The Battle at the Border

Can we stop pretending like there is logic behind this stupid Wall?





We can stop pretending it’s because “illegal immigrants are taking away money from legal Americans” because Donald Trump threatened to shut down the entire border (in the midst of a Trump-approved government shutdown) in order to get his wall----which would put millions of jobs and billions of dollars at risk. Rather counter-effective to claim illegals are costing money when you are willing to lynch the stock market to make a point.

We can stop pretending like it’s because of the drugs that are coming over the border because we still won’t address the drug addiction issues facing the United States and the astronomically high number of drug users and drug owners in jail while STILL having astronomically low prisoner numbers for banks and bankers receiving and hiding drug money.

We can stop pretending like it’s because Donald Trump says it’s the only way to successfully protect the border, when he is inches away from an executive action that would actually seal the border without an actual wall if the Democrats don’t budge---which negates his entire point. We can stop pretending it’s because of border security because the Democrats (and even the Republican Senate) actually agreed with increasing border security and even increased the funds to accomplish this (I disagree with this but that’s for another day) and the deal still hasn’t been made.

We can stop pretending that it’s because Donald Trump wants to stop all illegal immigration because he still hasn’t brought up the people flying in from Asian and Middle Eastern countries to become illegals and hasn’t increased funding for homeland security to combat this---and also allowed for a government shutdown which doesn’t hand paychecks to the very same TSA agents and border patrol personnel that helps fight this.

We can stop pretending that it’s for American public safety because we still haven’t approached the problems that are affecting way more Americans than illegals----especially in the domestic violence and rape culture categories. More Americans have been killed by domestic terrorists than terrorists of overseas origin since Trump took office, and this was also the case under the Obama days. Of course, the gun control issue remains strong because we have seen mass shooting after mass shooting and still haven’t come up with any changes----or attempts to improve health care to focus on the underrated rising issues of mental health. We highlight the one illegal immigrant that commits a crime but neglect the millions living among us that do things the proper and society-acceptable way. Nearly 34 million Mexicans live in North America, with 20 million plus above Mexico so when Donald Trump says the country sends their worst, their criminals, their rapists, he is extremely far from the truth. Funny how he didn’t say anything about Brock Turner or Dylan Roof though…

We can stop pretending it’s because its cost effective---because the wall will cost over 20 billion dollars, and Mexico is still not footing any part of the bill---which by the way is their right. And this is during an economy that is slipping, during a stock market that is hitting ugly numbers, and during a rise in debt and deficit. Not helping matters is the rather lukewarm relationship between the United States and Mexico during these hostile times. Luckily for all of us, Mexico hasn’t stepped up and threatened or worse, made a deal (Like Mexico paying for a border wall if they can get California and Texas back---you know the deal would be momentarily considered under this presidency).

We can stop pretending like it’s because it will be effective because Israel, West Germany, and even China have a few examples. And let’s add that Israel receives millions of dollars from supporters monthly, including the United States. Nobody will be giving this country money to help maintain the wall security—this is all out of taxpayer’s pockets.

And lastly, we can stop pretending like its so that people can come in legally because the caravan was known to be arriving at Tijuana and Texas for months, was going to enter legally to properly claim asylum, and we still have children (illegally mind you) being separated from parents and have them detained despite them following all the proper rules. So even if you are arriving by legal means, you are still at risk of jail and losing your child forever, which is a horror that has not been discussed enough because we’ve been embedded with Trump news that makes news organizations money. And once again, no wall is tall enough to stop planes.

So why is this wall battle still happening? Because Donald Trump has a reputation to cling on to, because he promised this to his depleting fanbase; and during a turmoil-laden administration that is at the crosshairs of democratic and independent fury, the wall is looking less and less like a reality. His tough words didn’t shake Mexico in the least bit, and there was no leverage to play with to make Mexico even consider the idea. Mexico is under a new administration that is about to take on the drug cartels head-on (supposedly and let's hope) and really don’t have the funds or resources to fulfill a promise made by a man who is obviously anti-Hispanic. Leaving Puerto Rico out to die post-Maria hasn’t fallen well with the Hispanic community, and threatening to remove funds to help Central America didn’t sit well either. So Donald Trump has literally only one other option: force the Democrats to agree to a financial deal involving the one item he says taxpayers wouldn’t pay for or shut it all down. Guess what, government still in shutdown mode.

The Democrats have remembered the words of the past three years, and are out for Republican blood. Between the tax cuts, the constant altering of large and small laws passed under the Obama years (he even made it easier for mentally disabled to purchase weapons for crying out loud), the threats to cut funding from notoriously-Democratic cities, the refusal of the Republican base to check Trump and his dangerous words and actions (now, a proper pointing out of the fact that the Republican Senate agreed to a budget without the wall, only for Trump to turn it down), the Democrats are trying to right the ship they spent years sailing under the Obama Days, whether you agree with them or not. And there’s no way that post-small victory they are caving in to a Donald Trump 2016 promise, especially one that they had never agreed with. As a matter of fact, the wall battle is tanking Trump’s approval rating because Mexico isn’t involved, and it’s hard for any American to be okay with a 5-20 billion write-off on a decade-long project when the economy is hitting the question marks come 2019.

The solutions to the illegal immigration issues are far more complicated than what a wall would supposedly accomplish. Central America is reeling after decades of American interference, and just like in the Middle East this creates vacuums that allows for corruption and gangs to reign supreme. Venezuela’s dictatorship problems have etched into Honduras, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico with mass migrations mixing in with country-wide recovery efforts from those that are slightly more fortunate. Like I have always said, you can’t undo decades of civil war and corruption in a couple years---United States still has some after-effects from its own civil war way back in the 1860s. If you don’t believe me, just ask Charlottesville and Black Americans in the Southern states what they have been going through lately.

