Standing UpWrite
Mood:  on fire
Now Playing: Abuses of Indigenous Peoples
Topic: Politics
Standing UpWrite
by Darrin F. Coe, MA

This past week, Newsweek published a series of articles focusing on the abuses in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. In all honesty, I almost started crying as I read about the abuses against Iraqi prisoners and the allegations of cover-ups stemming from the top levels of our government.

I realized something, this is not the first time the United States has been guilty of abusing indigenous peoples. As far as democracy is concerned America is still the best boat afloat but we have a terrible history of abusing indigenous people. Consider the American Indians.

Many indigenous people living in the United States consider themselves to be occupied nations just like Iraq and Palestine. There's a reason many American Indian Tribes refer to themselves as nations. American Indian Tribes that are recognized as such by the American government are considered sovereigns. The members of those tribes are considered to hold dual citizenship and are allowed all the rights and privileges of being both American citizens and Indigenous citizens.

Many people have a poor understanding of Indigenous Nations; their history and current political status. Indigenous nations such as the Lakota, Ute, Shoshone, and Oneida are not subject to state taxes nor state criminal jurisdiction. States must compact with tribes in good faith to establish any levels of taxation or jurisdiction and most tribes have special rights to water and natural resources within their nation's boundaries.

Only the United States government is allowed to regulate commerce and politics within the Indigenous Nations. Interestingly enough the Bureau of Indian Affairs was originally part of the department of defense because the United States government believed they needed to treat the indigenous peoples just as they would treat other sovereign nations. Treaties subject to international law exist that establish the relationship between different indigenous nations and the United States.

The United States has a questionable history of honoring the treaties it developed with the Indigenous Nations as well as having a sordid history of military and social mistreatment of the Indigenous Nations. From multiple massacres of elders and children to secret sterilizations of Indigenous women to secret land deals that abuse the trust of the Nations.

Perhaps in Iraq the American government can change it's behavior and stop it's cycle of abuse against indigenous people. American is the greatest nation in the world, I'd like to see us prove it.

Standing UpWrite
Mood:  on fire
Now Playing: I'm Confused
Topic: morality and ethics
Standing UpWrite
By Darrin F. Coe


In one of the great paradoxes of the 21st

century, the original horror musician, Alice Cooper

was given an honorary Ph.D. by Grand Canyon

University a Christian liberal arts school. The

vice-chairman of the university said that Cooper

was receiving the honor for his financial backing

and his strong faith. That's like honoring Gandhi

for his success as a soldier.


I guess Alice Cooper receiving an honor from a

Christian University shouldn't surprise me

considering many of the moral and ethical paradoxes

found in our society. I think as a nation we are

morally and ethically confused. Consider some of

the paradoxes we process everyday.


Our current federal administration claims to

be pro-life yet endorses war. We have activists

that fight for both the sanctity of the dolphin's

life and the right to have an abortion. For a time

in March, the top two grossing movies were The

Passion of the Christ and Hellboy. We live in a

country that is referred to as the land of the free

and home of the brave yet we have a history of

slavery, concentration camps, and genocidal

occupation. Our children are getting healthy

eating literature from the restaurant that's

serving them greasy, cheese pizza.


The message I get when I peruse the mass media

is we don't know what's right and wrong but as long

as we shoot it and are upset if it was naked then

it's ok. We have a society that throws a fit over

Janet Jackson's partially bared breast but is Ok

with TBS showing the series Sex in the City..

The psychological community tells parents it's not

your fault if your kids end up in prison while at

the same time encouraging us to get more involved

in our children's lives. Researchers have told us

time and again that violence on television will

facilitate violent behavior but we continue to

support Yugio and Digimon as good for our

children. We wonder why the Columbine tragedy

happened while purchasing toy weapons for our

toddlers


I'm so confused. It seems like we're becoming

victims of the old adage, "If you won't stand for

something you'll fall for anything." Let's

rediscover morality and ethics. Do we even

remember what's right and wrong? I suggest

speaking up for those who can't; taking care of

widows and orphans; pursuing peace; and raising the

next generation based on "love thy neighbor as

thyself".

Dance Your Heart Out
Mood:  on fire
Topic: Inspiration
Standing UpWrite
by Darrin F. Coe, MA


