Donald Trump Protests

Some of the people protesting are nothing but rabble-rousers. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some Muslims want to do harm to our nation. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some of the BLM movement are actually racists themselves and want to stir racial tensions. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some of the MOGAI people do not just want equality, but submission by all who do not share the same orientation. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some immigrants came here in defiance of our laws and only seek to exploit our nation's riches and generosity. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some of the women in the feminist movement also do not want equality, but dominance and segregation from men. I am not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message.

To all of you who are legitimately afraid of what may happen now that Donald Trump has been elected, I have a message. I'm speaking directly to you. I'm speaking to the Muslim woman who is afraid to cover her head in public. I'm speaking to the young black man who has to drive a broken down car across town for a minimum wage job, struggling to better himself, who trembles in fear when a police officer pulls him over for a broken tail light. I'm speaking to the young Asian boy in a rural high school who is thinking about cutting his wrists because he gets called a fag. I'm speaking to the elderly Latino man working three jobs to send money back home to take care of his sick daughter. I'm speaking to the middle aged overweight lady who has no sense of self worth because of the men who abused her. To anyone who I haven't specifically mentioned but has the same sense of trepidation, I'm speaking to you.

I'm a white, Christian male, over 40, who voted for Trump. I'm the picture perfect demographic of what you probably are angry at right now. I'm an old white guy. (Wish I could say rich, but I'm not.) And do you know what? I'm afraid too. I'm afraid of what my vote for Trump may turn into. It may turn into regret. But do you know what it is right now? It's hope. I truly hope he makes America great again. And do you know what else? If he fails to deliver, if his policies harm us, and by us I mean ALL of us, including you, I will oppose him also. I will stand with you in protest. Why? Because I love you. You are my fellow Americans. You want what I want. You want a life where we are free to pursue our American Dream, in whatever flavor it may be served. I am with you. 

Now here comes the hard truth. The problems we have right now, aren't Donald Trump's fault. They aren't Obama's fault. They aren't George Bush's fault. They aren't the fault of any one president or administration. Look it the mirror. It's our fault. We've been duped. We've bought into a narrative fed to us via an education system and a media machine, and we've been consumed by it. 

Donald Trump isn't going to make America great again. He can't. It starts with us. We have to change. We have to change our hearts. We have to start loving each other again as Americans and we have to grasp onto what it was that made us great in the first place. Remember 9/11? Remember how we united after that? It sucks, it really sucks that we've gotten so far off track from that. But we don't have to be. We can come together again. So now we had 11/9. And for a lot of us, it was just as traumatic. But my message is to you that I love you, and I stand with you. Donald Trump is a catalyst. It can be for evil, or for good, but the choice is going to be up to each and every one of us. 

#ItStartsWithTheHeart 

I hope you will help me share this message of love and respect all through our land. Especially to your friends who are protesting. Talk to those who have an open mind and will listen. Share my message. Share this hash tag. Be the light in the darkness. We are better than this. We are smarter than this. 

Let's make this happen for the good of our nation, and the prosperity of each of us. 

I love you all, my beautiful and broken fellow Americans.

America the Divided

Forgive me for not posting in awhile. I've been a little busy. I'll post an update about personal stuff a little later but for now I want to comment on other things. Part of the reason I haven't been posting, besides just being busy, is that I get so furious with the current state of affairs in our nation. So I would like to state my feelings/opinions on some of the current issues. Agree, disagree. Upvote, downvote. Share or unfollow. I don't care. I just need to get this off my chest. Feel free to comment below.

1) I don't like Hillary Clinton. She's a crook and a liar and I don't trust her. She should be in prison. 

2) I don't like Donald Trump either. He is too unpredictable and crude. He is too easily swayed. 

3) I am supremely disappointed that this is the best we could come up with. Our voters are ignorant. 

4) Bernie Sanders and/or Gary Johnson would not have been any better options. They are both kooky.

5) Yes, All Lives Matter. 

6) Yes, some Black Lives Matter people are pieces of garbage. 

7) Yes, some Black Lives Matter people have a legitimate complaint. Sometimes white people have made them feel less important or inferior. Some white people (KKK, neo-Nazis) are racist. 

