True North

The scars born of neglect never fade, even after they’re fully healed.

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Scattered throughout the rows of upright stones within Ft. Leavenworth National Cemetery, there are a handful of stones lying flat. Found in the shade of an ancient tree, bearing a scar that has forever altered its shape.

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Lives have been irreparably impacted. Families of fallen HEROES…
Negligence. Blatant disrespect. Did they not know that their INACTION would have such a lasting impact? If they did know… would they have even cared?

And yet, the scars remain. These lives, forever entangled. The future, directly connected to our PAST… life, rising up out of the grave.

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Was it a filibuster that caused all this? Maybe a failed reconciliation package? Another war… an economic downturn? Maybe we just FORGOT… maybe we just wanted to forget. Years of entanglements in deadly foreign wars… I guess Congress just wanted to spend more money on flappers and speakeasies that session… ‘Let the dead lie, we have elections to win.’

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But that could never happen TODAY. Our National Cemeteries are watched, manicured, and maintained. 24/7. 365. They are HONORED and respected. Proudly we remember… not like back THEN. They didn’t know what we know now… we’ve learned that lesson. We’ve seen the damage that can come… Korea… Vietnam… Afghanistan… Iraq…

Did we learn that lesson or did we simply forget? Our grandparents learned that lesson.
Unfortunately… it seems we did not.

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https://apnews.com/article/us-army-veteran-immigration-raid-53cb22251a01599a0c4d1a8d5650d050

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And now we’re raising our own generation of ignorance and neglect. Years from now, our grandchildren will inherit a more broken and chaotic world than the one that we were given. More corruption, less trust in institutions. More debt… more war. More working hours, less acknowledgement and compensation at the end of the day.

Will they re-elect those who allowed this to happen… just as WE have done? Or will they see it for what it is and deny them another term…

Every ACT.
Every ORDER.

Every unconstitutional endeavor can be UNDONE… just as it was created.

With the stroke of a PEN.

Our future is not set in stone. Our trajectory can STILL CHANGE, but that path is up to US. At the ballot box. In this moment, everything is still possible. From the most destructive outcome to the most fortunate. WE are in control. Our VOTE. Our INACTION will be rewarded accordingly.

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CLARITY… above all else. Because that’s the one thing none of us have. What is the Will of the American People? Did our LAST election demonstrate that… what about the one before that?

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Politicians and elected officials make pronouncements based on polling data and election outcomes. In the last two Presidential elections alone, the polls and the outcomes didn’t match up. But then again… I can find a set of data points that can justify pretty much anything I want them to.

The only definitive polling takes place when we cast our ballot on Election Day. And even then, elected officials are able to read the tea leaves however they want them to read.

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The subtlety and nuance go far beyond small business vs. big gov’t. The question of whether our federal government should even exist is now front and center in the conversation. So now we’re forced to pick a side in the fight… do we side with the National Weather Service or do we side with the tornadoes.

We can make America Great again without destroying everything that made us great in the first place.

I think of it like this…

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Every idea, every concept. It’s all right there. Just offscreen. What is allowed to PASS through the lens, the framing of the shot… that’s where we find the problem.

Is there something ELSE not being presented? Is there a BETTER WAY that we’ve missed… and that’s being generous. Is there something else that we’ve been denied access to… hidden behind some PAYWALL… available only for a select few to see.

Those concepts… those assets… they don’t just disappear. They’re still there, just offscreen. Waiting. For someday. When they are needed…

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‘With malice toward none and with charity for all…’ Yes, those are lofty rhetorical words, but they are also a prescription for our ills. We must repair that which is broken, but we must also seek to restore that which is good about this Nation. The path is not set in stone, but we all know the destination- a more perfect Union.

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Empires may rise and empires may fall. Our Constitution shall remain.

-JC

For Whom The Bell Tolls

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The problem of the public’s perception of our current economic environment, lies in the fact that the underlying problems STILL EXIST… the vulnerability hasn’t been properly addressed.

The supply chain issues… the inflation and the response… why were these issues not anticipated? The pandemic raged for YEARS. Those problems were allowed to happen due to inaction. The suffering born of that inaction was cause by our Elected Officials, specifically the current Administration.

The polls show it… the American People want somebody else.
The American People don’t want Joe Biden.
The American People don’t want Donald Trump.
How do you combat that kind of thinking?

