I Am Not Afraid

I am not afraid

Not afraid to work hard

To make sacrifices

To keep my promises

To study till my head hurts

I am not afraid to give it my all.

I am not afraid

Not afraid to be alone

To feel lousy

To gain weight

To lose weight

To eat a salad

Or go running

I am not afraid to give it my all

I am not afraid

Not afraid of the future

Of graduate school

Of debt

Of earnings

Of a new chapter in my life

I am not afraid to give it my all

I am not afraid

To call myself the best

To call this the most important time of my life

To be the best

To win trophies

To have everything go right

To have everything go wrong

And then force things to go right back again

I am not afraid…

Of my final 2 months here at Humboldt State

After all, this is the most important time of my life,

So I will give it my all

Period.

Why I Left The English Major

Perhaps merely 4 months ago, if you asked me who I was, I would have responded—“I am a writer.” Now, not everything is so crystal clear. For many undecided college-goers, the easy route seems to be the most logical choice—that is: the major with which we are most skilled at, is the major that fits us best. Though, the world doesn’t work in a vacuum where everything can accommodate for our needs and wants. There’s always bad particles in the air; and there’s always unforeseen obstacles that are totally out of our control. No matter what major you choose, your experience in the classroom must bend and sway under the authority of a department—and if that department is bad—then your experience will be bad too. Nothing is worse than a group of self-centered bureaucrats simply talking their way out of a faulty curriculum and all at the same time insulting your political ideology. Alternatively, you can think of it as someone insulting your favorite hobby, your passion for art, your love for playing a musical instrument or a sport—it’s all the same: they’re neglecting a certain aspect of your identity. That being said, I am a minority of one, but I’m here to learn—not get indoctrinated, and so I’m here advocating that the English department follow its own rules of inclusivity, and start including even the most raucous of individuals from the opposing side of the spectrum.

So here’s the deal: the English department at HSU, in my humble opinion (and I know I’m going to get some hate for this) has put the interest of a political agenda over the interest of students. During my English classes, I’ve always felt I had to sugarcoat everything I said. From pretending to support liberal movements like Black Lives Matter, supporting Bernie Sanders, or espousing the great evils of white people, I had to surrender everything I believed in. I did it because I wanted to be open-minded. Sure, I’ll listen to some of these liberal facets, so long as I can become a better writer. Although my writing did improve, it didn’t improve with any added joy. I still to this day, prefer to write for myself and not for any particular agenda. Surrendering my Ayn Rand leanings for a watered down version of Marxism is perhaps the biggest regret I have here at HSU.

So why didn’t I voice my opinions? Why didn’t I shake the system up like I usually do? The answer lies in the nature of the department. It was so bureaucratic, that it felt like I was literally up against an army. Not only that, I was up against an army of my own peers who shared the same beliefs. When one of my professors accused BREXIT of stirring up hate, everyone in the crowd nodded in agreement. Unbelievable! But, this wasn’t the only problem. The inherent problem lies partly in the grading system. We really will do anything for an easy A. In a classroom where we should have read Thoreau (environmental writing), we drew pictures of ourselves as we relate to positionality. Everyone thought it was kind of dumb, but we just went along with it—hey, anything for that easy A.  It kind of looked like this:

In the thought bubbles we would write if we were White, Hispanic, rich, poor, rural, urban, our gender, our class… and everything else that was superficial.

What troubles me particularly is how no one revolted against this. I decided that college was the time to ditch the running shoes, and responsibly do as I was told, but, I was being told to draw stick figures in a college setting. When assignments finally got tough, I had to write with a liberal brushstroke which was killing me inside. There was no switching out to a different professor—the whole gang was deeply invested in indoctrination. In fact, it’s not even their fault—it’s the very nature of the English department. It’s like when dust gets on your carpet—you can never completely get it out.

Now look, this is my experience and my experience only. I spent a year and a half invested in English. I only say this so that others can learn from such a series of unforeseen circumstances. So, inevitably, when you choose a major you need to feel like the investment you’re taking outweights the risks of an uncertain future. You’re the customer here, and I say this, still, with an achy heart, but: English, outside of teaching… is dead. What the media says is really true. There’s just some degrees that won’t hand you a job. Still, I believe you should follow your dream, and I still have dreams of becoming a writer, but no one, not even my advisor, gave me listings for job opportunities or internships, or frankly any advice in the job market. Now, it’s not all about jobs. Learning is essential; but, I find it rather ironically really, that this, perhaps the most liberal degree you can get, restricts its fruits to only a handful of individuals.

