Tag: with honor and humility.

everyone.

… it’s really NOT that hard! It’s actually quite simple. Like, when you were in kindergarten, they taught you a song to remember your ABCs, right? What else did they teach you? About our COUNTRY… our flag.

“… with Liberty and Justice for ALL.”

IDK about you, but I BELIEVED it… hook, line, and sinker! And the most AMAZING part is… we ALL did. Every one of us. And we continue to do so because we see it, ALIVE before our very eyes! And no one doubts for one second, when push comes to shove, black or white, Americans help Americans, through hell AND high water!

So it’s not that much of a stretch. All we have to do is redefine who we accept as “on our team”. People who we don’t normally socialize with or, in the past, people who seemed so socially different than ourselves, that we believed THEM to be a threat to OUR prosperity… because NOW we recognize. The threats to Our Liberty do not come from within, they originate from without. Shadowy organizations and individuals who operate within secret societies, and have secret codes, secret handshakes and secret pledges. Well… WE have a similar system, only ours is NO SECRET!! Our organization has a code- Equal Justice Under Law. And our society has a pledge- Liberty and Justice for ALL. And our handshake is always offered for ANYONE who STANDS in defense of the Liberty of OTHERS!

We MUST reaffirm that pledge, because there are many who stand waiting… wanting us to fail. The ones who profit at the expense of others. Who only hold power when people are SILENT. People who deceive with half-truths… IF they deal in the TRUTH at all! And they turn a blind eye to suffering, because they believe it is in THEIR best interest to be SILENT.

That is NOT the America I know!

As I plumb the depths of my soul, I sit, alone, considering all the stress I am creating, for my wife, for my kids, for myself, I search for context. A measuring stick to gauge how far I should go… I cry as I realize there is NO amount of pain I could suffer, unto myself or any other, that could come close to what has become of a JOURNALIST at the hands of Saudi henchmen. Or his fiancée who continues to grieve.

And DAILY, due to the arrogance AND ignorance of Donald Trump, thousands of families will now bear scars unimaginable to some, unforgettable to others.

And NONE OF US can complain, for OURS is bliss and heaven, compaired to the fate that befell three thousand innocent lives on the morning of September Eleventh…

…where 15 of 19 were Saudi born.

image

… And now we’ve come full circle.

Now we STAND, face to face, Living with the Dead. We championed the policy of vengeance and paid for its implementation with our lives. We said “Never Forget!”, sailed off to War, and forgot where we were supposed to be fighting. We said “Wanted: Dead or Alive!” and then let the man live in hiding for damn near a decade.

To seek Justice, to HONOR the lives lost nearly twenty years ago, we have sacrificed over seven thousand American Troops, and over fifty thousand have been wounded… and we STILL fight today while Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are dead. BOTH men killed in countries that were NOT the target of our vengeance. And, even IF we focus on the intended, original target… we are STILL NOT FOCUSING on the problem-

15 of 19 were from yet ANOTHER COUNTRY: Saudi Arabia.

Where we have gone astray, I do not know. I can speculate, so can everyone else. But that is all we can do… speculate. There are reasons for secrecy. Classified Intel exists to secure our Liberty and keep our country safe, as it should be. But given the lack of clarity seen in the planning of the mission, and the unending nature of this military endeavor, once stifled questions must be raised and TRUTH must be found.

Our inability to deal with the reality of the situation has led us to a place where people with “good intentions” ignore crucial facts, because finding the truth can run counter to FUNDING the investigators… and investigations could lead to de-railing the fight itself… remember- “Never Forget!”©™®

Let us seek the answers together, not to punish… but to PERFECT. To enlighten, not imprison. To find understanding and end future ignorance.

I believe there is a BETTER WAY, and it involves a lot less dying…

everyone.together

jc

 

Individual Responsibility

I hope I have been “honorable”. At some point, on my Twitter feed, my name will have a banner that reads “2020 US Presidential Candidate”, and then WORDS… from MY mouth! I’ve said almost 6,000 things on Twitter. I hope I have not said anything that degrades the Office I seek.

Stephen Douglas… everyone knows that name today for ONE reason- Abraham Lincoln. I realized that a couple months ago. And it is a thought that crosses my mind daily. I try, intentionally, to be OPEN with my thoughts and opinions in order to avoid coming across as ‘fake’ or ‘a troll’. As if I were speaking in real life.

IF I do self censor it is because of the platform from which I speak, knowing what I say might someday be seen as “relevant”.

A couple days ago I made a late night run to Walmart. Jess was making potato soup and needed almond milk and I needed to replace a headlight on the van. I was looking for a good reason to get out of the house, to try and take my mind off stuff.

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.

