Grab the Stagecoach and Hit the Road

Anytime California representatives suggest a new law addressing gun control, I always hear a handful of California residents proclaiming they are going to pack up and move to Texas.  Many point to the fact that Texas has fewer regulations than California. This may be true- but then I point to reasons for regulations- like the plant that blew up in West Texas, and destroyed a neighborhood, killing several people.  I also point to the fact that they are using money from the Obama Administration to rebuild… and repair their roads.

As a Californian that lived in Texas, I lived it. I lived the isolation of another perspective. I faced racism on a regular basis.  One day, I was standing outside watering my grass and a female neighbor said “Hi Negro neighbor”, in a half- joking, half-serious tone. Now, don’t get me wrong- this is not all of Texas, but this is my experience.

There were days when I was stuck driving behind a pick-up truck covered in “I hate Obama” stickers and a Confederate flag waving in the air.  Yes, this new law to some can be considered a removal of rights. Why should you have to subject yourself to a background check to get bullets?

Well, if you have nothing to hide, then you should have nothing to worry about, correct? Never mind that the Government has just made it mandatory for Google to hand over your data- including the search for how many bullets it will take to kill a deer and religious quotes to be plastered on a Facebook wall directly from the Bible Belt.

A background check for a gun and a background check for bullets is nothing that the law abiding citizen should be afraid of. If you are using the gun to go hunting- killing animals that you fed- or for the intruder that happens to be lurking around every corner, than you are fine.

Shouldn't there be one more layer of protection for our children? I know that those who are worried about this background check live in a bubble. A bubble of Faux News, Rushmouth commentary, and the Sarah Palin Pit-bull and lip stick speech. I wonder if she had any other quotes but couldn't fit them on her hand.

There is a lot to love about Texas. I loved the thunderstorms, the cheap homes, and the spirit of the average Texan. I loved watching the Cowboys and their owner, Jerry Jones build that masterpiece of a Stadium. I even love the slogan “Don’t Mess with Texas”, but… that was started due to the high amount of liter that is often left on the road.

I loved Friday Night Football, even with the Natural Gas oil rig spewing toxic fumes in the air and underground the stadium… and our homes.

And of course, California is not perfect. Houses are expensive, gas is high, and by only speaking one language- I am the minority- and I’m not white. But I do live in the countryside of California. I get to see horses and cows run free, smell the farmland in the summer, and see the seasons change. I hate the traffic and I hate the disparity between the advantaged and disadvantaged. No place is perfect. Not Texas. Not California. Not even the United States.

But we have to understand the point that I have stated may times. We are so fucking divided by religion, economics, race, and political affiliation that we cannot see through the rhetoric. We often say that Freedom is not “free”- as the soldiers return in caskets. But then take away freedoms in every state.

I did find that it was rather odd that Texas had its own Pledge of Allegiance. Personally I believe that this increases the division of that State from other states. But that is fine. You can enjoy the intellectual properties that come from California- and enjoy the natural gas that may be linked to disease and deaths of citizens across the country.

California regulates to save lives- Texas deregulates to make money. California is strapped because of mismanagement and the programs that often help the disadvantaged and maybe offer them an opportunity to climb to middle class status.

Look, if you live in California and hate the laws then move. Climb in your futuristic stage coach with your loaded guns and head east. There is no place like Texas, like there is no place like California. A matter a fact there is no place as we know, like Earth- so enjoy where the fuck we are. Just remember what they say- the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence.

I like many of the laws in California- I like the diversity in culture. I love the weather, I love the ocean, and I like not being pulled over by a cop and being asked if I am driving my car and where the fuck I work- Maybe my skin tone played a role in my experience. It is kind of hard to not take a racist joke off the lips of a redneck personal without wanting to shove my Nike Airs up his ass.

We should all be Americans, instead of individuals that are restricted by invisible state lines. 

Did we Forget?

Did we forget the reason we left? We left for freedom. The freedom for all, not just for some that believed there was only one way to live. Some have found a path that is right for them, but they should not believe that that path is the only way. There are many paths and many trails- many ways to reach the point of true happiness.

But instead of freedom we often stand for division, we stand for class, we stand to punish those that have made it, and deny those that want to escape the hell that freedom has turned into. The lives that have been lost are often turned into capitalistic holidays, while we all light up the night sky with fireworks and claim independence, in that same sentence we preach hate and discrimination.

It would seem as if this country’s flag is a cross. But it is not. It is a symbol of our independence. It is a symbol of the generations of slaves that built this land, the generations that have fought for this land, the generations that have yet to come and change this land.

Freedom should not be a set of laws based upon old beliefs that deny love, deny opportunity, and are dependent on castes, and classes, economics, and knowledge that separates one another. Man’s history on this planet is dark. We have killed in the name of our Gods, and our beliefs. We have killed for material; we have killed for simple pleasure of killing.

It comes time for us to understand something, a simple fact in America; we are not separate- but one. We are one people under one law that no longer believes in freedom for all, but rather freedom for those that believe that same ideas and rhetoric that has been forced fed over and over again.

Republican, Democrat, Socialism, race, sexuality, and economical status are all tools to destroy, divide and conquer. Divide the people allow for them to fight so that others can remain in power and control. Some of those that often follow religion do not know what they are following. Why? Because they have been taught not to question, but only accept.

Is this right? If society did not question slavery, bigotry, and opportunity, what type of world would we live in today? Because even those these issues, or problems, have been buried beneath the false flag of hope. We continue to judge what actions are correct, we continue to engage in gluttony and greed as our waistlines increase, and our debts become unbearable.

