Sunday, October 30, 2016

Turn off the moron switch America

America.  The United States of America.  This is 2016, not 1916.  Yet, we still have people in this country that are totally ignorant that there actually are Americans that aren't "white".  Oh yes, they know there are "black" Americans.  They know there are Native Americans and usually in a slightly condescending tone they will acknowledge that the Native Americans are the true Americans.  But not always.  And in fact, not even a large majority.  I'd say a slight majority at best.

First let's start with some real facts.  A large percentage of the workers that built the railroads in the early 1800s were Chinese.  In fact by 1865, approximately two-thirds of the railroad workers in this country were Chinese.  What?  Yes, that's right.  When you watch those television shows like "Hell on Wheels" or western movies that depict the Chinese as a small minority of the workers, it's bullshit.  Chinese AMERICANS out numbered the Irish Americans by double in most cases.  What amazes me isn't that people don't know this.  History is not anyone's favorite class when we are younger which is why we continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over and this is one of those travesties that some "white" Americans love to repeat over and over.   What still never ceases to amaze me is how some "white" Americans assume anyone that doesn't look "white" must not be American.

The Great American Melting Pot for some of the "white" Americans in this country seems to mean that they have totally lost touch with who they really are, where they really come from, and sadly have lost what makes America great.  The majority of "white" America in this country, a large mass majority, are descendant of poor European immigrants.  Back pre-WWII, racism was "white" on "white".  That's right.  Pre-turn of the last century, it was good to be from Ireland or Scotland.  But it wasn't good to be from Italy or France or the Slavic countries.  On the Statue of Liberty is scrolled "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" and that is where 99% of "white" America comes from--the tired, the poor, the huddled masses longing for freedom and hope.  When "white" Americans look in the mirror, about 1 to 2% can say they come from the rich--amazingly, they generally still are the rich.  That's right "white" America.  The circumstances that keep you middle class or lower are exactly the same as they always have been.  You vote in rich "white" and you keep getting us all screwed.  Just fact especially when you consider that the "white" vote has been 90% of the vote until the new millenia.  It was only the large black turnout in 2012, yes, not 2008, that allowed Obama to be re-elected.  In fact, the minorities vote adds up to around 30% for the 2016 election.  "White" America will still be the majority, but the fact that the minority vote added up is now close to a third of the popular vote seems to scare some of "white" America into following a hateful little silver spoon.  Sadly, it just shows that many never took anything other than being "white" as important.

Really?  Yes, really.  When I get asked what I am, well, years ago I would ignore and dodge the question like the plague.  Now, I tell them straight up to MYOB or I share readily.  I think that is partially because of growth and acceptance within "white" America and also because of the fact that minorities are a larger percentage than ever of the make up of this country.  It's actually quite refreshing overall.  But I'll tell you who still pisses me off the most.  The idiot that looks totally "white" would never be mistaken for black, brown or yellow, or any other shade of skin color that says, "well I don't see what the big deal is and I'm part Native".  Sure you are dumbass.  You don't even know what tribe.  Shut up.  You probably are part black too.  Want to borrow $99 and get a DNA test?  It's infuriating because it's an insult dressed up in "white" trying to justify piss poor behavior of other "whites".  Either you are an "Uncle Tom" at that point or you are a flat out liar.  Anyone that has any relatives that do not look "white" enough know exactly what I'm talking about.  You had to take up for them.  I had "white" family that defended me ardently.  I also had "white" family that insulted me under their breath.  Luckily for me the former was the majority.  I came from an educated family and therefore had a better lot behind me that a lot of minorities in this country.