Here’s the example of a literature class I took. Obviously I will refer to “him” as Professor X. Professor X needs two student assistants. I am one of the most vocal students in the crowd and with an A-, I think I’m just as qualified as any top tier student. Yet, instead of choosing me, he chooses students with a lower grade. I’m ok with this. It’s only when I recognized that upholding black lives matter, promoting white guilt, favoring Bernie Sanders, and favoring socialism as a whole was a key component of the class that I began to see how I would totally be at odds with the professor…even with my qualifications. It is here where I have begun to see an almost political discrimination. No institution is without inherent bias, and I am willing to work within these bounds, but only if I am operating on an even playing field. After all, I am paying for these classes. I am helping to pay the salaries for these professors. Therefore, I have concluded, that the English major is too constraining for me. It’s too unfair. It’s too (and this is completely subjective) egotistical. Perhaps most importantly, it’s just too inauthentic. The English major confuses the interests of a political agenda as a valid substitute for the interests of students. I can understand the confusion; I really do. As professors, you’re the white knights trying to better the world by bringing up a more educated youth. But, the costs of such chivalrous smug is the loss of “the individual,” common decency, freedom of speech, and the loss of genuine writers like myself.

Judy Chu –Least Effective Member of Congress?

Just last year, InsideGov listed Judy Chu as the 7th least-effective member of Congress with an effectiveness score of 0% with no bills having passed committee (1). She was also ranked 7^th in a list titled, “[The] 35 Most Useless Members of Congress, (2)” and all of this criticism coming after 6 years of her time in office, plenty of time in my humble opinion, to actually get something done. Now, to be fair, there isn’t much of a fully thought-out explanation given for her low ranking, but that’s why I’m here now isn’t it? I’m here to elevate home politics to center stage, and its clear Judy Chu is unable to hit spotlight attention without an invite from the democratic national convention every four years. Judy has been in the house for now seven years, but what many don’t know is that her political history began when she ran for mayor of Monterey Park in 1988. She then lost a primary for California State Assembly, and then she ran again and well you guessed it, lost again! But Judy’s Plan B did end up working out, and in 2001 she won the seat via a special election. She then went shopping for another position and won our historic district, again via the added bonus of it being a special election; and in 2012 she now runs our newly beloved 27^th district with who knows what other aspirations she has on the backlog of her agenda. I don’t know about you, but it sounds like Judy’s a career politician to me!

Now, Judy Chu has been around the block for a long time, and so it may not be a surprise that throughout her entire life of shaking hands and patting the backs of Washington insiders, she became a Washington insider. She became a co-sponsor of the USA Freedom Act defending the bill with the same superficial rhetoric that it would protect our security while protecting our freedoms (3). We all ought to know the truth -this isn’t the case. All that changed was the method in which the NSA is allowed to collect our records, but in terms of the volume in which they can collect –that did not change. The NSA dispatched hundreds of agents to lobby for this, and it looks like Judy Chu didn’t so much as move a muscle.

Judy Chu appears to acquiesce when the situation is comfortable for her, and just like the overwhelming majority of those in D.C, she is more comfortable with the status quo. This is why Judy Chu endorsed Hillary Clinton. If Judy really wanted to represent our district, she should have endorsed Bernie Sanders, instead she chose the most elitist candidate in recent history. I’ve never understood this. When asked by an interviewer from WeAreChange Media about the failed policies Hillary Clinton placed on Libya by bombing it, dethroning a cooperating Gadhafi, and as we see now, completely overrun with sectarian violence, Judy responded by saying,

Well. Uh. You’d have to ask her that question… (4).

Ok maybe Judy Chu isn’t a foreign policy expert, but with a simple google search you can see that Judy is in fact a member of the subcommittee on crime, terrorism, homeland security, & investigations.

Moving along, Judy Chu, just like any textbook Democrat, supports holding the big banks accountable (5). Yet she endorsed the one candidate who made 2.9 million dollars from 12 speeches to big banks (6). Hillary Clinton also voted to bail out the big banks in 2008 saying that, “The banks of NY and our other financial institutions are probably the biggest winners (7).”

All of this is in complete opposition to Judy’s positions. It seems like Hillary’s entire soul, her entire political essence is in direct contrast with that of Judy Chu’s. She likes to talk about the struggles of the Asian Americans she represents, yet she endorses the very candidate who has spent her entire life running for office in luxury and the one candidate who is beholden to every special interests that has come her way!

Well ok, but Judy does have one achievement right? Didn’t she designate the San Gabriel Mountains as a national monument?

