Women’s Rights: Two Steps Away from Salem

When I was a young girl, I was never told I couldn’t accomplish my goals due to my gender. My grandmother was a “classical feminist”, she didn’t metaphorically burn bras or seek vengeance on behalf of her gender.  She was simply a female who sought independence (i.e.- economically, educationally and socially) from the societal expectations of her generation. I had two major female roles models in life and one strong male model, all of which formulated my characteristics, morals and ethics.

Gender was never directly associated with failing, nor was my hereditary background. Feminism was not a popular cocktail word as it has become now. Women’s rights are about equality, yet equality in a society that caters to males can be difficult. In more ways that women of any age, gender or ethnicity wish to confess. It’s trivialized, after women are often characterized as “Nuts or Sluts” in the public forum. We tread lightly already, more than we sense at times.

 After all, who wants to be that crazy bitch? She must be unattractive, man-hating and hold everyone to double standards. She must want to be treated better than men!  We gave you the right to own property, a bank account, and even vote! You must be a liberal, you must be a democrat, you must be…another label we can issue you. Because after all, these women should just be grateful we permit them to work in standards to their education, be grateful.

The double standard of my own childhood is although I was never taught that as a female I couldn’t achieve the highest standards, I was taught I was female in a man’s world and therefore I was an inevitable target.

Love's Baby Soft Fragrance Ad, Circa 1975.

Target for what, you may ask?  Harassment, sexual predators, the faceless fears that is cultivated with violence against women. All forms, that are ignored as simply crazy degenerates, gang violence to random mass shootings (all disregarded as generalized violence to domestic acts of terrorism), but is it addressed as a gender related crime?  It’s common sense in our world to teach all of our children to be safe, yet when I was young I felt this immense pressure to be cautious and be invisible around strangers.

The reality, this made me all the more a target. Make yourself small, quiet and untouchable (in some way) and the offenders will avoid you. The old joke about women traveling in packs to the bathroom? We are told from a young age that if we travel in groups we are less likely to be harassed, targeted, and/or kidnapped in numbers. So when you see girls carrying off to the restrooms, it's not because of you necessarily. It's not a get away to gossip or apply another layer of makeup, it's a mechanism that is taught to females from a young age to stick together for safety.

As I grew up, I discovered the warnings were unfortunately accurate. One was a family “friend” who attempted to get me into their RV one evening with the promises of a board game and candy. Something struck me off about this guy from the beginning, the way he kept looking at me and trying to hug me too much. The large red flag of attempting to isolate me from the other adults. This man paid way too much attention to my clothing, my hair and commented too much about how “beautiful of a little girl” I was.  But thank GOD I had my defenses up and avoided a horrific situation. I did not see ten-year-old me as beautiful or anything to that nature, I was a tomboy. I was quiet, imaginative and polite. Yet I was that girl that had short hair, climbed trees and played with Hot Wheels. I had no interest in boys or sex at that age. So when this older man began showing me attention like this in such an uncomfortable way. I was paying attention to the warnings provided with my gender.

I never did see that cool board game because it never existed. I told my grandmother immediately. She was keen to listen to my concerns, and kept him at a far distance from me during this family’s short visit.  That same evening, my grandmother asked him about the board game he promised. In surprised response, the man sputtered and admitted there was no board game in the RV- he had forgotten it wasn’t in there. She glared at him while he excused himself to his parked RV outside. Meanwhile, his wife made excuses for him and changed the subject. My grandmother looked over to me with a wink. Later I would find out my grandparents requested they leave immediately.

Even more enlightening to add to this story is, much later into my teens, it was found that this family friend molested his own grandchildren and friend’s children. People know when there is a child molester in the family, there are victims and clues which are OFTEN ignored. Even in our modern society.

