Reasonable Rational Rant

I stand here on the eve of yet another Thanksgiving day to give you what I call a Reasonable Rational Rant. My own brief summary of the state of the union in which we live in. It's a country called the United States of America, where we have such  diverse opinions that sometimes it seems we live in 50 different nations. Well, we kind of do. But this is what makes us stronger than anyone else. This is what defies us as one of the best.

As we look over into the middle east we see a conflict that has been going on for many years. It is one that has caused so many deaths and casualties that we can't hardly look away. Now look at us. We seem divided as well. Luckily, we have the rationale to speak with each other, even though we may never agree. The pundits may make us to seem like complete opposites but we know that we are all still friends.

I have opinions that you may dislike. These are merely opinions that I am allowed to voice because the great country I live in allows me to. Some will agree with my statements and others will shun me. Let me just move forward and say what i need to say.

For instance, I am pro-choice. I believe that we aren't playing God just because we choose to end a pregnancy. Does that mean we were playing God when we invented the wheel? Should we still be walking everywhere? Should we even be on this computer? Or were we meant to just be nomads and speak with many different languages. Science was my made by men and some people live a lot longer because of it. Next time you are against science, think about your grandfather who was saved by an open-heart surgery. Think about the stem-cells that will eventually save peoples lives'.

I have no problem with gay marriage. The people of the Westboro Baptist Church may disagree. They also think that this will somehow lead to a 100% gay world. They believe we will not procreate in this type of society. I have news for them. Just because there are gay people doesn't mean the whole world will be homosexuals. This also means, that just because you are heterosexual, that you may be able to have babies as well. Many families find themselves in situations where they may never have kids due to to some pre-ordained lack of ability. Those families adopt. Sexual partners sometimes have the opposite problem, become pregnant,  and choose to give their kids away, despite this gift. Luckily, there are many partners ( gay and straight) willing to give this child a good life.

God. I believe in God. I am not a Christian, a Jew, a muslim or affiliated with any other major religion. I just believe in God. We are humans and god is the universe. I think the Bible and the Torah and the Koran have many great philosophies. We should be good. We should not hurt people. We should not steal, or cheat, or lie. My philosophy is that we also shouldn't try to convey something that we just don't know. God, in my opinion, is something too big to understand. Have you ever died before? Do you actually know how big this world is? Probably not. I respect your beliefs, so please respect mine.

And then there's money. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. Ever heard that one before? I'm okay with capitalism as long as it doesn't justify manipulating over 95% of the nation (or other nations). We have claims that Obamacare ( actually called the Affordable Healthcare Act) and the government is trying to take us over in some weird socialistic way. I have a surprise for you. I'm pro-small government too. So to all those American-based private companies that screwed over the country in which they built their business in; this is your lesson. You want less government? Less taxes? Then do what you were supposed to do. Create jobs. Until that point, your whining is undeserved.

It wouldn't be up to the government to stimulate the economy if you had done what you told us you were going to do. We gave you tax breaks as a bonus for raising wages and giving health insurance to your employees. Instead, you put that profit back into your own stocks, in off-shore banks, and let the economy fall into a shit-hole. Basically (cover your ears) YOU FUCKED US OVER!

Do you think people really want to sit around and do nothing? Sure, there are folks who will abuse the welfare system just like people abuse all the tax loopholes. But, in general, our society really wants to provide for their families. They want to come out  knowing they have done a hard-days work.  This is human nature. You came blame it on the rich or poor, but the middle class is the patsy.

There are so many other issues that we are trying to figure out. These shouldn't divide us; they should call for a reasonable debate. We never want to end up in another civil war over things that are so subversive that we can't actually figure out a solution to all the problems we all face. When I talk to my friends who would not agree with me on any of these issues I find that we always find a middle ground.

Now that you know my opinion, tell me yours.

After all, we all have a reasonable rational rant in all of us. It's just always best to think before you speak.

WE... (are the United States of America)

 
So, finally the POTUS (also known as the President of the United States), gave his third State of the Union Address. In an unexpected move, he gave prominence to the populous movement that surrounds him. He covered all the topics on the line: health care, job creation, and anything else far and in between. I personally think he gave a great speech. I also think Mr. Barack Obama is one of the best speakers we have ever witnessed; this is what got him elected in the first place.

