Miguel 'Mike' Denyer

Nature photographer. Veteran. Chaser of bugs, birds & light. Prints, eBooks & workshops. Real shots, zero BS. 📸🐝🌌

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

Road to 100K Starts Now.

1,259 here.

Rookie numbers.

Not for ego.
For leverage.
Photography.
Discipline.
Standards.

If you’re here early, you’re part of the foundation.
Let’s build this properly.

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@ZenfinityDesign Happy Father's Day, Brother.

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

Five years ago today, I became an American citizen.

Now that might not sound like a particularly big deal to some folks. After all, if you were born here, you've been an American your entire life. It's something you've always had. Like breathing. It's just there.

For me, it was different.

I wasn't born here.

I was born in Wales, in a little town called Llandovery, and I grew up in the United Kingdom. As a young man, I loved my country enough to spend eight years serving in Her Majesty's Armed Forces. I wore the uniform, took the oath, and served with pride. Those years helped shape the man I became, and nothing will ever change that.

Then life happened.

Somewhere along the way, a Welsh lad found himself crossing the Atlantic and building a life in America.

What I expected was a change of scenery.

What I got was a home.

Twenty-five years later, I find myself sitting in a backyard in Michigan, looking at a flag that means every bit as much to me as the one I grew up under.

That didn't happen overnight.

It took twenty years to become a citizen.

Twenty years of paperwork, waiting, bureaucracy, government forms, more waiting, and enough frustration to test the patience of a saint. Fortunately, I was never accused of being a saint.

Then, five years ago today, I stood in a room full of people from all over the world and raised my right hand.

Some came from Europe.

Some from Asia.

Some from Africa.

Some from South America.

Different languages. Different cultures. Different histories.

Yet all of us were there for the same reason.

We had chosen America.

Not because we were born here.

Not because it was easy.

Not because it was convenient.

Because we believed in what this country stands for.

And despite all the noise, all the division, all the politicians who couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery, I still believe in it.

America isn't perfect.

No nation is.

But she remains one of the few places on Earth where a man can arrive with little more than determination, work his backside off, build a life, raise a family, start businesses, and create opportunities that never would have existed otherwise.

This country gave me a home.

It gave me a future.

It gave me opportunities I could never have imagined as a young Welshman.

Most importantly, it gave me a choice.

The chance to stand up and say:

"Yes. This is my country."

And when I took that oath five years ago, I meant it.

Every word.

The same way I meant the oath I took as a young serviceman all those years ago.

If the day ever came when this nation genuinely needed defending, I would stand for her without hesitation.

Not because I was born here.

Not because I have to.

But because I chose her.

So tonight there'll be a bonfire in the backyard, a glass raised to absent friends, and a quiet moment of gratitude for the journey that brought me here.

From a small town in Wales to citizenship in the United States of America.

Not a bad adventure, all things considered.

Happy 5th Citizenship Anniversary to me.

God bless America.

🇺🇸

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

Hit me up if you're going to show up... I'll give you the details on how to get here... obviously those living too far away from Garden City, Michigan, are not likely to attend, but are welcome nonetheless...

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@FarmGirlCarrie It's also not MY job to pay your wages

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

A serious question for my fellow Americans...

How many of you have actually read the Declaration of Independence?

How many of you have actually read the Constitution of the United States?

How many of you have actually read the Bill of Rights?

And no... watching a TikTok, reading a meme, or listening to some silver-tongued politician explain what they claim the Constitution says doesn't count.

I mean actually sat down and read the damned thing.

Cover to cover.

You see, every election cycle, millions of Americans march off to the ballot box and cast votes that will affect not only their own lives, but the lives of their children and grandchildren. Yet many of those same people couldn't tell you the difference between the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and a coupon for half-price chicken nuggets.

That should concern all of us.

The Declaration of Independence explains why this nation came into existence.

The Constitution explains how it is supposed to function.

The Bill of Rights explains the liberties that were considered so important that the government was specifically forbidden from interfering with them.

Notice something?

The Constitution was never intended to be a handbook for controlling the people.

It was intended to be a set of shackles placed upon the government.

The Founders did not trust government. That's why they spent so much time limiting it.

And before someone starts foaming at the mouth and accusing me of supporting one political party or another, let me save you the effort.

I don't care whether the politician has a D after their name, an R after their name, or identifies as a bloody garden gnome.

Power attracts people who want more power.

Always has.

Always will.

Which is precisely why the American people were given the responsibility of keeping a close eye on those who seek to govern them.

That responsibility begins with understanding the system.

Read the Constitution.

Read the Bill of Rights.

Read the Declaration of Independence.

Read the Federalist Papers if you're feeling particularly ambitious and your attention span hasn't been completely destroyed by social media.

Stop relying on politicians, activists, television personalities, internet influencers, and professional outrage merchants to tell you what these documents say.

Read them yourself.

Because here's the uncomfortable truth:

A free Republic only remains free for as long as its citizens understand what freedom is, how it is protected, and how easily it can be lost.

We still have peaceful means to influence the future of this nation.

We have discussion.

We have education.

We have civic involvement.

And we have the ballot box.

History has repeatedly shown that when a people become ignorant, apathetic, or willing to surrender their responsibilities as citizens, the alternatives that eventually follow are rarely pleasant and almost never peaceful.

I do not want to see that happen.

You should not want to see that happen either.

The Constitution is not self-enforcing.

It cannot defend itself.

