The HEART of the Argument

The system we now have in place no longer works for the American People… but then again, maybe it never did. It was just the closest approximation to what the people wanted as we could conceive. And it has worked surprisingly well… just so long as The People aren’t hopelessly DIVIDED.

And that’s the BEAUTY of the experiment. I’m not just speculating… I have PROOF that it works. Actual evidence… our SHARED HISTORY.

But you heard President Biden… this is how it’s supposed to work. Compromise. Bipartisanship… just like it’s always been. C’mon man! What are you trying to do here, rock the BOAT?

He’s fighting to keep America the way it’s always been. Just like it was back in HIS day… when he was a Senator.

I think maybe he’s missing the POINT.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html

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… or maybe an OLD DOG can change his SPOTS.

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https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/6/20/18677998/joe-biden-1994-crime-bill-law-mass-incarceration

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The Soul of America must look quite different, when seen through the fence of a Gated Community.

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If you go and dissect it… get it down to the HEART of the argument… you find that nugget of TRUTH upon which the entire idea was formed. The SAND inside the PEARL. Seen through the “eyes” of the bivalve… it’s that irritant it was trying to isolate all along.

Best as I can tell, most of us are RIGHT about 66% of the time. That other 33% or so… we are straight up WRONG. I can call it out just as anyone can. Hell… we do it all the time. We watch “NEWS” shows that constantly highlight when everyone ELSE is stuck in that 33% range.

BUT… like a wise man once said- You never know when YOUR TIME in the barrel will come.

I might be paraphrasing, but I do not mean to downplay or belittle the threat. On this point, every American Citizen seems to be in agreement. The threat is most certainly REAL. Unfortunately, 33% of us don’t seem to know where that threat is coming from.

Insanity begets insanity… but what’s worse, is insanity left UNADDRESSED. Disease undetected. We must diagnose it before we begin to treat it.

We must HEAL the wound, or it will lead to our demise.

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mar-a-lago-search-fbi-threat-law-enforcement/

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The fundamental FLAW in any argument based on the premise that our Federal Law Enforcement Officers are a bunch of Jackbooted Thugs, is just that… FLAWED. You can’t have it BOTH WAYS.

“Lock Her UP!” would require the FBI.
“Investigate Hunter’s LAPTOP!” requires an ongoing INVESTIGATION.
Donald J. Trump held Nuclear Secrets at Mar-a-Lago…

Now, here’s my question… why do we keep letting all these CRIMINALS run for Our Highest Office?

The person at the TOP says a lot about the Political Organization that STANDS behind them.

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They don’t get there by themselves.
They have a whole lot of HELP from the Leadership of their POLITICAL PARTY…

**Regardless of what The People want.**

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https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/14/16640082/donna-brazile-warren-bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-rigged

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/us/politics/bernie-sanders-drops-out.html

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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/21/wait-bernie-might-run-in-2024-00027036

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Are there no other VIABLE options left in the Democratic Party or is THE PARTY unwilling to listen to its MEMBERS… the VOTERS of their Party.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/how-iowa-caucuses-fell-apart-tarnished-vote-n1140346

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Which leaves us in a precarious spot… because the choices on the ballot are now ‘DAMNED IF YOU DO’ vs. ‘DAMNED IF YOU DON’T’.

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https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republican-party-withdraws-us-commission-presidential-debates-2022-04-14/

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Congratulations! Now we get 90 minutes of Joe Biden debating himself during the Presidential Debates in 2024.

… that should be a hoot.

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https://nypost.com/2022/04/14/biden-shakes-hands-with-thin-air-after-north-carolina-speech/

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For the majority of my adult life our Nation has been at WAR. For twenty years we fought in TWO COUNTRIES, seeking vengeance against those who had done us harm. Under the leadership of FOUR different Administrations.

My fellow Americans… did that military endeavor make us SAFER than we were before?

