Tag: Equal Rights

Why are YOU voting?

I am shocked no one sees it. I am EXCITED! It’s an upwelling… a surge. A wave BIGGER than anyone can see. The earthquake was MASSIVE, and he continues to damage our Country. But the wave it caused is deceptive. As it approaches shore, its SIZE will become apparent!

 

 

 

 

Voter enthusiasm is high! Voter turnout is at record highs! BOTH Democrat and Republican, excited to vote FOR our basic human rights! NO ONE is excited to go vote for anything supporting Trump’s agenda. Republicans were biting the bullet, and those who despised the MORAL DECAY planned to stay home November 6th.

… but then the Kavanaugh hearings happened.

NO Republican Senator STOOD UP for a victim of sexual assault. NO Republican Senator believed the POWERFUL testimony, under oath, before Congress and the World, of Dr. Christine Blassey Ford. And NONE of them can give a clear answer as to why. Key witnesses were ignored. Credible allegations ignored, perjury dismissed as partisan attacks, politicians IGNORING the SAFETY and WELLBEING of 50% of their constituents. The blatant disregard for the Rule of Law and the wholesale liquidation of Our VALUES as a Country now demands… everyone must vote.

 

 

 

THAT is the surge in Republican enthusiasm. It is painfully obvious to anyone who values Our Constitution… Why am I voting? Because our CURRENT elected officials stand impotent in the face of an imminent threat to our National Security. In fact, IF you watch the actions of the Leader of the Republican Party, our elected officials seem to be AIDING our foreign advasries through INTENTIONAL INACTION.

If you SEE something, SAY something!

So the stage is lit, and the players are at their marks. We see how the story must go. And of course, as has been the constant recurring central theme throughout this entire fiasco, a group of refugees numbering close to 7,000 is making its way HERE, to Our Country… to Our Home. Asking for SAFETY. Asking for a CHANCE…

What are YOU gonna tell them? Would you turn them away? Because that would be, at least, compassionate… compaired to what the President and the Congress and the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security have planned for FAMILIES, REFUGEES… a huddled mass yearning to be FREE.

THIS is the easy part! The unity, the comradery, the “Democracy In Action!”… Pull the Lever and Make a Difference!

AFTER the election… THAT is where the work begins. That is where our mettle will be tested. When the votes are counted and the SHEER SIZE of the rejection becomes apparent… what do you think HE will say? Hmmm…

“More people voted for the Democrat candidate than there are Registered Democrats! RIGGED ELECTION!”

He’s going to test the RESOLVE of the American People. He’s going to STAND, bald-faced, blustering, and barbaric, telling everyone “It’s ‘THEM’! ‘THEY’ did this! ‘THEY’ are trying to take away your ‘THING’ or ‘STUFF’! No Republican would EVER vote against ‘America’!”

STAND… do NOT be silent… in for a DIME, in for a DOLLAR. United, we have stood on shores more dangerous than this, more drenched in blood than we have seen SO FAR. And the lessons that they missed BEFORE we landed at Normandy must be remembered NOW-

No appeasement.

STAND UP for the Rule of Law Everytime. Every where.

Equal Justice Under Law.

And now we MUST add- Equal Means Equal. Because the division stoked by friend and foe alike within our society is fueled by hate and fear, Eliminate the divisive talking point. Race, gender, religion…

We discriminate against others AT OUR OWN PERIL. If it isn’t obvious NOW… just wait until November 7th.

Into the Great Wide Open

We STAND at an extraordinary time! With SO many things fueling the passions of debate, and solutions needed so desperately but seeming so distant…

Consider the sacrifice our Founding Fathers had to make. In order to achieve Independence, to establish the Constitution, sacrifice and compromise was the only way.  And in THAT spirit they made their choice, their sacrifice, because they knew in their hearts… at their CORE, Mankind is ‘good’ and will find the way.

They sacrificed themselves. To achieve unanimity they sacrificed their “idealistic purity” to have the CHANCE for it to occur. Their opinion was in the minority then. The MAJORITY opinion in the late 18th Century, on this continent, was only CERTAIN MEN are created equal.