Well not exactly. Judy did introduce the bill, but because it stalled in the house, President Barack Obama signed the bill with an executive order! An executive order (8)! Really! Judy couldn’t get her lame duck bill to pass any other way? Like waving a wand, Obama came in to help with the stroke of his pen, and you know what? It’s downright unconstitutional, it’s not necessary, it’s not what I see in Judy and Obama. It’s absolutely disgraceful. Would I support the bill… sure! But just do it constitutionally. No person, Democrat, or Republican, in the right mind can support the continued warrantless use of executive orders.

What more is there to say? There’s almost nothing more to say. Judy Chu is a textbook Democrat who follows orders from the big bosses, shines the shoes of war hawks like Hillary, and disregards the constitution like a neocon. You know what, I think I give her too much credit for this. It’s not even that I oppose some of the decisions she’s taken. It’s more that those decisions aren’t even hers. Judy Chu never got her legislation to pass the house, Obama did! Ms. Chu has an effectiveness score of 0%. When asked about Hillary’s hawkish policies, Judy doesn’t even answer the question. There’s a reason why Judy Chu is never on the news. There’s a reason why we don’t have a Dennis Kucinich representing us. The reason is, is because she’s just so easy to analyze. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately, Judy Chu is a one issue politician. Her entire existence is based off the perceived struggle of her race, and so long as we as a people become one issue oriented as well –we have no hope of changing this. The San Gabriel valley doesn’t need a career politician. Something has to change, and if I have to do it, then so be it.

Sources:

• 1.) http://members-of-congress.insidegov.com/stories/5278/least-effective-members-congress#29-Rep-Judy-Chu
• 2.) http://scribol.com/news-and-politics/politics/least-effective-members-congress/
• 3.) https://chu.house.gov/press-release/rep-chu-backed-legislation-curtail-nsa-surveillance-passes-first-key-vote
• 4.) http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/10/15/rep_judy_chu_on_why_hillary_destroyed_libya_youd_have_to_ask_her_that_question.html
• 5.) https://chu.house.gov/press-release/congresswoman-chu-supports-restoring-common-sense-financial-reform-wall-street
• 6.) https://theintercept.com/2016/01/08/hillary-clinton-earned-more-from-12-speeches-to-big-banks-than-most-americans-earn-in-their-lifetime/
• 7.)http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hillary-clinton-cited-ny-banks-biggest-winners-wall/story?id=37629893
• 8.) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/10/obama-to-designate-another-national-monument-by-ex/

I am Officially Endorsing Donald Trump!

That’s right, Michael has gone completely bonkers. And no, I’m not ending this essay with a sarcastic spin, I really mean it: I am with Trump. Yes, this almost impossible reality is happening, and you know what, the Donald is the only person in the race who has made the impossible happen. He’s the only person out of a very competent 17, with all the negative ads thrown at him, to have successfully outcompeted them at every turn. He’s smart with money too. In Indiana, where Ted Cruz spent $10 per vote, Donald Trump spent only $1.50, and clobbered him anyways! (Source 1). In New York Donald Trump spent a mere 13 cents per vote meanwhile a desperate Bernie Sanders spent $9! (Source 2).

I respect the man who out of merit and whit wins the race fairly, and we all know Hillary can’t say the same. What we need is a new year’s resolution in the middle of September, and Donald Trump offers the key to a less hawkish foreign policy and a change of politics of which I welcome very much.

So, to all my liberal friends out there, I ask why are you going to support a war hawk named Hillary Clinton? Say what you want about Donald Trump but at least he didn’t destabilize the Middle East by supporting the first war in Iraq, the war in Libya, and now she supports a no-fly zone over Syria (Source 3). A no-fly zone can cause WWIII, and Donald Trump has been consistently opposed to confronting Russia militarily so that we don’t go down that path. Donald Trump is constantly referred to as the most dangerous man in the world, but compared to Clinton, Donald is a dove! So, when it’s all said and done, when the dust has settled, I think we can look at this objectively and see that Donald Trump is at the very least, the only candidate who was opposed to the Iraq war. He didn’t sugarcoat this either, Donald Trump said to the world in 2003 that,

“The [Iraq] War is a total disaster, it’s a catastrophe, nothing less […], and there’s only one person to blame and that’s our current President… now President Bush says he’s religious and yet 400,000 people (referring to both U.S soldiers and Iraq’s) have died and probably millions have been badly maimed and injured.” –Donald Trump, CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer, 2003.

