Campaign Statement on Foreign Policy Position: “The Company We Keep”

Our county’s greatest strengths come from our diversity of knowledge accumulated and shared with all citizens in our public schools. Found within that community structure we see the common ideals taught to our children. And within that environment, we find our core values. The uniting principles that inform a great statesman take root in the elementary school at the end of the block.

I have avoided stating a definitive foreign policy platform mainly because I felt ignorant of our overall engagement with other nations. In many ways, my greatest strength is pure ignorance of these relationships. I have no preconceived judgement of these situations. Only impressions, or a vision, of how our relationship in the world overall should be presented… Who are We, as a country? Our face to the world community, what our abilities are, and how we can best help every other nation succeed- The United States of America is a PARTNER in the international community because we ALL succeed when we ALL contribute.

When we extend our hand in trust and compassion, we help another person learn how to be kind. When we stand side by side with others of sound principles, we present strength through inclusion. When we help our friends when they hurt the most, we rekindle the fire of fraternity that so often can be taken for granted in a family. And it is through our ACTIONS… THAT is how we lead in this world.

We show others how we want to be treated by how we treat them.

We support Liberty and justice for ALL, so at home, so abroad. We support open markets in nations abroad because our markets are open to ALL. We support EQUALITY, as endowed by our Creator, for all of our countrymen, and wish it were so thought the world. How we treat the least amongst ourselves at home, is how we will be seen throughout the world… If you want a ‘clean house’, you gotta start in your own ‘backyard’.

To read the words of true statesmen, like those of Ronald Reagan to Canada in his last official visit in 1987, reminds me of how little I know of world diplomacy. The technical ‘ins and outs’ of political calculations in order to protect rights and interests…

The message attempts, made in ‘good faith’, in honesty and respect, will be received the warmest, even if they are ignorant of some facts. The credibility of the person delivering the message can carry more weight than the message itself. As a citizen of The United States, I expect everyone to respect the Commander in Chief, not ONLY because of the honorable office they occupy, but because they are someone WORTHY OF THAT RESPECT. Someone who holds the values written in Our Constitution within their essence, we should all hope to elect.

As an Eagle Scout, I believe I know what those ideals are that make a President. I live my life within that framework, daily. “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty.” That is all a person has at the end of the day… their word. Their honor. That is where leadership is born. That is where success begins. That is where we should allow the power of Our President to reside. Because lasting progress only comes when built upon a firm foundation of just moral principles.

And we stand with those who feel the same. Those who do not stand for Liberty and Equality, we will not walk away from our community, but we will not support any nation who seeks to separate instead of unite. We stand strongest when we can declare these ideals to all the world as a benchmark to be measured by, especially when we LIVE it, daily.

That is where my journey will begin. We must be sure of our own position, at home, before we can go and demand to others THIS is how it should be done. Our own moral hypocrisy has diminished our standing around the globe. If we wish to remain free and indepenent, we must assess what we see in the mirror. Then, our desire to be better each day will reflect in those who desire to surround themselves with the same.

That is my agenda. When we expect better from ourselves, we can expect the same from everyone else. “In truth, and in love.”

-Jack Charbonneau

“A Permanent Solution to a Temporary Problem…”

I spoke to a new friend today about an equal rights amendment… for children. It’s sat in my mind for a while, and I think I realized an important truth. And I realized it in direct relation to our Constitution.

In one of my previous posts-https://jackcharbonneau.com/2018/06/05/let-experience-solve-it/ where I misconstrue the words of George Washington as an endorsement for my candidacy (sarcasm!) I spoke about the Constitution’s inherent strength that comes from

“… The existence of a “blank sheet” at the end of our Constitution. It is the most brilliant part of the whole document… nothing. everything. anything. The People’s will. Where the wellspring of fraternity flows strong, that is where OUR just patriotism comes from. Washington KNEW that the exponential growth of human minds, burning brightly within the kiln of a fair and just system, would always provide a solution.”

We are here today, because of the children of today. As it was then, so it is now. When they first put quill to parchment to “…secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish…” the future of all Americans shall be bright, bold, and fully armed with the KNOWLEDGE any successful democratic republic would require.

Because they knew, that in THEIR hands… the hands of the children, their OWN destinies lie. The PAST would one day be protected by the present.

Our whole system has been flipped upside down due to the influences of corrupt money in our collective values. No one should want harm to come to a child. Bottom Line. Ellis Island- “… Please answer one question to enter the US- Should anyone harm a child?” Answer: “NO.” “Good. Welcome to America.” So then as it should be now. And IT IS in our lives, but NOT in our governance. NO ONE believes that it IS a problem, because that would lead to admitting “MY GOVENMENT HAS A CHILD ABUSE PROBLEM.”

But that is where it starts. OWNING past mistakes to take control of the future destiny not yet sown. Beyond that which mortal man can see, to the NEXT ridge over the horizon.

