Interest or not

Tag: news

  • Kill em with kindness

    Remember this, just because someone didn’t go to or graduate from college doesn’t make them MAGA. Trump the man child resonating with uneducated Americans is not about stupidity. Stupid and uneducated are not the same.

    Uneducated people have a moral compass, care about people who are different than themselves, care about immigrants, equality, LGBTQ+ individuals and the environment. Trump used threats and fear to rally support. College educated people are better prepared at responding to threats and a fear-based person attempting to lead and that’s a big reason why we didn’t vote for Trump.

    Calling people stupid doesn’t win them over, it doesn’t encourage them to think for themselves. When a person is called stupid over and over again, they respond to threats and fear in unhealthy ways when undereducated Americans voted for Trump.

    The way forward is to not insult Americans and to not call Americans stupid. The way to vote better leaders into office is by encouraging Americans to be better people and think for themselves.

    We are stuck with Trump for another year. If we impeach Trump next year we need all the support we can get, that includes treating MAGA with emotional support and encouragement to impeach.

    Calling people stupid and saying MAGA is a cult doesn’t support their ability to make a resounding vote by Americans to impeach. Forgiving the vote for Trump is the way to encourage MAGA to vote and elect better officials.

    The majority of American voters responding to Trump had to do with preexisting problems in American entertainment. What Americans consider entertainment apposed to what Americans consider cruelty is a big problem. Calling people dumb and stupid is not entertaining; it perpetuates fear and is threatening.

    Encourage undereducated Americans to impeach Trump by being kind. Lead with compassion and with care towards Americans regardless of who they voted for.

    Stand up for yourself and others. Speak out against tyranny and authoritarianism. Speak up for immigrants and the environment and against Trump. I believe it would be difficult to forgive Trump for deporting a law-abiding American immigrant member of your family. There is a lot of hate and rage about Trump for doing this.

    Center the hate and rage in your core and melt it into compassion. Fight hate with kindness, This is how we will overcome.

    Kill Em With kindness

  • One good consumer

    I’ve been an active consumer since I started buying things on my own as a young boy many years ago. About 99% of the things I buy are at a set price. That means 1% of what I buy the price is negotiable. I can’t remember the last time I bought something and negotiated the price of the thing with the seller. I was probably on vacation in Costa Rica and talked down the seller from their asking price for a piece of their art on sale in an open air market.

     Sometimes I buy vegetables and fruit from local farms at the weekly open air market in town. The prices are always listed and I’m buying for me and not a large crowd of people so there’s no reason to negotiate a lower price for a large purchase of vegetables. Expecting a set price is normal market behavior when buying in person in stores in U.S. The same applies when buying things on the internet. I buy things for me and not for a large number of people.

    Politicians in Washington D.C. often have to negotiate the cost of a law they want to implement with the other side of the aisle. Their negotiations on a cost of putting a law into action effects US Citizens in US and US Citizens living around the world. Their negotiations effect everyone living in US including illegal immigrants. Currently in Washington D.C. the top order of the day every day until the Government reopens is the amount of money needed in the budget to reopen the Government for a specific amount of time.

     Negotiations are ongoing. When the Government reopens it will come with a future date when new negotiations on a budget to fund the Government will require an agreement by both sides of the aisle. That’s what a budget is, a specific amount of money to spend in a specific amount of time.

     Both sides of the aisle are on different sides of the argument regarding illegal immigrants. Republicans are saying Democrats want to provide free health care to illegal immigrants. It’s a lie. Democrats know that illegal immigrants in US are not eligible to receive health insurance.

    While most US Citizens have a health care policy every US Citizen does not. Health care and health insurance are not the same. Care is not insurance and insurance is not care. Having health insurance is very important and it’s not the same as being cared for by a health care worker.

     A health insurance policy is an agreement between a insurance company and health care workers and the individual who’s health insurance policy’s name is in. As an American I care for my fellow Americans. My care is not that of a health care worker. I write. I write about people, places and things.

     US Citizens are American and not every American are a US Citizen. America reaches from the US State of Alaska in North America going through the foreign country of Canada to US all the way down to the foreign country of Costa Rica in Central America to the foreign country of Chile in South America. People from America are Americans. America is much larger than the country United States.

     Where you’re from matters and why you’re in United States matters. Whether you were born in US or migrated here from a foreign country matters. How you came to US matters. Why you’re here matters and what you’re doing here matters. If you are in US illegally our forces are working to bring you to justice. Democrats and Republicans disagree on many topics, it seems to be in our nature to disagree with the party on the other side of the aisle. If you are a US Citizen research, learn, ask questions, get informed, pick a political party or be independent. It’s your choice, up to you to choose and your right as a US Citizen to support a candidate and vote for them.