As my childhood progressed there were other incidents of misconduct that arose. Whether through peers or adults. In these situations, I avoided telling anyone. In the end I knew it would be my word against theirs’ and there is a fabric of victim shaming I was well aware of. I despise the phrase “shaming”, it’s more than an internet Social Justice Warrior pundit. It is a dumbed down phrase to capitalize on the insecurity it stems from. It’s an identifiable characteristic of a that “sixteen-year-old drunk” we call societal acceptance.

I realized the empowerment of saying no and standing my ground, I didn’t need a space to do it. I made that space. Maybe I asked for it, putting myself there. I hardly believe a ten-year-old understood what a sexual predator’s objective was until it is blatantly obvious. What was I wearing someone may ask? I was a tomboy, you tell me. Here is the secret to the assholes who say women ask for it. Just having a pair of tits and a vagina is enough of an invitation for horrible things to befall you. Especially when your culture’s consciousness is that of unaccountability laced with embraced ignorance, it’s easy to blame. Clothing is HARDLY the reason for rape, ask the nation about its drunken state of entitlement and stop asking me about what I was wearing.

Just as notable: All females should know that we are under the reign of a drunken sixteen-year-old culture, that will blame everyone except itself. Therefore we have to take our own advocacy and that of our children into our own hands. Be responsible but be honest. Don't blame every man on the planet for entitlement, build bridges. Equality is more than social media, blogs and the entertainment industry wooing us with female leads in their feminist shit. Think outside the box, not within the parameters provided. Don't be an asshole, use common sense. We have enough assholes to fill Donald Trump's ego. 

Finally, into young adulthood, I was met with the reality. Gender was an underlining issue in workplaces, educational institutions, churches and life generally. I never had another rape scenario, yet I saw the harassment. Commentary that was passing, but exceptionally derogatory. The commentary was insulting at times in a workplace environment, these came from coworkers (not friends) or upper management- these were males in that context. Not women, although they too are just as unnecessarily vicious at times. Keep in mind I was single, a parent at the time. Now I am married, the comments have barely dwindled.

“You would look better in shorter skirts than those longer ones.” (Married with children, coworker)

“Smoking is really unattractive in women.” (Medical advice from the happy hour crowd)

“It’s easier to get laid as a woman, isn’t it?”  (Single, coworker)

“Wow, you are in a mood. Must be that time of the month, am I right?” (Single, coworker)

“Why are you single? Is it the whole you having a kid thing?” (Married with children, coworker)

“You know; this job isn’t cut out for single mothers. Maybe you should lower your standards.” (Management)

“______ is more of a team player. She knows how to network.” (Co-worker who sleeps around in the work place is promoted, Management.)

“Truthfully, most women are just meant to stay at this level. Otherwise it would be nothing but drama in the corporate offices. Better as a secretary.”  (Management)

“Why can’t you stay late? It’s not like you have a boyfriend to please.” (Management)

Yes, there were often the “smile more” comments. I really don’t want to quote those, because I’ve read it enough already. As if that is the worst of it.

Needless to say I was pretty surprised at the comments, but at the same time I rolled my eyes and responded with a corresponding zinger. None of which meant much due to the harassment source to begin with. I have always said things very directly. (So that there would be no mistaken approvals, God forbid.) Despite any deplorable comments, I would always smirk and respond accordingly. Except I did it with arsenic in my words and a tempered smile. You may not taste it right now, but give it time. There would be some hateful responses and even threats to my job at times, depending on the situation. I was supposed to smile, nod and keep going. Pretending that gender prejudice was of the past where it’s acknowledged more compellingly by our country as ancient practice.

The Invisible War: New Film Exposes Rape, Sexual Assault Epidemic in U.S. Military

I heard the recent news of how the U.S. Marines are permitting more women into combat roles, even going as far to make boot camp ranks/titles gender neutral. Although there are individuals arguing that this is plausibly a bad idea, they are marching forward in the sake of gender equality (arguably cosmetic in appearance). I wish I could support this decision at 100% face value as success, but I am just not there yet. The mere fact that sexual assaults and/or harassment had been historically covered up by the U.S. Military, should be a huge red flag that this isn’t a logical move. Promises are disposal, just as the statistics reflect below from 2014. (I am still waiting on 2015 statistics)

·         “160,500 service members (1 in 4 women, 1 in 14 men) faced severe and persistent sexual harassment or gender discrimination in 2014. For most, the harassment persisted for at least several months.”

