Why We Need The Facts Before Condemning Police

A good friend of mine sent me a video a while ago involving a police shooting down in Huntington Beach. Along with it was the caption, "You know I love you man, but not all of you are good people."

For clarification, I work in law enforcement, at a larger agency here in California.

Initially, the video looked bad. In fact, it looked like an officer shot an obviously angry and possibly mentally ill man for simply walking towards him. This video wasn't flattering in the least.

Yet, I responded by saying I’ve been in similar situations. I know the feeling of being in such an altercation and the reality of it which is often stripped away in short clips. Give it time.

Then, days later, I see the same clip, but it's longer and shows a much larger section of the confrontation. Now, this version provides some clarification. The man shot threatened and attacked the officer, unprovoked other than being asked if he was okay. And, the attack continued until the man was severely injured. Suddenly, the cop doesn’t look so bad. The officer was attacked, he had every reason to believe the subject intended to cause great bodily harm or death.

The officer even instructs the subject to let go of his gun when on the ground, meaning when the kid got up into a fighting stance and was shot, the officer was legally 100% able to use his firearm.

We can Monday Morning Quarterback the ordeal, saying he should have tazed him, but I know the feeling of your adrenaline spiking, your hands shaking, your breathing pounding in your head, your vision tunneling around only what is right in front of you. Survival is all that matters in those moments.

At the end of the day, going home to our family’s is what matters. We just want to get through our shifts, and if someone gets in the way of that, we will do whatever it takes to make sure they fail in keeping us from going home.

Next time you see an OIS, wait for the fuller picture. Racism exists, and oversight of police is a great thing, a necessary thing, but a lack of economic opportunity is the greatest threat to those in the inner cities and poor communities around the country.

There are shady officers, and we make plenty of mistakes, but at the end of the day we’re people, trying to do a difficult job, doing what we can to make the communities we live and work in safer, with justice applied evenly as often as possible.

So check your facts before rushing to judgment, and give those on all sides the benefit of the doubt until the facts can be gathered.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

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How To President Like Trump!

Our Commander In Chief has certainly not slowed down since taking up residence in the White House, and he brought a lovely bag of tricks with him to help him achieve his goals, to various degrees of success. Here’s how, once you’ve followed his formula to nab the Presidency, you can really maximize your demagogue President-ing skills.

Use Twitter, or some other social media, and attack people and organizations on the thinnest of grounds. The point is to keep the national conversation on what you want it to be, regardless of how controversial or pedantic. When people disagree with or berate you, hit back even harder. Never back down or admit you were wrong. Confidence is key.

Understand your audience. Trump knows his constituency tends to distrust government and the media, so anytime something goes wrong, or at least doesn’t go your way, attack these common enemies. Always deflect, blaming other members of government, even in your own party, and never take the heat for things that go sideways. Openly disagree with members of your own cabinet, and don’t hesitate to fire people that really get under your skin or cause problems for you.

Keep it simple. Call any negative media coverage or reports that emerge “fake news” and constantly drive that point home. Say over and over how mistreated and unfairly targeted you are, how dishonest the media is, and then tell the people you’re giving them the truth through your social media feed. Constantly talk of how much you’re doing, how successful you are at President-ing, and how great America is becoming because you’re in office, regardless of facts. What matters here is image.

Stay relevant, and keep using fear tactics and various calls of patriotism to rally your base around you. Try trash talking China before changing tune and focusing on North Korea. Use every terrorist act possible to rile up your base against immigration and in favor of greater national security, which may well translate into a harsher travel ban. Threaten military action for nearly any perceived foreign threat, and keep up a toxic hyper-masculine machismo. Never let up on these points regardless of rationality or facts, these just get in the way.

Also, as a little bonus, stay away from mother-fucking Russia. It really just tends to complicate things…

So, now that you’re armed to the teeth with effective tips and strategies for rallying your mis-informed base and getting yourself elected President, best of luck manipulating the masses for the next four to eight years. Because, fuck honesty, and general human decency.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

How You Can Become President!

If there is anything we’ve learned from the election of Donald Trump as POTUS, it’s that The People are PISSED! We are collectively sick-and-tired of feeling stuck and left behind in a world that seems stilted against the American Working Class. The vast majority of the American people agree that things need to change in greater favor of the Middle Class. Alas, here comes our Glorious Leader to teach us how it’s done, and get America back on track.

First, sow fear of immigrants, refugees, and foreigners. Tell them Mexico is sending us rapists and drug dealers, that Muslim immigrants are going to result in more 9/11 style attacks. Turn white Americans against minority groups.

Second, channel this fear into anger, and direct it at those outside of the American mainstream. Tell them China is taking our jobs and money, and we should be harder on them. Tell them Syrian refugees are on the border, and they may be ISIS. And if anyone disagrees, they obviously don’t really care about our National Security.

Next, take all that fear and anger, and play the hero. You are the only one that can save the country, the only one big and strong and tough enough to put America back on top, and make it great again. Tell them you are the only candidate fit for the job.

Paint things in simple, black-and-white terms. Tell people they are going to win so much they’re going to get tired of it, that a big, beautiful wall will be built, and Mexico is going to pay for it. Tell them you will stop terrorism and stand of for the People like no one else has or can.

Then, deflect your weak points via humor and paint your opponents as weak and ridiculous. Be brash and mean, sexist and effectively racist, but all under the guise of “saying it like it is,” and make sure it lines up with the not-so-hidden prejudices of millions of Americans that may well vote for you. In short, be cocky and bully others. Even double-bind opponents, saying things like their energy is low or their corruption is showing through, so you always come out looking superior for it.

Control the frame. Do everything you can to make the game your own. Unflinchingly tell your side of the story, say again and again that what you believe to be true is reality. Everyone else is living in your world, and it’s time they realize you’ve got it all figured out. Repeat the line until your acolytes are selling your propaganda for you, and ride it out all the way to the white house.

And finally, use social proofs and approval from the masses, notable people and authority figures to cement your perception as a winner, as someone to be taken seriously, as the person for the job. You are presidential, and every single person worth a damn that knows you believes so as well. You are selling yourself, an unstoppable winner, and playing on every emotion in the book to do it.

Bottom line: humans don’t vote based on data and rational discourse. They vote based on emotion, on how they feel about the world, their country, and their family. They vote based on fear and anger, hope and a desire for a better world. Trump is an example of one who mastered this process, and it took him all the way to the White House. Apply these age-old Orwellian tactics, and you might just become a terrible president too!

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

The Duality Of Humanity

Duality, this is what characterizes humanity, life on earth, the universe. Chaos and order, creation and destruction, coming together and tearing apart, death and life, selfishness and compassion, dichotomies we cannot escape. Life is struggle, existence is an uphill battle, order is rare and easily destroyed, yet chaos always gives way to order once it is imposed.

Energy, composing everything in our plane of existence, visible and otherwise. Colliding, fusing, repelling, radiating and combining, energy is the very definition of chaos, yet it is the precise foundation on which order is built. Balanced on a blade’s edge, energy forms asteroids, planets, stars, galaxies, and at least on our planet, life. It is the core of our duality, pockets of order in the chaos.

Life, the product of particle physics and quantum mechanics giving way to Newtonian physics, then to chemistry, and finally bowing to biology itself. A remarkably improbable event, life will nonetheless exist where it is able. An infinitesimally small, blue dot in the incomprehensibly vast universe, which may itself be in a sea of many, the Earth, our Terra Nostra, is a remarkably rare bastion of order in an ocean of chaotic energies.

