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

Elections Have Consequences.

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Haven’t you heard? It’s the economy stupid. Keep it simple… just stick to the messaging and say it over and over again. Never mind if it doesn’t resonate. Just look at the POLLS. Americans vote on Pocketbook Issues…

Pocketbook Issues.

The American People are well versed on Pocketbook Issues. We make do with what we have, or we go without… politics be damned.

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What happens when our Elected Officials put POLITICS above all else… officials who are willing to stoke the FIRES of their political base in order to hold the reins of power? The latest Speaker of the House has compared the reproductive liberty of women and girls to acts of genocide carried out by Nazis.

How does that statement help craft viable legislation… how does that statement help anyone at all?

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/22/speaker-mike-johnson-holocaust-abortion

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And what happens when his supporters are disappointed? What happens when he fails to deliver on those legislative goals?

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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/25/trump-expressed-support-hanging-pence-capitol-riot-jan-6-00035117

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Our former Vice President stoked those fires for YEARS… as a former Representative… as a former Governor. His supporters saw his failure as a betrayal. Why would Speaker Johnson’s supporters not see his shortcomings the same way?

But that doesn’t matter right now, does it. There are ELECTIONS to win… and 2024 is just WEEKS away.

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Screenshot from American Voices, MSNBC. (11/25/2023)

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As Senator Tuberville said… it’s time to stop the farce and unite the party. It’s always good to have a PLAN.

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The fight is JUST when the fight is waged to protect other’s rights… the fight to strip others of their rights, is a fight being waged against every American Citizen.

The lines have been drawn… the battle rages on. They’ve staked their claim on CRT, abortion access, and transgender rights. They’ve shown themselves to be in favor of a theocratic state…

**Where the hell is the Democratic Party?**

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What happens when our Elected Officials put POLITICS above all else… officials who are willing to stoke the FIRES of their political base in order to hold on to the reins of power? The Speakership of our former Speaker of the House was highlighted by a desire for INCLUSION. Expanding access for all genders and races, by promoting EQUALITY in the eyes of the Law.

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https://time.com/collection/time100-summit-2023/6274249/nancy-pelosi-4/

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https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-equal-rights-amendment-biden-action-20220926-jyyi6vhuj5ayhjtffu4muukna4-story.html

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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/us/tara-reade-russia.html

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And what happens when her supporters are disappointed? What happens when her party fails to deliver on those legislative goals?

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https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/michigan-hillary-clinton-trump-232547

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They’ll leave the top of the ticket BLANK. That’s IF they even bother to show up at all. What good does it do us if they secure the House and the Senate if they can’t deliver the White House? With no LEADERSHIP at the top of the ticket, there is no MAJORITY, let alone a Supermajority.

Historically speaking, the only remedy for Elected Officials who will not do as the voters have directed, is to vote them OUT.

Three election cycles.

Equality has BEEN on the ballot since 2018… yet Democrats still show no desire to get it done in 2024.

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The fight is JUST when the fight is waged to protect other’s rights… the fight to strip others of their rights, is a fight being waged against every American Citizen.

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And Women are the MAJORITY.

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But that doesn’t matter right now, does it. There are ELECTIONS to win… and 2024 is just WEEKS away.

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Screenshot from Deadline: White House, MSNBC. (11/22/2023)

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The lines have been drawn… the battle rages on. But haven’t you heard? It’s the ECONOMY stupid. Keep it simple… just stick to the messaging.

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Screenshot from All In w/ Chris Hayes, MSNBC. (11/10/2023)

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Just say it over and over again. Never mind if it doesn’t resonate. Just look at the POLLS.

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Screenshot from Morning Joe, MSNBC. (11/23/2023)

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The American People vote on Pocketbook Issues…

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https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/20/politics/voting-rights-act-supreme-court-thomas-gorsuch/index.html

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/19/politics/senate-voting-legislation-filibuster/index.html

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Pocketbook Issues.

The American People are well versed on Pocketbook Issues… we make do with what we have, or we go without.

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https://www.statista.com/statistics/203183/percentage-distribution-of-household-income-in-the-us/

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Politics be damned.

-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

Reach. Throw. Row. Then GO.

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It’s not as if there weren’t RIOTS in the streets or something… like it was so hard to decipher what the Will of the MAJORITY was in 2020.

**People were in the streets demanding CHANGE.**

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https://www.npr.org/2020/06/01/866472832/violence-escalates-as-protests-over-george-floyd-death-continue

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Philando Castile. Eric Garner. George Floyd. The Minneapolis Police Department. The Louisville Police Department. Atlanta. KC. New York… and what did we get?

