, we all pay a price.
“Incivility can negatively affect happiness and impact wellness,” he says. “It can harm mental and physical health, affect productivity in the workplace, inhibit civil engagement, and, taken to an extreme, cause violence in our streets, schools, and places of business.”
Who’s at fault for the decline of courteous communication? The Weber Shandwick poll found that 57 percent of Americans lay the primary blame on social media and the internet. Other culprits they point to include behavior in the White House (50 percent), politicians in general (47 percent), news media (40 percent), political and social commentators (38 percent) and Hollywood celebrities (30 percent).
Mintz says all is not lost, though. He offers these tips for how everyone can do their part to stem the rising tide of incivility.
“Finally, ask yourself how you would feel if the comments you are about to make or treatment of others went viral on social media,” Mintz says. “Would you be proud of it?”
Mintz is convinced the nation could use a good public debate on civility.
“Unfortunately, our leaders don’t seem to think it’s important enough to do,” he says. “The Democratic presidential debates haven’t touched on these issues, but what better way to address gun violence, workplace harassment and bullying than openly discuss how a lack of civility is tearing apart the basic fabric of society.”
About Dr. Steven Mintz
Dr. Steven Mintz (www.stevenmintzethics.com), author of Beyond Happiness and Meaning: Transforming Your Life Through Ethical Behavior, has frequently commented on ethical issues in society and business ethics. His Workplace Ethics Advice blog has been recognized as one of the top 30 in corporate social responsibility. He also has served as an expert witness on ethics matters. Dr. Mintz spent almost 40 years of his life in academia. He has held positions as a chair in Accounting at San Francisco State University and Texas State University. He was the Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration at Cal State University, San Bernardino. He recently retired as a Professor Emeritus from Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo.
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Dear Editor:
Please consider this thinkpiece by veteran journalist Robert Koehler, who looks at the idea of what the Founders meant about separating religion from governance. For PeaceVoice, thank you,
Tom Hastings
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The collusion of church and state
by Robert C. Koehler
982 words
Intrigued by the controversy that erupted over Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech before the American Association of Christian Counselors last week in Nashville — it was titled “Being a Christian Leader” and was eventually removed from the State Department website — I wound up reading the whole speech. And I actually found one paragraph that I liked.
I’ll get to that in a moment, but first, ta tum, the controversy:
Yes, yes, we need separation of church and state, and Pompeo’s headline-declaration of faith no doubt violated political propriety, but the real issue here is a little too gooey to be contained by political correctness. You know: Religion must stay over there in that corner while government goes about its business — wages war, maintains a nuclear arsenal, entertains the American public with air and water shows — free of all unelected interference . . . except, uh, financial interference, which is always appropriate and always welcome.
In other words, separation of church and state is small potatoes and hardly comes close to addressing the real issues of the day. Church and state, not to mention corporate wealth, are far too full of themselves and they all need to be contained by values that are immune to the corruption of power.
Do such values even exist? And if they do, what if they’re over there in the religious corner of America? Are they banned from the political realm? How can we make sure that “separation of church and state” doesn’t mean separation of values and state?
Or maybe I should put it a little more desperately: Where are the values — religious or otherwise — that can save this recklessly careening, war-addicted, carbon-spewing state from participating both in its own and the whole planet’s destruction?
“We should all remember,” Pompeo told his audience, to a fusillade of applause, “. . . that we are imperfect servants serving a perfect God who constantly forgives us each and every day. He keeps using us — he keeps using us to do a higher work. And my work at the State Department, as it is for those who work alongside of me, is to serve America each and every day.”
Here’s where I felt the speech turn dangerous and start oozing collusion of church and state — the very thing the nation’s founders were allegedly worried about. To be an “imperfect servant of a perfect God” implies that one has a relationship with perfection: indeed, that one takes orders from a perfect being. Considering that Pompeo is widely known as both a war hawk — a proponent of war with Iran — and an ally of blatant Islamophobes, his declaration of service to a perfect God is definitely troubling. It’s one step away from claiming divine justification for persecution of a given enemy.
Just ask Constantine, the Roman emperor who began the modern-day collusion process some 1800 years ago, when he linked Rome with the theretofore persecuted Christians.
While this stopped the persecution, it also had a cost: “. . . the Church became very powerful very quickly,” Richard Leonard wrote at America: the Jesuit Review. He called it the rise of Imperial Christianity. “Up to this time the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd was the most represented. After 313, however, Jesus is dressed in royal robes, with a crown, scepter, and orb.”
And: “Tragically, for the next few hundred years, conversions were demanded at the end of a sword. No religious dissent or pluralism was tolerated.”
Fast-forward a few centuries — through the Crusades, the Inquisition, slavery, ongoing genocide of “the primitives,” the War to End All Wars, the war that followed it (with 70 or 80 million fatalities), the development of nuclear weapons, etc., etc., most of which were examples of church-state collusion — and here’s Gen. William Boykin, undersecretary of defense for intelligence under President George W. Bush, famously reminding the world that collusion of church and state is alive and well, when he credited his success against a Somali warlord thus: “I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol.”
And then there was Bush himself, justifying the wars he bequeathed the 21st century: “I am driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, ‘George, go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan.’ And I did. And then God would tell me, ‘George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq. And I did.”
And then there are the Blue Angels, the Navy’s flying recruitment ad that spends $35 million a year and consumes multi-thousands of gallons of fuel putting on dozens of garish airshows throughout the country every year, thrilling audiences and, as Christopher Cook points out, garnering endless plaudits from the uncritical media.
“These media celebrations of military displays are widespread,” Cook writes, “and portray tools of war as benign, ‘cool’ machines — although they are designed to kill people.”
Note the name: the Blue Angels. Aren’t angels immortal, heavenly beings that bless the good, right-believing people of the world? How much fossil fuel do angels consume? How many bombs do they carry? How do they feel about helping the military maintain a public relations façade of glory in front of the brutal reality of war?
But back to Secretary Pompeo for just a moment. As much as I felt that the anger over the official posting of his “Being a Christian Leader” speech was justified, there was a paragraph in the speech that held me in momentary awe. Speaking of the difficulty of the job, he quoted Abraham Lincoln:
“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”
I believe most of the planet is on its knees right now, as he climate shifts, the fires rage, people’s homes become unlivable and Constantine’s jets and drones buzz overhead, loosing their bombs on the non-believers.
–end–
Robert Koehler, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a Chicago award-winning journalist and editor.
