Tag: with respect…

THIS is how it begins.

George W. Bush was very unpopular for the first seven months of his Presidency. Bitter and divisive political climate and a President elected by the Electoral College. Candidate Bush ran a turn-coat message similar to the GOP today. The term “Compassionate Conservatism” was born at the Republican Convention in 2000. I remember listening to Bush’s speech at the Convention and KNOWING it was bullshit when I heard it! It was a hijacking of the Democratic messaging, and I know I wasn’t the only one who saw through it.

Nine months and ten days into the year 2001, the President looked to be incapable at best… what a difference a day makes.

The next day DEFINED both the Man and his Administration. The grandiose highs and the horrifying lows. His ignorant inactions as well as his un-Christian actions in the pursuit of Justice.

Events of that scale CHANGE generations. They radically skew that trajectory of millions, spanning multiple generations. Astronomers take measurements of the position of stars in the sky relative to a previous known position. A measurement taken at a universally recognized point in history- an epoch. Once you have two points you can plot out a trajectory. You can find out how distant a celestial body is from any other object in the sky.

You can predict future locations, you can accurately recreate historical positions.

9/11 DEFINED George W. Bush. 9/11 defined my GENERATION. 9/11 marked the end of a ‘peacetime’ economy, and now my children are growing up in a country consumed by war and war-culture. The most popular online game, played by children and grown men alike, is a militaristic winner-take-all battle simulation with a carnival-like atmosphere.

For a time, our country seemed to celebrate war. Reluctant, but justified, we were fighting a clearly defined enemy… sort of, in a clearly defined geographical location. So it is natural to rally behind the President in war because we ALL have a stake in the outcome… So Iraq was invaded. And that betrayal of the TRUST of the American People has not been forgotten. Just ask Hillary Clinton.

The Son of a former President, SQUEEKED into office, sat on his hands for seven months, then spent 7+ YEARS in office, hailed by some as a Leader, vilified by some as an enabler. From the “Rubble Pile” to the WORST President in US History* in SEVEN years… find TWO points and trace the trajectory.

We must now HEED the wise words of that historic leader-

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… shame on… you fool me, I won’t get fooled again.”

I remember the first flight I took after 9/11. The intense security. The suspicion of EVERYONE. The prejudice. But also THE UNITY. The intense belief that, NO MATTER WHAT, every single person on that flight had your back, and you theirs! There was NO WAY anyone was gonna take that bird outta the sky without 150 pissed off people to go through first!

We don’t forget. We LEARN. We adapt. We are NOT the same ignorant bunch that inhabited this space on September 10, 2001. We did not seek it, but when it came calling, we did NOT back down. And now we must remember WHY we are so mournful of the events that took place that day… we mourn because we will never be able to go BACK.

Now, HERE we stand.

A President. Elected by the Electoral College. Considered to be incapable at best. He seeks power with the help of some SHADY people. His Branded Plastic Empire has been built by stealing other people’s blocks.

He “loves” murderous dictators.

He ignores the needy.

He misappropriates OUR resources and now people have needlessly died due to STORMS.

He is impotent when foreign leaders doubt American Leadership in the World, but today, due to his actions as THE Leader of the Political Party that holds the power in ALL BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT, men of honor must agree with the CURRENT assessment of our position in the World.

Donald J. Trump is allowing hostile enemies to LISTEN TO HIS PHONE CALLS… knowingly so! IS there no clearer definition of the WORD,

Mr. Speaker?

Mr. Majority Leader?

Usurpation of the PEOPLE is unacceptable! Lies and manipulation of Laws and people, with VAST AMOUNTS OF CASH. Slush funds hidden behind shell companies. All donated by people with money to BURN. Generational fortunes… and hidden within ALL of the shady and “unsightly” political company we keep, we are giving COVER to foreign advasries.

Our enemies are WATCHING… they are as FEISTY as we are! We have been at it now for ALMOST 80 years… They know US as well as we know ourselves! Now our Cold War/ Hot War tit-for-tat has EVOLVED into a Virtual theater of war. The feared “Hot War” has evolved, as well, but we didn’t see it happen.

The Hot War of the Digital Age has ALREADY started. The first shots have been fired. In this battle, instead of Nuclear Annihilation, the weapon is much more like a predator drone. Much more focused… Very precise.

What makes Our Constitution worth more than the parchment it was printed on? What gives that document LIFE? That’s what the objective is in this new war-

The Hearts and Minds of Every American.

The only thing that holds us BACK, from falling back into the darkness, is our FAITH in the Rule of Law and its protections. If we lose THAT… if we degrade that? Then the game is over.

