The lines have been drawn in the political sand. It's election time all over, and everyone is making their last push to win. I call this last month of campaigning "the mug slinging show" because that's when the gloves really come off and every candidate is looking to gain that last remaining edge for the votes necessary to secure the victory. We have celebrities championing candidates, hell we have actual celebrities like Cynthia Nixon who ran for office. She lost to Andrea Cuomo, but some would say she ran a great race. I know from being behind the scenes that during these last days of campaigning everything becomes more intense and the workload increases. Well, that is if the campaign team and the candidate are smart it should. So, where's the beef in politics? Candace Owens is raising eyebrows all over due to her point of view of the #MeToo movement and the #Kavanugh investigation. Her point of view and millions of other conservative Republicans demand proof to convict someone of sexual assault. Traditionally a woman could simply make a claim or accusation and automatically you are deemed guilty until proven innocent. But, the thing is what if there is no proof, just a story shared either to investigators or a jury. I say it is a very complex scenario, but I do stand on the side of proof being a requirement to convict anyone of a criminal crime. Many lives have been damaged, destroyed and even killed over false accusations against men. The story of Emmitt Till forever haunts me, a white woman by the name of Carolyn Bryant accused a young 14-year-old boy of touching her in a convenience store. This lead to the woman telling her husband Roy Bryant about the alleged incident and that's when things unfolded in the most brutal of ways ending with the assault and death of Emmit Till. The murder and imagery of the victim sparked a civil rights revolution at the time. Now, decades later this woman has confessed about lying about the interaction to her husband. This narrative has happened many times over to men. Once more, it is a very complex position for us all to be in and I hope that legal accountability is created to detour any falsehoods or claims on anyone.
Why vote?
Don't be apart of the new Party of Non-Voters. It's estimated that 40% of adults at the age to vote will not be at the polls this month. But I ask you if you are bored and disgusted by politics and don't bother to vote, you are in effect voting for the entrenched establishments of the two major parties. Who please rest assured are not dumb, and who are keenly aware that it is in their interests to keep you disgusted and bored and cynical and to give you every possible reason to stay at home doing one-hitters and watching Netflix on a primary day. By all means stay home if you want, but don't bullshit yourself that you're not voting. In reality, there is no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some else's election.
In close, look at politics like the ocean it is. The possibilities of good and evil are always one storm away.
Voting is one of our fundamental rights in the country. Many of our ancestors have died for the opportunity to do so, and as a culture, we should always honor them by voting. Do not let the circumstances of thinking your voice and vote do not count. The neighborhood, city, state, and nation we all call home has been built on small bricks stacked with hard work that later turned into something monumental. I will be voting for John Cox for Governor of California. You may be asking why? Being a first-time politician myself I do not make my decisions purely on political background. Many variables come into play like character, vision for fairness and equality for all. If you are in California, you know the huge overall needed to get this great state back on track, and we will not get there with pretty boy tactics from Galvin Newsome. We need someone who embraces the sense of urgency of our state's issues, and Mr. Cox is the choice I prefer to go with for the next eight years. This is a big election year, make sure you vote!
In close, look at politics like the ocean it is. The possibilities of good and evil are always one storm away.