As a result, in keeping with my constitutionalist position, I have always suggested that Donald Trump is superior to Hillary when it comes to foreign policy. If this wasn’t enough, I’d like to remind you of the Constitution. Yes, this old thing over here.

The Constitution doesn’t give authority to the President to enact laws on social issues ok. It doesn’t give authority to the President to give you free stuff. It doesn’t warrant the President to legislate “racist??” or “anti-racist??” laws. A lot of this stuff goes to the legislative branch. But, what the President has the most power over is commander-in-chief, so to disregard this issue, this constitutional power the President has is just silly! Don’t vote for a war hawk!

With the selection of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as VP I feel comfortable voting for the Trump ticket. As someone from the Rust-Belt, I think he is a great addition for the team. Despite this, I still remain critical of Trump; and I will always remain critical of any candidate. Although it might be a bit of a shocker, understand please, that I don’t just endorse anyone. As a supporter, I will now start openly campaigning for Trump on social media as I did for Rand Paul. Because I bear the risk as surrogate, I cannot end this discussion without explaining a phenomena that explains why I trust Donald Trump more than anybody else. Frankly it doesn’t even have anything to do with Donald Trump. That’s what’s so incredible about it. It’s called the Donald Trump Effect.

The Donald Effect is as I describe it,

When someone appears to be insulting, defaming, or upsetting a group of people or nations, and despite what one would normally expect, the results yielded from these statements are positive, even humanitarian.

This ties in to my belief that we shouldn’t judge people based on what they say, we ought to judge people based on the results they produce. Here are some examples. Although the media likes to propagate this notion that Muslims hate Donald Trump a CAIR poll during the primaries found that Donald Trump does better among Muslims than the rest of the GOP field combined! (Source 4) Jeb said some nice things about Muslims, no one corralled around him. Why? Because it’s the Trump effect. Secondly, Trump is doing better among Hispanics than Romney in 2012 and McCain in ’08, and Trump hasn’t even started in the general election. Romney continually tried to pander to the Hispanic community. He didn’t succeed… why? Because he’s not Donald Trump (Source 5). Vladimir Putin should hate Donald Trump! He certainly doesn’t do well with Obama… and why is that? Well it’s because Obama isn’t Donald Trump. When Donald Trump was repeatedly boo’ed for calling George Bush a liar in front of the debate stage in South Carolina, you know what happened? Instead of it being political suicide, Donald Trump got every single available delegate in South Carolina.

Today we see mixed polls of Donald Trump winning against Clinton and losing. I hope I can change that around. I am helping Donald Trump, knowing that I can trust him today and tomorrow. I am supporting the real estate mogul knowing that it is not Donald Trump’s words I am advocating, but instead I am advocating for his net result. It isn’t even Donald Trump himself I am advocating. I am advocating the effect Donald Trump seems to have. If he’s stupid then he’s stupid. But if he’s stupid and somehow accomplishes things only a man of great intellect can produce. Then that is very impressive indeed.

Works Cited

(Source 1) https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/05/04/19631/ted-cruz-and-friends-spent-10-vote-indiana-trump-won-anyway

(Source 2) https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/04/20/19578/sanders-spent-9-vote-new-york-trump-about-13-cents

(Source 3) http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/19/us/elections/presidential-candidates-on-syria-no-fly-zone.html?_r=0#sanders

(Source 4) http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/03/03/shock-poll-donald-trump-earns-more-muslim-support-than-rest-of-gop-field-combined/

(Source 5) http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/pew-poll-donald-trump-hispanic/2016/07/08/id/737849/

Where Do Bernie Supporters Go From Here?

The day before the California Primary, AP officially announced that Hillary had snatched the required 2,383 delegates to clinch the nomination outright, making her the first female nominee of a major party. Although it was a moment of celebration for many, it did leave many Bernie supporters out in the cold, and I really do believe it was AP’s fault, for jumping the gun, that Bernie Sanders lost California by such an impressive margin.

But where do Bernie supporters go from here? Are they really just left out in the cold? Despite what the liberal (pro-Hillary) media says, I dare you all to resist their so-called message of “unity,” and instead of rallying around the frontrunner, I dare you to interfere with her. I dare you all to oppose the scripted lies produced by The Huffington Post, MSNBC, and the DNC. At every turn, there is this immense pressure to divorce yourself from principle for the sake of the collective good. But, understand that the Facebook video snippets and cut-and-paste twitter posts that claim Hillary is the better of the two candidates, are just that… they’re fluff – they don’t mean anything. It’s just an insubstantial slogan to say that Hillary is the “First woman,” or that Hillary, “broke the glass ceiling.”

