Our Society Has Become Delusional

Although the title may seem a bit harsh and over the top, I've been reading some comments and articles online recently that are utterly head shaking and mind boggling. From what I've observed on various discussion boards, It seems like the American People have become so engrossed in false realities, that we have become unable to make any rational decisions. Now you'll have to forgive me right now, I know that my writing seems like a rant and a vent for my personal feelings, but I really felt the need to share some of the things that I have observed.

As you most probably know, the 2014 Winter Olympics are currently going on in Sochi. This inevitably brings us to the topic of Vladimir Putin. Regarded as a ironclad ruler with nerves of steel, he is the face of Russian Politics. His name is synonymous with Russia. Anyway, I was reading an article on CNN about his rise to power, and his firm control of the Russian Duma. He singlehandedly controls Russian Politics, and has been in power, either as president, or behind the scenes, for more than a decade. Basically, the article was detailing the tactics he has used to control the Russian population, and to crush his opposition. I read the article, and as always, went immediately to the comments. I was expecting to find the typical patriotic comments about how America is the land of the free, and always will be. I was expecting pro American comments on an article about the corruption in Putin's regime. Therefore, you can imagine my surprise when most of the comments were actually praising Russia and Putin, and lamenting that America needed a leader like that. They called President Obama "Spineless", "Braindead", and "Weak". What the heck happened?! Are we really becoming that delusional. I was shocked, and still am, that anyone could even think of Putin as a hero. We have become so accustomed to our amount of freedom, and we are abusing this right. How could we have become so naive as to wish for practically a dictatorship? It is absolutely disgusting.

I want you guys to all take a deep look at yourselves in a mirror tonight. I want you to appreciate that you have the right to say these kinds of things. Imagine in Russia, if anyone had said that Obama would have been a better President than Putin, he would have been immediately silenced and imprisoned. So really take into thought when I say,

"Responsibility is the cost of freedom" -Eibert Hubbard

Take Care,
Political Police

It's Obama's Fault!

Before I begin, I'd like to apologize for not posting on Friday and Monday. I've been really busy as of late, and I've been unable to find the time to write a quality post. But today, I'd like to talk about something that shocked me to my core. I knew that the two parties in our legislature will stop at nothing to bring the other down, but I cam across an article that completely astonished me. Let me tell you about it.

Just this morning, I was looking through some new articles, trying to find a suitable topic to write about. I found an article on the Chicago Tribune, entitled "Blaming President Obama for everything". I thought to myself, "Well isn't that true?". And so I opened it. And from the first paragraph, I was disgusted by the facts being presented to me. It states, that 22% of Louisiana Republicans believe that the poor response to Hurricane Katrina was caused directly by the actions of Barack Obama. Another 44% said that they thought that President Obama had a partial role in the poor response. Are you kidding me? How can anyone in their right mind even come across the remote notion that Barack Obama was responsible for this. Using that kind of logic, I suppose that Barack Obama was responsible for the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Great Depression, anything bad that has happened, just blame it on Obama.

Now although I may sound like a crazed bleeding heart liberal, believe me, I'm not. The same problem exists on both sides. Democrats are just as willing to blame Republicans for anything bad that ever happens. If you can remember to the days of the Bush Presidency, you may remember that in the eyes of Democrats, he simply couldn't do anything right. He was constantly ridiculed, and labeled as an uneducated country schmuck. This is just as egregious as anything that has been said against Obama. And that, may friends, is the fundamental problem. We, as a nation, have a fundamental flaw in our political system. We find the need to blame the other party for everything and anything that goes wrong. Long gone are the days of the bipartisan deals, and moderation. It seems like there are no moderates anymore, and the political picture has come to be dominated by the far left and far right. Every time I watch the news, I see a headline about a MSNBC anchor making racist comments towards Mitt Romney's family, or a Tea Partier saying ridiculous statements. This has gone too far.

We as a nation, simply cannot continue like this. We must realize, that above all, we are all Americans. We must think together, and think for what is best for our nation. We mustn't let party lines divide us. As John F. Kennedy stated an eternity ago, "Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask what you can do for your country."