Where We stand NOW. Looking back 200 years… THEY stood looking back 200 more. And they sought to BEGIN a process that could, ONE DAY, effectively deal with the sin of servitude and disgust our world now, can hardly even comprehend. Only a few today know of what I speak, and mindfully, fewer tomorrow. But THEIR WOUNDS are OUR WOUNDS today none the less. Because it is a scar carried collectively. What hurts ONE, hurts US ALL. Because we are United States of interaction, compassion, of collective desires, and collective fears.

If we strip away, the shine and sparkle of our shared society. The partisan, the political, the persona and the façade, down to the mettle, where corrupt corrosion occurs, we all know there is no future in a society that cannot stand to protect children. It is as allegorical as it is literal. Genetically or orally. The past is written in the future, as we ALL stand HERE TODAY.

How we chose to treat our children… our COLLECTIVE children. Individual as well since it all starts in the ‘home’, but I speak more of the community, the commonality in principle if not actual. If we ALL believe in the idea that a “blank sheet” is representative of “nothing. everything. anything“, then it would only make since that we should establish, with firm Command, a permanent, established Law defining the basic human rights enjoyed by all. A basic protection of humane rights to all minors. And adherence to this protection should be so obvious and forthright, that it seems almost a frivolous and superfluous law to anyone in our society! Its VERY EXISTANCE should be seen as a Declaration of Liberty for ALL, and adherence is the fabric that binds us together! In joy and love.

Because, on the smallest order, of genetic evolution, I would give all to protect my children. I also believe I would do the same for your child, too. Because that is our understanding. That is our “social contract” at the end of the day. Hell AND high water.

…and now WE can stop, and try to see 200 years AHEAD.

Consider the consequences of our inactions today. How many died due to our collective inaction in Puerto Rico… New Orleans… Parkland, Florida. How many have died, due to our collective fears, of an “enemy” abroad, and our willingness to buy into that fear. And now we hide from fears that plague communities, divided from one another. Individual fears faced alone, silent, and unopposed. After two decades of war in a country that produces massive amounts of opium as cash crops , our country has an opioid addiction. But, then again, we still haven shaken the OTHER addiction we came home with from WWII… OIL

The ills of our society are vast. To an individual they are more innumerable than stars in the sky. And it would do it no justice to attempt even a partial list now. But ALL of those issues, the pain suffered silently by so many TODAY, as then… NO ONE could deny the roots of ALL lie in the treatment of ourselves, as a child. I fear a delve deep into the recesses of my mind some days! As do many, as do many who cannot delve into that past, for fear of losing one’s current ‘self’. And its horrible to contemplate, and its horrible to speak of…

But that doesn’t make it go away. And there should be NO ONE who would not give it ALL to make it go away. For ourselves. For them. To honor those who started this ‘experiment’. Because the Framers KNEW… they knew this moment would one day come.

I just realized that. I don’t think ANY OF US could ever be that smart. THAT’S incredible.

Well… that’s all we have to do. Seems pretty simple.

Keep your head UP!!

The “Tipping Point”

THIS is the sound… that has held a thousand people down and kicked a person at their lowest. The person who stole your lunch money, the person who forced you to do it, the person who says ‘Toots’ or ‘Broad’, just sos you know ‘your place’.

THIS is the sound that WE hear, when SILENCE is ACCEPTABLE.

SILENCE is NEVER acceptable. Because good people CANNOT hear you and try to make things RIGHT. And that’s how they win- because it is a ‘game of inches’. Numbers, “one here and one there…”, “those we can afford to lose, but the others will come to vote in DROVES!!” Drooling over votes and horse trading the numbers all the way to the BANK. If it’s voting in elections or sitting at a table in school. The minority have control over those they can control through fear, intimidation, and SILENCE.

And now we can HEAR that sound, and we can start to UNDERSTAND whom this is done UPON… better.

Empathy. Because Good People do not understand that it is possible for this shit to happen. And it DOES HAPPEN everyday. We must make a change, “not just for myself, but for others as well.”

The idea of a “Tipping Point” has been reached. Once %10 of the People know an idea or thought to be true, the next %90 of people will gain that knowledge within a fraction of the time it took %10 to get there. This sound is CLARITY. This sound is HORRIFYING. And this sound MUST END. Everyone must HEAR this sound.

keep your head up.

“By Hook, or By Crook…”

Donald Trump is Our President, and we should make no mistake about that. The idea that he is illegitimate is wrong. The law provided the structure for our President to be elected. It also endowed the power to remove the President to the elected representatives. In 2017, Our Constitution oversaw the peaceful transition of power, power given by The People.

The Law provided the ‘method’, Donald J. Trump provided the ‘means’.

Now we have to ask, how does that stand within ourselves? Are we “Good with this?” Or do we want the “system” to CHANGE?