… but in their hearts the KNEW that WORDS MATTER. That IF it could stand the test of time, and survive the slowly waning majority opinion, someday the WORDS would be read and their TRUE MEANING would be recognized as LAW. So they were SILENT, sacrificing themselves, and allowed slavery in a system where ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL.

That price, paid in BLOOD, over FOUR CENTURIES, has inspired great movement. When measured as a whole, it looks like the end is within reach! We can ALMOST blow up the BALLOONS and light the CANDLES… and that has led to complacentcy. It has led to “perceived weakness”. It is seen as an opportunity, and now HERE we stand.

So… They were SILENT, sacrificing themselves, listening to WISE COUNSEL at home, saying ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL while OPPRESSING the voice of their domestic PARTNERS?

200 years ago, when the people who held the opinion that slavery was wrong were in the minority, the people who then believed WOMEN deserved EQUAL RIGHTS was EVEN SMALLER… and BOTH opinions were strongly SILENCED. I have learned, the POWER over others, alone, can be an intoxicant, and that “addiction” is a disturbing topic. Many of these “ills” are a matter of Learned Behavior. “THIS is the way it has been, so THIS is the way it is done– No questions!”

ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS. KNOWLEDGE will keep us ALL FREE.

Today, as we fight about accusations of Criminal Behavior, ask yourself “What does the LAW say?” EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW.

I am EXCITED! Because right NOW, we have within our reach, the TOOLS to make this HAPPEN. It has been subverted and disguised. Made to look foolish and idealistic… that it could never happen. “There’s just NO support, so you should stay SILENT. No one would believe you anyway.” IF ONLY we had LAW that could guide us to an answer… What would the Founding Fathers say?

ALL MANKIND IS CREATED EQUAL

The Bill of Rights ensured that ONE DAY, if the country could survive long enough, the MEANING of the WORDS would, once again, be recognized. That mistakes made in THEIR TIME, could be AMENDED, and in time, they knew, their ideological vision had ALREADY WON.

We must memorialize their efforts by demanding LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

 

To Be Honest…

I may have underestimated the enormity of what I have sought… is that even possible?!! I have chosen a new career, that of “Leader of the Free World”, and somehow underestimated the job. It is fitting. Like the dog who catches the car.

As I look at this moment, I can only be honest- It’s not MY idea… It belongs to EVERYONE. I’m just attempting to give it voice. And the more I interact with people, I FEEL it. It’s there… just out of reach. Have you seen “The Truman Show”?

Mayoral Candidate Jason Kander is having a Door Knocking Rally on Saturday and I REALLY want to go, but I don’t think it would be appropriate. I think I got lucky going to the “March For Our Lives” rally in KCK. If I had done that a few months from now, I could have ruined someone else’s event. That’s the LAST thing I want. And that makes me think “Maybe everyone’s right. Maybe I should shut up until after the midterms.”

Muddled messages, confused electorate, all valid arguments… I just think they are wrong. Be it tomorrow, be it December, either way… Let us start the journey NOW, united and focused on Our goals!

The Ship of State steers like the Titanic. The sooner we turn to avoid the iceberg the better. Right now we are plowing into it HEAD ON. So… wait. In that framework, I think we’ll be ok. The watertight compartment will hold. Wow! That metaphor ended abruptly, and in an unexpected way…

I continue to question it myself. I cannot forget- “Twitter is NOT IRL.” And until that bridge is a bit more “real”, I cannot move forward. In my mind, I cannot afford another misstep. But knowing I am helping to shape the national dialogue is HUMBLING. I’ve seen it twice just recently, and I am forever grateful! Thank you!

AND THAT IS CRAZY TALK! I am some guy with a Twitter account in Kansas! How is that even possible? (… aluminum foil.)

How does one explain to an everyday average person exactly what I’m doing? Fortunately, more and more people are waking up to the idea and explanation is NOT necessary! If I were to go and knock on doors and introduce myself, I could get quite a few votes… on my block. In my City. I am attempting to make every character count when I Tweet, showing my mindset for what future policy would look like. I am discussing and debating points of my platform with “real” people, in a “room” full of politicians, celebrities, journalists, heads of state, and delusional headcases. I am speaking my thoughts and feelings on prescient subjects, and making progress toward change.

