TL;DR / BLUF (because this is a L-O-N-G paper, last few pages is content from another paper)
VOTE! Get out and VOTE!
- You CAN;
- You SHOULD;
- You MUST;
get out and vote if you truly value America and the continuation of ‘better’ values. We cannot just vote in Presidential elections and THINK that is all it takes. It is NOT!!! The mid-term races are the arenas where the least or worse candidates end up in office, in power OVER YOU because you did not think it worthwhile to go vote.
Some of the results here are:
- folks getting elected to implement school book bans for the few, affecting the majority, instead of leaving books on the shelves for the masses and the curious – books like “The Learning Tree” which opened my eyes a bit more.
- Or getting into the state senate and putting in place repressive voting measures – limiting the number of voting places; removing early ballot voting boxes; etc…
Do you want to go back in time and revisit the 1950s…?
NO. MOST of us do not. But that means EVERYONE MUST get out and vote.
Criticality of Mid-term voting
Mid-term voting can mean voting in members for any of the following:
- City Council
- School Boards
- State Legislatures
- Mayors
- Governors
- Senators
- Congresspersons
Mid-term voting is the primary way to make changes in America. Voting for those who care for all will eventually remove all of the repressive and backwards-thinking individuals from power. These individuals are the ones causing all the dire drama we face today. We spend so much time and money on trying to do the right thing but, because of these power-hungry individuals, we are not progressing as we should as a country… and as people…
We are now late in 2022 and most Americans still do not realize how critically important the mid-term elections are. These mid-term elections are what we need to progress instead of going through the back-and-forth stages of progress… EVERY two – four years.
Suppressing or Restricting voting – this leads to angry voters in those regions of the country where conservative parties hold power. The result – people do not see the value of voting at that point in a mid-term race and do not vote.
Think about it. If you vote in the mid-terms as well, goals, better goals can be achieved in the long run but it will take time to build upon success. Just because we vote for something today, it will not materialize in a 6-month period. It takes time. And it may take 2, 3 or 4 mid-terms to start seeing real, I mean REAL success and progress that everyone will see – things that are very TANGIBLE for the majority.
POWER
Then, we have so many individuals in America who only want to be in power and want to act like young, spoiled children.
- I’m taking my ball and I’m going home, so there!
Tell the rest of us that this is not the case. Go ahead, I definitely dare you to open yourself up to honesty – that is, if you have any honor and integrity remaining in ANY part of your being…
There should be NO ONE in politics who is only there for the sake of power. These individuals ruin the future for the majority of people.
- Look at what Putin is doing in Russia. Do you believe all the Russians want Putin to take over, I’m sorry, ANNEX more of Ukraine as Putin did with Crimea? Against the Ukrainian peoples’ will or without their approval….
- Look at what Kemp did in Georgia, instead of recusing himself from his duties as Secretary of State while running for governor, he kept that position active – think about that, seriously and deeply – and you tell us if Kemp actually won that race legally…??? Kemp wanted to retain power, via any manner possible
- What about a state in America where the majority of that state’s citizens want one thing but are overruled because of the governor or state legislators wanting something else in place to satisfy the minority, whether it is Christian (note: Church and State are SUPPOSED to be separate, not like in 1910 or 1940 as examples). Here is one example, say there are gays in that state and they want equality. The minority of the state in question wants to have a gay free environment while the majority approves of gays having a voice and equality. What do you do? That minority wishes to retain power and control the outcome, that is what they do…
WHAT DO YOU DO? If we continue to have these kinds of individuals elected to power, WE-WILL-NEVER-NEVER-NEVER get on a solid path to success for this country for the long-term.
So sure, if you want endless back-and-forth efforts of progress, vote for those individuals who want power and control the state’s outcomes for various topics.
Look at Desantis did in the Spring of 2022 with Disney World in Florida. Desantis modified Disney’s decades long charter because Disney stood up for equality (standing “in solidarity” with the LGBTQ+ ) and Desantis basically said:
“Bull shit” – there is no such thing as equality as long as I am governor (Desantis did not say that, not exactly, I am liberally paraphrasing here). This all started with Florida Senate’s passage of H.B. 1557, colloquially dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and Disney going against it.
But what Desantis did was – he took his ball and went home. Now, the surrounding county has to pay for city expenses that Disney ‘had’ been paying for out of their ‘Special Privileges’ status.
