2016 Finale

Multitudes of iconic celebrities passed away. Emotions got slammed twenty-four hours a day on social media. Somehow, we survived the, arguably, biggest circus of an election cycle in our history. America discovered we were no longer close-knit communities. Once again, we have a black eye; but only because we keep punching ourselves.

2016 was a hard year. Honestly, I’m happy for it. America’s been running on a lot of luck for a long time. We’re spoiled. We’re one of the youngest countries in the world…and we act like it. The time to mature is here if not overdue.

Unfortunately, the only way to get our attention anymore is to be heavy-handed. The past year got heavy fast. Not only did the year start with celebrity deaths, they kept coming through December with the loss of Carrie Fisher and her mother. This alone led many people to call 2016 the worst year ever. Maybe, but death happens. Our icons die. They aren’t literally immortal and many of them died from abusing alcohol or drugs for years. Others died from diseases for which we don’t yet have cures. 2016 said hey, the party ends for everyone sooner or later.

2016 wasn’t done yet. The Presidential election cycle was in full swing with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump grandstanding over all of us like titans…often acting like children on the stage. Their antics led their follower’s choices of antics (and etiquette, or lack thereof), which led to a social media frenzy that drove many people to depression and others to blacklist family because of disagreements over politics.

The only reason this matters to the year as a whole is that we had yet another opportunity to realize we won’t always agree on how things should work. Unfortunately, so far, it does not appear we quite caught on to that lesson. The wounds are all too fresh. We are still lashing out, or staying in our respective echo chambers where we can’t be wrong.

2017 is an opportunity to learn from this year’s many harsh lessons. Will we? Leave your thoughts below.

James Neal is the author of the fantasy stories listed below, click the link to learn more and possibly purchase:

Of Blood and Blade:

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Paints the Invisible Eye:

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Divine Right:

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The Blacksmith's Reaper:

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Why Occupy Wall Street Failed, and Why It Needs to Return: Attempting to Bridge the Gaps

This series, Attempting to Bridge the Gaps, is all about bringing together poor white, minority, and the LGBTQ communities together in understanding and acceptance of each other. I cannot do that by myself. So for now, I want to create a place where we can talk to each other over topics that matter to us, so we can find out what the AMERICAN PEOPLE want, rather than a me, me, ME attitude, of which we are all guilty. Comments welcome, but refrain from hatred or assumption of hatred. Let’s talk.

What Was Occupy Wall Street?

Occupy Wall Street was a movement that started on September 11, 2011 in Zuccotti Park. Its goal was simple, at first: rid the government of the undue influence of corporate greed and money and ensure social justice for all. USNews (Greene, 2011) provides a decent timeline of OWS, its influences, and results.

Why OWS Failed:

OWS failed for several reasons. Two of the big ones is no leadership (Pepitone, 2013), and spreading too quickly to other, (in my opinion lesser) points of interest (Levitin, 2015). Because nobody kept this huge, rising and roused group on course to rid America of social and financial inequality, the Occupy movement fell apart. To be fair it fell into smaller, more focused groups on these lesser interests, many which continue working today.

Why OWS Needs to Return:

But, it was that huge number of people coming together that got national and international attention. The protests, sure, but also the original message before it got diluted. And it is that huge number of people, plus more, we need to actually make the change in income inequality: which, as I stated before (Neal, 2016), is what I believe to be the first step to visiting American’s other problems.

That goal requires the masses, regardless of race, sexuality, gender, or any other extraneous label thrust upon Americans, to come together again. To hold hands. Demand what Occupy Wall Street demanded in the beginning:

Take corporate money out of politics, ensure undue social and economic inequality disappears, and get rid of the social injustices too many people suffer on a regular, daily, basis.

Again, no one single group can do this. The liberals are going to have to accept poor whites, poor whites are going to have to put away the racism the rich whites manipulated into them, women and men are going to have to appreciate each other, blacks and whites will have to finally bury the blood-soaked hatchet between them, and everybody will also need our legal Mexican and Asian brothers and sisters to add their voice before there is a chance of the Established Machine changing gears and giving even one, single damn about us. Then we’ll have to continue pushing until this country is truly ours again…possibly for the very first time.