“…we do it in LOVE and we do it IN TRUTH.” – Bishop William Barber

Everyone is interpreting the polling data WRONG. More people see this as a “Which Hunt” because we ALL see crimes have been committed, and NOTHING HAPPENS. Dr. Ronny Jackson is passing out pills to the Prez and his peeps, while a black man with a family sits in prison for WEED.

And all along we fight, brother vs. brother, while Russia, China, N. Korea, Germany, France, Canada, and Mexico are watching. As we judge the actions of everyone, from the leader of the Committee to Elect Donald J. Trump for President, to the treasurer on down, we wonder where the equal enforcement of Law has gone. There is a missing piece to this puzzle we are not being given.

All Americans understand why we are not told. We understand classified intel exists for ONE PURPOSE and we accept that. When the HONOR that once was associated with that purpose is discarded, and those who continue to maintain their HONOR are made to look like they stand against our People… AND NO Officer, either elected or appointed, does ANYTHING?!!

Of Course we SCREAM “Which Hunt!”

The corruption of unseen money ROTS a system based on HONOR. It creates a conflict of interest within a mortal man, pitting the choice between survival of family vs. survival of society. IF the benefit of society is to create stability and prosperity for ALL who seek it, then Donald J. Trump has beautifully demonstrated where the weaknesses are in our current election system.

He is, under Constitutional Law as it stands today, our Commander in Chief. And until we recognize the scope and abilities that are ‘part and parcel’ of the Office We have created, and own it FULLY…

History shows where “witch hunts” end.

We have been given the Power to CHANGE that destiny. We, The PEOPLE, are the only one’s who can DEMAND it. United. Demand it from Our Leaders… accountability, transparency, ACTION for the People, not the moneyed interests. The Vote, a POWER WEILDED by THE PEOPLE every two years, to enact change, or to ensure our shared prosperity, however We see fit.

End The Electoral College.

“Where Were You When…”

There are certain movies that, as soon as the first image comes to life on the screen, you know with out a doubt, what year you are looking at. Maybe it’s the type of car that passes in the opening credits. Sometimes it’s the clothing the actors are wearing. It strikes the mood in an intended way, as directed by the script. Usually the time of occurrence is integral to the plot.

But certain movies are unavoidably tied to a specific time period due to iconic events. As soon as that is flashed on the screen, no matter when the movie is trying to portray, we automatically know this movie is history.

As soon as you see this, you know a specific time period, specific circumstances. If you lived it, songs on the radio that summer, smells from events that took place, people you haven’t seen since then. Feelings that you felt from seeing such an amazing sight.

I hope that historians will look back at our current situation and see this image of Lady Liberty under repair, as how they describe the nation. It is a fitting metaphor for our society right now.

After hundreds of years of storms, hurricanes, earthquakes… dirt and damage due to neglect has left a noticeable mark on Liberty! The torch does not shine quite as bright as it did not so long ago. She STILL stands, but no one seems to notice the beauty as much as they used to. “Yeah, yeah… we know. What else ya’ got?”

I suppose that’s the problem with such a beautiful thing. You take for granted the idea that this powerful force stands with you everyday and you don’t stop and recognize just how wonderful it is. So many long to see her and make a point of visiting, just once, and then hope one day, they can make this place their home, too. To Us, it’s as reflexive as inhaling or blinking.

Until one day… there’s talk of changing it. What?!! There’s nothing wrong with her? Look… Keep your hands off my Lady! She’s the best thing in the world and ain’t you, or NO ONE gonna change that! You hear me?!!

Then the scaffolding goes up…

And now, that beautiful lady we didn’t want to leave, has faded from view. It’s temporary they say, but it hurts none the less. It forces us to remember just how precious having her around really is. But even more than that, it awakens a love deep within us we didn’t know was there. Seeing things in a way not seen in hundreds of years…

My God, when she’s gone, how we ache! And the comfort, and safe feeling… I wish EVERYONE could feel that way, forever. The gift of universal love and acceptance shining brightly, we must recommit to it and reaffirm just how wonderful she is!

Anyone can tell you, after so many years, every relationship has to be worked on. It cannot just sit and “be”. As we all grow, so too must our connections to others. Things get rough from time to time, and sometimes, when something separates people, it can rekindle a passion long forgotten. It will force you to question what is the priority and what is the obstacle. Having that destination in mind, of returning to that warm embrace, clarifies and emboldens.

And both understand, that this commitment is only an optional thing. We knew going into this, that we could change it at ANY POINT. The majority of relationships before ours have been dissolved, and odds are stacked against us. Some days its hard to see the common ground we want to achieve. Some days we think maybe there is greener grass. But there is something to be said for the comfort we get from being in a relationship with Liberty. The ability to chose, to bend, to grow. The freedom to gain scars from failed endeavors, and know a place to heal awaits us in times of trouble.

As disconnected as we sometimes feel we are, when we see her, we remember why we get out of bed some mornings. Because we gotta try and get it right… if not for me, then for Her.

Keep your head UP.