Compilation of past Facebook posts. Unedited.
Not updated.
I BELIEVE the First Amendment was drafted and then evolved into a significant Constitutional Right as a way for diverse people to dialogue, negotiate and compromise toward a common good. So the citizenry could get to work and build a strong community and nation. Hence in these times of blahblah brilliance and yaddayadda yarns delivered one click, the one who speaks the essence of true freedom of speech is the one who says "Done!" Meaning, what we say or write before and after are just stuff. Noise. Okay, let's go plan dinner now!
DO you notice that the words "diversity" or "hate" etcetera have evolved into partisan/political mantra? "Unity in diversity" only happens when this side of the polar extreme says so. How did "diversity" come to exclude other immigrant ethnicities from the political priority and protest platform? Or where do we place Church-going Christian Conservatives in this sweet and enlightened diversity drum circle? "Hate"? Don't this side of the spectrum HATE as well the opposing side that they accusing of Hatred? Diverse my way, diverse your way. Where is the highway? If you don't agree with either side, you get ran over by a Walmart delivery truck or an Amazon drone falls on your noggin'!
IS IT REALLY THAT BAD? I always read posts that whine about the hardship/s of living in America. Any country is better they say. Maybe. But not really. It is not because they could be. It's because it all depends on how we're conditioned to live a certain lifestyle and/or navigate truths that we've known etcetera that matter when we live in another country. They could have better health care, crime rate is lower, biodiversity is awesome, beer is a $1 with rebates, sun shines just like a Hallmark movie, what not. But life is LIFE, you know what I mean?
For example, many say they'd move to Canada once Trump sits in office as though Vancouver is Key West or Long Beach, right? Well, if you're Bruce Springsteen maybe you can. You got the moolah and VIP vibe. The US. dollar is currently equal to $1.34 Canadian dollars. Not much. Average rent for a one-bedroom in Toronto is $1,255, which is roughly comparable to cities like Dallas or yes Asheville downtown these days. In Quebec it's slightly cheaper but an average one-bedroom in Montreal will cost you back $1,043. Finding a job there is another issue of course. Remember you are a foreigner. No job. Not a citizen. No benefits. Like universal health care. Of course. Same in Taiwan, the only country, besides Canada, with single-payer insurance joy. They got good stuff there.
But again you gotta get a job to get the good stuff. But getting hired isn't so easy. Usual employment case in Europe. Say, Netherlands. If a Dutch employer wants to hire someone from outside the European Union, they have to prove a Dutch citizen or someone from another EU country can’t fill the position, which is rarely the case. Meantime, the Netherlands compares favorably to the UK and the US when it comes to crime statistics. Expats will likely feel secure. Good. Less angry people there. But the problem is if you're the one who gets pissed all the time. Especially with regards cyclists. The Dutch bike more than any other people/s in the world, you know. But most safety issues in the Netherlands seem to come from bicycles. Cyclists often weave in and out of traffic without safety helmets, and it’s worth bearing in mind that in a collision between a car and a bicycle, the car driver will be held responsible.
What about Costa Rica? They got awesome biodiversity out there. Good, if you're just visiting, just like in other smaller nations, but staying for good? Think about it. Want to work for $2 an hour and spend ten of it on a bag of quinoa? You like that kind of rice, right? Want to work online when all of the electrical lines break? Local buses are limited, running infrequently and rarely on time, but they’re a good option for going further distances. But since you're used to driving a mile away for a cooking oil or condom, forget it. Stay in. Besides, the $2+ worth of gasoline in America is one of the less expensive in the world. I mean, gasoline in the Philippines is around $3+/gallon. Marijuana, you say? I don't even wanna go there. You may get it so “easily,” but beware of the repercussions. That could be hell. Heller than hell, you know what I mean? I digress.
They say it's cool in Singapore. Some 90+ percent of people, including expats, own their house out there. But then if you're used to criticizing and dissing people and government, you may have to shut up here. Singapore fares low rate in what we call First Amendment, you see. And if you easily gets pissed when a car in front of you doesn't move .2 seconds on a green light, you need more patience than that when you visit Bangkok for example. Traffic! And crowded transport? India may feed your spiritual trip but don't say “I wanna go home!” when you get stranded in a train where people fit in like sardines. You will know.
So what I'm saying is just enjoy what you got and where you are. But again, as I say, if you got millions like Bruce and LeBron, go ahead. You can go wherever you please. They will love you. But you and me are not. So chill. Want a beer? Handcrafted, I reckon? I got PBR. Good? Good.
ANGER implodes. Hidden. Kept. Then it explodes. Ferociously, without regard of life. How many times have this happened in the last few years? The writings on the wall are screaming yet blurry and smeared. It is almost impossible to find answers why. Why would someone who didn't seem to fit a killer's profile would do such a gruesome act? But then how many who carried out deadly destruction in recent past “didn't fit a killer's profile”?
The Las Vegas gunman, 64-year old Stephen Paddock, who mowed down 58 people (with 500+ more injured) had no criminal history, save a minor citation. Police officials have not uncovered any connections between the suspect and any foreign terrorist groups. The motive for the shooting remains unclear. Paddock's brother Eric said, “We have no idea how or why this happened. As far as we know, Steve was perfectly fine.”
