VIA~~~Charlie Thornton
Let me tell you why I'm with the Brown folk and queer folk and the women folk - somebody just reminded me of this - I was born and raised less than 10 miles from where I live right now. I'm a white dude, a southern dude, I own a gun, I have a job, I vote,  I drink beer, I fish, I pay my taxes, I grew up raising hell and listening to the Allman brothers ....
But the flag-waving Uber-patriots still come at me foaming at the mouth and telling me I'm not American enough, not straight enough, not man enough to be part of what they think belongs in "their America." Literally happened completely unprovoked about 10 minutes ago.
Now, if these crazy jackasses come at me??? - when I have a redneck pedigree that goes back to the Civil War.... how much more are they gonna try to persecute people that aren't like me? I'm literally everything they say they want, except I won't vote for institutionalized racism and a war on women and queer folk.
Screw them!
Persecuting people and hating people is no way to go through life. Miss me with all that
I'll be hanging with the womens and the queers and every color that the Good Lord made us in. And we will be looking better and eating better and having hell a lot more fun.
Bet on that.
@magachrchpastr You’re an idiot and a fake. His 400k salary of
Nothing when he’s grifting billions from tax payday, selling favors, and merchandizing the office of president.
THE INSANELY RIGGED ECONOMY
Yesterday, while tens of millions of families were struggling to pay for rent, food, healthcare, childcare and gas, seven of Trump's oligarchic friends became $210 billion richer. Not last week. Not over the past decade. In less than 24 hours, these 7 men, the wealthiest people on earth, became $210 billion richer.
Incredibly, since Trump was elected on November 5, 2024, these 7 men, all Big Tech Oligarchs, have become more than $1.5 trillion richer and are now collectively worth over $2.8 trillion. Meanwhile, we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of any other wealthy nation, young adults have a lower standard of living than their parents and over 20% of our seniors are trying to survive on an annual income of $15,000 a year or less.
Yes. We are living in an oligarchy.
A Good Day for Trump’s Friends:
Yesterday, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, got $164.8 billion richer and is now worth $1.4 trillion. He’s worth $1.1 trillion more than on Election Day.
Yesterday, Larry Page, the second wealthiest man in the world, gained $7.61 billion in wealth and is now worth $314 billion. He’s worth $161 billion more than on Election Day.
Yesterday, Sergey Brin, the third richest man in the world, got $7.01 billion richer and is now worth $292 billion. He’s worth $148 billion more than on Election Day.
Yesterday, Jeff Bezos, the fourth richest man in the world, gained $6.96 billion in wealth and is now worth $267 billion. He’s worth $46 billion more than on Election Day.
Yesterday, Larry Ellison, the fifth wealthiest man in the world, gained $8.92 billion in wealth and is now worth $247 billion. He’s worth $63 billion more than on Election Day.
Yesterday, Michael Dell, the sixth richest man in the world, got $5.86 billion richer and is now worth $218 billion. He’s worth $101 billion more than on Election Day.
Yesterday, Mark Zuckerberg, the seventh richest man in the world, gained $9.16 billion in wealth and is now worth $211 billion. He’s worth $8 billion more than on Election Day.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best: “Call it democracy or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all of God’s children.”
They crack jokes about George Floyd and laugh in our faces, and we do nothing.
They shoot our children in the back and then sentence them as adults for defending themselves and we do nothing.
They call Michelle Obama, the first Black First Lady of the United States a Man, and a Monkey and we do nothing.
They strip away voting rights in the same southern states where we send our best Black athletes to play college sports to make them BILLIONS, and we do nothing.
They openly talk about bringing SLAVERY back, and we do nothing.
We are desensitized to our own disrespect.
@SenSanders@AOC Brings 2 mind that biblical scripture “it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle”.
The wealthy will not part with their gains. Whether ill gotten or legitimate. The rest of us have no voice, as they control legislation. It’s been this way since we bartered.
To everyone so eager to cancel someone for a tattoo they got at age 22, a drunk text, a selfie they took in the middle of a mental health crisis:
Show us your laptop.
Show us your iCloud.
Open your entire digital life to your worst enemy. No context. No filter. No explanation.
You won’t.
You won’t because you know what I know. Any one of us, frozen at our worst moment, photographed in our lowest hour, looks like a monster. Looks like a stranger. Looks like someone who deserves to be cast out.
That is not who we are.
My mom and baby sister were killed in a car accident when I was just a kid. Cancer took my brother Beau, my best friend and my rock. I battled alcoholism. I battled addiction. I chose the coward’s way out more times than I can count.
For years I believed the defining chapters of my life were written by tragedy, loss, and shame.
I no longer believe that.
Pain can shape us. Loss can humble us. Failures can leave scars that never fully fade. But none of them have the authority to define us.
And it sure as hell ain’t the critic that counts.
That authority belongs to us alone-the person in the arena.
Every setback presents a choice. Play the victim, or cut the bullshit and take ownership for who we become next.
Life does not determine our character. It reveals it.
Again and again we are asked the same question. When shit happens, what next?
We are not defined by what happened to us. We are not defined by the worst photo, the worst text, the worst tattoo, the worst night. We are defined by the person we choose to become. And by the courage to choose that person, every single day.
So before you reach for the gavel - show us your laptop.
You won’t.
The whole world saw mine. And I am still here. Still becoming. Still choosing. Still standing.
That is the only definition that matters.