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

Thank You For Your Service.

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Fifty-fifty… split right down the middle.

The extremes are still extreme. California is still BLUE… Texas is still RED.

There was no Political Earthquake. There was no Political Tsunami… this is our political landscape.

This is the pinnacle of our Political System. This is the BEST it can produce, and this is what it will produce once again in 2024.

Is that the way it should continue to BE?

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AP reporter: “What will you do differently… between now and 2024?”
President Biden: “Nothing.”

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Is that why you voted this fall, for nothing… for more of the same? Did you cast your vote in celebration of what Democrats have accomplished… with control of the House, the White House, and the Senate?

Joe Biden sure thinks so… and so do his DONORS.

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Joe Biden stood in the breech, long before the HEROES of the Capitol Police did on January 6. He stood up and faced the metaphorical fight, in HOPE that it might not come to that.

Joe Biden marshaled every tool at his disposal, to secure victory for his Political Party…

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/nyregion/sean-patrick-maloney-lawler.html

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A Political Party that now stands in the MINORITY.

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Just look at how hard we have to VOTE to make sure things stay NORMAL. Never mind moving AHEAD… just fighting to ensure we don’t move BACK. Taking rights AWAY. Denying HALF the people of this Nation access to lifesaving HEALTHCARE.

Joe Biden stood in the BREECH to defend this Union, and we will always be grateful. We will always owe a debt of gratitude to Joe Biden and the Leadership of the Democratic Party… and we thank you for your service.

But I didn’t vote FOR nothing. In fact… that’s exactly what I voted against.

If I wanted NOTHING to change, I would have voted for the Republican Party. But now things have changed. The lives of Women have changed, and they will have to bear the consequences of this election for the next TWO YEARS.

If the Democratic Party isn’t given a reason to change, then they will not change. This fight is no longer theirs… it is OURS.

Every election cannot continue to be THE existential election of our lifetime. It cannot continue like this. The rotational speed of our two-party system has exceeded its limits and the balance has been destroyed. One side is seen as “illegitimate” by the other, and the other side AGREES. It’s the ONE THING we all agree on-

The SYSTEM is the problem.

Everyone agrees. Everyone… except the DONORS.

They’re just fine with the way things are going. Their profits are safe and secure. Let’s just MOVE ON to the next election… $17 BILLION well spent.

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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/midterm-elections-2022/democrats-republicans-2022-midterms-spending-b2220297.html

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The Democratic Party did not win this election, yet they are celebrating. As of right now, the Democratic Party still has a slight chance of securing the House Majority… but that’s all they’ve got. 51 Senators does not a MAJORITY make. Therefore, when the gavel changes hands… the agenda will be decided by the GOP.

Can you imagine… running against the agenda of a 20th century dictator… and only BARELY squeaking by? Just like they did in 2020. Just like they did in 2022…

‘Thank god! We only lost the HOUSE!‘

‘This is what The People want. This is what they voted for…‘

‘Time for us to go and work with the GOP.‘

It’s not like the majority of their party supports INSURRECTION or something. Sure would be nice if there was an ongoing Presidential Commission looking into the events of January 6… but unfortunately, that train has already sailed.

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Just before the election, Jen Psaki was on Deadline: White House, discussing conversations she had with voters in the Suburbs of Detroit. One voter brought up the issues surrounding the 2000 election, and the fact that Democrats feel the same way about the Presidency of George W. Bush as Republicans feel about the Presidency of Joe Biden.

Jen Psaki said that worried her. She was concerned that the narrative surrounding election integrity was starting to spread… as if it were something NEW within the Democratic Party.

I’m not sure if that’s her opinion or if it’s the opinion of the Democratic Party, but it shows us the mindset of Party Leadership… as reflected in the observations of a former White House Press Secretary.

The Leadership of the Democratic Party has no plan to change a system… that works just FINE for them.

The filibuster? The Electoral College? A Woman’s Right to CHOOSE? Yeah, that’s ALL on the ballot. Every election. Every time. It’s always on the line… and if you want things to stay the way that they are, then you’d better DONATE all you can before the NEXT election.

That’s their plan. That’s the way things are. Legislators legislate based on MONEY and the pursuit thereof. Therefore, legislation favors those with MONEY over those WITHOUT.

Is this still a Democracy or is it not?
I believe more participation equals BETTER GOVERNANCE.