BUT…

Do not despair. Keep looking to the sky. Without the endless expanse of darkness, one would not be able to see the light! The cold and endless expanse of nothingness is sprinkled with beauty and every now and then, you get lucky, and see something in a brand new light.

Keep your head UP!!

JC

 

What do you want?

What’s your favorite song? Right now I can’t stop listening to Tool’s ‘Lateralus’. The complexity of the time signatures is hypnotic and the message of “keep going” drives me on some mornings.

On my way home from Costco this morning, I realized something important about what I’m doing in politics right now. I’ve written a ‘new song’ in essence. When an artist has the spark within that moves them to create something never heard before, it is only existent in the artists own mind. Think about it… the moment when Mozart started to compose The Requiem, it was already complete and playing on repeat, perfection in his mind.

The moment the SPARK hits, the composition exists in perfection in the artist’s mind.

As beautiful as that initial composition is, the composed reality is usually different. Especially if the composition process is done with other musicians contributing, and that process leads to collaborations that lead to something even more amazing than first envisioned. That’s what makes a supergroup like Queen so much more incredible, all contributing to make something no one individual could.

The rare exception occurs. The spark gives light and the artists sits and creates, as if in one breath, perfection in reality, where any addition to the creation makes it somehow less than it is alone. The story behind the creation of this song is a great example-

I believe I have done that with my Constitutional Amendment.

But I am not sure. Even if I am, it is not up to one individual, as it should be. It is a collaborative process that will involve shaping an imagined idea, existing in perfection only in the minds of a few, but ultimately be something even more amazing than any ONE person can see.

I believe I am justified in my request for an open discussion of this idea, and am currently searching every fiber of my make up to be sure I am correct. I constantly ask myself if I am missing a piece of the puzzle, or if I am worthy of even attempting to run for President. Rehashing every bad decision I’ve ever made. Every person I have wronged in my life. Every heart I have broken. Every illegal act I’ve ever committed… the ones I’ve been caught doing and the ones I have not.

As I weigh all of my actions against a feather, I find I am not pure. As a recovering addict, ten years sober, I know my years as a child bled over into my adult life. I believed the life of drugs and alcohol could coexist with family life. As a child who grew up in the homes of addicts, my frame of reference was skewed. I had never lived in a sober family before I got married and had kids. I went through life believing everything to be a party, and I thought NOT drinking and partying everyday would be ‘good enough’.

Rarely is someone successful aiming for par.

By becoming a husband and a father, I’ve become a partner in a successful team. We own our own home, our boys are getting the best education we can provide, and we are working our way slowly out of debt, even if our home mortgage is STILL underwater from 2008. Our financial plans for the future are tenuous since I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2016. My body has changed a lot since the auto-immune reaction that causes loss of insulin production started. My body is not in “mint condition”, and my stamina for physical activity has diminished.

My wife, being an ICU nurse who specializes in pediatric CRRT, doesn’t work a set schedule, and she works 12 hour night shifts. A long time ago I figured out the best way for me to do something I would enjoy and be a contributor to the family. After my job as a “housewife”, I would need to start my own business so I could have the flexibility her schedule would require. I planned on going back to school and learning how to install residential solar and wind electricity production and tap into an untouched market here in KC. Energy independence is a must for everybody for many reasons. I am passionate about that.

But now… I just had my 39th birthday yesterday, and my body feels like it’s almost 60. Knees are stiff, back is sore, I am sensitive to heat, and my skin is more sensitive. Appearantly type 1 diabetes gives you the odd superhero ability to feel a piece of dog hair anytime it gets between your cloths and your skin…

After dealing with the horrifying reality that my body is no longer compatible with life on this planet, I realize I will continue to live. Mary Tyler Moore was 80 when she died. So long as I constantly think about my insulin, I will live. What I can do, physically, has changed. I am less productive in general because of the hormonal and chemical differences due to lack of beta cells. And the amount of time I must now dedicate to self maintenance limits what I can accomplish in my spare time. But I know I can still contribute!

I will not continue to fight for this campaign if I am convinced I am wrong. I do not want to waste my time fighting for a flawed idea that is not what people want. That is insanity. I have little time to waste chasing fairies, when I could be using my talents to do what’s necessary for my family. But if I am correct, I am doing what is necessary for my family RIGHT NOW. And what’s necessary for every family in this country. And if I am correct, and everyone starts to hear what I have to say, and begins the process of debate…

I believe I am justified because it is the best idea, not because it is MY idea. I only ask that it be allowed a full and open discussion. Let the chips fall where they may.

JC