#MNR:THE ONLY ONE (UNB PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT)

#MNR: THE ONLY ONE (UNB PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT)
 
“And since we all came from a woman, got our name from a woman and our game from a woman. I wonder why take from our women, why we rape our women, do we hate our women?”
Tupac Amaru Shakur
 
Traditionally, making a responsible decision when voting for a President came down to policy. It’s more than fair to make a claim that in the post-Civil Rights era, we really didn’t care about the personal lives of the white men we went to the ballot to vote for – mostly because we weren’t privy to this information. Yes, Kennedy and Clinton had marital infidelities – that we knew of. But even then, we didn’t know until well after the fact. And by "well after the fact," these things came to light AFTER both men were elected. I’d be a fool to assume that the most powerful men in the world don’t play every now and then. In that light, I’m certain most rational people would agree that tipping out on the first lady behind the seal of the presidency doesn't pack the predatory punch that asserting it’s okay to “grab them by the pussy” in entertainment interviews does. Or paying to fuck an adult film star Kojack (think about it) while your wife is home alone, pregnant (and being criminally indicted and convicted of 34 counts related to hush money payment for said incident). Or being convicted in civil court of sexually assaulting a woman. But hey -- who are we to judge? 
 
For the third consecutive election, ethics trumps (pun intended) policy. I love to hear conservatives scream that the price of gas and groceries is so ridiculous that we need a change. I love it even more when they continue to insist that “Illegals” are invading our communities. I agree with anger about the cost of damn near everything. The price of common goods is ridiculous. But it is imperative to mention that the COVID pandemic had rippling, lasting effects on the economy. Supply chains were stifled for long periods of time, from the laborers abroad who experienced shutdowns in their own countries (y’all know I mean China and other parts of Asia) to the huge cargo container ships that transport diverse cargo (cars, sneakers, televisions) from one side of the world to us to the people at the ports who unload the shipped cargo to the truckers who transport the cargo from the docks to the employees in the stores who sell the diverse goods. The effects were long reaching and long lasting. Then there’s price gouging and shrinkflation. These evil, dastardly corporate deeds have persisted and continue to rob us blind. Ironically, one candidate has a plan to attack price gouging, but we’ll get to that in a bit. The superseding thought is this: the problems we faced/face post COVID were both unavoidable and had no quick fix. You can’t pin that on the next administration. It doesn’t work that way. You conservatives have it all twisted and conflated. I do not. I clearly discern what’s going on.
 
As for the immigrant issue, I agree that America isn’t equipped to handle the swell of those who have entered the country, whether by illegally crossing a border or through asylum. I love the idea of immigrants having a chance to live the “American dream” – through legal methods, including asylum. Otherwise, you must leave. Irrespective of how immigrants have entered the country, I believe that they should be treated humanely. They are human. Do not separate children from parents (again). That’s past inhumane and insidious. Do not speak of them as if they are of lesser worth than you. Do not dehumanize them for political gain. Outright lies are unacceptable. Some people need to have an earnest talk with God.
 
I love the term “first world problems” because it forces most people to pump their brakes and truly ponder its definition, after which discerning that their problems aren’t really problems. We get mad over things that 90% of the world can’t even fathom. And yet, somehow, they manage to make it without many of the things we bitch and complain about. Many find a way to flourish – through scrupulous methods.
 
People still complain about gas prices. Here are some quick facts for you crybaby ass Americans. The average price of gas in Germany is 3.55 euros. The average price is 4.13 in England. Italy, Denmark, Belgium and Sweden have prices between 5.80-5.90 in U.S. dollars. The price of gas down the street from me is $2.79 a gallon. Electric vehicles cost $0 per gallon. My point? Y’all complain about any and everything, completely ignoring how good you really have it. We Americans have this embellished, macabre mindset, and fail to realize how blessed we truly are.
 
The poorest American has access to public assistance. Third world countries (defined in political science terms as the countries with the highest populations, not strictly economic development) citizens wish they readily and consistently had access to public assistance. Your local grocery store has shelves fully stocked with groceries. Go to a store in Havana. Tell me if you see fully stocked shelves in Cuba. And for every complaint about prices and how they have affected our pockets, we have managed to endure without calamity. And should calamity come knocking upon your door, you can wake up the next day and take your ass down to the welfare office and fill out some paperwork. Don’t feel less than dignity-filled if you must make that type of move. 33% of NYC Jewish households received government benefits, according to the UJA-Federation of New York’s 2023 Jewish Community Study of New York. In sharp contrast, only 4% are even eligible for benefits in Mississippi, according to mississippippltoday.org. In many southern states, politicians undercut the underserved (mostly Blacks) with wanton intent. The point I’m making is that everyone, and I mean everyone has struggles in this country. Blue state, red state, Jew, gentile. Inevitably, it’s deeper than just policy.
 
In voting for a President, the ideal or at least best candidate (in my eyes) should be a champion of civil rights. They should fight for inclusion in all aspects of American life. They should vigorously fight and oppose discrimination and xenophobia of any type, irrespective of the community and/or group affected. And finally, the ideal candidate should fight to protect women’s reproductive and medical rights.
 
Civil rights are simply the rights guaranteed to EVERY American citizen. Race, gender, creed, sexual orientation and political affiliation do not matter. Everyone is awarded and afforded the same set of rights. This is non-negotiable. It is written in the United States Constitution. It doesn’t matter if you think homosexuality is an abomination. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want Blacks moving into your ethnic or religious neighborhood/enclave. It doesn’t matter if that American born Hispanic baby has two immigrants as parents. It doesn’t matter if your coworker wears a hijab and worships at a mosque. It doesn’t matter if that young, white couple is willing to pay $3,500 a month for a one bedroom in Spanish Harlem that your grandmother rented for $120 a month for 34 years before the rent control laws expired and she was given the boot because there was no way in heaven she could even afford $1,750, or half of the $3,500. Every American is entitled to every civil right, implicitly stated or implied.
 
All who are here legally or who aspire to enter legally are welcome in America. This is the original melting pot. Unless you belong to an American Indian (indigenous) tribe, you are a descendent of an immigrant. Inclusion is paramount. No American is “less American” than any other American. You can’t pick and choose who is allowed to prosper and flourish. We all are.
 
Discrimination and xenophobia have no place in society. Having to state this in 2024 is bananas.
 
A woman’s body and reproductive rights are hers and hers alone. No man, whether he be white, Black, or otherwise has any fucking right to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with HER body. How hard is it for you troglodytes to understand this simple concept? A court of nine said it was that way for 52 years until one day the same court with different actors (err umm justices) said it wasn’t. Suddenly, it became a state’s right to decide. Bullshit.
 
Only one candidate checks the boxes I just spoke about. Only one favors civil rights. Only one believes in absolute inclusion. Only one strictly opposes racism and xenophobia. And finally, only one believes a woman’s body and reproductive rights belong to a woman.
 
One candidate has laid out policy for all to see. It consists of economic opportunity and lower costs for families, including middle class tax cuts, rent affordability, attainable home ownership, growing small business and entrepreneurial investment, fighting price gouging, strengthening and lowering the cost of health care, protecting and strengthening social security and Medicare, supporting American innovation and workers, providing a pathway to the middle class through affordable education, investing in affordable child care and long term care, and lowering energy costs and tackling climate crisis. The other has Project 2025. I’ll let you do your own research.
 
The Unbearables Crew/#MNR 2024 presidential endorsement goes to Vice President Kamala Devi Harris.
 
She’s the only one.