Some of us who follow politics predicted this type of conversation with the American people. WE knew that the over whelming number of petitions signed in the last several months could change the thought of our elected officials (and the ones trying to campaign for our vote.) The truth is that WE made the President say what he said tonight. With every signature we sign to say that we demand change, WE send a message to Washington.

WE didn't want a dirty pipeline running through over 1000 rivers that we use as drinking water. WE didn't want our government to have control of the content that we control on the internet. WE do not want huge corporations to have influence over our elected officials and WE don't want our government to be run by lobbyists.  WE would like to have a say in the entire process. This is why WE don't wait around to vote every other year (or the four years it takes to elect a President.)

WE have shown this country that WE have a voice. WE know there is a risk with every roll of the dice but WE understand the chances we have in this game. This is why WE are stronger than all the media, the Democrats and he Republicans, and all the corporations that WE deem unfit to control our lives.

WE are the United States of America so let’s make it happen.

TEASER ALERT: The first chapter of my novel

Chapter One

                   

          A horrible nightmare awakes me; the one where you arise falling to your untimely death, right before you take one last gasp of stale air. My mouth is  dry; yearning for one drop of saliva, like a drifter in a desert; searching for an oasis. There is not an ounce of life left in my throat; my head throbs; I  feel it get heavier and heavier with every heart beat. Shivering like I used to as a kid when  terrible migraine headaches would punish me. I would get fevers,  and  sweat profusely even though my body was cold and shaky from the chills. I would sit in my dark, quiet, room for hours waiting for it to all go away.

          This room is bright and loud however. My eyes won’t open yet but the sun was trying to ease its way through; the cars honk outside and Puerto Rican music plays; the sheets are made of some strange fabric-I can’t tell- but I know this is not my bed. I attempt to open my eyes again, but the light is too intense. I feel around, but realize my right arm is numb from own my weight on it for hours. My left hand is clenched on  my sweaty stomach. I can tell that the sheets are silk now, but feel like deep satin, because of the dampness that they’ve accumulated. I inch my hand slowly in front of me and come across a body with soft and dry skin. It’s a woman; I know because  of her  curvy hips, but nothing is clear to me.

          I can’t remember anything, and I don’t know where the hell I am. The one, two, three thumps of the drums  grow louder; small children laugh and talk in a mixture of Spanish and English on the vibrant streets surrounding us. Using my left arm as a visor I try to force myself to see. Through the burning pain I  notice a large aluminum window in front of me; slightly ajar with the Venetian-blinds half way down.  The way the light is shining I can tell it must be around noon; the sun rested at its highest point, but that means  absolutely nothing to me now. I can see the woman, as she lays with her back towards me. She has long, dark, curly hair and a tattoo of a black widow on her boney left shoulder; a crimson tear replaces the spider‘s usual body mark. Her skin is dark like caramel candy and I can smell her fruity perfume . She is naked and so am I.

          Suddenly, I feel the bed shake from behind me and hope that my mysterious new friend has a pet; maybe a cat  begging for its breakfast . There is definitely something lying on the other side with us. My nerves are functioning better, and I make a move to slowly turn around, only to notice someone else’s delicate hand rested upon my bloodless frame. She has bright, red nail polish and several gothic- style rings on her slightly chubby fingers; her body is heavier-set; she also has the same black widow sketched into her wrist. 

          I try to find clues in this anonymous jungle of a bedroom . The walls are painted pale-yellow and a framed picture of the Virgin Mary stares at me from the center of the room; her holy pupils interrogate me like my mother‘s used to when she knew I was up to no good. Rosary beads hang from the door knob that look as if it leads to a bathroom. I am reminded of my thirst, and ache for the water I imagine running from a gleaming faucet.  The two stale bodies don’t budge at all even as I try to find my way out of here. I lack any sort of energy, but  need to get out of this black hole of a living space. . 

          Finally, as if pulled by a spirit, I jump onto my bare feet. However, way too much movement has betaken me and I feel dizzy.  As  my head spins , a full collage of the room emerges: cheap Catholic relics, several liquor bottles, an array of panties, a plethora of drugs,  crucifixes and crosses, used sex toys, dirty clothes, push up bras, KY Jelly, and assorted school books. Who are these filthy girls that I share this morning with? I look back at them; almost identical with their light-brown, gorgeous, naked bodies; both barely breathing, but alive .  There’s a used  condom next to them; at least I know was safe in my unconscious state. Wasn’t I?  The thought makes me sick.