Hispanic culture is very much attached to their family and their homeland---we hardly ever want to leave either. But when it’s a day-to-day gang issue threatening your livelihood and the livelihood of your children, changes have to be made. If your environment can’t improve, it’s time to go. Helping improve Mexico, helping improve Central America would do wonders for the mass migrations and illegal immigration. Not saying I don’t want them to move to the United States, but if you want to end the migrations, end the desperation.

End the demand for drugs, and you cut off the food supply, which means you wouldn’t have to fight the hydra-like ways of the drug cartel directly. Legalize marijuana completely, go after illegal money, and hunt down the drug traders/distributors and not the drug users. This would curb the demand, and would cut off the money to drug cartels without having to resort to direct battling. Drugs, fear, and violence fuels gangs and cartels. If there is no drug business, you’ll slowly kill the gang business. You have to wonder why Mexico has a drug cartel problem and not a drug problem, and Colombia has a drug producing problem, but not necessarily a drug problem. United States is hands-down the biggest market for all drugs globally, you reduce those numbers and you’ll see healthier nations overall. You help improve the economy of your homeland and the countries closest to you, there will be less reasoning to resort to the gang life.

But these are issues the administration doesn’t want to bring up or face, for whatever reasons, instead focusing on one issue which is a drop in the bucket of American ordeals: the Mexican border and the illegal immigrants arriving from there. The wall accomplishes nothing, and doesn’t do anything towards the real problems facing the United States today, which in turn affects everyone around them: jobs leaving the country, economic inequality, health care woes, misguided war on drugs that focuses on the wrong subjects, and real emerging non-immigrant dangers like hate groups, mass shootings, unchecked mental problems, and over reliance on drugs and pills. 20 billion that would be needed for the wall can be spent on helping Puerto Rico, helping find clean water for Flint and other communities, and fixing a health care system that is shattered by the prospect of making it a privilege instead of a right. You can use those billions to help veterans, help the homeless, help the children that go to sleep without food in their stomachs. A wall will not fix any of that.

The United States is the richest country in the history of the world. There is so much money that flows in and out of the country that the bigger companies shove their earnings elsewhere to avoid taxes. We have enough money in the nation so resolve our issues and the issues of the nations underneath us. Fixing our problems would not only improve the country, but would improve our neighbors as well. But we can’t even begin to fix ourselves until we fix our perspective, and it starts by calling out bullshit like the stupid Godforsaken wall idea crafted by a man appealing to his fans while masking his racism behind a smokescreen of scare tactics. Donald Trump doesn’t take no for an answer, and it might cost the country millions, and might even cost him his presidency. But the wall should eternally be off the table in terms of seeking solutions for fixing illegal immigration, and fixing the United States overall.



No wall, its nothing more than an empty campaign promise and a power-hungry president with an awkward appreciation for dictatorship qualities desperate for a win of any kind. Time for logical current century ideas and less emphasis on stone age tactics.

Donald Trump and the Capitalist Administration

So the entire world is rather upset at the United States, mainly at the White House because they, well, er, um, Donald Trump and his team, are still standing with Saudi Arabia after what it appears to be the nation’s king ordering a crazy assassination of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi. And by crazy, I mean he was killed, dismembered, and disposed of like garbage. They produced in a body double to smokescreen, the murderers left the city entirely, trying to build an alibi during the investigation. But no matter how many false leads they tried creating, the man was tortured for seven brutal minutes and it looks more and more like a powerful man was behind the decision.

The CIA, and pretty much most of the world is blaming the Saudi royals for instituting the hit, since Khashoggi is notoriously critical of the current regime. One visit inside the Saudi Arabian consulate later, and he was gone. His wife was waiting. There was no warning, no threat, just a painful execution. And this wasn’t a quick hit, this murder was sending a message to the rest of the country. One shot could have ended his life, but they went the Mexican cartel route and made the murder truly count. This did not like a scorned love or an argument kill, but instead a decision made by a powerful man, and in this case Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Nations surrounding Saudi Arabia are backing away from the country, tossing in sanctions and travel bans to note their displeasure of not just the killing but the cover-up attempts. The big player refusing to participate in the shock is the United States, as Donald Trump insists to remain allies for the purpose to keep those oil prices good and to keep the American economy flowing. It was a business decision plain and simple, for he didn’t want to give any leverage to China or Russia. He didn’t want to further tank the economy (which is hitting bumps). He didn’t want to damage the arms deals that have been going on since Bush. Donald Trump is focusing on the mighty dollar above the life of a murdered and dismembered American.



Now, let’s drop the shock, because this was incredibly expected, and remains in line with Donald Trump’s mindset and the capitalist nature of the country he represents.



Stop acting shocked, this is what you voted for. This is what you wanted, dollars above morality. Dirty money above making the proper decision. Do I personally agree with Trump? Absolutely not, 1,000 percent not, but I’m not shocked at his call, I’m not shocked that Khashoggi’s life holds no value in Washington. This is America, and America voted in a businessman to lead. Businesses and Businessmen have less of a heart than that of a good politician, facts are facts. Stop looking surprised.

Side-stepping just a little bit, Amazon is slowly crippling the country with their tactics, with their nonsense technique of selling themselves to the highest bidder every couple of months as to where to build the next headquarters. They are about to severely damage New York City in the coming years. They are already drowning stores of all kinds: local ones, retail stores, game stores, gift shops, bookstores, you name it. They are cluttering the streets with all these underpaid drivers being overworked to meet the intense demand. They have their staff working near sweatshop-like conditions at laughable wages that only increased after Bernie Sanders publicly called them out on it. Amazon is an awful company that most of you still utilize, to save those few dollars and save that extra hassle of driving to the store. Money above the morality.

