Welcome back blog readers,
Over the last few days, I’ve been seeing/reading the thoughts/opinions of my friends/family on social media regarding Trump, his views, what he would like to put into action as well as the treatment/rights of veterans compared to the treatment/rights of immigrants.
What occurs to me is that much of the anger/frustration that is being displayed from us (the general public) is misdirected and we are comparing two things that aren’t related, in the sense that one has nothing to do with the other. Yet so many of us keep jumping on that bandwagon because we’re mad about one issue and taking that anger out on something not related.
Allow me to clarify…
First, let’s get the topic of Trump off of the table. It should not come as a surprise that I do not support Trump, I didn’t vote for Trump and frankly, I’m shocked he’s still in power. I know there are the loyal Trump supporters that will always stay loyal, and that’s fine. There are Trump supporters that voted for him and are trying to turn a negative into a positive by reminding us all that Trump WILL make America great again because they are in denial about Trump’s real agenda and they can’t swallow their pride to say, I was wrong to vote for him. Then you have antiTrump supporters who see that he’s trying to take away human rights along with many other despicable things.
Here’s the real issue… You have a man that has had 20+ women accuse him of sexual misconduct, this same man is conspiring with Russia/Russian mob for over 30 years, this same man that has been married three times to three IMMIGRANT women and he has a huge hatred for immigrants (even though his grandparents were immigrants). This same man that intentionally tore hundreds of families apart to deport illegal immigrants (parents) and threw their kids (US Citizens) in holding facility then made toddlers who can’t speak English defend themselves in court. Trump is hoping to open many wildlife reservations, risk the extinction of many species (which up until this point were protected) just so he can drill, cut down trees and destroy the planet. The same Donald Trump has been threatening to take away a woman’s right to choose (because he doesn’t agree as if to suggest that he’ll have to worry about an unwanted pregnancy). Just this week this same man is pushing really hard to take away the human rights of the transgender community (again because he doesn’t believe people can be transgender).
With all of that said, please remind me of how Trump is making America great again. Why are so many supporters unwilling to see that Trump is not a modern-day hero, he is not looking out for the people, he is looking out for his businesses, his assets, his family, and his business partners. Trump supporters can keep on supporting a monster, it is your right to do so. Although your choice makes me concerned about where you stand on my rights as a woman. As one of my high school teacher’s used to say, “You can polish a turd, but it’s still a turd, now it’s just a shiny turd”. That is how I see Trump, a shiny turd.
Politics and religion need to be separate, just as public school and religion need to be separate. We need to stop cramming our personal believes down each other’s throats and stop judging people because their beliefs are different than our own. What we believe is a private matter, but it doesn’t mean that you’re right and everyone else is wrong.
It’s one thing to be patriotic, to have pride in your country and be firm about what you believe. It’s another thing to force all students to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, because they may not pray to God. Just as you can’t expect all athletes to stand for the National Anthem because, in case you haven’t noticed many athletes are not AMERICAN (take NHL Hockey for an example). Don’t get your panties all in a bunch because some players take a knee, that is their right it’s not like they are burning the flag.
Perhaps we should consider the fact that all country national anthems should be played/sang to honor all of the players and their respective home countries, but that would be time-consuming and Americans are impatient and just want to watch the game, right. Chances are that if the national anthem for Sweden, Norway, Canada, Russia, Czech Republic all had to be played to honor the hockey players, what are the chances that Americans would stay standing for all of them? I think that falls under “practice what you preach” and if you can’t then shut the hell up.
As for the comparison of veterans to (illegal) immigrants, here are my thoughts on this matter. Veterans and Immigrants are two separate issues and the slogan of “Veterans before Immigrants” would make more sense if the slogan read “Veterans before Members of Congress”. I’m all for veterans, my grandfather went to Korea, my father went to Vietnam and my brother was in the Coast Guard in Alaska and my sister volunteers at a VFW in California. Veterans serve their country, they put their life on the line and sacrifice so much to do what they do. They deserve to be taken care of while they are serving and after they get home.
Immigrants, on the other hand, you can’t compare them to veterans. Immigrants may not have fought for the USA (or wherever they immigrated to) but they might have served in their country. It’s possible, we just never ask them do we? We’ve been brainwashed to think immigrants are job stealing, disease-carrying parasites from a foreign land. In reality, most immigrants leave their country because there is a war taking place in their backyard (good chance that our beloved veterans are over there fighting on their home turf).
Again we don’t consider that as being a possibility. Immigrants flee across the ocean or across the border for a better life. They come over with not much more than the clothes on their backs. Most people don’t realize just how long the legal immigration process takes (again, because we don’t ask). The legal process takes a minimum of 3 months once the paperwork arrives at the processing center, nevermind the time it takes for FBI clearance, the medical exams for each person in the family and the time to fill out the multi-page application and gather all of the documents/proof that is required and the fee varies from $500-$1200 per person.
So think about that for a moment… You have a war taking place in your hometown, you can’t work, your house is gone and the only thing running through your mind is that you need to get yourself and your family to safety. You don’t have time to wait 3-9 months to go through the proper channels. Any important documents/proof may have already been destroyed. What are your options? Where do you go?
You do your best to start over in a country that boasts about being the best, the richest, a place where dreams come true. The only things veterans and immigrants have in common is war. One group is sent to maintain order while the other group flees for their safety. To suggest that illegal immigrants have more advantages, or are better cared for than veterans is absurd!
Members of Congress on the other hand…. If anyone deserves a cushy pension after their years of service, it’s veterans, not the members of Congress that have never served a single day in their life. From what I’ve noticed most members of Congress (including the POTUS himself) have successfully dodged/avoided that particular civic duty and encourage their kids to do the same. That’s not very patriotic at all now, is it?
I suspect that I’ve rambled on long enough. Folks we are on the same team no matter where we live, where we call home or who our parents are. Yes, there will always be a bad group, an extreme group, but you have the choice to be better than that.
Choose to be part of the solution, instead of continuing to be part of the problem.
Reinbeck Studio, Creative Space 