Bibliography

Greene, B. (2011, October 17). How 'Occupy Wall Street' Started and Spread. Retrieved from usnews.com: http://www.usnews.com/news/washington-whispers/articles/2011/10/17/how-occupy-wall-street-started-and-spread

Levitin, M. (2015, June 10). The Triumph of Wall Street. Retrieved from theatlantic.com: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/the-triumph-of-occupy-wall-street/395408/

Neal, J. (2016, November 14). We Need to Re-Brand the Middle Class: Attempting to Bridge the Gaps. Retrieved from americandirtmorales.blogspot.com: http://americandirtmorales.blogspot.com/2016/11/we-need-to-re-brand-middle-class.html

Pepitone, J. (2013, September 17). Why Occupy Wall Street Fizzled. Retrieved from money.cnn.com: http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/17/news/economy/occupy-wall-street-fizzled/

James Neal is a fantasy author, blogger, and freelance writer/artist. Visit his titles listed below and follow him on social media:

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We Need to Re-Brand the Middle Class: Attempting to Bridge the Gaps

This series, Attempting to Bridge the Gaps, is all about bringing together poor white, minority, and the LGBTQ communities together in understanding and acceptance of each other. I cannot do that by myself. So for now, I want to create a place where we can talk to each other over topics that matter to us, so we can find out what the AMERICAN PEOPLE want, rather than a me, me, ME attitude, of which we are all guilty. Comments welcome, but refrain from hatred or assumption of hatred. Let’s talk.

Today’s Problems Start with Money

The secret is out. An unhealthy total of all America’s wealth belongs to the top one percent. That doesn’t leave a lot of change floating around to be used by the 150 million people not playing the billionaire game. Where does that money go? Not back into the mainstream economy. Lobbying alone accounts for nearly $24 million in spending, attempting to sway our lawmakers to making things easier for the top one percent of earners.

You’ve seen these numbers. This is not news. I don’t think we realize though, just how big a boat we’re in. See, these numbers aren’t just affecting minorities, or poor whites, or the LGBTQ. These numbers affect all of us who aren’t making at least $138,000 per year. The median income is $55,775. How many of us are making anywhere near that? If we all came together and zeroed in on income inequality for all, could we make a difference? I think so, but…

Lines are Drawn Between Us, Purposefully

The media constantly refers to us by invisible lines: black, white, LGBTQ, poor, racist, Muslim, Latino, Mexican, gay, straight, liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican…I can’t even name all the labels used here. Constantly, we are inundated with these titles. In some cases, it’s a point of pride to use labels, but is that a pride we should hold onto?

Here’s an example a liberal friend of mine recently gave me: you hear on the news that a cop brutalized an African American man. That’s bad, right? But actual racist whites aren’t going to give two shits. Let’s rewrite that: A cop brutalized an American man today. Wait a minute, a cop brutalized one of our own? An AMERICAN? That’s horrible! And you can turn that around, saying a white man was brutalized and actual racists from the minorities won’t care. What if we took out the labels? What if we were all just Americans in the media? Doing so may not make a difference in the short run, but over time, I believe we would stop seeing the “other” as being something separate from ourselves. Why? We’re already the same, especially economically, overall.

Coming Together will Let Us Change the Rules

So here’s all I’m saying. If we can stop pretending we’re all different from each other (yes, whites too), and come together under a banner of better economic equality, we could make each “separate” group far better economically, which would lead us to be able to pursue the even more hefty goals of fighting innate, systemic racism, and acceptance of the LGBTQ, Muslims, and all those other pesky labels. But, we can only do this if we come together as one: as Americans.

Do you think less economic disparity would help make America more accepting? Write your thoughts, invite friends or otherwise to discuss below. Thank you for reading American Dirt.

James Neal is the author of several fantasy stories, feel free to check them out:

Of Blood and Blade: $3.99 (Amazon.com)

Paints the Invisible Eye: $1.75 (Amazon.com)

Divine Right: FREE (Smashwords.com)

The Blacksmith’s Reaper: FREE (Smashwords.com

Trump Supporters are Not Automatically Bad People- Attempting to Bridge the Gap

I’ve kept pretty quiet for the presidential election cycle of 2016. Everybody, on the left and right it seemed, were being dicks to each other. Secretary Clinton called her opponent’s supporters “basket deplorables” and Donald Trump spewed so much vitriol nobody understood how he could even win a nomination, never mind the entire election.

But he did. Trump won the White House. And after seeing the graciousness with which he delivered his acceptance speech, and how Hillary Clinton hid in her room refusing to publicly, graciously, concede, I couldn’t be happier about the turnout.

Here come the “ist” comments. Oh James, you’re a sexist, misogynist, and racist. I’m sure you’ll find a few more to call me. I’m also sure somebody is going to call me stupid, uneducated, and most important, WRONG. You done?