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If the Democratic Party has a PLAN to secure our Democracy, then let them speak it. Now. Before the 2024 campaign begins. In the SUNLIGHT where everyone can see. We cannot afford to go into the fight with the same tired strategies that were employed this time around… just ask Rep Maloney.

Complacency. Insincerity. Political hypocrisy. These are not the values that will secure our Democracy.

Will the Democratic Party RISE to the occasion, or will they continue to cling to the PAST… elevating failed candidates to leadership positions, simply because they raised a BOATLOAD of CASH in the last election…

The People of the United States of America deserve a BETTER WAY.

-JC

The Time is Always Right to Do the Right Thing.

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When I first started my 2020 campaign, I ran on ideals… like elevating the Will of The People, ensuring Liberty and Justice for ALL, and fighting for Equal Justice Under the Law. Virtuous, Righteous Ideals. Just as every successful candidate has done.

With practice and patience… with hard work and careful contemplation… a vision was forged. A method that might bring about an end to all this madness… a substantive GOAL to be reached.

The WORDS they speak, are the resume of the candidates. Their answer to the question- ‘What’s your vision for the future of this Nation?’

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That was a damn fine speech.

If that speech had been given by a candidate seeking OFFICE this fall, that speech might have sealed it. It hit all the right marks.

But that speech wasn’t given by a candidate seeking office. That speech wasn’t given by a civilian with NO POWER, someone fighting to make change happen. That speech was given by an INCUMBENT. An ELECTED OFFICIAL, who currently holds the reins of POWER.

The soaring WORDS of an aged historian ring HOLLOW… when compared to the legislative agendas pursued by the man who said them.

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He said, “We The People, are the TRUE HEIRS of the experiment that began more than two centuries ago. We The People, have burning inside each of us, the Flame of Liberty that was lit here at Independence Hall.”

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Indeed we do Sir… every one of us.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/opinion/brittney-griner-russia-wnba.html

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https://thespun.com/nba/sports-world-reacts-to-u-s-basketball-brittney-griner-news

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/04/sports/basketball/brittney-griner-biden-russia.html

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“We are still, at our CORE a Democracy. And yet, history tells us that blind loyalty to a single leader and a willingness to engage in political violence, is fatal to Democracy.”

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I most certainly agree.

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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/05/24/us/tulsa-race-massacre.html

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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/28/us/i-cant-breathe-police-arrest.html

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https://www.npr.org/2021/09/22/1039718450/congressional-negotiators-have-failed-to-reach-a-deal-on-police-reform

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“The cynics and the critics tell us nothing can get done, but they’re wrong. There is not a single thing America cannot do.”

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On this point… I must disagree. Right now, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

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https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-is-some-bullshit-womens-group-rails-against-biden-inaction-on-the-equal-rights-amendment

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Because right now, ONE MAN stands OPPOSED to the Will of the MAJORITY. Thus rendering his speech to the realm of the aspirational. A vision of what could BE, if only…

**If only we were willing to accept EQUITY… in lieu of EQUALITY.**

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https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1102305878/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn

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https://www.vox.com/2022/6/29/23187002/black-women-abortion-access-roe

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https://www.texastribune.org/2022/06/30/texas-abortion-black-women/

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EQUITY is not the same as EQUALITY.
Only EQUAL. MEANS. EQUAL.

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Partisan political rhetoric is a TOOL used to secure power, in order to enact a particular legislative agenda. Partisan political rhetoric is NOT a legislative agenda.

Every American Citizen believes in the promise of Our Founding Documents. All of us share in the CELEBRATION of Our Independence. That is not in question. The question is… what are you going to do to secure it?

It doesn’t matter how angry Joe Biden gets… he’s still going to be Joe Biden. The former Vice President of these United States… the former Senator from the Great State of Delaware. The former Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee… the former Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

We all know who Joe Biden is, but I will be voting for Democratic Candidates on the ballot this fall in spite of that. The stakes are just TOO HIGH to do otherwise.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/17/health/abortion-miscarriage-treatment.html

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Partisan political rhetoric will not SAVE LIVES. Only ACTION will do that. And so… we must ACT. We must VOTE. We must sound the siren and STAND UP for our Unalienable Rights.

When you defend the Rights of OTHERS, you defend those Rights for YOURSELF.

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President Biden has called on us to VOTE… so that is what we must do. If he cannot summon the political COURAGE necessary to do what’s required, then we must make it easy for him to change his mind. We must fill the Senate with candidates who will ACT to secure Equality.

