It is Our Turn To Make America Great Again

Currently we are still in the middle of an election. Trump still has a chance to win this whole thing. I believe it is a slim chance but that is the exact same thing we all thought about him last time and several times before. If I have learned one thing it is to never count Trump out until he is out.

 

With that said I have always been someone who likes to have a plan, even if it is just in case. If Trump wins I will continue as I have for the last four years. What I want to be prepared for is in the case that he loses.

 

If Trump loses I want to first recognize the things that he has done. Peace deals in the Middle East, the greatest economy of all time and record employment for all Americans. One of the greatest things Trump has done was energize the Republican base and exposed corruption all throughout our institutions, namely the legacy media and the Democratic career politicians.

 

Trump has shown us that the legacy media is a part of the Democratic establishment and along with large social media, other corporations, universities, and members of the administrative (deep) state, have organized against the average working American family.

 

If Trump loses, the Republican Party has a choice before them. We are standing at two divergent roads. To one side is a light gently downward sloping hill with fresh green grass and a clear path of a long slow decline. The other path is dark, stormy, and full of rocks and steeply uphill that only offers a chance to further fulfill the ideals our Republic was founded on. Where each path leads for each of us is not known for sure, but the choice is ours to make.

 

Trump chose the hard path because he loved this country. He gave up the life of security, wealth and inclusion in order to do what he thought was right and the establishment (both Republicans and Democrats) threw rocks at him daily. Yet he made the way up the hill as we all watched, shocked that anyone would actually chose the difficult path.

 

Now we have seen it can be done and we understand a bit more about what we are up against. We have a choice, do we select the easy path, live our lives in peaceful obscurity and withdraw from the world or do we embrace the challenge fully with the knowledge that we all won’t make it to the top, if any of us make it at all, for a chance at that liberty that we as Americans once held sacred and dear?

 

It is easy to say I choose the hard path and boast about it on Facebook and social media but it is a totally different thing to actually walk the path. Words are important but without actions they amount to a lot of hot air.

 

We hear this all the time, get active, do something but rarely do actually do anything. I know I suffer from this for a variety of reasons. One I don’t know what to do and two I have so much to do already I can’t imagine doing more. I have a family, dogs, a home that requires upkeep, a fulltime job, community activities, and I have to sleep sometime. I understand many of us are in the same position, but how long do you think you’ll have any of those things if you do not do something to take care of them?

Trump showed us that we have a chance if you remain strong and refuse to back down. I am reminded of a meme that went around during the impeachment attempt. It was a black and white photo of Trump pointing at the observer and the caption said ‘in reality they’re not after me, they’re after you, I’m just in the way.’

 

If he loses this election he will no longer be in the way and they will marshal the force of the legacy media, the university and government school system, the administrative (or deep) state, social media and big tech, international corporations, and massive social pressure to make sure that the American way of life, the American experiment in individual self-governance comes to an end.

Enough is Enough: What Are You Going to Do?

The police are being told to stand down so that people the mainstream media call mostly peaceful protesters can riot and loot.

The mostly peaceful people cheer on the minority, actively encouraging, condoning, and providing cover for their actions. The mob has taken away your right to have a say. They boldly claim they are speaking for you, the people, as they set fire to the court house or pull down a statue.

They do not speak for me.

But what do we do? Normally I would say elect new people, go out and vote, get involved in your local party. While those things are still important, this is not a normal time.

The police we have entrusted to keep the peace have been handcuffed and are now being beaten savagely as we look on. We now have a choice, do we stand by and watch as these guardians of peace who have stood between us and the most depraved manifestations of our nature are systematically taken apart or do we pick up the responsibility abandoned by those elected officials entrusted with authority and restore peace and order?

It seems like an easy choice, but it is not as easy as you’d think. You will not be cheered for picking up responsibility, in fact by lifting this cross you will be attacked. You will suffer.

You will be called violent when someone punches you in the face. You will be called an extremist as you call for unity. You will be branded racist for loving your country. You will also be tempted.

Tempted to claim the power being used against you and wield it for good. But good fruit cannot grow from a poison tree. Both the suffering and the temptation seek one thing, to strip away your responsibility, because it is in this responsibility that you find meaning.

It is in this responsibility that you make yourself worthy of the suffering of life.

The streets have never been so crowded yet so empty. People shouting empty phrases into the air, conjuring demons out of brothers and making saints out of lies.

Calling people out does not reach their heart, it only causes them to utter false apologies in a misguided attempt to please a monster that feeds on outrage and misery. The apology, instead of satisfying the monster, only sends it into a frenzy as it justifies the outrage (inherent in any apology is an admission of guilt) and means the fruit of misery is ripe.