Time, a concept developed by those with a finite amount of it. 13.82 billion years is the estimated amount of time our plane of existence, laws of physics, the universe has existed. Our own planet formed an estimated 4.8 billion years ago. Colliding, super-heated masses of energy coalesced, separated and settled over the course of eons to produce our solar system. Our particular rock would come to retain its heated, molten core, allowing the formation of a magnetic field, atmosphere, and retention of liquid water. The essence of chaotic order slowly building upon itself while remaining inescapable, life is indelibly defined by this remarkable force.

Cells, conceptually simple yet functionally impressive things. Lipid bilayers folding in on themselves, creating membranes which house proteins, amino acids and organelles which power the most advanced of creatures today. Beginning as objects hardly different from a virus, life struggled, fought the chaos, and shaped the very nature of this planet. Basic chemical reactions repeated, continued, combined with others of its kind to create ever more complex, self-sustaining cells over the course of eons. Prokaryotic cells gave way to eukaryotic cells, colonies of cyanobacteria reworked the very atmosphere of our planet, single-celled bacteria filling warm, shallow oceans the world over began to work together as multicellular organisms. Order built through chaos.

Death and rebirth, time and again our planet has provided this reality. Soft-bodied creatures in the Achaean, diversification of sea-based life in the Cambrian, early fish in the Devonian, land plants and insects in the Carboniferous, dinosaurs and large-scale diversification of life from the Triassic to the Cretaceous, dominance and diversification of mammals upon the downfall of the Jurassic-era world, emergence of the great apes, humanity’s more recent relatives the likes of Heidelbergensis and Neanderthalis, and finally anatomically modern man. A never-ending cycle of order fighting chaos, death and life, creation and destruction, the duality of our existence at its most apparent.

Struggle, the only true constant known to life on this planet. Survival demands it, our planet ensures it, our very neural structure, instincts and primal urges, compel us to challenge and overcome obstacles in our path. We are the product of hundreds of millions of years of such struggle. Fighting to survive, outcompete our adversaries, dominate the environment around us, continue our genetic heritage, give a safer, tamer world to our offspring, such prerogatives define life on this planet, and ourselves as a species.

Humanity, currently the undisputed, dominant land-based life-form on Earth. As impressive as this position is, we cannot escape the duality of our nature. Our reptilian brain structures still instruct us to respect strength and violence, to take, dominate, and win at all costs. Selfishness leads to survival, and survival is the rule of the day. In contrast, our more mammalian brain functions push us to be social, caring about others and their opinion of us, taking care of the community and cooperating with fellow humans for the greater good, promoting survival of the species over the individual. Both aspects of humanity, our urges to create and destroy, take and give, dominate and protect, accept what we have and struggle for something more, these urges define us, motivate us, keep us keen and working towards something greater. We are, in essence, both the figurative light and dark, good and evil, a delightful and terrible fusion of order and chaos.

Acceptance, this is required for one to truly live a fulfilling life. Our social customs, law codes, cultures and religions all acknowledge our duality, whether passively or actively. The reasons given for this duality vary based on custom and belief system, but the fact thereof remains inescapable. We may be born innocent and primarily ‘good,’ yet are selfish and self-absorbed from the outset. As we age the world forces one and all to adapt to the relative harshness of our existence, the more feral side of our nature.

Yet, caring people and institutions abound even in the most chaotic places on the planet. Family, friends, and communities still support each other in a way remarkably uncommon outside of the human species. With the exception of small percentages of the population which are either incredibly philanthropic or sadistically lack empathy, humanity is a never-stopping sliding scale between what we commonly consider good and evil. Rarely fully one, rarely the other, thin strands of order built up atop the chaos.

Thus, I propose the human species wholeheartedly embraces and adapts to this reality, mapping it onto more primitive belief systems if they must. Realistic and flexible values and beliefs within a humanistic worldview have been shown to be the most effective and equitable used to govern individuals and society today. Laws which acknowledge human nature, mitigating the effects of its negative components while preserving individual freedoms, are far more valuable than neo-puritanical governance we are too often saddled with today, which prefers to pretend the problem of humanity’s darker nature does not exist or remains entirely criminal.

Social structures and institutions which enact and personify the best in our species should be uplifted, ensuring a baseline equality for all citizens in the realms of education, healthcare, housing, food production, water distribution and energy consumption. Modern religion, notably the Semitic variety, with a focus on the supernatural and archaic, outdated beliefs supported by violent and arrogant deities, would better serve humanity to give way to less legalistic, discriminatory and close-minded versions of themselves, simply encouraging the selfless parts of human nature, pushing humanity to greater discovery and cooperation while admiring and appreciating the natural world.

All in all, humanity would do well to remember we were not the first, nor are we likely to be the last dominant species on this planet. Caring for our environment, responsible management of resources, supporting our fellow humans and building an increasingly free world are worthy goals we should work towards. Yet, we must also accept and relish our more primal nature. Our anger, violence and vanity, when properly harnessed, drive us to work harder, protect our loved ones, compete more intensely, and push everyone around us to be the best version of themselves. Our sexuality should be explored and nurtured in safe, sane and consensual environments, fulfilling one of our most basic urges in a healthy, gratifying manner for all involved. Our need to love, be loved, and feel wanted is intoxicating when met, and loved ones allow us to tap into our drive to better ourselves and our lives more so than nearly any force known to mankind.

Humanity must fully embrace and discipline our nature if we are to properly harness and maximize its effectiveness, as individuals and a collective species. We are dualistic creatures, light and dark, good and evil, selfish and selfless, order and chaos, creation and destruction, we are the product of a dualist world in a dualistic universe. Struggle and competition will continue to define us, as will compassion, love, and determination. When accepted and internalized, the duality humanity possesses allows us to be the most dynamic, successful, reality-changing species to ever exist on this planet. In short, a channeled, fragile, dynamic order on the knife's edge of chaos.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

Did We Evolve From Monkeys?

There are many impressive and alluring aspects to the industrial capitalism of the United States of America. From technology to entertainment, energy production to finance, there are many industries my home country tends to excel in. Unfortunately, as far as I’m concerned, one of these innovative fields is that of religion. It is dynamic and adaptive, with the Evangelical wing of Christianity possessing a particular penchant for changing with the mood of the people in a way nearly unmatched in the Western world. As such, we have among the highest rates within developed countries of adults who do not accept the legitimacy of the scientific Theory of Evolution. This isn’t merely unfortunate, it’s dangerous.

When speaking with fundamentalist creationists, plenty of whom are in my very family, they truly, earnestly believe the Bible is the literal, infallible word of God. Therefore, the Earth and our entire universe cannot be older than ten-thousand years or so, in their minds. Not only is this wrong, it’s wrong by orders of magnitude, yet believe on they do. Their viewpoints often result in a bombardment of questions the likes of, “Where did everything come from if God didn’t speak it into existence?” “If Evolution is so scientific, why can’t we ever seem to witness it happening?” and my personal favorite, “If we evolved from monkeys, why do monkeys still exist?”

To say I find this frustrating would be an understatement, so I’ve decided to provide some sweeping answers and explanations to this apparently difficult-to-understand concept. First off, a theory in the scientific community does not carry the meaning many would imagine and commonly use. There is currently a Theory of Gravity which describes why we are pulled towards the Earth, Radio Wave Theory is used for cell phones and other such devices, Germ Theory of Disease is relied on in modern medicine, the Theory of Refraction is utilized by contact lenses and glasses, Theory of General Relativity is accepted by physicists and the aerospace industry; there’s even a Theory of Heliocentrism, related to the Sun being the center of our solar system. All of these are now obviously factual, and are taken advantage of by modern technology and public practices every single day, yet they are ‘just theories.’ This is because they all have an abundance of evidence to support them, and are readily accepted by the entirety or vast majority of the scientific community. The Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection is exactly this kind of ‘just a theory.’