Going back to that whole Chinese Americans that built the railroads.  Did you know the majority of them stayed?  Built businesses, made homes, raised families?  Some of the Chinese that you come across in this country have been here longer than 60% of the "whites" in this country.  That's right.  About 60% of the majority of this country came over at the turn of the last century, after those Chinese did.  Well, someone said to me, then they would've been mixed by now, "not like the Chinese right off the boat".  Hilarious for multiple reasons.  Most people fly now when they move that long of a distance.  More importantly, there were laws preventing intermingling between "whites" and non-whites.  This is a disaster of "white" America's making.  It was only in 1998 that South Carolina made it legal for a person of less than 95% white to marry a person of more than 95% white.  The actual wording was "white".  I'm not making it up.  It was the last thing on the ballot that year--a change to the state constitution.  Yes, it was in the state constitution.  And no, it's not just a Southern thing America.  Most states have had some version of these laws since the early 1800s.  In fact, Massachusetts still had a version in effect until 2008.  Yep, right up to a "black" President being elected and one of the most "liberal" *cough cough* states in the Union.  Yes, go on and on about how these laws were technically repealed by Supreme Court in 1967.  Yet, that historic vote in South Carolina in 1998 only won by 51%.  "White" America, the one that exists right now didn't create it, but it is "white" America's legacy.  Many of those Chinese Americans that have been here for more than 150 years still speak Chinese.  It's a belief that they can't trust "white" America, so better to remember their own language.  Look at how some of you are following a racist buffoon because he was born with more money than any of us could accumulate in a lifetime.  That "white" America is still alive and well in the USA.  It's the same "white" America that harbored hatred for the American born wops and the krauts and that put Japanese Americans, natural born Americans, into camps during WWII.   It's the same "white" America that screamed and threw rocks at African American children in the 1950s as desegregation was enforced.  It's the same "white" America that spit on me when I refused to answer the question "what are you?"....and that is only 13 years ago.

Oh, but you're not one of them, right?  Not one of "those" white Americans?  Have you posted or liked a meme that tells other Americans to "go home" if they don't like something here in the USA?  Or worse, actually had the audacity to tell someone to "go home" when this is their home?  Have you ever said to someone who didn't look "white" enough to you how good their English is or how great their accent sounds, that they actually sound "American"?  Have you agreed with people as they blame "Mexicans" for taking American jobs?  Have you made stupid comments like you are part Native so you know America isn't like this, but you don't have a single family member that even remotely looks less than "white"?  Guess what?  You ARE one of them.  Your incorrect preconceived notions are just that--incorrect and preconceived.  Not fact.  This is our home just as much as it is yours.  We were born here.  We are sick of you thinking, even sub-consciously, that you somehow are more American than we are just because you are "white" looking.  That's the "white privilege" that anyone that doesn't look "white" is sick of.  It's like you are totally clueless if we are not visibly "black" or "white"  and you have a moron switch that goes off that assumes we cannot possibly be Americans.

Turn that stupid switch off already.  The United States of America is THE Great Melting Pot of the world.  We are the refuge for the tired, used, defeated, poor and we are the hope.  We are made up from centuries of immigrants, whether forced here like the Brits that were sent as punishment for wanting to worship how they chose, the slaves from Africa brought out of greed, the Irish fleeing famine, the Chinese who built the railroads, or the mass exodus of immigrants fleeing royal rule and wars in Europe at the turn of the last century.  Out of the ashes of the defeated, beaten, tired, used and poor of other nations we have risen like a great phoenix.  Even the "illegal" immigrants are more the embodiment of this country than most of us are.  We have become spoiled.  Fat.  Happy.  We loved when everything was good, and when it is good, we are flighty, proud, and full of ourselves.  When things go bad, those poor and hopeless attitudes looking for someone to blame come out, but we are not the poor, used, defeated, huddle masses of the world.  We are still the United States of America.  It's just time some of you realize that isn't just "white" America.  It's all America.  Next time you see an Asian, do not assume they are not American.  It makes you sound like an asshole.  In fact, go home and look in the mirror.  Did you ask because that reflection staring back at you is your version of American?  If so, check yourself.  The person you just insulted might have ancestry in this country going back before yours even decided to come over here in the first place.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

The un-wasted vote...

