The Fog of Nationalism

Yikes.



We have witnessed the United Kingdom literally tank its economy, as it voted to exit the European Union, a group of nations that made trade, employment, and many other factors much easier to maneuver through the continent. Whatever the reason, being immigration, racism, islamophobia, nationalistic pride under the shadows of Trump, or just simply disliking the notion that other countries dictate some of the policies of England, the United Kingdom voted to leave the union, say no to millions of pounds per week, and send the value of its currency on a downward spiral. Similar to Trump supporters it is silly to argue that everyone in favor of exiting are racist or awkwardly nationalist, but the idea was founded on nationalism pride, this supposed stance that England is losing its identity.

The stock market managed to claw back within the same 24 hours, but that was only after investors poured their heart and soul to diminish the bleeding. The damage is done, we’re not sure what happens to England from now on, especially since they won’t be depending on the European Union anymore. They’ve already dipped in the global standings. And a major part of this is because of the fears that the borders have been left too open. And their scenario is far different from the American scenario, but the curious debate about immigration lingers.

Like England and some of the European Union, we’ve seen an influx of immigrants traveling to safer lands in desperate hopes of a better life---and some from within Europe (even within the Union itself) as opposed to the more notorious areas. As the world became smaller, the scattering of refugees has become a major part of the population movement. The Middle East is in shambles, as it continues being a war torn area full of terrorist groups, uncertainty, and struggling economy. The Israel/Palestine conflict seems to become a daily tragedy, Libya is a disaster, and nations like Iraq and Afghanistan cannot go a month without a major attack. And then in a smaller scale, we’ve seen Poland and Spain losing citizens in favor of England. And let’s not forget the issues of Greece.

My curiosity is sparked: how much of this immigration control is race-related? How much of it is entrenched in phobia? And how much of it is legit concern over the well being of the country? Unlike Radical Republican America blaming their current issues on Mexican immigrants (despite it being only 28% of all American immigrants), United Kingdom is seeing millions of people pouring in from different corners because of the Union, because it has the stronger economy, and because of reputation. They might have a point.



However…



Germany receives more people, by a lot too. As a matter of fact the only country that receives more immigrants than Germany is the United States, and sometimes Russia. In 2015, Germany declared itself as an immigration country, openly and politely accepting pretty much anybody willing to move there. If you are part of the EU, then it’s your right to seek employment there. If you aren’t in the EU, as long as you are a skilled worker (university degree/years of experience) or at least working towards becoming a skilled worker you have the opportunity to enter and ultimately become a German citizen.

Now, I might be simplifying things (most likely simplifying things), but this is what I see: similar minimal requirements, same amount of opportunity, same freedom to roam, and an economy that is the strongest in the European Union despite receiving more immigrants than the United Kingdom. I don’t see Germany wanting to drop out of the Union at all. As a matter of fact, Germany has become an even stronger country because of immigration—legal and/or illegal. Opening the borders has given the nation an opportunity for the German name to be a stronger global brand, a stronger global power and presence. AND the German unemployment rate is much smaller (4.2%, 5 points under the European Union average). So what am I missing?

Why is it an issue in England and the United States, when Germany has embraced it and has benefited from the inclusion? Germany has even promised free college education for anyone that enters the country for crying out loud. So what am I missing England? What is the excuse? Why hasn’t it worked for you?

The problem is Nationalism is overcoming and overpowering the desire to limit foreigners from entering and seeking the same opportunities, and it’s disgusting. England has become Republican America by waving its flag and claiming a country that already belongs to them. They exited a profitable and peaceful European Union in favor of being in charge towards what to do with their borders and their country, when it wasn’t an issue 5, 10, 15 years ago---and it might cost them dearly. Their pound has already dropped to its lowest since the 1960s, and won’t get the weekly payout it used to get unless the EU becomes sympathetic.

The United States is at risk of veering down the same path, using their nationistic pride to drown out the bigger issues plaguing the borders within: ridiculous education system, big business damaging the economic structure of the country, a Washington that has recently become even more disruptive because a black man became president, this Civil War-like viewpoint towards the two political parties, a surge in racism, a surge in gun violence (USA is #1 year in and year out on that category), a dumbfounding gender war (with a lax rape culture that feels straight out of the 1800s) and rising living costs. But fine, let’s just blame the Mexicans and claim that we are “losing our country,” as opposed to the hundreds of large businesses throwing their jobs overseas.



