What is “Fascism” exactly?

At the core, Fascism is a political ideology that can differ significantly from one movement to another. By definition the philosophy, movement, or regime exalts nation and often race above the individual. To stand for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition. All variations of fascism we’ve seen throughout history have many characteristics in common. Including extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy, political & cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy, and the rule of elites. At its heart, fascism is about premising the needs of one group, often defined by race and ethnicity, over the rest of humanity in a nation.

Global History of Fascism

There was a mass movement that dominated many parts of central, southern, and eastern Europe between 1919 and 1945. It also had adherents in western Europe, the US, South Africa, Japan, Latin America, and the Middle East.  

National Fascisms: These parties cam into power in several countries between 1922 and 1945.

The National Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista) in Italy was led by Benito Mussolini. He took the name of his party from the Latin word fasces. Which referred to a bundle of elm or birch rods (usually containing an ax) used as a symbol of penal authority in ancient Rome. He was Europe’s first fascist leader.

The National Socialist German Workers Party (Nationalsozialistiche), or Nazi Party, was led by Adolf Hitler.

Representing Hitler’s National Socialism movement, the Fatherland Front (Vaterlandische Front) in Austria was Engelbert Dollfuss, supported by the Heimwehr (Home Defense Force).

A major right wing paramilitary organization, the National Union (Uniao Nacional) in Portugal was led by Antonio de Oliveira Salaza. Which became fascist after 1936. .

The Party of Free Believers (Elefterofronoi) in Greece led by Ioannis Metaxas.

The Ustasa (Insurgence) in Croatia led by Ante Pavelic.

The National Union (Nasjonal Samling) in Norway, which was only in power for a week, was led by Vidkun Quiskling. He was later made minister president under the German occupation, and the military dictatorship of Admiral Tojo Hideki in Japan.

Spain’s fascist movement, the Falange (Phalanx) was founded in 1933 by Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera never came into power, but many of its members were absorbed into the military dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Which itself displayed many fascist characteristics.

Poland’s anti-Semitic Falanga, led by Boleslaw Piasecki, was influential but unable to overthrow the conservative regime of Jozef Pilsudski.

Finland’s Lapua Movement, led by Vihtori Kosola, nearly staged a coup in 1932 but was checked by conservatives backed by the army.

The Arrow Cross Party (Nyilaskeresztes Part) in Hungary was led by Ferenc Szalasi. It was suppressed by the conservative regime of Miklos Horthy until 1944 when Szalasi was made a puppet ruler under the German Occupation.

The Iron Guard (Garda de Fier) in Romania was led by Corneliu Codreanu. It was also called the League of Christian Defense, the Legion of the Archangel Michael, and All for the Fatherland. The dictatorial regime of King Carol II in 1938 dissolved the party. In 1939 Codreanu and several of his legionaries were arrested and later shot while “trying to escape”. A contended report some of his followers did not believe. In 1940 the remnants of the Iron Guard reemerged to share power but were finally crushed by Romanian Conservatives in 1941.

France had the Cross of Fire (Croix de Feu), later renamed to the French Social Party (Parti Social Francais), was led by the Colonel Francois de La Rocque. It was the largest and fastest growing party on the French right between 1936 and 1938. In 1937 it was larger than the French communist and socialist parties combined. One scholar estimated its membership between 700 thousand and 1.2 million. By 1939 it included 3,000 mayors, about 1,000 municipal councilmen, and 12 parliamentary deputies.

Other fascists movements in France included the short lived Faisceau, led by Georges Valois. The Young Patriots (Jeunesses Patriotes) led by Pierre Taittinger. French Solidarity (Solidarite Francaise) was founded and financed by Francios Coty and led by Jean Renaud. The Franks was led by Marcel Bucard.

After the German invasion in 1940 a number of the French fascists served in the Vichy regime of Marshal Philippe Petain.

The British Union of Fascist was led by Oswald Mosley and had some 50 thousand members.

Belgium had the Rexist Party led by Leon Degrelle won about 10 percent of the seats in parliament in 1936.