Would we seek to re-elect those leaders who got us into that mess in the first place? Would we seek to elevate the advisors who were in the room when those decisions were being made? Imagine if we did… what result would we see?

Even now, as we can point to overwhelming evidence that shows their strategies were ill-informed, would they choose to avoid those mistakes in a future endeavor… or would they just stick to their same old WAYS?

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/18/biden-afghanistan-military-power/

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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/10/poland-fighter-jet-deal-ukraine-russia-00016038

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ukraines-soldiers-rockets-drones-are-running-low-boots-t-shirts-rcna43902

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C’mon man, that’s Joe Biden we’re talking about here! We ALL know who he is… that’s what got him elected in the FIRST PLACE.

We can’t have it BOTH WAYS. Either we want things to CHANGE, or we want things to remain the SAME. Why would we think a second term would be any different than the FIRST? So far, it’s going exactly as it did the last time he spent 8 YEARS in the Oval Office.

He stood by President Obama’s side and advised him on every issue, including Afghanistan. Their leadership created the situation unfolding on the ground in Ukraine TODAY… a situation that began on their watch, in the SPRING of 2014.

Why would we expect anything different?
Why would we expect anything to CHANGE?

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Familiarity and nostalgia may bring comfort… but we need to step outside our comfort zone if we want things to genuinely change.

If we choose to do nothing, then it will be our fault as well…
As if WE were the ones storming OUR CAPITOL.

To be SILENT is to be COMPLICIT in Her demise.

-JC

The Price of Appeasement

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https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/fuel-recycling/mixed-oxide-fuel-mox.aspx

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https://www.jnfl.co.jp/en/business/mox/

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That’s always been the biggest problem with embracing nuclear energy production… what do we do with all that WASTE? Thousands of tons of radioactive nuclear fuel sits cooling in spent fuel pools in every nuclear power facility across the globe. For thousands of years that fuel will be highly radioactive… where will it go? What will we do with it?

We can bury it. We can forget it. We can ignore it. But no matter what we decide to do with it, it will continue to cost us money… for centuries to come.

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https://www.rbth.com/science_and_tech/2016/03/21/new-siberian-nuclear-fuel-production-unit-is-worlds-first-of-its-kind_577647

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https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/BN-800-fast-reactor-fully-loaded-with-MOX-fuel

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Thousands of tons of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel… with nowhere to go. No one wants it… ‘not in MY backyard!’ No one has a permanent plan for it… so why not recycle some of it? Make some more useful fuel out of it and save some money in the process. No one seems to want it. I doubt anyone would mind if it just… disappeared.

**One man’s TRASH is another man’s TREASURE.**

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_thermal_rocket

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https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-nuclear-powered-spacecraft-moon-venus-jupiter-2021-5

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https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03147500/document

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49432681

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It’s called ‘closing the loop’ on the nuclear fuel cycle. Instead of disposing of all that waste, some of it can be recycled and used again in a nuclear reactor. Not in the BOMBS, though. That requires the highly enriched material. The TOP SHELF supply… the GOOD STUFF.

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https://neutronbytes.com/2020/12/27/japans-mox-fuel-plan-gets-a-green-light-but-reprocessing-start-delayed-for-two-years/

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And that GOOD STUFF is in short supply. Only a handful of locations on earth can produce highly enriched, weapons-grade nuclear material. Those nations who currently have a stockpile want to save all they can for use in their nuclear arsenals.

They wouldn’t want to go and waste the ‘good stuff’ on a single-use rocket engine… especially if they plan on making a lot of them.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/30/science/nuclear-fuels-are-vulnerable-despite-a-push.html

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When there’s short supply and high demand, someone has to find a new supply. Someone will find a way. If there’s money to be made, someone will make it… and TRILLIONS of dollars will motivate people to do, just about anything.