For WHAT? For WHOM? For ME? Ha…! The level of INSANITY I am causing my wife is NOT what I want! The insatiable drive to gain a small note of accomplishment, to show her a glimmer of future prospects… and I can’t even get my identity verified on Twitter. I think many believe I am a Russian Bot… yet, I WILL persist.

And THAT is one of my faults… LIKE A MULE! I can be convinced when my thoughts are in error, but the argument must be solid. I am stubborn and my Sons are as well. It’s an unfortunate male Charbonneau trait it seems. I am attempting to direct that family trait by ensuring that stubbornness in my boys, is paired with EDUCATION.

Maybe that is how it works…

As I sit here with pencil and paper, thinking of what I am attempting… Am I insane, or just ahead of the curve?? It is an unnatural feeling, for a mere mortal. I hope I am worthy of such an awesome task. Just some random thoughts about my feelings. I need to go eat dinner so I can finish cleaning the house. It’s so bizarre to be doing dishes and get distracted by foreign policy or the United Nations Convention on the rights of the Child…

(MENTAL NOTE: order more dishwasher detergent)

JC

Been there, done that.

We stand poised, on the EDGE of history. Right now, what we do will echo throughout time. Choose your words wisely…

Marching armies stand at the ready as we bicker about taking a knee. Children scream for their mothers, while ‘leaders’ are in bed with spies. Thousands have died and thousands more suffer, in the wealthiest country in the world, due to our inability to prepare for a storm.

When asked to do our duty, to god and our country, leaders point out the faults of others, to justify themselves. When criminals are made to stand for their actions, our leaders say “Well I barely knew him.” When the story is written about how our enemy penetrated our system, after LIES become known, and corruption is aired, how will they be portrayed?

How will YOU be portrayed?

NOW is that time. Here… THIS is that place. Tomorrow, when they ask “Where did you stand? What did you do?” What will you say?

How can people defend the indefensible? Why would someone believe the path to success is found by holding others back? How can leaders speak of making things better when they dehumanize our sisters? How can they promote safety for a country founded by immigrants escaping persecution, by imprisoning children seeking safety?

President James Buchanan sat and watched as State after State walked away from Our Union. He believed the secession was illegal, but he ALSO believed the fight to preserve the Union was illegal.

Our Country is drowning in a flood RIGHT NOW, but leadership points out, “The sign says ‘No Swimming’.”

History is replete with stories of ‘blind ignorance’. The smokestacks billowed while neighboring towns claimed they had no idea. The memo said terrorist determined to strike in America, yet no one could have anticipated an airplane being used like that. 5000 people died because NO ONE could foresee a tropical island nation being devastated by a hurricane.

And NOW, a mother screams “Where is my baby?” and the response is Make America Great Again. Young Black men are shot dead by a man with badge, and the response is All Lives Matter. High school children go to school in fear of another mass shooting, and all we hear is “We should not act while emotions are so raw.”

BULLSHIT! NOW is the time for action. BEFORE the shots are fired, BEFORE another Kent State Massacre, BEFORE the marching in the street becomes mourning in the sanctuary. BEFORE we are forced to take whatever ‘they’ wanna give us… then cast us aside with all the ‘others’ they have forced before.

Heed the warnings of thousands of lost souls… “THIS FAR AND NO FARTHER!!” We know how this story plays out, we have seen this tired plot. The story ends exactly how it has before- GOOD TRIUMPHS OVER EVIL…  every time! We do not need to watch this movie again, WE can fast forward to the good part.

We have paid for that shared history in blood. We treasure the unity we have gained in shared loss. We’ve strived, for a full century, to achieve lasting peace in unity, sharing the fruits of our grandparents’ legislative and diplomatic accomplishments. And now, some question if all of that was in vein.