In other words, it isn’t “just” anything, Evolution is a profoundly well-established framework for understanding a variety of fields within and related to the biological sciences. Over a century of research, discovery and debate has gone into establishing, developing, tweaking, and understanding the complex and amazing story of life on this planet. There is no longer a debate among the wider scientific community as to the legitimacy of Evolutionary Theory, just as there is no debate regarding the existence of gravity, atoms, bacteria or radio waves. While the latter items may be more obvious in our day-to-day lives, the preponderance of evidence supporting all of these concepts are of very similar quality. One simply conflicts with an established religious doctrine, and is thus contested.

To top it off, our school system does a generally poor job of educating kids in what natural selection is, why Evolutionary Theory matters or just how much evidence there is in support of the framework. There are a number of misconceptions and misunderstandings I hear on a regular basis, and many are fairly easy to explain. First off, Evolution is a process through which life slowly diversifies into a huge variety of niches, creating complex and co-dependent eco-systems, like forests, jungles, savannas or oceans. For example, phytoplankton creates its own energy through chemical reactions using the power of the sun, while fish feed on the plankton to survive. Fish become food for predatory species, such as sharks or dolphins, and when these predators die, their bodies give needed nutrition for plankton. This is extremely simplified, but think back to the Circle of Life analogy from The Lion King and you have a pretty good idea of how these ecosystems work.

Secondly, the phrase ’survival of the fittest’ is a misnomer; the diversification of life is better described as ‘survival of the good-enough.’ So, imagine we have a dense forest, and an arriving species of bird is the first of its kind to make its way to this place. Let’s say there are insects living within the bark of the tree, leaving only small openings from which to catch them. Meanwhile, there are nuts which have fallen to the ground bellow, but the shells are tough and require notable strength to crack. The smaller birds with thinner beaks will be better suited to catching the insects, while the larger, stronger birds with stocky beaks will be better at breaking open nuts.

Now, picture these birds fifty generations later, when the larger, stocky birds breed with those similar to them closer to the ground, while smaller, thinner-beaked birds breed with others similar to them higher up in the trees. Imagine this trend continuing for hundreds; thousands of generations, and what you eventually get is birds which have adapted to the environment which allowed them to best survive. These birds slowly become so physically and genetically different, they can’t even breed together any longer, and as such are no longer considered the same species. This, my dear viewer, is Evolution by Natural Selection at work.

So the reality is, we do see Evolution happening before us, we simply don’t often realize it or know what to look for. In today’s world, when a horse and a donkey breed, they produce a mule. While still able to produce offspring themselves, their mules are born infertile and are unable to breed. This is because horses and donkeys are growing closer to a final stage of genetic diversification, that of finally cutting ties with a closely related species and not being able to breed together at all. Given enough future generations, horses and donkeys will no longer be able to produce mules, and will then be considered entirely different species. This is Evolution happening before our very eyes.

Humans, for our part, have also descended from such a line of diversified species. We have not evolved from monkeys, nor even other modern great apes such as chimpanzees or gorillas, yet all of us have a common ancestral species if we go back far enough. The differences between us come down to the niches we fill. Gorillas are large, strong and forage on the ground, while lemurs are small tree-dwellers with eyes better suited to operating at night. We homo-sapiens are omnivorous pack hunters native to grasslands, yet our niche, and how well we fit into it, has allowed us to become much more successful and diversified than most species could imagine.

So, we exist alongside monkeys and other great apes because we are not competing in the same niches. The so-called “missing links” between humans and chimps or bonobos are largely if not entirely extinct because they directly competed within our niche, and our species is the current winner. Jellyfish, trees and bacteria have all existed since long before humans were around, and continue to exist because they have remained the most successful at surviving within their specific environment. Evolution does not require what may seem lower level lifeforms to die off so others higher on the food-chain may live, it is in fact the opposite.

Life is built out somewhat like a pyramid, from the bottom up. At the base are single-celled organisms, such as bacteria, fungi and protozoa. They are required for everything above them to survive, as they are very often symbiotic and assist in biological function such as digestion, immunity, and decomposition upon death. Next up are lifeforms which can produce energy themselves, such as plants and phytoplankton, which feed herbivorous, plant-eating species like blue whales and cows. Then we have the meat eaters, or carnivores, which consume creatures feeding on plants. Finally, we have the odd species which don’t fit neatly into one specific category, often being insectivores or omnivores, and this is where humanity finds itself.

We have greatly benefitted from being able to consume many different types of foods for energy, and being able to survive and thrive in so many different environments. Our social skills, use of tools, and relative environmental flexibility have all led to our species breaking many of the traditional rules of natural selection, but we are by no means exempt from them. We find ourselves at the top of our food chain, and as many predatory and even herbivorous species before us have discovered, if our environment changes too drastically or our food supply runs out, we too will join the list of extinct species.

The bottom line is, we’re not entirely sure where our universe and all the energy within it originally came from. It may have been divinely orchestrated, or it may be through naturalistic processes we simply don’t fully understand yet. What we are pretty damn sure of, however, is our universe, the earth and life on it are all far older than ten thousand years old, and life on this planet is constantly changing and adapting. One generation at a time, one species at a time, earth has played host to a brilliant and incomprehensibly complex dance of life which is still carrying on before us.

We humans are a powerful player in this current world, yet we are still but one part, one cog in a massive machine we have little control over. We would do well to remember just how fragile our position truly is, and do everything we can to understand our place; how our world around us truly works, without the willfully applied blinders of ancient books preaching supernatural origins. We only get one shot at life, as people and a species. Let’s make it count.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

Was Star Wars Ever Truly Good?

Gungans, Ewoks, Asteroid-dwelling space worms, weak plot development, goddamn gungans, terrible dialogue, awful romantic subplots, loads of poor acting, idiotic stormtroopers, useless droids, EFFING GUNGANS; the list goes on. The long and short of it is this: even as a life-long Star Wars fan, I must admit, the saga as a whole, even the best films, have plenty of problems. Much of the franchise, including parts of the original trilogy, kind of sucks, in fact. With as much flak as The Last Jedi has been receiving, one might presume a rich, complex, masterful lore preceded it. But, that simply isn’t so.

Like most Americans, I grew up watching the original films and closed in on adulthood alongside the prequel trilogy. Like many pre-adolescent boys in 1999, watching the Phantom Menace was exhilarating for me, and I remain among a fairly small percentage of the population who hold a positive memory of my initial theatrical viewings of the prequels. They’re fun, fast-paced, action packed, and feature impressive world building paired with sublime musical scores. Not to mention, FULLY TRAINED JEDI LIGHTSABER AWESOMENESS. There’s no doubt the prequel trilogy sucks from a strict quality standpoint, but they’re so much fun to get lost in.

And that’s the point, really. The Star Wars films are overrated, not even Empire Strikes Back broke ground in storytelling or cinematography. What they are, and have always been, are supremely entertaining, summer-popcorn-blockbusters which have bled over into popular culture. Much as Shakespeare wrote for low-brow theatrical productions, while today his work is held up as exemplified mastery of flowing, heady, dramatic narrative, the original Star Wars trilogy is commonly regarded as something sacred, a holy portion of childhood not to be disturbed.

