The author at the recent veteran anti-war protest in Washington.
A mentor of mine called me the other day and answered the phone with, “Katie’s a radical.”
I laughed and said, “Yeah, I guess I am.”
But after we hung up, I sat there thinking about it, because the truth is: I haven’t changed nearly as much as people think I have. The core of who I am has always been the same. What changed was what I was willing to ignore.
When this mentor first met me, I was angry. Fresh off active duty, deeply conservative, deeply defensive, and carrying around a lot of resentment and unresolved pain. She used to call me her “pistol” because I was willing to say the things others wouldn’t. I didn’t care about rank, titles, status, or political convenience.
Right was right.
Wrong was wrong.
And honestly, I still believe that.
After leaving the military, I got heavily involved in conservative grassroots organizing and veteran advocacy. I trained with Americans for Prosperity, worked in Republican spaces, and poured myself into causes I believed in. I genuinely believed the Republican Party stood for individual liberty, personal responsibility, strong communities, limited government, and defending constitutional rights.
Then I started working directly with homeless veterans.
And that work changed me.
Not because someone “brainwashed” me.
Not because I suddenly became weak.
But because advocacy forced me to stop arguing in theory and start looking at outcomes.
I started paying attention to policy instead of slogans.
I noticed Republicans often spoke passionately about supporting troops, but Democrats were frequently the ones funding veteran programs and expanding services. I started researching legislation. Watching votes. Following bills. Looking at what actually happened after the speeches ended.
And once you start asking hard questions, you can’t unsee the answers.
At the same time, I was navigating political spaces as an openly gay conservative woman. For a while, that identity made me useful. I was the veteran. The lesbian Republican. The proof that the party was “inclusive.”
Until I wasn’t useful anymore.
Someone said something to me recently that hit me hard:
“Even the tokens get spent eventually.”
That was exactly what happened.
I started realizing many of the people I stood beside politically did not actually respect people like me. They tolerated us when it was convenient. They showcased us when it benefited them. But underneath it all was growing hostility toward LGBTQ people, women, minorities, and anyone who challenged the hierarchy they were comfortable protecting.
Then 2020 happened.
And honestly, that was the breaking point.
Two names changed the trajectory of my life forever:
George Floyd and Vanessa Guillén.
When George Floyd was murdered, I watched people I knew, people in my own political circles, people I had organized beside, immediately jump to defending the system instead of confronting the humanity of what happened. The cruelty of the rhetoric shocked me. The lack of empathy shocked me. The immediate instinct to dehumanize instead of reflect broke something in me.
Enough was enough.
And then came Vanessa Guillén.
As a veteran, that hit especially hard.
I started lobbying aggressively for stronger protections against sexual assault and harassment in the military. I was calling legislators, pushing policy, trying to get people to care about service members being abused inside the institution they swore to serve.
And I will never forget the responses I got from Republican offices.
Over and over again, I was told:
“That’s not really in our wheelhouse.”
Not our wheelhouse.
Sexual assault in the military.
Women being harmed inside the ranks.
Service members being failed by the system. Not their wheelhouse.
That was the moment I knew I couldn’t keep pretending this was still the party I believed in.
Because at some point, politics stops being theoretical. It stops being about slogans, campaign ads, or partisan loyalty. It becomes about what you are willing to tolerate happening to other human beings.
And I realized I couldn’t tolerate it anymore.
Over time, I watched the Republican Party become increasingly driven by outrage, grievance, fear, and cruelty instead of conservative principles.
Not fiscal responsibility.
Not liberty. Not limited government. Just anger.
You can call me a libtard.
You can call me Antifa. You can call me whatever makes you feel better. What I call myself is a decent human being.
Someone who believes children should be safe.
Women should have rights.
Veterans should be cared for after war instead of abandoned while the VA gets gutted. People who work full-time should be able to afford to live.
And if that’s considered “radical” now, then maybe we need to ask ourselves what the hell happened to normal.
Because kindness should not be controversial.
Human decency should not be political.
Empathy should not be treated like weakness.
If you had asked me 13 years ago whether I’d be organizing large-scale No Kings actions against the government, I would’ve laughed in your face. Especially under a Republican administration. That was never on my bingo card.