Oh for crying out loud, the same bullshit over and over....The same stories over and over.  Why is it that Clinton fans always give you every bad thing about Trump to keep you from voting for him?  Well, because there's really nothing that good about her.  Why do Trump fans usually list off all the reasons not to vote for Clinton?  Well, because there's really nothing good about Trump.  We all know this.  At least by every poll, even the rigged ones, 65-80% of us want nothing to do with either.  We'd all vote for someone else if we had a better option.  So when the 20% average now says they would vote for Johnson, the 40% of the military, the 40% of the millennials, get screamed at all the bad things about the other two candidates....  Clinton fans scream all the bad things about Trump.  Trump fans scream all the bad things about Clinton.  The one thing they keep convincing me is that I don't need to vote for either.  I'm sick of the yelling.  I'm sick of the divide.  I'm sick of idea that I have to vote for one of two evils that both completely suck.  I know they suck.  You don't have to tell me.  We all know they suck.

So here's my response from now on.  All the positives about Governor Johnson.

Everyone in this country dreams of a time where the American Dream is possible.  Not some rich kid spoil brat version like the other two candidates.  Johnson was a middle class kid struggling to make it through college, so he started his own handyman business to help pay for his classes.  He grew it into a multi-million dollar construction company.  Isn't that what we want for our children?  He is middle class Americans dream come true.  He's a real businessman--with no failed businesses.

Johnson wants to fix the deficit.  He actually took a state, New Mexico, that was behind the eight ball and balanced their budget.  He cut pork bellies, increased infrastructure like schools and roads, and still cut taxes 14 times.  Whoa!! That's not possible the other candidates will tell you.  Oh bullshit.  He left NM after two terms with a $1B surplus.  That's right--SURPLUS.  He might not be able to fix a $20 Trillion debt, but he's got more experience than any other candidate at handling crushing public debt.  

Johnson is the only candidate talking about something that pretty much every single American except those idiots we keep electing to DC wants--TERM LIMITS.  We are sick of them making careers out of screwing us.  Johnson promised NM he would only serve two terms.  In spite of being requested to run for a third term, he kept his word.  He pushed term limits while he was in office to help fight corruption.  Isn't that a great idea?  No wonder the other politicians are so reluctant to endorse him.

Johnson hasn't alienated anyone.  He's white, but he's not a racist.  He's male, but he's very socially straight forward.  He has worked with both sides of the imaginary fence DC has successfully.  He promises to make his administration a mix of the best of the best of Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents, et cetera.  Wouldn't that be nice for a change?  It would be nice seeing them get actual work done rather than spewing off at the mouths every other day with the whole country in gridlock and the economy frozen because they won't do the jobs we sent them to do.

Johnson is honest.  He doesn't expect we will agree on everything.  He acknowledges that we don't.  He acknowledges that for this country to move forward in a positive direction we need to get back to compromise.  When we disagree, we are supposed to discuss it.  When the far right or far left have control like they have right now, we accomplish nothing.  Those of us in the middle are getting jammed up in their nonsense.  We can't be proud of the people that we elect.  They are supposed to be there for us, not us being used by them.  Wouldn't it be nice to have someone that we elect that we can believe in?  That we can actually trust?  What a concept!!!

Johnson doesn't have a lot of foreign experience, except as a border state he actually has experience with dealing with Mexico and Mexican authorities and government--so that's not completely true.  Another thing he has real experience with:  Immigration.  All that screaming and finger pointing, and yet the only candidate that has real experience dealing with undocumented (the legal term) immigrants is Governor Johnson.  Amazing right?  Would be nice to have someone that actually knows what he's talking about when it comes to immigration in general let alone some of the fears that have been stoked up.

Johnson does want to promote free trade.  In the meantime, some are calling him an isolationist because he wants us to stop being involved in every military conflict across the planet.  But what he really says is screw with us, and we will respond in kind.  Otherwise, we have our own problems on the homefront that need our dedication and focus on.  Free trade isn't just about improving our ability to build business here in the USA either.  It's also about bringing some of these countries out of the darkness.  Free trade benefits all involved.  No one would know this better than a true self made businessman.  But he also points out that countries in the Middle East that benefit from free trade--Qatar, Saudi, Kuwait and Turkey--are the ones that move towards more democratic thinking.  It should sound familiar to some depending upon your age.  That was how Reagan broke up the Iron Curtain.  The promise of growth and trade is a huge draw.