Every night news headlines tell us about people dying, people killing, people committing crimes, and people hurting. I understand that there is a legitimate sociological and fiduciary interest in reporting these stories but sometimes I need a break. Sometimes I need to be inspired; to read about the goodness and passion in the world around me. Recently, I hit inspiration paydirt and felt obligated to share the joy with those around me.
Here's a quote taken from a recent article in the L.A. Times, "I love playing the sax," he said, "playing the sax, you can make a person's day. You can make people feel happy about themselves . . ." This from a 14 year old trying to gain entrance to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, a prestigious school with such alumni as Jenna Elfman.
One of the judges who presided over the highly competitive dance auditions instructed the students to "Dance like you dance in your living room when no one's watching. When you are given the opportunity to dance and show why you want to come to this school, you should dance your heart out." I thought to myself, "what a powerful and inspirational encouragement for living in general." We need to dance our hearts out! What inspiration to read about 13, 14, and 15 year olds playing music, acting, drawing, and engaging in life with such passion. If we would all approach life with such passion, we could improve on an already awesome experience.
Next let me share a quote from a recent article from the New York Daily Times. "Even though Gabby's hands are often too weak to hold a pencil, the third grader won an M. Samuel Stern Memorial Award yesterday for a story she wrote about a boy, a dog, and a frog."
This eight year old girl who said, "Mommy, I'll never give up. I'll fight." Makes my heart soar. She lives her life with more passion than most adults even though she's currently struggling in a battle for her life against a rare form of Leukemia.
These two wonderful stories reinforce for me, the goodness, joy, grace, and passion that thrives in our world despite all of the death, destruction, and pain we are inundated with. Remember, "When you are given the opportunity to dance . . . you should dance your heart out." Our life is our dance, it's our opportunity!

Mental Illness Uncommon
Mood:  bright
Topic: Mental Health
Standing UpWrite

I believe the American people are psychologically strong. WebMD, recently released an article stating 15% of Americans suffer from mental illness, meaning a full 85% of Americans are maintaining mental stability. The article stated that 1% of Americans over the age of 18 are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, meaning 99% of Americans have stable and functional moods. WebMD reported that up to 5% of American school age children suffer from ADHD, indicating 95 % of school age children are getting the job done and are pretty stable in their behavior.
This is very exciting news, even though WebMD released it as a report of concern, attempting to show the commonness of mental illness in America. This report indicates 15% of people are mentally ill, should that be considered common? I think not! I think we're looking at these statistics backwards and can find encouragement in them instead of concern.
Some encouragements I think we can take from this report: 1) those bad moods we go through from time to time are pretty much par for the stability course; 2) ups, downs, highs, and lows are simply part of the human experience and not mental illness; 3) We, as a culture and a nation, are mentally strong; and 4) mental illness is the anomaly not the norm.
Given this apparent normalcy in our society, why then is there this perception that everyone is walking about mentally ill or dysfunctional? I think there are a number of reasons and most of them revolve around money.
Psychiatrists and psychologists need clients so they've got to convince us we need them. Psychiatric drugs are big money makers for drug companies so we must need the medications. It's unfortunate that the mental health industry would have us believe that if we're not happy, and sucking the marrow out of the bones of life constantly, that we're mentally ill. They seem to turn normal human behavior into sickness.
According to the diagnostic handbook of the mental health industry, it's mental illness if it's chronic and causes a disruption in daily functioning. It's ok to have a bad day. It's ok to have a great day. It's ok to be sad. It's O.K. to be really happy. It's ok to think odd thoughts. Just don't hurt anyone. Most of what we experience is just being human.
Remember, don't suffer from mental illness, enjoy it completely!

Darrin F. Coe holds a master's degree in professional psychology and works as a mental health professional.

Where Have All The Fathers Gone?
Mood:  on fire
Standing UpWrite

By Darrin F. Coe, MA

One of the primary negative impacts on children is the lack of a consistent, nurturing father or father-figure. One of the primary predictors of future violent behavior in boys is how much neglect they perceive from their father. It's not enough for "dad" to go to work, come home, read the paper, watch ESPN and then go to bed. That's being a roommate not a dad.

Children need to perceive active investment from fathers. We've defined a good dad as the man who works consistently, brings home the paycheck, and doesn't openly abuse his children and family. I think it's time to expect more out of fathers. Here's some suggestions.

1) Mentor Humility: Fathers can have a powerful impact on their children if they are willing to actively mentor humility. Showing children it's ok to admit when they are wrong and placing others before one's self are powerful investments.

2) Invest Time: Set aside time for your children on a regular, frequent basis. This time is for the kids. It allows them to bond with dad and each other in a familial, empowering way. This develops family coherence, problem solving development, and can be used to develop ethics and values.

3) Have bedtime with your children: Fathers should set aside bedtime as very specific time to spend with each of the children. This is a time to reflect on the day, a time to establish calm communication with the children.

Children require a sense of safety and security. Bedtime can be used to create a quiet atmosphere that encourages your children to share and allows them to see that you are there for them when the world is dark and unsure.

Finally, both mom and dad should participate in bedtime. If children can fall asleep feeling safe, and secure they will experience a higher quality of sleep leading to improved, positive behavior. They will trust their parents more, leading to an increase in communication.

Fatherhood is no longer about procreation leading to paycheck contribution. It is investment leading to excellence. Fathers need to be as involved or more involved than mothers in the raising of children.

Darrin F. Coe, MA is the father of two very active pre-schoolers and a mental health professional

Darrin F. Coe, MA
1019 Clover
Canon City, CO 81212
719-275-5907
coe@ris.net