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After we left our tour of the White House, I ducked down the stairs to catch the train at McPherson Square. At the top of the stairwell was a musician, playing his heart out on an old beat-up six string… his case was propped open, and a stack of cash had started to pile up.
I stopped and smoked the rest of my cigarette, absorbed in the moment. Blocks away, the HEART of our Democracy… what better STAGE? What better venue than THIS… quite literally, at the Crossroads of our Nation.
I tossed some cash on the stack, gave him a smile and went on my way.
I don’t remember if it was an original tune or if it was a cover, but whatever it was he was playing… it was HIS. In that moment. On that stage. He was playing what he decided. He staked out his place and did what he does best.
To uplift. To inspire. For the sheer joy of doing it. To share something that… no matter how insignificant it may be, might make the difference in someone else’s day. To frame the moment in a different LIGHT… to bring comfort to others as they go on about their day.
The stage may be small, but the connection is REAL none the less. There, on FULL DISPLAY. Sharing a little piece of your SOUL… one person at a time.
He didn’t have to choose that stairwell. He could have played in the park or on the street corner. He could have played by the Smithsonian or the Capitol where more tourists would have had more disposable income.
But he set up shop RIGHT THERE, with less than $100 to show for his efforts… I wish I would have had more to give.
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What are my intentions? What do I want to accomplish? The same thing that young man was doing on that STAGE… everything I possibly can, to inspire CHANGE in the hearts and minds of everyone I can reach.
Be it on a SOAPBOX in a subway stairwell. Be it on a street corner with a sandwich-board sign… whatever it takes. Whatever the cost, for such a Righteous cause as OURS demands no less.
We are the United States. WE decide our fate… until it is no more. Until I have nothing left to give… because we would have nothing without Her. So I continue to STAND.
Until it is done.
IF the Political Divide will not UNITE to reform our laws so that they reflect The Will of The People directly, then The People must assert their place in our Constitutional Democracy and demand the TWO PARTIES be tamed.
For the sake of our Country. For the sake of our National Security.
For the sake of our children, who will inherit whatever it is we leave behind for them… who will have the CLARITY of time to decide who was to blame and who was correct.
Our actions will be judged by the passage of TIME… memorialized appropriately.
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The American People are willing to fight and die for the LIES of elected officials… just so long as they wrap it up in something SHINY and top it off with a red, white, and blue BOW. And we know to a certain extent, that they’re ALL full of shit… they’re OUR politicians. We voted them into office. We bought their lies.
The Gulf of Tonkin. The sinking of the Maine.
Had Roosevelt listened to different advisors, he might have avoided the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Had George W. Bush listened to his IC, he might have read a BOOK on some guy named Usama while he was vacationing on his RANCH that August.
Even with PERFECT hindsight, as we can see the full TRUTH of their lies, we either ignore uncomfortable facts or we selectively forget pivotal news conferences… where a journalist threw a SHOE at the Leader of the Free World.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muntadhar_al-Zaidi
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Makes ‘Let’s go Brandon’ seem kinda quaint, don’t you think.
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What will we leave behind, when we’re gone. When TIME has done away with us. We did not choose it, but we live in interesting times. I believe Rachel Maddow was right… that old timey “blessing” is actually a curse.
But we cannot ignore it… because we cannot escape it. There is no safe harbor on this PLANET once Democracy dies. Look no farther than our HISTORY for guidance. Be it the 20th Century, A.D. Be it the 5th Century, B.C.
Let the call go forth across this Land that this is Our Time. We, The People. No ONE MAN shall rule over a FREE PEOPLE. They are but representatives of ourselves, given ascent and allowed to govern because of OUR CONSENT. Let us ensure we bestow that HONOR upon those worthy of such a title. Let us raise the bar, before we lose the ability to do so…
Because it has not yet been done.
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https://jackcharbonneau.com/2021/01/11/act-as-if-it-would-happen-again/
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Because it will not BE done, if we allow things to go on without change.
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Shattering the darkness like a bolt out of the sky, in an instant we are shown what was hidden… a snapshot of our place in TIME. Burned like an image onto a silver plate. That clarity will eventually fade… until the next flash of LIGHT comes.
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Should we wait for more information… or should we ACT.
It is with humility that I ask, because I want to know. That is precisely why I ask. To better understand where I am coming from, to help inform my point of view. It’s not born of arrogance or brashness… it is with confidence that I write these words.
I have called upon this Nation to address a simple question. I believe we must find the answer, as the future of our Democracy depends on it.
‘Should the American People be allowed to elect their President by Direct Vote?’
Let us address this problem HEAD ON and solve it once and for all. Because we know we should. Because we know we can… as they could not.
MILLIONS of points of data, spread across 13 COLONIES… transmitted on HORSEBACK. To do this accurately on a Continental Scale consistently, every election, is an almost unthinkable task… in 1776.
Is our 18th Century electoral system secure enough to withstand an assault by a 21st Century Tyrannical Leader, hell-bent on taking over our Constitutional Democracy?
Our National Security is ensured when the Will of The People reigns SUPREME.
And how do we know this? What evidence do we have that can confirm this? Over 200 years of SHARED INTEREST, of UNITED PURPOSE… two centuries of COMMON GROUND.
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Anyone who stands opposed to the ideal of Equal Justice Under Law, stands opposed to the Will of the MAJORITY. “… with Liberty and Justice for ALL.” Not just for SOME or a select FEW… but for everyone. It’s what we’ve all pledged to protect and defend.
Let us waste no more TIME debating the validity of the Experiment. Let us affirm it. Let us celebrate it. Let us cling to it, as if it were our LIFEBOAT… and may the Rule of Law stand as our COMPASS, guiding us all safely back HOME.
May the Will of the MAJORITY of this Blessed Land, always prevail.
-JC
End The Electoral College NOW!! 