Thanksgiving, The Walking Dead, and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

By Monica Puig @monicapuig

I am so grateful!  In no way could I fit all my gratitude into one day out of the year. I'm thankful every day. I do believe that being grateful keeps us in a good vibration and closer to love.  Gratitude is also the gateway to creation.

One thing that I don’t celebrate is what the common Thanksgiving holiday represents and all its hypocrisy.  What person is going to be happy to be forced to embrace customs and traditions and beliefs that are not their own, or to be pushed out of their native land?

If we put things in perspective, we might admit that the colonization that led to the United States of America was similar to an episode of the Walking Dead minus the walkers.  Let’s take the case of John Smith.   By comparison, John Smith didn’t behave too differently from “villain” Negan in The Walking Dead.  Initially, Smith made the natives comfortable by trading metal tools for provisions. I imagine Negan might have started in a similar way. Eventually, Governor John Smith—just like Negan—sent out raiding parties demanding food from the natives. Smith’s raiding parties burned down Native American’s housings stealing their food supplies.  Our history books depicted Native Americans as ‘savages’ using examples such as the Powhatan tribes that fought back the exploitations by the settlers killing high numbers of the white population.  Funny how a little over a hundred years later, settlers fought and killed British soldiers.  This was their fight against the British Ruler's oppression and exploitation of the settlers, which ironically is what settlers continued to impose on Native Americans.

Among other wars, after Revolutionary War then came the Cherokee-American wars, the Northwest Indian War, Tecumseh, the Creek War, the War of 1812, the removal era wars (such as the Black Hawk War, the Creek War of 1836, and the Second Seminole War), Texas-Indian War, all the wars of the Pacific Northwest, I feel disrespectful not listing them all since so many lives were taken but more than a history lesson, this post is meant to be a humanity lesson.

Let us fast-forward to today, Native Americans lands are still being raided but now by corporations which hold the same disregard for our Native Americans as our ancestors held since Columbus first arrived in future Hispaniola—setting precedent with the eventually horrific treatment of the friendly, native Arawaks. 

Yes, in fast-forwarding to today, I’m referring to the treatment of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, who still today in 2016 are fighting to protect the little land they have left, their drinking water and Native American cultural sites.

I believe that every American should be apologizing to Native Americans and showing our gratitude for the land we stole from them by today standing by the Sioux Tribe and demanding that President Obama and future presidents protect the rights and lands of every Native American tribe.  The exploitation of the True indigenous people of our United States must stop today.  

This is my personal blog, read my business topics blog at:  blogmopu.blogspot.com

Democracy is an American Value Too

By Monica Puig

I completely understand the frustration and the fear of the unknown.  After all, what can we expect from President-elect Donald Trump?  I will be the first one to march to protest the results of an election if the count is in question and demand a vote recount or if there’s evidence of criminal behavior such as intimidation or fraud in the voting polls.  However, being an activist for about three decades, without being judgmental, I have to say that, I don’t understand what is to be accomplished from the protests that are taking place at the moment.  What message are we actually sending about democracy? How will we be taken seriously when the scary wolf actually comes if we are crying wolf at the election results?

I’m more than unhappy with the election results. I am disgusted, to say the least, with the impasse of these results. I was volunteering making calls all the way through election day reminding Democrats to get out there and vote. I never expected these results, as much as issues, I thought this presidential race was a true test of common decency and an opportunity for conservatives to truly step up to the plate and stand up for the religious values that they so often try to shove down our throats.  With the exception of many republicans who pleasantly surprised me by speaking up against Trump, the hypocrisy of the political party that now displayed many qualities of a cult shocked me.  In addition to the offensive bigotries that came out of Trump’s mouth, I cannot express my disappointment with the less than half of the American voters who chose a candidate who had the full support and endorsement of the KKK.  I cried in despair for the lack of values and humanity reflected in the choice for President and what he represents.  However, no matter how heartbroken I am, I also remember what I love about our country: Democracy. 

No matter how disappointed or angry I am about the election results, I am grateful for the fact that we live in a democracy that allows a shift of power from one political party to another, from one president to another.  I also understand that electing ‘twice’ an eloquent speaker, Harvard educated constitutional attorney who is also African American (even if it’s only half) as President of the United States was as offensive to many whites in America as it is offensive to us liberals and true Republicans to have an inexperienced in politics and public service charlatan, sexist, accused rapist, who has been part of over 3,500 lawsuits, sued by people who trusted him (and probably admired him at some point), is bragging self-admitted sexual predator, and who is an outspoken bigot, bully, and racist endorsed by the KKK. 

Yeah, I get it now.  That’s democracy!  Although, one might argue that it doesn’t seem to reflect true democracy since Hillary Clinton had over 2 million more votes than Donald Trump. But since Donald Trump won the electoral vote, he is the President-Elect according to the system we have in place.  The people have voted and Trump will be president and I, for one, wish nothing more than to be wrong about Trump.

I want to be pleasantly surprised in hopefully finding out that Trump was genially marketing to the type of voter he needed to win with the message that would sell them. I want to believe that Trump will bring us together as a nation and succeed in policies that will benefit and protect the wellbeing of all Americans.

I believe above all that love of humanity and love of country always must go together.  I make humanity my business. I will never stay silent while any group in our country is being targeted. I truly pray that all those negative references Trump made towards Muslims, Hispanics, African-Americans, people with disabilities, and women, were just a marketing strategy. Lord, please let me be wrong about Trump and may he truly be a great president for all of us.

My eyes and ears will be now more attentive than ever. It's our duty as Americans and as human beings to ensure our government is one of the people for ALL the people and I vow to protest and march peacefully in the streets, and collect signatures as I have done dozens of times through the years for causes I believe in.  However, I will do so only to mark my disagreement with policy—that has been actually presented (not shouted out during an election), or that is up for a vote in Congress, or that ‘President’ Trump plans to veto.  That’s how I believe democracy works.  For now, I will direct my frustration with the election results towards creating positive change within my own Democratic party and focusing on 2018 midterm elections to get Democrats in office who can stop some of the damage that we expect to be done.  Get out and vote and get out and volunteer. Join the Democratic party and get involved or if you are a Republican who is also not happy with the election results, and want to state a republican, join your own party and volunteer during the elections. 

I wish I could say that I’m optimistic about the changes coming or that I trust that Trump will do the right thing.  I will support and even applaud Trump’s decisions when they are right; however, as a proud American and half decent human being, I  stand behind U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in his statement that  “If Donald Trump takes people's anger and turns it against Muslims, Hispanics, African Americans and women, we will be his worst nightmare.”

Update.  As always, I did March at the Women's March on Washington when the time came to let our voices be heard.

This is my personal blog, read my business topics blog at:  blogmopu.blogspot.com

Twitter: @monicapuig