Stephen Paddock worked for a predecessor company of Lockheed Martin from 1985 until 1988. He was a licensed hunter and private pilot. He owned an aircraft that he kept at Mesquite Metro Airport in Texas from 2007 to 2009. “I do not recall that he was ever a person who created any problems for us,” the airport director told ABC News. “He kept his accounts up to date and we never had any problems with him here."
It has come to that bloodied point when an individual's political affiliation or ideological dogma, racial snarl or societal isolation, or medical background or cache of weapons, or even personal grief that couldn't slide away, aren't enough to draw a picture of the why and how. Is it the government? The President? Church and religion? Cultural identity? The truth which we tend to consign to mere cliché? Humanity isn't alone despite all our “differences.” We are a universal community that gravitates to the light and good more than we are blinded by imagined torches of doom in the dark. Yet if we choose to stay in oblivion although we are wading in an ocean of heartbeats we will still drown in our own futility. Because anger should not be uncontained and nurtured. Anger should not evolve into hatred. Loneliness nourishes the volcano in one's broken heart.
Perhaps we can start by at least talking about this mayhem's aftermath as one voice that seeks understanding in dialogue than divisions in arguments. No standpoint or opinion is right or correct anymore because when that rage gets off one's chest, we will again go back to the white board and all we see are blood, thick and red. Has humanity really has lost belief in negotiation and compromise? We don't “agree to disagree” and let it stand that way. We should not let cracks stay as is. We have to find a way to give and take, share and co-exist. Worse, we should not take this pain and fear to again anchor our endless contention that we are right and they are wrong. And then we are arguing again although we haven't healed yet.
Give peace a chance.
I DO believe that Facebook will slowly but surely cut down the flailing rudeness and bogus feeds in here. The Russian inquiry (y'know election influence) is a precedent. The proliferation of fake but intentioned links and destructive memes and disrespectful conversations on Social Media have gone weird from crazy. You get links that say “prayers don't stop killings, scientifically-proven” or “vodka is good for sexual potency” or “sex trafficking is the number 1 export of the Philippines.” Some people believe those. Worse, those are shared in million forwards, one click per second. In fact, many people believe what their Friends say on FB more than what a 50-year old news organization says. So if a meme says Trump is a direct descendant of Hitler or Obama is a Muslim, people believe those. They believe outrageous and fantastic feeds just because those nurture and nourish what their partisan girth or prejudiced minds tell them. THAT is dangerous. Dangerous because these influence people's actions out there. It is not merely about coaxing a chunk of people to vote one candidate over the other with whatever are fed them. You know what I'm saying.
IMMIGRATION isn't all about two sets of ethnicity or race. We need to spread the discussion out to include others. Modify the narrative. I notice that whenever people debate immigration on Social Media it is usually confined to only two sets of people. Lest I'd be boxed again as Rightist Conservative, which infuriates me, I hold back. But many people need education about the issue of immigration and America's relation/s with other countries whose people migrate here. But we have to get off our liberal/Leftist/Democratic and Conservative/Rightist/Republican dogma to be able to dialogue (verb) and deliberate, and hopefully, offer solutions to whatever ails the (immigration) system or law. I am so perplexed how many people rant about immigration but actually don't know shit. I digress.
READING through people's thoughts (mostly rants) on health care, it seems that more favor a single-payer healthcare system. This system pays for all covered healthcare-related services by a single government or government-related source. A strategy employed by governments to achieve several goals, including universal health care, decreased economic burden of health care, and improved health outcomes for the population. Only three countries implement single payer system/s: Canada, Taiwan, and South Korea. But those were achieved following years of steady people education, community advocacy, and Congress/Parliament lobbying. I am not against what Social Media people are wanting in re this issue. But I am against the manner how these are hyperventilated to the public. Effective road to change is a tactical alliance of people who may disagree in a number of issues but would compromise toward a general consensus of a bigger issue. Same with Congress discussion leading to a bipartisan finality. But with the way people are “talking” these days, it seems the cracks are only widening and the light remains devoured by darkness.
NEWS. "Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering From Severe Anxiety?" Parents, therapists and schools are struggling to figure out whether helping anxious teenagers means protecting them or pushing them to face their fears. Probably because they are confused. The older generations are busy arguing on Facebook, and then these youths read/hear news or listen to teachers, then they go google stuff or go to chat rooms, and there you go. No brainer. Also, we should advise or guide troubled youths with ample time and "real life" attention than continually feed them (internet) links to this and that, fancy meme and that one. Those only confuse them.
NEWS. "Senators Demand Online Ad Disclosures as Tech Lobby Mobilizes." Tech has fought online ad regulations, but three senators will introduce a bipartisan bill to force the industry to disclose who buys political ads. I believe, "disclosures" automatically negates or invades First Amendment tenets, tantamount to "Gestapo"-like witchhunt. What they can do is look into certain features/apps/commands or self-correcting clicks that somehow remind people of stuff. Or what are parameters of an advertising contract? So and so. But demanding tech companies to disclose ads? Oh well, have they already conformed with submissions of data from subscribers? Bottomline, the internet is a monster that is let loose. There is no way to stop its surge other than work around it. Meantime, can we go to the next issue (gut issue) under heaps of Congress files?