You engage. You call on everyone to jump into the mix and demand a worthy primary challenge. The BEST IDEAS always rise to the top.

But that’s NOT the strategy currently being embraced.

Donald Trump and the Republican Party have already said they don’t want a primary. Joe Biden has already said he doesn’t want a primary… and now? We’re going to have at least THREE Democrats on the ballot this fall and at least TWO Republicans.

In a country with only TWO major political parties, we’re going to have upwards of TEN CANDIDATES running for President…

Who’s fault is that?

Joe Biden had the chance to quell the unrest. He could have called for the fight, and demonstrated to his party that he was ready for re-election by knocking down every candidate BEFORE the general election.

Now, he’s split his own support. He’s spent all his political capital and has nothing to show for it. The VOTERS have carried all the weight, while he just signs the checks.

His ego and overconfidence has put our democratic process in jeopardy; and now, whomever wins in 2024 will do so with a MINORITY of support from the American People.

Joe Biden can win with less than 50% of the vote.
Donald Trump can win with less than 50% of the vote.
Robert Kennedy Jr. can win with less than 50% of the vote.
Cornell West can win with less than 50% of the vote.

Joe Biden has done more to advance the cause of Donald J. Trump than has Donald J. Trump. Joe Biden is Trump’s BIGGEST SUPPORTER right now… because Donald J. Trump doesn’t need to gain the support of the MAJORITY to win re-election.

All he has to do is hold on to his 46%.

Right now Donald Trump may be the single greatest threat to Our Constitution, but Joe Biden comes in a very close SECOND. I suppose… that’s just how the Electoral College works.

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So, here we are… at the cusp… on the brink. He’s said so HIMSELF that he’s ready to terminate the Constitution. He’s ready to turn the DOJ into HIS servant… and what’s the message from our President?

**‘Look at everything I’ve done for you, you stupid bastards.’**

It’s all the VOTER’S FAULT… they just don’t understand. He’s already told us HIMSELF that he doesn’t want anything to change. Everything’s going exactly how he wants it… HIS party is in control and there’s NO COMPETITION to stop him.

The voters will ‘come home’ this fall… and why wouldn’t they? Judge him by the alternative, not the Almighty, right? Well, last I checked… The Almighty isn’t on the ballot this fall.

Arrogance, Ego, Apathy, and Inaction. The Four Horsemen of our Constitutional Apocalypse.

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But our future is not yet set in stone… we don’t need to go down this path yet again. We’ve already learned this lesson in 2016. FOUR YEARS of degradation to the structural norms of our institutions has shown us where the vulnerabilities lie… we all know what the problem IS.

And so do our enemies… the people who seek to tear it all down.

They’re working OVERTIME, trying to undo this Union. Joe Biden and the Democratic Party should be doing the SAME… yet they are not.

Never underestimate the Will of the American People.

Never underestimate the ability of the Democratic Party to snatch DEFEAT from the jaws of VICTORY.

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I see a future, in which the American People decide who will be our President… not the DONORS.

I see a future, in which Elected Officials don’t need to cater to Dark Money interests; because they won’t need to FUNDRAISE in order to seek re-election.

I see a future in which every Citizen of this Land, in every State and in every city, decides who will be on the ballot each election.

Not just a MINORITY… but the MAJORITY.

Every Citizen. Every election.

More participation equals BETTER GOVERNANCE.

And that’s the problem… every candidate on the ballot this fall wants more of the same. There is no vision. There is no path toward a better future.

That needs to change.

-JC

The Challenge of Change

–Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Our experiences define us, events we’ve witnessed as well as those that have impacted us directly. They inform us and guide our decision-making process in the future, helping us to avoid making the same mistakes.

As a young man, I lived in an apartment with a hard-working guy who drank like a fish and love loud music… and so did all his friends. One night, sometime after midnight, one of our neighbors called the cops because of the noise, and they came out to shut the party down.

My friend Chris didn’t like the way the situation was unfolding, so he decided to jump off our second-story balcony and try running from the police. I don’t know exactly what happened, but it wasn’t long before one of those officers escorted him back into the living room of our apartment.

Winded, he sat down on the floor with the rest of us. Unharmed.

And he is STILL alive to this day. Well… I haven’t spoken with him in quite a while, so I can’t say that with certainty. But after that night, he lived to see another sunrise.

He ran from the cops and lived to see another DAY.