·         “90% of assaults were in a military setting, mostly by a higher-ranking service member who knew the victim.”

·         “62% of women who reported a sexual assault faced retaliation. The majority of these women faced reprisal from superiors and commanders.”

·         “Harassment was often mishandled by the chain of command: 44% of victims were encouraged to drop the issue and 41% said the person to whom they reported took no action.”

·         “1,027,810 outpatient visits took place at the VA for Military Sexual Trauma (MST)-related care in 2013.”

·         “1 in 4 women and 1 in 100 men veterans who used the VA in 2013 screened positive for MST.”

Statistics Retrieved from:  "Facts On United States Military Sexual Violence." Protect Our Defenders. 2015. Accessed January 26, 2016. http://protectourdefenders.com/downloads/Military_Sexual_Violence_Fact_Sheet_Final_150710.pdf.

Although this is a rough example of how gender is cosmetically approached it is not addressing the source of this underlining illusion. It’s that “drunken sixteen-year old mentality” that rages on the media, internet and cultural consciousness. As more men become fathers, I ask that you consider your own daughter’s well being. How is this world going to treat her? Will she ever be equal to a male counterpart? Answer to this is: she will be treated according to the directive of society.

"Target is in damage-control mode after receiving a series of complaints on social media about a "Trophy Wife" T-shirt that users are calling demeaning and sexist. (Target)" Washington Post, 2015.

How about work, will she work in a safe and reputable atmosphere, where her work ethic and merits flourish? If she is attractive she may get more interviews, if she is unattractive she may be overlooked often. Her appearance will judge the quality of her treatment, for better or for worse. Will she be able to work and care for her family without feeling like a failure? Can she balance her priorities to please her family, her employer and herself? Only time will tell, only economic changes will tell us…in the meantime there are challenges ahead.

Will she be subjected to harassment, assault or worse?

Survey says:

“91% of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female, and 9% are male.”

“One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old.”

“Rape is the most under-reported crime; 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to police. Only 12% of child sexual abuse is reported to the authorities.”

Statistics Retrieved from: "Statistics About Sexual Violence." National Sexual Violence Resource Center. 2015. Accessed January 27, 2016. http://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/publications_nsvrc_factsheet_media-packet_statistics-about-sexual-violence_0.pdf.

It’s frightening to think of your daughter, sister, mother or friend being a victim. A silent victim which is objectified under the magnifying glass of social media, armchair detectives and spurious media stooges. The drunken society where we humiliate so many for speaking up, for asking for help or for seeking justice. Are there those women who have cried wolf before and misled our culture? I have no personal doubts of this. Absolutely true, as I have aforementioned in other articles... narcissism is the raging plague within our culture. Hell, this article is narcissistic to some degree as well. But that is another article, another time. I digress.

If we read the majority of remarks from media: some women are just crazy bitches, slutty whores and uneducated cunts. Cunt is such an ugly word, isn’t it? But bitch, whore, slut, princess, fat, skinny, ugly, useless, easy, loose- are just fine. It’s like the Wal-Mart of quality, bring your carts- everything is on sale. These words will be spouted the first time your daughter refuses the attentions of an overzealous boy, these words will be thrown into her face when she stands her ground and these same words are strewn across social media pages in an attempt to shut down men just as much as women. 

Bridget Bishop hanged as a witch at Salem in 1692. Briggs. Co. / George Eastman House / Getty Images

I am reminded of the hanging trees of Salem during the witch trials of 1692-1693. Modern women are still but a few steps from these metaphorical hanging trees, they never really escaped us. The Salem Witch trials ended only to a point, in longevity it continues. Under the surface where people disregard its’ existence. Yes, women can’t be flogged, stoned to death (in the U.S.) or even hung, nor can they be legally assaulted. But we can be tortured by attacking us in reputation, bullying – it is the new witch hunting.