Every man, woman, and child who is legally eligible to VOTE, must STAND UP and DEFEND the Rights of Women and Girls this fall. We must SHOW President Biden and the Leadership of the Democratic Party, that it’s in their best interest to listen to the Will of the American People.

As we did in 2018. As we did in 2020. As we will do in 2022.
And if they fail us… as we will do once again in 2024.

We must send them the TOOLS necessary to secure Equal Rights for Women and Girls. Every day, without the protection of EQUAL STANDING UNDER LAW, more women will suffer, and more women will die… needlessly.

It’s no longer hypothetical. It’s a FACT… and we cannot wait until 2024.

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Not for the sake of ONE PERSON. Not for the sake of ONE PARTY.
Let us do this NOW… in 2022.

Because it’s the RIGHT thing to do.

-JC

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A Pyramid Scheme

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https://theintercept.com/2022/07/29/bank-of-america-worker-conditions-worse/

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How can this be seen as a viable path toward a stable economic future? Focusing on the financial stability of corporations and financial institutions ensures there will always be something out there for people to BUY… but it doesn’t ensure there will be someone out there able to BUY IT.

Our Government goes to great lengths to ensure financial support for producers and manufacturers, but it often overlooks or is indifferent to the financial needs of the American Working Class.

They’ll step in and take action when the price of GAS or OIL starts to skyrocket, whether they actually have an effect on prices or not; but when people start losing their JOBS due to a pandemic… they hesitate. They drag their feet.

They fail to anticipate or understand the knock-on effects of an event like that. The generational trauma that can result from a family losing it all.

Companies and corporations, they have insurance payouts and golden parachutes. When things go SOUTH, they file for bankruptcy and then try it all over again…

Man, wouldn’t that be nice.

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https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/08/07/us/climate-tax-deal-vote

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So, we’re COOL now… right?

See… they’ve been working for the American people all along.

‘Democrats get shit done! This is the People’s Agenda!‘

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/climate/trump-paris-agreement-climate.html

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All of it is ‘transitory’… because through all of it, there is no consistency between Administrations. It’s all or nothing. Do or die. What’s done under the leadership of ONE party is immediately undone by the NEXT. And it’s all done in the name of POLITICS.

Our Elected Officials play GAMES… while Americans DIE.

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https://www.npr.org/2022/08/02/1115325176/pact-act-veterans-burn-pits-toxins-passes-senate

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Of course they were gonna pass that BILL. C’mon, it’s just POLITICS! They’re not monsters… just Senators. But you see… the problem is though; this is just what we’re able to SEE. Just the TIP. What other practices do they engage in that We, The People, aren’t privileged enough to see?

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/07/insulin-cap-budget-congress/

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“Republicans left the portion that applies to Medicare patients untouched but stripped the insulin cap for other patients.”

The ⁦@CDCgov⁩ says 1.6 million Americans live with #T1D.

The @GOP must think those people don’t #VOTE.

FYI… we do.🇺🇸
https://t.co/cW5KzelqkM
— Jack Charbonneau (@MrJLCharbonneau) August 7, 2022

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**If you’re not a fan of the sausage being made, then maybe we should change the way they make the sausage.**

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Our Right to LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS is not transitory. It’s not an entitlement or a government handout… it’s what makes this Nation GREAT.

It’s not the WARS we’ve won.
It’s not the GODS we worship.

It’s the UNALIENABLE RIGHTS that we’ve been given by Our Creator; enshrined in Our Constitution and protected by Our Bill of Rights.

These Rights are UNIVERSAL… regardless of the STATE in which you live.

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https://www.npr.org/sections/2022-live-primary-election-race-results/2022/08/02/1115317596/kansas-voters-abortion-legal-reject-constitutional-amendment

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Because it is SELF-EVIDENT.

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https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/05/mitch-mcconnell-acknowledges-a-national-abortion-ban-is-possible-if-roe-is-overturned

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The most PARTISAN among us should not be allowed to dictate to us which of our Basic Human Rights are acceptable… and which ones are not.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/kavanaugh-conundrum-trump-s-fbi-grandstanding-highlights-flaw-bureau-s-ncna911991

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https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/08/04/fbi-kavanaugh-wray-whitehouse/

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The laws are written to benefit those at the TOP, while the rest of us must work just to get by. There is no SAFETY NET for the majority of this Nation. If we FALL, we fall. We start back at ZERO and pray we will somehow work our way back UP… Golden Parachutes be damned.