I tossed my items in a cart, shot the breeze with a couple people while I was there, paid and headed out the door. Just as I was pushing my cart through the automatic double-doors, out of the corner of my eye to my right, a woman was throwing some trash into the can. As I walked out, she was just about to turn and start walking back to where she came from, and I anticipated…swinging my cart to the left and avoiding her walking into my cart.

She turned, just as I thought, and she saw me swing the cart to the side and stop. Now, I wasn’t going to hit her with a cart… I’m a better driver than THAT! And, even if she suddenly turned and started sprinting, I wasn’t going fast enough to where I couldn’t have just full-stopped and avoided her. I just wanted to be safe.

As we both came to a stop, I pulled the cart back slightly, and said “Excuse me. Please, go ahead.” As I said this, she turned her eyes away from the cart and made eye contact with me… Now, I am not an unpleasant looking guy. Some people might say a little more pleasant than the south side of a north bound horse, and so I’ve seen that sparkle in the eye of a few people… ladies AND gents… and sometimes, flirtatious looks can turn into a bit of flirtatious banter, all in a few seconds. Just in passing alone and nothing more.

As she looked up, startled at first from the image of some guy dodging to avoid running her over, she made eye contact with me and her expression changed. I said “Please, go ahead,” and she stepped back, stood a bit straighter, and said “No… Please, you go. I insist.” I hesitated, smiled, being flattered by her expression of insistence, nodded my head and said “Thank you,” and I walked on by.

It makes me feel good when someone slyly acknowledges someone else in that way, makes you feel kinda special… but, as I approached my van, I thought a couple more times about that look in her eye. That was NOT the look of infatuation. I am NOT that handsome! No Way!… I think she recognized me. Well, the spongebob hat at least.

If I had to guess her age, I would say 16-22. That is about the range for the MFOL crowd and I know there is strong support in the Kansas City area for what David Hogg is doing. So it could be possible. And IF that is the case… I don’t believe it! I don’t have proof of that being the case, I would only be assuming. I’m not sure though.

The look in her eyes expressed a sence of HUMILITY, of AWE, of PRIDE… of what I would express if given the chance to meet a Presidential Candidate.

So, that’s a heavy responsibility. I understood that from the beginning. That COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARK “U.S. President” idea is what gave me pause originally. How can one live up to the painting that hangs in the heart of every American Citizen? Be it a portrait of a President or a pivotal patriotic event, the IMAGE in one’s own mind is flawless, even more so than the painting itself. I felt the responsibility of the Office when I changed my Twitter bio. Little blue check mark be damned… just read the title at the top of that feed, it is a statement.

I am not shying away in this moment, I am absorbing and learning (with cat videos and funny goats in between to keep my sanity…) and planning. Mapping out what could be, how to get there, and hoping to find disparate voices, looking for common ground. Wise counsel who, watching the deprevaty in the halls of Congress, have come to their breaking point.

A rag-tag group of misfits, from a diverse range of backgrounds. All with individual specialties that can be utilized at the most opportune time against an evil villain… hell-bent on destruction…

Cue- Cliche 70s Rock Anthem

I think we can move “Through the Looking Glass” over to the Reference section now.

JC

 

 

OTD

I shut out the shooting at MSDHS. On valentines Day, I intentionally shut it out. I did not watch Morning joe. I did not watch Rachel that night. I could not. I knew it was gonna be bad, and I did not want to face it.

So I didn’t. For two whole days. All while I was deciding if I could or should run for President. At that time, I had decided to wait until after I met with my tax advisor, to answer some basic questions. So I…

So I couldn’t NOT watch news programs. As a person learning about a field as expansive as Presidential Candidate, its unavoidable. And it is the Commander in Chief’s place to direct and advise, and act when called upon. So I drove home after dropping the boys off at school and watched. And cried. And cried some more. And saw something new. MOTIVATION. The ‘spark’. The flighting of Muse that poet and musician alike chase to no end.

Never Again.

And to that flighting chase, their cause, too, might come to no avail, but for the aid of wise counsel, who had seen these times before. A Senator spoke on the morning of February 17 that sparked a decision in my mind. Because that Senator enunciated the phrase I had been waiting to hear. One that I had not heard in such a long time. I had realized it was not discarded… it was subverted.

The Hastert Rule

And watching the times unfolding in every sphere, in every corner of our society, I could not help but question if it was mere coincidence? That the issues we deal with today are being caused by a concept conceived by a ‘serial child molester’? As per Dennis Hastert’s judge, when sentencing the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, of the United States of America to prison….