Throughout the country, we have individuals who are in power, no matter how they arrived there, and who want to retain that power – “no matter what it takes or what it costs” the rest of America and its citizens.
So, why is that? Are these individuals afraid that if they lose that power, they:
- Cannot make an honest living doing something else?
- Do not know how to do something else meaningful to them (or others)?
- Are just flat out scared that they will fail doing something else….?
Take the current Herschel Walker for Senate situation. How is it that so many people believe he is qualified and has the integrity to become a Senator?
Sure, Trump was not qualified but became President but that was due to people NOT GETTING OUT TO VOTE!!!! And that was why we had the global embarrassment of that American president.
Do we want to continue voting in a sub-par manner? Look at Senators’ Cotton and Scott following along to boost Walker’s tour. How embarrassing that must be for these two individuals to help prop up Walker? What kind of mindset does these two Senators have? Is there any integrity?
Wait, this is a power grab, sorry about that. It has nothing to do with qualifications, integrity or equality. Maybe one day soon (hopefully sooner) they will see the folly in propping up Walker.
But this is what we are dealing with, sad, very sad….
This is where I state the obvious – remove the electoral college and be done with loop hole for some and then, work on getting rid of gerrymandering, from ALL parties and reset districts to be fair voting communities and THEN, work on re-balancing the power structure for the number of senators and congresspersons we haver around the country.
When the number of senators and congresspersons were settled on, we were in a different era – MUCH smaller population. Now, today, we are not in a state of fair elections – Wyoming having two senators holding the same amount of power as two senators from California or New York, that is a sad joke. There should be more senators in states with larger populations. This is another problematic area that needs a course correction.
VOTING – Democracy and Equality
C’mon Americans. Really. REALLY. Are so many of you going to continue to vote ONLY with your heart and the illogical thinking of returning to the days of yesterday. Yesterday where only you had power over everyone else because of skin color…?
I really did not want to go there but this is what appears to be happening IRL (in real life as so many like to say).
We still have too many people who want a neighborhood that is only inhabited with their kind, full of privilege, free of any kind of interracial mixing, free of any homosexual tendencies, free of poor, uneducated people.
Is this really what so many of you Americans want to do, go backwards in time – losing DECADES of progress.
Because this is what happens when you do not use your brain, the logical and pragmatic part of your brain. We continue to have this see-saw effect WHERE NOTHING GETS ACCOMPLISHED!!!!
We go from progress, clean air, clean water, education improving, equality then in the mid-terms, the poor/bad choices of individuals are elected and we as a country backslide because these wrong thinking individuals want to reinstitute regulations that allow pollution of air and water, better education for some while revenue for the poorly funded school systems CONTINUE to be poorly funded and equality/diversity – THAT IS ALL THROWN OUT THE WINDOW! Here is one solid example, the last administration allowed corporations to get back to dumping toxic chemicals into rivers.
Here are a couple of links:
Trump’s EPA Is Letting Power Plants Dump Toxic Waste Into Rivers and Streams
The Trump Administration Rolled Back More Than 100 Environmental Rules. Here’s the Full List
But, you will need to do your own, ‘real’ research (outside your comfort zone and silo of conspiracy) and come to your own conclusion…
Do you want to continue allowing these types of individuals to gain and retain power so they can make money? With the result being bad air & water that will significantly affect the health of your child; spouse; parents – you…???
We have too many people in America that will gladly revert to threats and violence if they or their party does not win. It does not matter if it were a fair election, these individuals will continue to believe they were cheated out of a position of power. That the event was rigged. That Alien space rays were used to manipulate votes or that temperature regulating thermostats are rigging the votes somehow. OR that there is some kind of magnetism taking effect to alter races, enough that spoons can stick to a person’s body or face, somehow.
Why? Why are there so many people that continue to engage in silos of self-induced conspiracies. Look at Michael Flynn, former military general and Director of DIA – he completely broke and went to the far edges of a different universe.
Here are a couple of links where Flynn talked about a trail of signs leading terrorists into America:
Michael Flynn once claimed Arabic signs on southern border guide ‘radicalized Muslims’ into US
Again, you will need to do your own, ‘real’ research and come to your own conclusion on Flynn’s state of mind…
America’s Future
Americans, if you truly want America to be a Great Country, YOU HAVE TO VOTE.