Russian fascist organization were founded by exiles in Manchuria, the United Sates, and elsewhere. The largest of these groups was the Russian Fascist Party, VFP, led by Konstantin Rodzaevsky. While the Russian Fascist Organization, VFO, was led by Anastasy Vonsiatsky.

At the end of World War II, the major European fascist parties were broken up, and in some countries such as Italy and West Germany they were officially banned. Beginning in the late 1940s many fascist-oriented parties and movement were founded in Europe as well as in Latin America and South Africa. Some European “neofascist” groups attracted large following, especially in Italy and France. None were as influential as the major fascist parties of the interwar period.

Outside of Europe and Asia the popular support for fascism was greatest in South Africa and the Middle East.

Several fascist groups were founded in South Africa after 1932, including the Gentile National Socialist Movement and its splinter group the South African Fascists. As well as the pro-German Ox-Wagon Sentinel (Ossewabrandwag). Founded in 1939 it transformed itself from populist to cultural nationalism, and becoming politically radicalized at the same time. As a nationalist movement a considerable part of the Afrikaans white population comprised its members.

By 1939 there were at least seven Arab ‘shirt’ movements. Such as the Syrian People’s Party (also known as the Syrian National Socialist Party), the Iraqi Futuwa movement, and the Young Egypt movement (also called the Green Shirts).

European fascism had imitators in Latin America, including the Nacis, founded in Chile by Jorge Gonzalez von Marees. The Mexican founded fascism group named ‘Gold Shirts’ was led by Nicolas Rodriguez. Peru had a dictator Luis Sanchez Cero who led their fascist group; Revolutionary Union (Union Revolucionaria). Brazil had the Integralist Action party (Acao Integralista Brasileira). Which rose to some 200 thousand members by the mid-1930s and was suppressed by the Brazilian government in 1938 after a failed coup attempt.

Fascism in the United States The Ku Klux Klan founded at the end of the Civil War and revived in 1915 displayed fascist characteristics. One offshoot, the Black Legion, had some 60 thousand members in the early 1930s and committed numerous acts of arson and bombings. In 1930 Catholic priest Charles E. Coughlin began national radio broadcasts of sermons. These became increasingly antidemocratic and anti-Semitic, as did the journal he founded (Social Justice). After running unsuccessfully for the US presidency in 1936 he became an apologist for Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco. In 1942 his journal, Social Justice, was banned from the U.S. mails for violating the Espionage Act. In the same year the American Catholic church ordered him to stop his broadcasts. The pro-Nazi German-American Bund was founded in 1933 and staged military drills and mass rallies until it disintegrated upon the U.S entry into the war in 1941.

History of Anti-Fascism Anti-Fascism began where Fascism began, in Italy. Arditi del Popolo (The People’s Daring Ones) was founded in 1921. Named after the Italian army’s shock troops from World War I after famously swimming across the Piave River with daggers in their teeth. They were committed to the fight against the increasingly violent faction of blackshirts, the forces encouraged by Benito Mussolini prior to his rise to Italy’s dictator. The Arditi del Popolo brought together unionists, anarchists, socialists, communists, republicans, and former army officers to build bridges where these political groups previously saw walls. Those bridges quickly extended to the races persecuted by fascists. The leftists of Germany’s Roter Frontkampferbund (RFP) were the first to use the famous clenched fist salute as the symbol of their fight against intolerance. In 1932 they became Antifaschistische Aktion, or ANTIFA for short. They fought Nazi anti-Semitism and homophobia. The fist that was first raised by German workers would go on to be raised by the Black Panthers and Nelson Mandela, among many others, over the course of time. In the early days of the Spanish Civil War the Republican popular militia was organized much like modern antifa groups. Voting on important decisions, allowing women to server alongside men, and stood shoulder to shoulder with political adversaries against a common enemy. In October 1936 Oswald Mosley with the British Union of Fascists attempted to march through Jewish neighborhoods in London. His 3 thousand fascists with 6 thousand policemen found themselves outnumbered by the anti-fascist Londoners who turned up to stop them. Estimates of the crowd vary from 20 to 100 thousand. Children were recruited to roll their marbles under the hooves of police horses, while Irish dockworkers, Eastern European Jews, and leftist workers stood side by side to block the march. Standing with their fists raised like the German anti-fascists, they chanted “No pasaran!”. (They shall not pass!) They sung in Italian, German, and Polish and succeeded in blocking the march. Cable Street became a symbol of power of a broad anti-fascist alliance in shutting down fascist hate speech on the streets. Anti-fascist volunteers have been quietly slipping through international cordons to northeaster Syria since 2015 to fight against Isis and Turkish conscripts in defense of the Kurdish people abandoned by the world. When Italian volunteer Lorenzo Orzetti was killed by ISIS in 2019, the men and women of Rojava sand ‘Bella Ciao’. An anti-fascist song from 1920 Italy that grew popular in the mountains of Syria nearly 90 years later.