Neither was organizing veterans “just in case things get weird.”
I already helped build one veteran movement in my lifetime. I never imagined we’d be here again. But here we are.
And what breaks my heart the most is watching people scream hateful things one minute and quote scripture the next. Watching people talk about God while cheering cruelty, mocking vulnerable people, and treating basic human rights like some kind of political inconvenience.
What are we doing?
Seriously. What are we doing?
And to my Republican friends, because I know some of you quietly read my posts and DM me instead of commenting publicly, talk to me. Get outside the bubble for five minutes.
Everyone assumes I’ve been “brainwashed by CNN” or MSNBC. I don’t even watch cable news. I’m not obsessed with culture war nonsense. I watch policy.
I literally track legislation alerts on my phone. I monitor what gets introduced in Congress. I pay attention to how policies affect veterans, working families, women, LGBTQ people, and marginalized communities at the local, state, and federal level.
That’s what changed me: paying attention.
Not propaganda.
Not social media.
Not some sudden personality shift.
Reality.
I took my oath to the Constitution seriously. My family took it seriously. A lot of us did.
People died for that oath. Others came home carrying things they could never escape because of that oath.
And now I watch people shrug while democratic norms, constitutional protections, and fundamental rights are openly challenged, and I genuinely do not understand the indifference.
You don’t have to become a Democrat to see what’s happening.
You don’t have to abandon conservatism.
But at some point, we have to ask ourselves what exactly is being “conserved.”
Because from where I’m standing, it no longer looks like freedom, liberty, or constitutional values.
It looks like fear.
It looks like exclusion.
It looks like protecting power for a very specific kind of person while everyone else is told to stay quiet and be grateful.
And that should alarm every single one of us.
I never imagined I would spend part of my life organizing against my own party. I never imagined I’d be leading No Kings protests or helping organize veterans in resistance movements.
That was not the plan for my life.
But life has a way of forcing you to choose between comfort and conscience. And I chose conscience.
So maybe my mentor was right. Maybe I am a radical.
But what radicalized me was not hate.
It was proximity to suffering.
It was working with veterans.
It was listening to marginalized people instead of talking over them.
It was seeing how policy affects real human beings.
It was realizing that equality and justice are not weaknesses.
What radicalized me was kindness.
And if kindness, dignity, accountability, and justice for all people are considered radical now, then maybe the real problem isn’t me.
_________
Katie Chorbak is the President of 50501 Veterans, a Jacksonville native, Bishop Kenny graduate and a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant (74 D). A fifth-generation combat veteran, she now works in the construction industry, with projects including Ribault High School. For over a decade, she has led veteran advocacy efforts, helping drive a 2021 federal policy change protecting sexual assault survivors in the military. Katie has received multiple awards for her work, most proudly being named a Woman Veteran Trailblazer by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
We live in a world in which the news is rapidly changing from one day to the next. If you missed that by the end of 2025, 32 people died while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), you are probably not alone. But given the past few weeks in Minneapolis – and given the wrenching videos most of us have watched – all of us should be clear eyed as to the fatal consequences of setting loose ICE agents into American cities.
And yet, we have ICE agents in Jacksonville based on an ill-defined emergency and a mission to repel a “foreign invasion”. With unchecked power, masked men (mostly without warrants) are waging a war on our neighbors who may or may not be citizens, who may or may not be here illegally, who may or may not have committed a crime and may or may not be milking the system. We are now witnessing what an abandonment of due process – the crown jewel of our judicial system – looks like. It looks like Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Some people compare ICE to the Nazi Gestapo of the 1930s, but my own rendering of history suggests a closer comparison to the U.S. during the 1850s, when bounty hunters were deputized by the Fugitive Slave Act to hunt down runaway slaves in northern cities. Essentially, a bounty hunter was paid to return with a body – the only requirement being he/she remotely fit the description of said runaway slave. When a bounty hunter rode into town, even legally free black populations were subject to kidnapping and the living nightmare of laboring on southern plantations. Much like today, there was not even the pretense of due process. In several cities, white citizens rose in protest to protect their black neighbors from assault. These brave souls considered this their Christian duty. In today’s America, defense of one’s fellow man gets you labeled a “terrorist” or worse, shot and killed.