She asked for it, she just wanted money, she put herself in that position, she shouldn’t had been alone.

What was she wearing when they raped her?

 I wonder if they asked that  question to the U.S. military members of sexual assault? Would it matter more or less?

The Modern Civil War: This Isn’t the Flag You’re Looking For

I am sure many readers have heard about the South Carolina Church shooting. The perpetrating individual shot nine African American church members, after attending a group bible study with his victims. This has been presented (in his own words even) as an exceptionally unstable, young, fascist, white supremacist.

{PHOTOGRAPH} AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton

Which obviously he is, thus far it has been proven that this young 21 year old man has a personal vendetta with minorities. More specifically, the African American communities of the United States.  Jews, Hispanics and Asians are just a few of his most tolerated things; keeping in mind he believed they should be dehumanized to the fantasy like standards of what he believed was “acceptable”.

Recently the argument of removal of the Confederate Flag from use in South Carolina (in addition to other states such as Virginia, etc.) has been stirred. This modern icon of hatred and bigoted history should be shunned and thrown into a museum, according to the societal/cultural consensus and the age of technology.

Interestingly I have read several severely misconstrued interpretations as to where this flag came from and why. Keep in mind, this flag has blood ingrained into its seams. It has been declared the symbolism of the defeated South, those anti-abolitionists. Anti-establishment through and through.

{PHOTOGRAPH} This Confederate flag, which was captured at the Battle of Mine Creek, Kans., Oct. 24, 1864, sold at auction June 25, 2011, for $26,290. Heritage Auction Galleries (Dallas) sold the 35-by-50-inch wool flag accompanied by documentation and historical analysis. Photo courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries/ANTIQUE TRADER

It’s highly offensive to many because of its historical precedence. Many generations are educated to believe that ONLY the South had slaves and fought against the Union to preserve the horrific practice of slavery. This flag represents death, slavery and moral evils that only a Civil War could remedy.

Just as the Confederate flag has been painted as villainous, the American flag has been soaked in the blood of innumerable generations. There is always an ultimate reason for war; the wars of the greatest generation down to their parents/grandparent’s wars were considered admirable. We won, right?

When the Vietnam era came into fruition this flag saw the sense of anger and blood shed that didn’t even see the casualty numbers of the Great War’s (World War I: 320,710, not including MIA---Vietnam: 211,147). Arguably, the U.S. involvement in WWI only lasted two years, whereas with Vietnam it was from 1964 until 1975. The Vietnam War was a new form of war.

{illustrative} World War 1, PROPAGANDA Poster by James Montgomery Flagg, 1917.

With the WWI, the process of soldier selection was on a volunteer basis. Men well into their 40s joined, which I found interesting. With Vietnam, a draft was instituted to gain the numbers necessary for the war. A war which would be seen as both a grave miscalculation by the U.S. and a travesty against the soldiers placed in harm’s way.

WWII causalities surpassed both WWI and Vietnam in causalities at 1,078,162. However, this war lasted from 1939 to 1945. The United States only became formally involved in WWII after the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. This led to a huge wave of Nationalism across the United States, thus drafting was unnecessary.

I believe with the loss of time, memory is often muddled. The glory of the “greatest generation” swept the country, thus when it was deemed necessary for the sons (and daughters) to defend the world against communism…we gladly accepted. Until it became clear this war would not be won, this wasn’t their parent’s war nor would it be a successful endeavor no matter how it is projected into a history book.

There was an already established campaign in Vietnam with the Soviet forces leading the way, China in tow.

“Fifty percent of all Soviet foreign aid went to North Vietnam between 1965 and 1968. Soviet anti-aircraft teams in North Vietnam brought down dozens of U.S. planes. According to former Soviet colonel Alexei Vinogradov, ‘The Americans knew only too well that Vietnamese planes of Soviet design were often flown by Soviet pilots.’”[1]

In addition, China was also heavily involved in North Vietnam.