          Rushing towards the toilet, trying to hold it in, the taste rushes to my tongue, and as I fall to my knees, a little part of last night splashes into the water: tequila, beer, and  maybe something else. I puke again and taste the Novocain- like flavor of the infamous  flour; definitely cocaine. The on-slaught feels like it will never end, and I look up to see the twinkling of stars that blister in the air, as the dust gleams within the glare. The bathroom is just as bad, if not worse, than the bedroom. It smells like a port-a-potty and looks as if it hasn’t been cleaned in 6 months or maybe longer. I need to get out of here before the girls get up but I don’t know where anything is; my clothes, my phone, my wallet are all missing.

          I poke my head out the glass paneled door- painted over with a tacky orange acrylic- to see if anything is discernible. My plaid boxers are on the antique dresser next to an Arabic, huca-bong and my straight-legged khaki pants are at the end of the bed. My white Hanes undershirt is on the window sill and my button up Calvin Klein pastel dress- shirt is on the old wooden floor next to my shiny tan shoes and a small, pink, vibrator. The slimmer woman starts to become restless so I hide my head back inside; peeking back in, it appears that she has only made an adjustment. Her  small perky breasts show themselves to me; there is blood stain on her six-pack stomach; her face hidden by the thick pillow. Rearing my body back into the bathroom, I catch a glance of my self in the mirror. My lip is busted,  and my right eye bruised; my short black hair is scantly; my tone physique is battered . Now that its evident that I’m injured, my mouth stings like alcohol on a gun shot wound. 

          Taking a deep breath, and making a quiet attempt to grab all my clothes; trying to take the route of what goes on first: underwear, pants, undershirt, shirt, and…?  Socks! I can’t find mine so I grab a pair of purple, cotton, ankle socks with fluffy balls on them . One of the girls begins to wake up  as I’m putting on my shoe, one foot up, hopping with the other out the bedroom door. She sees me as I run into the hall way , right through their messy apartment, into an unfamiliar building, through the front door,  down two flights of stairs, past the faces of Latin tenants who look at me as if they’ve never seen a white boy in their corridors  before.  As I slam through the EXIT door, my ankle gets stuck on a loose nail and the back of ankle begins to bleed. 

          Outside, the sun is ten times worse.  It’s close to autumn but it must be the hottest day of the year so far. It’s Saturday-I think-but the unfamiliar streets are strangely empty. I’ve never been in this  colorful of a neighborhood, but it’s not where a well-suited guy like me would normally hang . The bodega I pass sells rice, beans, and plantains; a banner for a reggae-ton concert wreaks with tackiness; the clerk gives me a dirty look. At the corner, the street signs say 109^th Street and Third Avenue. That’s Spanish Harlem from what I can remember. The passer-bys stare at me and then I realize that my shoe is still in my hand; my feminine socks for all to see. What time is it? I reach into my pockets only to find a small switch blade and a dollar-fifty; my Gucci wallet and Blackberry phone are both gone; a fear rages inside me.

          The questions continue to tackle my wounded brain; Were these whores?? What did the black widows stand for? Prostitutes sometimes have similar tattoos to show who their pimp is; sometimes gangs have a sign that everyone must have; either way is trouble. I’ve never walked around  with any sort of weapon and now I own a pocket-knife with the initials T.J.S. in red  ink drawn on the side. I check to see if it works, the blade flies out just as a little boy passes me on the sidewalk. He sees it and immediately runs and screams to his friend; all I can see is his backwards Yankees hat slowly disappear. Its time to get out of this neighborhood.

          My body continues to feel nauseous as I search for the nearest subway. Lexington avenue must be around here so I can catch a Six train downtown, and a bus back home. There’s a newsstand up ahead so I try to figure out what time it is. The New York Post headline reads: STOCK MARKETS CRASH. After further glance, the date catches my eye. Its Wednesday, September 14^th,,2008, and I’m supposed to be at work giving my biggest presentation ever, and  it is now that I realize that I am fucked! Suddenly I hear a voice scream my name, “Sammy!” It’s the bigger girl  from the apartment wearing nothing but a towel and flip flops. She’s found me and there’s no where to hide; I make my way west, and she decides not to make an effort She screams my name again, and I now remember how this all started; how I met God and the Devil in the violent night; and how I decided to change the rest of my life in one single evening. New York City will never seem the same to me.