Frankly, I don’t have an inherent problem with this view. Star Wars films are among my favorite as well, and helped shaped my world as a child. Legitimate complaints against perceived flaws or creative decisions made in all of them, notably the prequels, are entirely justifiable and expected. The problem comes into play when this extends to automatically disliking new films which don’t fit into what specific fans want out of the franchise. It’s becoming incredibly common now for fans to project what they believe Star Wars should be, what they think the best version of the story is, onto the sequel trilogy and judge these new films accordingly.

Yes, Maz Kanata was shoe-horned into The Last Jedi, the Canto Bight casino sequence felt ripped out of the prequels, Snoke getting no background explanation at all left me feeling somewhat cheated, and why the hell the First Order didn’t just short-jump their Destroyers to surround and eliminate the remainder of the Resistance early on in the film is beyond me. The Last Jedi is not a perfect film, nor are any members of the Star Wars cannon. The Empire Strikes Back definitely comes the closest, but even this hallowed benchmark has plenty of campy and self-indulgent moments while leaning on hype from the original and giving a lazy cliff-hanger ending. It is not perfect story telling, and that’s okay.

The original Star Wars film was a simple, straight-forward hero’s journey tale. It was a coming-of-age, farmboy-saves-the-princess-and-slays-the-moon-sized-dragon-in-space sort of story. It was fun and well-paced, imaginative and captivating. Yet for the franchise to continue, it needs to break away from its roots as a children’s-sci-fi-fantasy and really build out the world around it. The Expanded Universe books, games and comics have been one way to enrich the franchise, but they became rather convoluted and internally inconsistent. So when Disney acquired LucasFilm, they needed to start over, to tell a cohesive tale from a unified source, and build out from there.

This is what we’re seeing now with the Sequel Trilogy and spin off anthology films. For the Star Wars franchise to survive and thrive long-term, it needs to adapt and mature. This is exactly what The Last Jedi does best: honor the past while blazing new potential for the future. Fans have had decades to imagine what the Original Trilogy heroes have done and are like all these years later, and it’s understandable many dislike the direction Disney took them, especially given their storylines in the Expanded Universe. Regardless, the backlash against the Sequel films, notably The Last Jedi, is unwarranted. Star Wars was never ours, it was never going to be decided by fan committees or a glut of individual authors. Not if it wanted to survive as more than a pleasant memory, anyway.

Disney is focused on world building, turning Star Wars into a cinematic powerhouse the likes of the MCU or the Call of Duty franchise is in gaming parlance. This isn’t going to be everyone’s style, not everyone will like this shift. Many will prefer the “good old days” which exist mostly in their heads. This is perfectly fine, yet fundamentally leaves us with two options regarding the saga. We can check out at any time, and choose to remember Star Wars for what it meant to us as children. Or we can adapt; appreciate the series for what it is: a franchise now more than forty years old, with a new generation of story-tellers crafting, for we the viewers, rich, flawed, fun summer-popcorn-blockbuster stories from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

How Media Controls The Narrative

It is today well established most of the media outlets in the Western world are sensationalist, driven by viewership and advertising dollars. The idea that wildfires, floods, presidential political drama and grizzly murders are far more likely to make headlines in the daily news cycle than statistics on world peace, advancement in scientific research, or ways people are making their communities better places to live isn’t even remotely surprising to us, even as many bemoan this fact. While local television news stations, small newspapers and many independent media companies are at least attempting to bring people around the world meaningful information, an increasing percentage of Americans, and Westerners as a whole, are obtaining their news fix from 24/7 media giants the likes of CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.

Such media conglomerates not only focus on the sensational, they set the tone for entire political debates. Built for extreme events such as 9/11 or hurricane Katrina, these entities stretch their reporting when the news cycle runs thin on meaningful content. The result is a host of talk show panels and political pundits, a deep dive into the river of mundane, hyperbolic, highly partisan and hyper-sensationalist rhetoric we’re barraged with in the modern day. They give legitimacy to conspiracy theories before turning them into full witch hunts, willfully overlook blatant corruption from their ideological allies while claiming their opponents are even worse, and use every trick in the book to push their respective agendas.

From the sycophantic rants of Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, manipulating a misinformed viewership, to the obvious bias of MSNBC, demeaning anything and everything emerging from the Trump administration as a knee-jerk reaction, these networks exist to sell us ideas. Primary media outlets, especially those in America, don’t give us important, unbiased news. They often fail to even give us less important news for the sake of viewership and advertising revenue.

Our largest, most influential media networks sell us propaganda, ideology, a dog-and-pony show to not only distract us from events and decisions which truly matter, but separate us into artificial camps from which we bite and claw at each other relentlessly. While we, the general populous are busy believing our political rivals are enemies, those truly running the show in our country are busy pushing their agendas through well-connected lobbyists and huge corporate donations to collectively strangle and clutch the balls of our government, all while telling us corruption and inefficiency within our government are the real problems.

It’s undoubtedly true there are tens of billions of tax dollars wasted, misused and unaccounted for every single year in the U.S. alone, while political bribery, apathy and self-interest dilutes the ability of even the most well-intentioned politician to make meaningful change. Bureaucracy is notoriously inefficient and lacks responsiveness to the needs or complaints of the public, and many governmental departments doing good work are severely underfunded, while others become bloated due to their political connections. Government isn’t perfect, but the media rarely discusses measures to improve its function. Instead they nearly inevitably take one of two positions on the topic: the government is too big and needs to get out of everyone’s business, or the government should become larger and do more to help the people.

The final result is we wind up in an endless cycle of interchangeable lying and scheming politicians and lobbyists, the shrinking and enlarging of various programs and departments based on who controls the government, vitriolic political debate from network pundits over details ranging from obnoxiously exaggerated to painfully untrue, and continual disillusionment and disinterest in the political process from a large and ever-growing cross-section of the voting population. All of this dysfunction is by no means an accident, nor is it unavoidable. It is a purposeful and deliberate collective control of the national narrative, and we play right along, knowingly or otherwise. There is no single puppet master holding the strings, but a collaborative and adaptive network advocating for the interests of those truly holding the reins of power at any given time.

The good news is, this dysfunction and political theater is entirely escapable. There are plenty of solid, honest journalism endeavors around America and the world. The Economist, Reuters, ProPublica, Allsides, C-SPAN, and others all provide means to pivot away from the charade and indulge in more investigative, true journalism. We also have the option to tune out, to be incredibly selective about our media input generally. Regardless of your preference, being aware of the political reality before you is key. Watch for bias in the media you consume, and at least attempt to hear various sides of a debate before fully forming your own opinion.

When you hear an argument on Fox News or MSNBC, let it register in the back of your mind this is their job, they are attempting to persuade and influence you. It is your job to become as fully informed as possible before allowing them to do so. It’s far too easy and tempting to be lumped into idealogical tribes, to see Republicans or Democrats as the enemy, but reality is far more complex and nuanced than that. The truth is, those attempting to divide us are the enemy. There are real solutions to the many problems we face, and honest discussion of our disagreements to be had. We can take our power back from the billionaire media moguls, self-interested demagogues and corrupt power brokers of today’s world. We can and will figure our issues out together, one step at a time. All it takes is changing the way we think and act. Simple enough.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

The Importance Of Emotional Health

A tale perhaps as old as the human race, romantic relationships tend to be where the most dramatic instances of emotional upheaval and instability unfold in my life. While many of my relationships never became overly serious, or ended on amicable terms, those which went sideways at the end really seemed to go downhill quickly. One of the most notable examples, in my mind, occurred during my relationship with the only woman I've yet truly considered marrying.