So with that said, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that the most damaging news outlet for Bernie supporters is their own. The more you listen to your own media outlets, the more your “Revolution,” dies in vain. Therefore, it is necessary for a Bernie bot to swim with the sharks in order to get a clear picture of what should be done.

Ben Shapiro, a conservative activist, is definitely not the first choice a progressive would listen to, but he got it so right when he said this after Hillary’s big win in California,

“Now this is worth noting: The difference between Republicans and Democrats is that when Republicans nominate somebody absolutely unfit like Donald Trump, there’s a civil war inside the Republican Party, when Democrats nominate somebody absolutely unfit like Hillary Clinton, they consolidate around her, the banner goes up, and they say she’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.”           

Fortunately for you (and really for us), this was said with the best of intentions. The trend is already happening, but you can stop it; it’s not a political decision to switch from Bernie to Hillary, instead, it’s called being a sellout. Or at the very least, it’s called recognizing that on the issues, Bernie and Hillary had no political differences whatsoever, and that the only reason why you supported one candidate over the other was because the old guy was “nicer.”

So here’s the deal, the Republicans are fighting tooth and nail for the very soul of their Party. Ted Cruz hasn’t endorsed Donald Trump, Mitt Romney hasn’t endorsed Donald Trump, John Kasich hasn’t endorsed, John McCain hasn’t endorsed, Scott Walker has failed to endorse, Jeb Bush, George Bush, Bush Senior… they have all failed to endorse & are actually avoiding the entire election specifically because of Donald Trump. This is absolutely unprecedented. When the second place guy takes almost eight million votes away from Donald Trump & refuses to endorse him! I mean, for the hardcore Ted Cruz fans out there, those are millions of potential voters that Donald Trump will have difficulty gaining.

So, to all my Bernie friends out there I ask you this. Are you really going to let the Republicans (of all people), seize the moral high ground by staying true to their principles? Are you really going to let a war hawk represent your party? Are you really going to nominate someone who lacks any regard for transparency and for the Constitution? Are you really going to nominate someone who gave weapons to so-called “moderate” rebels in Syria, which fueled the rise of Isis? Well, Hillary did all those things. Say what you want about Donald Trump, at least he hasn’t done any of the awful things he’s said. He hasn’t (in his own right) invaded a person’s right to free speech, he hasn’t debarred someone of equal protection with his “racist,” comments, and he certainly hasn’t been accused of rape like a certain former President (ahem, Mr. Bill Clinton) has.

It’s not enough to just oppose Donald Trump because he’s Donald Trump. In the end, by consolidating around the front-runner you are losing way more than you’re favorite candidate, you are losing your integrity. You’re proving to conservatives like Ben Shapiro that you’re not willing to start a civil war to save your own party. You’re proving to me that the Bernie Cause was all just a fad. You’re proving to me that you didn’t really care about politics, you just liked Bernie because he was a “nice” guy who wanted to give free stuff.

If at the very least Republicans have the strength of will to struggle with their orange squinchy-eyed nominee… can’t you? Prove the Republicans wrong. Heck, prove me wrong. Stand with your choice.

Sources:

http://www.dailywire.com/file/ep-131-one-big-reason-republicans-are-better

How Humboldt Made me Red

I love Humboldt State and the hippy-dippy vibe that comes along with it. The county is predominantly liberal with Bernie supporters dominating the region, and not only that, I’d bet you that these Bernie folks yell the loudest, are the most enthusiastic, and swarm in bigger crowds than anywhere else in California. There is no Republican Party in Humboldt State. There is no Hillary coalition, nor is there a single major political club that addresses anything other than, “progressivism,” (besides Young Americans For Liberty of course).

I’ll be honest, for a short time Bernie Sanders was my number two choice, but as I heard about him more and more, he quickly became my second to last choice (only above Hillary).  I can affirmatively say that despite my decision to completely isolate myself; meaning that for every second of free time I had, I’d dedicate myself to school-work instead of politics; meaning that for every moment I saw my peers drunk or hosting stupid parties, In response I’d steadfastly open my textbook and ignore every single person around me. Despite all this, I was still influenced greatly by my colleagues and by the culture of Humboldt County.

There are some good people here. Friendly people. People who are old fashioned, yet up to date. I’ve met families who have settled nicely here, people who take their kids outdoors frequently. People who pay so few on rent and work so little that they occupy their time going to local events. To the theatre lounge they’d go, the hiking club they’d visit, the open mic night they’d attend religiously.