  • I’m very glad that Barack Obama was POTUS for eight consecutive years. The fact goes to show that Americans can and do show humanity. While before Obama was president there were many successful Black Americans in business, with US Government careers and in entertainment it was Obama who rose to the highest office in the nation. For the first time an official representing the Black minority led the country. Before Obama was POTUS there was more intimidation minorities experienced when it came to leadership roles in the US Government and business. Black entertainers have had a solid foothold in American culture for many generations but the farther you look back in history, Black people and people of many other minorities working in entertainment were subjugated to smaller roles and reduced pay and often received roles that portrayed the individual as uneducated and unintelligent.

     I am Generation X and grew up learning how Martin Luther King united Americans around US and was a humanitarian leader people around the world celebrated. MLK is no longer with us. MLK has been no longer with us for many years. It was good news for Americans and for humanity when Barack Obama was elected POTUS. Barack Obama became not only a leader of Black people but a leader of Americans and a global leader for humanity. America and US has done a lot of healing since Obama’s Presidency from 2008-2016. For the first time minorities around US looked to a leader that represented everyone.

    While there were many Americans and US Citizens who did not vote for Obama and did not want him to be POTUS and were discouraged with Obama leading US and America, more US Citizens voted for him and were glad he was leading the country. Power struggles are part of life. There are always people and groups and individuals trying to have the most power and control. That is human nature and that is an aspect of humanity.

     The current POTUS Donald Trump is unique and original like every POTUS throughout history. Donald Trump leads Americans and the US and appeals more to white people. White people are the cultural majority in United States. Having a white American as POTUS is not new. Every POTUS throughout US history was white accept Obama. More and more over time white US Citizens make up less of the population.

     I grew up in a predominately white community in US. That was normal to me. At 26 I moved to Los Angeles California where I experienced for the first time living in a very culturally diverse city. I was excited, and I was challenged. It was challenging to be around and meet people from different cultures most of the time. White people are a minority in Los Angeles. I was not used to residing in the community as a minority and living as a minority when I was in public. Deep down inside I felt threatened. I felt threatened that most of the people I saw and met skin color was darker than mine. I felt uncomfortable when I passed through a largely gay neighborhood.

    In truth what I perceived as threats were not threats at all and were challenges of living in a community new to me and very different than where I am from and very far away from the community I was born into. I moved far away from Los Angeles since and am grateful for the challenges I experienced living in Southern California. Overcoming challenges makes an individual stronger. While living in a culturally diverse community could present challenges for people from smaller communities with less diversity, cities are a part of life on Earth and civilization as we know it. Cities tend to be more culturally diverse than towns.

     I would not trade my past living in the city for the world. Living in the city has to do with who I am today. Moving far away from where you were brought up is challenging for everyone who embarks on the adventure. Every adventure does not end in success. What’s normal in one place is considered strange and unheard of in another place. The financially wealthiest people on Earth are challenged when moving to live and reside in a community far away from where they were brought up. Many people never move far from where they were brought up. Often when someone moves away into a community that is new to them it is for a work opportunity that did not exist where they are from.

     Other times the reason to move is greater than a new work opportunity. The reason to move might involve romance, adventure, being in a new place and meeting people in a community beyond the same faces and places where a person is brought up. Be careful out there.

  • Old Glory

    My post today is about ways to be an American United States Citizen and be proud of who you are while being sensitive to people around the world who do not have freedoms Americans do. First of all, Freedom isn’t free. People around the world should feel free to live in the country where they were born. Even in United States this freedom to live in US when you were born in US is being questioned.

    If a US Citizen breaks the law I think they should be held accountable and brought to justice. I don’t think they should be deported. The idea that US Citizens could be deported makes no sense. Dual citizens for example of United States and Mexico have more freedoms to live and travel between both countries. This might seem like a great freedom but in fact it means much more. If you are a dual citizen of US and Mexico it is inferred that you are loyal to both countries. US and Mexico are allies and we share our southern border. It’s easier for US Citizens to travel back and forth to and from Mexico.

    Mexicans have a more difficult time traveling back and forth between US and Mexico for several reasons. United States economy is stronger that Mexico’s economy. Mexicans often want to migrate to US because of opportunities in US that are not available in Mexico. Americans from as far south as Chile travel north to Mexico trying to migrate to US. When they arrive at the US Mexico border it’s difficult for US Border Patrol to identify what country they are from.