Kind, intelligent, charming and beautiful with a great sense of humor, she was exciting and intoxicating beyond belief to me. She was also profoundly compromised emotionally, and really, that’s a kind way of describing the ordeal. The daughter of immigrants, she had been in several very negative relationships before meeting me, often physically and sexually violent, and emotionally abusive in nature. Her parents, while eventually becoming aware of certain aspects of this, encouraged her to keep quiet and work through the emotional trauma on her own, before sending her off to a university far from home. This, as one might imagine, was a supremely poor way for her parents to handle things.

At this far away university, she met myself. The seemingly innocent introduction occurred at a frat party hosted by guys we both knew from school. And as it turned out, she was loosely dating one of the guys in the fraternity. I didn’t possess that particular bit of information yet, and so unabashedly went about talking to and flirting with her as we drank and laughed at people more drunk than ourselves. Our conversation went well, and while my memory got a bit hazy, it’s entirely possible we made out a little bit before her kind-of-boyfriend came over to break it up and attempted to fight me. I ended up simply leaving with my friends, but I already had her phone number, and attention.

Fast forward about a month, and she was all mine. I felt like a raging badass: she made me feel masculine, strong, powerful and desired, and she repeatedly stated she felt just the right kind of pursued, feminine and sexy. So initially, our relationship went incredibly well. We were simply having fun, things were easy, and we enjoyed each other’s company. Being around each other was a much needed and appreciated escape for us both. It was relaxed and cathartic, yet things moved far more quickly than either of us expected.

By the time we had been dating for a year, we were making plans to move in together. I was even beginning to look for an engagement ring and plan out a proposal. Yet, just when our relationship seemed to be at its most promising, things began to slowly deteriorate. The emotional realities of her past began to bubble to the surface of her behavior, and rampant, copious alcohol consumption became a regular response.

Initially, I was confused, as I knew nothing of the darker parts of her past. I was under the impression she simply wasn't happy with me, but she still threw herself into our relationship. Anytime I spoke of slowing things down or taking a break, she nearly had a mental breakdown.

This carried on for months, I felt increasingly stuck and suffocated in the role of emotional support, therapist and pseudo-parental figure all rolled into one. I gradually discovered more about what she had been through: how her exes had mistreated her, how her parents reacted, how the whole thing made her feel dirty, used, unloved and worthless. I honestly tried to be there for her, physically and emotionally present. I wanted so much to help her through the pain.

Yet, despite my repeated recommendations, she refused to speak to anyone, aside from myself, about her lingering issues, and turned ever more to drinking in an effort to dull her inner demons. Before long, in drunken states, she was openly discussing committing suicide. Thus far, she hasn't followed through with such plans.

As I implied earlier, the relationship didn't last. It became far more stressful, draining, heavy, and dark than I was willing to remain in. At the end of the day, I couldn't force her to move forward in health, and refused to let myself remain in such a twisted place with her. Yet to a degree, I still feel guilty about leaving.

Our relationship was a grand production of incongruence: I loved her, and supported her, yet felt disconnected from her for the better part of a year. She loved me, I truly believe it, but she didn't seem to know how to really love herself. Her deepening alcoholism and isolation told me I wasn't very valued, yet when she was with me, she was intensely affectionate. This messed with my head to a degree I couldn’t fully appreciate until I was entirely free of the relationship.

As I told her, the best way to be authentic, happy and content in our lives is to be honest, with yourself first and foremost. Accepting and embracing who you are, every aspect of your past, moving forward in self-acceptance, self-love, and determination to not let previous experiences define you is liberating, and crucial to our mental and emotional health. Talking with someone, going to a professional, is incredibly therapeutic. It allows us to work through issues on our own terms, to talk through things we’d likely continue to mentally ignore and push down until they manifest as a larger problems in our lives.

Keeping a journal, venting to a close friend, talking to a pen-pal online, having brutally honest conversations with ourselves or a loved one who’s passed on, there are many complementary ways we can open up and remain emotionally vulnerable in a safe setting. The effects of emotional trauma and pain are real, and deserve the same sort of care and attention our common physical ailments receive. Don’t let what others have done to you, or decisions in your past, haunt and hurt you any more than they already have. We all need to be real with ourselves, and honestly analyze our lives, thoughts and feelings if we truly want to live our best life.

I hated seeing how the fucked up decisions of others, of selfish and abusive men, were causing such problems in my exes’ life. It wasn’t her fault, she can’t change her past, but she can reclaim her emotional health for the best possible version of her future. She wouldn’t do so while I was with her, but I intensely hope she eventually does. Emotional and physical health, happiness, contentment, these things don’t happen accidentally, but they can be attained with determination and honesty. Little by little, person by person, we can each discover what these concepts mean in our lives, and build a better world in the process.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

Why California Is So Badass

Sleepy little rustic mountain towns, country roads cutting through acre after acre of corn rows, grazing lands and apple orchards, quiet lakeside villages hovering at the edge of expansive forests, chilly seaside ports covered in fog and smelling of fish and seaweed. None of these scenes likely sound at home in California, but they are. And, they’re only taken from the northern portion of the state.

From the sunny, sandy beaches in the south, to the serene forests and rolling hills of the far north, California is a gorgeous state. Striking mountain ranges, expansive desert, rugged coastline, white-sand oceanside towns stretching on for miles, giant redwood forests, and some of the most serene and productive agricultural land in the nation, California is an experience all its own. We are a country within a country, a way of life which has become synonymous with laid-back living, constant optimism and an innovative spirit to match the wild and gorgeous land we call home.

Hosting Silicon Valley and Hollywood, titans in both the technology and entertainment industries, California is so much more than Los Angeles and San Francisco. World class cities worthy of plenty of your attention, they are but the tip of an impressive and expansive iceberg of class and beauty in one of the largest and most ecologically, geographically, economically, culinarily and ethnically diverse states in the US.

Take a relaxed road trip along the 101 highway, enjoying the ocean view and salty sea air in gorgeous settings like Big Sur. Visit the stunning vistas of Yosemite National Park in our rugged Sierra Nevada mountains, surf the gorgeous sun-kissed waves of the San Diego region’s coastline, get lost four-wheeling imposing sand dunes in the Mojave before playing a round or two of golf in one of our many resort towns. From quiet fishing spots in the mountains to bustling, neon-light filled nightlife in LA, California has something for everyone.

We have our problems, undoubtedly. Our state government is heavily encumbered by special interests and voter referendums, and proves time and again to be less efficient than other states. Our taxes and cost of living are higher than average, while our regulations and strong unions tend to make starting and maintaining a business here more difficult than other places in the country. For those who identify as politically or religiously conservative, San Francisco may as well be a living nightmare of backwards values. The state government in Sacramento might be the premiere example of the failures of modern liberal ideology, and the very word California has become an adjective to describe everything seen as wrong with the Left, Democrats and Liberals in America.

Yet, as with so much else, such views are overly simplistic and only part of the equation. We have amongst the highest standards of living in the country, a highly sophisticated and diversified economy which routinely grows faster than the rest of the the US, tying Oregon for highest growth rates in 2016, for example. Strong unions fight for and protect Californian jobs and wages, our public infrastructure is expansive, generally well-maintained and forward thinking with projects like the California High Speed Rail promising to connect two of the largest metropolitan areas in America.

Our social safety net, including tax credits for business, is amongst the most robust in the country, and we possess creative, manufacturing, technology, and entertainment sectors the rest of the world stands in envy of. Our public and private universities routinely make top lists around the world, and modern signatures from the bikini to the theme park were developed or popularized in California.