8) Some black people can be racist also. (Black Panthers)

9) Despite the media hype and the propaganda from our (black) President, this is largely exaggerated and not a systematic problem.

10) Listening to the media and propaganda is making this become a problem (again) and I am concerned about our nation's future. 

11) I respect the police and can't imagine what they must be feeling right now. 

12) I respect our military. 

13) I have a deep distrust of our government and a seething hatred for D.C. politics/bureaucracy. 

14) I'm not an anarchist/extremist and I realize that a civilized society needs governance. 

15) I believe people should have the right to refuse to make a cake for a gay person if it conflicts with their religion and they own the business that makes said cakes. 

16) I think gays should have the right to get married if they want. Is it a free country or not? 

17) I think a person who works in a public office has the right to refuse to issue a marriage license to a gay person if it conflicts with their religious beliefs. 

18) I think the same office should still issue the marriage license albeit by another staff member. 

19) I don't think the person who refused should lose their job. 

20) I think there should be some supervisory discussions about how to handle this issue without a media circus. It's not that difficult. I can think of dozens of ways to handle this and I am certain most rational people could have done the same. 

21) Mainstream media is not about telling the truth and is about dividing us. That's the only reason this got so much attention. 

22) We need to stop falling for it. We are better than this. 

23) The bathroom law story is proof of media distortion. Do your homework. We were lied to. 

24) I believe that most people know what bathroom they should use and even if they are transitioning genders, they know. 

25) I think this debacle is more about the federal government seizing control over the states than it is about the rights of transgender. They were pawns in this mess, and have been used. 

26) Now that the hole has been dug, the only solution is going to be a third bathroom for transgender.

27) Even this would not make everyone happen. 

28) Sensible solutions won't happen and laws will be passed that will create more division and chaos. 

29) Federalism would squash these types of issues entirely but most people have no idea what that is. 

30) Our education system is failing us and we are becoming dumber as a nation.

31) This is either on purpose or coincidental depending on what conspiracy theory you believe. 

32) Regardless, we are able to change course and we don't have to fall into this pit. It's our choice.

33) I support your right to trash talk my country and not stand during the national anthem.

34) I'm going to call you a piece of shit and refuse to support you in every way I possibly can. 

35) Both are examples of freedom. 

36) I believe that people have done terrible things in the name of religion.

37) I believe that people have done some incredibly kind things in the name of religion.

38) I don't believe all Muslims are terrorists. 

39) I believe (most) terrorists are Muslim. 

40) I don't think it's unreasonable to halt immigration until a better vetting process is established.

41) Despite propaganda, this isn't "anti-American" and in fact has historical precedent. 

42) I don't believe there is a job in existence that an American "won't do." 

43) We don't need immigration anyway, unless we need to fill jobs. Skilled workers. Doctors. Scientists. Engineers. Teachers. Etc. Immigration is supposed to enrich our culture, not import one. 

44) There's a job shortage. We have an immigrant surplus. Time to shut off the supply. 

45) Nothing about this position is racist or unkind. It's pro-American. 

46) I care about my fellow citizens first and foremost. If you don't love America, then leave. At the very least shut up and enjoy the bounty of tremendous opportunity you have here and be respectful of the rest of us that love our country.

47) It's insanity to bring in massive numbers of refugees from countries where terrorists have embedded themselves and declared they will exploit this process.

48) I believe we can still provide humanitarian support to the refugees, albeit in their own countries by creating "safe zones" protected by our military forces along with coalition support. 

49) If you are in college and think you need a "safe zone" because your feelings are hurt or you are "triggered" by something someone said, you should be sent to Syria for a few days to see what the need for a safe place really looks like. For crying out loud, grow a set.

50) I support the second amendment. Yes, I am angry at the senseless shootings. Know how to stop them? Arm yourselves. The bad guys are always going to get guns. Learn to shoot back. Gun free zones don't work. Police can't be everywhere. To the kids at UT protesting campus carry with sex toys, which would you rather have if a shooter came to your classroom? A dildo or a handgun? 

God help us.