    The US Mexico border is the last line of defense US Citizens have from keeping unwanted Americans out of United States. What makes an American born south of United States border want to migrate to United States include many reasons. Their reasons are not always good enough. Just like any country around the world, United States wants citizens with good reasons to be here. Being born in United States is a good reason to live in US most of the time. By most I mean the vast majority of the population of United States who were born in US deserve the right to live in US.

    US Citizens who live in US and commit a crime should be held accountable and brought to justice that includes serving time in jail or prison in United States. I don’t understand why a US Citizen who is found to have committed a crime would be deported. US soil is precious. US prisons are often overpopulated. It’s still US soil on US land. And people in jail and in prison should serve their time until their sentence is done.

    Be a law abiding citizen is what to do. Many US Citizens break the law and should be held accountable and brought to justice and serve time in jail or prison in US. Many more US Citizens are law abiding. That’s the way to live.

    An American born south of the US border who wants to migrate to US might want to claim political asylum. If the country they fled is killing or mistreating their citizens is a reason a person born in a foreign country might have to apply to US Government claiming political asylum.

    The world overall is safe for people in their own country and that is not the case in every country around the world. Were there are wars citizens of war torn countries have good reasons to leave to a country that accepts them if they are not going to fight back or can’t fight back.

    Americans in US have it good. We are free to live in our country and we are free to travel and migrate to a foreign country. These are precious freedoms. Life is precious.

  • Volunteering feels good. It feels good to help people. At our organization we have volunteer attorneys, volunteer doctors, volunteer dentists and volunteer opticians. Many of our volunteers do not have as prestigious titles at work. Many of our volunteers help in our organization donating food and clothes to people who have a difficult time affording food and people who can rarely afford to buy clothes.

    Here in Southern Oregon I am safe at home. I live in a safe neighborhood. I receive SSDI. I can afford to pay rent and buy groceries. I went back to work part time and am able to save money. The whole truth is when I started volunteering last fall at our organization in the larger community in Rogue Valley my eyes have been opened.

    My part time work is for a temporary work agency. When there is work to be had I can work. Since I started volunteering I signed up for less work opportunities and spent much of my savings. The opening of my eyes to humans in need helps me to volunteer my time with my hands, handing out food and clothes.

     I also see the need to rise up out of relying on SSDI. I spent some of my savings to become a business consultant late last winter. Since becoming a business consultant this Spring I pivoted the designation of my business to advertising. I have a lot of work to do to advertise other businesses in Rogue Valley.

     I need to sign up for more temp work agency jobs to save money. It’s important to save money safe and secure. I choose putting my money I earn directly into my bank account. I don’t have the problems earning money that people I volunteer to help do.

    Yesterday with our organization a group of us volunteers went into the community into a residential neighborhood and knocked on peoples doors canvassing. We signed up new members and filled in forms for our new members who have benefit requests. One new member needs his teeth to be cleaned and needs to meet with a Doctor about his ulcers. Another new member needs clothes. The neighborhood we went into was mixed use. There were some stores and some houses and apartments.

     One apartment we went to on the side of a busy street was barely safe. The way it was designed was so that the living quarters are cramped. The hallway is just big enough to walk single file through, or very carefully around a person walking in the opposite direction. The hallway is narrow. There are cigarette filters all over the floor of the hallway and graffiti on the walls of the hallway. It’s clear that the owner of the land these days the property is on has not put money into the safety of the apartment.

     Graffiti has many purposes. Graffiti can inspire and lift people up and is created with the permission of property owners. Graffiti can also intimidate people and is created without permission to mark territory. The graffiti in the apartment was there to mark the territory.

    The new member we signed up who needs to meet with a doctor is an elderly man, his working days are over. The younger man we signed up as a new member who needs more clothes works in a field.

    Much of the land that is Southern Oregon is an agricultural fortune. Many kinds of food are grown in the region. Grapes and Pears are two of the most grown foods in the region. Most of the Grapes grown in the region are used to make wine. There are many marijuana farms in the region.

    Today I’m going grocery shopping. I’m going to drive to a grocery store and fill a cart with food that will last me through the week. The grocery store I often go to is filled with fresh vegetables and fruit. All the food I need to eat I can buy in the grocery store and take home and fill the kitchen with.

    I feel fortunate living in an environment and neighborhood that is safe where there are no known gangs. Gangs and illegal drugs go hand in hand.

    It’s good to have legitimate work. At the temporary employment agency I get paid over the counter. When I work the money I earn is deposited directly into my bank account. I grew up trusting banks with my money. Some banks have been in news for funding terrorism and for stealing from their account holders. I am confident where I bank my money is safe and secured.

    The organization I volunteer with is one of a kind and one of many sister organizations across the country. We are Northwest Seasonal Workers Association in Medford Oregon.