Interest or not

Tag: politics

  • Commentary on US Veteran Jason Watson

    Jason Watson is a 17 year US Military Veteran. United States may always need more Americans to join the Military. Members of the US Military serve to protect United States and our interests foreign and domestic. This is a noble and honorable cause. The Men and Women of the US Military train rigorously to protect Americans at all times on land and at sea and in outer space. In an ideal world every member of the US Military will complete their service safe and sound and honorably discharged from duty. The world isn’t ideal and United States isn’t ideal.

    Members of the US Military have fought relentlessly to defend our interests and our fellow Americans at home and on foreign soil and over 250 years many have lost their lives and paid the ultimate sacrifice protecting United States.

    As a US Citizen born in Colorado and growing up in United States I’ve grown to love my freedom and know that freedom isn’t free. I don’t take freedom for granted and know that my freedom and the freedom of my fellow Americans have a lot to do with the brave men and women of the US Military who are at work day and night every day of the year.

    This July 1st Veteran Jason Watson ended his Military career when he spoke up for what he believes in. Jason Watson spoke about political matters above and beyond what is considered acceptable to do by members of the US Military. Mr. Watson’s speech went above and beyond what his career trained him to do. While Mr. Watson’s speech excluded himself from being in the Military it did not change his status as an American US Citizen. Mr. Watson deserves all the protection and rights the Constitution gives other US Citizen’s.

    Politics is a slippery slope and by entering political debate you’re either winning or losing. The political debate Mr. Watson entered is fierce. Americans on both sides of the isle and independents are surely debating what to do about Mr. Watson relating to his July 1st speech.

    I would like to see Mr. Watson live in peace and comfort and free to live his life to the fullest. These are my hopes and wishes for him.

  • A worthy reason to migrate

    While it makes sense to be financially prepared before moving to another country, having enough money to migrate to another country is not possible for many men women and children escaping oppression and violence by the hands of the government where they are from. Weather and environmental hazards such as Earthquakes as an example can be just as devastating reason to migrate in some situations.

    In the United States Americans work hard for the freedoms we have. US is financially the wealthiest country on Earth. US has the most powerful military on Earth. Americans can travel to many countries around the world and feel a sense of security that many people in foreign countries can’t travel to and don’t feel the same sense of security when visiting.

    This freedom Americans experience when traveling internationally has much to do with allies we’ve created with foreign governments over many generations and US military presence in many foreign countries.

    This is good for US Citizens traveling on vacation, to work and when migrating to a foreign country. Our strongest allies share some of the same freedoms Americans have when it comes to traveling the world.

    Border security around United States is very important. Keeping border security strong along international borders keeps unwanted people out of United States and helps US authorities know who where and when Americans leave US and return to US.

    As the country with the most financial wealth and the most powerful military Americans have a large responsibility and would be wise to use our power very carefully at our international borders and when on vacation, working and migrating to a foreign country.

    The total number of people living in United States is 4.2% of the total number of people on Earth. One statistic indicates the total number of people on Earth is 8.2 billion. Approximately 349 million of humanity as a whole are living in United States. The rest of humanity living outside of United States are approximately seven billion eight hundred fifty five million six hundred thousand humans.

    Americans are better off focusing on helping our citizens living in US and solving our problems in our country. When it comes to helping citizens of foreign countries Americans can do a lot of good. Knowing where to send foreign aid is a controversy. US are not allies with every foreign country. In fact we are in a violent conflict with the foreign government of the country of Iran for example. Until there is lasting peace between US and Iran it doesn’t make sense to attack them and to send them foreign aid at the same time.

    Terrorism is an ongoing threat to Americans in US and around the world. US are not allies with every foreign country. Foreign countries such as Russia and North Korea for examples have tepid relations at best with US. This has to do with wars US was in with these countries in the past. And with the war Russia is in with Ukraine our ally. The Korean war ended a long time ago. The cold war ended not as long ago. Those wars are both over and done. Still, relations between US and these foreign countries are not at ease.