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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-flynn-nuclear-exclusive/exclusive-mideast-nuclear-plan-backers-bragged-of-support-of-top-trump-aide-flynn-idUSKBN1DV5Z6

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https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03147500/document

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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/russia-want-take-chernobyl-rcna17615

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https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/First-assemblies-loaded-into-new-Chernobyl-used-fu

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Yes, it may be ‘Rocket Science’… but it’s as easy to understand as the phrase ‘FOLLOW THE MONEY’.

They can see the writing on the WALL. They’re living in a dying petrostate. Oil is going the way of the dinosaur and they want a piece of the FUTURE. But, in essence… Nuclear Fission is energy of the PAST. Its time is UP.

We are currently working to unleash the Power of the SUN. And as it turns out… that energy is SAFER and CLEANER than anything we’ve ever seen before.

The Nuclear Age is now a relic of the PAST…

… and we will be dealing with the fallout of that era for many years into the future.

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https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-chief-grossi-to-head-assistance-mission-to-ukraines-chornobyl-nuclear-power-plant-next-week

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And what will they find when they get there? It’s already been widely reported that the Russian soldiers destroyed radiological monitoring stations around the site. They even dug trenches in the highly radioactive exclusion zone and then tracked that radioactive dirt back inside the facility, contaminating parts of the building that were already clean… what else did they do while they were there?

They have no respect for International Laws. They have no respect for the Ukrainians whose territory they’ve invaded. They don’t adhere to standards or follow established protocols to ensure safety…

We must brace ourselves and be prepared to find the worst-case scenario inside that building. The inspectors from the IAEA might get there… and find nothing at all.

What would be our response then.

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-sees-gold-in-ukraine-nuclear-plants-chernobyl-reactor-fuel-waste-disposal-11646946568

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There cannot be any appeasement. There must not be any appeasement… because there will never be any appeasement.

Vladimir Putin must withdraw all Russian forces from the entirety of Ukraine. These actions should not be rewarded in any way.

We do so at our own peril.

-JC

Fear Itself

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/nyregion/mark-pomerantz-resignation-letter.html

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And so there you have it. Everything Donald J. Trump did was alright by the Southern District of New York. No harm. No foul.

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https://twitter.com/mrjlcharbonneau/status/1054762282553610241?s=21&t=23ZHBTVZr7eQAZK2Z3-lgA

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Tax fraud is now legal in the Great State of New York.

And why wouldn’t it be? You heard him on the campaign trail… ‘They do it all the time’… ‘That’s just how it works in the World of Real Estate’… and in New York City, Real Estate RULES THE WORLD.

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https://news.ambest.com/newscontent.aspx?refnum=52954&altsrc=13

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Silverstein#Insurance_dispute

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If they held Trump accountable, who would be NEXT… what other shady deals have gone down in Gotham?

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https://www.justsecurity.org/69094/timeline-on-jared-kushner-qatar-666-fifth-avenue-and-white-house-policy/

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How much property value do these two gentlemen alone hold in NYC? How many more individuals would potential prosecutions rattle if they were to be pursued? Well… now we’re talking some serious CASH.

Tighter rules. Enforcement of current laws… that might piss-off some very wealthy people. Some of whom might decide to take their POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS somewhere else. They might have to find another PARTY. One that more closely aligns with their BOTTOM LINE.

That sounds pretty catastrophic for the incumbent party… definitely something they should keep in mind.

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In this light, it’s not about the VOTERS. Hell… it’s not even about the LAW. It’s about MONEY and the pursuit thereof. For the Real Estate developers, for the Political Campaigns, and for the Political Party Machines.

Trickledown Economics… all boats are LIFTED with the rising tide.

Wait a second… you wouldn’t wanna go and rock the boat now, would ya’? It certainly would be a SHAME if they had to take their MONEY somewhere else.

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https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/08/03/democrats-took-millions-real-estate-interests-allowing-eviction-moratorium-end

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Because they are BEHOLDEN.