Like the 19th century, ICE agents have been tasked with rounding up bodies, this time to meet “arrest quotas”. Hispanic, African, Middle Eastern – mostly nonwhite. In a recent interview, the Minneapolis police chief reported arrestees dragged from their cars, arrested for taking a walk or shopping without documents, targeted at Home Depot and surveilled at school. Many Minnesotans have organized to protest these actions taken against their friends and neighbors.
We Floridians are fools for thinking this same chaos and violence cannot be visited upon our own cities. We have four major urban centers that are rich in ethnic diversity and often vote Democratic. Two prime reasons for the Trump administration to deploy ICE agents who are growing in number, while at the same time the training period for officers roughly halved. Inexperienced agents carrying military weaponry and enjoying full immunity. What could possibly go wrong?
Where are our national representatives at this critical juncture? Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody and north Florida congressional representatives, Aaron Bean and John Rutherford?
Sadly, no one appears to be a champion of due process or the Bill of Rights. Nor have they demonstrated any respect for the millions of immigrants who have been conflated with a small minority of bad apples. No empathyfor the millions of innocent people who have been tarred with epithets such as “rapist” and “violent gang member” simply for existing.
Florida is home to a foreign-born population of more than 5.4 million people. Possibly you have had the pleasure of teaching incredibly respectful and highly achieving students as I have, or maybe you and your family have been cared for by healthcare professionals across the board, from hospitals to nursing care centers. Perhaps you have experienced construction crews at your home or business that were characteristically punctual and hardworking (and yes, have kept your costs down). Have you served in the military in which you have stood shoulder to shoulder with an immigrant soldier? The list could go on and on and on.
As citizens we should be proactive before Jacksonville becomes another L.A., Chicago, Minneapolis. Call or write to your representatives and make your concerns known. More importantly, we must take advantage of this re-election year with the earnest hope that it will be free. There is no better time than 2026 to express ourselves. If Scott, Moody, Bean, Rutherford, et al. cannot find the moral fortitude to uphold the Constitution and respect all constituents, then VOTE THEM OUT.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This content is courtesy of our friends at United Nassau Florida. Aaron Bean is a sitting US Conggressman representing Florida District 4, which includes parts nof Nassau and Duval counties, inclduing the neighborhoods of Riverside, Avondale, and Murray Hill.
This video isn’t something we want to subject you to, but it’s eye-opening. Sometimes you have to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth for the impact to sink in. We apologize for the unpleasant content, but we believe it’s important.
Congressman Bean loves to talk about “protecting police dogs.” He praises his K-9 Protection Act as if it were the height of compassion, yet says nothing about the people brutalized by the same agencies those dogs serve. While ICE and Border Patrol have slammed unarmed civilians to the pavement and terrorized families, Bean’s outrage begins and ends with the animals.
We value every life, human and canine, but compassion that ignores human suffering isn’t compassion at all.
Behind that grin lies something darker a steady stream of lies, hypocrisy, and cruelty wrapped in charm.
The man who claims to “stand with working families” voted for a so-called “Clean Continuing Resolution”, a bill that would have allowed subsidies to expire for the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) and block Medicaid extensions.
Had that bill passed in the Senate, Marketplace healthcare premiums would have skyrocketed, and health coverage would have been stripped from millions of Americans, leaving families across Florida facing impossible medical bills or no care at all.
He calls it “fiscal responsibility”
We call it what it is: an attack on the health and dignity of the people he’s sworn to represent.
When Bean talks about compassion, he means “damage control.”
He wrote letters asking utility companies to show “mercy” to federal workers, the same workers losing paychecks because he voted for a budget bill that slashed ACA subsidies, fueling the shutdown standoff in the Senate.
He calls it “compassion”
We call it what it is: Theater.
He grins beside dialysis patients and seniors in nursing homes while voting for the Republican “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, legislation that threatens or eliminates the very programs those people rely on.
He calls it “fiscal discipline.”
We call it: Cruelty disguised as compassion.
Aaron Bean doesn’t stand with working families. He stands in front of them, for the photo op.