Wal-Mart’s history with their employees has been hideous, they still rank #1 (and way, wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy above Target, so those shopping memes about spending at Target are inaccurate) in department stores in the United States, succeeding in nearly every corner of the nation. This is the norm, you shop where you save, and you avoid the noise of what the business represents. My personal guilty vice is Chick-Fil-A, an excellent restaurant chain with questionable morals even with their outstanding customer service. It just so happens that with larger social media presence and the most vocal president in the history of the United States are we seeing that money over morality matter in play at the White House. And the morality issue here is significantly greater than anything Amazon and Wal-Mart has pulled, but the stance remains the same.

Yes, Saudi Arabia has a rich financial history with the United States. Yes, previous administrations have had to swallow their pills of pride and morals to cozy up with them. Yes, Donald Trump’s relationship with the nation is far longer than this administration. And yes, Donald Trump’s campaign was Capitalism 2.0 with a pure rejection of any form of socialist democracy. He wanted to kill anything Obama had built because Obama’s campaign was full of social advances that would also slightly cripple some businesses. Obamacare, NAFTA, gun restrictions are just some examples of things Trump was combating because they didn’t benefit businessmen like him. Donald Trump lies a ton and has a slew of ideas that just don’t work when you are supposed to represent a nation. But the consistency has always been there in terms of business, so this toothless response to Saudi Arabia executing an American should have been completely expected. He is a businessmen president, his goal is to make America great again. And in his vision of America, money is required to be great, not moral or social stature.

Donald Trump battles countries that he doesn’t see financially benefiting him. Puerto Rico (in debt), Venezuela (what a mess), Cuba (y’all forgot he damaged this relationship, didn’t you?), Canada (part of the NAFTA cycle), Mexico (still trying to combat the blood money that gets exchanged between underbelly US and underbelly Mexico), North Korea (poor country with horrific history of partnership). In the meantime though, he stays tight with Russia (has financial ties), Egypt (business ties), U.A.E. (all businessmen have ties here), and of course Saudi Arabia (business ties, national ties as well). Financially, his decision today makes complete sense. Morally, its disappointing and quite irreprehensible. An American was brutally murdered overseas by the people running the country and with an attempt to completely get away with it, and in turn trying to make Trump look foolish.

Back in 1985 Kiki Camarena was brutally tortured and murdered while on assignment in Mexico. The United States was aware of the drug wars that was brewing but didn’t completely invest or go off the rails until one of their own had his head drilled and was hopped up on drugs so he could be tortured for a longer period of time, before having his body shrink-wrapped and dumped in another town. The White House under Reagan went ballistic and entered Mexico with a thirst for blood. They managed to split up the seemingly invincible Guadalajara Cartel within months. Funny that Narcos: Mexico, which is the story about Kiki and the beginning of the war, has occurred around the same time as this brutal murder in a nation that is closely attached to the United States financially. Back in 1985 the United States risked their relationship with the country on the border to take on the corrupt government and the evil men that did this deed, regardless of cost and potential trade tensions mounting.

Flash forward to today, and it looks like the United States will not seek justice in the terrible murder of one of their own at the hands of the very government the victim was residing at. Why? Because money speaks louder than morality nowadays, and in the eyes of the current administration sometimes in order to try to be great again, you have to be willing to look away from some of the blood. This is just part of the laws of business. Trump chose the dollar above the life, and nobody should be shocked, because this is who he is, this is the one consistency that has always been in his core values, whether you agree with it or not.

R.I.P. Jamal Khashoggi, your death should be avenged in the most severe way possible, and I hope that in the near future, this current administration reconsiders, risks that financially friendly relationship, and offers of swift and intense justice along with the rest of the world. It is time that we start putting Saudi Arabia in check for not only this, but for their actions in Yemen. It is time that we start reconsidering our ties with the country. Of course, only time will tell.

The Morality of Desperation (and the Strength of Resistance)

Desperation leads to crazy results.



Desperation leads to crazy decisions.



Desperation leads to corrupted morality.



Desperation can even lead to a deal with the devil.



Brazil has gone through political and economic hell and back, and in the undercurrents of all the insanity was the rise of a far-right candidate whose window of opportunity was able to open only because Brazil had been wrecked with arguably the biggest political scandal in the entire history of the Western Hemisphere. I’m not selling this short. Trump’s potential deals with Russia, Watergate, Reagan selling weapons to Iran (which has created consequences lasting decades, look at Nicaragua today) has nothing on Operation Car Wash.

Operation Car Wash exposed the rampant corruption amongst a massive corporation and an entire political party, and although it brought justice, it may have also drowned Brazil into an even deeper hole and into levels never before imagined. But desperate moves from other countries opened new doors and opportunities for new voices that otherwise would have never spoken before. Brazil is about to reach a unique civil war---one that is fought online, through protests, through a rising youthful resistance. But the next four years is going to be an oil and water swirl that will test the entire social and cultural infrastructure of a country that has seen it all in the past century---and this is a repeated story because another country is going through the exact same phase.