If you’re a liberal and still reading, congratulations. There’s a chance I can still reach you despite being a straight, white male supporting Trump’s presidency. Unfortunately, it’s those who are already rage-typing their comments against me that I need to reach. That a bridge needs to be built with. However, I’m more than happy to start that bridge with you.

If you look, I haven’t posted anything for quite some time. The reason for that is because I allowed “raging” liberals to beat me into the ground. I let their bullying shut me up. It’s what they wanted and I failed to buck up against it. At the time, I wouldn’t have been able to. I was stuck between wanting to be a liberal, and not being allowed to be one; and that made me angry. It made me leave the idea of being a liberal behind. I don’t want to be that kind of person. Ever.

So, what am I now? I don’t know. I can’t even claim being a “pure” Christian. I believe in God yet think the LGBTQ community isn’t horrible and evil; and certainly not deserving of second-class citizenship. But…the LGBTQ community, en masse, DOES want straight white males to be part of that lesser-class citizenship. What am I, politically? I’m nothing. I’m not accepted in the liberal left, and I don’t fit snugly into the right. And both sides are fine with that. Just another of those stupid, poor people. We’re surprised he can type.

Neither party is for the people. The two major parties are for Wall Street. They are for whatever will make money for the Democratic and Republican leaders…and their cronies. And right now, middle-class and poor America just don’t make enough money to be worth saving. The fact that a lot of these people are white means the political machine can turn otherwise decent Americans, whom happen to be minorities, against this large portion of the population…the poor, stupid white people. And vice versa.

America answers to money, which is our god. Whether we want it to be or not, regardless if we worship something else or not, Americans’ lives are spent making money…most of us make most of our money for other people. And no, I’m not talking about welfare checks and Medicaid. I’m talking about people who buy planes for fun. That is my belief. If there is ever a political party (hardy har har) that at least includes middle-class and poor people in their recovery plans, I’m all in. I thought that would be the liberal left, the one party espousing diversity and inclusion. Nope. Straight white people are stupid, lazy, and ever racist, on top of remaining homophobic, steeped in Islamophobia, and simply not worth anybody’s time. Some straight white people are. Most can't be bothered with the "isms," we have our own problems.

But Trump won the Oval Office. Voices have been heard which have been ignored by the rich. The rich, who took jobs overseas and left us with few, if any, real options. Trump won the election not because he said mean things to the liberal left, he won because he says he has a plan to bring those jobs back to America. Because he promised to Make America Great Again by getting us shiftless, useless, stupid white people back to work. If we’re at work, we’ll be too busy making money for the people who buy planes again to bother you.

We’re not evil for supporting Trump’s presidency. We’re trying to survive in the places so many have forgotten: the hills, the grasslands, and the whole middle part of America that nobody has noticed since Detroit lost the automotive industry.

Straight, white people need to work. Most of us can’t afford to move into your big cities. We voted for the one candidate who noticed we still exist, despite his vitriol. Not because of it.

This is only the first post I’m writing in regards to building bridges between minorities and poor whites. Obviously, I haven’t touched on the issues minorities are bound to face in Trump’s America. I’m not ignoring them, I don’t believe your worries are worthless, nor your lives. This is just to start a conversation. I look forward to future discussion.

James Neal is the author of the following fantasy stories:

Of Blood and Blade $3.99 (Amazon.com)

Paints the Invisible Eye $1.75 (Amazon.com)

Divine Right free (Smashwords.com)

The Blacksmith’s Reaper free (Smashwords.com)

Breakdown of My Strong Pro-Gun Stance

Okay. I’ve heard enough liberal arguments about guns and limiting the rights of a certain group of people. Haven’t you spent years trying to keep rights from being taken from or limited to a certain group of people? Yet now you’re demanding the same be done to a group you don’t agree with, and I don’t think you understand the ramifications should your demands be met. So this article is my breakdown on a strong pro-gun stance in America. Feel free to comment, all I ask is you remain civil. If you can’t, not only will your thoughts not be considered, your thread will be deleted without hesitation. There’s been enough yelling back and forth on both sides.

Why are Gun Rights So Important?

The simple answer is this- we lose gun rights, America loses the Bill of Rights. Let me show you how these two ideas can possibly be related.

First and foremost, there are not many Americans who fully trust the American government. Even you, the liberal, have taken great strides in proving the corruption which exists in America’s politics, this should not be something we argue about. America’s government has a history of making laws which they do not stay true to the spirit of, merely the word. If you don’t know, or need a reminder, look back at the Patriot Act. Originally sold as a purely anti-terrorist solution after the 9/11 attacks, it was reauthorized twice, each time amended to add more ability to several federal agencies to spy on and record all Americans. Eventually the NSA had nearly unlimited power to look at anything you, the average American, might be doing by way of email or phone. At least, that’s what Edward Snowden told us before escaping the country. Conspiracy theories aside, it’s clear the government did not stay true to the spirit of the Patriotic Act.

