An enigma.

 

My name is J. B. White and I was born in Jacksonville, raised in Orange Park, and educated in the public schools of Clay County, Florida.

 

I am a former service member in the United States Army, a graduate of the University of Florida, a graduate of the FSU College of Law, a public servant as an analyst in the Florida Legislature, a management consultant with a local Tallahassee firm, and presently am a neophyte  entrepreneur trying to shed an inculcated attitude of irresponsibility.

 

C'est la Vie!

"Life is rarely as we would like it to be; rather, it is exactly as it is." --anonymous

 

 

 

1.  I believe in American exceptionalism. This is the idea that the United States is unique among the nations of the world. This uniqueness results mostly from the combination of geography, politics, and culture. The idea of American exceptionalism was first most clearly expressed domestically in the doctrine of manifest destiny. John L. O'Sullivan, editor of the Democratic Review, coined this phrase in 1845. Manifest destiny expressed the idea that America had a special destiny to encompass much of the continent of North America and it inspired many Americans to move into the West, pushing the boundaries of the nation from sea to shining sea.

 

2.  I support the Global War on Terror and President George W. Bush's prosecution of that war. I strongly support the President's focus on better developing within our nation the concept of an Ownership Society.

 

3.  I am a Christian who believes in faith, reason, experience and revelation.

 

4.  In my estimation, human reason must realize its limits if it is to remain reasonable.

 

5.  A belief in the supremacy of human will and rationality leads inevitably to a lack understanding due to an inability to recognize any principle of judgment outside of human will and rationality.

 

6.  African Americans have to come to grips with the fact that one can be historically right on any given subject yet remain absolutely wrong in the here and now. For example, if one stakes out a political position today governed solely by one's ostensibly accurate perception vis-a-vis a wrong committed against African people in general or African Americans in particular -- one is quite susceptible to the ravages of the law of unintended consequences. For a basic definition of this principle, review this link:

 

http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/UnintendedConsequences.html

 

7.  Until we make a more mature evaluation of the two major American political parties and the two-party system in this nation, we will stunt our own advancement in the United States and it will be a self-inflicted wound for which we will be solely responsible.

 

8.  We will be solely responsible for our lack of advancement because of the very nature of "responsibility" itself:

 

the social force that binds you to your obligations and the courses of action demanded by that force; "we must instill a sense of duty in our children"; "every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty"- John D.Rockefeller Jr

 

9.  We as African Americans must rid ourselves of this pathological, schizophrenic concept so many of us have of America. This has to begin, first and foremost, by claiming ownership of this country -- a nation that is our birthright for the large majority of us. An unfortunate tendency has developed in a cadre of folks who claim to have faith in the African American masses but, at best, believe only in a so-called "talented tenth," who clearly don't believe in the common man and who have unwittingly perpetuated a crab mentality in our community that has stagnated our advancement.

 

10.  We must make the 21st Century our Century of Responsibility -- where we fully engage this country on its own terms, as has every other community of folk in this country who are getting their piece of the pie. This must be done socially, politically and economically. To do this requires that we never lose sight of the fact that (no matter how well-intentioned any proposed action may be) our well-being begins with us. We clearly used to understand this. Well-meaning folks within and without our community have helped us lose sight of that focus. It must be regained.