Not to disparage or attack their character, it’s just a STONE COLD FACT. Laid bare when it’s boiled down to its essence. They can’t WIN if the donors don’t DONATE… and they won’t DONATE if they’re not happy with the ROI.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/24/virginia-thomas-mark-meadows-texts/

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It pains me to say it… but Donald Trump was right. The system is rigged.

In favor of people like him… and against everyone else.

The influence of money in our election system, turns our legislative processes into an unnecessary balancing act… balancing between doing what’s right and doing what’s necessary to get re-elected.

Making microscopic legislative gains for The People… session after session, decade after decade. All while those who FUND their election campaigns increase their market share… session after session, decade after decade.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/nyregion/mark-pomerantz-resignation-letter.html

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https://newrepublic.com/article/163846/means-testing-manchin-reconciliation-bill

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Who do our elected officials work FOR… who SHOULD they be working for?

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It underlies every decision they make. It colors their perception of what’s RIGHT and what’s WRONG. It limits the number of TOOLS in their legislative toolbox… preemptively. BEFORE they’ve even considered a single piece of legislation.

Legislators legislate based on MONEY and the pursuit thereof. Therefore, legislation favors those with money over those without.

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https://www.axios.com/pelosi-stock-trading-ban-congress-069dc627-71fd-490f-a005-510bbd18cce2.html

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And I can hear it now. Yes, this is a ‘free-market economy’, but I question the validity of the assumption that someone who has accumulated vast amounts of WEALTH, would naturally act in the best interest of everyone ELSE.

There’s simply no financial benefit for them to do so.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill

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https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/pentagon-kbr-wont-face-charges-in-shower-electrocution/

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It clears the mind when we view our government in this light. Why do they NOT act when it’s CLEAR that they should… even when that action is supported by a bipartisan MAJORITY of this Nation?

The answer to the problem would cost their donors MORE MONEY, risking their own political future.

Again, this is not a character assassination… it’s just simply the WAY IT IS.

… and I believe it must change.

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Because it’s at the HEART of the problem… which problem? ALL OF THEM. Immigration reform. Voting Rights. The Right to CHOOSE. The education of our children. Our National Debt. Our National Security…

It’s at the heart of the problems that we can SEE… and the problems we cannot.

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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-flynn-nuclear-exclusive/exclusive-mideast-nuclear-plan-backers-bragged-of-support-of-top-trump-aide-flynn-idUSKBN1DV5Z6

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https://thebulletin.org/2019/06/why-nuclear-power-plants-cost-so-much-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/

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Rot. Greed. Corruption. Self-interest.

Would the MAJORITY of this nation have supported such a plan? Would this plan embody our opinions on the subject of PEACEFUL nuclear proliferation? Would this endeavor help to secure our Nation’s Strategic Nuclear Defense posture?

What about the nuclear waste these facilities would create? What about the long-term maintenance and inspection of those facilities? What about geopolitical instability… civil unrest… and what about regime change?

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_of_nuclear_power_plants

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We set BILLIONS of dollars on fire studying the potential cost vs. benefit of nuclear energy at HOME and ABROAD. If the United States Government hasn’t already done an in-depth study on the potential long-term consequences of widespread adoption of Nuclear Energy in the Middle East… then they’d better set another BILLION on fire and hop to it.

Because apparently, that idea has been pursued in the recent PAST, and I have no doubt… someone will attempt to pursue it again in the FUTURE. Who do we allow to write our policies on Nuclear Energy… who shouldn’t be allowed to do so.

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https://www.axios.com/trump-nuclear-bombs-hurricanes-97231f38-2394-4120-a3fa-8c9cf0e3f51c.html

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https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/08/trump-north-korea-warning-241409

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https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/12/13/13936210/rick-perry-energy-department-trump

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Fire is a TOOL. Gunpowder is a TOOL. Nuclear weapons are a TOOL…

So too, is KNOWLEDGE.