Johnson won't send our troops willy nilly into a war zone.  He's not a big fan of the conflicts we're involved in right now.  He also knows in this world we cannot isolate ourselves from our closest allies--the UK, Germany and NATO in general.  Oh, and here's a huge plus:  he's not $650M in debt to China like one of his competitors or collecting big donations for a "charity" from other questionable governments.

Johnson believes that if you take guns from any legal persons that only criminals will have guns.  Yes, I know this will upset some with more anti-gun sentiment, but it's because he believes in the Constitution.  A true Constitutionalist.  Which also means that he believes in the First Amendment equally.  The problem with the other two candidates is they both promise to take guns from someone and they both promise to walk all over other Constitutional Rights.  Johnson promises to not violate any.  There's a novel concept that stands with the Founding Fathers' beliefs.

Oh yea, but wait, he's for legalized marijuana.  No way.  Okay, so here's a fact:  This is remnants from the parents of the Silent Generation.  That's right the same generation that created Prohibition.  Look how that worked out.  They created a 20 minute movie "Reefer Madness" to keep the Silent Generation during the Roaring 20s (1920s) from using pot.  If you watch it and know anything about pot, you know it's all fabrication.  The same lies told in that propaganda movie are still the same lies used today to try and keep it illegal.  Let's face it.  Most of those myths have been completely debunked.  It cures more than a dozen forms of cancer.  It reduces epileptic seizures.  It  helps with PTSD and depression.  And since being legalized in a couple of states, those states have actually seen a reduction in illicit drug use--so much for being a "gateway drug".  He used it as a pain killer after breaking his back paragliding.  The prescription drugs made him sick and didn't help.  So that's how he learned of its merits.  But really, it's such a minor thing, especially when more than 68% of Americans think it should be legalized.

The truth is that Johnson represents what most Americans think right now.  Stay out of our bedrooms.  No way in hell is the military sweeping my home without proper warrants signed by a judge who actually has evidence that I might be doing something wrong.  Hell no, we don't want you using nuclear weapons.  We want less taxes.  We want the Federal government to stop wasting money and our time.  We pay a lot of money for those people we elect to represent us and get a job done.  So far all they've done is waste our time, our money and made it like we are here for their personal funding.  We want equality even though we know it's not all the way there, but we don't want it to be turned into a circus that just makes things worse.   Can we believe the other candidates even give a shit about our every day lives?  Please.  We all know they don't.

More importantly, after interviewing the main two candidates more and more newspapers are endorsing Johnson.  It's pissing off the establishments of both parties--it's pissing off both the other candidates.   They are saying its time we vote for a President we can trust, that we can believe in and that a vote for Johnson is not a wasted vote.  A wasted vote is voting for someone you can't believe in just to stop someone else that you can't believe in.


Below are the links to the newspaper endorsements for Johnson to date:

The Detroit News (typically GOP endorser)--video
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/09/28/endorse-johnson-president/91254412/

The Chicago Tribune (typically Dem endorser)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-gary-johnson-president-endorsement-edit-1002-20160930-story.html

New Hampshire Union-Leader
http://www.unionleader.com/editorials/an-editorial----joseph-w-mcquaid-publisher-a-better-choice-for-president-no-need-to-hold-your-nose--20160914

Winston-Salem Journal (NC)  (typically GOP endorser)
http://www.journalnow.com/opinion/editorials/decision-gary-johnson-for-president/article_7351cdb6-327e-5cf0-b0d2-9bff7ab6d874.html

Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) (typically GOP endorser)
http://www.richmond.com/opinion/our-opinion/article_b79cc2b6-8ed5-532c-92eb-4a37e779c433.html