Anti-fascism in the United States The Anti-Racist Action was formed in 1988 on the basis that anti-racism and anti-fascism are one and the same. Across the country autonomous groups have emerged to fight the rise in hate speech and combat hate crimes. Local clergy in Virginia counted on ANTIFA to keep people safe during the “Untie the Right” rally of 2017. Using the 1930s German Antifa logo, raised fist of RFB, and the ‘No Pasaran’ slogan; these groups have stood in front of racists and fascists similarly to their predecessors at Cable Street in Los Angeles, Milwaukee, and New York. While accusations have been leveled at Antifa for turning recent protests violent, there is little evidence that exists to confirm those affiliated with the anti-fascist cause were behind the violence. Some anti-fascist use violence to combat violence but maintain a firm stance not to initiate it.

Sites of reference for material written above: * https://www.britannica.com/topic/fascism * https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/brief-history-anti-fascism-180975152/ * https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascism * https://www.britannica.com/biographies/history/fascism * https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/172004 * https://www.thefreedictionary.com/exalts Books of reference for material written above: Oxwagon Sentinel by Christoph Marx

Racism is Everyone’s Problem

Since my skin color is going to have everyone rolling their eyes thinking “this white privilege bitch think she knows anything about racism?” I want to start by saying I AM PUERTO RICAN. Now for my own back story so you get to know me better. 

I have seen both sides of the fence. As noted in my opening statement my skin color makes me look like I belong among the privileged. The second they learn of my last name or hear me speak my native language however, they quickly revoke all privilege and reign down on me with their hate. To the Caucasians out there who do not believe White Privilege is real: You’re wrong! If you were a minority who just happened to look white, like myself, you would be in a position to know this. 

Let me show you.

Age 15: Walking off high school grounds on lunch break to get food from the deli 3 blocks over. Common thing many of us did as it was permitted to leave school grounds for lunch. Myself, a white friend we’ll call Ashley, and a Hispanic friend we’ll call Jose. Police officer drives by and sees us walking during school hours and pulls over. He asks us our names. Ashley goes first and he tells her to stand to the side, I go and he looks at me with a moment of surprise and tells me to get my ID out. Jose goes last and he ask him if he’s ever been in trouble with the law. (Jose is very tan in complexion naturally and looks every bit of his South American heritage.) He makes Jose put his hands on the trunk of the car while he pats him down, gets his ID out for him, runs his information to confirm he’s never been in trouble, and dumps his entire bookbag out onto the ground to inspect its contents. He checks my ID, asks me where I’m from with a last name like __, and proceeds to do the same thing to me. Mind you it’s illegal for a male cop to pat down a female in my state, but he didn’t want anyone privy to his racial profiling so he didn’t call a female to the scene. He asks Ashley why she’s walking with us, if we were coercing her into any bad activities and sends her back to school walking. While we get escorted back in his car and handed off to the principal after confirming students had consent to leave the property for lunch and it was indeed our scheduled lunch break. 