When we seek knowledge, we reach for the LIGHT.

When our fear consumes us, we seek out the DARK.

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We will not find the answers we seek cowering alone with our FEARS.

We must face them. We must shine a LIGHT on them and work to fully understand them.

No one should fear a Nuclear War… but everyone should fear the ROT and CORRUPTION that would inevitably lead us to one.

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“The only thing we have to fear is… fear itself.”

-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

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… you damn straight.

-JC

I Choose to Engage

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There’s only ONE THING that remains consistent in this life… change. People change. Our understanding of the world changes, and our perception of our place within it changes as well.

Our priorities change. As we age, as we take on more responsibility, we gain more knowledge. Leading us to see things as they truly are, instead of just believing whatever we want… or believing whatever we’re told. REALITY can be a difficult concept to grasp… whereas fantasy is so much easier to believe.

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As a child, I thought I knew what was RIGHT… until it was not. Until I was proved WRONG… and then I was faced with a choice. To change myself, or change my perception of what is RIGHT and what is WRONG. To ignore facts or accept them, even when those facts stand opposed to everything I had learned so far.

FACTS don’t lie… but the interpreter does though.

IF my goal is to learn all I can, then I must also learn when I am WRONG and accept new information. FLEXIBILITY in the face of stubborn ignorance… my ignorance. To adapt and evolve is to survive. Rigid adherence to failed ideologies and lies, will only lead us to our demise.

It’s the ONE THING that is guaranteed… nothing will stay the SAME. Everything will change. It seems the trick is… do you want to be part of that change, or do you want to get run over by it.

To engage, or NOT to engage. To BE, or NOT to be… that is why I choose to engage.

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What do we know of struggle, on a personal level and on a National scale? What do we know of LOSS… of hardship… and what comes after those events? What is born of them…

I have no grand experience to offer. Mine is a story of the mundane. Of the ordinary. The everyday. I am OF The People. Of the streets. Yes, those suburban cul-de-sacs were always well-paved… but there are some lessons you learn, regardless of the hood you grew up in.

Because the BANK will come for your house regardless of your zip-code, and they make sure you understand that from a very early age… so plan accordingly.

I know who I am, as well as who I am NOT. I know this… because I have seen what happens to those who I am not. And that is why I choose to engage.

If not… who will? Who will represent the MAJORITY in this moment… the Bankers? The Hedge Fund Managers? The Kings of Commerce? How’s that been working out for us SO FAR? Let there be NO DOUBT… if we don’t make a change now, then this is how it will continue to be in the FUTURE.

Is that how we want to be seen upon the World Stage… as a giant PIGGY BANK? As a massive ARMS CACHE? Again… how has that worked out for us SO FAR?

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https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/17/middleeast/us-saudi-yemen-bus-strike-intl/index.html

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https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting

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How will that work out for us in the FUTURE?

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-arabia-invites-chinas-xi-to-visit-kingdom-amid-strained-u-s-relations-11647284211

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Who’s interests do our elected officials represent…
On who’s behalf do they ACT.

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… and our response?

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Our actions NOW will not prevent World War III from starting… those shots have already been fired. Our actions now will determine whether or not World War III has already begun.

The opening salvo has been offered. Decisions are being made. Sides are being drawn… RIGHT NOW. In this moment.

Based upon every piece of evidence that we have at our disposal… the Pandemic… the Housing Crisis… January 6th… securing our Right to VOTE…

How will GOOD INTENTIONS turn out in the end.

Who will BENEFIT… who will NOT.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_refugee_crisis

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We mustn’t let the mistakes of our PAST, cloud our judgement on events of the FUTURE… just as we shouldn’t forget the lessons that we’ve learned from our own stupidity. How long does it take for us to secure an occupied territory… how long does it take for us to get that territory back.