So let’s come back to “updating” or ratifying the 2^nd Amendment: the right to bear arms. Given our government's past, how likely is it, really, that they will stop with a single amendment? The fear is that they will move to “update” the rest of the Bill of Rights, including illegal search and seizure, and even the Freedom of Speech which you, my dear liberal, hold just as dearly as I.

A corrupt government does not want a people who can defend themselves. And here you are, asking them to take protective rights away from you. Yes, you. Just because you decide not to own a gun, you have the right (at the moment) should you change your mind. Many in the Orlando LGBT community decided to take advantage of this protective right after the Pulse attack. I don’t blame them.

Speaking of rights, let me ask a question of those of you clamoring for guns to be banned, or limited further. Most of you seem to feel that if you’re successful, your life won’t be affected (aside from being arguably safer). Guns aren’t in your home, you don’t hunt, and you don’t shoot. What if it DID affect you in an immediate fashion? What if someone did want to take away the freedom of speech? Yes, I realize the notion is ridiculous, but stay with me. If it were a right that would affect you right now, change how you live your life, would you fight against it? I’m betting the answer is yes.

Who’s Supposed to Keep Us Safe?

A corrupt government will whittle away our Bill of Rights as more groups demand it deliver safety. This government won't bother to explain that, in making things safe, more rights must be taken away. And the punchline? No matter how many rights they take away, no matter how many laws are made, your safety still is not assured. All the government can really promise is a false sense of security.

Here’s a law of nature. Nobody, nothing in this world, can be guaranteed 100% safety. While it may be unpopular, the truth is each individual is the final bastion in how safe they are. Some people have guns, some learn martial arts, some find safety in numbers, and some find it best to be alone. As I stated above, the government cannot truly do anything to guarantee your safety, at best it can create laws that people will hopefully follow. The rest is up to you.

I choose to have a gun in my house. I chose to learn martial arts. I have yet to shoot a single soul, or even break a bone. I did bruise one gal’s abdomen with a side-kick when we sparred in the Missouri state championships many years ago. The people who know me know both about my gun and my training. The person who doesn’t, I hope, will be unpleasantly surprised should he or she attack me or my family. My point is, I took it upon myself to learn how to use these tools. How to use strategy and tactics.

That’s my way of finding safety. You are responsible for finding yours. That is not man’s law. That is nature at its most raw, and no amount of civilization has been able to deny this truth.

The Argument for Mental Health Evaluations

I recently had a spirited conversation with a liberal friend of mine. One of the things we agreed on insofar as solutions, was mental health evaluations. In our conversation, my friend made it sound like everybody should receive one. I later discovered that this friend’s intention was that only gun owners or would-be gun owners should receive these evaluations.

Why do you want to separate out and make another group different from everybody else? Again? No, if we’re going to go for mental health evaluations, everybody in America goes through the ordeal. We are equal. And since the 2^nd Amendment is in place, and any of us could possibly become gun owners, we all need to be checked out.

Bonus: We may even prevent would-be mass shooters from ever legally touching a gun. We might even find the guy or gal who might have killed people with a knife, or machete, or gasoline, or by strangling, or any number of other deadly weapons.

Possible Solutions

It wouldn’t be fair to not suggest solutions considering I’m taking a strong pro-gun stance. So, here is my shortlist for making America a marginally safer place:

·         Mental health evaluations for EVERYBODY, but not conducted by government officials.

·         Require all students to pass a detailed gun safety course before graduation, whether that be through the school, a shooting range, or other licensed educator.

·         Direct several schools of science to determine if there are consistent factors leading to shootings, especially (?) mass shootings. If we discover a factor, determine if it can be controlled or eliminated altogether.

·         If nothing else, you can still arm yourself.

James Neal is the author of these stories:

Of Blood and Blade; a dark fantasy novel on Amazon

Paints the Invisible Eye; a dark fantasy novella on Amazon 

Divine Right (linked to Smashwords); a free fantasy short story available on Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and other digital bookstores.

The Blacksmith's Reaper: (linked to Smashwords); a free fantasy short on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and other digital bookstores.

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Not Hearing the Inspiration to Write

I didn't grow up aspiring to be a writer. My love was focused on art, specifically comic books, and the mythic figures drawn onto the page. Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, and the X-Men drove me forward and allowed me to believe I could become much stronger than I was.