We CAN learn that lesson again… OR we can honor their memories in the way they would have wanted us to-

By standing FIRM and defending the Rights of ALL who wish to live free. By being the example that lights the way for others to follow. By showing strength, and heeding the call of wisdom, to speak truth to power, to ensure true evil is never allowed to flourish again.

JC

A Scout is Brave.

WHY are you so angry? Process it. Root it out. WHY are we triggered to anger when we’re told “others” are coming to take our jobs, our safety, our LIVES.

One answer: we are all crazy. Seriously, the way mental health is portrayed in most people’s lives, as a personal weakness if you have to go to a shrink. Some of us walk around in our daily lives wondering if we can find the inner strength to make it through one more day, and somehow seem to struggle through. And all the while, passing on the street, people coming and going without a passing glance, souls who have seen horrors we could not even imagine existed… and not quite as strong as ourselves. And but for the random chance of a passing stranger’s caring glance, or the stray alley cat with one ear missing rubbing against a leg. Maybe, not so bad…

Another answer- we’re being manipulated. Not just straight lying. That’s too easy to spot. You have to convince people to change their views, or they won’t be deeply held. Make an emotional connection with people’s inner soul, what makes ’em tick. Gotta hit ’em right where they live. Something they can relate to, from their past. An ever present ‘us vs. them’ feeling, keeping you on edge and maybe lose some sleep.

BREAKING NEWS: ‘They’ are just over the border, off the coast of the State, coming in boats like landing craft on D-Day. Are YOU safe?? Watch the “buy my crap” news team, tonite!

How many generations are we talking about here? How many different ‘others’ have their been in the last 17 years… 40 years… 60, 80 years… All being fed fears of ‘us against them’, to the benefit of only those who profit from fear and hate. The people who profit from constructing walls. Who profit when we fear a someone and need to protect our something. So we RUSH RIGHT OUT and BUY a thing that will stop a them. Because we are designed to. Intentionally.

The science of mental health is successful because we have learned what makes the mind work the way it does. After all, it is a science. We know how to treat diseases of the mind because we find their origins, and follow the evolution of a mind from childhood to adulthood. In order to treat the disease successfully, we must know what causes it… This means we must know, necesarily, how to destroy a mind as well as how to heal it.

Through the scientific method, with determination the size of the American Spirit, anything is possible.

So, stop and attempt to understand the origin of your rage. If these groups of people are so dangerous and such a threat that we must spend millions to stop them, but they will keep coming, and more walls need to be built… People say we have to secure the borders to stop terrorists. Stop terrorists? From WITHOUT? I have two words to say to that- Timothy McVeigh. The people from abroad who seek to do our country harm are nothing compared to the homegrown version we cultivate currently. America First.

The natural emotional responses of the human mind are studied by commercial industries to sell brands. To make you remember who has the best fries in America. So you will remember what car maker is “going places”. To drill into your head what meat Bigfoot likes to eat. You should enjoy this meat product because you relate to some thing or person that situation and outcome…

Once we understand the triggers, the emotional response that is desired, and the action implied, we will see who stands on the side of The People. We have to come together and see we’re all on the same side of the street. We are all standing waiting for a bus, wishing for a better life for ourselves and our family, not wanting to be standing here waiting for the bus! We are all striving to be heard and being yelled down by someone who knows better than ourselves.

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Alan Vargas at a March for Our Lives event. @TheAlanvargas

 

We are all just trying to make a buck and get closer to the goals we set in our lives.

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We are all human, born imperfect and striving for perfection, and everyone should remember that, and show compassion because we’ve all been there, or will be someday…

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This officer tased this suspect while he was submissive and attempting to comply.

What makes you mad? Why are you so mad that you could scream?

I promise the solution to this is SPEAKING OUT. Silence is what brought us here, and silence will bring us more of the same. Share ideas, share feelings, share the joy we find when we give a hand to others, and lend an ear to gain knowledge. No one grows as a person, through war. War breaks people down. War grinds strong people to dust slowly over decades. You wanna find answers on a spiritual level? Listen to the heartache of another human being and give emotional support. You might find answers to problems in your life by helping someone else with their’s.

…at least that’s how I see it.

Keep your head up!

JC