    While most destinations on Earth are safe for Americans to travel to there are many human destinations that are not safe for Americans. Before planning to travel to a foreign country you might want to check with the US Embassy of the foreign country and learn travel advice to the country as a whole and to specific destinations in the country.

    Chaos from violence against other people and chaos from weather hazards continue in United States and around the world. Weather hazards and violence against other people displace men women and children every day all around the world. The US Government can only accomplish so much to alleviate loss of life from hazardous weather. Hazardous weather is not always predictable and often surprising to everyone it effects. Sometimes violence is the answer to win a war. To uplift people from an oppressive government violence might be the answer.

    Voting doesn’t effect the weather however voting to put more money into building architecture that is more secure against the effects of hazardous weather helps save lives. Voting doesn’t stop a violent act but voting to make sure there’s enough money to hire and employ police to work in a community saves lives.

    There are locations around the world that look like some of United States most dangerous neighborhoods. Reasons a neighborhood is dangerous are many and often have to do with the history of the neighborhood and the government of the country of the neighborhood. Political instability often leads to a poor economy. A country that has been in war after war for many generations might have a very fragile economy.

    In United States what a strong economy is and what a fragile economy is, have many definitions made by many Americans. Typically the political party in power says they are making the economy stronger from shambles an apposing political party left it in. This changes every 4 to 8 years.

    I urge the Trump Administration to let Venezuelan citizens who are trying to leave the rubble of their homes from the very recent Earthquakes in Venezuela a welcome to live and work in safety and invite to migrate to US.

  • Love, Hate, Peace and War

    As a straight white man I have a lot of privilege that other Americans do not. I don’t hold hate in my heart for people who are different than me. Guarding my peace is more important to me than becoming enraged at someone else with a different life experience.

    I believe that humanity is at it’s best when people accept others for who they are and as Tim Walz said, “mind their own business” when it comes to issues like two consenting adults in love regardless of their gender, and when it comes to the issue of women having the legal right to make their own reproductive health care decisions safely and without repercussion from the Government.

    Much of the privilege I have is based in a historical context. In US White men were the only citizens who could vote for many years before women, black and native American people were allowed to vote. Thank God we no longer live by those barbaric laws.

    Freedom is not free and it doesn’t mean as a US Citizen I have reason to hate another human for how and where they were brought into life and where in the world they live. I believe peace is achieved through strength when leaders of countries look to their citizens’ shared similarities and for ways to work together internationally.

    Growing up as a citizen in a nation with the most lethal military is a mixed blessing. I’m grateful for the feeling of safety I have in the US and when I travel internationally and because US has the most powerful military is not a reason for the military to engage in combat anywhere in the world. Sovereign nations do better for their citizens and for the world when working towards peace without conflict that leads to violence.

    Unfortunately peace on Earth is not the reality in every country and region. It never has been and to some extent probably never will. Still, I choose to work towards peace apposed to building weapons and training to fight. I am grateful for the men and women in US Military who make it possible for me to live in peace and their battle whether in preparation for combat and when in combat is not my battle. I don’t provoke foreign nations and I don’t start fights. I’m good at avoiding violence. My ability to avoid violence doesn’t mean that I don’t care about who wins in a fight. I want the good guy to win in a fight whether violence decides who wins, and in civil fights in court.

    I am a middle age man and have learned there are two sides on a coin and two sides to a story. Choosing heads or tails on a coin toss often decides how a game will start. Stories are not as straight forward as a coin toss. A story might involve two people and affect many people. A story might involve one and more families and affect millions of people. A story might be about a country and have an effect on many other nations.

    The more characters in a story makes for more outcomes. Not everyone wins. Many stories are about love and about comedy and have nothing to do with violence. Even in a story that has violence a lesson can be learned. That is life and life is worth living.

    I think the decision for the US military to enter into conflict with Iran was made in haste. The argument to start a war against Iran is weak. I doubt Iran would have enriched their nuclear material to a point where they would have made a nuclear weapon. I worry that the war US instigated against Iran is a beginning of a larger global conflict that could come to be WW3.

