The Birth Certificate is Less Important Right Now Than Other Things: Let's Get It Together Guys

I work the front desk at a hotel and every day I browse through news articles but not because I show a true interest in American politics.  I'm a horrible American, minority, veteran, etc., because I feel as if I don't time to worry about things that I feel don't matter to me.  Don't get me wrong, I care about what is going on that is actually important in our great country, but sometimes a lot of what people put on speculation seems pretty ridiculous to me.

A few articles I've skimmed through this week really got on my nerves.  One article, from CNN Opinion, finally calmed my nerves when I read it today.  In this article, author Tavis Smiley, speaks on the issue of how the media helped to inflate mass controversy about President Barack Obama's origin and birth certificate.  Reading his article made me feel bittersweet with both disgust in Smiley's notion and also wanting to applaud his recognition of such a ridiculous situation.

The most noteworthy aspect of the article was a paragraph that read, "...the real danger in the artificial crisis over the president's birth certificate is not Donald Trump becoming president, but a news media unwilling to apply a basic filter for what it publishes, posts and broadcasts. Failing to do so degrades the quality of news in general, making people less trusting and increasingly disinterested."

Why do we care so much about whether or not Obama has a birth certificate?  There's so many other things we must focus on rather than whether or not an already elected president is a natural born citizen.  But yet we allow the media to let us believe that something so irrelevant is very important, at this moment.  

Granted, I do believe it is something that should not be overlooked.  But why now?  Shouldn't we be screening our presidential candidates before they are elected into office.  Not only that, the media's effect on America is quite absurd.  By focusing on things that are less important, we set aside greater issues that should be put forward.  

The media's persuasive effect on America manipulates politics into a pop-culture and forces many Americans to lose sight of what reality is.  By scrutinizing politicians, we are only wasting valuable time and energy that could be potentially used to focus on other things.  I.E. natural disasters, war, violence, etc.

Bobby Franklin is a sexist idiot.

In her article, Jenny Hollingsworth states that Georgia lawmaker is trying to pass a bill that states that if a woman has a miscarriage, she could potentially face jail time or the death penalty.

This blew my mind. Scientifically and logically, Bobby Franklin's argument that a woman is responsible for her miscarrying her own child does not make any sense. Miscarriages are a way of letting the body know that something is physically wrong and our bodies are not prepared or the baby itself is not healthy enough to continue growth. I firmly agree that he does sound like "the most ignorant person I have heard of in a long time." He is pretty much a sexist idiot, in my eyes. Knowing what a woman physically goes through emotionally and physically during a miscarriage is without a doubt something that can only be determined by she herself. Male physicians and scientists can only base their educated assumptions on statistics and precedents.

I am also, highly offended by this bill and couldn't agree with Jenny more. She states in her article that, "As if having a miscarriage is hard enough on a woman, lets add some ridiculous nonsense into the pot," and I think this could not be any more right on the money. Miscarriages are without a doubt traumatic, emotionally and physically, for any woman in her right mind.

Granted, there may be situations where a child has been placed in harmful situation and that has caused a miscarriage. The logical route to address these situations would be to further investigate, not automatically assume that a woman is being malevolent. The relationship between a mother and child is sacred, and typically drugs and alcohol are the only factors that would cause a woman to be jaded enough to harm their own child. Either that or just pure psychological impairment. Regardless, if there is any doubt that any of these may be possibilities, ideally a physician would be smart enough to address it and call Social Services or the police department.

His argument is no way supported by sufficient evidence and he himself, sounds psychologically impaired. I could go on and on about how greatly Jenny has expressed her article that he is a jackass but I'm going to go ahead and just say that she pretty much just hit it right on the money, with the "I wish Bobby Franklin had ovaries" title. Great commentary.

My whining...

We all have something that bothers us about U.S. national government.  Well, probably many things...Whether that be a law, or lack there of in certain areas, we can all argue that our country's governmental system isn't perfect.  Sitting here trying to think about what makes me most upset about the national government was difficult.  I honestly had to think back to a situation in which I was really frustrated with the government itself.  It was hard...But I finally thought:

GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE!  Boom.  Why, while in line at the grocery store, must I have to watch a fashionably tasteless person that looks like they've spent more money on their outfit than their children's, pay for groceries using government assistance and then use their own money to buy alcohol.  Does the government not screen these individuals?   Why am I as a taxpayer forced to enable this?

When I got out of the military, the first thing I did was file for unemployment.  I thought it was justified, considering I had just spent four years being a slave to the government and  because I was moving to Austin, a brand new city to me,  to start school after taking a 5 year break.  I figured I needed to give myself an opportunity to not only adjust to civilian life, but also adjust to being in a foreign place and learn how to 'learn' again.  I called the unemployment office one day, and was impressed by how I was being treated so sincerely for being a vet and applying for benefits, so I thought to myself "no big deal."  Weeks later,  I called to ask about why I had not heard anything and received a different tone of voice on the line than the last.  The lady who I was speaking to this time was very rude, and told me "Ms. Rivas, you wrote on your application that you weren't willing to quit school. If you aren't willing to quit school to obtain a job full - time, then we cannot offer you our services.  Unemployment is a way of helping people when they are transition from one job to another.  It isn't a means to put people through school."

I was enraged at her assumptions that I was trying to milk the system and not only that, had the audacity to be rude to me from the time she answered the phone.  She didn't even know me.  I asked her, "Okay, ma'am but that is exactly what I am doing.  Transitioning.  Is there a reason you are being rude to me?  You're acting like I'm a stoner kid who got fired from pizza place.  I served this country honorably so that you could thankfully live safely in place where these programs even exist.  And you're treating me like I'm a piece of shit because I am not willing to quit school and because I have the desire further be a productive member of society?"

Maybe I should've told her I was working on my G.E.D. and couldn't quit night school.  These individuals I see in lines at the grocery stores, using W.I.C. and the Lone Star card....is anyone watching their discretionary income? Are they being drug tested?  Is there a social worker that stops by their residence to make sure they are attempting to progress and contest their life struggles?  Or do we really let people habitually use government assistance as a means of income and bypass those who really just need it temporarily to transition from one stepping stone to another?  Is anyone watching them, watch their kids?

One could only hope that each family that receives these incentives is being observed by someone who can determine whether or not they are actually benefitting from them.