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Why did he run? We were all underage… he didn’t want to lose his JOB or ruin his chances of going to SCHOOL… he worried about the expense of legal fees and diversion… he didn’t want to face the look of SHAME from his family…

I doubt he ever feared being killed by a Law Enforcement Officer while being held in custody.

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As a child, I was taught to respect Law Enforcement. “… to Protect and Serve.” That means all of us, criminal AND civilian. Once the cops come, they have a JOB to do, and it should be ‘Yes sir/No sir/Thank you sir’ until they’ve secured the situation. Whether you’re in the wrong or not, once they’ve been called to the scene… they are in control. They’re the ones with the WEAPONS.

In essence… submit. Have FAITH in the Justice System.
Have FAITH in Our Rule of Law.

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https://youtu.be/XFKUYdm2HBg

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After watching that footage… of Law Enforcement Officers, beating an UNARMED man… how could anyone recommend that course of action? Those officers… they made the mistakes that aggravated that situation. They sprayed themselves with pepper spray, and as more officers drove by the scene of the initial encounter, they saw one of their own in distress.

**They roused themselves into anger.**

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All based on assumptions… about who Tyre Nichols was, about the events that had just transpired, as well as the potential ongoing threat posed by Mr. Nichols to his community.

IF Mr. Nichols was driving recklessly, then the potential threat to the community was resolved the minute they pulled him from his CAR… but he was STILL perceived to be a threat. Why.

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What would motivate someone to RUN. Whether you’re in the wrong or not, why run? Why make the situation worse… for yourself and the officers involved. They’re just trying to make it through their day as well.

But TWO THINGS can be true at the same time. What motivates someone to do what was done to Tyre Nichols, whether he was in the wrong or not. What crime did he commit that justified that response? What will happen when we are allowed to see ALL the evidence, and fully understand why that encounter took place.

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https://youtu.be/aEHi6vACDWQ

Convenient spy camera, spying on a residential neighborhood… is convenient. Where’s the footage from the camera where the initial encounter took place.

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Because you heard them… they thought he was on drugs. Erratic driving. Crossing the yellow line. What happens if that turns out to be TRUE? What if there’s evidence that justifies the stop?

My mother-in-law was hit by a drunk driver 15 years ago and she will spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair… must we now stop pulling over drivers who show signs of intoxication? The man who did that to her… he lived to see his court date. So, what’s the difference?

The Officers who encountered Tyre Nichols that night, threw him into a silo. They decided who he was based on the information they had, then filled in the rest of the story based on stereotypes they had learned, utilizing their base of knowledge and experiences.

They made an assumption based on LIES, and it led to the death of Tyre Nichols.

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https://theconversation.com/juries-are-subject-to-all-kinds-of-biases-when-it-comes-to-deciding-on-a-trial-176721

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The profile they painted of Mr. Nichols was based on facts and evidence… facts and evidence that were skewed from the start. From the very moment they were collected.

They acted on instinct… and their instincts were wrong.

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“Catching errors should be built into what a crime lab does. This is required for clinical laboratories because LIVES are at stake… For crime laboratories, these types of quality controls have never been required.”

Biased facts will lead to biased acts.https://t.co/S6htX3mCF2

— Jack Charbonneau (@MrJLCharbonneau) January 28, 2023

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Evidence collected, manipulated through omission and selective interpretation. To benefit the needs of the few… over the needs of the many.

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“About 55 percent of fatal encounters with the police between 1980 and 2018 were listed as another cause of death.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/us/police-killings-undercounted-study.html

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https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/15/us/african-americans-sickle-cell-police.html

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https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/08/warrior-cop-class-dave-grossman-killology.html

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I am no saint… far from it. I am merely a man, susceptible to fallacy and vice like all the rest. But that is the genius of our system… these faults are to be expected. Justice. Rehabilitation. Perfection is Of Divinity alone. The rest of us… we must seek forgiveness for our mistakes.

How many more mistakes will we allow before we hold our Elected Officials accountable and demand the changes we need. If it can happen to ONE of us, it can happen to us ALL.

We thought the answer was CLEAR… white cop murders black citizen… must be racism. Obviously, we were wrong. Law Enforcement Officers of all stripes… from all backgrounds… and the outcome continues to be the same…

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https://jackcharbonneau.com/2021/04/24/justice/

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It’s not the COPS, it’s the TRAINING.