  • WAR

    The war against Iran is stressing me out. I haven’t been able to sleep at night well for the last three nights. The last time I felt this stressed was when I was homeless.

    I don’t like that the news calls it the war with Iran. The war is clearly against Iran. US and Israel instigated and started the war against Iran.

    I feel like we’ve just begun the war against Iran and it is in it’s infancy.

    I wanted to believe that the mistle strike at an Iranian girls school was propaganda. That’s what I thought at first. I’ve watched the story in the news and now I believe Iran’s version of the story that it was a US mistle that blew up a girls school in Iran. According to US news the intel was outdated and the school was near an Iranian military base. I don’t believe that the US intentionally targeted the Iranian school with a mistle but non the less the US did strike the Iranian school with a mistle.

    As much as 175 Iranian girls died in a mistle strike launched by the US military. This is unacceptable. President Donald Trump is denying that the US military launched a mistle at a girls school in Iran. I don’t trust Trumps word.

    I am against the war. I want the war to end. The war has killed over 1000 Iranians and cost the US $1 billion dollars per day. The US has already spent over 30 billion dollars on the war. Over 50,000 US military personnel are in the middle east. The next phase of the war is near. The next phase of the war could change from mistle and drone and air force strikes against Iran to the US military to include US troops on the ground in Iran to fight Iran’s military.

  • Small and large decisions

    If you are a US Citizen and age 18 and older you can vote and I encourage you to vote. The first time I voted I was 18. I’ve voted in every presidential election since and in many local elections.

    You can keep who you voted for a secret. It’s your vote and not someone else’s. While elected politicians and Americans campaigning to get elected are known for their politics, citizens with no interest in becoming a politician are encouraged to voice their thoughts and opinions about local and national politics and on how US Politicians agendas effect foreign countries in the world around us.

    I care about my neighborhood, community, State, this Nation and about what Americans do around the world. This is why I voice my opinion near and far.

    As an American and US Citizen you are free to express yourself and speak up for what you believe in. This is a fundamental freedom Americans have, and it is important for us to share our thoughts and opinions throughout life.

    I believe a good politician doesn’t rely on their label as a Democrat or label as a Republican or label as an Independent and instead leads by setting a good example. A person’s character is more important than the name of their political party.

    People who want you to succeed and live a happy healthy life will encourage you to speak up when you want.

    Every story has a beginning, middle and end. And in every story, there is a challenge, whether it is small or large. Whether you are at the beginning of your story, in the middle of it or near the end play an active role. Learn from other people who have realized the results you want to achieve and remember to trust your gut instinct.

    Everything I’ve written in this post may seem obvious to some although not enough people understand and utilize these basic inalienable rights we have as Americans.

    If everyone around you makes your decisions you could be a prisoner locked in a cell. When to wake up, when to sleep, when and what to eat, when and where to move are all dictated by prison guards.

    Critical decision-making skills are learned as a young child grows into an adult and throughout life. At some point most elderly people need to rely more and more on younger generations to help them live healthy lives in peace and comfort. A lifetime of good decision making makes living a long healthy and happy life in peace and comfort possible for seniors and the oldest people alive.

    Surround yourself with safe healthy people who actively make your neighborhood, community, this nation and the world a better place to live.

  • Two countries, two leaders, two agendas

    I turned 48 years old just over one week ago. If I was thirty years younger I’d be a little concerned about being drafted into the US Military. Today is March 6th 2026. I’m not overly worried about US Citizens being forced to join the Military. I don’t know a lot about the Military. I tried to enroll in the Military once when I was 30 years old and homeless and turned away due to mental health weaknesses.

    I learned from searching Google there are over 2 million men and women serving in active duty and reserve duty in the Military. 750,000 to 775,000 of those men and women serving in the Military are in reserve duty. Most of the men and women serving in the Military are serving in active duty. That doesn’t mean that every man and woman serving in active duty in the Military will be sent to a foreign country. That doesn’t mean that every man and woman serving in active duty in the Military will travel to and fight in combat.