Age 17: Working at Pizza Hut restaurant as a waitress. About 3 months in a friend stopped by to order take out and saw me working. Greeted me in Spanish and after he left I was confronted by the shift supervisor. When asked how I spoke Spanish so well since they literally failed it in school, and if there was a trick to it; I responded by informing him I was Spanish. Soon he and the rest of the crew were murmuring in the back kitchen, getting quiet when I came near, looking at me sideways and trying to avoid brushing against me at the soda machine like I had the plague or something. Next day I came in, looked at the clipboard to see what section I was working and saw my name crossed out. I asked him why ‘Karen’ was working the entire dining room alone and was told “Because you belong cleaning the bathrooms. Go find the cleaning closet and get scrubbing” I reported him to the Manager when she was on duty the next day and she said she’d talk to him, but any shift she was not in the building I was taunted by the staff and forced to work my shift scrubbing toilets. So I quit. 

Age 19: Working at a Giant’s supermarket as cashier. I worked my way up to Customer Service Supervisor and then the front end Assistant Manager is like 8 months. My third day as Asst Manager I walked out through the store to shop after my shift. In line at the register the person in front of me was Spanish and having trouble understanding what the cashier was telling her about a coupon she was trying to use. I step in and explain it to the customer in Spanish because it was getting late and I wanted to go the fuck home. The cashier gave me a shell shocked look and asked how I knew Spanish. I told her I was Spanish and got this ‘ew’ look that ended our conversation. My check out was awkwardly quiet for a person that had been friendly with me since my first day on the job. Next day I was demoted without explanation to cashier. My password for the cash room was deactivated and when I found someone to let me into the office so I could start work I was told “You don’t work in this dept anymore. You’re a cashier now. Go see _ and find out what register you’ll be at today”. When I asked why I was simply told “You should know. It only just happened yesterday” None of management was kind to me again, most supervisors looked at me with disdain as I passed, and finally after a week the produce manager told me it was because I was Spanish and they didnt realize that when they promoted me. He apologized for the fact he had to ignore me in the store but that anyone caught being nice to me would face consequences. Apparently they wanted me to quit. So I did. 

Age 26: I got a job at Kmart as a cashier. Worked my way up to Soft-line dept Shift Supervisor in 6 months. About 3 weeks later I started dating the Loss Prevention Manager from another store. He is an African American, Italian, German mix race man who solely looks African American. It took about 2 months for the relationship to get out around the job. It took my boss all of 5 seconds after confronting me for confirmation about the relationship to start treating me like shit. After a week I tried to go to HR and was informed that she is the daughter of a very high up corporate executive and by proxy untouchable. She made more than the store manager and basically ran the show there. After another few days I called her out in the front of the store one night at closing time asking what the stick up her ass with me was and she point blank said “I thought you were a good person. You work hard and you’re a natural leader to the girls here but you screwed up sleeping with a black man. Then I find out you’re a spic so it makes sense for you like blacks. I’m just disgusted with myself for being fooled by you” That was the end of that job. 

See white folks? Not once but FOUR times in my life things were good for me while people thought I was white, but quickly soured once the truth came to light. Four times I was excelling in my place of employment thanks to the privilege my skin color bestowed upon me but lost it once it was discovered I was just a really pale brown person. White privilege is real. 

I won’t bore you all with the blatant racism I’ve dealt with in my life. If you’re not Caucasian you already know the shit people spew out their hateful mouths, and what it’s like to deal with people throwing shit at you. 

I want to discuss the fact that racism is everyone’s problem. Those of us being subjected to it must stand up for ourselves against racist people because we’re human too dammit. We deserve to be treated with the same dignity, respect, and considerations that our oppressors grant each other. More importantly is the fact that those of us who are not subjected to it because they have the privilege of being born white should also stand up against racist people. Use the privilege you try so hard to deny for the greater good! BE THE CHANGE that fixes our society. Don’t just turn the other cheek figuring “I’m not the target so it’s not my problem”. Step up, speak up, and help your fellow man. We have to stand together or continue to fall divided. Just because you are not the one who thinks that way or acts that way does not make you part of the solution. Your silence and complacency in allowing racism to continue to thrive and exist is just as damaging as choosing to participate in it. Get outraged that your neighbor, friend, coworker, or just plain old fellow man is being mistreated and murdered for no reason other than their skin color is different. Teach your children to stand up and speak up against racism when they witness it. Teach them how to identify racism, racial profiling, and racial disparity. We have to fix this. Together. 

We are one species, one country, and one society. So lets stand as one. United in our right to life. 

