America’s modern Hitler?

Donald trump has been compared to Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini quite a few times and not for good reasons of course. while reading “Trump: The Man, the Meme” by author Ian Crouch, he mentions in his article that “When people are debating whether you’re more like Hitler or Mussolini, you are certainly on to something, though that something is not what a normal American political candidate would ever desire.” The article mentions how on twitter memes of Donald Trump are becoming popular and trending. One person went far enough as to putting up posters of Trump on a swastika.  Another important thing that Ian Crouch mentions is that “…outrageousness of Trump’s political statements, and to sound an alarm about the dangers that his candidacy might pose to the country. Perhaps if enough people share these memes, the thinking goes, it will act like a social-media version of Sinclair Lewis’s “It Can’t Happen Here,” and wake others up to the threat of creeping Fascism.” People are using social media as a source to reach out to a group of audience and inform them. Donald Trump is not the first presidential candidate to be compared with Hitler for example. Other candidates such as George W. bush have also been compared to Hitler as well as Hillary Clinton. Over all the moral of the story is that by using social media people can engage and inform others of issues. In this Case a lot of people are scared that Trump will become like Hitler or Mussolini and basically walk in their footsteps. Therefore, there are a lot of people coming out with memes to really catch the attention of people and get them to really notice the issue and see the bigger picture.     
                                                                                                                                                                                       

Moving to Canada...

We have all heard of this joke more than a few times during the 2016 election. Whether you are certain that either Trump, Bernie, or Hillary will win the presidential election, there is always a group of people who say, "I'm moving to Canada!" or "If he/she wins, I'm outta here". If you plan to move out of the United States, plan it out soon because November is right around the corner.

Searches for "how can I move to Canada" on Google have spiked +350% in the past four hours #SuperTuesday

— Simon Rogers (@smfrogers) March 2, 2016

Yet, whenever someone states that they plan to move out of the country, how likely is it to occur? Do people actually decide to move out due to political reasons, such as having a certain level of disbelief on whomever the winning candidate is? Based on previous elections and eras, it is true that there are small portions of the population who decide to move out of the U.S.

According to the National Public Radio, some lawyers believe that sometimes it is not caused by political reasons, instead, moving out is usually caused by economic problems. Joel Guberman, a Toronto-based immigration lawyer states, "I think there is probably a more direct correlation to the strength of the U.S. economy than to presidents". During the 2008-09 economic crisis of the U.S., there were higher fluctuations of citizens leaving their homes to other countries such as Canada.

The number of U.S. citizens who become Canadian permanent residents each year saw its most pronounced jump in the 2000s.

According to this graph from the Government of Canada website, there was an increase of Americans moving into Canada between the era of the Bush administration. A statistic which further decreased once Obama was elected president. 

Whether you decide to move into Canada, the Bahamas, England or elsewhere, always know that you are not only just leaving the American country, but also all of the American people and it's values. The legacy in which Americans try to achieve is to form a prosperous country where the people govern themselves with an equal form of government. The 2016 election is only a blink of American history and choices that people make are for the opportunities that reveal themselves for the future.

Why Is Politics So unappealing to our generation ?

Being a young African American male in the US is a blessing while others view as a obstacle. Why is it that we rarely see government leaders who are not afraid to put pressure in legislation to make a difference.  We rarely have true leaders who have a voice in politics that money doesn't due to corrupted motives. Does race play a factor in politics?.....YES! This is not simply a one sided berating of our govt but there are words that need to be said. Why is it that in order to get a more "urban" demographic people have to due stupid dances like the whip or the nae nae? Has anyone even noticed that more politics is more of a puppet for money rather than changing the nation for the better? Is it frightening that Donald Trump is winning states and has one even Virginia ? Maybe people have stopped caring because politicians seem like they don't care about the people. I watched a movie that inspired me to write about this topic called Bulworth. This movie is so profound that even Back Obama himself stated that he wanted be like Bulworth, who literally did not give a crap about what his investors or political had to say. He was only motivated to tell the truth, the word truth itself is very ugly to those who hold people in the dark with everlasting lies. The movie Bulworth literally showed that politicians literally have to watch what they say to either protect their investment or more extreme their lives.  We hear the saying that the love of money is the root of all evil, so why do have people in congress who only care about their pockets? The more our eyes are opened the more evil we see behind the scenes. Truth is ugly to those that love beautiful lies....

Gotta Take a LEAK

The next few months should be very interesting regarding global politics. The Panama Papers have leaked, and it looks like some very wealthy people are in quite the pickle. The Panama Papers is pretty much an enormous, 2.6 TERABYTES, collection of reports that link various business men, politicians, and celebrities to tax evasion. 