Operation Car Wash is a complex and multi-layered investigation that not only exposed political dishonesty and complete betrayal of the Brazilian public, but it even led to the imprisonment of a multitude of politicians----something the United States has never, ever, ever seen---and even with this ongoing Muller investigation we still probably won’t see because there are certain American elements that are simply too big to fail. But Operation Car Wash did the unthinkable, held powerful people accountable and even tossed them (deservedly I shall add) to prison for years. There’s a catch: the best and most feasible option for the future of Brazil was in the same political party wrapped up in the disastrous scandal, and this investigation plunged the Brazilian economy into an even darker place.



And this allowed for the far-right party to rise up.



And yes, before we drift this any further, there are definite parallels between this election and the 2016 United States election. Just like in 2016, a nation that had experienced years of drastic change, a continuing gap of understanding between generations, and of course incidents above our pay grade but nonetheless contributing to economic collapse wanted to aim towards a drastic political change in hopes that some improvement can be seen in front of their eyes.

Donald Trump was Heartland America’s answer (and via an outdated electoral college system gave him the win) and Jair Bolsonaro was Brazil’s answer.

Jair Bolsonaro is the worst candidate imaginable and in any other election would have been an afterthought. And for the longest of times, he was actually an underdog longshot afterthought, interviewed only to display how ridiculous he was as a politician. He is full of hate, full of controversial statements and actions, and has this nostalgia for a period in Brazilian history that should never be duplicated. But most of the Left in Brazil were caught laundering money during a recession and during a century that has seen a lot of economic turmoil in the beautiful country. The leading candidate to win the presidency before Bolsonaro is literally in prison for related crimes.

Jair Bolsonaro is a horrible candidate that wants to bust out the military to solve the violence of the streets, but how can you honestly solve the problem of the rising and tragic homicide rates in the country (especially in Rio)? Jair Bolsonaro is racist, sexist, homophobic, and has tons of violent tendencies, but can Brazil really look at the Left political party in the face and trust them again after all they’ve been put through? Could Brazil really look at Fernando Haddad, a political descendant of an impeached president and a jailed ex-president and choose them as their next leader? It was the hardest pill to swallow so the big question festered: how much am I willing to overlook in order to defy the political party that definitely wronged me and vote for the bitter pill of a candidate?

The same question came out towards the election eventually won by Donald Trump: how much am I willing to look past and/or accept while voting him as president? Can I look past his sketchy history, his sketchy behavior, his controversial statements, and his obvious lack of experience in order to show America that we do indeed need a massive shift? As a Christian can I forgive all of Donald Trump’s misdeeds on his way towards potential presidency? How much can the United States honestly endure with my wild card candidate? The man doesn’t even have a dog in the White House.

50 million plus were willing to swallow the pill and do it; whether it’s because they want a successful businessman as president, or because Hillary Clinton is the embodiment of everything they dislike, or because they have to vote Republican no matter what, or because they felt betrayed by the Obama years, or because (and this is true whether you like it or not), White America is under attack from minorities and it’s time to gain the power back. The range of people that voted for Trump included the Heartland, the businessmen of NYC and Miami, prominent Republicans, and all the way to the far-far right which includes KKK members and white supremacists.

Half of America didn’t want a calm charismatic figure’s understudy running the country (despite her accomplishments, much of America did view Hillary as Obama’s understudy), they wanted someone who appears strong, who appears to be bigger than them, like a God. After the Obama years, Donald Trump became the God of the niche Republican Party. Jair Bolsonaro out of nowhere became a God because in many peoples’ eyes he fears nobody, he hates things he perceives as weakness, and he wants Brazil to stand strong like it used to, and not be tainted and hampered by people secretly absorbing money from underneath.

And if it means neglecting the pleas from women, minorities, and the LGBT community, then so fucking be it. Jair wants to make Brazil Great Again, under the guise of God of course.

United States and Brazil produced similar results in their elections but through wildly different circumstances. The United States wasn’t in economic crisis at the time of the election, but was at a morality war with gay marriage being legal, abortion ban being out of reach, and the melting pot of the United States receiving more ingredients than what most of America wanted to see. A United States that admires consistency just experienced eight years of what is easily the most unique president in the history of the United States---from background to demeanor to behavior to decisions he made. And it was a president that presided over a nation thriving in the coasts while the Middle America wasn’t quite growing as vibrantly.

Brazil on the other hand is a beautiful country with so much going on. Brazil is like a beautiful red rose with dozens of thorns; beautiful to look at, hard to touch without getting hurt. Unemployment is at 20%, entire cities were decimated by Operation Car Wash, crime has risen significantly since the World Cup and Olympics ended and the emphasis on crime fighting dipped, Sao Paulo is a megacity growing way too fast, the favelas continue to drift away from government support leading to rampant activity that usually seeps into where the money and tourism is, and the country is getting more expensive but the money isn’t flowing into the hands of the public. Brazil celebrates its culture constantly while simultaneously fearing its future. Hence the desperation.

Desperation gave us Donald Trump. Desperation gave us Jair Bolsonaro. But a funny thing happened in the United States after Trump got elected: the dissident yells became louder, and louder. The marches became larger and larger. The protests became more and more successful. The rebellion in America has reached unfathomable levels to a point in which the approval rating of Donald Trump is absolutely pointless. Five million people marched on the streets in the United States back in January 2017. March For Our Lives, another organized event battling gun control issues, delivered hundreds of thousands of people, and students even walked out of class as a display of how change is needed. And even though technically if all these millions had done their job in the first place, the election would have gone to Hillary Clinton---but that’s another subject for another day.

Long gone are the failure days of Occupy Wall Street, a movement that had the right idea but yielded sad results. A new wave of political revolution has begun, and its starting from teenagers in college all the way to the older supporters of the Bernie Sanders’ infamous Bernie Bros gang (which, not gonna lie, has caused a few problems sometimes). This time, the presidency wasn’t going to be accepted without a vicious and well-organized fight.