We are dynamic and relentless, disruptive and always pushing our own boundaries. We are an entire state dedicated to the idea that hard work and creative solutions can benefit everyone around us, and we’ve created a society which has become synonymous with the American Dream. California is and has been one of the fastest growing and changing states, economically and demographically, for decades, and will almost certainly remain this way for years to come.

We’re not perfect by any means, but there are so many reasons why the Great State of California is known, romanticized, envied, copied, and visited by so many around the world, and home to so many in America. There are many other beautiful places to call home, but few with the variety and dynamism California presents. Despite what you may have heard, Californians are by-and-large a friendly, welcoming, accepting, open-minded people, well accustomed to visitors and those newly residing in the state.

So, if you already live here, take pride in your home. Explore it and see all it has to offer. If you’ve never been here, make plans to visit. It is beyond worth it; you will not be disappointed in the variety of food, people, experiences and sights you’ll be able to get lost in while here. I’m extremely biased, but California has a way of doing that to people, once you’re here for a while. The Golden State is a grand, sweeping epic all its own. I love this state, and truly believe you will too. Come find your own badass adventure in the Great American West. Your future self will thank you.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

The Importance Of Being Honest With Yourself

Over three years ago now, I reconnected with an old friend of mine I hadn’t seen in almost a decade. We hit it off instantly, exactly as we had when we were younger. We had overlapping groups of friends, as we found out, and began purposely organizing parties and outings around this fact. She and I began meeting up to grab coffee or lunch every two to three weeks, and it was easy to keep platonic because both of us were in happy relationships dating other people.

A few months into our rekindled friendship, I broke up with my then-girlfriend, but my friend and I were still really getting along well and enjoying each other’s company. We began drinking more together; every so often it was just the two of us. And, things became slightly more complicated.

One night, while her boyfriend was out of town on a job, she and I decided to have a board game night and just hang out. Then, we discovered we had access to a full handle of Fireball whiskey. Next thing you know, I wake up naked next to her, sun obnoxiously bright in my hungover eyes as I piece together a scene of pillows and blankets strewn across the room.

After slightly freaking out about the fact I’d left hickies on her neck, my friend informed me she loved her boyfriend, the night before was a mistake and we should just move on as if nothing had happened. I agreed, she left in a hurry, and we left it there. At least, we left it there for a while.

A few months go by and everything is going well. We’d still hangout with the same friends, meet every so often to catch up, and hit up a bar or party with the crew on the weekends. It was a damn good time, but cracks in our plan began to show. My friend started to confide in me some of the problems she was having with her boyfriend, and telling me about fights they were having with increasing regularity. She began turning towards me when things went wrong in her life, and as one with just the slightest hint of a hero complex, I obliged her.

Friends began making jokes about how I should, “just finish stealing her already,” and her boyfriend began to ever-so-slightly ostracize me from events they hosted or organized. This irritated me, and I flatly denied any interest in her or desire to break up the relationship. Yet, this wasn’t entirely true. Even while I attempted to deceive myself and others, I was falling for her, harder than I’d ever expected. I found her dynamic and captivating, and I’m definitely one to want what I can’t have. This proved dangerous for us both.

Towards the beginning of the summer, once again while her boyfriend was out of town for work, my friend and I decided to go on a day trip to Yosemite. We had a blast, and found our way to getting some alcohol on the way up, making it even better. After a long day I convinced her to just crash at my place, and we found some more alcohol. I feel like I don’t even need to explain what else happened that night.

The next morning, however, neither of us freaked out or said it was a mistake. She didn’t hurriedly cover up hickies with makeup and leave, or even tell me she still loved her boyfriend. She stretched and woke up lazily, rolled over to face me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and softly met her lips to mine. I smiled and kissed her back, but in that moment it really hit me exactly what I was doing, what I had done, and how I was becoming the very man I always told myself I wouldn’t be.

In less than a month, and after some notable drama, my friend and her boyfriend had broken up, and she came to live with my family and I for a few months. I lost several friends in the ordeal, and it created some issues with others which linger to this day. To top it all off, my friend and I never even dated. We both acknowledged we had feelings for each other, but I was not interested in being a rebound, and she was sleeping with other men within three weeks of moving in with my family. So while I intended to give her time to work through things, in her mind she was trying to goad me into making a move, which I didn’t even know about until much later.

We got into a number of arguments over those months, and it became increasingly clear we really weren’t good for each other. We knew how to have fun together, but most of our interactions were based on our chemistry and attraction, often while under the influence anyways, and little else. In the end, neither of us got what we wanted, and by the time she moved out, we were no longer overly close. Just like that, everything which felt so intense; so real and almost destined, fell apart before our eyes. We picked up what remained of our friendship and continued on for a while, but we were both quickly in relationships with other people.

We slowly drifted apart over the next year or so, and after one final argument, I ended things entirely. With one conversation, I disconnected myself from a woman I had once tried so hard to keep in my life, and gone so far out of my way to remain close to. I had considered her one of my close friends, yet in the end I only wanted it to be over. And I didn’t regret my decision to end things at all. I felt free, and still do.

There are a number of points I hope you can take from this story. First of all, don’t be that asshole that gets between people in relationships. Don’t use friends and social events to implement this ‘getting between’ your object of affection and their significant other, and fully realize the terrible potential of alcohol in the hands of a handsome madman. Most of all, though, be real with yourself. Be honest with yourself about how you feel, where you’re at and what’s important to you. Be frank with yourself about how much various people mean to you, feelings you may have for them, and what you’re willing to lose and risk to get what you want. Be real with yourself about who you want to be, and do your best to not sink below your own standards.

I don’t regret rekindling the friendship, or developing feelings for her, nor ending the friendship years later. Yet, I would change a number of the decisions I made in between, choices which hurt other people, and I can’t take them back. So, if there’s one thing you get out of this: avoid actions which compromise who you want to be, your ideal self, to the best of your ability, and you will be well on your way towards living your best life.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

Bullying Is Bullshit

Of all the many things wrong with humanity, perhaps the most tragic and ridiculous reality of our world is the fact children the world over have been exposed, one way or another, to the act of bullying. From going out of their way to put people down, to humiliating other kids in front of their friends, to simply mean physical acts which are very often violent, bullying is an age-old problem endemic to humanity. We are a relatively intelligent, social species, and with all the positives that brings, we’ve retained a handful of negative traits along the way.

Yet, bullying is a problem beyond the realm of children. Bosses at work are often bullies, people in positions of authority, such as law enforcement or prison guards, can be bullies just as easily. Even our current President has made a name for himself being a raging bully and deeming it “saying it like it is” to make the whole charade more palatable. The problem surrounds us and permeates our society, much like corruption and sexual harassment. And as we all know too well, even our children are infected and affected by this lunacy.

Take Keaton Jones, an 11 year old boy from Tennessee who recently made a now-viral video calling out his bullies. He gave a heartfelt reflection on how messed up this whole thing is for anyone to go through, and it’s resonated with people. Celebrities, politicians and regular people from all over expressed their support for Keaton over social media, even extending invitations to be taken out on a yacht, hangout with Snoop Dog and attend the premier of the next Avengers film. There’s even a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his future college education.

Keaton’s video is heartbreaking, no child should have to go through such nonsense. Yet, nearly all of us have, at one point or another, faced a bully in our own lives. In my experience, even bullies themselves are driven by abuse in their own life, often in the form of their parents. For example, in middle school, I had one particular guy from the baseball team that would harass me relentlessly, calling me short, fat, stupid and ugly, often trying to knock books or other items out of my hands, and generally just excelled at being a dick. I avoided him as often as I could, and survived all the way through high school and beyond, I’m pleased to announce.