The people at the TOP of the pyramid must remember… it’s a long way DOWN without the support of the people at the BASE.

-JC

The Will of the MAJORITY

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It’s nothing new. It’s just the same old cliches. It’s the microcosm vs. the macrocosm… as above so below… what’s good for the GOOSE is good for the GANDER.

When serving in an agency or organization that deals with matters of National Security, there’s a strict protocol employees must follow when serious problems arise internally. Dispute resolution, disciplinary actions, incompetence and dereliction, etc… all of them must be resolved in-house, in order to limit exposing classified intelligence.

Superior officers, supervisors, HR’s, IG’s… they can’t just call the local PD and risk exposing someone’s identity, or the details of an ongoing investigation. But conflicts MUST be resolved, because conflicts will arise whenever people, work in close proximity to other people… under extraordinary circumstances.

I think most Americans already understand that, even if they’ve never really given it much thought. Because basically, our government and all of its various entities and agencies are run like a SMALL BUSINESS. A heavily regulated, overly nitpicked, underappreciated small business.

So, that government-mandated, strict protocol… that Standard Operating Procedure… is like a LIFELINE for every employee of the United States Government. It’s the same for our Armed Forces as well.

It’s easy for us to be ignorant of that fact or to just take it for granted that such a system exists. Especially since we rarely hear anything about it.

Because IF there ever was a problem… naturally, someone would SPEAK OUT.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/29/jan6-texts-data-security/

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And their story keeps changing by the hour.

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https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/29/politics/secret-service-missing-texts-january-6-dhs-inspector-general/index.html

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There were even HINTS that something serious was going on, starting in the early days of the pandemic.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/07/politics/anthony-ornato-deputy-chief-of-staff-for-operations

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So… what’s the logical conclusion of that government-mandated, strict protocol?

The United States Congress.

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Hear ye! Hear ye!

Let us celebrate the news… PROGRESS in the United States Senate.

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Screenshots from MSNBCs ‘Prime’ (7/29/2022)

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Screenshot from MSNBCs ‘Morning Joe’ (7/28/2022)

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All of this could have been done ONE YEAR AGO.

This could have already been helping Americans RIGHT NOW, because they could have voted on it LAST SUMMER… and then moved on to more pressing things.

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We can clearly see it… there IS a problem.

It transcends PARTY. It transcends POLITICS. It goes beyond the previous Administration… it goes to the HEART of our government.

It’s a problem that cannot be resolved by political appointees or investigative committees alone. It’s a problem that involves the process by which they are appointed to those positions in the first place. It’s a problem of such magnitude, it requires the attention of every American Citizen…

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That is, unless… THIS is the way we want our Government to continue to BE.

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https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2022-07-30/ted-cruz-fist-bump-upsets-backers-burn-pits-bill-veterans-sickened-6823469.html

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https://www.newsweek.com/gop-fistbump-pact-senate-military-ted-cruz-steve-daines-1729031

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As we gaze upon the Sands of TIME that lie before us, scattered in the aftermath of a fit of adolescent RAGE; what knowledge can we gain from the broken pieces… what lessons can our SHARED HISTORY provide?

What comes next when the lights are FLASHING RED.

What comes from signals missed and messages unsent.

What price do we PAY when we ignore the warning signs.

Who suffers the most when we give in to LIES.

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How many more cycles of BUST and BOOM are we willing to endure before we recognize… the problem lies WITHIN the system.

It’s not the Legislators that fail us…

It’s the LAWS that have allowed those legislators to SUCCEED.

Legislators legislate, based on MONEY and the pursuit thereof. To fund their re-election campaigns, to fund their political organizations, and to fund their political PARTIES.

Longevity doesn’t decide who will hold positions of leadership within the two parties. Seniority doesn’t decide who will hold a Committee Chairmanship… it’s money.

Whomever DONATES the most money to the National Party will be given that HONOR. That’s why they constantly FUNDRAISE instead of doing what’s necessary…

Doing what’s necessary might piss off their DONORS.

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Our legislative and moral agendas shouldn’t be decided based on MONEY… and neither should our Elected Officials.

-100% Taxpayer Funded Federal Elections

-ONE CITIZEN=ONE VOTE

Remove the corruption, restore HONOR in governance.

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Let us UNITE in Common Cause and secure our elections.

Let us ENSURE that the Will of The MAJORITY of this Blessed Land… always reigns Supreme.

-JC