And not every major protest and battle against Trump and the current administration has garnished a win, but it has gotten the attention of the rest of the world. Gun control is still a problem but universal health care is becoming a widely accepted idea. Ridiculous tax cuts benefiting the rich still happened, but Amazon and Disney have caved in and will start paying their employees fairer wages, with major cities even following suit. Sexual assault victims from members of the administration may never see justice, but we’ve seen a grandiose sweep of troublesome personalities from Hollywood lose everything they’ve earned as justice for their terrible behavior, from Harvey to Spacey to Cosby. The rise of racist and hate groups is quite alarming, but voting might hit record numbers in the coming weeks as midterms are arriving and the Republican Party has to ponder its future with Trump at the helm.

In other words: from the heaps of desperation and shocking results emerges a nation of voices that once silent, are speaking louder than ever anticipated. Brazil is a young country run by older people with older mindsets and scary nostalgia. Brazil nonetheless remains a diverse country full of strong independent minds who have spoken up about the chaotic election, and if they continue to shout into the heavens about the mistakes they’ve committed then change just might happen. We go back to Operation Car Wash: would this have ever been a successful investigation under a military-led Brazil back in the 80s? Would an investigation of this magnitude even existed and succeeded back in the 1960s? No way. But a new generation of Brazilians are ensuring that no awful nation-crippling deed goes unpunished.

So if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, it comes in the form of a country that succeeded in doing something that not one major nation on this entire hemisphere has been able to pull off---not even the United States. They assassinated an entire political party and made sure to remind them not to damage Brazil in such a way ever again. Honduras and Nicaragua remain under the government’s thumbs, Chile had to survive a horrendous dictatorship before they could recover. But Brazil, they single-handedly fought a seemingly invincible political party, and actually won. So why couldn't it happen again? Why couldn't Brazil face off against politicians and defeat the crappiness again?

But the Resistance, the Rebellion, the Elenao will not be easy. For every Leia Skywalker there is a Stormtrooper battling for Darth Vader. There’s still half of a country that under similar desperate measures launched a political hail mary and voted for a president that’s pro-torture and wished that the Chilean dictator had killed more people. This level of forgiveness for such words shows how angry, how hurt, and how desperate the Brazilian public has become. And unlike the United States’ ghoulish fears about immigrants taking over a country of 300 million (seriously guys), Brazil’s current broken status is legitimate. Brazil is mostly poorer and in need of change, this is true.

The people that voted for him (for the most part) didn’t do it out of spite, didn’t do it to kill their neighbor, they did it because they didn’t see a better solution, even if there DEFINITELY were better options—they just happen to wear the political clothing of those that betrayed them in the first place. The Rebellion shouldn’t fight with guns, they should fight with words, facts, movements, ideas, and receipts of statements and decisions made by the trigger-happy upcoming president. March, organize, plan, yell, scream, and prepare for the next election. And the election after that. And after that one too. No nation has ever risen from the ashes with just half a country invested. It takes everyone, at the very least a majority. So you have to stamp out the sexism, stamp out the racism, stamp out the immoral disgust towards immigrants.

The United States has endured and suffered a lot lately, but there remains a hopeful future. Puerto Rico may have been devastated by the lack of response from a racist regime, but Florida is well on its way to becoming one of the most important states in the nation economically and socially---and this is mostly because of the wave of Hispanic immigrants led by Puerto Ricans. Trump and his friends may not care about the environment but we are seeing states like California and Washington make strides in environmental protection. Even Disney is joining in by soon banning lids and straws in the near future. There’s been ugly yins that’s been countered by productive and good yangs.

Brazil, you are going through a tough time, and in the midst of the devastation placed your trust in a man with dangerous ideals. Whatever ideas he decides to go through with is all up to him beginning in January 2019. But this isn’t the end. United States survived Bush’s two terms, the Dominican Republic survived Trujillo, Germany survived (barely) Hitler, Italy survived Mussolini, and Colombia survived a government that worked with the drug cartels. Brazil can and should survive Bolsonaro and with the proper resistance will allow Brazil to enter a new era of fresh ideas, fresh ideals, and more separation from its ugly past.



So go out there and fight. Bust out some Rage Against the Machine and fight.

For your county, for your neighbor, and for your future.



The truth is it will truly be impossible for Brazil to fall apart if there are millions willing to stand up and keep her elevated.

Welcome to the White (Animal) House

Even before the hearings were going to take place, I knew that Kavanaugh was going to get the Supreme Court seat.


Has nothing to do with the validity of the hearing (it was quite credible), has nothing to do with how he would perform (poorly, ultimately), has nothing to do with anything else except for one thing and one thing only:



The frat house known as the Republican Party.

The Republican higher ups, the movers and shakers, those in the White House or damn near close to it; this is all a fraternity. This is the same group of guys that backed an inexperienced dictator-wannabe three elections after backing a man whose administration took us to two wars that to this day still aren’t technically finished. This is the same group of guys that celebrated the temporary Obamacare repeal victory by bringing in cases of beer to the White House---despite the repeal, you know, stripping health care from millions of people.

And now, despite his obvious demeanor, despite him lying about his past (not even discussing the potential sexual assault), Kavanaugh is going to get the go-ahead simply because this fraternity wants to stick it to the Democrats and their opponents. The level of frat behavior has increased since a black man crashed their system and became president, and now we’ve seen people, cultures, entire regions of the country having to pay the price because politics has become a little college game to people that are responsible for the lives of everyone within the American borders.

