Guest Post, Bruce Danielson
As we consider our declaration of freedom born in July 1776, consider the remarkable citizens who helped us create a government owned by the people. These citizens would later help define a way to grant more and more rights to more and more people. The more amazing thing that followed their courage, was their efforts helped them lose more personal wealth or their lives because they chose to be leaders, not followers.
Authoritarians are not leaders, they are bullies taking away from most of us in the short-run and all of us in the long-run. The reversal or taking away rights whether the initiative, referendum, or personal responsibility rights always makes South Dakotans and the silent majority to the streets and ballot boxes.
The gathering of our fellow citizens last Wednesday evening showed one glaring thing more than anything else, Sioux Falls city government has no leadership. None, zip, nada, black hole. What is leadership? Consider this list:
Qualities of a Great Leader
1. Vision
2. Inspiration
3. Strategic & Critical Thinking
4. Interpersonal Communication
5. Authenticity & Self-Awareness
6. Open-Mindedness & Creativity
7. Flexibility
8. Responsibility & Dependability
9. Patience & Tenacity
10. Continuous Improvement
How many of the qualities on the above list were shown last week or are shown by our officials in Sioux Falls and South Dakota?
We have elected officials who claim to be leaders but in reality they are primarily authoritarians who would rather hide in their suburban fortresses on Whitechurch Lane, in Grand Prairie or Canton.
A real leader would have immediately arrived on the scene and helped calm a situation. A real leader would have followed the April 1968 example of Senator Robert Kennedy on hearing of the murder of Martin Luther King by going into the crowd to announce it and then calm the crowd that would have emotionally grabbed it leading to a riot like what happened many other burning American cities.
Why did the police have to get out the riot gear? Why did the gathering of our fellow citizens have to rise to a heated situation where fearful police decided to put on swat gear? There will always be agitators in any crowd, but a real leader would have been creative enough to calm the noise.
Robert Kennedy showed us all what a positive leader could do, why do we have officials pretending to be leaders but are in fact authoritarian sheeple, hiding until the coast is clear?
This is to be dealt with, Sioux Falls city government has no leadership. We are a rudderless ship where the engine room is running full-bore into the iceberg because the captain is hiding. I compliment the police chief for the honesty shown after the event but where was our mayor? Our elected officials let untrained, inexperienced directors and line employees run the government while the elected officials we the people hire, are stuffing their resumes to make themselves more self-important. Whether you approve or not, riot gear against our mothers, fathers, children and grandparents who just want to express their emotions is a disgusting lack of real leadership from an absentee leader.
I once read that Indianapolis was the only major city in America that did not suffer from major riots in its city after the death of Dr. King. Gee, I wonder why? …. :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2kWIa8wSC0
My most memorable moment about that protest was when some SWAT Team members positioned themselves behind the old First Premier building, while the protesters regrouped at a nearby convenience store. These particular SWAT members were riding in the back of a mini-van with the tailgate open and one of them was heavily armed. It had a Navy Seal quality about it. It also reminded me of what I read about the street battles within Gettysburg. I also got a kick out of the metallic gray van which whisked throughout downtown. It looked like the one that Mike and Frank drive on Pickers, except it had windows and was used to hurry members of the Team from one position to another as they continued to reposition themselves against some unarmed feminists. And then, every once in a while a brief standoff would emerge between the SWAT Team and the feminists. It seemed as though the feminists would just pop-up like that hammer head game one finds at a pizza parlor arcade. Then the feminist would move on and the sirens would begin to blare once again. In some ways, it reminded me of a chase game, or the ones you hear about in Texas, where rich oil men pay to chase young women through a field or around a golf course just for fun.
It seems, once elected, political types immediately campaign for re-election or a higher office. Their public responsibility gets lost in transition. Why do we need them if they don’t do what they’re elected for?
Leadership comes in a variant of forms, I mean, what do you expect from government, one that takes a back seat allowing the people step up and be responsible for their own actions, or a government that is proactive getting in the way of your rights?
Mike, your statement must be referring to another post