Me Being 41 Years Old Now.

  

My birthday existed yesterday, and it's a new time in my life. As an older Millennial, I know that times are rapidly changing. People, in my generation, were blessed enough to live through the time of analog and the subsequent digital society that permeates society today (filled with iPhones, DoorDash, Amazon, Spotify, and driverless cars). We are not children anymore, and being at the start of middle age is surreal to me. The reason is that I remember my childhood and early adulthood like yesterday. I remember being in the recreation center in 1992, attending a summer program in 1996, and graduating from high school in 2001. We lived through the times of Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr. Biden, and Trump's first term. Therefore, we saw the six championships of the Chicago Bulls, 9/11, Sean Bell, Hurricane Katrina, the election of Barack Obama as President in 2008, and the insurrection of January 6th, 2021. I appreciate the words of relatives, spiritual human beings, fitness experts, and other unsung human beings with words of forthright, incredible encouragement and succinct wisdom that will always inspire me as we all walk in life's journey. As we enter the quarter-century mark of the twenty-first century, artificial intelligence, digital streams, 3D printing, emojis, and holograms are commonplace in our technological age. 

Yet, universal principles always stand the test of time like justice, righteousness, liberty, compassion, empathy, strength, and humbleness. I always believe in having an erudite discussion about the mysteries of life. There is an obsession with materialism in a wicked fashion among some in this time but having connections with family and friends is worth more than any form of money. Some want to bash people of different backgrounds, but we believe in human compassion and respect shown to all people. One lesson that remains permanently engrained in my consciousness is to never give up. There are always solutions available to those who desire a fundamental change in their lives. It is common among some to be more reactionary as they get older. Yet, the older I get, the more strongly I embrace my progressive views of tolerance, economic justice, racial equality, environmental protection, religious liberty, universal health, and a sense of community to realize that developing a just society requires the sacrifice of us all. I am 41 years old now. Therefore, I feel reinvigorated intellectually, spiritually, and physically to see what the future holds in my 40s. It's a wild feeling that in less than 10 years, I will be 50 years old. That is what life is. Life never stops, and being real is a goal that we humbly embrace.

Trump wants to sign the immigration executive orders on day 1 of his Presidency. Trump wants to restrict the policy to ban ICE agents from arresting undocumented people at churches, hospitals, schools, and like-minded organizations. Far right extremist militias desire Trump to use them to deport people. The cruelty is the point, and many far-right people view undocumented people as collectively degenerates plainly speaking (which isn't true). This deportation plan relates to undocumented immigrants who have been here for decades and established families plus paid taxes. People underestimate the cruelty of Trump supporters. Trump supporters voted for a male (not a man) who made sick comments about his own daughter, who mocked disabled human beings, who used a slur against Mitch McConnell's Asian American wife and lied about the 2020 election. Therefore, the cruelty of Trump and his acolytes is evil and reprehensible.

I agree with Syria being free from Assad. I disagree with Syria being a future puppet state of the West. U.S. and Israeli warplanes have done a massive bombing campaign against Syria. The rebel forces are led by Al-Qaeda linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militia leader. Israeli army forces have attacked Damascus. The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) is attacking the south, targeting Kurdish forces in northern Syria, and HTS is taking over government areas previously controlled by Assad. Israeli military forces have started Syria's weapons stockpiles within Syria. These strikes are attacking air defense systems, missile stockpiles, airfields, warplanes, tanks, drone fleets, and military production facilities (in Damascus, Homs, Palmyra, Latakia, and Tartus). Israel reportedly sank Syria's navy at anchor in Al-Bayda and Latakia. Netanyahu and the West desire the Middle East to be a puppet Western state. Assad is a wicked person. Also, the HTS, according to sources, are terrorizing Christian, Druze, and Shia Alawite communities. The HTS is backed by Persian Gulf leaders, who are hostile to Shia Islam. So, Syria must be an independent nation being democratic without imperialism, and without the HTS dominating its whole population.  

FBI Director Christopher Wray said that he would resign at the end of President Biden's term. This clears the way for the Trump pick. The reason why Wray will resign is because Trump will likely fire him and replace him with a Trump loyalist. Trump wants to make extremist Kash Patel have the FBI director role. Wray still has three years remaining in his 10-year term. Wray wrestled with the idea of resigning or not. Trump once fired Director James Comey following investigations under his watch into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Trump wasn't happy with the FBI legal court-approved search of his Mar-a-Lago resort back in August 2022. Trump called Wray's resignation a great day for America. The truth is that Trump tried to intimidate the three branches of government to have his way politically. We must always stand firm in favor of the rule of law, the separation of powers, and other democratic precepts indeed. 

By Timothy