This fraternity has been very successful with their marketing campaign of caring for the American people while simultaneously doing nothing to actually help them and instead focus on themselves. Whether it’s riding on the coattails of Tradition, Freedom, Family, or God, the Fraternity focuses on these specific elements to appeal to a wide audience while making their decisions and continuing to run the tables on the American government. They protest progression because any type of actual progress and major change could potentially drain a little more from their pool of success.

They will battle to make abortion illegal, while continuing to do next to nothing to ensure the children once they are born have a decent childhood (Cue: George Carlin). The Fraternity will always fight for your right to freely own whatever gun you want, despite American violence reaching a point in which an incredible 99% of Americans will know a victim of gun violence. Of course, they will defend God---well, Christian God. Freedom of religion extends solely to whichever God the Fraternity and their fanbase believes in. But that Freedom part, this Manifest Destiny aura, is the big seller, and probably the biggest con of all. Because when they are discussing American freedom, they just mean themselves. They sell you core values while trying to eliminate the changes that has improved America and has allowed the scales to tip ever so slightly towards equality. But hey, “freedom.”

Freedom to evade taxes, like what the corporations and the one-percenters yearly enjoy doing, leaving the rest of country to foot the bill. Freedom to do whatever they want with their money, even if they can slice 25% of their overall income to help others and still be able to live comfortably for life. Freedom to accept money from whomever, which is why lobbyists do a better job shaping the country than politicians nowadays. Freedom to become absolute pricks while growing up, live the life they want without resistance or consequence, and ultimately land their dream cushy jobs. Donald Trump was a millionaire on his bank account alone by age 8, and the Fraternity is trying to sell the notion that HE knows what YOU are going through. And when the resistance emerges and becomes a bit louder (especially nowadays under the Obama/Post-Obama Era), the Fraternity steps its game up.

2015-2016 saw a lot of resistance towards Trump from the Republican Party not because he didn’t share their ideals, but because his brash ways was damaging the illusion the Fraternity has spent this millennium creating. The Fraternity was under attack when Barack Obama not only successfully fixed Bush Administration’s wrongdoings despite being surrounded by brash racist opponents, but pretty laid out a blue carpet for Hillary Clinton to walk towards her presidency. They needed a strong opponent—even if it’s smoke and mirrors. By the time the election rolled around, the Fraternity learned to accept Donald Trump and tried to salvage him to save themselves and keep the gravy train going. The strategy worked. From Ted Cruz to Lindsey Graham to Marco Rubio, the former vocal opponents of The Don became staunch supporters, and pretended like their vicious words of the past were never actually said.

This loud and brash anti-Trump campaign led to a vicious election that we would all rather forget, which saw Donald Trump etch out his dictatorship skills and pretty much lash out at anyone not following in line. He praises dictators while constantly criticizing free world leaders (even freakin’ Canada..). Why a dictatorship you ask? Because when you are a dictator or related to one, nobody can say no to you, nobody can challenge you, or make things difficult without consequences. Donald Trump has lived an entire life with a golden spoon in his mouth, and a security blanket richer than most countries for when he made one of many business mistakes. Although the brand name was strong, the money itself didn’t always develop, and this led to relying on the leftover money of his father. Post-Note: notice that countries that didn’t accept Trumpian businesses remain under his critical microscope---which includes Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.



Insert: Kavanaugh.



This man went to a high school that had a full golf course in the backyard. The man was born with connections to the White House from the very beginning. His grandfather is buried in one of the universities, which let’s be honest, never happens to a regular American. He lived his full life, he drank at 17 without worry, he partied so hard that his stories became notorious with his upper class social circles. And then after he was done, was able to get his job and raise a family without any setbacks. So with these hearings, it was the first time that his actions, his past, his demeanor, had actually been challenged.


Side-Note: Partying hard during your college years should not disqualify you for the nomination. If THIS was what we are being upset about, then I’d be a little uneasy about creating such an outrage over a life period in which most of Americans experience as well. But if you were willing to lie and hide your past, then how can I believe you when you say no sexual assault ever took place? You commit enough lies, and none of your words can ever be considered believable.



Between your Paul Ryans, Donald Trumps, Mitch McConnells, people that sleazed their way into politics and constantly take bribes from companies in similar levels of stature, Kavanaugh was another member in the Fraternity. And he couldn’t handle the fact that he was allowed to just waltz into the Supreme Court without the opponents raising red flags. And it wasn’t even that the opponents were going to aim for the jugular towards whichever potential pick Trump makes, it was that we are seeing a person with a sketchy history being selected for the purpose to not cater and serve the country, but to cater and serve the people that selected him. With Kavanaugh’s connections and beliefs, he was another part of a long line of security blankets for the Republican Party, Donald Trump (for when the investigation about Russia is over), and of course, The Fraternity.

The Fraternity is a collection of millionaires and billionaires, public and secret, that will do whatever it takes to maintain its power. It’s no conspiracy, they do it openly and right in front of your face. The tax cuts and health care rollbacks weren’t secret, and neither was the travel ban or ever-growing prejudices against Hispanics (who are usually predominantly progressive, Democrat, and work harder for less money than anyone on that Frat). This Fraternity promises you money, promises you an easy living. This is why slimy Susan Collins more than likely believes the accuser, believes Ford, but the protection of the Fraternity remains key. Step out of line, and you’ll lose your cushy position in the White House.

