Through the Looking Glass

I remember what I was taught.

I tried to call him out every time it came across my desk… I think we ALL did.

This Nation’s teeth were cut on racism like this… and there’s only ONE WAY we can ensure it stops.

STAND UP and SPEAK OUT.

https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2021/03/18/new-mom-army-vet-among-8-killed-in-georgia-spa-shootings

We should be no more upset with people of Asian Descent for the spread of this virus, than we are with people of English Descent for the current spread of the predominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States.

Viruses do not discriminate.

I find these acts of violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities abhorrent and everyone should SPEAK OUT when they see these acts happen. I wish only for PEACE, as their contributions are a wonderful and vital part of our story.

But… I cannot be SILENT. Nor should anyone else. We must LISTEN to what we’re being told, as well as what is being SAID.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/03/19/robert-aaron-long-evangelical-treatment-facility-sex-addiction/

There’s a difference between STORY and NARRATIVE… and sometimes the STORY is amplified by the obvious SILENCE of others.

… don’t look at ME like that!

SILENCE on the subject of Conspiracy Theories led to an armed insurrection on January 6th. What harm is done when we are denied FULL DISCLOSURE? What lessons can we learn from this moment that will teach us something about what went wrong in that young man’s life… so that we can ensure it will never happen again with someone else.

Yes, it’s uncomfortable. And yes it deals with harmful stereotypes, but it must be addressed. Openly. It’s a subject not everyone is familiar with, and it’s something that everyone needs to be aware of… knowledge leads to understanding.

Our SILENCE allows it to continue.

…

My ears perked up the moment I heard the word addiction. Now having gained the knowledge that comes from 12 years of sobriety… after so many lost at the bottom of a bottle… I have an extra bit of empathy for anyone who struggles with addiction. Because I did not know, I struggled… as it is for many people who cannot afford treatment or mental health services. Just like Prostate Cancer or Breast Cancer, addiction is a treatable disease of the MIND.

But I am NO FOOL…

This was no “bad day” as described by the Sheriff… this man’s future was decided the moment he gave up on LIFE, and became its enemy.

Why did that man choose those businesses. What was he expecting to find in those establishments? Was he looking for something he ASSUMED he would find, or was he CERTAIN he would find it. Yes, there is ONE common denominator between all these establishments…

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/26/florida-human-sex-trafficking-ring-full-story/2990465002/

**… but it is not the ONLY ONE.**

And once again we find ourselves at a crossroads of Fire & Fuel, where one broken aspect of our society ignites another… spreading beyond all social barriers and effecting everyone.

https://www.glamour.com/story/jeffrey-epstein-survivors-roundtable

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/10/the-disturbing-saga-of-robert-kraft

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/ex-spa-owner-denies-selling-access-trump-says-dems-target-n985381

I remember how thoroughly the lessons penetrate our collective psyche around situations like these. Anyone my age has been well educated on what the definition of the word “is” is… and when we learn these lessons WRONG, we have to GO BACK and re-educate ourselves. We have to undo the damage that’s been done… because we have LEARNED.

Our definition of what is RIGHT and what is WRONG has evolved.

Our Laws need to reflect that.

This is how we ensure a proper path Forward.

SHAME on him if he’s using the excuse of addiction in an attempt to avoid responsibility for his actions, but shame on US if we do not LISTEN to what he is saying.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/03/19/robert-aaron-long-evangelical-treatment-facility-sex-addiction/

It all starts with how we perceive one another.

We believe in Equal Justice Under Law.

Do we PRACTICE what we PREACH.

I do not raise these issues to give cover for criminal behavior or detract from the apparent racism of these actions. I want to find the answers…

I want to do all I can to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

-JC

STAND UP and SPEAK OUT

To anyone who has ever asked, “What is Systemic Racism?” Or anyone who has ever wondered what Systemic Racism would even LOOK like. Well…

This.

This is Systemic Racism. THIS is the injury that’s suffered when we turn a BLIND EYE. As a White Man, I am appalled that this is what Justice would look like to anyone entrusted with the HONOR of presiding over its administration.

Law Enforcement Officers DIED.

… yet this man poses no threat to his community?

Of course! The law was written BY people who look like HIM, FOR people who look like him. That is why he felt he could engage in those activities in the first place… and LOW and BEHOLD!

The “System” complies.

Due process. Innocent until proven guilty… and all that jazz.