Take Care,
Political Police

The Legacy Of Martin Luther King

Today, January 20, marks the 5th day after the Great Martin Luther King would have turned 85. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, incorruptible, and charismatic leaders of all time. He led the civil rights movements, integrated American Society, and left a lasting legacy for centuries to come. So in honor of this mans 85th birthday, lets recount, and remember all of his achievements.

Martin Luther King Jr. was actually named Michael King at the time of his birth, but his father renamed the future activist Martin Luther King, in honor of the German reformer, Martin Luther.  He was a middle child, and grew up in Atlanta. He skipped both the 9th and 12th grade, which indicated of his sheer academic talent. He attended Morehouse College, and became a pastor at the young age of 25. As he grew up, he became more and more disheartened by the blatant racism and segregation that African Americans faced. Thus, in the early 1940's, King decided to devote his life towards ending segregation. Using Mahatma Ghandi as inspiration, he began to devise a way to organize nonviolent protests, which would hopefully end racism.

It all started with the Montgomery bus boycotts of 1955.  King, with the support of President Nixon, organized a boycott of all Montgomery buses for 385 days, The boycott would not be lifted until blacks were given equal seating rights as whites. His tactic worked, the bus system lost millions of dollars, and the segregation on buses ended. This boycott transformed King into an international figurehead for the Civil Rights Movement. This was the first of many marches that King led, all of which protested  the blatant segregation of African Americans, as well as the treatment of blacks as second class citizens. He was arrested for a grand total of 29 times, as a result of his nonviolent protests.

This all leads up to the 1963 March on Washington. It was at this protest, that King delivered the infamous "I have a dream" speech. What is most impressive, is that the speech was almost entirely impromptu. This showed how much of a masterful orator that King really was. This speech is widely regarded as one of the finest speeches ever given in the history of mankind.

On April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King was shot dead at the Lorraine Motel. King was soon pronounced dead at St. Josephs Hospital, at 7:05 a.m. America had lost one of its greatest leaders. However, his legacy still lives on. His work, his actions, and his heart are still seen today. And we must never forget one of the the greatest leaders, activists, and humanitarians, to have ever walked upon this earth.

Take Care,
Political Police

The Chris Christie Scandal

You probably know, that Chris Christie, New Jersey Governor, is currently embroiled in the midst of an enormous scandal. Several of his top aids were found to have closed several lanes of a major highway in retaliation for the refusal of Fort Lee Mayor, Mark Sokolich, to support Christie in his Gubernatorial campaign. Orchestrated by David Wildstein, one of Christies top aids. Two lanes were closed in George Washington Bridge, causing major traffic jams in Fort Lee. Chris Christie alleges that he had no idea of the plan, and has fired the aides. So now the question has come up, is Chris Christie indeed a hard hitting man of the people, or is he just another Washington bully?

Let's first address Christie's claim that he had no knowledge about the plans to close two lanes in George Washington Bridge. I simply don't buy into this. There is simply no way that Christie was not informed of this illegal plot, in one way or another. He must have had some prior forewarning of the event. And believe me, what his administration did is highly illegal. Christie's administration closed a major bridge, and caused extreme havoc and problems for thousands of families, all in the name of punishing Mayor Sokolich. We must see this as it is. This is a case where a corrupt politician has used his political power to bully a man who declined to support his Gubernatorial run. But his actions have caused major repercussions. Christie is now facing a Class-Action Lawsuit, and his name has been defamed to such an extent that he may not even run for the 2016 Presidential Elections. He has not been allowed to escape the consequences.

Although what Christie has done is wrong, we must realize that he has taken accountability for his actions, and appears to be genuinely sorry. He has issued a heartfelt apology and has promptly fired the top aide's allegedly responsible for this act. And although I absolutely don't believe that Christie didn't actually know about what happened I do believe that he has taken appropriate accountability and actions to mitigate the issue. He has suffered major consequences because of what he did, and he has not been let off the hook. He deserves every bit of criticism he gets, but this one single event shouldn't force him to abandon his plans for a Presidential Bid.

Take Care,
Political Police

Change In Posting Schedule

Hi guys, Political Police here! After keeping up with the posting schedule, I have decided that I should post a little bit more infrequently so that I can give you guys more quality content. So from now on, I will be posting on Mondays and Fridays. Thanks for all your support, and as always, have a nice day.