I heard an old pop at the Northtown Café sobbingly playing his guitar and singing a song about his son who left to a college in the Northeast.

In Humboldt, Art and Homelessness is alive. Living in an area where artists saturate the community means everything is out of the ordinary here. Not only that, but the first thing you notice here is all the drifters and the homeless men who just wander or sleep wherever. Are they dangerous? (they can be), but they’re not mean, they sleep with their dogs and they’ll often say hi to you. They are voluntary homeless men and women. They both vitalize and in a way sully the great things Humboldt has to offer, but I think they are essential nonetheless.

Humboldt is unbelievably liberal, and what I learned is that I respond best to a toxic environment. What I mean is that Humboldt is incredibly rich. In the same way that an overripe banana might just be too rich for one to eat, that’s the way Humboldt County was for me. Now, that’s good, it really is. I love Humboldt, it’s my second home. But, It tilted me to the Right permanently.

I believe in the old fashioned family that grew up on a farm. I believe that with hard work anything can be accomplished. I became more honest, more I suppose, sincere because I realized honesty, fairness, and being a good guy overall -(no cheating, no stealing, giving unconditional respect to my professors, being obedient, giving 100% effort to my job, No Drugs, never shying away to shake someone’s hand), was the actual key to success. It’s these things which gave rise to my firm belief that I am a Republican. I’m not saying that liberals can’t be all these things.

But what I will say is that viewing Humboldt with a Republican lens allows me to keep Humboldt to myself. I really do believe in small government and I am vehemently against political correctness. I believe in state’s rights, I believe in the Constitution, and I believe in my points of honesty which makes up my own Constitution. With this I say,

I’m not just a Libertarian anymore. I am a Republican.

The Donald & Sanders: My take!

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are both shaking up the game, whether for good or for bad, one thing is for certain: we are looking at an unprecedented moment of political uproar. In the future thousands upon thousands of hours will be devoted to studying Trump’s campaign alone for he is shattering the rhetoric of conventional political science; U.S History textbooks will dedicate whole chapters to this ONE election alone; and our grandchildren will ask us, “how was it like during 2016?” in the same way that we may ask our grandparents about the era of JFK. Yes, if there ever was a time to start paying attention to politics, this is it.

But why Donald and Sanders? Why gravitate towards such polarizing figures? Conventional political theory states that people are more likely to follow the herd than to follow the risk-bearing callings of their hearts. And this year isn’t all that detrimental either, with two wars having ended (kind of) and with unemployment finally below 5%, one might ask, what’s the big deal? There was far more at stake in ‘08 so why all the idealistic, almost, spontaneous ravings of enthusiasm now? It’s probably exactly that. People can afford to follow their intuitions and there’s just enough income inequality, poverty, and debt to rage about while still having the confidence to stare these things in the face and not squirm away. It is finally that game-changing moment in where to be in the minority is to be with the majority or aka the Establishment.

Say what you want about Donald Trump but recognize at least how much he’s moved the pendulum. The grand old party really was old, stuffy, and upon hitting retiring age they bounced back refreshingly with an outsider instead of a Bush. Think about it, what if the GOP mindlessly corralled around Jeb Bush and we predictably had Bush against Clinton, and everyone was happy and wars in the Middle East ensued, not to mention a house with Paul Ryan, and the media continued to lie to our very faces- yes, everything was set in place for Washington insiders to have their way.

But Donald and Sanders stopped that in their tracks. Sanders showed us that the Democratic Party is a socialist party AND DEMOCRATS AGREE! Donald showed us the REAL republican party, unfiltered and unabridged. Hillary is the only pragmatist left and she’s virtually hated.

The reason the Donald is so viable is because he cannot be controlled. He shatters conventional political rhetoric in a bombastic way and this ignites not only followers but newly created followers. In the same way that Sanders CHANGED democrats into loving socialism, Donald changed moderate Republicans into die-hard [Trump]ians as opposed to the loyal GOP Republicans.

Trump also shatters the media script, and this is something which we should all at the very least sympathize with since Sanders is often the victim of marginalization in the media as well. Although the media propagates this notion that Muslims hate Donald Trump a CAIR poll found that Donald Trump does better among Muslims than the rest of the GOP field combined! In fact, Trump does even better among Muslims than Romney in 2012 and McCain in ’08 combined, and Trump hasn’t even started in the general election. Not only that, but the Donald does well among African Americans. Although dubbed as a “Hitler,” and “Racist,” Trump does serve a comparatively impressive 12% among African Americans. At hindsight this seems low, but recognize that George Bush only got 3% of the black vote, and John Mccain in 2008 only got 1% of the black vote in the general election.