So by the end of the day, I composed what would be the script for my first campaign video-

That was the “kick in the ass”. The point where I made the connection. I was motivated by the actions of a bunch of kids with no voice in our government, screaming to be heard by our government, and being told NO. And if those kids are to be successful, as any parent should want for their kids…. I knew they would need to know this. Because it seems no one knows this.

I had not realized how intertwined my campaign is with the students of MSD until this evening. They had their memorials just a couple days ago, and I didn’t even… It was not intentional. It seems as though my mind brushed it aside. At this moment I feel sickened by it. But, I realize now. I will remember now, in the future.

During this time, I have come to see the connection between all of these issues. The idea that a small percentage, of the majority, of the members of the House can dictate what legislation will or will NOT be introduced in the House? A group of men, who are all of the same party, numbers smaller than the entirety of the group calling for action?

“Only if it pleases the King’s Men.”

And it is the thread that runs through ALL of our ills. Discrimination, sexual harassment, gun safety laws, civil forfeiture, mandatory minimums, sexual identity, banking practices, mortgage lending, student loans, retirement funds, nursing care, stock market stability with our retirement funds, international cooperation, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile treaties, contracts with friend and foe alike… We are all being led by a duplicitous system, where control lies in the hands of people who hold others down.

And these kids stood up and said “NEVER AGAIN”

And I agree. End The Hastert Rule now.

JC

 

 

 

Campaign Statement on Foreign Policy Position: “The Company We Keep”

Our county’s greatest strengths come from our diversity of knowledge accumulated and shared with all citizens in our public schools. Found within that community structure we see the common ideals taught to our children. And within that environment, we find our core values. The uniting principles that inform a great statesman take root in the elementary school at the end of the block.

I have avoided stating a definitive foreign policy platform mainly because I felt ignorant of our overall engagement with other nations. In many ways, my greatest strength is pure ignorance of these relationships. I have no preconceived judgement of these situations. Only impressions, or a vision, of how our relationship in the world overall should be presented… Who are We, as a country? Our face to the world community, what our abilities are, and how we can best help every other nation succeed- The United States of America is a PARTNER in the international community because we ALL succeed when we ALL contribute.

Our county’s greatest strengths come from  our diversity of knowledge accumulated and shared with all citizens in our public schools. Found within that community structure we see the common ideals taught to our children. And within that environment, we find our core values. The uniting principles that inform a great statesman take root in the elementary school at the end of the block.

When we extend our hand in trust and compassion, we help another person learn how to be kind. When we stand side by side with others of sound principles, we present strength through inclusion. When we help our friends when they hurt the most, we rekindle the fire of fraternity that so often can be taken for granted in a family. And it is through our ACTIONS… THAT is how we lead in this world.

We show others how we want to be treated by how we treat them.

We support Liberty and justice for ALL, so at home, so abroad. We support open markets in nations abroad because our markets are open to ALL. We support EQUALITY, as endowed by our Creator, for all of our countrymen, and wish it were so thought the world. How we treat the least amongst ourselves at home, is how we will be seen throughout the world… If you want a ‘clean house’, you gotta start in your own ‘backyard’.

To read the words of true statesmen, like those of Ronald Reagan to Canada in his last official visit in 1987, reminds me of how little I know of world diplomacy. The technical ‘ins and outs’ of political calculations in order to protect rights and interests…

The message attempts, made in ‘good faith’, in honesty and respect, will be received the warmest, even if they are ignorant of some facts. The credibility of the person delivering the message can carry more weight than the message itself. As a citizen of The United States, I expect everyone to respect the Commander in Chief, not ONLY because of the honorable office they occupy, but because they are someone WORTHY OF THAT RESPECT. Someone who holds the values written in Our Constitution within their essence, we should all hope to elect.

As an Eagle Scout, I believe I know what those ideals are that make a President. I live my life within that framework, daily. “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty.” That is all a person has at the end of the day… their word. Their honor. That is where leadership is born. That is where success begins. That is where we should allow the power of Our President to reside. Because lasting progress only comes when built upon a firm foundation of just moral principles.

And we stand with those who feel the same. Those who do not stand for Liberty and Equality, we will not walk away from our community, but we will not support any nation who seeks to separate instead of unite. We stand strongest when we can declare these ideals to all the world as a benchmark to be measured by, especially when we LIVE it, daily.

That is where my journey will begin. We must be sure of our own position, at home, before we can go and demand to others THIS is how it should be done. Our own moral hypocrisy has diminished our standing around the globe. If we wish to remain free and indepenent, we must assess what we see in the mirror. Then, our desire to be better each day will reflect in those who desire to surround themselves with the same.

That is my agenda. When we expect better from ourselves, we can expect the same from everyone else. “In truth, and in love.”

-Jack Charbonneau