We are ignoring screams of help from a conflict that Americans helped create.



Yes, it’s time to go there: The United States and England is partially responsible for the rise of terrorism because they continuously plant their presence and their flag towards unwanted and ungrateful territory. Yes, we have to face the elephant in the room. Not saying all terrorism would be eliminated from this country and from the other nations (because homegrown terrorism exists) but whenever you dig in other lands you create enemies. We are seeing an area that is not enjoying the appearance of other countries (and not in an immigration sense either), and this has been going on since Bush. The Middle East is seeing thousands of its citizens dying in the crosshairs of warfare from America and the rebels that scatter the area.

What did you think would happen when you decided to suddenly invade Afghanistan and Iraq? What did you think would happen once you started throwing bombs left and right to defeat terrorism? You think you won’t get any innocent casualties? You think there won’t be saddened people and towns vowing revenge? ISIS was founded during the Iraq War, taking advantage of shell-shocked citizens watching their homes go up in smoke. And I don’t condone the actions of any terrorist whatsoever, but their origin story is connected to American involvement in the Middle East whether you like it or not. Whether you agreed with the Iraq War or not, it accidentally created the most hated terrorist group in the planet.

So now we see an America that is willing to head out thousands of miles to start crap for years, and then not be willing to accept the victims of their consequences. And the truth is, the United States should be prouder and more open towards the idea of so many people wanting to enter and become American citizens. Let’s be honest, nobody comes into the country with the full intent of becoming illegal and with the intent of changing everything American. If there was an easier system to becoming an official citizen with the ability to vote and qualify for a variety of the American perks then you’d see a total spike in entrants. If the nations America helped destabilize would recover then you wouldn’t see any many battered souls seeking a new life.

You think Mexicans want to leave Mexico? No, it is a beautiful country with layers of culture and personality---but most times they have to go. You think the Middle Eastern families want to fully abandon the only land they know? No, but there’s nothing left. That is the sad reality. The Drug War has secretly murdered tens of thousands of Mexicans with the help of the NRA, the American Drug Trade, and America’s refusal to even attempt to help their neighbors to the south. You think the millions of Puerto Ricans leaving the impoverished island want to flock to Florida? No, but sometimes in life you don’t have a choice. America isn’t their favorite option, it’s their best option. Have you seen Puerto Rico? Outside of its political and economical issues, the place is absolutely gorgeous.

The United States has a responsibility to help those in need, and help those that have been affected by the decisions made in the United States within the past decade. The United States just needs to pull out of the Middle East entirely and focus on defending and improving their soil while simultaneously being more sympathetic towards those in dire need of help. As a supposed-Christian nation, this is what we should be doing, opening our doors to help, embracing the emotionally scarred, and showing why at the end of the day America is one of the better nations to join. You want to be proud of your flag? Then be willing to share this flag with others, period.

The United Kingdom needs to also pay for its colonizing ways. It still has territory all over the world, so it’s rather ironic that they want to close the borders when they’ve invaded the borders of other nations for the past forever. But this isn’t on the great citizens, but they need to duplicate the actions of Germany and find a way to continue to receive immigrants in search of a better life while trying to solve the issues of unemployment and a deteriorating middle class. People coming in with nothing except the clothes on their back cannot be the blame.

Immigration doesn’t link or lead to crime and overall poverty—and Germany is an outstanding example. And if you want another example, let’s use France, Canada and Australia---with a whopping 20% immigration rate on the latter two nations and all 3 ranking among the best in overall economy in the planet. We need to drop the Nationalism and realize that we are lucky nations to not have been fully tainted—unlike Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and Libya which need decades of help to try to prosper once again.