So what’s up with all the little snippets of media bias that only show you the emotional platitudes and not the facts? Yes Donald Trump isn’t refined, measured, or well-mannered; yes he’s a narcissist and a bigot, ready to start petty conflicts such as with Megan Kelly. But he’s not racist, he’s not anti-Mexican or anti-Muslim, I mean c’mon are we not way above this name calling? Donald is a businessman; he needs to tell the employee the bad news, he needs to commandingly assert that stocks aren’t high enough and that we need to downsize, he needs to directly and bluntly state the affirmative. If it doesn’t translate well with his audience, what difference does it make? Business is business. Building the wall is business. Restricting the internet is business. Killing the families of terrorists –business! Sugarcoating the message is not going to help anyone so the argument goes. Donald’s businessman approach is unbiased, neutral… arguably fair. Just maybe not right.

On the other side of the coin, there’s Bernie Sanders, an avowed Socialist. The Vermont Senator’s influence on the people and with the nation is bound to lead to a broken and divided Democratic Party. The fact that the media brushes this phenomena off indicates just how dramatic this will become at the Party convention when Bernie is denied the nomination. Bernie’s genuineness and positive aurora is a humbling one and refreshing but recognize that Bernie does not serve the Presidential niche, Hillary does. Instead Bernie is serving the niche of Revolutionary. His principles goes against many of the lessons of the Founding Fathers including private property, individual responsibility, voluntary exchange, and the principles of free markets. Therefore, Bernie’s role is to radically change the United States, and for better or for worst, these extremes at both parties will probably lead to the beginnings of a new political dynasty in where Democrats are socialists, Republicans are [Trump]ians or destabilization might occur in where a 4-party system might erupt.

The future is beyond predictability, and that is precisely why this election is so important. We can’t look into the past and use that to predict the future. There is uncertainty in what lies ahead but there is optimism in the most negatively perceived candidate: Trump.

Donald Trump’s end result is always bigger than himself. Even bigger than his ego. What I mean is that, Trump for some reason produces remarkable wins. He was never meant to become the frontrunner. Donald was never meant to poll well among blacks or Muslims. Donald was never meant to win Florida. Donald can win New York his home state probably in the general election. Donald’s end result is always bigger than himself. Who knows what his, with lack of a better word, “secret sauce,” is, but Donald Trump’s performance thus far is remarkable despite the intense media backlash he has received.

This is why I support Donald Trump for the Republican Nomination in Cleveland.

Sources

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/03/03/shock-poll-donald-trump-earns-more-muslim-support-than-rest-of-gop-field-combined/

http://www.gallup.com/poll/139880/election-polls-presidential-vote-groups.aspx

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/news-and-events/quinnipiac-university-poll/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2324

I have exciting news…

I will be working on a new story, this is intended to be at least a novella so it will take me some time to write this, but the estimated date for the first part of this story to be published is august 7th.

Follow me for continual updates on my life lol

The Wrong Direction Bodybuilding is going, But it Isn’t Over Yet

The best form of art is the art you own. With that said I ask the question, “What happens if your body is the art piece?” The answer? The greatest form of art possible! All bodybuilders champion this self-viewed ideology –that they are walking pieces of art and beauty. Any bodybuilder who doesn’t take this to heart is corrupted by authoritarian voices of “getting big no matter the cost” which clouds the person of the true meaning of bodybuilding which is the aesthetics. No one wants to look at freaks; people want to look at beautiful people. The closest comparison would be seeing bikini models with their ribs showing and twigs for legs –that is not attractive! Neither is a bodybuilder with a distended stomach and freaky swollen muscles.

Now here are a panel of professional bodybuilders. From top to down: Dorian Yates, Branch Warren, Dennis Wolf, and Kai Greene

http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=183814.0;attach=216651;image

http://fabodylous.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Branch-Warren-Arnold-Classic-2012.jpg

https://www.nutrimuscle.com/hebergeur_images/Upload/images/gutm.jpg

http://www.pwnfitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/kai-greene-distended-gut.jpg

Absolutely disgusting. Under no circumstances should these drug abusers continue to represent the art of bodybuilding –it is ugly. The reason they all have pregnant guts is because of HGH or human growth hormone which causes their intestines to grow. Now imagine the other side effects –the brain, the heart, the kidney… they all take a toll. That’s why all professional bodybuilders today die in their 40’s or earlier. They all suffer from kidney disease, heart problems, organ failures, and the list goes on. I guarantee you the current Olympia Phil Heath will die of a heart attack in his mid 40’s.