Our elected officials drop everything to meet the demands of the rioters but you peacefully gather at the capital in the thousands only to be shooed away with a pat on the head. I am just as guilty of this as anyone else. I post things online, I write my blog, I talk with friends and coworkers and we are all full of ideas of what ‘they’ should do. Then we go back to work, go home, and carry on with our lives.

We say things like, oh it’s Portland, if they would ever come to my town they would never get away with that. Then they come to your town, destroy your statues and loot your businesses. 

You then say, yeah but if they tried that at my house they would never get away with it. Then they show up at your house and burn the American flag on your front porch. You weakly say, well if they break into my house they would never get away with it. 

But it’s too late, they have already gotten away with it. Your house is on fire, the police are not coming, the fire department is not coming, and your neighbors are not coming. You are alone in your burning house and you wonder, why didn’t someone do something? 

All the while you never realized that you were someone, that you could have done something, but each time you were called you hesitated. As your community, your state, and your country burned, you turned on Call of Duty and ignored Duty’s Call. Each hesitation, each ignored call, etched onto your very being until hesitation became habit and inaction became your virtue. 

So what can you do? I’ll admit honestly I have no clear answer for that question because I do not know you. I am not going to lie to you like a politician and say I have all the answers for you and if you support me all your worries will go away. That is a question you are going to have to answer for yourself.

First recognize four things. 

One, work within your circle of influence. This means understanding what you are actually capable of doing. You probably can’t get elected governor, but you can vote. You can always extend your circle of influence and work up to getting elected governor, but chances are for the majority of us, that is outside of our current abilities.

Two, understand there is not going to be one magic solution. Simply changing the school system or the tax code will not fix everything. Lots of things need to be done, do not focus too heavily on any one thing or believe that if only X would happen then everything would be better.

Three we are currently in a culture war not a political disagreement or violent revolution. You cannot win the battle if your army is on the wrong field.

Four, you as an individual are needed right now. Not you as a member of a group (gun owner, male or female, or Trump supporter) but you as the unique individual with your own talents, interests and abilities.

Lastly if you know of any of these events, statue destruction, flooding of a school board meeting to read scripted ‘comments’ trying to cancel someone, or occupations, please bring it to the attention of the rest of the community. Then get up and go use your voice. Don’t get into shouting matches, physical fights or call people names but stand up tall with courage and honor.

PS. I am starting to organize people in my local community here in Oregon to do something I think is pretty cool. Looking to organize mostly young people to become the leaders we need but also looking to build a community. If you are interested, everyone is welcome, reach out to me on Facebook or in the comments of this blog, thanks!

The Truth About Statue Destruction

It’s not about ending racism (a utopian idea that will end up murderous if I ever heard one) it is about far more than that.

It is about an exercise of power. These mobs can do whatever they want and those we’ve entrusted and empowered to maintain law and order will do nothing to stop them.

It is about destroying the fundamental ideals America was founded on. Life, Liberty, property, representative government of the people, and the pursuit of happiness. These mobs have killed people, beaten, bullied, and intimidated people into silence. They have destroyed property and stolen the ability for the people to have a voice in what happens in their community. They have extinguished the pursuit of happiness with every business they burn, every car they destroy and every life they mangle or destroy.

It is about division and chaos. Those directing the mobs want people divided and they know the media WILL cover for them. They will never be held to account by either elected officials, law enforcement, mainstream media, or social media. In fact elected officials, mainstream media and the heads of social media will actively silence, bully, blame, attack and arrest those who speak up.

After all these riots are mostly peaceful anyway, right? They are just ‘protesters’ who tore down that statue. But it is extremists who stand in front of their business with a gun to protect it when the cops have been ordered to allow looting to happen. The extremists are the ones who want to go back to work or church.

Normally I am not for government intervention but I do believe there is a proper role and place for government. This proper role is outlined in the Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

It is not the duty of our government to solve our problems for us, it is not the duty of government to care for us, and government is not our Mother nor Father nor God. The chief duty of government is to protect the rights of the people.

A mob pulling down whatever statue offends them at the time is not a right that is protected. It is not a protest, it is not free speech.

It is vandalism.

It is the destruction of peace.

It is a rejection of the idea that you or I get to be part of making the decisions within our communities.

The mob simply decides for you.

If this statue, this house, this institution, this person, this group of people are bad in the eyes of the mob, then the mob will come and destroy it and if the elected official is sympathetic to them they simply refuse to apply the law.

It is illegal for elected officials to decide which laws to enforce and which to ignore, it is immoral for elected officials to decide who the laws apply to and whom they do not.