Our problems are apparent but not unsolvable. Our issues are existent but not erasable. We need to drop the guns, and open our arms to embrace. Once collectively we start helping others then we can achieve the goals of a safer, more open, and friendlier world that still has so much to offer. Love trumps hate every single time, but under the shadows of Trump, the Trump Supremacy fandom that has gotten far too big, Nationalism, Phobias, and refusals to accept responsibility for some of the larger issues plaguing the continents, we can’t solve anything. Hate will cloud the real problems, and will destroy you in a heartbeat. Look how fast the economy dipped after an emotional vote. And this is just the beginning.



Brexit is an ugly example of what might happen to America. Don’t let this happen.

The Pulse of Orlando

I’m still screaming.





Silently, but definitely screaming.







I still haven’t fully processed everything that has happened in the past 48 hours. We had a nice singer shot dead after her concert (shooter also wasn’t from here), and then had a man shoot up a nightclub (won’t call it a gay club, because that implies exclusivity which it definitely wasn’t) and take out 50 people, injure 50 more, and then damage the lives of an entire community and an entire city. The brave Orlando police quickly engaged the situation and prevented it from being even worse by cornering him for hours and then barging in and taking him out, without even a thought of sending him to court. The man revoked his rights to living once he set out to do what he did. And the act is even worse when you realize some of the details that I will discuss later.

So now we have Marco Rubio and several politicians classify Orlando as the face of the War on Terror. And that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Orlando belongs to nobody except the people, except the citizens, except the locals that help shape Florida into the most unique yet most welcoming and successful state in all the South, and currently one of the most successful states in the entire country. We thrive off of the interactions of people of all kinds and all cultures, otherwise we wouldn’t have 60 million yearly visiting our beautiful city.

You may assume that Orlando is a large city, but that is also far from the truth. We don’t even have a million people living in the city technically. We are a large community, and that is a major difference. Interestingly enough, I used to have a theory that the larger the city, the less likely we get a mass shooting because of our sheer number of options on how to enjoy life, on how to live, and how likely large successful cities are in the end a community of people that respect, appreciate, and enjoy each other. This mass shooting curtails the theory.

Back to the community feeling of Orlando: The entire spectrum of surrounding suburbs hail themselves from Orlando. Disney, 30 minutes from actual Orlando, calls itself Orlando. Even folks from Kissimmee, Windermere, Hunter’s Creek (Large enough to be a small town), the “Winters” Towns of Park and Garden will claim they are from Orlando. And it’s not to make the conversation easier, it’s because the ideals of Orlando belongs to them. We are one of the friendliest cities in the nation, and not just towards your typical American. We are extremely GLAAD friendly, extremely friendly towards immigrants and the Latino crowd (Gone to BVL lately?), and even have a good population hailing from the Middle East, Brazil, and even as far as China.

We receive more Brazilians than any other city in the nation, while also being among the top destinations for Canadians, British, and most Central/South American countries. None of this is an accident. Some can argue that Disney formed Orlando, but the truth is Orlando transformed Disney World from a conservative, clean-cut Midwestern-influenced spot into an extremely liberal and highly open place where people from every corner of the planet to not only visit, but also come to work thanks to the College Program. Facial hair, once a cardinal Disney sin, is allowed on property. Tattoos used to disqualify you automatically from the job, but now as long as you are covered you have a shot at working for the Mouse. That wasn’t even considered back in the 70s. The diversity here is staggering.

So no, we are not the face of terror. We are still Orlando, still a very proud mesh of year-round tourism, college attitude, millenial flair and acceptance, meshed in with Southern hospitality and that Florida edge that makes us proudly weird. We love our gators cooked and larger than dinosaurs. We love our new soccer team that gets screwed over by the refs every week. We love our frustrating Orlando Magic. We love our beautiful scenery overlooking one of several massive malls. We love our Disney World and their overpriced Mickey bars. We love our other theme parks that yearly try to keep up with Disney’s stranglehold on the theme park industry. We love the new face of Orlando known as the Orlando Eye, and the impressive stretch of restaurants and entertainment known as International Drive. We just experienced a very bad day from a bad egg that isn’t from here.