The problem is SYSTEMIC… and it must change.

-JC

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It is with deep sympathy and respect that I write these words. I will not patronize anyone with thoughts and prayers, but I do pray our Elected Officials… the people who actually have the power to make change happen… will do more than just pray.

I hope they will ACT.

A New Year

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We, The People, look down into the well. We STAND and cheer the battles being waged upon the Coliseum floor. The debt ceiling. The filibuster. The legislative VICTORIES and the congressional DEFEATS.

Though engaged in by representative gladiators, the ULTIMATE decision comes from on HIGH… from here, in the gallery.

We, The People, shall decide. Up or down. Left or right. YEA or NAY… the CHOICE is always ours.

You can call me crazy, but I still believe in our Rule of Law. Imperfect as it might be… Defective. Two-tiered. Flawed… it remains Rigid. Predictable. Consistent… and it can always be CHANGED. That part alone might be its ONE redeeming quality… the ability to learn from past mistakes.

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I’m not quite sure what I should be doing in this moment… I’m fairly new in the world of politics. Three election cycles, a drop in the bucket for some. But these last three cycles?! I tell you what… it feels as if I’ve gained the amount of knowledge, one once would have acquired over the course of an entire DECADE.

The simple act of engagement. One can’t help but learn something new. Curse the phrase ‘May you live in interesting times.’

I don’t know what’s required of me… or what’s expected. With limited exposure, I’ve had limited data; which makes it harder to interpret the signals of others… but I have no problem sticking my FOOT in my mouth from time to time, in order to break the ICE.

That might be my ONE redeeming quality… sometimes I have no filter. I have no problem being blunt.

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I might not know what other people want, but I do know what I want. And I know, in order for that to come to pass… I must share it. I cannot do this alone.

Right now, I live in a world of illusion. I can see the precipice upon which we STAND, but I can also see the BRIDGE that will guide us safely to the other side. A bridge, that has yet to be built.

There is no need for such a bridge if there is no divide, if we can find safe passage without it… but right now, I don’t see another way around.

The damage has been done. LIVES have been lost.
If we do not act, the result will be the SAME… MORE LIVES will be lost.

Our INACTION will be seen by those who study our Nation’s history. Just as clearly as we can look BACK, and see where THEY failed to act.

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https://jackcharbonneau.com/2021/08/02/for-which-it-stands/

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The inflation. The scapegoating. The INACTION and the consequences… right there! For all to see.

**Now is the time of THEIR discontent.**

‘If ONLY we had known!’
‘If ONLY we had acted!’

What good is our Written History if we choose to ignore it?
What good comes from our SILENCE…

What would they say… if they were still here to be asked.

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I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t driven by a strong urge to win, so I won’t patronize you with that. But at this moment, I’m more driven by an urge to TRY. To be heard. To test the waters and see if this ship is actually sound… so sayeth some guy from the Great State of Kansas.

The one thing I fear in this moment is not being heard. I might fail. I might succeed. But that is for The People to decide… not for me. My job is to do all I can to spread the word.

The information firehose. The media. The Congress. The existential threat… at some point, either we choose to ignore it or we choose to believe it. Once you believe it… what comes next.

That’s where I’m at. Where do we go from HERE…
I am ready to walk down that path.

I believe in the idea so strongly that I’m ready NOW, to jump back into the ring once again. Headlong, just as I did in 2018. A vision and a goal… Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

But my wife has already told me, going it alone is a non-starter.
This time… I feel I must agree.

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At some point in July, 2019, when it became apparent that my Presidential Campaign wouldn’t be able to expand beyond a certain threshold, I was faced with a choice. Either give in or keep trying, even knowing I couldn’t succeed.

It’s like the idea of a pinhole camera. The LIGHT may be limited… but the image still shines quite succinctly.

I’ve spent my time in the hole, and I’ve used my time wisely. I’ve made my mistakes and I’ve made my miscalculations… all IN THE LIGHT, where everyone can see. Any mistakes I have made, I’ve done so in GOOD FAITH. Seeking answers. Knowing I alone could never solve all our problems. It goes to the heart of who I am and what I believe…

I’ll put my fate in the hands of the MAJORITY of this Nation. Every time.
Whenever they are fully informed.

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Before the experiment, there was no PROOF. There was no DATA.
Cast aside your preconceptions in LIGHT of the data we have gained!
The experiment shows… the Will of the Majority is SOUND. It is JUST.