Yes, some might say that these are only a few cases highlighted by an amped-up media, hungry for divisive stories and starved of a conscious; but do not look away when these stories continue to happen. Not just human interest stories from years ago… but RIGHT NOW. Every day.

Most stories pass unnoticed, like a callus that forms in the palm of your hand while you’re carrying around a heavy load… eventually, that pain is just expected.

And it CONTINUES to this day… even with the LEFT in control of the balance of power. Just as it was when the RIGHT was in control, and when the balance of power shifted before THAT… because who would want to give up such a privilege? ‘To SPEAK OUT might jeopardize MY rights or MY liberties…’

That line of thinking is a FOOL’S ERRAND!

The simple fact that a separate status even exists makes it possible for systemic bias to someday form against YOU… or people who look like you. Or come from the same PLACE as you… or worship the same god as you.

Today it’s Mexico.
Yesterday, the Middle East.
Long before that, it was Ireland and Italy…

Who will it be TOMORROW.

https://www.brookings.edu/research/new-census-data-shows-the-nation-is-diversifying-even-faster-than-predicted/

When we defend the rights of OTHERS, we defend those rights for OURSELVES. Equal Justice Under Law. If it is not for ONE of us, then it is not for ALL of us.

Because of Systemic Injustice, citizens who have engaged in an attempted overthrow of The United States Government WALK FREE…

What crime did Philando Castile commit?

…

“Had those been Black Lives Matter or Antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned.”

—Senator Ron Johnson(R), WI.

This is the agenda of the Senate GOP… and this is the agenda of the entire National Republican Party.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/542796-arizona-house-republican-says-party-thinks-everybody-shouldnt-be-voting

https://blackvotersmatterfund.org/news/g-a-voter-restrictions-are-blatant-voter-suppression-elected-leaders-business-community-must-take-a-stand/

STAND UP and SPEAK OUT!

Make sure everybody knows exactly where you STAND. Coca-Cola, Home Depot, UPS… will you be supporting DEMOCRACY in the future, or will the American People have to take their business somewhere else? Now is not the time to be silent!

To be SILENT is to be COMPLICIT.

The problems we face as a Nation can be solved, but only if we STAND united… as Equals. The MAJORITY of this Nation supports Democracy.

**… where do YOU stand?**

-JC

Equal. Means. Equal.

Don’t let them fool you! Don’t get it twisted, this is just another example… another demonstration of a FACT that already exists.

The New York State Legislature didn’t take away Governor Cuomo’s powers. He gave them away, the moment he violated the personal space of a campaign staffer… and then took personal offense when she forcefully rebuked his “gesture”.

You can see it in his eyes… and in hers.

Let’s make sure we get something straight… I just wanna make myself clear…

… yes sir. we got it.

If he had done that to a MAN, physically threatening someone like that is a violation of the law.

And yet he serves, at the expense of the People.

It’s a lesson learned throughout the history of Our Republic. It’s not about the PERSON who resides at the TOP, it’s about THE PEOPLE they represent.

Gov. Cuomo, Leader McConnell, Donald Trump… ALL of them need to remember- this experiment was BORN before them, and it will LIVE ON long after they are gone. Our actions, our deeds… at the end of the day, that’s all we have left. That and the Constitution.

Whatever edifice we build for ourselves, as well as all the other ones that have yet to come and go, Our Constitution will remain regardless of who stands or who falls.

…

1eea1c-20180927-christine-blasey-ford-is-sworn-in

We could attempt to legislate our way forward, trying to create some set of laws that would prevent our elected officials from acting in such a way, but we would never succeed. The House has passed, multiple times now, laws that would benefit the People, only to be STALLED on their way to the Senate. Unable to pass with a CLEAR MAJORITY… defeated due to the opinion of ONE MAN.

“It is ESSENTIAL to such a government that it be derived from the great body of the society, not from an inconsiderable proportion, or a favored class of it; otherwise a handful of tyrannical nobles, exercising their oppressions by a delegation of their powers, might aspire to the rank of republicans, and claim for their government the honorable title of republic.” –Federalist #39

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1404/1404-h/1404-h.htm#link2H_4_0039

This is what the Founders spoke of, a select group of elected nobility.

A long history of an ever-shrinking pool of worthy candidates, only those deemed worthy by the Party Elites.

Drain the SWAMP…?