Our type of success breeds enemies. On 9/11 we were a target, and miraculously nothing happened. And now we are presented with what looks like Islamic terrorism, when in actuality it’s probably something very different. The attack didn’t come from within our tight-knit community, it came from a man from outside the Orlando borders, full of rage for seeing how happy we are, and secretly pondering why he couldn’t experience the same thing. Yes Omar Mateen called and claimed he was doing this in the name of ISIS. But here is a small fact that speaks layers about him:

Mateen was a REGULAR in Pulse. He wasn’t there just once, did research, and then went crazy. Apparently he had been there a dozen times. He actually had interacted with others inside the facility. He had been drunk there before, he had danced there before. Mateen wasn’t a stranger to the world of LGBT. The man never lived in Orlando, yet made his way to this very destination several times. Does this sound like a man working for ISIS? Does this sound like a terrorist in a radical group trying to harm America? Sounds quite bizarre that a man so willing to kill them all spent so much time with them. Now, I’m not saying I have the full explanation as to why that fateful night occurred (and to be honest, I might be totally wrong), but it speaks layers that Mateen was in there as often as he was---to a point that other regulars recognize his face. He can yell ISIS but his actions are that of a broken angry man (I shall add this: an American citizen).

Could he have been a closet homosexual? That would explain his unsuccessful relationships and struggles with steroids, families, jobs (worked several of them) and life in general. It could explain his disgust for the open displays of affection from gays (according to his father, it started supposedly after a visit to Miami). He was probably battling a demon within his soul that on his final days became unbearable. Maybe his personality and his dated religious beliefs were at complete odds, and nobody was there to really help him. Maybe it was the steroids, maybe it was the mental illness nobody was willing to confront. None of this justifies his actions, but it might explain why this looks much more like a lone wolf committing a hate crime as opposed to a man following orders from a terrorist organization across the Atlantic. There’s even reports that Mateen denounced his Afghanistan ties to his family.

The attack in Paris was clearly planned. They all had their suicide vests, worked as a team, and attacked different locations during the busiest part of the night. The attack on Orlando was a man with weapons on his possession (and in the car) unleashing an attack at 2:00 A.M., when it was winding down and the bouncers and police would show up to make sure closing goes smoothly. 2:00 a.m. is not an adequate time for an attack, no matter what the death toll is. The man was angry, and it wasn’t the religion telling him to do this. He was connected to Pulse, and for God knows what reason felt like he needed to eliminate its success and its impact.

Disguising this as a simple terrorist attack from an Islamic terrorist group is dangerous, and eliminates the true issue here: the world is not a safe place to be gay, whether you want to admit it or not. Hate crimes against homosexuals exist all over the world, and even in the United States. We still have anti-gay laws that can get you fired just because of your orientation in a whopping 31 states. P.S.: Claiming that Islam is the ONLY religion doing this old-school intolerance is irresponsible. Not labeling this attack as a hate crime is also irresponsible.

Notice it happened on Latin Night. And now that the information is out that the shooter was a frequent visitor is proof that this man was (besides potentially gay or bi himself but unwilling to accept this) anti-gay, anti-Hispanic (which has become a rising concern because of Trump), and at the end of the day, anti-Muslim for his violent outburst. Do not, repeat, do not just add this on a list. We need to dissect this, and continuously prove that there is a reason for Gay Days, the Gay Pride Parades, and finding the right politicians to fight the laws that discriminate. Under Obama, we got gay marriage and gay adoption legalized federally. Love is love, end of story. Do not just file this off as another “Islamic terrorist attack." There were specific targets here, and tons of rage holding the weapon. 

This is where Orlando once again comes into play. Don’t just pray for Orlando, become Orlando. Become friendly towards all. Become accepting to all. Become personally crazy and not give two shits as to what people might think. Orlando doesn’t experience the racism of Arizona, the subtle racism of New York City (gentrification is alive and well in NYC folks ), the homophobia of Georgia, and lastly the violence of a Chicago. Orlando is part of the grand movement of accepting individuality amongst everybody willing to be themselves, and not a single moment is going to fix that. Don’t be on your knees praying for improvement, be part of the movement for improvement.

A lesser city would crumble under the circumstances. But as you see thousands of people from all over Central Florida lining up for hours to donate blood, to help out, and just do whatever it takes to get everyone back on their feet, that’s all the proof in the world displaying that Orlando is already on the road to recovery. The parks are still open, the planes are still flying in, and the parties are still continuing. This should inspire you. We’ve become part of the revolution of the South, and although our neighbors are still very much behind (Piss off South Carolina and Tennessee politicians), we are getting closer to being just as openly engaging as California, Colorado, and New York.