Years later, I found out the same guy committed suicide. It turns out his mother had died when he was young, and his dad was a raging alcoholic who often beat him and his siblings. Eventually, he was placed in foster care, and it then hit me that I hadn’t seen him throughout almost all of high school. And now, years later, for reasons I’m still not aware of, he took his own life. The guy that made my life far more difficult was in fact living a miserable life himself, one far worse than my own.

There is no excuse for treating other people poorly, but it can help to understand all of us have challenges and bullies in our lives, and to try to empathize, to reach out and make as many friends and allies as possible. In fact, this was exactly my anti-bully strategy in middle and high school. I was never one of the coolest kids, but I was never at the bottom of the social hierarchy either. I played sports, dated pretty girls, and am built like a human tank. So, I made friends.

I looked for others who were picked on, those who didn’t have many friends, those who were more introverted, awkward, or considered weird by most others. It didn’t always work out, but I started going out of my way to befriend them. And more often than not, it worked. We built something of a coalition of misfits, and in so doing, insulated ourselves from the effects of bullying. We’re stronger in groups, as they say, and I’m still friends with many of these unlikely allies to this day. Building a solid network of people around you is a proven system which can work for anyone.

This is often easier said than done, and the plan wasn’t always perfect, but it helped quite a lot, and it can help you as well. Whether you’re still in school or a middle-aged professional, dealing with bullies requires self-confidence, strategic thinking, and friends. Develop these skills and connections, network and build a coalition around you, and do your best to hold bad behavior accountable. For example, if you work in an office space, and your boss is a jerk, connect with others who feel the same way. Bring the issues to his or her attention, and if they refuse to cooperate or change, consider going above your boss. Contact your HR department, if you can. Either way, you’re going to have to make a move at some point, even if it means leaving your job.

It’s 20-goddamn-17. We deserve better than the behavior of our primate ancestors, we need to do better than the behavior of our ancestors. It starts with each of us: invest in your children and guide them in dealing with their own bullies. Be the parent that records their child calling out their bullies, and help them build a self-confidence and network of people to help them through difficult times in their lives. Do the same in your life, and refuse to let people, even our own President, get away with such behavior. Just like Keaton says in his video: stay strong, things will get better. And they get better through all of us taking action, and demanding a better version of humanity.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

Not Even Net Neutrality Can Survive Trump?

It’s official guys, crony capitalism is in full swing here in the U.S. We can’t even defend the internet, around which so many of our lives revolve, in this era of Trump. Lies ranging from the regulations were harming investment to they hindered the ability of emergency medical services to function effectively were told, yet all of them were lies. The FCC knows they are lies, Ajit Pai, chairman of the FCC, knows they are lies, yet they are pushing this corporate-donor agenda anyways. If anything sums up the bullshit big-business corruption running rampant in Washington D.C., made even worse during the chaos of this early Trump administration, this is it.

In an age of resurgent white nationalism, shrunken national monuments, blatant lies on everything from inauguration crowd sizes to severity of tax cuts to the physical beauty of a border wall, habitual sexual harassers being exposed left and right, reckless tweets from our own President, and a general political atmosphere based on simple answers to complex issues, perhaps nothing is sacred. Maybe we shouldn’t expect anything to be off limits or too ridiculous for Trump and his kind, but we should never accept this as normal or okay.

Corporate and special interest money has been swelling the coffers of politicians for decades, yet has become more dramatic in light of some rather recent Supreme Court Decisions. Notably with the Citizens United case in 2010, politics has become ever more influenced by those most willing and able to fund the machine. Scores of competing billionaires, millionaires, corporations, lobbyists representing dozens of industries, unions and political action committees all jockey for position and influence, very often at the expense of the average voter.

There are times our interest overlaps with those of the wealthy and elite, but we are nearly never the reason why things go our way in politics. The best we can do is form powerful lobbies, like the NRA, wether you agree with it or not, to speak on our behalf. Aside from these single-issue organizations, the nation and economy is increasingly run by and in the name of those paying for it. We are not yet a tyrannical oligarchy like Russia, or a single-party dictatorship like China, but our crony capitalists are running most of the show.

We’ve faced situations like this in the past, notably in the Gilded Age of the late 1800s, and we’ve emerged stronger, freer, and more prosperous every single time. But freedom and prosperity truly are not free. Our government is meant to be a tool of the people, a body through which our collective will can be shown. It was developed with plenty of checks and balances in the system to prevent both rule by whim of the masses, and rule by powerful yet corrupt individuals.

What our Founders could not have easily imagined, however, is how America would look today. Industrialization, automation, information technology, mass transit, dozens of multinational corporate juggernauts, the world has changed drastically since the creation of our country. Just as the branches of government provide checks and balances on each other, unions and the government represent the people when dealing with business.

We should absolutely support business, especially small and startup companies, they’re the backbone of our country, and keeping the market as free as possible has proven to be the greatest source of wealth creation and innovation. The unfortunate reality is, however, in areas where expensive infrastructure is needed, such as electricity, cell phone service and emergency medical services, there are often few options around a specific area. For example, where I live, there is no competition to Comcast in providing cable internet access, and if someone in my family suddenly had a heart attack or stroke, there are only two hospitals I can take them to.

This leads to effective strangleholds on various markets, with one or only a few companies providing a service. This allows for huge artificial manipulation of the price and quality of service, and we have seen this reality time and time again. Simply put, the free market does not work on behalf of the People in such circumstances. Yet, the government can intervene to represent our will. It can be the guaranteer of a free market and prohibit crony capitalism. Our government has done so in the past, and in the most successfully run countries on the planet, they do quite often.

This leads us back to the internet and net neutrality. The regulations put in place back in 2015 ensured a free, open and equal-access internet service for everyone. It is arguably the purest example of the government being used on behalf of the People to ensure a free market. There were dozens of utility exemptions given to the industry, from the government declining to set price limits or speed requirements to emergency medical services being allowed traffic priority. Nonetheless, it wasn’t enough. The large internet service providers want as much control over their market as possible, at the expense of the rest of us, and Ajit Pai and his FCC just handed it to them.

It is well past time for America to collectively wake up, to realize the Left versus Right political rivalry is much more showmanship displayed by a sensationalist media than reality, and it is in fact time for us to reclaim our say in matters of state, to reassert our voice in our government, to demand our Voice truly represents us again.

Every politician wants you to believe they are the one who will stand up for you and your interests, but until we curtail the influence of big money in politics and eliminate the ability of politicians to choose their voters through gerrymandering, a free internet is but one of many losses we’ll continue to sustain. It’s time to collectively grab our government by the balls and remind it who our representatives serve. We dictate the course of this nation, every vote counts if you make it, we are the masters of our collective destiny, and it’s about damn we start acting like it.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

Disney Buying Fox! And OMG Star Wars

Just in case the Walt Disney Company didn’t own enough of our collective childhood, this week it was announced they’re moving ahead to collect a treasure trove of intellectual property and infrastructure in a buyout of a large portion of the 21st Century Fox media empire. Reportedly worth over $60 billion, the completed deal would see Fox retain their News, Business, and much of their Sports divisions, while turning everything else, from film rights to television stations like FX, over to the House of Mouse.