Even those that claim to live the righteous path are caught in the lies and deception of freedom in this country. We should not be bound by ancient stories that guide us to real darkness and control. Because our original creator is a loving and caring being that created a world that gave us life. That gave us a brain, a heart to love, an opportunity to experience, and then wither and return to the earth. But these religions, these political positions, were not created by God- but by man.

These stories to ethical and intelligent minds make no sense. Those that have learned to question authority, and to seek true peace, often find themselves pointing to contradictions in life that cast us further into the darkness. For I am not the original man, I am the second generation of man. I am enlightened by the world around me.  I see the harmony between the earth and the creatures that walk on all fours. I am one with the planet, the wind, and the sea.

When the sea dies, I die.  When the planet dies, I die.  When the sun dies, I die- we all die.  The human race dies. We are all interconnected. If you want to believe in God then believe in all of God.  Think of the blades of grass, the leaves of trees, and the animals that run free in the forest, because we are all God. And we are all beings of God. That chicken or shrimp on your plate is a part of God and not anything else. If you want to experience true enlightenment and true peace, you have to forget all the trash that was produced to control you.         

If you want freedom, then accept all freedom- not just freedom for the rich, the religious, or those that believe the same so-called truths that you agree with. Our freedom and relationship with God is one that offers all freedoms, and not freedom restricted or limited to those that believe they are superior or live life the right way. 

Black Visibility is not Black Power

I thought that I would never see an African American President, or rather, a half African American President- unless I support the notion that one drop of black blood makes and individual black. (I would have to disagree with that old law even though there are many that still believe that way.)  But our culture is connected to more than our race, and even though there are more black people visible in all areas of our lives- politics, entertainment, sports, and the field of academia- the problems of the black community are often swept under the welcome rug and become nothing more than talking points.

Even stories of victories in the African American community are not celebrated like those in other communities. These stories do not get the same attention and still have to battle for the limelight against stories of celebrity divorces and shopping sprees of the rich. 

Did I fall victim to the deception that black visibility is black power? Of course I did. Who could not fall victim to such a theory. Many of us have fell victim to this theory, and it is easy to understand how and why. We have faith in our country; some of us believe in our country more than others. But the individuals that research and investigate the actions and laws of this country understand who has the power.

So, after all of the cheers and happiness that was expressed after the election of the first African American President, the theory of black visibility vs. black power had the opportunity to be readdressed.  Just because there is a black president, does not mean there is an automatic connection between that president and the black community.

When I speak with my friends, we often believe that the issue of racism has only increased. The pride of having an African American President simply vanished for some. I still have pride and hope however, because I understand that the steps needed to fix some of the social injustices and racism that has plagued our country will take another 200 years or so be realized. President Obama’s victory was a small victory in the struggle for all minorities.

The ultimate power has been in the hands of the establishment, not the president. Even though the establishment has many individuals, many of them have succumbed to the idea that their personal interests outweigh those of the people that elected them.   

These individuals include artists, politicians, athletes, and many others. I believe that President Obama has a responsibility to the African American community. His appearance was nothing more than a tool to trick us into supporting him. Just because he can bounce a basketball, and is probably better at it than me, does not mean that he understands the struggle of African Americans.

Let us look at his actions. He is a very smart and wise man, he has passed a few laws that could be seen as keeping us African Americans at bay. For example when he lowered the penalty for those that are guilty of selling crack compared to the penalties of selling cocaine. This is great- and he should be applauded. But let us look at another focus of his energy- where he is choosing to visit.  I have seen him in Silicon Valley, Hollywood, and many other affluent neighborhoods, but I have not seen him in the Bay View, or Compton.

But when I walk through some very economically depressed African American communities, I see the people wearing his t-shirt, or pasting his poster on the wall. But the sadness is still on their faces, and the violence still consumes their community. Why? Because that is what the system needs to keep control of the society and that is what the system wants. They want a society that allows for the rich to remain rich, the middle class to support both the poor and the rich, and the poor to remain a tool for division.

While I hold dear my conservative values, there is no need to continue to be ignorant and believe that one man of color can change a community. Or that one man of color has destroyed the country that I believed in. The responsibility remains in the hands of the people.

We the people, even though my race was only considered ¾ of a man, and did not start off with the same opportunities as the citizens around me. When individuals use the Bible and the Constitution as tools to define them, to develop their political and ethical positions, they are already flawed. They are flawed because those specific documents are flawed.  They are flawed because they were created by men, men that are flawed by nature.

These two pieces of literature are often used to define all reasoning, but they were not built for me, ¾ of a man. Even though now I can live a life that others could only dream about hundreds of years ago, I have a responsibility to inform and educate my generation and those that are willing to accept that a change is needed. No longer can I depend on the black face and the deception of black visibility as change. But nothing more than false hopes that were destroyed by the powers that be, to keep their knee on the throat of those that do not stand a chance.

So before we make a decision on who we want in office, step aside and remember that black visibility is not black power.  It will not erase the suffering.  We have to evaluate the destruction that corporate America has placed on the poor communities both white and black.

Do not let us vote because of what our minsters believe, or what our parents have forced fed us to believe, but rather vote in a way that will allow for opportunity for all- no matter whom they love, or who they want to spend the rest of their lives with. To deny others freedom is simply being a tyrant. One person’s happiness should not be blocked because of a few ignorant individuals. But also, it is important to understand that for the black community, black visibility is not power.  If those in power continue to only support others that share the same rhetoric, there will never be true equality.