That is not the rule of law. That is a return to aristocracy. A return to legislation without representation. There was no law passed that said the statue of Thomas Jefferson in Portland was to be removed. Did the people in that community want the statue removed? Maybe they did, but that choice was stolen from them.

Even if you agree with the removal of that statue you must disagree with the method in which it was done. The ends do not justify the means, because once they do anything becomes acceptable. As the Roman historian Tacitus once said “Once killing starts, it is difficult to draw the line.”

If you allow the mob to decide for you this time, simply because you agree with their objective or are sympathetic to their cause, they will begin to make decisions for you all the time. You might be able to buy off the mob for a time, after all you have the right sign in your yard and you say all the things they tell you to say.

You hate all the right things and all the right people in order to signal your virtue as a ‘good person.’ But a moment will come when you slip. Maybe you misspeak, a total slip of the tongue. You figure, I’m a good person, people will understand it was an accident.

 

They don’t.

You apologize.

It is only taken as an admission of your guilt.

Next thing you know you have been fired from your job. The mob you once cheered shows up at your front door. They yell at and shove your children as they try to come home after school. The windows of your car are smashed in. Maybe a fire starts, who set it, after all the mob is mostly peaceful as they cheer the flames.

Where are the police you think, the fire department? I’m a good person, why are they doing this to me? Why won’t anyone help me?

It is then you realize those same questions must have gone through the mind of the good police officers who wanted to protect and serve their community with honor. You turn and see the person who set the fire only to recognize a second later that you are looking in a mirror.

These people taking over entire city blocks in Seattle are not there for a summer of love. The mob pulling down statues are not seeking to heal a divided country or help a hurt community. The media is not seeking the truth but providing cover.

They are not all part of some grand conspiracy. They are simply followers of an ideology of division. An ideology bent on pitting one group against another in their unrelenting quest for the only thing they believe that matters in the world.

Power.

MayAGA Day 20: Wink and a Nod

I have been wearing my MAGA hat everywhere I go for about 20 days now. When I first started this challenge it was awkward to put that hat on my head and go out of the house. I worried about what others would think or do when they saw it.

So far that worry has been unfounded and those who comment on the hat have been positive. Now I put the hat on my head and forget that I am wearing it. The places and people I see frequently seem to not notice anymore. It has become common place.

Nothing really exciting has happened and that is why I have not had anything to write about. Honestly that is exactly what I wanted to happen.

A Wink and a Nod

I was out walking the dog when I noticed an elderly lady working in her yard. She saw me down the street and walked toward me.

 

At first I was a bit nervous, not because I was worried about this lady but because my dog has a bad habit of jumping and he is a big dog. She approached me and from a safe distanced asked if she could pet my dog.

I explained to her if he starts to whine or get nervous then the answer is no, but if he is okay with it than yes. She put her hand out, he smelled it and immediately leaned against her for some pets. She loved on him for a minute, getting her fur fix she said, and we talked about dogs.

At the end of the conversation she leaned in and looked up at me sideways and said “By the way I like your hat.” Of course I smiled and said thank you and she went back to her friend to continue working in the yard.

The next instance was at a local Albertsons. I was walking through the store and as usual I could tell people noticed the hat but were largely going about their business. I passed an employee who was talking with another customer but I could tell his eyes followed me for a second longer than usual.

I brushed it off as him just thinking I might need help. I was looking for a product I did not know exactly where it was, so I figured he picked up on my lost expression. A few seconds later I heard he call to me from behind.

“Excuse me sir.” He said standing by the door leading to the back of the store. I turned and looked back and as we made eye contact he said “I like your hat.” I again smiled big and said thank you. He nodded and went back to work in the back of the store.

Silent Support

These two instances are not the only time someone has commented on my hat. I have not had anyone get upset, just positive feedback. I took some time to think about those encounters and what they meant.

In each of those encounters the comment was made in a public space but was meant to be a private conversation. It was almost as if they said they supported the hat but did not want to wear one themselves. Or that they were thankful that someone was doing something they wanted to do but felt they could not.

Before I took on this challenge I felt the same way. In fact I probably would have been one of those people who gave a quick positive comment in passing if I had seen someone in a MAGA hat.

I have often wondered why people felt they had to stay silent. For the most part I think people just want to avoid conflict. For me I left a very real social pressure that being Republican, Conservative or wearing a MAGA hat made me a bad person.

I knew Conservatives, Republicans and people that wore MAGA hats and they were perfectly normal, regular, good people. They worked hard, loved their families, and helped their neighbors. So why should these good people feel ashamed to be themselves?