You HAVE to vote with integrity, using your brain. Just because you do not want your children exposed to gays or black or brown or yellow or red people – you cannot deprive that from the majority of children in your schools.
Because you, the minority of individuals who want to continue to live in a world of those with closed mindsets, do not want gays or race mixing or better education for all to occur – IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. At some point in the future, it is going to happen and you cannot stop progress. You will just make it take longer, causing suffering to continue for everyone, and I do mean everyone suffers as a result.
I speak, now and in the future, with and for the:
- underprivileged,
- undereducated,
- repressed / suppressed,
- gays (even if I am not) &
- women (held down, glass ceiling & being seen as the inferior sex)
I stand for equality, diversity and progress, even if I AM NOT IN POWER.
America was never truly a great country. We only had a preeminent position because America had gained power, economically, socially and militarily over others, internally and externally. That is how America rose to power from the 1700s did it not? Building this country on the backs of slaves and indentured servants to have we have today…
But we CAN become a GREAT country, not really. Why aren’t there more Americans out there willing to use their brains and logic to see that we as a nation (and as humans) have to stop this back-and-forth garbage of “my party is better than your party”. STOP IT!!!!
We have to change the paradigm and grow together and make the world a better place for all – NOT FOR SOME.
Because I guarantee you that the children of those parents that want to block equality in schools, in the workplace and in politics – I guarantee you that in time, those children of yours who grow up with blocked or hampered vision WILL see the light at some point. At that point, these now adults, will be angry at YOU, the parents for holding them back, with that perpetual slogan of “I was only trying to shield / protect you from what I believed was wrong”.
You will be seen as not even giving your children a choice of deciding what is best for their own future. Yes, some of the children will be too young. But if you block everything you deem as ‘bad’ from your children instead of actually talking to them about various topics, you doom their potential and continue the perpetual cycle that later generations HAVE TO FIGHT OVER – AGAIN!
This is like German under Hitler burning books to secure the future of pure (free of Jewish or Black blood) Germans. Or here at home when books were once banned to ‘protect’ a certain racial make up in this country – yet, here we are again, having the vocal minority along with the wrong people in power in control of school boards – BANNING BOOKS, AGAIN!!!! Just to protect their child from growing.
But a good thing is happening in parts of the country, these children, they are having book clubs and READING and DISCUSSING these so-called banned books their parents wanted out of the school.
Does this remind of German’s past of racial superiority/racism? Hmmm….
Oh, how can I talk in this manner as I’ve done? It is because I have had multiple incidents in my own life, growing up and as a young adult.
I have always stood on the side of the little guy and against discrimination, of any kind, and even being affected by it – here are a few scenarios.
- As a high school junior, I stood on a stage and denounced the garbage/racist spewing Communist who was there – but it turned out after I gave that impromptu speech, we found out that it was only a kind of a test for us (Young Civitan officers from across America) who gathered for an annual event
- Never invited to any parties throughout high school, from black or white – I was a, how did people phrase it at the time – a mulatto/half-breed (did I become a bitter, angry person – no)
- My high school prom date canceled on me, after I won the senior class raffle of a limo/dinner – because her dad was seriously racist (did I become a bitter, angry person – again, no)
- (in ’86, Irving, TX) Overhearing me being called a ‘nigger’ as a guy was yelling at a woman in her hotel room, I was to have dinner with – this guy was seriously a covert racist because the next day, he tried to be buddy-buddy and it took everything to not break his jaw (did I become a bitter, angry person – still, no)
None of these incidents changed my mindset, if anything they all encouraged me to continue being better and championing better thought processes for all around me without preaching and setting an example, everywhere, all the time.
My optimistic mindset is in seeing the country, the world growing into a better society. Yes, I keep seeing disappointment in the way different people treat others, around the world. i.e.: the increase in Asian hate crimes – WHY??? Mexican-Americans railing against other Mexicans, think of the L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez recent racist incident – WHY????
Why are people NOT growing into better people to make this a better world? Are there that many people in America, around the world who STILL want to keep using repression, suppression and flat out discrimination against others so that THEY can be the top dog (use whatever term you wish)…???
