LOT's Political Breakdown

Cyberbullying is not fake news. Virtual anonymity opened a whole new can of worms when it comes to bullying. Unfortunately, it is an aspect of the wonderful world of technology at our fingertips—more pointedly in our children’s hands, but even more concernedly at the whim of the President of the United States. Over time the power of cyber intimidation shed its cloak of invisibility to become a badge of honor for those wielding the keyboard. The war wages on and by adding the internet and social media to its bullying arsenal, it has become a superpower hindering the ability to prevent much less eliminate it altogether. How do we win this war if the 45th POTUS sets the example that cyberbullying is acceptable? The government has a dedicated site to stop bullying , The definition of bullying, per the website, is: In 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Department of Education released the first federal uniform definition of bullying for research and surveillance.1 The core elem...

Initially, my purpose in writing a blog was to purge the despair growing inside me after the assassination of my naivete in November. I wanted to focus on the facts and help educate others who recently pulled their heads out of the sand of silence. Three articles in, I’m not finding the voice I desperately crave. This post is self-indulgent. Bear with me while I ramble. A slow burning anger seethes in my blood. It lingers beneath the surface and rears its ugly head at the most inopportune times. My day job is in corporate America. I walk a thin line between the ingrained work ethic I assume came pre-packaged in my DNA and the desire to follow Johnny Paycheck’s immortal lyric, “Take this job and shove it.” I can’t find my way anymore. How do you marry the fact that you missed your calling, but you’re not sure what the original mission entailed? Since Trump’s election, self-reflection has brought me more questions, fewer answers. Most days I live and breathe politics. I consum...

Are you registered to vote? Do you vote? Does your vote matter? If you answered no to any of these questions, you are not alone. I am registered, but honestly, in the past, before last year’s presidential election, I thought my vote didn’t make a difference. Someone else’s ballot would inevitably cancel mine out, so why bother? Don’t get me wrong, I voted, but not in all races, and rarely in a local one. People used to consider casting their ballot to be an honor. Our right to vote didn’t happen overnight. When did the patriotism fade? When did it become okay not to participate? If you look at the history behind your right to vote, you will find it has not been an easy road. Initially, only white Protestant male property owners had that right. Through the blood, sweat, and perseverance of those before us, Amendments XV and XIX have solidified the right for a U.S. citizen to register and cast a ballot. Unfortunately, the battle continues. In 2008 certain states passed measures tha...

Recently, I spent dinner bending a close friend’s ear with talk of politics.   Are you in the Sixth District?  Have you heard about #Flipthe6th?  Have you heard about Jon Ossoff?  No?  Let me tell you what I’ve learned.  Jon Ossoff (D) blipped onto my radar with the Republican’s first negative ad against him.  He is running in the Georgia Sixth Congressional District Special Election, with seventeen others, to replace Tom Price (R).  Old video surfaced of Jon dressed up as Han Solo and another of him playing beer pong in college.  The ad’s intent—to have people dismiss him as a frat boy—had the opposite effect on me.  How is Han Solo a bad role model to emulate?  I’d be disappointed if he hadn’t played beer pong in college.  I started Googling.  Turns out he had a message that resonated with me.  A positive one.  He isn’t running negative ads against his opponents.  His campaign slogan is 'Make Trump Furi...

Post-election day punched me in the gut with tsunami force fists. I never allowed myself to fathom the possibility of that egotistical, narcissistic, misogynist winning. I zombie walked my way through the day my political naiveté died… So bye, bye Miss American Pie … Choosing my preferred escape method, I set my channel to Antenna TV, and fell into bed, literally and figuratively pulling the covers over my head. If you are not familiar with this station, it runs old shows, such as All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and Bewitched . And so, began my immersion into the past for three weeks, reverting to my childhood, and eliminating current events. Out of sight, out of mind. Stepping inside my four walls each evening, I was transported to a more innocent time. Or so I thought. The episodes of All in the Family began to ring too close to what was happening in our country. The bigoted Archie Bunker’s voice spewed words from the seventies that I naively thought had fallen into a v...