We act when it is JUST. We show restraint when it is NOT.
To act in this moment is JUST. Our INACTION is not.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/03/19/mariupol-theater-satellite-images/

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We do not act to engage in WAR, we act to prevent it. To secure… not to occupy. To defend… not to advance. To secure PEACE as we now know it, and prevent the necessity that comes, when one nation declares WAR on all the rest.

At that point… that is war. We must avoid the campaign that played out through the Spring of ‘45. That is what we should be working to achieve. NOW. Because tomorrow… it will be TOO LATE.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/18/russia-ukraine-war-news-putin-live-updates/

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Had my family and I been living in one of those Ukrainian cities, where they’ve been without electricity since the earliest days of this invasion… my TIME would be just about up.

Juvenile Diabetes… diagnosed at age 36. My body doesn’t produce its own insulin. If I don’t find a pharmacy with a working refrigerator within 28 days… I don’t live to see day 40.

Without intervention, my LIFE would be lost.

But, considering the sorry state of our Healthcare System and the inability of our Congress to change it… I face that possibility EVERY MONTH.

The fight is JUST. So I choose to engage.

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While I support the decisions made by President Biden so far, I believe there are more actions we should be taking that are not currently being employed.

Though we do not have access to the same information that he has… we do have our own EYES. We do have the WORDS of President Zelenskyy… and we do have the WORDS of President Putin.

History shows us what becomes of leaders who place POLITICS over the well-being of our Nation. Like an aged soldier… they simply FADE AWAY. Their policies eroded and their legacies chipped away, until all that’s left is the TRUTH. Stripped BARE by the passage of time.

No SPIN left to disguise it. No window dressing to hide their mistakes. Just the results of their own ACTIONS… and the ever-present, nagging regret… that there might have been something more, they could have done.

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… and may it soon be for the people of Ukraine.🙌 #StandWithUkraine🇺🇦 https://t.co/jxN61TOa51

— Jack Charbonneau (@MrJLCharbonneau) March 1, 2022

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Our independence shines brightly in this hour, a burning passion that illuminates the night. And now, beneath the rubble… those SEEDS have started to grow. Those roots are breaking solid ground.

And we know… those roots are STRONG. That plant is stubborn. Through the rock, through the refuse… in fields long forgotten by the PLOW…

Toward the LIGHT. Ever toward the light.

And as the days grow longer… may there only be MORE LIGHT.

-JC

Do Unto Others

Wipe the haze off your political lens… clear away the condensation on that cold mirror… can you now see yourself in their eyes? Try walking a kilometer in their shoes.

What would we do, if millions of Americans became refugees overnight. Too far fetched to see that HERE? Well… it seems REAL WARS can now be started based on LIES, so why not consider an alternative scenario. One that takes place right now, along side this overheated geopolitical situation…

What’s the PLAN if Yellowstone goes off.

What happens when MILLIONS of Americans are forced to leave their LIVES behind because their land is now TOXIC. Unable to drive because machines break down due to ASH. Unable to be rescued because of the SAME. Carrying with them only what fits in a BACKPACK… forced to leave in order to avoid the oncoming volcanic winter.

Overnight, Mexico has a refugee crisis at their Northern Border. Millions of Americans… millions of Canadians… all pushing SOUTH, to find safety and a chance to secure a new HOME.

Let us pray they show us COMPASSION in our hour of greatest need… and forgive us for the level of compassion we’ve shown them in recent years.

And let us say that they DO open their arms and welcome their neighbors from the north… RIGHT NOW, Mexico is not part of NATO. They could face potential pressure to BLOCK the flow of refugees, up to and including a military response. It could be seen as giving aid and comfort to a geopolitical adversary, or it could be seen by some as a ‘False Flag’. A covert-op…

‘Those aren’t refugees, they’re Special Forces. Undercover military officers, hiding amongst the women and children.‘

How much economic PAIN could Russia inflict on Mexico? If that’s not enough, how much economic pain could Russia’s FRIENDS inflict on Mexico? How long could they withstand an economic battle with our geopolitical foes before they’re forced to SHUT DOWN their border to us… leaving us trapped in a hellish landscape of fallout and despair. ALONE.