Apathy: The Bad Habit to Quit in the New Year

The year 2011 came and went, with many absurdities, and gave birth to 2012. Faced with a presidential election, the end of the world, and on-going debt crisis, we struggle to believe that the next 365 days will get any less crazy. We can only hope and pray that this year will bring us to some sort of resolution. But like many of the goals we make in January, we soon realize that they are easier to break than hold true to.

In the first six days of 2012 we have not seen much change in the "psycho" factor that we have grown accustomed to. Politicians are still playing politics, and the apathetic are still being apathetic; not considering the fact that their voices could actually make the difference. We still hold the Kardashians on a higher level than we hold ourselves, and until that changes, we can know certainly that we will still have our Thanksgiving dinner at the kids table. The grown-ups on the other side of the room are deciding for you where their going to spend your money, and just so you know, its not where you would fork-over your allowance.

We all sit here on our sides and judge what our leaders are doing. We say, "Barack Obama is killing this country" or "The Republicans are a bunch of phoneys", when we should be telling ourselves, " I have the power to make something happen in the United States." You should never let anyone tell you that your opinions are irrelevant. There is, in fact, a legitimate reason for government. It is for the people to decide when businesses or organizations are screwing over the nation. That's when our elected leaders are supposed to come in and take some sort of action. The sad part about today's officials, is that they work on the same side as the one's we are trying to protect ourselves from.

I honestly can not tell you what my goals  for this upcoming twelve months. Just the thought of it is a little bit overwhelming. Personally, I can say that I have an amazing woman who I am going to marry in June, and an album that I will be working on until then. However, I'm not worried about me. I'm trying to look out for you. We need to take care of ourselves but we also need to be concerned with everyone who surrounds us. You never bite the hand that feeds you and I'm hoping you wouldn't serve the one's you feed with poison.

Some say that 2012 will mark the end of the world based on a Mayan calendar that was created millenniums ago. I'd like to think that this is a start of something new. We are finally starting to open our eyes, and we do understand that we are the greatest threat to this Earth.  And, just like our family, whom you can love or hate, we still need to look out for each other.

"GET A JOB....LOSER!"

At the end of 2011, the unemployment rate has dropped 1% and it seems as though our economy is trying to make an incline towards recovery, but we are still knee deep in a recession. The Republican debates have taught us a lot about about the people that are trying to become our president, and most of them feel that we are simply not trying hard enough to get jobs. In the field of candidates are politicians coming up with a tax plan that would kill the middle class, governors who are already multimillionaires, and Ayn Rand fans who believe we should fend for ourselves. But has any one of these great solicitors actually came down to the ground that us average folk live on and taken a look at the legitimate problems we face? Probably not.

The Republicans are not solely to blame as their are many Democrats in Congress who are still making tons of money off lobbyist who fight for corporations. The solution, as they see it, would be to end the minimum wage. Why are we paying that whopping $7.15 an hour when, as they say, we could create millions of jobs by eliminating it. Just think, if we took away that regulation, we could have millions of people with jobs working for Wal-Mart's sweat shops for $4 an hour, and then our economy would be out of the hole and the unemployment rate would drop immensely.

I, for one, continue to think that this is complete bull shit. Has anyone every tried to live on minimum wage? Well, if you have, then you are probably still living in your parent's basement. The truth is that the minimum wage should be increased, by a lot, and if these companies can't afford that then should probably think about decreasing their 25 million dollar bonus at the end of the year.

We are the consumers. We buy, buy, buy, even though we can't afford it. Why? Because these companies sell, sell, sell their products through mass marketing and advertising. We are the people who make the capitalst regime survive. Why? Because we buy products we don't need. Only problem is that we must assimilate to our society even to keep up with our nation and our job market.