    Being the most lethal military on Earth has some to do with perception. Perception we have as Americans and the perception foreign nations have about the US Military are we are the most lethal military on Earth. That’s the story shared in new reports from reporters communicating directly with members of the US Government for many years. While US is a super power so are China and Russia and North Korea and none of those countries are our closest allies.

     I firmly believe that most men and women in the Military will never fight in combat. Many of the men and women in the military serve on ships and submarines and in fighter jets. Members of the military operating ships, submarines and fighter jets and bomber airplanes are often the first men and women called to fight in a war. The understanding is that American lives are saved when we kill our enemies from a safe distance with bombs and mistles and drones.

     My understanding watching as a civilian from a safe distance at home in the US on news reports is that men and women in the military are asked to serve in combat missions less and when that happens it is more often to help manage foreign civilians in a foreign country United States is at war with.

     This doesn’t mean that there are no American casualties when USA is at war. US fighter jets have been shot out of the sky and the pilots have not always been able to parachute to safety and have died in combat. American ships and submarines have been sunk by foreign militaries that have killed nearly everyone on board in the past. Often in war many lives are lost.

     While being drafted to join the Military has been forced on US Citizens in the past, I doubt that will happen again. Americans are continually joining the Military and continually being honorably discharged from the Military. No one wants to die in war and that is one of the sacrifices the men and women of the US Military have done and prepare themselves to do. This is called the ultimate sacrifice.

    I think the Trump Administration would be wise to create some distance between Israel and US interests. Currently Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will kill the new leader of Iran. At the same time Trump is saying he want’s to help pick the new leader of Iran. This puts Trump and Netanyahu at odds. This is not wise.

    US and Israel are the two main aggressors in the war against Iran. US and Israel do not fight side by side. The leaders of our separate nations have different agendas regarding the next leader of Iran.

    If all Israel sees is blood in their eyes towards a leader of Iran and USA wants to help choose who the next leader of Iran is that is a conflict of interest.

    It makes sense that different countries have different agendas and as allies US and Israel should get on the same page that the next leader of Iran should be a leader who works towards peace in Iran and in the Middle East to include peace with Israel and with USA.

    Israel needs to forgive and forget and learn that for there to be lasting peace in Iran and no threats from Iran, Iran needs to have a leader who will guide their people in peace. For Iran to be at peace and not threaten other countries Iranian civilians need to know that they and their leader are not threatened by Israel and USA.

    May peace prevail.

  • Peering through social media

    I’m witnessing safe here at home in USA on my phone, messages videos, and news reports of destruction and violence in Mexico. It’s sad to see the chaos that is unfolding in Mexico. A crime boss was killed by the Mexican Military, and the chaos is in response to the death of their crime boss.

    Now is not a good time to travel to Mexico. It’s not safe in Mexico even for Mexican citizens. Criminals in Mexico are burning property and causing chaos to intimidate Mexicans and everyone in Mexico who are not involved in crime.

    Now that the crime boss is dead, I’m guessing that the criminals are experiencing an identity crisis. The criminals have no leader. Without a leader they’ve lost control. The most profitable criminal activity in Mexico is probably the trafficking of cocaine to United States.

    It’s sad to watch the destruction and violence even safe from a distance. I’m glad I don’t use illegal drugs anymore. I’m glad I’m no longer an addict. I’m glad I no longer associate with criminals. I’m glad I know no criminals in the community I live in.

    I’ve been sober for almost 13 years. I moved halfway across the US to a different State and community away from the criminal activity and criminals I associated with when I was an addict.

    It’s good to be here. Safe and sound.

    In the long run, possibly many years from now cocaine will become legal to consume in United States. If that happened, it could be controlled and taxed similar to how marijuana became legal in many States in United States. The quality would be controlled, and it would be less dangerous. Age limits would be required to purchase cocaine, and less youth would become addicted to it.

    Deaths and violence from the transportation and use of cocaine would decrease. These are positive things that would happen with legalization of cocaine in US.

    In Mexico south all the way to South America the legalization of cocaine in the US would have a ripple effect south of the US border. Crime south of the US border would decrease. Violence and killings south of the US border would decrease.