They’re not a member of NATO, just an ally. Mexico can CHOOSE to do as it wants; especially in a situation like that… when the economic outlook of the United States of America would look pretty stark.

Contractually speaking, what obligations do they have… besides taking care of their own citizens? What obligations would the European Union have to give Mexico support? What of NATO… ‘Mexico is not a member of the organization. There’s nothing we can do.‘

Well… I guess we’re just shit outta luck.

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Being an Eagle Scout, preparedness is in my blood. I can’t help but run scenarios in my head, considering what actions I would take… in situations like those, faced by families fleeing violence in Ukraine.

If there is something that I can do NOW… to prepare… and possibly make the difference. Help save someone else’s LIFE… then why wouldn’t I ACT?

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/28/i-havent-told-my-granny-ukraines-student-molotov-cocktail-makers

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What country is that? What country does that SOUND like. Where is that again… because that sounds awesome.

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https://www.foxnews.com/auto/nascar-richard-childress-donate-1-million-rounds-ammo-ukraine

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That sounds like someone I want on MY TEAM. Who wouldn’t want to do everything they could…

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https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2022/03/07/white-house-dod-lower-expectations-of-polish-warplanes-for-ukraine/

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And so now… here we are. CHAINED. The living, side-by-side with the dead. Walking around in a world that no longer EXISTS. Strictly adhering to RULES written by dead men.

Their rules have produced the situation we find ourselves IN. And now we dust off the SAME old playbooks, in order to prevent more of the SAME… expecting different results. But is that really the case? What outcome do they HOPE for… because right now that’s all we’re sending them.

**That and a boatload of CASH.**

…

Once upon a time there was this guy named Osama. He didn’t like what the Russians were doing in Afghanistan about as much as us. So, we thought it was a good idea to FUND a bunch of his buddies, seeing as how they were already there on the ground. So we set up a way for them to access BILLIONS of dollars.

…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegations_of_CIA_assistance_to_Osama_bin_Laden

…

But not directly, of course. What happens if things go SOUTH like it did with the Bay of Pigs? What if it’s seen as an escalatory step?

…

Plausible Deniability. We didn’t FUND those groups and organizations, we found a responsible, third-party to take care of distributing those funds for us…

…

You know… Pakistan.

…

https://www.history.com/news/bin-laden-compound-abbottabad-belongings

…

There is no rhyme or reason to any of this. We’ve seen this SHOW before… it’s been in syndication since the 1960’s. It’s the same tired plotlines and the same exaggerated outcomes, but now it’s all IN REAL LIFE. The SHOW never ends…

It’s just too damn PROFITABLE.

New season. New cast. Same shit. Different DAY. Thankfully… we don’t have to keep buying it. We can make a CHOICE. We can make a CHANGE. And we should act NOW… before it’s too late.

…

https://www.voanews.com/a/is-russia-using-its-syria-playbook-for-invasion-of-ukraine-/6469061.html

…

How many times must we make the same mistakes before we get it RIGHT? We can’t solve all our problems by just throwing a bunch of MONEY at it… it will still be there. Watching. WAITING. Until the funding runs DRY. During the next Administration. When the next set of aged Senators retire. When the institutional memory of their actions fades, and the ignorance of YOUTH blossoms… like Cherry Trees in the spring.

…

No one wants a Nuclear War.

Not us.

Not them.

The only death and destruction those bombs now bring is that of INACTION. Born out of FEAR.

Our fear… of an act, that will never come.

It has been Mutually Assured.

…

That’s the gift we’ve been given. Secured through decades of diplomatic service on BOTH SIDES of the Iron Curtain. It’s the ONE THING we all agree upon…

LIFE should survive.

Let us start there… and HONOR the work that has already been done.

-JC