Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Why I am disappointed in our country right now


WARNING: THIS IS NOT ABOUT A BOOK. YES, IT IS A RANT, BUT I CANNOT HELP IT AT THIS POINT. Sorry, almost all of my other blog posts have been in some way bookish, but I need a platform for my disappointment and anger.

I have avoided speaking out about this for the entire election. I am only now doing this, after everyone has voted, partly because I just can’t believe it. I’m literally on the verge of tears, because I can’t believe that so many Americans actually voted for him. However, I also learned that my mom voted for him, during early voting earlier this week, and truthfully, I almost wish that I didn’t know. I usually don’t ask my parents who they vote for, but my boyfriend asked, because he literally cannot understand how anyone at all could vote for him, especially anyone we know, or heaven forbid, anyone in our families.

At first, I thought that it was just a joke gone bad. People thought that the idea of Donald Trump running for President of the United States was so absurd that it was funny.

The Simpson’s predicted it back in 2000 (which the writers claim was a warning), just as they've predicted quite a few other important events, like the Ebola breakout and 9/11. The writers pitched Trump as the President in 2030, because “it was the consistent with the vision of America going insane.” They chose him, because he was the “most absurd placeholder joke name that we could think of at the time.”

Yet, today, actual Americans voted for him! Will we vote for Lisa Simpson in four years, after he run’s the country into the ground and we’re all broke. This is far from the first time The Simpson’s has predicted thefuture.

I’m terrified and confused that even people in my family voted for this vulgar bigot. Since I know that my family is not of racist idiots, I had to reconsider why so many people voted for a man I initially thought was just a joke that people took too far, thus further encouraging him and his antics.

I totally underestimated the power of the Democrat and Republic parties and how loyal many people are, despite who is running for their party. Also, there has been a recent economic crisis, and not having money scares people. Donald Trump has promised to fix this, even though his track record indicates that he will bankrupt people and businesses to add to his wealth, whether it be by simply not paying them or dragging them through drawn out, expensive legal battles that only he can afford, and the other parties will eventually be forced to settle for pennies on the dollar.

I can (kind of) understand that people are looking for someone that will do things different. When your family is poor and in comes the man that claims that ONLY HE can make things better for them, some people will inevitably believe him. God, I wish that everyone loved to read and research things like I do…. We definitely wouldn’t be in this position at all if people were more educated on the politics that they so readily argue about. 

The consensus is that all the polls that indicated Hillary winning by a landslide did not account for all the rural, uneducated folks living outside of the cities. They do not live in areas that are multicultural and more accepting of diversity. They are worried about their jobs and money and apparently believe the oranged-faced man who says that he is the only one that can save the day. So, maybe this post does have a tidbit about reading: PLEASE DO A LITTLE RESEARCH BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS ELECTING THE LEADER OF THE COUNTRY. You cannot trust politicians, and you sure as hell cannot trust some super-rich, entitled "businessman" that promises you the moon! But apparently I am the idiot for thinking this is common sense.

So, there are (somewhat) sane, good people that voted for Trump. However, that is not the outspoken majority of his supporters. The ones that we have been watching and reading about for the past couple of years are the straight-up racists, the white-supremacists, bigots, womanizers, rapists, and the closed-minded idiots that have been right behind him from the very beginning.

His rise truly does remind me of Hitler. Hitler didn’t start out as the man that we read about in history books. He presented himself, at first, as Germany’s solution to the hard times it was going through, and well, you know the rest.

I’m not going to keep going, but I will give my predictions for if he wins…

Most other countries are not going to want anything to do with us, except maybe some that we don’t really want anything to do with: I’m looking at you Russia. The racism in this country is going to skyrocket to heights I have not seen in my lifetime. Not only has this man ran his whole campaign on the premise that he will build his stupid wall (and lie that Mexico will pay for it) and will ban an entire religion from entering the US, but he has shown time and time again that he is the most outwardly racist president-elect since the end of segregation. Plus, Trump has shown over and over again that he sees women as nothing more than something for him to sexual lyrics assault (unless you're fat or have a small chest, of course).