Bean is now proudly promoting his “LEO K-9 Protection Act,” calling police dogs “precious animals” who deserve “safe haven.”
But where is his compassion for people?
For the migrants and protesters slammed to the ground by ICE officers, for the people thrown into ravines and detention cages, for the workers who are unable to feed their families because of his votes.
He weeps for wounded dogs while ignoring human beings brutalized by the same agencies he glorifies.
Bean cries for K-9s while turning his head away from people
We call it: Selective empathy, the cruelty of moral convenience.
Now, he’s trying to sell the lie of a “Senate-led shutdown.”
Here’s the truth:
The shutdown began in the House, when MAGA Republicans refused to pass bipartisan funding that the Senate had already approved.
He claims Democrats “voted to keep the government closed.”
What he doesn’t say is that those bills were loaded with MAGA poison pills, deep cuts to healthcare, disaster relief, and environmental protections.
He created the crisis and now blames others for the pain.
It’s the oldest political trick in the book: “cause the fire, then pose with the hose.”
Bean’s job isn’t governing, it’s performing.
He loves ribbon cuttings and happy talk about “Florida sunshine.” Meanwhile, Florida families face rising prices, shrinking safety nets, and lost paychecks.
When the lights go off and the cameras turn away, his compassion disappears right along with them.
Aaron Bean doesn’t understand the No Kings movement because he doesn’t understand democracy.
He calls peaceful citizens “unruly.”
He praises power and mocks dissent.
And he serves a movement that would rather rule than represent.
I think it’s time we have a real, serious conversation about what happens after protesting–about what comes next. Too often, people say things like, “Oh, you’re just throwing a block party,” or “These protests don’t do anything.” But that misses the point entirely.
Protests do matter. They are a form of recruitment. They are how people first recognize that there’s a problem and realize they’re not alone. Mass demonstrations create safety in numbers, which helps those with anxiety or fear for their safety show up. Once they do, they meet organizations that share their values, and that’s how involvement begins. Coalitions form locally, statewide, regionally, and nationally among all kinds of groups, including veterans.
After Protesting: Building Power That Lasts
After protesting, the next steps are mass demonstrations, boycotts, and strikes. But here’s the thing: we can’t realistically boycott or strike unless we have a way to support people through it. We can’t call for economic disruption if we don’t have alternative material sources for the goods and services we are boycotting.
If we ever reach the point of a general strike, we will have to be self-sustaining, feeding ourselves, housing ourselves, and supporting one another. Every major movement throughout history that truly worked and sustained itself had one thing in common: a foundation of community defense and mutual support. That’s food for thought.
Learning from History
Every strong movement in history has had its dual sides, a Martin and a Malcolm. Anyone who ignores that isn’t recognizing history for what it really is. You need both. The larger movement depends on both nonviolence and defense. We don’t perpetrate violence; we defend against it.
Some people think community defense means violence or anarchy, but it’s not that at all. It’s about building resilience, taking care of one another, and being ready when systems fail. It’s going back to how early America once functioned, when people bartered, helped one another, and survived together.
What Community Defense Really Means
Community defense isn’t aggression; it’s preparation. It’s making sure your community can stand together when it matters most. It means that if your neighbor is taken, you know who to call. It means helping them get a lawyer, checking on the elderly down the road to make sure they have groceries and companionship. That’s community defense.
And here’s something that confuses me: we say “ACAB” all day, but we haven’t built viable alternatives for community safety. We call out the system’s failures, but we’re not prepared to take over those responsibilities ourselves. Radical mutual aid means that if the system fails, we can still feed, clothe, and protect our own.
Building Local Resilience
Take where I live, Florida. Disaster preparedness here isn’t great. If a massive hurricane hits and the federal government fails us, it’s on us to pick up the pieces, rebuild, and make sure no one is left hungry, cold, or without shelter. That’s community defense in action, creating local systems that can handle those crises at the neighborhood level and then scale outward.
You start small, your block, your area, your town. Like in Jacksonville: Mandarin, Riverside, the Beaches. Each of those communities connects to the next, and together they can respond to larger problems. If a hurricane hits, we figure out which side of town was hit hardest, and we move. We allocate resources and get people what they need. That’s organized community resilience.