From this point on, the content is a repeat of what I had in another paper and I am sure not many people read it, so, including it here – if you are still with me. Even if one or two folks read this paper and use their brain going forward, I will be happy.
The Past, Recurring Today
I really hate to say it but this current atmosphere just keeps taking me back to what happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma. You know, in 1931, where a young white female teenager screamed in the elevator because of the young black teenage male who was in the elevator. We still, to this day, do not know what actually occurred. And then, the whites of Tulsa wanted justice, not the legal kind but the restrictive, repressive (DEADLY) justice of past decades (and centuries) where the whites took control and hung or dragged a black to their death or tarred and feathered black(s) before killing them. I decline to include the ghastlier things that were done to these unfortunate souls.
And these whites thought (and believed) that what they did was righteous and fair justice. Stop the blacks from doing anything, let alone be successful as they were in Tulsa, using their power for their justice.
Remember the horrific pictures of crowds of whites, gathered around hanging (lynched) DEAD blacks, pointing and looking up at the dead or looking back at the camera man AND SMILING AND LAUGHING at the grotesque sight. Do any of you remember those images of justice? Does it bring a tear to your eye to even think this was possible in our American heritage – it should and we can also talk about the Native Americans and what happened to them as well? IT DAMN WELL SHOULD – that is, if you have an ounce of morality in you and you truly know right from wrong…
The problem is, it was not just Tulsa, IT-IS-STILL-HAPPENING-TODAY…!!!! Where we have large pockets of whites, who happen to be republicans, that want to control what goes in the various cities and counties and states in America.
These individuals who happen to be in power want to continue to rig the game so that ONLY they will continue to remain in power and reign over all the inferior and insignificant lower classes of people. Yeah, you got, those of color.
- Poll taxes ring a bell to anyone?
- Okay then, how about counting jelly beans in a jar?
- Dang, what about the literacy tests….?
It is like these individuals in power in mostly Red states want to get us back to those days… We just have too much ongoing racism, covert racism, subconscious racism and implicit racism. Then on top of all that, we have groups of militia, sovereign citizens and even current and former military (as a former Marine, I am completely heartbroken to keep hearing this) who buy into this atmosphere of conspiracy and illogical patriotism and again, likely racism in these groups too.
So, the point of this minor diatribe of mine is to attempt togetmore, MANY MORE Americans WAKE THE HELL UP.
MORE Americans have to WAKE UP and get out and vote! YOU HAVE TO VOTE for individuals who are more progressive. VOTE for individuals who are open minded and want to see all Americans grow and prosper.
And to do this, to have a successful future – all open-minded Americans HAVE GOT TO VOTE. And we have to do so starting with ALL the 50 state legislatures (leaving D.C. out because it is on that path already). MORE Americans HAVE GOT TO VOTE out the conservative and backwards thinking individuals in mostly Red states, so we can all prosper and grow going forward.
We spend FAR too much time repeatedly fighting amongst ourselves over Red and Blue topics instead of subjects and areas that will benefit ALL OF US.
If you are young and are of voting age – YOU HAVE TO VOTE and not make an attempt because you believe it is not important to you. IT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU! It impacts your future. If you continue to sit on the sidelines and let these repressive and suppressive minded individuals stay in power – they will put in places that become like bedrock foundations that you may NEVER be able to overcome or overturn.
If you are an adult and you feel left out and as a result you sit on the sidelines – STOP DOING THAT!!!! You have to get out and VOTE as well. To have a democracy that is inclusive and brings everyone into the fold – YOU HAVE TO GET OUT AND VOTE as well. This is the only path. If you allow these backwards thinking individuals who are in power and who want to stay in power by focusing only on themselves and their families – you MUST get out and vote as well. Otherwise, this country will continue to flounder and stay behind the curve ball while other countries continue to move ahead of us in education and societal norms. You MUST get out and vote to help change the directionality of this country. Otherwise, we will continue to limp along with:
- Bridges with potholes where you can see down to the river or street below the bridge
- Levees and damns that are FAR past their prime but no one is upgrading them, meanwhile – these things burst apart and flood the surrounding county area
- Broadband that flat out sucks for many in the rural areas of America and definitely is pathetic in low-income areas, just because they are low-income areas and too many individuals in power do not believe these folks who live there are worth it
- Schools that are sub-par, horrendously sub-par – c’mon, MOLD! Lead pipes and non-functioning plumbing and HVAC systems that are not nearly adequate enough to be used
- Medical facilities that need overhauling and renovating – not the facilities that have an iron grip on the country and charging exorbitant costs – I mean the ones in most communities that are barely hanging on in supporting the residents of those communities
- Etc.,
- Etc.,
AMERICANS! You simply must get out to vote or you will continue to see this country fall apart. We have to vote in individuals who care for all and not those individuals who only care for some subset of American areas of the country as in the mid-west or some suburban parts of the country.