March your ass down to your capital buildings alongside us and tell our leaders ENOUGH WITH RACISM. Hold police accountable! No more death! 

Diversity is human nature

I shook my head and “tsk” at the people who up-roared over the Cheerios commercial. Thought to myself “Why do some people go out of their way to hate?” More to the point “Why do they go even further out of their way to spread their hate and try to convince the masses it is ‘Gods’ will to hate, segregate, oppress, and degrade?” People are not born to hate. Babies do not show disgust or fear towards specific types of people. Nor do they act out towards any specific types of people. If anything, the first time a child is instructed to not associate or communicate with a specific class of person they respond with confusion and request to know why. Hate, in any form is taught. Taught to us by our parents, family, and their churches.

If God created people in his image, than how we are born is how he wants us to be. As it is the true reflection of who his is. Those who carry hate and live to teach it and preach it are the ones going against God. Not those who believe in human equality for all and the right to live how you feel fits you.

Let’s all remember something here. Every book of God was written by MAN. Years after Jesus lived and died. Originally written to preserve the story of Jesus and the words of God as they had been told. We all know how the telephone game works right? I think every child has played it at one point in their life. Things get lost in time and re-told inaccurately.

The scriptures are man’s interpretation of God’s word. His understanding of what God wanted based on the how history was re-told to them at the time they were written. The variations to follow were just yet another man’s interpretation of what God meant for his children. So in all honesty, because Jesus himself never wrote a book to tell us what God wanted for us, no one KNOWS what is wrong or right. What is sin and what is not. What God will forgive us for and what he will not.

Those who preach hate and throw stones (metaphoric or other) at people who live differently than the “good” book says we should be living... THEY may actually be the ones to be judged at the pearly gates. Deemed the true sinners who betrayed God’s will for not being humble, kind, forgiving, loving, and compassionate to all fellow man regardless of skin color, sexual orientation, or if they married before having sex and never divorced. NOBODY KNOWS!! Let me say that again. NO - BODY KNOWS!!! The bibles are not FACT. So drop your stones and just live and let live.

BRAVO to J&J for their latest series of ads!!! You get it!!

The way we damage our kids

One may have the best intentions at heart and still be their child’s biggest bully in life. Why choosing your words wisely does NOT equate to “babying” your child.

We all want what is best for our children. We’re their parents, we love them. So it’s instinctual to want to see them happy, and to protect them. Part of that happiness is teaching them to love themselves unconditionally for who they are. As much, or more so, than you unconditionally love them. To embrace their personality, preferences, style, and sense of self. To ensure they have self-confidence, courage, pride, morals, ethics, respect, and love. 

Too often we let fear over shadow those efforts, and drive us to counter our own efforts. There is a meme constantly cycling through social media that I absolutely love. “We should not teach our children to change who they are to fit into a cruel, hard world. We should teach our children to be the change that makes the world a little less cruel and hard.” Many times we worry so much about what other people will think about how our child looks or acts, that we lecture our children not to be themselves. 

Let me just say this first: Letting your child be “themselves” should not translate into letting your child have free reign over everyone around them. You should not be condoning your child’s behavior if they are running around a store tearing things off the racks\shelves, tripping people as they cut them off to run past without a single apology shouted back at the person they nearly toppled, are throwing things at people, are taking items out the hands of other children without permission from that child to use it first, or are exhibiting any other negative behavior. Being disrespectful, rude, and obnoxious are teaching moments in which you as the parent should be correcting. Not because of what other people may think, but because it is what’s right. 

That out of the way...

Children try at an early age to express themselves. While they are still too young to know anything about the ‘fashion fads’ of the time, or what “the social norm” means, they express their personalities with the things around them. When they are toddlers we think it is the cutest thing to see our son try to dress himself by pulling out a pair of canary yellow shorts, powder blue tee, green socks, any 2 sneakers they find (whether they’re from the same matching pair or not), and Dad’s over sized hat. We’ll take a picture to commemorate the moment and let them strut around the house all day ever so proud of themselves because they performed a ‘big boy’ act. Or nearly split our sides giggling when our daughter tries to make her hair pretty by putting just about every bow or barrette she owns in her hair, pulling on a dress, and stepping into her Mom’s high heals. It is extremely easy to let our children express themselves when they are young and help them embrace their uniqueness. Mainly because we assume they do not know what they are doing and write it off as silly toddler behavior.