I copied the best stances of my favorite heroes from the page. I drew Venom so many times that my dad believed I was into witchcraft and demons. I wasn't, I was into cool looking badasses. I drew every day, not thinking about discipline, or where this was going to take me. I didn't think about how much money I could (or couldn't) make, or how hard it might be to break into comics. Even the fact that I loved the stories presented as much as I loved the art escaped me. I accepted that I was going to be a comic book artist, and that was okay. I became a webcomic artist, of my own creation, for about 19 strips. That endeavor made me a grand total of $.75.

Being a writer never occurred to me in my teens despite my seventh grade teacher giving me all A's on my creative writing assignments, and my language teacher being impressed with all my reports. Those were just…things…homework I had to do, even if they were easy. I never stopped to wonder why some of my classmates had so much trouble finishing these types of assignments. I certainly never had a teacher specifically tell me "You need to go into writing."

Blaming others for my current insecurities would be easy, but pointless. Real life doesn't happen like it does in the movies and TV. Until it does. While in college, my language professor DID tell me I should get into writing. She even tried to get me into this special workshop where you met people in the writing industry. I should have gone. Instead, I made a baby, and decided to play it safe by quitting college and working full time to support my new family. At Wal-Mart. Real life can happen like it does in the movies and on TV; but you must be awake enough to realize it while it's happening.

I didn't grow up aspiring to be a writer. Now that I am a writer, an author even, I wonder where I'd be had I been listening to what my teachers had been telling me all this time: You're meant to put words on the page that let people feel something, James. Go. Do it!

To my teachers, to my professor I failed so horribly, I'm sorry I didn't hear the real message you were giving me with your small praises. I'm putting in my time now, and I'm not giving up. Every word I write is meant to inspire.

I'm not the best yet…but I'm working hard and giving my writing everything I've got.

James Neal is the author of these stories:

Of Blood and Blade; a dark fantasy novel on Amazon

Paints the Invisible Eye; a dark fantasy novella on Amazon &

Divine Right (linked to Smashwords); a free fantasy short story available on Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and other digital bookstores.

The Blacksmith's Reaper: a FREE fantasy short landing on April 21, 2016 on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and other digital bookstores.

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New Information Dealers are Showing Up Where Big Media Won't

Currently, when you think of being an American, chances are good you think about the inequalities running rampant through our aged, non-progressive system. You have to fight to be heard. The battle to actually change the system is staggering. Yet, post Occupy Wall Street, the younger generation is mixing old rights with new technology to exact the changes they want to see. How successful are they? The war is young…but tempered with young hearts and ideology, it is far from over.

Utilizing social media is not new for the millennial generation. This "new" technology has been around since their birth, they're growing up with social media as part of their every day, where they share everything from memes to what they're having for breakfast.

Ideas are also being shared. Important ideas such as how the government is unfair to certain races and how big-money owns what policies get passed into law. The influence of these individuals over social media is strong enough, their voices loud enough, that they forced gay marriage to become a reality.

Think about that for a moment.

The Young Turks logo

DemocracySpring.org has set up at least two protests already. Today, on the steps of the White House, 400 people out of a five-thousand man protest were hauled to jail. The protest was about repealing Citizen's United, the law which allows corporations to donate money to political campaigns as a citizen instead of as a company. TYT (The Young Turks) provided a livestream from their Facebook page, which showed not only peaceful protesters, but also calm police. Unsurprisingly, none of the major media brands were there to broadcast this obviously big story.

Why is it a big deal if major media brands weren't there? Essentially, they gave the story to young people, to propagate its meaning however they want. If major media plans to ignore these types of stories, they are giving power to those who will cover them. Which is fine, for now. The longer they refuse to acknowledge the presence of new information dealers- who are going to become the source of information for an ever-growing portion of the nation- the harder it will be to come back up when the scales tip away from their favor.

America's "normal people" are rising. They demand, in loud and clear voices, fairness and a right to live by standards people living in a country considered a superpower should be able to live. And sure, there's some entitlement there. Overwhelmingly, that entitlement is proving to be less geared towards the individual as it is towards the rights and fairness to all.

God bless America, stay strong out there.

James Neal is the author of three stories:

Of Blood and Blade; a dark fantasy novel on Amazon

Paints the Invisible Eye; a dark fantasy novella on Amazon &

Divine Right (linked to Smashwords); a free fantasy short story available on Smashwords, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and other digital bookstores.

The Blacksmith's Reaper: a FREE fantasy short soon to be released

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