    I am not sympathetic to criminals, and I am not sympathetic to the crimes they commit. Illegal drugs are illegal for good reasons. Addiction causes many problems to the user and to everyone transporting and selling the drug all the way from where the drug was grown and manufactured.

    Legalizing cocaine won’t stop people from becoming addicts. Legalizing cocaine would not stop people from overdosing and dyeing from consuming it. Legalizing cocaine would reduce overdoses and deaths from consuming cocaine.

    I am for reducing overdoses and reducing deaths due to the consumption of cocaine. I am for the Government to control cocaine. I believe that the best way for the Government to control cocaine is by changing the laws around cocaine.

    If it was legal for adults to possess a small amount of cocaine in the US for recreational purposes on private property, the trafficking of cocaine would have to be controlled and legalized. There would have to be a retail store where the quality of the drug was controlled and only sold in small quantities to adults. The retail store could only be licensed to operate by the Government in a commercial property zone not near any school.

    I knew from being an addict to cocaine for many years that intimidation and paranoia were reasons why I would continue to seek out a drug dealer. Being addicted to cocaine ruined my physical and mental health. Over years I spent many thousands of dollars buying cocaine I consumed. I was often paranoid. I  risked my health and safety and the health and safety of others every time I bought and used cocaine.

    There was no safe place to buy cocaine. The drug dealer was often intimidating and threatening. There was no guarantee that the cocaine I bought wasn’t mixed with a dangerous toxin making it more dangerous and more detrimental to my health. I risked my freedom every time I bought cocaine.

    Every time a person buys an illegal drug they are actively involved in crime. Every time a person possesses an illegal drug they are actively involved in crime.

    Crime is not the answer. Being around illegal activity is bad news. It’s important that illegal substances are controlled by the Government and there are better ways.

  • A wet noodle

    Mike Johnson’s reaction to taking responsibility for being the political party to investigate and prosecute co-conspirators to Epstein’s acts of pedophilia is that of a wet noodle.

    Mike Johnson first blames Democrats for not doing anything to prosecute criminals for four years under Biden then his attitude changes from blaming Democrats to the attitude of a wet noodle as if there is nothing to do. No back bone. No Spine.

    Mike Johnson basically said look at this mess the Democrats left us with while making zero initiative to investigate and prosecute the criminals now that the bipartisan effort forced the DOJ to release the Epstein files.

    Mike Johnson acts like a puppet for Donald Trump echoing every opinion Trump shares in the media.

    Trump says the Epstein files are a Democratic led hoax and Mike Johnson backs Trump by saying it’s all Democrats fault.

    Mike Johnson doesn’t want to get fired and agrees at work with everything Trump said to the media. Speaker of the house Mike Johnson has shown he’ll bend over backwards to please Trump.

    The same goes with Karoline Leavitt. Karoline Leavitt doesn’t speak her own thoughts and her own opinions at work, she regurgitates at a podium Donald Trumps most recent expressions to the media.

    I don’t blame the speaker of the house and the press secretary for being loyal to their leader. I blame them for only speaking at work their versions of their leaders thoughts and opinions.

    A problem with the Trump Administration is that Trump likes to entertain Americans and when there are serious decisions to be made often his decisions cause a lot of heart ache and troubles for very many Americans not amused with Trumps form of entertainment.

    The only thing more powerful than hate is love.

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1963 book Strength to Love

    “Bad Bunny” Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio 2026 Super Bowl Halftime performance message

  • America

    I want it all to go away. The hate, the fascism, the lies, the warrantless detaining of Americans, the disappearing of my fellow Americans, the corruption, the intimidation, Trump and his team of goons, all of it, gone. That’s what I want. I want Trump to be held accountable and locked in prison for many years for his many, many crimes against Americans and for being complicit in wars against humanity.

     I don’t want to wait three years for this to happen. I want Trump removed from office now. ICE has caused so much heartache, deaths and separation of honest hardworking families in our country. ICE needs to be toned down by 80%. I want the mass murders and killings to stop. Immigrants make America great.