“According to Beijing, between 1965 and 1973, there were 320,000 Chinese troops assigned to North Vietnam, with a maximum of 170,000 – roughly a third of the maximum number of U.S. forces – in the south at their peak.”[2]

This was a much weightier support system than the United States had full appreciated. But

{Photograph} The sun breaks through dense jungle foliage as South Vietnamese troops, joined by U.S. advisers, rest after a cold, damp and tense night of waiting in an ambush position for a Viet Cong attack that didn’t come, January 1965. (Horst Faas/AP).

Many young adults began to fight the system, angrily lashing out at a corrupted system. However, the outrage of being unheard by their government permitted a country to rebel on a much different level than it had ever done before.

The 60s were a time of great instability in the U.S. National consciousness. Our U.S. flag felt tainted and exploited by our own government who sent young, inexperienced men to die for the cause of stopping communism. Was this true? Doubtful that was EVER a reason. (See modern U.S. and China relations, modern U.S. and Russian Cold War)

When we focus on flags, we are basing it on a general consensus of opinion. Not necessarily on transparent history. A deepened sense of nationalism can be blinding and at best, politically manipulated.

Was Pearl Harbor an utterly surprise attack? NO.

Was 9/11 an utterly surprise attack? NO.

{illustrative} The cover of the 9/11 commission report

The bottom line is the sense of manipulation that cultivates itself within a fervid emotion of nationalism. People will kill, torture and justify all in the same breath. Thus history can portray it as necessary or even villainize those who question it.

What is the deal with the Civil War then?

So this argument is fundamentally layered in debatable content, none of which is worthy of this posting to begin with. But I feel it’s necessary to some extent. When you have one 21 year old piece of shit who deems himself the Messiah that can tear down a flag that so many men died under. It’s necessary in that meaning.

I'd like to make it clear, I'm not a Southern sympathizer. Both sides of my family tree fought for the Union and the Confederate (I would be interested to overhear those heavenly conversations).

Keep in mind that these same generations had previously fought in the Revolutionary war. Later these same surviving generations, fought in WWI, WWII, Korea and in some rare instances Vietnam. These men (and eventually fighting women) fought for our country. They had the right to fight to preserve it. Whether or not I agree with a war, I honor them for their service and courage to take on such a weight. Many were young men and women, doing what they believed was expected of them. Not necessarily always ethical nor moral. But it was expected of them under the duress of a sense of inescapable nationalism.

The Civil War casualties were staggering, this being the first step of introduction. “Roughly 2% of the population, an estimated 620,000 men, lost their lives in the line of duty.”[3]

The reason for the Civil War (North vs South) was actually regarding “state sovereignty and the interpretation of the Tenth Amendment (ratified in 1791)”. 

A summary of the Tenth Amendment, for reference, is as follows:

“The Tenth Amendment helps to define the concept of federalism, the relationship between Federal and state governments. As Federal activity has increased, so too has the problem of reconciling state and national interests as they apply to the Federal powers to tax, to police, and to regulations such as wage and hour laws, disclosure of personal information in recordkeeping systems, and laws related to strip-mining.”[4]

{Photograph} President abraham Lincoln visiting Antietam.

The South desired less federal government involvement in their state affairs.

“The perceived threat to state autonomy became an existential one through the specific dispute over slavery. The issue was not slavery per se, but who decided whether slavery was acceptable, local institutions or a distant central government power. That distinction is not one of semantics: this question of local or federal control to permit or prohibit slavery as the country expanded west became increasingly acute in new states, eventually leading to that fateful artillery volley at Fort Sumter.”[5]

Now keep in mind, former President Abraham Lincoln had never had the intention of freeing slaves. We were well into the Civil War before it was even considered it (1862). After all, the North also had their slaves and forced indentured servants to consider.[6] But the overall argument of the Northern slave owners was of their humanitarian approach to how their slaves were treated versus that of the Southern states.