Bridges and Roads.

Hot damn! While our Democracy succumbs to the ROT and CORRUPTION… at least the TRAINS will run on-time.

But that’s what he was selling from his basement back in 2020- A Return to Normalcy. Well… we got it. Nothing says ‘Back to Normal’ like politicians catering to the DONORS, instead of working for the VOTERS.

I’d say we’re all in agreement on that.

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How much more PROOF do we need? Seventy-six percent of these United States have now RATIFIED the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, yet President Biden and his Administration fight against its publication. ONE MAN stands opposed to 76%… how is that defending democracy?

Night after night we see more examples of why we must end qualified immunity, and why we must hold Law Enforcement Officers accountable for abuses of power. Yet President Biden couldn’t rally enough support for it in the Senate… and this time it wasn’t because of the filibuster.

He couldn’t even get his own party to fall in line.

And it’s not just about falling in line. It’s about defending one’s CORE VALUES. What makes you who you ARE. The core identity of the Republican Party may have shifted drastically to the RIGHT, but the core identity of the Democratic Party has now shifted to the RIGHT as well.

The Republican Party fights to take rights away from women… from minorities… from LGBTQ individuals… the Democratic Party is supposed to be the party that champions PROTECTING the rights of those individuals. More rights for more people.

Elected Officials who stand opposed to EQUALITY stand opposed to the platform of the Democratic Party… those Elected Officials are not Democrats.

**Yet Joe Manchin still holds a Committee Chair in the United States Senate.**

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So, how does that CHANGE? We VOTE. We rally behind the CAUSE… the Core Principles we hold SACRED. We raise the flag and hoist the sails, celebrating who we are and the causes for which we STAND… knowing that our efforts will be victorious at the end of the day.

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https://nypost.com/2022/09/12/kamala-harris-lies-about-the-secure-border/

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https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/570128-father-of-marine-killed-in-kabul-blast-says-meeting-with-biden/

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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/15/a-fist-bump-at-the-palace-biden-squares-off-with-mbs-00046106

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/26/europe/ukraine-zelensky-evacuation-intl/index.html

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Back in MY day, every member of the Democratic Party would be fired UP to go out and vote AGAINST an incumbent who’s overseen failures like these.

In 2024… these are the accomplishments of the Leader of the Democratic Party.

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I attended the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington last weekend. When I first heard its announcement back in February, I decided I wouldn’t go. I have no desire to go to a Joe Biden rally, and I knew that’s what it would end up being. Dr. Martin Luther King III’s rebranding of it as a “continuation” of his father’s dream changed my mind.

I felt I had to attend. To show my support alongside thousands of others… Strength in numbers. That’s how we bring about CHANGE.

Of all the people I spoke with that day, one woman’s offhand comment stands out most in my mind-

‘I came here today to hear something HISTORIC.’

Of all the reasons I traveled to D.C. that day… that one wasn’t on my list. After hearing her say that I started questioning why I was there. Why didn’t I have those same expectations? Every possibility of that happening did exist…

The White House did send a high-level representative to speak on behalf of the President and Vice President… the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives was there, as was Jim Clyburn and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz…

The opportunity was there… yet, I was not as disappointed as she was.

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When someone is drowning, you must assess the situation carefully BEFORE taking action, in order to avoid causing unnecessary loss of life.

If they are a short distance away, you should first try reaching out your HAND or a long POLE and attempt to pull them to safety. If they are too far out, you should try throwing them a LIFE PRESERVER or a long ROPE. If these options are unsuccessful, you try to find a boat and ROW out to them and bring them to shore.

Only after all these have failed… only as an option of last resort should you ever try swimming out to save someone from drowning. As they are fighting to stay above the surface… fighting for their very survival… they will grab and push themselves UP onto anything that comes within their reach. In order to save their own life…

That includes anyone trying to save them.

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https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/biden-approval-rating/

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Democratic Party… DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE?

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If you want to make a CHANGE, now is the time to do so… not in the fall of 2024.

I can see it. The VOTERS can see it. We ALL want you to be successful… in this moment we NEED you to be successful. But we can only offer you our assistance… it’s up to YOU, to decide if you will accept our HELP.

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https://www.axios.com/2023/04/17/poll-americans-independent-republican-democrat

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That window of opportunity will soon be closing… and no one wants to get pulled under by a drowning man.

-JC

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https://www.clintonherald.com/region/march-on-washington/image_b0cdcda8-f561-543e-8109-2cc07dedbb58.html

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