I knew Kavanaugh’s nomination was going to happen. It was stupid to think otherwise. But for as long as people don’t show up to vote, or people buy into the scheme the Fraternity is selling, then the cycle will continue, as we’ll continue seeing events that shape American history in a way that negatively affects minorities, women, and people that are on the less fortunate spectrum.
The movie Hell or High Water has a spectacular quote about poverty, which is
“I’ve been poor my whole life. So were my parents, their parents before them. It’s like a disease passing from generation to generation, becomes a sickness, that’s what it is. Infects every person you know, but not my boys, not anymore.”

The main character was robbing banks and this was his explanation to the sheriff when confronted about the reasoning behind the violence. And this is very true, as poverty can and does affect generations of families, and as long as these selfish groups like this Republican Fraternity exists and continue to exist via elections, then the wealth gap will continue to increase, as will the homeless rate, and the impoverished rate.

The United States should have woken up a long, long time ago to this, for the Fraternity even extends to people in the Democratic party. But seeing the entitled Kavanaugh angrily respond to the resistance, to see an entire core of White House politicians disprove credible testimony just because it doesn’t help their cause, this should be the nail in the coffin towards the façade.


November 2018 is approaching, and it is truly time to completely shuffle the political deck.



Or, we are just going to continue seeing more of the same.

Donald Trump's Manifest Destiny of America

Now we have a Space Force.


Under the latest episode of Trump’s Vision of America, we see Donald Trump demanding that we spend even more money on an already massive-budgeted military to create a section that will be devoted solely to defending…space. It was as if he saw Independence Day and felt inspired. Let’s also bring up the fact that NASA and the Air Force freakin’ exists and destroys the need to toss even more money into an overbloated military. But whatever, his remaining fans and supporters will eat it up, and the fellow Republicans in the KWhite KKHouse are too scared to make a move or stand up to him in fears that they will lose everything in November. Instead lately they have gone after the usual Democratic suspects and Bernie’s politically attractive connections, including the feisty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

But they won’t touch Trump, because the orange man has created this image of America that the fanbase is enjoying every minute of. This “new” America is actually a return to the America that your

Baby Boomers and elderly grew up loving.


The Wild Wild West America.


The We Don’t Need Government America.


The Us Versus Them America.


The Independent America.


The White Jesus America.


The Bully America that took out the Nazis and stared down the Soviets. Mainly, we are back to the Manifest Destiny America that whitewashes history, and paints the country as a global force to be reckoned with and an example as to what every country should strive to become. Everyone wants to be America, and under Trump, these fans believe that the world is being reminded of this.

This America is looked at personally by God, and He has chosen their leader, which is someone who looks talk and talks tough. This man, chosen by God, never compromises, never listens, does what he believes regardless of the obvious consequences. This man, chosen by God, has been met with success from the very beginning and after all the exposure and riches, he has decided to spend the next few years altering the America that made him rich. This is a man’s man, this is the hero that the heart of America, that old-school America, had been begging for since Reagan graced their televisions decades after gracing the black-and-white movie screens. This is the man that works above the government, not for them. This is the man that loves women, loves money, and loves his fellow kclansmen. Donald Trump is the new John Wayne; American from hair to shoes.

These fans of his, they didn’t like the previous man. That previous man spoke eloquently and effortlessly as if he was above them. This previous man would on behalf of America would apologize for previous forgotten-by-the-Southern-history-books actions that had decimated other nations. This previous leader spoke about equality, spoke about learning lessons of previous mistakes and trying to improve upon them. What mistakes though? This is America. America doesn’t make mistakes, ever. America doesn’t apologize. And America ESPECIALLY would never ever attempt to help those that appear too weak or unwilling to help themselves. My money has to pay for their health? Maybe they should stop being so sick. Pay for their education? Maybe they should get better grades and develop better connections.

This previous leader is a byproduct of when America stopped being Manifest Destiny America and first faced its harshest of sins. This previous leader’s origins can be traced in a way that resembles the very same slave trade that created the first major and most impactful division in the history of the great nation. This previous leader was a consequence of America’s cavalier actions, and between him and his wife they made note to remind everyone to not just celebrate where they are, but remember the rocky roads taken to get there. The heart of America struggled in accepting this, and whenever the brothers of this previous leader were being mistreated and profiled throughout the great nation, they struggled in acknowledging the imbalance.

Suddenly, the America they grew up loving and believing in, was being exposed by a leader that was determined to correct the actions of the past---whether it be the banks or the chains and ropes. America shouldn’t ever be exposed, it should always be embraced. Celebrate winning World War 2, don’t bring up slavery. Celebrate killing Bin Laden, don’t bring up the Civil Rights Movement. Celebrate the successful immigrants from Europe, but don’t expect us to suddenly accept the Hispanic immigrants of today. Bring up New York, don’t bring up Flint. We are a God-fearing nation, don’t bring up Allah, or worse, the lack of a God entirely. Jesus is white. Every president of this great nation has been white. Now all of a sudden white is a problem? What happened?

No way we could continue going down this path, whether it’s him……or her…so we needed to spread the word, whether its truth or reality. Whatever words and actions it takes to revert things back to how they were; winning without remorse. The rumors needed to be spread, the children and grandchildren needed to know the truth, and needed to be shielded from the ugly, for this great nation is too beautiful to be tainted by things like its own history. There's never a need to see America from the viewpoint of the Native Americans.

Donald Trump is now here, and is righting the righteous ship. The president now is a proud white man that speaks directly to the crowd, even if not all the words can be supported, even if some of these words are fibs. The president wants the largest military, wants to have all the best deals, and wants to ensure that everyone follows by the rules that were not followed or enforced back when the country was first expanding. Us against Them. Us against Europe. Us against the Media. So we need a Space Force so we can oversee the planet and make sure that we remain on top. This is what America voted for, an America that doesn’t apologize, that doesn’t compromise. America can only be great again by removing what semblance of equality was created by the previous man.