The challenge to continuing that message and nurture your child’s ability to express themselves and be comfortable in their own skin, is to continue that happy support after they are school age. (standard kindergartner age is 5) If your daughter asks you to split her hair in half, put the left half into a pony tail and curl it, then put the right half into a french braid because she thinks both styles are super pretty and would love to wear them both at the same time... You do it. Don’t tell her “Honey that will look foolish. I’m not paying for school pics with your hair looking ridiculous” or “No honey, people might laugh at you because your hair looks silly.” Doing so with such terminology emotionally harms the child. A one off on rare occasion will just hurt her feelings by making her feel like the things she prefers, what makes her happy, her desires are foolish and not worth considering. She’ll wonder if anything she likes is worth considering or are people laughing at her instead of with her when they giggle at the site of something she does. Things we may actually be laughing with her on because we think it’s the cutest darn thing every, she will question. If you belittle her unique ideas of expression with such harsh words frequently enough she will start to think she’s not good enough. Her happiness is not important. Her feelings are irrelevant and matter not as a result of the constant shaming such words enforce on her for trying to express her personality. She may even begin to get upset when someone giggles at something she does as a result. She will feel like that giggle is ridicule from the harsh message you have taught her accidentally in your efforts to avoid her being teased at school. She will never believe someone is laughing at her for a good reason and the giggle of cuteness will become a weapon against her self-esteem each time she hears it. Instead of being a reinforcement of her confidence. She may not outwardly express that hurt when someone giggles by speaking up either. Mainly because she has learned to feel like her feelings and requests don’t matter. So why express hurt if happiness is such a crime to express? Your beautiful, playful, little girl will grow to be what society expects her to look and act like, but suffer inwardly with confidence and esteem issues, and will be that much more likely to suffer depression. She may never get bullied in her life at school because she conforms and fits in perfectly as you taught her to, but feel alone inwardly and hate herself. Feel like she’s being bullied at home and thinking you don’t love her half as much as you say you do. She will become that much more likely to go down the wrong path in life, and get mixed up with bad boyfriends who will pick up the torch and emotionally\verbally abuse her.

If you genuinely do not agree with the hairstyle she picked for her school pictures you should talk her into an alternate with respect and positive wording. So she knows you value her idea and think it is a great thing that she wants to express herself so uniquely. Preferably in a compromise that gives her what she wants in a way that wont make her stand out too much in a crowd. “That sounds like a really neat idea princess. I’m a little worried it may be unbalanced. You could get a headache with a pony tail on one side only. How about we split your hair in half by doing a top and bottom style instead of a left and right style? I can make the top half of your hair into pig tails and curl the hair like you want. Then I’ll french braid the bottom half of your hair. It will still be the cutest thing ever and all the girls will think you invented the best hair style.” This way you only see her with pig tails in the school pictures, anyone seeing her walking their way will only see the pig tails, and only the few walking behind her or that look back after she passes will know there is a second style there. (Or if you make the top half a lone pony tail and curl it like she asked, and the bottom a french braid the pony tail be sit over the braid and hide it) And it will actually be a passive enough alternative to a wild style for her to get away with. So you pull off sparing her from being taunted upon arrival at school for her quirky idea, possibly make it better so other girls may actually want to copy it, and she gets her way. Keeping that confidence you did so well those first 5 years to build in tact. ;) 

There is always a positive way to steer your children away from the things you feel society will brand as “over the top” to protect them from ridicule without actually being the one that ridicules them. Children should feel safe in their own homes and in the presence of their parents. They should not feel as if their parents are their biggest bullies and fear doing anything original in front of you. We should be their supporters, not their haters and harshest criticizers.