The Experiment was created for us… we ARE the experiment.
We are the BALANCE upon which the entire experiment is judged.

May the blessings of a NEW YEAR come to all of us,
And may God continue to bless the United States of America.

-JC

The Price We Pay.

I realized something today… and I feel a bit ashamed for having not realized it sooner. This is no longer MY platform. Sure, I may be the one weaving the narrative, but the focus isn’t ME. My name might be in the URL, but the story isn’t mine… it’s OURS.

So what’s my deal, why must I be such an angry young man? ‘Head down! Nose to the grindstone!’ What do I have to worry about? Who am I to think that I could change all that? Besides, that’s THEIR problem… that’s THEIR neighborhood.

Just be grateful for what you GOT and MOVE ON.

Just pay it no mind. Stop watching all those news programs and start reading more science fiction novels. Maybe get a haircut and get a real job… advocacy work only seems to pay the bills when you’re associated with an established POLITICAL PARTY.

But you know… BOO HOO my problems.
As if my life was so hard. Like I’ve got it so tough.

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https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-paid-aviation-company-615000-transport-migrants-marthas-vineyard-2022-9

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This afternoon, my blood sugar levels SPIKED because I ate something my body disagreed with. Now I’ve gotta sit here on the couch for a couple of hours until I get it back under control…

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/14/louisiana-woman-skull-less-fetus-new-york-abortion

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… poor me.

As if my problems were somehow more important than anyone else’s.
Just be grateful for what you GOT.

But we know… that’s NOT how things work.
That’s not a sound plan for survival.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_…

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Maybe it’s too many HOURS watching The History Channel… back when they still aired shows that actually documented our HISTORY. Maybe it’s the STORIES shared by my grandparents… passed down through the generations, as a warning of what might come. SILENCE will not save you. In time, the MOB comes for us all.

The price of our INACTION will be paid in LIVES.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/09/biden-democrats-abortion-dobbs/

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https://www.yahoo.com/video/kamala-harris-declares-border-secure-134949180.html

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/15/senate-delays-same-sex-marriage-vote/

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Is this how we want our Government to work… always behind the eight ball, unable to anticipate problems and form coherent plans?

Maybe I don’t understand POLITICS. Maybe I just don’t get it. I’ve never been a successful candidate… I guess I don’t know how all this stuff WORKS. We send them to Washington to get stuff DONE, yet nothing ever gets DONE. Immigration Reform. Voting Rights. Police Reform. Issue after issue. Decade after decade…

Why?

Because they can’t FUNDRAISE on a problem that’s already been SOLVED.

The Dobbs decision was leaked in May… TWO MONTHS before the final verdict was handed down. There was NO PLAN, other than VOTE BLUE no matter WHO.

And now the FUNDRAISING is through the ROOF. The polling is dramatic. The playing field has now SHIFTED, and the Democrats are looking competitive once again. Thanks to some shrewd political calculations, expert data analysis, and a whole lot of timely MESSAGE SHIFTING…

**Imagine IF they had been focused on solving these problems from DAY ONE.**

Imagine if the White House actually BELIEVED in these causes and wanted to see these problems resolved. TWO YEARS! And that’s being generous. These issues have been front and center since 2016. They knew before they entered the White House that these problems exist, and now they’ll only continue to get worse… because there’s still NO PLAN. NO VISION. No method being presented that will ensure these problems are actually solved.

But… their INACTION on Reproductive Rights, has been a BOON for their BOTTOM LINE.

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I don’t like the idea of politicians profiting off of their own INACTION. Be it monetarily or otherwise, the fact that some elected officials have more to gain personally by standing in the way of lifesaving legislation, is abhorrent.

Even worse than that, Governor Ron Desantis of the Great State of Florida, is currently spending MILLIONS of dollars trafficking WOMEN and CHILDREN off to other States… instead of doing what’s required… actually addressing the problems those migrant families are facing.

These problems can be SOLVED, yet money is actively being spent to enflame the situation… and there is NO LEGISLATIVE RESPONSE.

That’s my problem. That’s what pisses me off. It’s not the fact that I have NO POWER… it’s the fact that no one seems to have the power to CHANGE what’s happening right now. None of us do… even when one party holds the MAJORITY.

Generations have suffered, and they will continue to do so.

They say patients is a virtue… they say that about COMPASSION as well.