Facing Reality
Too many people still believe the midterms or the next election will fix things. I wish that were true, but even if elections happen, and who says they will, they won’t change the trajectory we’re on. The Constitution promises elections, freedom of the press, accountability, yet the Department of Defense removed the entire press corps and prohibited military members from talking to Congress. That’s a violation of U.S. law.
So if you still think everything will go back to normal, I’m glad you have hope. But I’m preparing for the worst, and I hope my preparation turns out to be unnecessary. That’s not paranoia. That’s realism. It’s experience. It’s being a veteran and having been trained to survive.
Values and Call to Action
I was taught from a young age that we take care of our own. If you know me, you know that loyalty means a lot to me, not blind loyalty, but loyalty rooted in values. The Army values — loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage — are how I try to live. I fall short, because I’m human, but I keep trying.
So no, I’m not an alarmist. I’m a realist. And even if we never need these systems, at least they’ll exist if we do. That’s the point.
Right now, we’re underprepared as veterans, as neighbors, and as communities. It’s time to organize, prepare, and move forward. It’s time to build the networks and systems that can protect and sustain us when the institutions we’ve relied on fail.
Because the truth is simple: no one is coming to save us. We keep us safe.
And One Last Thing
Given the new executive order about the “ideology of anti-fascism” and “American values,” I’m sure this post, and probably a few others, have put me on a watchlist. And that’s fine.
I’m not anti-American. I love this country. And that’s exactly why I’m getting prepared to rebuild it after it falls.
———-
Katie Chorbak is the President of 50501 Veterans, a Jacksonville native, Bishop Kenny graduate and a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant (74 D). A fifth-generation combat veteran, she now works in the construction industry, with projects including Ribault High School. For over a decade, she has led veteran advocacy efforts, helping drive a 2021 federal policy change protecting sexual assault survivors in the military. Katie has received multiple awards for her work, most proudly being named a Woman Veteran Trailblazer by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
This post is shared with permission courtesy of a member of Unified Nassau County, the Indivisible chapter for that region. The author is a Venezuelan friend of that member, and he and his family leaving the U.S. after decades of calling it home. They are not leaving because they’ve given up on democracy, but because they recognize the signs of its unraveling.
As we rally, protest, and organize here at home, it’s essential to listen to those who have witnessed what happens when authoritarianism takes hold. They remind us what’s at stake, and why we must act now to protect the rights, freedoms, and democratic values too many take for granted.
His words are a gift. May we receive them with open eyes and renewed resolve.
Why I’m Leaving the Country I Love (Again)
By J.R.
In 1997, I left Venezuela.
I didn’t want to. It was the country that gave me everything. My family, my childhood, my first opportunities, but I could see what was coming. Hugo Chávez had just risen from obscurity, tapping into the anger of ordinary people with big promises and even bigger ambition.
He said he would save the country. Deep down, I feared he would destroy it.
Now, almost three decades later, I’m preparing to leave another country I love deeply: the United States. I never imagined I would have to do this again.
But I see the same signs.
The same tactics.
The same descent.
And I’ve learned that once a democracy starts down this path, turning back becomes harder with each step.
⚠️ It All Starts with a Charismatic Populist
In Venezuela, Chávez was magnetic. He knew how to speak to the masses, especially to those who felt forgotten and excluded. He attacked the elites, blamed the press, and promised to restore dignity to “real Venezuelans.” The fact that he had no prior experience in democratic governance was spun as a strength, not a weakness.
Donald Trump used a similar playbook. His rise in 2016 wasn’t just about politics, it was about grievance, disruption, and a willingness to break every rule if it meant owning his enemies. To millions, he was a savior. To others, a warning.
I had seen this story before. But many in the U.S. had not.
⸻
Step 1: Co-opt the Courts
In 2004, Chávez expanded Venezuela’s Supreme Court from 20 to 32 seats and filled the new posts with loyalists. From then on, the judiciary stopped being a check on power and became a weapon of it. Every law, every executive order, every move, rubber-stamped.