We are America, Goddamnit. We don’t bow to anyone, no matter what the cost. Us versus them, and by them it nowadays might mean Hispanics, Democrats, Californians, Europeans, Artists, Muslims, Canadians, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Central Americans, Koreans, Chinese, Australians, Palestinians, and anybody else that dares bring up the potential fact that America is flawed or that during its rise, pushed down nearly every country in the Western Hemisphere along the way. Can’t apologize for wanting to be number one. Doesn’t matter what lives have been lost or damaged, we are too busy being America. So build that space force, and screw those in need, even if we can afford to help them.



And they will remain standing for Trump and the flag, even if it means everything else collapsing around them, for that is the price for being the America that they want to be.

The Violent Song Remains the Same

I hate doing this. I hate having to write about this, again.



But here we are, once again. This time, Parkland, Florida. This time, 17 dead. This time, students of the school predicted it. This time, on one of the safer cities in the state. This time, using similar guns used in other recent mass shootings including those in California and Nevada. And this time, once again, a gun control debate brewing from underneath the carnage and blood. One side is begging to change the guns laws, the other side firmly believes it is pointless. Truth is, I have been screaming this for a decade and a half and the longer I live in the United States, the more it looks like until the entire culture can change, the guns laws will forever remain the same.

Let’s start with my basic beliefs: everyone has the right to own a gun, but there should be heavy background checks, there should be an extensive education program concerning firearms, there should be continuous checkups, people on the no-fly or mentally ill list should not own one unless they can pass a trial by jury, and assault rifles as well as enhancements created to turn guns into automatics should be completely banned. Let me go a step further, once a week select police stations across the country should be allowed to accept guns of ANY kind from ANYBODY without any questions asked and without IDing the person turning in the weapons so at least we have fewer unwanted weapons out in the streets. It really isn’t that hard: you can own a gun, you just have to pass all the checkmarks and you cannot own anything that can launch dozens of bullets per second----there is no reason whatsoever to own one of these.

Yet, this is the United States of America. This country has always been a unique one for a variety of ways but one of its standout personality traits is its glorification and celebration of violence while being quite taboo on the subject of sex. It makes sense though, after all America was founded on violence (Revolution), became large and powerful because of violence (Manifest Destiny, Wild, Wild West), was nearly torn apart because of cultural shifts which led to violence (Civil War), and became a mighty superpower as well as part of the global police because of violence (World War 1 and 2). America was always ahead of the pack with weaponry, and it’s been this way since the Civil War. Battles between the Union and the Confederacy were also spectator sports, and then today the most popular sport by far is American football----which has a setup similar to a war in terms of battling for territory. It’s in the DNA, it’s in the American bloodstreams.

The NRA controls the pockets of most of the politicians, as Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and even George W. Bush were battling for stricter gun laws but were met with tons of resistance. Even Bush’s father left the NRA because he believed they became too ridiculous. So no, this isn’t a political debate, this dwells deeper than who is president. But the NRA can’t remain powerful and a silent force without the help of millions that refuse to see the other side of the coin concerning gun control. The other side refuses to see countries like England, Australia, Norway, Canada, and Japan improve public safety with their gun restrictions and regulations. They refuse to see the statistics of the mammoth rise in mass gun violence, instead pointing to the decrease in overall violence in recent years. You can’t change what refuses to change.

I can dwell deeper into numbers but you already know them. I can toss in more statistics about America’s top dog placement in mass shootings and school violence but you already have seen them. There is way too much information that suggests that something, anything needs to be done to at the very least cut the bleeding, but if you have been against gun control from the start and you weren’t rattled by the shootings in nightclubs, concerts, schools, and churches, I doubt I can sway you at this damn point. At this point, you are being ignorant to the issue if you believe that nothing can be done. And even if the results remain the same, at the very least trying to make changes is enough of an improvement over the inactivity of recent years.




Let me remind all of you, Obama pretty much predicted the Pulse shooting during a PBS roundtable discussion about gun control---he knew of people visiting ISIS websites, was able to ensure that they can’t fly, but can STILL purchase a gun. How, in, the, hell, is, that, okay??? This was back in 2016, Pulse happened, and STILL nothing was able to be done. We had the Vegas shooter buy up enough guns and ammo to house a small army, and that STILL wasn’t enough. Now we have a man potentially “diagnosed with Autism” (which to me remains a smokescreen) that owned an AK even after constant threats and calls from the police, and we STILL disagree on background checks and gun control. There’s no stone left to turn in terms of trying to convince half of America on this, their minds are set and no matter how many shootings we have in 2018 (which by the way we are nearly averaging a mass shooting per day), they don’t want to see the restrictions in place. After Columbine, you could make the argument. After Parkland, there really is no excuse.

But its in the American culture, its in the bloodline. Guns have been imprinted in American history, American culture, American traditions, and American values. It is the second amendment, and there’s nothing we can do to change the outdated laws until the culture is warped, until the mindset of an entire nation that glorifies the almighty bullet can finally adjust to the problems clearly at hand. I do not blame the Parkland shooting itself on a specific president, on an administration, or a government, but I do blame them for not doing enough and not at least trying to start the conversation---especially this current administration for removing restrictions that would prevent the mentally ill from buying a gun.

As a mere citizen, I don’t have all the answers, I don’t have all the solutions. But at the same time I don’t have the access to information the government has, nor do I have the ability to implement the changes necessary. But we need to change, period. And the longer we prolong this obviously necessary change, the more it shows how ignorant this country has truly become.