What's huge about this report is that it includes names of those in charge of countries, such as the President of Argentina, the king of Saudia Arabia, Vladmir Putin, and much more. With this news breaking out, trust between the citizens and governments may be a little shaky. With trillions of tax dollars not being paid, one could only think how greedy these people must be to go behind the backs of their own people and cheat their own government. I expect there to be huge protests globally regarding the corruption that has been exposed. In fact, mass protests in Iceland have already begun, which lead to the Prime Minister's resignation. 

When skimming through a list of countries involved in the controversy, I was surprised to see that the USA wasn't involved. Maybe the report does have some Americans involved, or maybe there weren't any. Either way, it's interesting to see that politicians from our country are safe... for now. I believe that there are some Americans involved, but not anyone well known or important. After watching Wolf of Wall Street, I think it's safe to say that foreign banks don't want to deal with American customers due to the constant surveillance by the government. Also, it is not illegal to hold money in off-shore banks. What gets people in trouble is avoiding taxes, for example, with said money. Either way, this news will spring forward a plethora of investigations and financial monitoring. I fully expect to hear more about who was involved in the next few months.

I can only imagine what types of comments the candidates will say. Trump will most likely have some interesting insight, with him being a wealthy businessman. What will be VERY interesting is to see how Bernie and Hillary will play this out. Clinton helped push the Panama Free Trade deal, while Sanders heavily opposed it. This could shake-up the Democratic race. Sanders needed this boost, and with more primaries coming up, he could very well start gaining ground on Clinton. It's just a matter of whether Bernie goes on the attack and calls her out on it. Either way, the Panama Papers will be another topic for the candidates to chime in on. I say this is a perfect opportunity for Sanders to have his " I told you so!" moment. 

The (Political) Assassination of Donald Trump.

What is a greater threat to humanity than Jihadist terrorism destabilizing the global economy? . . . Wait for it . . . Donald Trump.

Donald Trump wins the U.S.A. 2016 Presidential Election.

Before you read, take a second to think—put it to words. What's your opinion on Donald Trump? The opinion of mainstream media is pretty clear:

Donald Trump is an asshole—a twisted businessman who'll drive the country like a corporation. He's ignorant, and provocative, instilling his cult with violence. He's racist, sexist, homophobic and worst of all: a Republican. He'll waste his presidency enslaving America to China, and retire to his penthouse where he'll spend his nights eating kitten-flavored cereal with his best-bud, HITLER!

At least that's how it seems. But is he really that bad? I mean, his toupee is, uh . . . 

What you're about to see is what's known as a "political narrative." This is a bias in journalism, where news outlets downplay, emphasize or omit elements, and employ word choice and crafty sentence structure in order to nudge a reader towards an opinion.

* * *
First, I'm going to link two mainstream articles of different events. Feel free to read them, but hear me out before you do—pay attention to the titles.

Trump supporter charged after sucker-punching protester at North Carolina rally

Now this is journalism! Clear as day and unambiguous; the Trump supporter: front and center, the topic, the actor—the protester, the victim. There's no question here, no doubt. This story's more vivid than last night's dream I had of Charlotte Wess—

Look, this is to the point. You learn 95% of the story from the title alone. Let's see another:

Donald Trump Chicago rally called off amid protests and violence

Notice the passivity? There's this lack of blame . . . the protests and violence, sort of just "happened." We know nobody involved. Are the protesters Falun Gong practitioners and its the PRC Ministry of Civil Affairs hunting them down? We don't know without reading the article. All we see is "Donald Trump," "protests," and "violence."

This is click-bait, empty. Biased. Here's the page's only mention of violence at the event:

Nerijus Meskauskus, a Trump supporter from Oak Lawn, Illinois described being assaulted by protesters . . . as Meskauskus described it, he was surrounded by protesters and punched “six or seven times” before “cops grabbed me and pulled me over the barricade”. He said protesters were “trying to jump the barricade to attack me”.

If you think about this, admittedly specific example, the mainstream media switches to a more passive stance when their only evidence points towards a protester as the instigator. This is how active voice is used when reporting on the same event:

Donald Trump abandons Chicago rally after violent clashes erupt
How Bernie Sanders Supporters Shut Down Donald Trump's Rally in Chicago

* * *
Eyewitness testimonies are never the end-all-be-all accurate description of events, but they're another viewpoint we should see before we start closing our minds. Google: Trump Arizona rally violence. If you notice the articles, the narrative is that trump encourages violence and blames it on protesters.