Take Care,
Political Police

We Have Become Too Concerned With Being Politically Correct

My most recent post was about racism and stereotyping. I understand that this is a very real problem that our country is facing, and many persons still are racists and bigots. However, I do believe, that our country has become too concerned with being politically correct. Cases where race had absolutely nothing to with the situation, have been blown up to a scale where race has become a deciding factor.

One notable example that I can think of is with the use of the N word. African Americans frequently call each other this word, and it is fine. However, when a person of a different race even dares to utter this word, they are condemned as racists who have no respect whatsoever. This doesn't make sense to me. Why are these people being held accountable for something they said, while the Blacks who use it casually in day to day conversations face absolutely no repercussions. To me, this is a case of people simply looking for opportunities to call others racist. Keep in mind though, the context of the situation matters greatly. If the word is said in a way to invoke harm and malice, and to establish racial superiority, then it is wrong. However I very rarely see instances where the intent is to degrade ones race.

Another notable example with over political correctness, is the controversy surrounding the name of the Professional Football team from Washington. The Redskins. Many are crying for the owners to change the name as they believe that it degrades Native Americans. This statement could not be any further from the truth. The reality is, the name, although previously considered derogatory, is in now way, shape, or form saying that Native Americans are considered inferior. Several Native Americans have even been asked whether they feel offended by the name, and their response has consistently been that they feel honored that their culture is being represented by a widely visible icon. If the very cultural group that the name is supposedly degrading, is honored that their name is the official name and logo of a football team, who are we to disagree?

As you can see, I believe that being Politically Correct has gone way too far. Yes, we need to respect all cultures and races, but that does not mean that we should start becoming overly sensitive, and taking offense at words and phrases that had no intent of harm or malice whatsoever. As Charles Osgood aptly says, "Being Politically Correct means always having to say you're sorry",

Take Care,
Political Police

The Racial Stereotyping Going On In America

In this day and age, it feels absurd, even ridiculous, that racial stereotyping is even a remotely small problem in our country. The days of slavery are behind us, we are a nation reborn, a nation immune to racial insensitivity, a nation where all, no matter of race, color, or ethnicity, are to be treated the same. Of course, this is what we all hope for, and supposedly, strive to become. But our current situation, and reality, could not be any further. The truth is, racial stereotyping is alive and well here. Heck, even racism still exists. Before you scoff at me, and utterly dismiss all of my claims, let me tell you a story, and highlight some specific instances in my life where I have been subject to stereotypes.

For those who do not know, I am of Nepalese descent. I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. My parents were both born in Nepal, which is a small country located in between India and China. It is also the country that Mount Everest belongs to. So, as you know, I am not white. Now that you know my background, let's start going into the story, shall we?

A couple weeks ago, while on a road trip, my father and I decided to stop at a rest stop. We go inside, and stand in front of the vending machine. A lady, with a southern accent, comes up to us, and immediately asks, "Where are you from?". To you, that may not be a big deal, but until you have experienced it firsthand, you simply cannot understand or fathom how it feels. How am I supposed to answer? I'm an American! I cannot say that I am Nepalese, I was born here, am a citizen, and have been my entire life. But if I say that I am an American, I am scoffed at, and told to stop lying and tell where I am really from. It hurts to not belong. What makes me any less American than anyone else on this country? And it doesn't end there. A couple of days ago, while on a car ride, I was asked the same question by one of my friends dads. To that, I answered, "My parents are from Nepal.". Two minutes later, we picked up another friend. This person was born in Russia, and moved here when he was 4. He is white. Of course, he is automatically assumed to be an American, and no questions are asked. Why does being white constitute being an American? Why am I asked of my nationality while he is not? I simply don't understand. I was born here, raised here, and have been here my whole life. He was born in Russia, and is a Russian citizen. Why is he considered to be "American", while I am considered to be a foreigner. If you say that this issue is not in any way related to the color of my skin and my physical appearance, then you are delusional and need to wake up.

Please, think before you speak. What may not seem harmful to you, may be racist and stereotypical to others. You haven't experienced the pain of not belonging anywhere, to not be considered an American when you have been born and raised here your whole life. So, on that, I'd like to show you guys a quote by Ed Koch. "Stereotypes lose their power when the world is found to be more complex than the stereotype would suggest. When we learn that individuals do not fit the group stereotype, then it begins to fall apart."

Take Care,
Political Police