This would leave Disney in ownership of franchises like X-Men, the Fantastic Four and James Cameron’s Avatar, a larger stake in the streaming service Hulu, in addition to much else. The Marvel Cinematic Universe would expand notably almost overnight, and Disney would see its film and television presence grow dramatically while coopting one of its primary competitors. It would also leave the Murdoch family, who own and operate Fox, the second largest shareholders in the Walt Disney Company.

The whole thing still needs to be approved by regulators in a number of countries, but is expected to be allowed due to how the deal was structured. From Pixar to Marvel to LucasFilm and now Fox, Disney and its CEO Bob Iger, are on a bona fide roll. In an age of Netflix and Hulu, Spotify and MoviePass, traditional media companies are scrambling to adapt and consolidate. Disney is a prime example, acting more like a technology company akin to Google or Facebook while scooping up companies with valuable intellectual property. They even announced a plan to launch a streaming video service as a direct competitor to Netflix. As they well know, content is king.

Speaking of content, none is grabbing more public attention at the moment than Star Wars: The Last Jedi. With a current 93% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and pulling in an estimated $220 million over it’s opening weekend, director Rian Johnson helmed what is already becoming widely regarded as one of the best films in the franchise, and I entirely agree.

Challenging long-held tropes while honoring the best of Star Wars tradition, Johnson upends many of the expected moves for the film in favor of giving fans what may well be the most daring and forward-feeling in the canon since Empire Strikes Back. From the very start its pace is riveting and well handled. Constantly raising the stakes, giving answers many did not expect, and even eliminating characters most presumed would be present until at least the end of this new trilogy, The Last Jedi proves itself to be one of the funniest and most heartfelt films in the franchise, while carrying a weight and dark overtone worthy of the very best the saga has to offer.

From the strong performances by its lead actors to the strikingly new-yet-familiar visual treats, served one after another, this film sets itself apart as a Star Wars movie not only honoring its past, but moving boldly into its future. Disney has made it clear they wish to take the franchise in some new directions, and after the well-done yet formulaic Force Awakens, The Last Jedi is a nearly ideal follow up. Certain fans have been notably displeased by this second act of the trilogy, but this Star Wars is a new beast, rooted in its past yet not tied to the tales of the Old Republic, Empire and Skywalkers. There’s a much larger galaxy out there, waiting to be shown to us, and The Last Jedi revels in displaying just how much fun this wider world can be.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

Can You Even Find Your Soulmate?

Most of us still love the idea of ending up with the one person perfect for us, 'the One' or our soulmate. Whether divinely prepared or just a beautiful cosmic coincidence, we’ve been raised from a young age to look for that one individual who will leave us feeling fulfilled, and stay with us 'until death do we part'.

Reality is, there are many people who could be good for us, and likely no one truly perfect for us. As humans, we’re constantly changing, and will continue to our entire lives. We need to actively be complete, fully functional people, content in ourselves, in order to become truly fulfilled in a relationship which lasts a lifetime.

Be independent and be selective, your time and attention is valuable, so act like it. Invest in those you want to spend time with, and require the same from others. If someone regularly doesn't text you back, or sends you one-word answers with any kind of consistency, don't be afraid to ditch them asap.

Develop your own hobbies, interests, goals, skills, career and life as a whole. Not only is it sexy to meet and date people who are confident and actively living life on their terms, it prevents you from slowing down and overly changing yourself for other people.

A relationship should be a melding together of two people and their lives, but not to the extent of giving up your life completely. Relationships involve sacrifice, but make sure they’re even and don’t require you to give up anything you’re not comfortable leaving behind you. You're part of a team, a unit, and both parties should treat the relationship as such.

Keep friends and family close. No romantic partner can or should be expected to fulfill all of your needs emotionally or socially. It takes a village, and always has. Stay connected, spend time with other loved ones, and if your significant other (SO) has a problem with this, it may well be a sign it’s time for you to 'exit stage left.'

Give the relationship time and go through the seasons, so to speak. Deep relationships are built over time, and involve really getting to know each other. Don’t rush things or exaggerate every problem you have, life is a marathon. At the same time, avoid settling and relying on emotional attachment to make your decision to leave or stay. Comfort in a relationship doesn’t inherently equal happiness and compatibility.

To recap, learn to love yourself first and foremost. Don’t be afraid to leave and avoid rushing into any decision of this importance. Stay independent and selective, and demand respect from others seeking your time. Develop your own life, and only slowly integrate your SO into it. Stay socially connected and have a life outside of your relationship, isolation is risky on several fronts. And, give it time, let things develop slowly and enjoy the ride.

Finally, if and when you find someone you love, go all in. Really go for it, don't be afraid to be passionate about your life together. We all only have one life to live, and we should fill it with as much excitement, happiness, love and fun as possible. The world is more than cold enough to give you plenty of negatives along the way, so give yourself permission to be happy and love your life. Adore the person you choose, wholeheartedly and with reckless abandon when you finally create a deep, meaningful relationship. Carve out for yourselves the sort of soulmate connection you typically only read about or see in the movies.

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.

10 Tips To Turn Any Woman On

10. Be Extra Stingy With Your Money - Women love a guy that knows how to save and take her out on a budget. Why take her to a fancy restaurant when McDonalds has a $1 menu? She’ll thank you for it later…

9. Watch Porn With Your Girl, And Then Tell Her You Expect The Same Performance - Every woman loves to be her man’s pornstar, so give her a few pointers, and by pointers I mean tell her exactly what you expect her to do. Women love a man that takes charge…

8. Be A Man-Child/Mamma’s Boy - Women love a man that’s close with his mother, especially when he goes crying to her every single time something goes wrong. Argument? Mom. Tough day at work? Mom. Upset stomach? Mom. Your woman will be driven wild…

7. Be A Socially-Averse Lone Wolf Type - Women adore men that keep to themselves and have no friends, and better yet men that are awkward around other people. Because a man that doesn’t like people screams self-confident. Plus, he’s obviously, totally not a serial killer…

6. Brag Like Crazy - Women dig confident dudes, and what is more confident than bragging about every single positive achievement or quality you have? Nothing, absolutely nothing. So, brag away, talk only about yourself as often as possible, and never ask how your girl’s day was. That would just be too caring…

5. Give External Compliments Often And Exclusively - Women love being told their ass looks great in those jeans 273 times in a single night out. They can’t get enough of men talking about their tits and how slutty, er cute, her outfit is. Keep it sexual and constant, and she’ll love you forever…

4. Open Up About Yourself Way Faster Than Other Men - Women love an open, honest guy, one that can talk about himself and his goals all through the night. So, take it to the next level, and get super personal, and even talk about how the two of your babies might look. The earlier into the relationship you talk about marriage and kids, the better…

3. Talk about all of your exes on the regs, and be sure to call every single one of them a crazy bitch at least once per outing with your girl. It’ll make sure she feels super special and distinct from the others, with no way she’ll end up on the CB list as well…

2. Be Crass AF During Meals - Dinner with the parents? Act like a child at the table, licking your plate and belching loudly when the urge arises. Women love a man that is 100% his authentic self at all times….

1. Intimate Massage Time - Give her a well-deserved full-nude massage after all that sexy time listening to you go on about yourself, your mom and your crazy exes. Make loads of sexual quips, ask lots of dumb questions to keep her attention, and when the time is right, slip a surprise finger in her butthole. She’ll want a wedding on the spot…

*P.S. Seriously though, don't do any of this...

Thanks for reading! This blog works in tandem with my YouTube channel of the same name. Feel free to check it out if you enjoy my content here. Come back often for regular updates, and see you next time...

YouTube channel here.