Coach Bill / Dad, Entrepreneur Special Educator, American Political Scientist, Writer, Musician.

Every seventh day he was given a bottle of whisky; he sat under a tree; he would escape his reality, even if the truth of his chains of air would all return to him before midnight. Frederick Douglass had taught himself to read and write using two books and a dollop of determination: He read and studied The Columbian Orator; a compendium of essays and literary pieces wherein the practitioner gains articulate eloquence in character and pronunciation), and the Holy Bible. The latter gave Douglass profound ideas about what God intended, moral teachings on humanity, and intellectual upbringing through a God-Sanctioned understanding of human history. As a slave in the south, Douglass did not have a family experience, was not raised in a home with siblings, father and mother, did not have birthday parties, or attend school; there were no after school activities or playing catch with Dad in the late afternoon hours of the day. All he had was an inner spark kept alive that urged him ...

On my father’s side my family fought against each other in the American Civil War. Protecting ideals, a way of life, family and one’s community was on the forefront of their minds and hearts. With such a burgeoning nation, Americans were beginning to live far from the original thirteen colonies. Their was expansion to the west towards the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and south towards the Floridian panhandle. Life was quite differentiated across different swaths of the United States. In the north, the yankees were focused on growing trade and communication with the world, expanding the military and  beginning to more seriously address the sin of slavery. Slavery was a topic of discussion gaining popular ground. In the south, life was much more tranquil. Plantation owners controlled huge parcels of farm land and developed their crops for sale in America and beyond its shores. Their farm lands were worked by human beings who were owned and directed to work for their masters...

Fortitude and conviction partly stems from knowing who you are and where you are going and having a strong foundation on which to rest on. It also stems from being clear on your goals and your ability to anticipate and predict many of the obstacles that will show up on your path. In the same way, a sailor knows not the exact conditions that may buffet the ship, but experience delineates an ability to foresee general conditions that will be experienced. Abraham Lincoln was such a man in a time of great division. Lincoln took over not just because of his values and ideals or his ability to articulate ideas, but because of his ability to bring together people with very different view points on how to move America forward. He came in to the arena at a time devoid of strong, independent leadership which was needed, yet not found in the land. His friends, he kept close to him and his enemies he kept even closer. For this he became respected and valued as a fair and equitable man of c...

Running a country parallels raising a family in some aspects. They both require commitment and passion day in and day out. Commitment is a mindful decision that plays out in consistent action whereas passion is having a clear vision, having 'fire in the belly' and knowing how to be motivated towards a worthwhile goal. Without these two, one will be hard-pressed to get much of anything done, or get anyone to also invest in the common goals. Just like families have to work together for the benefit of the children (the future), managing a country, such as the United States of America requires a clear understanding of what it is all for. On a local level, such as a family home relationships matter. Taking care of and fostering rapport between the parents AND the  parent and child is pivotal in setting up future interaction and harmony within the family unit. This involves putting the needs of others before our own and that action speaks louder than words directly to the ...