Trump didn’t expand the U.S. Supreme Court, but he fundamentally reshaped it, and more importantly, he’s now openly supporting plans to purge the federal government and bring supposedly independent institutions (DOJ, FBI, civil service) under direct political control in a potential second term
Step 2: Discredit and Silence the Press
Chávez labeled independent journalists as “traitors” and “liars,” then used legal tools to shut them down. By 2010, most major Venezuelan media outlets had been either shuttered or taken over. In their place, state-run propaganda channels pumped out a nonstop stream of loyalist messaging.
Trump hasn’t closed any media outlets—yet—but his relentless attacks and lawsuits against the press have eroded public trust to dangerous levels. When a leader tells his followers that only he speaks the truth, that’s not politics. That’s a cult.
Step 3: Undermine the Electoral System
Chávez learned to manipulate democracy from the inside. He used elections as tools to legitimize his rule, while stacking electoral institutions, disqualifying opposition candidates, and changing the constitution to eliminate term limits in 2009.
Trump’s refusal to accept his 2020 defeat, his efforts to overturn results in swing states, and his ongoing embrace of election deniers in key roles aren’t just “controversial.” They’re part of the same pattern. Authoritarians don’t eliminate elections. They learn how to control them.
Step 4: Corruption Behind the Curtain
One of the great myths of Chávez was that he was “for the people.” In reality, while the country descended into poverty, his inner circle got fantastically rich.
Many had no real experience, just loyalty. Oil contracts, state construction deals, and import licenses flowed to friends, cousins, and political allies. They bought condos in Miami, sent their kids to Europe, and stashed fortunes offshore. By the time the public caught on, it was too late.
Trump’s wealth and cronyism were always in plain sight. From using the presidency to promote his own properties, to rewarding donors with ambassadorships, to leveraging political power for business favors. The swamp didn’t get drained. It got deeper.
Step 5: Control the Narrative Through Education
One of Chávez’s most lasting legacies was his quiet takeover of Venezuela’s education system. He rewrote the national curriculum to promote socialist ideology, glorify the Bolivarian revolution, and erase dissenting views from history books.
Critical thinking was replaced by political loyalty. In the U.S., we’re seeing state-level fights over what can be taught in classrooms. Who gets included in history, which books are banned, which perspectives are allowed. When politicians dictate the truth, education becomes indoctrination.
It’s No Coincidence That Support Came from the Uninformed
In Venezuela, Chávez’s strongest support came from the poor and undereducated, the people most vulnerable to messaging that promised dignity, revenge, and salvation. He gave them symbolic power while dismantling the institutions that could actually improve their lives.
Trump has built a base that similarly distrusts experts, facts, institutions, and even science, not because they are ignorant, but because they’ve been taught that knowledge itself is a weapon of the elite. That’s how you create a population that will follow one man anywhere.
This Isn’t Easy. But It’s Necessary.
I love the United States. This country welcomed me when I had to leave my own. It gave me shelter, opportunity, and freedom. It gave me hope.
But now, I feel the same dread I felt in 1997. The same hollowing-out of democratic norms. The same drumbeat of blind loyalty over law. The same willingness to destroy institutions to protect one man.
And once again, I know I need to leave.
Not because I want to.
Because I must.
Because I’ve seen how this ends, and I don’t want to be standing in the rubble, saying again, “We didn’t think it could happen here.”
This isn’t about left vs. right. It’s about democracy vs. decay.
If you’ve lived through this kind of political collapse, whether in Venezuela, Hungary, Turkey, or elsewhere. We need to talk to each other, to remember what we’ve seen, and to warn those who haven’t.
Our memories might be the most important defense democracy has left.
A Final Word:
This story isn’t only a warning, it’s also a gift. Because we still have a choice.
We can still act. We can organize, speak out, vote, protest, protect one another, and build a future that lives up to the promise we’ve too often left unfinished.
Let’s honor his story by refusing to give up on our own.
Let’s meet this moment with courage, clarity, and hope.
This is meant to serve as a little introduction to someone who hopes to become a meaningful contributor to the goals of Indivisible.
I was asked why I want to be involved with Indivisible Jax Riverside? The answers are both simple and complex.
I listened to an interview of Leah & Ezra and liked what I heard.