Here’s the list of premature bodybuilder/heavyweights deaths. It’s pretty horrific. I thank Chris Colucci of T Nation for making this list.

1.  Mike Matarazzo: Frequent top 10 IFBB pro from 1992 to 2001. Four-time top 5 finisher at the Night of Champions. Died from a heart attack in 2014, age 47.
2.  Dan Puckett: 1st place 2006 NPC Collegiate National Heavyweight. Died from heart failure in 2007, age 22.
3.  Scott Klein: Four-time NPC Heavyweight competitor (1995 and 1997), two-time NPC super-heavyweight competitor (1998 and 2000). Died from kidney failure in 2003, age 30.
4.  Robert Benavente: Competed in multiple NPC shows from 1994 (teen division) to 2003 (1st place in Southern States). Died from a heart attack in 2004, age 30.
5.  Trevor Smith: Bodybuilding writer and coach. Never competed, but weighed over 400 pounds. Died from a heart attack in 2004, age 30.
6.  Andreas Munzer: 13 top-five placings from 1986-96. Considered a “pioneer” in the use of diuretics for a super-peeled look. Died from multiple organ failure in 1996, age 32.
7.  Mohammed Benaziza: Seven total Grand Prix wins in 1990 and 1992, 1st place at the 1990 Night of Champions (beating Dorian Yates), two top 5 Mr. Olympia showings (1989 and 1992). Died from heart failure hours after winning the Grand Prix Holland show in 1992, age 33.
8.  Daniele Seccarecci: IFBB competitor from 2007 to 2013. 2010 Guinness World Record Holder for “heaviest competitive bodybuilder” at 297 pounds. Died from a heart attack in 2013, age 33.
9.  Luke Wood: IFBB competitor from 2001 to 2008, often breaking into the top 10. Died from complications following a kidney transplant in 2011, age 35.
10.  Chris Janusz: Amateur competitor, nutrition coach, and contest prep consultant. Died from undisclosed causes in 2009, age 37.

These drug addicts are killing themselves in the same way as cocaine addicts do, what is the difference precisely? Bodybuilders look disgusting, they eat to the point of bursting, and they inject themselves with life threatening drugs, sounds like 360 degrees all around bodily deterioration. This is not what aesthetic old school bodybuilders like Steve Reeves, Frank Zane, or Arnold Schwarzenegger envisioned.

Just look at the phenomenal Steve Reeves (1950 Mr. Universe).

http://themanthemyth.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/1-Steeve-Reeves-e1420662620381.jpg

http://anthonymychal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Steve-Reeves-32.jpg

http://www.bodybuilding-pics.com/164/images/Steve_Reeves_photo78.jpg

What I like about Steve Reeves is that you can say unequivocally that that is the type of body I want; that this body is a work of art. No one in the crowd would say otherwise. Beauty is universal. If one looks at an apple product vs a lame old PC it is obvious Apple wins visually, and so Steve Reeves wins visually against massoholics like Kai Greene. If you look at Steve Reeves’s diet you will see that he only ate fruits that were in season and would advocate a “well-balanced diet with something from each of the food groups.” He was a man of surprisingly simple tastes yet complex in the way he viewed bodybuilding.

You see, the art you own is a reflection of who you are. Therefore I urge those of you taking synthol, HGH, insulin, and steroids to stop NOW and look at old-time aesthetic bodybuilders as inspiration just as I have to elevate your health, not terminate it. I believe in all of you in your quest.

Unfortunately bodybuilding as a sport is dead, but not as a hobby. Bodybuilding/strength training/ just making yourself look good and proud in front of the mirror is the most uplifting pastime you can reward your body and mind with. Resistance training reacquaints yourself with your entire body. You’re better able to judge the limit and the limitlessness of your physical capability, and experience a new sense of well-roundedness, or like being more grounded in your daily habits and activities –even something like walking, changes. It’s called “mind-muscle connection,” and I invite all of you to experience such a level of physical understanding.

In the end we want beauty not ugliness to win. Please do not support muscle freaks anymore. Don’t pay to go to these shows anymore, and don’t cheer these men on. Cheer those who deserve to be cheered because they push the human race forwards. What we need is a new Steve Reeves, and if I have to be it to save the art of bodybuilding, then so be it.

“If the Bee Disappeared Off the Face of the Earth, Man Would Only Have Four Years Left To Live” -Albert Einstein