I do not have the answer to that question outside of social pressure. Thankfully I have spent most my life being socially awkward and have had to build up an inner strength that can stand against social pressure when needed.

Even with this practice I had a hard time taking that step. But if my experience is any indication the only thing that holds people back from taking that step is themselves.

If you want to wear a MAGA hat or get involved with the Republican Party, do so. Go to a meet up or join a Facebook group (Here are a couple groups I am a member of Oregon Republican League, Young Republican’s of Washington County). Check it out, talk to people, and make the choice that is best for you.

Thanks for reading and hope you all are having a great MayAGA!

MayAGA Day 1: A Good Start

Today is the first day of May and the start of MayAGA. This is the challenge for individuals to wear a MAGA hat every day in the month of May everywhere they go. It is not a march or rally but rather a demonstration that there are normal everyday people, some are your friends and neighbors, who are Republican, conservative and/or supporters of President Trump.

It is not an attempt to trigger or upset people but to show that you refuse to believe the hype of the media about how bad the world is and to say that you will refuse to allow your choices to be dictated by those who are willing to use violence and social pressure to silence you.

The First Step

After a lot of thought and reflection I decided that I would try wearing the MAGA hat for the whole month. I wrote a couple blog posts about it, clarifying my thoughts and intentions, and waited for May to arrive.

I would be lying if I said I was not nervous. Chief among my fears was that I would create more problems than I was trying to solve. I worried about how others would react to my choice. The media narratives did have an impact on me, but I had thought it through and steeled myself as I placed my MAGA hat on my head and walked out the door.

As I started my car my mind started to race with the uncertainties the day held for me. As I approached the grocery store I realized that this would be the first interaction. How would it go? Would anything bad happen? Would anyone even care? I hoped for the last one.

Early Morning Surprise

The store was mostly empty and I held my head up and looked forward, set on getting what I needed for breakfast and snacks for work. I grabbed a couple apples and oranges and some yogurt and headed to the register.

At this point I walked passed a few people but nothing happened. I placed my items on the belt as the cashier spoke to the person ahead of me. The cashier grabbed my items and started to scan them when she looked up to greet me.

I smile and stepped forward, more calm in my actions than in my mind. She said good morning and smile back at me. I moved over to the debt card machine and that is when she noticed the hat. A red hat with white letters causes people to take a second look.

To my surprise the cashier just nodded and said “Good for you!” We both knew she was talking about my hat and I grinned.

“Thanks.” I said as I put my card into the debt machine “I figured if I want to wear it I should be able to.” She agreed with me and asked where I got my MAGA hat. I told her I had to buy it online and that it was very reasonably priced. She told me that her husband was looking to buy one too.

We completed our transaction and wished each other a good day. I smiled as I walked to my car, seems I was worked up for nothing. Now on to the next challenge, time to go to work.

Work Day

I work for a small company and knew most everyone and thought things would be pretty safe but sometime you never know. I walked into work and punched the time clock and headed to my desk. The first few hours no one noticed a thing, I looked at my emails, did some work, and got my morning cup of coffee.

I had told a few people that I was going to wear my MAGA hat for the month of May, but saying it and showing up are two very different things. Slowly, as more people arrived, people started to notice.

At first it came in the form of second glances. Than people laughed, not at me but in that way you laugh when you are excited or interested in something. A few people complemented me, some were a little surprised that I was actually wearing a MAGA hat publicly, and one person made a joke about it.

Even the joke was lighthearted and my experience was positive. It was a bit uncomfortable at first to realize that I was drawing attention to myself, but that wore off and everyone got back to their work.

I went out to lunch, taco bell (there goes my diet), with no problem and returned to work to finish out my day. One of my coworkers, on his lunch break, created a meme for MayAGA (Picture at the top of the article).

Making the Leap

I started the day a bit nervous about what was in store for me. As I went forward with fortitude and prudence I realized that the media and online hype was just that, hype.

I understand that this was just one day but so far everything has been positive. It was a bit uncomfortable knowing that people will look at you twice, but I understood that by wearing the MAGA hat I was inviting people to comment and talk to me.

In fact that was the point, I wanted people to talk to me and realize that just because someone wears a MAGA hat, supports President Trump or has different ideas does not mean that they are a bad person.

I would recommend people who want to take part in MayAGA to do so. But I would also recommend they examine their reason for doing so. If you just want to piss people off, do not do it.

But if you have used sound reasoning and moral wisdom and understand that you will face social scrutiny, a hostile media, and are willing to accept that you will be used as a representation of everyone who wears a MAGA hat and that your every word and action are important and must be chosen carefully, than please join me in taking part in MayAGA.