Drain the Swamp is not the answer. We need to Break the Dam, and let the rushing waters of Democracy breathe LIFE back into this brackish, backwater pool. More participation equals Better Governance.

The solutions being presented do not rise to the level of the challenges we now face. If we continue to select our candidates using the SAME process, we will continue to see candidates that look THE SAME. Fighting yesterday’s battles. Holding on to tired ideologies and dogmas now shown to be in-error.

Through knowledge and understanding, we strive toward a more perfect Union. To become better than what we were before… that is the point of the entire experiment! In order to disprove the critics, the naysayers, the people who believed Mankind was no more noble than the beasts.

200 years ago many learned scholars believed that if the People were allowed to govern themselves, we would descend into MOB RULE. The experiment shows… Our Experiment in self-governance now proves, that conclusion is wrong.

The Moral Compass of the MAJORITY points TRUE.

The Majority of this Nation knows where Justice is found. We are ALL susceptible to falsehoods and fallacies, that is why ONE MAN should not rule over a FREE PEOPLE.

We saw the horrors brought by a decentralized response to the pandemic on a National scale, now the people of New York will suffer the same as the Legislature has stripped the Governor’s pandemic powers… all because of the opinion of ONE MAN.

… and his actions in this moment break NO LAWS.

…

“There’s no way under the sun that in 2021 that we are going to allow the filibuster to be used to deny voting rights. That just ain’t gonna happen. That would be catastrophic.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/542001-clyburn-allowing-filibuster-to-be-used-to-deny-voting-rights-would-be

Yes Rep. Clyburn, it would be catastrophic if the filibuster was used to withhold rights from our citizens in the 21st Century… BUT, it wouldn’t be the first time it has happened…

… and if things don’t change, it won’t be the LAST.

When we defend the rights of others, we defend those rights for ourselves.

Their struggles become our struggles, and we share the burdens and the benefits… EQUALLY.

And I will continue to bang this drum until I’ve either torn a hole in it or change ACTUALLY happens, because their struggle is at the heart of ALL of our problems… HALF of this Nation is NOT guaranteed Equal Justice Under Law.

Everything STARTS with Equality.

-JC

The Words of Dissent

As we stand at the beginning of Women’s History Month and at the end of Black History Month, we find ourselves facing yet another subject that cannot be put off until tomorrow. Another example of just how high the stakes are, in this situation we find ourselves in.

Another embodiment of one of the fundamental principles, of what it is to be an American… cast aside and dismissed. Determined to be de minimis when weighed against the needs of someone else, with a blatant disregard for the rights and opinions of the MAJORITY.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/08/trump-let-saudi-arabia-get-away-with-murder-could-biden-hold-mbs-accountable/

Everyday, LIVES are risked to bring us the TRUTH… even if that truth is being delivered with a Partisan Edge. Right now someone is asking questions, about something someone else doesn’t want you to know anything about, and everyday the TRUTH is closer to being revealed.

Without that truth, we don’t have accurate facts upon which to base our decisions, leaving us vulnerable in times of crisis; or leading us to make rash decisions, when all that’s necessary is patient thoughtful contemplation.

There is no thoughtful contemplation necessary when it comes to defending the Free Press.

There is no diplomatic strategy we can employ to rationalize or justify the SILENCING of dissent. There is no storied PAST celebrated in our history, of ignoring the murder of a United States journalist. That’s a story filled with outrage and disgust, UNITED in demands for Justice… not diplomacy.

Show me a country who supports the SILENCING of dissent, and I’ll show you a People who are confused, oppressed, and ISOLATED… cut off and hidden from the TRUTH.

How many corners can we BEND? How many coffee stains will we allow…

The WORDS may still exist, but everyday that document is filled with MORE HOLES. An add-on, a new policy, a justification for someone else’s inactions. Becoming more of a tedious To-do list, than it is anything one would reasonably associate with something defined as a “constitution”.

The only stories I know, of nations who rise to power by SILENCING dissent, end in terror. They end in horrors seen only in times of WAR. Appeasement is never acceptable. We’ve seen this show before… just go watch the historical NEWS REELS from WWII.

“Pity the thought! … that any American Citizen should have to pay ONE CENT MORE for a gallon of GAS, simply because we held someone accountable for their actions!”

Or is it that the United States might somehow lose credibility because we stood firm in our support for the Rule of Law…? I don’t understand. I must be missing something here. We lead by example. What precedent will this create?