There is a reason, however, on why we do this. Let's just think that you don't have a cell phone or computer and you need to find a job. The odds are that it's going to be pretty hard to keep your occupational search alive. We are nation driven by anomie. This is a condition in which when technology moves so fast, that we in turn fall behind due to the fact that we can't afford the product that is owned by our job competitors. This lack of device makes us weak to the employers trying to hire us.

In 2011, during the Occupy Wall Street's first month of movements, many haters knocked the protesters for actually using technology to push their message while other knocked them for being too subservient to grassroots methods such as word of mouth and passing out fliers.  The hypocrisy was easy to establish as holds true in the job market as well.

When people we're saying, "get a job, hippy", many of these "hippies" were saying, "That's exactly what we are trying to do." They were told to go to college and get degrees so they could better jobs in their future. Many of them were left disappointed by abysmal employment oppurtunities and huge student loans. Many had the idea that the better university you attended (and more expensive) that your chances would increase. They thought that their liberal arts and social worker degrees would land them in the job that they intended (while not making them grand money) and later discovered that most of these opportunites had been cut due to lack of funding. It seems as though the only degree you can get in these days in order to have any sort of chance is a business degree.

Why?

How many people do we actually need to be equipped with financial knowledge? What about teachers who educate our children? Funds cut. Jobs eliminated. What about social workers who deal with our elderly, homeless, disabled, and our foster children? Funds cut. Jobs eliminated. It seems as though they are only trying to create two types of jobs in this country. One for the well off banker and the second for the slave worker. That is a sad but true observation for the future of this country.

They can blame it on the unions who continuously try to fight for the worker. They are driving up the price and now the companies NEED to ship their jobs to other countries who don't practice labor laws. Yes, this is their answer to their problem: "Sorry, we can't continue to hire people in the United States if you; A. Want to get compensated for your hours. B. Don't want to die or be injured while working. C. Want to work for average rate that is below the poverty level for our country D. Doesn't allow sick days, vacation, time off, or anything else that would prohibit you from working at our standard 6 days a week, 12 hours a day for $4 dollars an hour." And most importantly, " If we can not sustain our ridicusiosly rich level of living; our 4 houses, our 3 yachts, and our billions of dollars in savings, then we can't afford to do this, and we will have to sell the company, and take our more-than-worth it compensation else where."

Yes, that is why we don't have jobs in our country. Americans who made more than you could ever imagine can't afford to dwindle their money down to create fair and reasonable jobs for the people who used to be their neighbors. China is winning and our companies are getting rich because of them. Karl Marx who was the original Communist, said that capitalism would lead to greed and depression. So i guess, China isn't really a communist country, they just have figured how to use their population. The corporate United States is actually trying to mirror those same philosphies.

And here you thought you lived in Democracy and I was some sort of Socialist Communist. Most of us want a real form of Democracy in this country but we are being drafted into the Army of Pawns. We are just as bad as they are and it isn't because of the liberals or Obama. He just plays the game with all the other politicians avoiding the "Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200. Go Directly to jail" sign that we hold up everyday.

All I can say to them is: "Get a job, loser."

Homophobia in 2011? Really?

Today, on National AIDS Awareness Day, I'd like to put out a little public service address that probably won't ever reiterate down  to the people that really need to hear it. We as a nation have seen the scars of the civil rights movement that took too long to happen, and women's sovereignty, which took until the 1920's for voting privileges for females  to take place. Now in they year 2011, we still face many great problems in defending our people's individual rights.

Here, in New York City, it isn't fully accepted but more people are pretty much okay with the idea. In some parts of the country, they still haven't figured it out. Guess what? Some human being are born left handed and some are born with an genetic gene for baldness, and some are BORN GAY. Yep, they didn't just decide one day to be a homosexual. Did they get to choose to go through life with peers who thought they were weird and bullies who beat the shit out of them? No, if we had that option we'd all choose to rich, white, straight men to avoid all the ridicule.

I'm not really sure whats going down in the Bible Belt or the areas of this country where the Tea Party is taking over, but it seems as though there are a lot of Americans who still hold a ton of hatred in their blood. Call me a liberal, but isn't now the time to move forward. It's makes me sad to think that more than 50% of our nations citizens still believes in these ideologies that we call Christian or religious. This is one more reason why we are falling to the back of the pack. Instead of worrying about real actual problems we are focused on minuscule subjects such as these matters. It's almost as though we don't want to move along.