As noted above, we have to start replacing state legislatures across the country with forward thinkers, those who are thinking 5, 10 and 20 years down the road.
Putting in place smaller budgets or stop gap measures to do minor patch work fixes or tweaks is not good enough. We need to do more and we can do more.
Besides getting rid of these backwards thinking individuals in state legislatures, we have to vote OUT more of these governors – ones that many of us still cannot believe they won the election their elections.
- With Kemp of Georgia, we know how he won – he was the Georgia secretary of state and he refused to recuse himself from that role and was able to influence the voting process.
- DeSantis of Florida, well, he won because he had a large following of individuals who want to retain a status quo and not become more progressive.
- Abbott of Texas, completely unclear how he really won, unless it was along the same lines as DeSantis. But Abbott, he is dangerous. He had all information on toxic chemical locations removed from all state websites. This information was helpful to many in deciding where they wanted to live, or where to send their children to school or where to locate their elderly in nursing homes – without this information, well…. And for Abbot to say that people can ask the fire department or other agencies, that is a non-starter because they mostly will not give out that information. How would you feel if you discovered a toxic chemical storage facility was located 200-300 yards from your child’s school (and think about the blast radius of an ammonia holding facility should it go up in flames)?
We all have to vote to overcome and get rid of things like ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) efforts. This entity is the one that really spring-boarded many, many republican legislative actions over the years since its founding in 1973 and grew to prominence under Newt Gingrich.
Basically – ALL forward-thinking individuals, those with an open-mind, those with the foresight to see that we MUST unify as a country to grow again. Not grow as in divisive groups within America but as ONE WHOLE entity – all Americans. All of us need to vote. And you have to use your brain to do so. If we want to continue to be the leader of the free world, of developed countries – we all must participate and vote!
Research who you vote for – as in, is the person going to help everyone or just selective segments of society. Think about who you vote for. STOP listening to conspiracy groups and individuals, this only leads you down the path of despair and danger because you start endangering yourselves and others by buying into these non-sensical and illogical plots that only belong in movies.
You HAVE TO USE YOUR OWN BRAIN!!! Read and talk to and with others who have “rational” thoughts, not siloed bubbles of fellow conspirators. Educate yourselves.
Those of you want to vote for the likes of a Trump, Marjorie Greene or Matt Gaetz or Louie Gohmert or Jim Jordan – you are going down the rabbit hole of failure because the thought processes of these leaders do not appear logical and can be non-constructive.
You absolutely MUST use your own brain and your education to vote for individuals who WILL move the country forward, not give it an exercise of lip action only (while lining their own pockets with money from greed, while at the same time – lying to you). Please, those Americans with the tendency to stay in these filter bubbles (as author Eli Pariser) talked about – get out of your comfort zone and expand your mind. Grow with other Americans. You can only grow if you learn more. Talk to more people who are “not” like you.
As it is, we still have far too much many people in America who to return to the America of the 30s, 40s and 50s, where a, ahhh, certain race of people had the power.
Please – all Americans who want to see America grow – get out and vote.
And, it is not just some of the Republicans, we have to remove individuals like Joe Manchin of W. Virginia who is playing at some kind of game that only he knows in preventing or slowing down growth.
Vote, not just in the Presidential elections but in ALL of the elections that crop up in your community. This is how we as a country will grow, starting with local elections, county elections and state elections – your vote matters. Vote for those men and women who see the future as prosperous for all. Vote for those people of color who are completely inclusive of everyone around. Stop thinking about age, religion, handicaps, race and gender as the sole criteria of who you would vote for.
That old or young; Jewish or Atheist; good looking or not so good-looking person standing next to you – might just be the next President of this country. You never know, you must put your personal biases aside and vote for those who want to do public service work.
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