…

What are we trying to create? What are the ends to the daily means we live as a society? Does this decision bring us any closer to our goals? Racial Inequality. Gender Inequality. Economic Inequality… what example does this set.

These are the faces of dissent…

… to silence one is to silence them ALL. How many more voices will be silenced because of our inaction? The United States defends the rights of others to STAND UP and SPEAK OUT because it’s in our best interest to do so. It’s in the best interest of everyone to be fully informed. No matter the risk involved.

LONG LIVE THE FREE PRESS.

-JC

The Price of Inaction

I find myself trying to write some kind of self-help book… as if I have all the answers. As if I could solve all these problems.

Like I could change the climate in our political discourse, proposing some sort of legislative action that would convince our elected officials, that it’s in their best interest to put the needs of their VOTERS over those of monied interests… as if they would even listen to the words I would say.

Then again, maybe it is something simple, like there’s some point that needs to be addressed… some important FACT that needs to be raised. They are busy people, and the last few years have been action packed…

https://www.vox.com/21424582/filibuster-joe-biden-2020-senate-democrats-abolish-trump

Or maybe they just need to see things from a different perspective.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/02/18/texas-hospitals-water-heat-patients/

I’m not sure anyone could write a self-help book that would address their needs. How does anyone allow that to happen?! At first glance, a 100 year event is difficult to prepare for, so it’s understandable if people are caught off-guard, unexpectedly…

But that’s only at first glance.

Accountability, for actions taken by elected officials, as well as their engagement in INACTION, is necessary. But… that’s not what I’m speaking of. Accountability has been lacking for MANY years now, it’s only a product of the situation.

…

There are many people and events that we will never forget, and we seek corrective actions in their name, for the benefit of the nation as a whole and the benefit of the survivors they left behind. But that never brings BACK the people we have lost. That never fills the void after the fact, a loss no legislation could restore.

What message could I send to someone who holds their office despite their public actions? Despite the fact they are despised by their own constituents as well as their colleagues?

It’s not Texas’s fault. It’s not the voters who’ve caused this mess. Ted Cruz isn’t to blame either, he’s a product of the situation we find ourselves in. He was CHEERED as he read “Green Eggs and Ham” from the Senate floor, just as he was when he was fighting for the people he represents… by challenging our free and fair elections.

What could I say to someone like that, that would change their mind? What legislative action could be taken that would convince him not to do that again in the future… or ANY legislator for that matter?

https://abcnews.go.com/US/family-11-year-boy-died-texas-deep-freeze/story?id=76030082

The mother of 11-year-old Cristian Pineda filed the wrongful death lawsuit in Jefferson County District Court, alleging the utility giants “put profits over the welfare of people” by ignoring previous recommendations to winterize its power grid.

There are no bounds in our society when it comes to the expression of our thoughts, except for when those thoughts lead to violent actions against others. The actions taken by elected officials in EVERY State are in support of the people who make it possible for them to hold that office. Their actions, while in office, reflect the needs of their constituents.

Their actions would never cause harm to their constituents’ families…

or their constituents’ interests.

It’s top of mind. Their JOB depends on it.

Who’s interests do these people represent?
Just ask them! They’ll happily tell you… it’s no secret.

No… I don’t have all the answers, nor would I ever claim to have them. But I do believe, I know how we can FIND THEM. The hypnotic trance of the pendulum has lulled everybody into a false sense of reality. Pointing the finger, looking for someone else to blame.

Red or Blue. Left or Right. We ALL know what the problem is.

It taints our discussions by adding weight to a politically dishonest stance. It amplifies support AND it SILENCES opposition. It can create the perception of great knowledge and ability where there is none. It can convince someone to stand in support of a cause that stands antithetical to what they believe in their soul to be true.

Legislators legislate based on MONEY and the pursuit thereof.

What is the price of inaction?

As a Nation, what lessons have we learned from inaction. We know, what we do today will determine how difficult our path will be tomorrow. Throughout our Nation’s history, there have been many more monumental undertakings engaged in than what it is we must do today. What our Founders saw simply as dutiful action, undertaken to protect the rights of our citizens… we now revere and celebrate as our Bill of Rights.

We must not take it for granted. They took action! They made the RIGHT CALL. We must do no less than what they would have done, especially if they had been given the knowledge we now have.

-JC