So basically their stance: Yes of course we are slave owners; he treat our slaves like bound family members. We eat dinner together after they were in the fields all day by our command! Therefore we are better people.

It’s still slavery; Human beings should be treated as human beings. In the end, slavery’s blood laid upon the hands of all slave holding white men. NO matter what part of the country they lived; North or South. NO matter their justifications; we are good people!

“It was not Abraham Lincoln who first pressed the US Congress to pass an amendment to the US Constitution outlawing slavery and involuntary servitude. It was abolitionists like the former slave Frederick Douglass and white feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, who fought both for freedom for blacks and, as leaders of the women’s suffrage movement, fought for the right to vote for white women.

{photograph} Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, ca. 1870s Copyprint. Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (112)

While Lincoln dithered and prevaricated, Stanton and Anthony sent women onto the streets of America to gather names for a petition to present to the Congress that would show that Americans wanted an amendment included in the Constitution ending slavery.

The petition read: ‘TO THE WOMEN OF THE REPUBLIC: We ask you to sign and circulate this petition for the ENTIRE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY… Go to the rich, the poor, the high, the low, the soldier, the civilian, the white, the black, gather up the names of all who hate slavery, all who love LIBERTY, and would have it the LAW of the land and lay them at the feet of Congress.’

Presented to Congress before the 13th amendment legislation was voted on, the petition played an important part in the law’s passing.”[7]

The critical piece to this puzzle is in Lincoln’s final issuance of the “Emancipation Proclamation”, which took effect on January 1, 1863.

Lincoln knew very well the South depended on the economic benefits of slavery, without slaves to their use, the confederacy would surely meet its demise.

In our school time textbooks the advantages of abolishing slavery would be summarized in this political correct order:

“First, there was the moral advantage. A proclamation would galvanize support for the war among Northern abolitionists.

The second advantage was economic.  The South’s economy was based on slavery. If enslaved people were freed and left their masters, it would deliver a severe blow to the South’s economy and ability to wage war.

{photograph} African American solider and family, circa 1863-65

Third, the freed slaves could be recruited into the Union army, to address the army’s need for more soldiers.”[8]

This move by Lincoln was a political one and a strategic maneuver. As much as we adore Lincoln historically and the good he did by issuing this proclamation, the final call was purely to end the Civil War’s reign.

Now speeding up to 2015, we have an outcry to remove the Confederate flag from state capitals across the Southern states. This symbolism of racial hate and injustice. I understand their exceptional pain at viewing the flag as a symbol of malicious and villainous hate. Never mind the idiocy of white supremacy groups and uneducated fucks who believe this flag represents Nazi-like traits of fascism.

I wanted to personally thank these groups for stomping on the blood and souls of our own country’s men, women and children who died during the South’s darkest days. Your ignorance is not unexpected, it is just pathetic. For exploiting the blood of those lost in the greatest loss of human life on American soil, I hope you answer for it at some point in your emptied lives.

All of it disgusts me, beyond words. This flag WAS NOT created by the Klu Klux Klan. The Confederate flag was used as a navy jack at sea from 1863 onward during the Civil War.

 To be more specific:

“This flag was first used in battle in December 1861. Being a new flag, different from the United States flag, it gained widespread acceptance and allegiance among the Confederate soldiers, and population in general. The flag is referred to as the Confederate battle flag, and as the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia.”[9]

{illustrative} Southern Lithograph Co., New York - the United States Library of Congress Prints and Photographs division,  digital ID cph.3a19879.

There is an array of disinformation running rampant across social media and main stream as to the history of this historic flag. This being said, I wanted to point out the history for the reader.

A sense of nationalism has been the reasoning for most of our wars. The young men of the Civil war left many without heirs, fathers, sons and husbands. The blood of these fallen soldiers is still entrenched within the society, cultures and heritages of many Americans to this day.

