It's the little things

The founding fathers didn't want us going to war needlessly. They wanted this country to be great, brave men and women built this country over the course of two hundred thirty-seven(237) years our soldiers have shed blood on our own soil and on the soil of both enemy and friendly countries. We began standing a vigilant guard over the world, keeping our troops in other countries to ensure another Hitler would not rise again. We failed in that endeavor; We failed to protect our own people in an attack by a group of men that resulted in the death of two thousand nine hundred seventy-seven(2,977) people, not including the ones who are responsible, and the destruction of even more lives of friends, family and loved ones. It is time to end our watch over the citizens of the world.

It is time to bring home every american soldier so that we may begin to rebuild our economy and strengthen our bonds as a country. For too long we have allowed the tyranny of capitalism to rule over us, complacently accepting that things will not improve. This complacency affects us so badly that we seldom notice it. It has burrowed deep into our souls and the souls of our parents and our children. This country was founded for the people, of the people and by the people, yet corporations have slowly taken over. They have bought those who are sworn, before the law and before their gods, to protect our interests. To uphold the constitution and the bill of rights. 

It takes a small spark to ignite a flame, and it only takes a small fire to turn into an inferno. There are laws coming from those in power that limit our freedoms, and we think to our selves "well, I'll give up a teeny bit of my freedom to be safe." But we are not safe, every day these laws are broken by those who have no care for them. Drugs are brought into this country illegally, some times by our own rulers. Guns are used in murders, or robberies, or rapes. Laws are supposed to protect free men and women, not limit their actions and make them afraid to speak their minds. 

As John Adams said, "I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain." Our age could, and should, be an age of creativity, expression and beauty strengthened by knowledge and wisdom. Unfortunately Adams also said this, "Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide." 

He speaks the truth. As we the government and the people of this country are at an odds on many different subjects. Both the government and the people argue among themselves as to who is more correct in their beliefs. We fight among ourselves as to who has the correct ideals concerning religion, politics, love and basic rights. It saddens me to know that these arguments will never subside, they will never be controlled  This lack of control causes things to get out of hand. People get hurt, both by the government and the people, for voicing their opinion. These are dark time, and will continue to grow darker unless we work at keeping the light from going out. We have an option before us, one that will forever change our country.

On one side, we can re-unite as a people and agree that we all have differing opinions and beliefs; which is what makes us such a great nation. By doing this we will show the world that America is a country that can have millions of different people from differing political, religious, and personal beliefs who can discuss what is good for our country as a whole. That we are a country where every voice is heard and considered before making decisions that will or will not effect our country.

On the other side, we can continue to devolve into what will eventually be a violent explosion that will turn into a second civil war that will surely destroy everything this country was founded upon. That this country is, at its core, a country filled with bigoted people who cannot even entertain the idea of getting along with some one whose beliefs clash with our own. There fore causing us to distrust and even hate those who do not share our personal beliefs; be they religious, political, or otherwise.
The choice is ours, and I fear that it may be too late to make the right one.

-Shadow 

How I see it.

The democrats and the republicans in office are running this country into the ground by  trying to force our way of life onto other countries and by enslaving the people to companies who do not have the best interest of the people or the planet in mind. We should pull our troops out of other countries, limit the assistance to other countries to things that will help them survive. Take away control over farms away from companies and give that control to the farmers and workers employed by them. We need to stop trying to find a way to fix everything that is wrong with us through trial and error medicine and work on getting healthier through eating better and exercising properly so that our bodies can make build up their own defenses.

Being forced to change my diet pretty drastically has shown me what we are doing wrong. We rely on fast food and pills so much so that our society is beginning to accept the governments rule over our lives. We fight amongst ourselves over personal beliefs such as politics and religion; that we allow those beliefs to make us forget what it means to be human. Religion is a choice, political preference is a choice; falling in love with someone is nature. If that person is of the same gender then it is still love. I have lived 24 years on this planet, I have seen four presidents come and go. The thing that remains constant is us, the people. There are more people who simply want to have a good life than there are police, or military, or government officials. It saddens me to know that people would rather argue over which political ideals are better than to figure out ways to have sustainable energy, clean water and food that is healthy for you.

My dream is to write stories and share them with everyone in the world; to show people my world and how it can be perceived and enjoyed by everyone. So I write every day; I write stories, I write scripts, I write what I’m feeling, I write what I’m experiencing. Some days are harder than other because I suffer. I suffer from mental illness, arthritis pain, the fiery destruction of the world around me, watching friends and family bicker over what should be done and what needs to be done.

My time as a political commentator is done with. I can no longer stand to watch as our government claims that they are doing things in our best interest while going behind our backs and passing legislature to regulate who you can fall in love with and what you can do with your money that you have worked hard to earn. Watching the government allow corporations to control it and pass legislature that protect those companies should shit hit the fan.

I believe that older men and women should not be elected to office. I believe that the elderly have wisdom to share with the world, but they should not share it by voting on and passing laws that will not affect them for long. I believe that the men and women from the age of 30 to the age of 50 should be the ones to lead this country. I believe that there should not be a two party system. I believe that there should be a test administered to those who want to run for office, and that test should be filled with scenarios that are to be handled by how the constitution and the bill of rights dictates they be handled. I believe that everyone has the right to health care and the right to be allowed to succeed in this country. People have the right to obtain a job and an education, not to have both of those handed to them. Nothing good can come from coasting through life by having things handed to you. Hard work and determination is what this country was founded on. Yes we had help, and everyone needs help every now and then.