I attended the “No Kings” day rally in Jacksonville and found that my attendance there reignited a dream that was born with the series “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
I have occasionally attended City Council meetings and sometimes delivered questions or opinions about policies, also attended a few local Democratic Party meetings, voted, etc..
My dream started with the concept from Star Trek of the “Federation of Planets.” Ever since that thought was presented to me I have hoped humanity would someday occupy planet Earth as a common group of humanity with shared values of tolerance, understanding, peace, peaceful dialogue, mutual benefit and respect. I have never liked conflict and find our current divisive political environment disturbing, sad, and far more nightmare than dream. The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution represent, for me, two founding documents of our Country, Democracy, and a shared dream. Our Democracy is often described as an “experiment.” I am not ready to give up on that experiment or the dreams upon which that experiment was founded.
Background: I am a Mechanical Engineer and a recent review of the math told me that I took 18 years from when I first entered my university to finally obtaining my degree from that same university. My engineering interests were thermodynamics, heat transfer, numerical simulations, etc.. I later received an MBA from a second university. The MBA was great for organizational behavior. I have decided that management theories tend to go through fads or fazes of popularity. While attending school whenever I got tired of being poor I would go out and get a job. Those jobs seemed to have the primary impact of teaching me why I was going to school. The summer spent as a welder’s helper being one of the most effective in this regard. I also learned that galvanized steel can’t be welded without grinding off the galvanizing, and galvanizing gives off noxious fumes that make a person sick to the stomach, and worse. I eventually worked nights in industrial maintenance and attended my University classes during the day. My primary interests turned out to be software in support of manufacturing, and the integration of that software with business systems. My working career afforded me opportunities to work in many countries: the United States, Canada, China, France, Romania, and with people from even more countries including Mexico and Brazil.
Personal interests: Travel via motorcycle, motor home. Flying; owning and operating my own Cessna. Experiencing other cultures. Small Businesses; owning and operating. Reading: historical fiction, philosophy, nature, etc.. There is more, so maybe I am just the small child that never grew up.
Life Mottos: Don’t give up, work for your dreams, learn all you can from life and the people you meet, seek first to understand. You will know you have arrived when you are able to find joy in the joy of others.
My intent: To share ideas and news from current events, a bit of opinion, and hopefully get some feedback from readers.
We have work to do between now and May 27th when the entire Jacksonville City Council will vote on the nomination of Elizabeth Andersen to the Public Library Board of Trustees.This is a non-paid position, and the Mayor has nominated a highly qualified, highly capable person to sit on this board. Elizabeth Andersen is a former School Board Member, a former high school English teacher, a Mental health Counselor, and currently serves as the CEO of OneJax.She is a true servant leader, concerned with the betterment of our city.Now the Grand Old Party has turned its attention to ousting this nominee.
When The Party comes before The People we know we are in deep trouble.A highly qualified woman is willing to volunteer her time and energy in service to our community and the State GOP is forcing our local elected officials to ignore their constituents and community needs, all to further the GOP.The GOP is fearful of Andersen because she has integrity and will stand up to the governmental control and overreach as The Party continues to ban books and censor information.
The Rules Committee voted 5 – 3 to reject the nomination.Next, the full City Council will vote. I am profoundly sad.And I am scared, really scared for our county. The State GOP leaders put pressure on Duval Republican who then pressure council members, and many GOP members tow The Party line.The Party uses Mom’s For Liberty, an extremist group knows for its book bans, and extremists tactics to negatively attack Andersen on any front they can.They make ungrounded accusations of racism and pedophilia.They accuse her of usurping parental rights.Parental rights is the Trojan Horse they hide in to mandate book bans and censorship.Ironically, these actions actually put the government in charge of what information is and isn’t available to families.
Close to a dozen citizens showed up on a Monday at 2 pm to voice support for Ms. Anderson, some of these members of Indivisible Jax Riverside.Even former Florida State Senator Audrey Gibson spoke on behalf of Ms Andersen.IJR’s own council member Jimmy Peluso, although not on the committee, spoke strongly in support of Andersen as did council members Matt Carlucci and Rahman Johnson. The Committee was presented with over 400 signatures on a petition to approve the nomination of Ms.Anderson.