I can honestly say I do support removing the Confederate flags from the capitals. I believe that the time has come to remove this flag from the statehouses; Now that society is moving onward into a new chapter, we need to "reset" the societal consciousness. 

Yet I am quite aware of how painful this could be for Southerners. Not because these individuals are racists, but because they see this as their personal and state history. Just as I feel it is my history, my family’s history and of the nation’s history. The fight for state’s rights began with the Civil War at a horrific price. But apart from the deadly losses of the war, the first legislation to eliminate a horrific sin against African Americans began within it's wrath. 

 Despite the time that has passed, removal of the flag will not remove racism from the country. You cannot erase history and you would be a fool to have such an expectation. Removing this flag will not deter it’s usage but it will make a statement among the states that the symbol of perceived hate has been eliminated and it will not be endorsed. This does not eliminate prejudice, hate or violence.

It will not stop shootings of unarmed minorities, senseless murders and/or monopolized caste systems within the United States.

It will not stop white supremacists from manipulating it to their advantage. This will change very little in the end.

To the 21 year old Charleston shooter, you have exploited, murdered and stomped upon the innocent. Innocent, unarmed church goers. In a childish and misconceived attempt to be a man of ill-conceived honor, you have proven nothing.

However what this shooting has done, is that it has proven that our country has misguided attempts at eliminating symbols of perceived hate rather than addressing the legitimate sources of hate -legislatively or directly. 

On an additional notation of consideration, the withdrawal of the Confederate flag from retailers (such as Amazon, Ebay, Walmart, etc) will do nothing. This has escalated from a position of common sense legislation to a position of corruptible stupidity.  The flag has been labeled a symbol of hate, there are Federal laws that then eliminate it from purchase.

As this situation continues, Civil War monuments have been defaced in addition to demonstrators (AKA Protesters) calling for the removal of Thomas Jefferson's memorial. Really? Because if we remove a memorial it will eradicate or change the brutal history of the United States?

How about we focus on cultivating our own historical precedence? Learn from the horrors, understand the history that accompanies it and blaze some new trails. Teach those who dwell in the darkness that we are bigger than their concepts of what education and influence is. Nope, we are going to go online and bitch about how unfair our country's history is. Go ahead! Share disinformation across social media. In turn we will blame each other's race, gender, ethnicity and culture. Comment debates thereafter will spring into life. Demand that someone else fixes it and makes the world better on our behalf. That's easier, right?

Meanwhile, the shootings of unarmed African Americans will continue. The passive aggressive prejudices will run rampant. The outcry from the communities will also continue. Then with a sparkle in their eye, the politicians will focus on the easy venues of societal resolution. Like a flag. It's so much easier to divide and conquer people when they hate each other.

Sometimes I really hate politics.

---

[1] Lind, Michael. "Why We Went to War in Vietnam." The American Legion. 2013. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://www.legion.org/magazine/213233/why-we-went-war-vietnam.

[2] Lind, Michael. "Why We Went to War in Vietnam." The American Legion. 2013. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://www.legion.org/magazine/213233/why-we-went-war-vietnam.

[3] "Civil War Casualties The Cost of War: Killed, Wounded, Captured, and Missing." Civil War Trust. 2014. Accessed June 22, 2015. http://www.civilwar.org/education/civil-war-casualties.html.

[4] "Tenth Amendment." Cornell University Law School. 2015. Accessed June 24, 2015. https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/tenth_amendment.

[5] Schweitzer, Jeff. "Slavery and the Civil War: Not What You Think." The Huffington Post. April 4, 2011. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-schweitzer/slavery-and-the-civil-war_b_849066.html.

[6] Harper, Douglas. "Slavery Denial." Slavery in the North. 2003. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://slavenorth.com/denial.htm.

[7] Goffe, Leslie. "Diaspora: Lincoln Did Not Free the Slaves." New African Magazine. March 19, 2013. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://newafricanmagazine.com/diaspora-lincoln-did-not-free-the-slaves/.