For heaven’s sake, he pretty much said that there is no way that his own daughter would be a victim of sexual assault (which I don’t even think he understands the definition of). Of course, his daughter would never experience such a thing, because she is a strong business woman. Oh, and if she were to be a victim of sexual assault? His solution: she should just get a different job. I don't expect better of him, considering he's commented on both of his daughters' appearance in ways that feel way gross and creepy and has repeatedly said that he would date one of them. That HAS TO tell you what he thinks of women, if the first thing in his mind when someone brings up his daughter is how hot she is and how he would totally date her if she wasn't his daughter (he doesn't mention that he's 70 years old, because that wouldn't be an issue for him, even if it was for her). I am a rape survivor, and every time I hear more about how this man talks about women, I fear for our country. If our president can get away with it, more and more boys will grow up thinking they can. 

I have been in the position where men felt entitled to taking things from me that they have no right to take if I do not consent, and I do not want my young nephews growing up with a President and potential role model that brags about being able to do this because he is “a star.” I want them to grow up to respect women and treat them as equals.

If elected, this man will take our country back decades. If you are not white, you should be terrified. If you are a woman, you should be terrified. If the President can get away with all the ways he mistreats women, then what will other men feel entitled to?

Happy about the fact that there has been some progress in guaranteed maternity leave? Say bye-bye to that. Trump sees pregnancy as an inconvenience for businesses, and he doesn’t think much more about it than that. He is proud that he had no part in his own child’s births and childhood.

If he wins, congratulations people, The Simpson's really will continue to dictate our future!

I will stop now. I know I should have spoken up sooner, but I, truthfully, NEVER thought he actually had a chance. I really did think that people would come to their senses and realize that this man SHOULD NEVER BE IN A POSITION OF POWER. Just being able to fire people gave him WAY TOO MUCH power.

Just wait and see what happens if he is elected. I guarantee the people that are not racist bigots will be horrified with the man they chose to lead our country. If I had the money, I would likely leave the country if he’s elected, because dark days are inevitably coming. For the racist bigots that believe that women should be put in their place (in the kitchen), you will likely be super happy with your choice.

Please do not point out to me that you don't think you can trust Hillary Clinton and think she's a crooked politician. IT DOESN'T MATTER! All politicians are crooked, but at least most of them pretend like they have the people's best interests in mind. Trump thinks of nothing but himself, his ego and his money.

Please remember that the President of the US has the power to start wars, nuclear and otherwise. Please remember this the next time someone makes Trump mad on Twitter.

If he actually wins, GOD HELP US ALL, because Donald Trump will be able to do virtually whatever he wants without having to answer to anyone. 

UPDATE:


Monday, November 7, 2016

Soul Finder by Jacinta Maree


Since being discovered as Soulless, Nadia has become a target for both terrorist groups and government corporations. Now, her only hope for survival rests in the hands of the man sent out to kill her: Diesel, the Mad Dog terrorist.
Diesel is determined to free himself of the never-ending curse of reincarnation and the haunting memories that plague his mind. But when his search leads him to Nadia, a greater desire stills him from taking her life. Unable to see into Diesel's cracking mind, Nadia instead puts her faith into his strength, fueled by eleven generations of unmatched rage and insanity. Their tight-rope relationship balances the two between life and death, love and rage, trust and betrayal.
Tension pulls at the hems of their dangerous companionship, and as time runs out all madmen must eventually make their choice.
Book two of the thrilling Immortal Gene series dives deeper into the danger of trusting your heart over your head. 

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Review

I read Soulless, the first book in the Immortal Gene series and started on Soul Finder the same night. Overall, I really enjoyed the first book and was excited to see how the story progressed, especially with the HUGE cliffhanger the first book ends with. 

The only thing that I found a little disappointing was how Nadia goes from super strong and independent to dependent on Diesel. It seems like throughout a lot of the book, she struggles with her feelings of self-worth depending on Diesel's perception of her. I really would have liked for her to continue being as strong and confident while in a relationship with Diesel. However, the author does a good job at explaining the nuances of their relationship, even if I might have preferred things a bit differently.

Besides this, the book was very well-written, and the author does a great job of story building. The story also has a very unique concept.

Although I was super excited to move from the first book to the second, I am sad that I will have to wait to see what happens next.

Thank you, Xpresso Book Tours, for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour! I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.


Author Bio

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Jacinta Maree considers herself a chocoholic with an obsession with dragons, video gaming and Japan. She writes a variety of genres, including YA paranormal, steampunk, horror, new adult, dystopian and fantasy. Winner of 2014 Horror of the Year and Bestselling Author, Jacinta writes to bring enjoyment to others while fulfilling her own need to explore the weird and the impossible.

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