    I am considered a blue dot, a Democrat in a Republican county with more red dots, more republicans. It makes me sick to see all the hatred Americans have for their fellow Americans. It makes me sick to see the hatred and killings in the news every time I turn on the television.

    The United States are led by an authoritarian fascist tyrannical Government. It’s disgusting. ICE are a bunch of racist thugs who hide their faces from their victims. This is not the America I grew up in. This is not the America I’ve lived in for 48 years.

    This new form of Government is pitting people against each other, causing chaos and unrest. It’s very sad to watch videos of Americans scared for themselves, their families and their children, scared of the Government. It’s sad to witness all the destruction and erosion of trust that has come from Trump in power. I wish I could do something to help people who are being targeted by the Government.

     I wish I could tell them they are safe and can resume going about their lives normally again. It’s traumatic what the Government are doing to it’s own people. All Trump does is lie, he’s an actor and a bad one at that. He says people are being paid to protest and that is a lie.

    The murder of Renee Good by ICE agent Jon Ross feels like a tipping point. America, United States is deeply wounded. The bloodshed needs to stop. The violence and bigotry and racism needs to stop.

     Peacefull protestors have been detained and arrested, tear gassed and shot with rubber bullets. These are difficult times. America is not respected around the world like we have been in the past. America is feared and laughed at and people of safer more law-abiding countries look at us and are sad to see this country in such disarray.

    Trump is making United States an enemy on the world stage. An enemy of countries around the globe. Trump is a crooked old man a racist and a bigot and a danger to Americans everywhere.

    Remember to vote. By voting we’ll impeach Trump. By voting we’ll elect a good leader into office with a new Administration. A respectful leader who looks out for Americans and welcomes immigrants to this country. A leader who will work for all of us. An honorable leader.

    Today is January 15th 2026 and most of the year is ahead of us. It’s not going to be easy. There will be many difficulties ahead of us. Americans need to come together and work together and get Trump out of office. Trump must be held accountable. 

    In November are the mid-term elections and our chance to regain control of the house of representatives and regain control of the Senate and regain control of Congress.

    There is a lot of hard work a head of us. Hard work is good work. Hard work is honest work. Together we can unite this nation and pull it out of the rubble and ash the current Administration is responsible for and rise up strong and bright and lead with freedom for the people.

    We can lead with respect and with dignity. We can lead with generosity and care. We can overcome and take back our country from the evil grip holding onto it. We will overcome.

    We will lead with intelligence and restraint and respect for people’s differences. We will lead by respecting women’s rights and respecting women’s rights to make their own health care decisions and their own decisions about reproduction.

    We will encourage people to vote and to get an education. We will encourage people to better themselves and look out for people in their community. We will make health care affordable.

    We will extract our military from foreign countries where we are not needed. We will stop funding foreign wars. We will protect our citizens. We will accept that climate change is real and work with industry to reduce pollution in America and everywhere around the world where we are responsible for it.

    We will remove corrupt politicians from power and lock them in prison. America and United States will become a better place to live and raise a family. A better country to invest in and a better country to migrate to.

     We will reduce gun violence and make it a crime for private citizens to own weapons designed for the military. We will make background checks on the purchase of guns and rifles stronger and universal in United States. We will encourage diversity in the workplace and in our communities.

    We will make it easier for every day Americans to compete in business and make it easier to start and run a business. We will make the wealthiest Americans pay more taxes. We will learn to respect and encourage our GLBTQ members of our communities. We will learn to respect Trans men and women and make life easier for them.

     We will honor our past and write clear honest records of our history. We will respect native Americans and ensure that they have equal opportunities to live the American dream. We will take care of homeless people and create more opportunities for homeless people to move into housing. We will fight crime and fight addiction.

    We will make it easier for people with mental health problems to get treatment and support. We will lower the cost of prescription drugs. Just like the Trump Administration has transformed the US economy, the look and feel of what it is to be American, Democrats will transform the US economy making it a better safer place to live and making it feel better and look better and more enjoyable to live.

