Its Sunday, so nobody (on Hive) will see this post, but I'm gonna publish it anyway. I was speaking recently with someone about world events, when out of the blue, she labeled me. "Being a student, you must be a progressive." It was odd hearing my complex political makeup reduced to one word.
Yes, I live in a left-wing area, and yes I was a committed "Bernie Bro" on Twitter in 2016 and 2020. But she'd likely have wet herself if she knew my not-very-progressive stance on the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms (inviolate), and my take on immigration (which changed after my sweet, beloved grandmother was murdered by an illegal immigrant that she was feeding).
My political opinions are EXTREME on both sides. I cherry-pick a mix of political thought from both the left and the right. Like Joe Rogan, I'm difficult to nail down, and my beliefs are buttressed by a combination of nuance and shades of gray, weaved together with a strong thread of good old-fashioned American patriotism.
If I were President, I doubt I'd last long because I would do what was best for the country itself and not the party. I'd make tons of unpopular decisions that would piss off both the left and the right, and would probably be taken out by my own secret service detail lol!
President Eisenhower's warnings about the military industrial complex would be heeded by me, which is why I likely wouldn't last very long. :) But seriously, I'm a man with very nuanced positions on all manner of subjects, who genuinely wants what's best for my country and an end to the 'Forever Wars.'
Too often, nuance isn't used when it comes to political thought. Yes, a person can hold progressive beliefs while also supporting a right to bear arms. Why must they be mutually exclusive of each other? Hell, I think the entire country should be open carry, and that Americans should be REQUIRED to own a gun and have it on their person when they leave the house.
Does that sound like a progressive to you?
America would either have more mass shootings Or... The cowards that engage in them would think twice if everyone else was armed... I saw the uncensored video of the supermarket shooting in Buffalo NY, and wondered if the creep who did that would have been so brave if those shoppers had all received firearms training and were packing heat... Openly...
At the same time, I believe that THOSE WHO WANT IT, should have the option to join (and be taxed for), a single-payer national health insurance plan. But it should not be forced on those who prefer the for-profit healthcare system.
See? Nuance.
Same with a national childcare plan. Offer it only to those willing to be taxed for it, and leave everybody else the hell alone.
Entering 'The Gray Zone'
Many Americans don't know that the US currently has a territorial dispute with Canada. Of all places, CANADA... I know because I read a lot. Google "Machias Seal Island" to learn more. Here's a list of the current territorial disputes between the US and Canada.
I wonder if Jongo's been there to see the Puffins...
Someone called me a "Populist" years ago, and I didn't even know what it meant, because many of my political opinions sure as hell aren't popular! lol!
The thing that keeps me awake at night is CHINA. War with them is a matter of "when" not "if." And if you don't think so, you might wanna try speaking with the people in the US territories of Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Along with them, the citizens in the US states of Hawaii and Alaska, also might have a very different opinion due to their proximity to China and North Korea, then someone living in the continental United States does.
That's why I believe its so important to break out of our own personal bubbles of perception, and that hearing what others think, is crucial to having a healthy, balanced, and well-rounded political persona. To see that not all opinions are black or white, but many shades of gray.