The best success story I have ever hear is that of a woman who had children living on government assistance who wrote a book series that became loved by millions all over the world. A woman who decided that aside from providing a good life for her children she would donate millions to charities all over the world in order to help others. That woman is J.K. Rowling; she went from being a dependent on government assistance, to being a billionaire, to being a millionaire. She is living proof that anyone and everyone can achieve their dreams no matter what their life is like, they just have to put forth the effort and work hard.

I wish the best for you. No matter who you are, no matter where you come from. I want you all to know that life is a wonderful and beautiful thing and that you deserve to be happy. I encouraged you to be the best that you can be. I want you to know that, though I have not met you and probably never will, you are worth everything to me. You are the future of this world and I cannot wait to see what you will do with all of the potential you have. I want you to know that I will always be proud of you even if your highest aspiration is to get married and have a family while working a job that allows you to live comfortably.

You all have my support, you all have my love, and you all have my hope.

With love and admiration,

Shadow.

Living wage

The United States has always been about allowing the people to make their own choices and, when needed, for the people to ask and receive help from the government. It is in fact the governments job to help the people in their time of need. No, I don't think the assistance programs should be a permanent answer to problems. However, with the loss of control, the people have no choice but to rely on these assistance programs thanks to companies who are not willing to pay a wage that the people can survive off of. What companies seem to forget is that while they are making money, they also need to pay their workers a living wage. Otherwise their workers will suffer and not want to spend their money on anything except needs; food, water, electricity, transportation, housing, and entertainment. These are the basic needs. Many would argue entertainment as not being essential, however I ask those of you who would to think about it. Maintaining ones health requires healthy food, clean water, and access to affordable health care. Somethings missing though. Something that many people neglect until something bad happens. Mental health. It is as important as physical health.
Entertainment; movies, music, video games, books; is required in order to maintain a healthy mind. Entertainment makes people involved and challenges to think about things from different perspectives. Therefore it is a requirement for health living.
By refusing to pay a living wage companies will eventually start to lose profit because their workers are not spending money on their products. Which means that these companies start to lose profit, meaning more layoffs and more people who are either homeless or living off of government assistance programs. Next time you hear about the company you work for laying people off, or you are having troubles keeping up with bills, remember to talk to your boss about what it would mean to the economy should a large amount people getting laid off, or how it would help the company and other companies if your boss gave you or anyone else a raise.

Good vibes and pleasant days to you.

Admittance

I have been thinking long and hard about what to talk about. It's been a while, and I've done quite a bit of thinking. I've been thinking about how the Government has essentially influenced us to organize into little groups and fight each other while they pass legislation that makes our lives harder. I've been thinking about how we have willingly allowed the Government to divide the people of this once great country. I've been thinking about the complete takeover that we are ignoring because we're afraid. I've been thinking about the fear we have of actually doing something to help others when it is so much easier to let the terrorists..sorry, the televised news media, tell us who to hate and fear this week. I, like so many others, have began to unplug myself from the system. I read the news from various sources and take the time to form my own opinions of it.

Though I am a gamer, I am also an avid reader and writer. I do not allow my mind to become comfortable with something. I change and modify my ideas daily; I question everything I gather concerning the news; I willfully seek to form ideas about ways to help my fellow humans; I work hard at being creative every day, even if all I do is change up how I prepare my food. I feel that the current Government is doing nothing more than infighting about who has the better idea to screw the people over next. I feel that congress, the president, and the banks are in dire need of being replaced with better people and systems. 

We, as a country and a race, have an opportunity to make things better every day; however, we don't. Instead we bicker among ourselves about who's fault is it that the country is in the sorry state that it is in; the president, congress, the liberals, the conservatives, the republicans, the democrats, the tea party, mom, dad, uncle bob, aunt lilly, God, Satan, Jesus, television, religion, lack of faith. These are a few of the things we tend to blame for our problems, and our countries problems. 

In truth the fault lies with us. The fault lies with the citizens of the United States of America. We have the right, nay, the responsibility to take action if the Government becomes corrupt. It is no ones fault but our own for the economy, for the corruption of the Government and for the general state that the country is in. I am ashamed to call myself an American. I am ashamed to be a gun owner. I know the potential that words have, and yet I've done little to use them to persuade and help people. I know that there are things I could do to help people understand that gun control and regulation is only a bad thing when it is proposed to take them away from people. We are all responsible for ourselves and the things we do. We are in fact responsible for ensuring that society is safe and stable. The things we do daily directly effect how the world perceives us. We are responsible for ensuring that those people who need help, because they are unstable in some form or another, get the help that they need. 

Family, friends, neighbors from all over; I understand that it's frightening and stressful to have to work a job, go to meetings, keep an eye on the goings on in the world as well as in our own country. But, I believe that we are capable of doing it again. This country was founded of the people, for the people, and by the people; yet we allow banks and corporations to run it. We allow the Government to label banks and corporations as having a say in how things are ran so that they benefit and we are set up for failure. We have the right to a wage that allows us to do more than just survive. We have the right to be able to work hard and make our own lives so that we may pursue happiness and liberty. We have the right to be able to marry who we want. To be able to aspire to attain a high status in a company, or to start our own. We have the right to clean water and food that is free from harmful chemicals. We have the right to be able to earn our homes and vehicles that we may live and travel in peace. We have a right to justice and seeing it wrought throughout the country when it needs to be. That laws not be made to bend our backs in fear, but to hold us up and defend us.

A great many things I have thought of. I am making a promise now my brothers and sisters; I swear to share my ideas on how to make this country, and this world, better. I will update with news, ideas, interesting links and articles. We will pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and make this the greatest country in the world again. I will do what I can to help in that endeavor  be it to inform you of what is going on or to inspire you to take action and everything in between. For now I leave you with your thoughts, and should you wish to share them, I will not ignore what you have to say in the comment section. 

Good thoughts friends,

Shadow