It requires an informed and engaged citizenry willing to stand watch.

Because once liberty is lost, history shows that getting it back is usually a lot harder, a lot uglier, and a lot more expensive than keeping it in the first place.

Read the documents.

Know your rights.

Know the limits of government.

And for the love of all that is holy, stop voting for people simply because they have the correct letter after their name.

America deserves better than that.

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

Earlier this year, I made a prediction, and before anyone starts getting excited, no, it wasn't because I'm psychic, it wasn't because I have contacts hidden away in some intelligence agency, and it certainly wasn't because I possess a crystal ball. It was simply the result of spending a lifetime studying violence, terrorism, criminal behavior, threat management, and the sort of people who believe that murdering complete strangers is somehow a reasonable way to advance a cause.

I looked at a calendar and saw America's 250th Birthday coming up, along with other significant dates such as the 25th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks. For most Americans, those dates mean celebrations, commemorations, parades, fireworks, sporting events, concerts, massive crowds, national pride on display, and television coverage reaching every corner of the globe.

For the bad guys, however, they see exactly the same thing through a very different lens.

And I remember thinking to myself, "If I were planning a terrorist attack, these are precisely the sorts of dates and events that would be circled in red ink."

Not because they are easy targets, but because they are symbolic targets.

The objective isn't simply to kill people. If it were, there are easier ways of doing that. The objective is to create fear, generate headlines, dominate news cycles, and attack the values, beliefs, and institutions represented by the people gathered there.

So I said at the time that if there was ever a year to pay attention to your surroundings, this was it.

Now here we are, and authorities have disrupted a terrorist plot targeting the President's Birthday celebration.

Thankfully, the people responsible for protecting the public did exactly what we pay them to do. The plot was uncovered, the suspects were arrested, and a lot of innocent people got to go home to their families.

Good.

That is exactly how the story is supposed to end.

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean the story is over.

The Fourth of July is still approaching. The 25th Anniversary of 9/11 is still approaching. There are still countless public gatherings, celebrations, sporting events, festivals, and commemorative events planned throughout the remainder of the year, and if one group was willing to contemplate something like this, I would consider it naïve to assume nobody else is thinking along similar lines.

Now before somebody accuses me of fearmongering, let me stop you right there.

I am not telling anybody to stay home.

I am not telling anybody to hide in a bunker.

I am not telling anybody to live in fear.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

Go to the celebrations.

Take your family.

Attend the ball game.

Go to the concert.

Watch the fireworks.

Wave the flag.

Enjoy your freedom.

Live your life.

The people who came before us sacrificed too much to preserve those freedoms for us to voluntarily surrender them because a handful of extremists want us to be afraid.

What I am saying is that there is a vast difference between being afraid and being aware.

Pay attention to your surroundings.

Know where the exits are.

Trust your instincts.

If something feels wrong, don't ignore it because you're worried about appearing rude, paranoid, or politically incorrect.

Over the years I've learned that your subconscious notices things long before your conscious mind catches up. If that little voice in the back of your head starts whispering that something isn't right, listen to it.

The overwhelming majority of people you will encounter are decent, hardworking, law-abiding human beings who simply want to enjoy their day in peace.

Unfortunately, history repeatedly demonstrates that it only takes one determined lunatic to change a lot of lives forever.

After a lifetime spent around violence, conflict, and human stupidity, I've learned that the goal of terrorism has never been merely to kill people. The real objective is to make everybody else afraid.

Don't help them achieve that objective.

Live your life.

Enjoy your freedom.

Celebrate your country.

Just do so with your eyes open.

Because the sheepdog doesn't spend his life terrified of wolves.

He simply understands that wolves exist.

Stay safe.

Stay vigilant.

And for God's sake, pay attention.

— Mig

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@AntiWokeMemes No... those weren't immigrants... they were conquerors... and your ass got conquered.

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@PecanC8 It is.. 18 USC Section 700.

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@Excellentsalvic Stupidity

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@Excellentsalvic No they can't

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@NuclearMAGAlady He deserves to be put down like a rabid dog... but I guess life in prison will have to do.

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@AntiWokeMemes Lizzy? Who the fuck is that?

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@AFlorence10462 What about the innocent young man who he murdered in cold blood?

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@AntiLeftMemes Yes... do it... then the US can declare war against Commifornia, which would last about 5 minutes, we would then absorb it back into the US and bring it back to normalcy after addressing the likes of Newscum.

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@Will_iam_001 I call it, getting jumped in to a gang... because that's what he was really doing... that's why he had a knife at a track meet... "kill a white guy and you can be in our gang"

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@EmilySm43 Thank you...

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

Ban it... because religious freedom means few to practice your religion, or be free from religion. The Muslim call to prayer forces others to be exposed to the Muslim faith whether they like it or not... therefore the call to prayer is a violation of the religious freedoms of others.

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@AntiLeftMemes Completely unaffected other than the fact that she's a very tall individual... because the rifle she's carrying appears so small against her back that she's either 8 feet tall or that rigid was AI generated in her photo.. oh wait...

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@dimkovska88 Well then... fuck off in that direction... keep fucking off until you come to a gate with a sign that says "No Fucking Off Beyond This Point"... ignore that sign, fuck off through the gate, and keep fucking off forever.

[Miguel 'Mike' Denyer @Capwild]

@Aliceshaw25 How about, hundreds of thousands of them died fighting to free you from slavery... white people, particularly American and British people are the only ones that ever did.