We can discuss gun control, radicalism, the election at any other point next month. But this month should be about a fast recovery. It took 47,000 days of Orlando history before we reached a harrowing attack of this magnitude. And it’s no accident why. Not saying Orlando is perfect (don’t get me started about the 408), but its darn near close. This has been my home for almost all of my life, and I don’t experience the horrors that other minorities and other people in general suffer in other parts of the country. For that I’m grateful. I always classify myself as Dominican-Floridian because I like mentioning the state that has accepted me for who I am without any issue.

I will not blame any group or religion or any law for what occurred that night, and neither should you. It was the actions of one man, and one man alone. He disrespected the sanctity of life, he disrespected his religion, he disrespected a nation, and disrespected a group of people that has shown nothing but love towards everyone around them. Don’t just pray---act, react, contribute, help, and try to better yourselves. One by one if we all become more loving and more accepting, then we will continue to thwart hate and will continue to revolutionize the country. Maybe our care for our neighbors will transform someone from hateful to one of us. It’s not impossible. Fewer walls, more hugs.

We are not the face of terror. We are the face of a prideful city, a prideful community, and the face of some of the best people you’ll ever meet. We’ve survived the tour groups, we’ve survived hurricanes, we’ve survived some of the craziest storms you’ll ever see (Tropical Storm Fay, never forget), we’ve survived the summers year after year, survived Shaq, survived Dwight Howard, survived I-4, survived the construction of Disney Springs, survived Eisner, and we will survive anything that the world will throw at us. This shooting is a tragedy of the highest degree, but it won’t break or define us.

The best way to honor those that vanished from our lives prematurely is to continue living, through love and through tolerance of everybody. Muslims, atheists, gays, lesbians, transgender, Hispanics, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Tourists, Gator fans, you are all welcome here. We don’t believe in borders, we don’t believe in walls keeping people out, and we don’t believe in not helping others despite where they are coming from. This is Orlando, this is who we are. If you have hate or want to spread it, get out, it’s not welcome here (Donald Trump, I am specifically and especially calling you out). I’m still silently screaming, as this tragedy has definitely affected us all, but I remain hopeful that we will be back on our feet very, very soon. And this will be the last time I write about this, because I want it to be a dark distant memory, nothing more. Orlando needs us.





Orlando will rise again. And we will not change or waver to the face of the opposition. We are and shall remain the vocal image of modern America. It’s now up to the rest of you to also step up.

How Bernie Can Lose the Battle, but still Win the War

Bernie Sanders’ time as a Democratic candidate is nearly up. Despite a heck of an unexpected run, millions of followers, a feverish fanbase, tons of support from both Democrats and Republicans he is inches away from losing to Hillary Clinton at the primaries—like originally expected. And it wasn’t without trying, as he won most of the debates, managed to make Donald Trump chicken out on a potential debate in multiple instances, and has opened up the eyes of a new generation of people suddenly more invested into politics.

Sanders has the young millennial crowd at the palm of his hand, while also having heavy numbers with independents and progressives. Even though the Blue Team doesn’t really like his ideas, a grand percentage of the non-main party voters are following him every step of the way. But his time is almost up. Nice run, but it’s all but guaranteed Clinton is the one going up against Trump. I shall sidetrack this slightly to congratulate Hillary on being the first woman to be a major party nomination to run for president. Some of you might scoff, but considering we are in a society that gave ONLY 3 MONTHS OF PRISONTIME TO A DOUCHEBAG FOR RAPING AN UNCONSCIOUS WOMAN BEHIND A DUMPSTER her victory does deserve some slight attention…..

But Bernie has the opportunity to truly crash the election and truly create a memorable revolution---win or lose. He needs to run. Not as a Green Party, but as an outright Independent. If Bernie truly wants to make waves, truly wants to cause chaos and bring more light into the ridiculous procedure into choosing a president, then he needs to run. He needs to continue accepting the $27 donations, needs to continue to reach out to new voters and those that want something different, and needs to remain in the spotlight. His run so far has been far, far from a failure---collecting over $200 million without a major donation.