Unfortunately, 5 of the 8 elected officials were not interested in representing their constituents, or serving their communities. Howland, Freeman, Gay, Miller and White voted against this highly qualified candidate. They serve only The Party. And The Party is only concerned about its own power.As Project 2025 eliminates more of our freedoms and attempts to replace our democracy with an authoritarian theocracy we have to be concerned with why the GOP is wanting compliant Republicans on library boards.
Call your council member and at all at large Council members encouraging them to vote YES on the nomination of Elizabeth Anderson as a COJ Public Library Board of Trustees. Contact member information here: https://www.jacksonville.gov/city-council/city-council-members
They’re dismantling our country. They’re looting our government. And they think we’ll just watch. On Saturday, April 5th, we rise up with one demand: Hands Off! (Click on image for Mobilize information on Jacksonville location.)
This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, Musk, and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy, and our basic rights—enabled by Congress every step of the way.
They want to strip America for parts—shuttering Social Security offices, firing essential workers, eliminating consumer protections, and gutting Medicaid—all to bankroll their billionaire tax scam. They’re handing over our tax dollars, our public services, and our democracy to the ultra-rich.
If we don’t fight now, there won’t be anything left to save. (https://handsoff2025.com/about)
This action is grounded in a commitment to non-violent action. De-escalate any potential confrontations and act lawfully. Now is the time to stand up for our country. As Cory Booker said in his 25 hour filibuster on the senate floor this week, “The power of the people is stronger than the people in power.” See you on Saturday, either in Jacksonville, or one of the nearly dozen events happening in Florida. (~n.muse)
How do we make ourselves heard in an era of dog whistles? How do we get our message out when the GOP have turned truth and facts upside down?
We trumpet our values and we put them first in every conversation. We believe in freedom, fairness, safety, working together, helping one another. So do many voters but they don’t know we do. We must repeat what we value over and over.
We call out the bullies, but we bury their business in the middle of our messages, so their nonsense loses its power. We are explicit about who the bullies are–greedy corporations, radical right politicians. We name them– DeSantis, Cord Byrd and more. We describe what they are doing and why they are doing it as briefly as we can.
Most importantly we save the best for the last. We end our message by celebrating what we have already accomplished together. We explain who is included in our “together”, “everyone” and “all”. Then we shout, shout, shout what our future will be when we work together and vote together. Hope motivates.
We avoid responding to the Republican message. We avoid saying “You are wrong.” We never, never repeat their words or argue with their ideas. That just makes their message stronger.
Republicans are talking values and devaluing facts. But many of their values are not values we share. We must stress what we value and repeat ad nauseum.
Values and vision are remembered in the voting booth. Facts and policies are not.
“No one is free until we are all free.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
Thousands of neighbors and friends filled the little neighborhood park in the San Marco area of Jax to demand systemic change and to call for justice for George Floyd and all victims of police violence. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-3-2020.
Thousands marched through the San Marco area just south of downtown to call for police accountability and racial justice. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-3-2020.
A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“Latinos for Black Lives.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“Silence is violence.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“Black lives matter.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“Black lives matter.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
March organizers were well prepared and were joined by a large team of peacekeepers, medics, and legal observers. A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“No justice, no peace.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
”Release all JSO body cam footage.” Currently, footage is held by JSO for years before release. A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
We have a lot of work to do in the months and years ahead. This will be one of the key actions that each of us can and must take. A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
This is what democracy and diversity looks like. A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Jail. Jacksonville, Florida, 5-30-2020.
“Stop killing black people. Enough is enough.” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Courthouse. Jacksonville, Florida, 6-6-2020.
“Stop killing us!” A scene from the protest for social justice and police accountability at the Duval County Jail. Jacksonville, Florida, 5-30-2020.
Thousands of our neighbors and friends have been turning out daily to peacefully call for police accountability and racial justice after the killing of George Floyd. These have been the largest, most diverse civil rights marches in Jax history. In the most recent of the daily protests on June 6, over 8000 came out, with crowds stretching for over a mile in the streets surrounding the Duval County Courthouse.
