Crumbling

Despite the disappointment of Bernie’s endorsement of Hillary, I am still with Sanders all the way through the convention.

I also just donated to Jill Stein. 

Some will agree with my decision, some will not. Either way, it's okay. I support your decisions to do what you think is best. That's what democracy is all about. 

I have no idea how this will end, and believe me when I say it scares the crap out of me. 

Our current government has amplified and created more issues then they have resolved. They have created more threats than they have extinguished. They have created more poverty than they have ended, and they have certainly killed more people than they have saved.

They continuously put their financial interests ahead of the interests of the people or the environment. They have created such a disastrous state of affairs that we are on the verge of catastrophic and irreversible climate change, and unsustainable living conditions.

I’ve said it before; the state of our nation is a disgrace. The rampant racism, police brutality, poverty, mental illness, homelessness, and inescapable debt (among many other things) are all indications of a failed and corrupt government. 

I can’t turn on the radio without hearing of another senseless attack, another innocent person shot down or brutally beaten. I watched a video of a teenage boy, not much older than my own son, being tazed in the head for an extended period because a police officer couldn’t control his own emotions. The offense? Being obstinate, which is annoying but not illegal last I checked. That kid is permanently brain damaged. 

Yesterday, another terrorist attack took place in France. A truck plowed through a festive crowd killing over 80 people. 

It’s devastating and what’s worse-- We contributed to the ongoing unrest that has produced the extremist people and organizations that now plague our communities.

We created this problem when we unjustly invaded Iraq and nothing we have done since then has served to de-escalate or resolve the issues. 

We’re afraid of becoming the target, afraid of losing our sense of security, but we’re way past that. 

I don’t know what the solution is, but I know that what we have been doing isn’t working. 

It feels like we’re on a path of total self-destruction on every level. From our own local communities with growing poverty and increased economic hardships, to police brutality and intolerance, to our government who manages somehow to accomplish nothing despite the secure paychecks they collect from our tax dollars, to the wars and terrorist attacks taking place all over the world, to the environment that we have all but destroyed with our greed. 

Greed is not sustainable. Intolerance and exclusion are not sustainable. Endless wars are not sustainable. Our way of life is not sustainable. And our corrupt government is certainly not sustainable.

We are not powerless, they just want us to think that we are. 

I have no idea how this will turn out, what will happen at the convention, or what will happen in the general election in November. 

I know that Bernie’s Endorsement of Hillary did not provide the results the DNC hoped for. More people are fleeing the Democratic Party in favor of the Green Party and Hillary is dropping steadily (and remarkably low) in key polling states. 

If Sanders comes out the victor of the Democratic nomination, he still has my unwavering support for the presidency. Meanwhile, I am going to work hard to get Jill Stein the support she needs to be included in the debates for the presidential race. She’s well on her way.

I refuse to cast my vote for fear. I will cast my vote for progress. 

We are standing on the precipice, and we don’t have any more time to waste.