(This article is NOT about why he is the best candidate. That is for another day)



If Bernie truly, madly, deeply wants to renegade his way through November and craft a new culture of politics, then his job cannot simply finish in July. He is slightly behind Hillary right now in terms of popularity and overall votes, while beating Trump mercilessly in any poll you dish out. 47% of Americans are Independent, and have skewered heavily towards Sanders. And if he can participate in the national debates in front of 60+ million viewers, he can rise from those and garner even more momentum. Ending the campaign now would be a travesty.

Not saying now at this very moment he will win, but if he continues this run, continues the exposure, he is more likely to gain voters and support than Hillary or Trump. Trump's ceiling has been reached, while Hillary has minimal room to grow. Sanders as the obvious unique ticket in this election has the most potential for growth. If there is an election where a gigantic upset can be pulled off, this would be the election to do it. Sanders would still have more opportunities to prove to the voting groups not in his favor (Blacks, Women, Hispanics, Conservatives, Elderly—ironically) that he is still the correct choice in November. Back in 2000 this idea would have been extremely far-fetched. 2016 however is a different story.

He has already come so far. Quitting now would be a waste, after everything that has already happened. And even if he doesn’t win, just his appearance would shake up politics in a way that could help us in the future---that could help us prevent atrocities like Trump reaching this far from occurring ever again. Just continuing the fight would be respecting the supporters that had been fighting the uphill battle for months now.



Bernie Sanders, if you are really up for a shake up, then becoming the third wheel (with a slight chance to actually win it all) is the ultimate answer.

How to (Finally) Make America Great

Make America Great Again?



So it’s no longer great? And when do we consider it to be great? The 90s? The 80s? The 70s? A case can be made for each, as music was seemingly at its best in the 70s (Peak Queen and Peak Led Zeppelin). The 80s, during the Reagan years when seemingly anything was possible---and the random mix of films released during the decade is evidence of this. Could it be the 90s when the American economy and growth was at its absolute peak and America was easily considered the top nation in the planet? And on a less serious note let’s never forget the epic Nintendo/Sega showdown.

Republicans will whether avoid the Bill Clinton years or announce that it was because of Reagan, but the 90s is probably the time Donald Trump is referring to when speaking of a “Better America”. Sanctions against big business decreased significantly, free trade was increased dramatically because of NAFTA, and American consumerism was at its highest. New York City was the symbolism of 90s America, with Donald Trump’s empire having a fun time in a wildly free market devoid of rules and not providing a safe base when the economy crashes. New York City was the city to go if you want to get the ultimate taste of what the country is offering.

But it wasn’t great for everybody, even during the 80s/90s when it arguably had the highest percentage of Americans doing fine. But to claim that America was great in the past isn’t a fully accurate statement. And this is where everyone starts screaming because they can’t accept any type of criticism or shade thrown at their beloved nation. But hear me out: once you dig deeper you’ll see entire populations of people suffering and desperately striving for equality underneath all the success America was experiencing.

Back to the 90s. During Sex and the City, the prisons started filling up with minorities for minor crimes and for crimes they didn’t commit. During Seinfeld’s early years the largest state in the country was suffering from a rampant case of racist cops making life miserable for Blacks. During the Playstation’s rise, gays and lesbians were struggling to be socially accepted outside your larger cities.

What if America was considered great in the 50s after the war? During those years, Blacks were still considered inferior and weren’t allowed in certain restaurants, and certain cities entirely. Poor Muhammad Ali after winning the gold medal FOR America was kicked out of a restaurant in his own small town. And after his death, he is STILL getting criticism for skipping out on the Vietnam War, when we've had dozens of political leaders (and even a president) do the same thing. The point is: America is still a relatively young country, but declaring it great and always being great is a slightly selfish statement---and saying it needs to be “great’ again is nearly worse.

Today, this very day, this is the most open and accepting the law has been towards minorities, the GLAAD community, transgender, and everyone in general. Yet America’s racism levels has been steadily rising since Obama coming in to office, and has come out in droves to support Trump. So technically Peak America should be right now, since gay marriage is accepted, people have the option to live and work together in peace and harmony regardless of race, and because technology and economic opportunity should be at the highest level. America should be a Top 3 nation right now.