Here's a video of Brandon Tatum's experience attending the Trump rally in Arizona:

"Went in there . . . very, very shocking. I wasn't expecting what I saw. I had no idea that I was going to leave that event with the thought process and experience that I obtained. I just had no idea."

The articles never mention Trump's disclaimers, or the fact Trump privately rented the building. They never mention the provocation, the screaming, and spitting protesters.

* * *

America hates trump and trusts the mainstream media that we're willing to see the negative and ignore the rest. We'll discredit his policies by slandering his character—when he does that on his own! I'm not asking you to change your opinions on Trump, he's only an example. But remember him, next controversial character to hit the world stage.

The media has a profound effect on our frames of mind.

Trump is a polarizing figure, but he's a human too. He has the right to spew his stupidity as much as any of us . . . but then again, what do I know? I'm a not-so-politically-savvy man.

Good night.

How important is freedom?

There are many different forms of governments out there: dictatorships, monarchies, democratic republics, aristocracies, etc. The United States of America, for example, is described by the Central Intelligence Agency’s website as a “constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition.”

So what makes one system of government better than the next? Is it how well the various ethnic groups or religions are represented in the governing body? Or perhaps, it is how much personal freedom each individual has that determines which government is better. Many of us may say it depends on the average income of the citizens.

The “World Happiness Report” (which can be found here) lists Denmark as the 2016 world’s happiest country. Index Mundi, which lists statistics on many different counties, however, lists Denmark at as having the 32^nd highest GDP in the world. Qatar, by the same reports, is listed at number 1 in regards to GDP, and number 36 in happiness. Clearly, money doesn’t buy happiness, but it does help.

I say it the one true way to judge a government is by the types of lives its people live. Truly, if the citizens of a nation are truly happy, what else matters?

via GIPHY

Take a citizen living in a dictatorship in the New Floridian Order. She is told to wear certain clothes, work a certain job, and live in a certain place. She also doesn’t earn any money. How could she possibly be happy? Surely, the Northern Virginia Democracy should step in, remove the dictator, and free this citizen and all her peers from oppression.

But what if she’s truly happy? The government told her to wear comfortable yoga pants and a variety of colorful tee-shirts. She works a job that’s mentally exhausting, but she has short hours and plenty of time to spend doing her hobbies. She lives in a government-owned 3500 square foot home, where she goes to a local government cafeteria and enjoys a choice of many delicious foods for every meal. Her government also has eliminated currency, and provides the citizens with everything they need.

Now, that doesn’t sound too bad does it?! For having been told our entire lives how terrible a dictatorship is, that almost seems like a dream come true. While I grant you, it is indeed a fabrication, the point is: a government is not benevolent or malevolent based on the system it uses. It is the people that corrupt it.

Let’s look inward at the United States. Some Americans believe the US is the pinnacle of freedom. To quote the great Miley Cyrus, “It's our party we can do what we want. It's our party we can say what we want. It's our party we can love who we want. We can kiss who we want. We can sing what we want.”

via GIPHY

If we have so much freedom, how are we not the happiest nation on Earth? We are 13th on the list. Not bad, granted, and yet Israel, a nation constantly at war and in danger of being wiped off the face of the map, is number 11.

A dictatorship in the wrong hands usually ends up going awry. Look at North Korea for example. Yet, with the right person in charge, it doesn't have to be that way!

The point is, look beyond a system of government to what that government actually does to its people. The right people in the right positions can make all the difference in the world. People should be happy, not just “free.”

via GIPHY

Exercising your rights

To contrary belief there are some bigger issues in this country than building a wall and one of those issues is voter turnout. One of the most important rights that every U.S. citizen has is the right to vote. This right that many of the people that came before us fought to obtain is being taken for granted. Even though some people believe that voting in the primaries isn't as important as the election in November, every vote counts to have your voice heard.


The chart above according to PewResearch are the voter turnout statistics so far in the primaries. From this chart it is easy to tell that only a small amount (29%) of registered voters have come out to the polls. On the bright side there has been an increase in the Republican voter turnout as well as on the Democratic side since the 2012 elections. Whether you believe in building that wall or if you believe in free tuition for college make sure to get out and vote. Just as in our class discussion where we talked about how the general public don't have an audience of thousands or millions of people to voice our opinions to, voting is the best way to voice your beliefs and opinions. Voting in the elections is essential to the future of the United States so encourage everybody you know to exercise their rights and vote.