  • Louder than words

    I’ve been sober for almost 12 years. Sobriety is a blessing I am thankful for everyday. Before getting sober I was addicted to cocaine and methamphetamine. I was severely addicted for years and spent many thousands of dollars on my addiction. My addiction to illegal drugs reduced my health significantly. I made bad decisions over and over again. I put myself in danger every time I met a drug dealer and I put my loved ones at risk because of the bad decisions I was making. One of the bad decisions I made during that time was to stop taking my medication for my mental health. My mental health spiraled out of control. I closed my business and with no income my savings were soon gone. I could not afford to renew my lease on my home and was soon homeless.

    That was 10 years ago. While I was homeless for six years I rarely had money and when I did have money it was usually no more than $20. I stayed sober while I was homeless which helped me survive. Still I was not taking medication for my mental health and stubbornly apposed taking medication despite my parents and sisters urging me to take medication. I got back into housing 4.5 years ago because the police intervened. I was placed in a psychiatric hospital where I began my recovery. I’ve been taking my medication every day since the intervention when I started to recover.

    These days I lease an apartment. I went back to work part time. I have a pet dog. I have a car. I am disabled and can work part time and keep SSDI. I hope to go back to work full time and get off SSDI. My mental health condition is considered a life long condition that is expected to deteriorate over time. I’ll need to take higher doses of my medication to manage myself at some point. Taking a higher dose of medication is well worth living independently.

    Cocaine and Methamphetamine are dangerous drugs, highly addictive, illegal and are responsible for many deaths every year. People lose their lives when they are addicted to drugs. People become incarcerated when they are using drugs. People are exposed to violence and gangs and cartels and low lives who are a danger to themselves and others when they do drugs.

    I’m inspired to write about my struggles using illegal drugs after watching a news report on television about the capture of Nicolas Maduro. There will always be people who say that he is a good man and there will always be people who say that he was the leader of not only Venezuela but also a cartel responsible for many violent deaths and the trafficking and distribution of cocaine.

    Cocaine comes from Peru and Columbia. Venezuela is in route between those countries and USA. Venezuela is also a very large source of oil. Weather the capture of Nicolas Madura and inevitable regime change in Venezuela is about stopping cocaine from getting to USA or improving business conditions for oil to be shipped to USA or both I’m not going to argue about any of those.

    I hope the regime change in Venezuela brings peace and stability to the Venezuelan people and that a democratically elected leader comes into power in the foreign country. I hope no one loses their life in the regime change and US Military are not brought in further to run Venezuela.

    People use cocaine and it’s bad news. People will continue to use cocaine and their demand for the supply of cocaine from Peru and Columbia will continue to spread bad news and bad outcomes for everyone involved. The problem starts in Peru and Columbia where the plant grows and is processed all the way in the trafficking of it to the person whether they are using it for the first time or are addicted to the drug.

    People joke about illegal drugs, wishing that they were legal. When I was using illegal drugs I joked about the topic of legalizing illegal drugs. It’s not funny. Cocaine and  Methamphetamine are deadly and cause chaos in every corner and every turn.

    I can’t go back in time and turn down illegal drugs. It’s a part of my past and the past doesn’t change. I survived. I quit using illegal drugs. I let go of everyone I knew who used and sold illegal drugs. I moved half way across USA to a community new to me where I know none of those bad influences. They exist. I see people in public struggling with addiction. I see people lying on the ground in public overdosed on fentanyl. The problem remains and I keep a safe distance from it.

    Using illegal drugs is selfish. It’s a selfish act. It puts the user in danger and the act of buying illegal drugs encourages the whole supply chain that is fraught with deception and hiding from the law and hidden agendas.

    The problems surrounding cocaine effect people of all ages and all races and all levels of economic prosperity and economic hardship. If you are struggling with addiction to illegal drugs there is help. People want to help you. Safe people in safe neighborhoods want to help you. People living law abiding lives want to help you. People want to see you overcome your addiction and leave it in the past. People want to see you healthy and happy. People want to see you in control of your life. People want to see you succeed. People want to see you safe and secure and healthy. Quitting illegal drugs is an action. It’s louder than words.