So if NOW America is not great, then it never has been great, because despite the success, despite the advancements, it’s all been done with inequality, rampant racism, prejudice, phobias, and fallouts from past atrocities around the corner. America nearly wiped out all Native Americans, made slavery legal for over a century, accepted the concept of segregation for another century, stole land from Mexico, refused to allow for women to vote and threatened them with death, and lastly took centuries to allow for everyone to marry and adopt. And don’t get me started on how much wealth the top 1% currently owns and will continue earning through loopholes they pay to take advantage of and we can’t keep afford to seek. And I am not here to pass any blame whatsoever, what I am saying is that the road leading up to what America currently is has some dark shadows and dark decisions.

Today, this very day, we should be great, and we’re not. Donald Trump, an obvious bigot and an obvious racist has a shot at the presidency. Barack Obama spent eight years trying to improve America but had racists in the White House denying his every decision----even some that would obviously help those in need. We have a candidate in Bernie Sanders simply trying to give free health care and free college to everyone, and its being met with waves of hatred. We have a sudden fear of the religion of Islam, even though some of our top political figures accepts money from terrorists in these same nations. Gun violence is insane, we have spellbinding rates of mass shootings, the drug wars with Mexico has been a silent killer, and worst of all we haven’t achieved the level of peace we are seeing in other countries like Canada. We should be closer to being like Germany, Canada, Finland, Japan, even England. We’re not there yet.

If America isn’t great now according to your eyes, then it was never great. If you are supporting Trump’s message, then you are silently sponsoring and reminiscing of a past that might appeal to you, but had been absolute horror for others in the same borders. Yes the United States remains one of the top superpowers in the world, and yes we are much better off here than most other nations. But we shouldn’t settle just because we are in the Top 20. The United States has a government structure, a population, a technology, and a deep entourage of resources that should allow for us to rise above the bigotry and ridiculousness and become the top country. It is 2016, racism should be all but evaporated from our system. It is 2016, why are businesses still getting away with not paying their taxes and putting their share? 

When I say America has never been great, I’m representing the voices that had been shunned by modern day society. The reason I'm not leaving (yet) despite my criticisms about the country is that I have actually been blessed to be living in a state that is progressively accepting and has become an economic powerhouse. Florida might be the most bizarre state in the country, but our diversity, ability to maintain resources, and constant strives to technologically improve has allowed for us to be the top destination for Northeasterners and a top destination for Puerto Ricans escaping an island neglected by the United States for the past 4 decades. Trust me when I say this: Florida has some of the best towns and cities in all of America. Trust me.

But others living in the United States aren’t as lucky. Midwest is a mess, certain types of people to this day aren’t fully accepted in certain regions, and to this day some of my favorite people personally have been discriminated against and have dealt with racism. When you say Make America Great Again, you are striving for time periods that was unkind to many regardless of how successful you and your family may have been. When you say America is always great, you are denying the plethora of issues that other developed nations just don’t experience. When you say America is great now, you are being complacent and accepting of its status as among the best, when it should be the best.

Want to actually make America great? Accept she has problems that need fixing. Don’t settle. Keep improving, keep pushing to collectively be the best population in the world. Push to be more accepting of everyone despite background. Push, keep pushing. America is not perfect, and it may not be fully great, but it doesn’t mean she will never be great.

The beaches of Normandy weren’t breached to see an America that has a businessman that participated in the economic crashes of the 2000s leading the Republican vote. Millions of soldiers did not die for a country that still has pockets of regions hating Blacks and Hispanics. America will never be truly great until it’s equally great for everybody that lives within its borders.

Me saying America isn’t great is not an insult, it’s a challenge to all. Be good to one another. Be good to the environment. Be a good human being. Keep striving for greatness. Don't vote for hate, and each of you know who I am referring to.



Keep pushing for America to be in peak form; economically, morally, and socially. Do it for your neighbor, do it for those in the past that died for you, and do it for your future and the future of others.



Make America great, now.