GET OUTTA UR WAY

 The United States has been in a constitutional crisis since July 2024, when the Supreme Court ruled that a president has immunity when he or she is in office. I made this video two months ago one day sitting in my home office. The lighting is bad, and the look is not glamorous, but the words were totally unscripted and impromptu. More recently the current occupant of the White House has essentially ignored the ruling of a federal judge and the United States Supreme Court to return someone being imprisoned in an El Salvadorian concentration camp. MAGA wanted a king to worship and now they have one and he is making their lives a living hell. But they asked for it.

  Have you ever wished for something remarkable to manifest in your life—like an unexpected financial windfall, a bonus, a refund, or an inheritance? I am someone who lives in the realm of positive expectations, always believing the glass is half full. I thrive on hearing good news and stories of answered prayers. Gratitude is woven into my daily life; I express thanks to God profusely throughout the day. There’s nothing I cherish more than hearing positive physician reports for myself and my family. As a natural-born cheerleader, I take immense joy in seeing people thrive and live their best lives. But lately, I've been yearning for the exhilarating thrill of receiving good news from a different avenue—like an unexpected check in the mail rather than another bill. Just imagining it fills me with excitement.   However, I must admit that I’ve been wandering through a "good news desert," with no relief in sight. A desert, as defined, is a dry, arid region that receives li...

  On October 24, 2024, a month away from the first death anniversary of my oldest brother I took out my journal and penned these words. I promised myself today I wouldn't cry. But I lied. I promised myself today that I would remember you as you lived not as you died. But I didn't. I promised myself today that I would think happy thoughts and laugh when thinking of you. But I couldn't. I promised myself that when I got in the car I wouldn't think about all the times you were seated next to me and we laughed about a story our younger brother told us from the back seat. But I didn't. I promised myself that today I would accept your pure desire to vacate your body temple to live in an immortal one. But I can't. From the place where you now dwell you know all things. You knew leaving the physical realm would give you peace and leave me with grief. You knew that I would shed endless tears but you knew that my inner capacity for resilience would one day, in time, sudde...

Otherization is defined as labeling and defining people or groups as "the Other," which can reinforce power imbalances and lead to negative consequences. The word algorithm is defined as a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer. Lastly, freedom is defined as the state of encompassing the ability to act, speak, think, and believe without restriction or interference.  For the past few weeks, I’ve been viewing videos from around the world capturing various groups of people protesting against their government policies. In each instance there’s a global message of people feeling they’ve been categorized as “the other”. Social media platforms are used to organize “the others” and information has the ability to be shared in nanoseconds. Computerized algorithms gather information from millions of people in seconds. Additionally, the ability to share information from one platform to the other replicates vide...

I used to live on a planet called Earth in a country called the United States of America, but I don’t recognize anything. The surroundings are unfamiliar, and breathing requires an oxygen tank because the air is deadly and toxic. While stumbling around with my oxygen mask on I’m reminded of a concept called democracy. My mind starts reeling and thoughts come pouring through such as what happened to the Constitution, civil rights, the Supreme Court, Congress, the House of Representatives, separation of church and state, privacy, human rights, friendly alliances, and allegiances? These days life feels like an amalgamation of the popular show Stranger Things and The Matrix. In other words, it feels like a simulation. Am I living inside a video game, a weird movie, or a streaming series?  The action of the current leader feels like a poorly designed video game. I’m no gamer but I raised one. Excellent video games are described as those that are beatable with a degree of difficulty. How...

Writing serves as a cathartic outlet for me. Throughout my life, I have engaged in journaling, affirmation writing, and declarative note-taking. As a believer in Habakkuk 2:2-3, which states " This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed".  I attribute my ability to discern the outcome from the outset to this practice Today, I encountered a particularly challenging interaction with an individual employed by the city government. His behavior was characterized by rudeness and an air of superiority. While in his office, I envisioned how he would interact with individuals who could not formulate a well-thought-out action plan. Despite the early hour, his apparent disgust and anger towards my submission of the appropriate paperwork, and my respectful demeanor seemingly overwhelmed him. The city official displayed an inflated sense of self-importanc...