In the past couple of years I have read articles where scientists believe it is genetics that cause are sexuality. I have heard testimonials of children who were raised by gay parents and turned our better than most other kids. We have seen gays and lesbians become our elected officials and role models. We have seen our people in more liberal areas accept teenagers admitting that they are attracted to the same sex, and seen parents accept them for who they are.

Many great success stories have been made, but we still have these acts of predjudice happening every day. Where parents teach their children that homosexuality is a sin and these students go on the beat up their classmates, or worse, cause them to take their own life. We have preachers and politicians who further spread this hate, and act upon it in legislation. How do you expect our younger generation to act when their leaders are teaching them these so-called facts?

While it is easier for someone to come out of the closet in today's age, their are still many scared individuals who keep their secret hidden. Our soldiers who fight for our country, our teachers who educate our children, and all the others who are afraid to lose the careers they love, because of who they love.

We are a country who has been taught to live in fear. It looms over our head every single day. While our leaders don't seem to afraid of a great economic black hole they continue the spread the message that homosexuality will some how spread like a disease. I'd like to tell them that it doesn't work that way. Go read a Goddamn book, and stop picking out lines that work for your cause. If we wanted to we could pick out some passages where God taught us to love all men, no matter who they are born as.

No one gets to choose who they are and no one deserves the right to humiliate someone for being themselves.

You hear about it every day. In high school around the country, instances of bullying. Now, I graduated some time ago, but last night, I felt like I was walking through the halls again. After a long night out and a long ride home, I finally arrived to Queens-borough Plaza to catch my last train home. When I stepped on the platform I noticed that the 7-train was halted. This is across from the N-train that I had to wait for. There was a commotion going on with some teenagers and a conductor had to stop the entire train.

I noticed some kids were laughing as another young man exiting the subway car and proceeded down to the end of the platform. There was no reason for him to go this way so I knew something was wrong. At first i thought he was just trying to get on another car. He continued past that point. I followed him to see everything was okay. After living in New York City for almost ten years you learn to ignore many situations. This was an instance where I knew it needed a little attention.

The young man, probably in his early twenties was crying as he stood on the edge of the platform. I approached him knowing that he needed some help. He was hysterical as i tried to calm him down. This is when I figured out why the 7-train was temporarily shut down. He was a small asian kid with glasses and a soft voice. Apparently, while quietly trying to get home, some kids had noticed that he was gay. They began to taunt him, tease him, and one teenager even spit on him. He was so frightened as the on-lookers ignored the whole situation that he pulled the emergency cord that is located on every car on every subway train. This is when they got to Queens-borough Plaza.

He only had two stops to go until he could get off and walk towards his home. Terrified that no one was coming to his aid and frightened that these kids would follow him to his destination, he found himself with no other options. As I stood there with my arm around his shoulder, trying to comfort this poor young man, I knew that it wasn't going to make his journey home any easier. I imagined how he had to deal with this every day.

I'm still not sure why he walked to the edge of the platform, but a part of me knows what he was thinking about doing. We talked for a few and finally I convinced him to get back on that train and not let these kids prohibit him from getting home. We walked back on to the last train in the car and we told conductor that he was the man who had pulled the emergency cord. I looked around at the crowded train and knew he was still scared.

As the police arrived to hopefully give those nasty teenagers what they deserved, the train was about to start moving again. On the other side, my N-train was pulling into the station as well. In a heated moment, as I knew I had to leave this man on his way, I spoke to all the people on that train who  looked frustrated because their ride had been slowed down.

"The reason why this train has been stopped is because some assholes, four cars up, decided it would be funny to humilate this man here. They spit on him, and teased and no one did anything." My new friend looked up, still with tears in his eyes. "Please make sure you don't do the same thing and make sure he gets home okay."

The whole situation sounds crazy and it happened so fast that it felt like it was a surreal dream. But when I finally caught the train, and was heading back to my apartment, I realized how real it actually was. How real it feels to be bullied so bad that you fear for your life, or worse, want to take your own because of it. It may not happen to you on a daily basis, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't continue. And next time you see it going on, don't look the other way. No one gets to choose who they are and no one deserves the right to humiliate someone for being themselves.