[8] Applestein Esq., Donald. "Did Lincoln Free the Slaves?" Constitution Daily. The National Constitution Center. September 22, 2011. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2011/09/did-lincoln-free-the-slaves/.

[9] "Confederate Flag." Son of the South. 2003-2014. Accessed June 24, 2015. http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/Confederate_Flag.htm.

Why I Do This - Meet the Editor

    Flash back to the second Clinton Administration, around mid-1997.  I was what many today would call a Libertarian. I watched FOX News. I believed in "getting the government out of the way". Taxes were theft and regulation an unnecessary and expensive burden on private enterprise.  Companies could do anything better than the government without a doubt. Clinton was a terrible President and Reagan had been a great one. Naiveté was my forte.

    That all changed during the first George W Bush Administration.  My eyes were opened to the amount of misinformation that is out there. Half-truths and outright lies being used to keep the average person voting against their better interest. Watching our leaders lie us into a budget-busting and wholly unnecessary war to complete an agenda was a stomach turning mind opening experience.

    I was complicit in this charade because I bought into the lies. I voted for George W Bush both times. In 2000 it was because I felt that Al Gore could be trusted less.  In 2004 it was because it felt like "Better the devil you know" was the best option.  John Kerry seemed like a weak candidate with no backbone and no principles.  Looking back I realize that this viewpoint, at least in the 2000 election was potentially colored by my flawed perceptions.

    During this time I learned that one of the biggest and probably one of the most dangerous issues facing our great nation is the false information campaign that has been carried out for far too long. One that was kicked into high gear in the past 35 years with the goal of undoing the greatest accomplishments of the 20th Century and almost every single step of progress we have made as a country in our history.

    Government has been painted as the enemy by the very people we're electing to serve in it.  We continue to repeat the cycle of electing leaders who only serve to enrich themselves and erode the protections the government is meant to provide and the programs that have been built to serve the common good, interest and general welfare of the average citizen.  We have come to accept that the government is an amorphous entity to be feared rather than the truth.

    That truth is that the government as it was built by our Founding Fathers (men far smarter than many many of us, myself included) is not a disembodied phantom that is out to oppress us.  No, in fact WE are the government. Each and every one of us. Each citizen. Each voter. Politicians are tools that are meant to serve our will, not their own and not that of the few.

{image of painting} Trumbull, John, "Declaration of Independence", 1818, oil on canvas, U.S. Capital, United States of America. 

     I've had no formal education in journalism, or government, or Constitutional law. I am but an ordinary citizen as many of you who will read this are.  However, that both doesn't matter and is entirely the point.  The Internet presents an unprecedented chance to learn if you open your eyes. To engage, lead and inspire if you make an effort.

    So with this site, I have gathered a handful of like minded individuals to present not a blog but an Internet magazine of sorts.  To present fact-based journalistic writings to help do our part to overcome the mountain of lies that exists out there. It is a personal mission to help as many as I can see that we can be better and do better for ourselves and for each other when it comes to our government and our politics.

    We no longer need to be divided, we never needed to be.  The divisions are false, manufactured and intended to keep us distracted so that those that convince us to elect them can continue to make money off of our ignorance and disinterest.  I know many will remain blind and not accept the facts. Realizing you have been snowed, admitting you have been wrong is a most difficult task. Yet we must. For ourselves, for each other, for our future. Hopefully the ones that we do reach will be able to pay it forward, to go and do their part to help spread the message. The truth is powerful. The truth is freedom. The truth will overcome.

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Image References

"Image of Secretary of State John Kerry" United States Department of State, Public Domain, http://www.state.gov/secretary/photo/index.htm

"Presidential Portraits, Presidents Ronald Reagan George H.W. Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore",  Executive Office of the President of the United States, Public Domain, https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/Presidents

Trumbull, John, "Declaration of Independence" 1818; placed 1826, Rotunda, U.S. Capital, oil on canvas, Architect of the Capital: Explore Capital Hill, http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/historic-rotunda-paintings/declaration-independence