And hey... if they do get teased by someone for something they chose to do as a means of expressing their individuality. Well... You talk them through it. Comfort them, reassure them, and explain to them that there are people out there in the world that don’t know how to handle things they do not understand. So they say mean things or do mean things because they were never taught by their parents how to positively express their confusion and gain clarity on something. Nor learned how to disagree with someone’s choices that differ from their own in a nice way. Ensure they know that what that person said or did is not their fault, but the fault of the other person and they should not let it get them down. Teach them to over come the hurt, because they will eventually grow up and move out. You can’t be there 24/7 for the rest of their lives to shield them from mean things. Support their emotions and help them learn to rise above and beyond it. Just never be the one instilling it upon them in your efforts to avoid them having to face it.

Domestic Violence Awareness

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/16/private-violence-documentary-domestic-violence_n_5991892.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

This movie was created to answer the most commonly asked question from anyone whom hears about domestic violence. "Why doesn't she leave?"

As someone who has lived on both sides of the fence the movie hits close to home. I too in my early dating years (16-20) would see guys at school acting like total jerks and being verbally, emotionally, and at times even physically abusive towards their girlfriends. I too would watch in judgement and think "Why does she stay with him?" In cases where I knew the girl I would even pose the question directly to her and insist she think more of herself and leave him.

Than I became part of the stigma myself and realized first hand that it is not always easy to "just leave" a guy.

Mistake #1 was exactly like so many other text book abusers. He was charming, attentive, affectionate, and fun loving. Treated me like a princess and invited me out everywhere with him. Convinced me he enjoyed being around me so much he'd rather not see his friends at all if they weren't cool with me tagging along. Then we moved in together and it all slowly started to degrade. Passive aggressive comments, demeaning criticism of my cooking\cleaning\appearance\etc. Rushing me home whenever I went to visit my parents or siblings. Limiting my outside contact little by little until I had no outside contact without him at my side. I eventually got tired of the nonsense after a few short months and tried to argue with him to remove the leash and set things back to the way they were or I would leave him. That was the first time he punched me in the face. (or hit me in any way) Text book reaction was for him to drop to his knees beside me begging forgiveness and passive aggressively convincing me it was my fault for getting him so worked up and making him do it. Foolishly I forgave him after a few days of silent treatment and him being the old attentive, loving guy he was before we moved in together. Then he hit me again. I realized he was an abuser and thing were only going to get worse if I stayed. So I gave my mom control of my bank accounts, had her put me on an "allowance" to get by from one check to the next, and use the money I had her force me to save to get a new apartment. I moved out while he was at work with no note or forwarding address. I called all my banks and credit cards directly to change my address and left the post office unaware I moved. In case he managed to inquire about where I was forwarding to. Several months later he found me outside a 7-11 and followed me home. Without me having seen him that day or the days to follow in which he stalked me to learn my schedule. He showed up at my job feigning as if he just then stumbled upon me and caused a scene trying to convince me to go back home with him. I was mindful to have not been followed home that night but I did not realize he already knew where I was. Around 1am he cut the phone line and power to my place and broke in. Dragged me out of bed and out of the apartment kicking and screaming. No one came, and no one called the police. Lights went on in windows and went back off. No one came out. No one wanted to get involved. He dragged me into the woods behind my building and proceeded to beat me. By the grace of God I got the knife away from him and cut his ass from ear to ear instead of letting him cut mine. It was a fast desperate swipe to get him away from me and the knife was apparently dull for the wound was not fatally deep. Seems even the Devil was there to protect his own that night. I didn't bother to run back to my apartment as I knew the door was broken off the hinges. I had no safety there. Instead I ran through the buildings, out the other side of the complex, and to that 7-11. I called the police from inside the store. It took 20mins from when he dragged me out of my bed to when I got to that store at the bottom of the hill and not one neighbor had called it in yet. My faith in humanity was lost that night. He went to prison and I haven't seen him since.

Mistake #2 (Because apparently God felt one was not enough) was significantly harder to escape. The story began the exact same as the first. It was 3yrs after the first mistake and there was 2 short non-abusive relationships between these two bad men. This nightmare lasted over a year however. After a year of dating we decided to move in together. He didn't waste time breaking me into his control like the first one did. Once he was under my roof it was over. No subtle verbal and\or emotional abuse. He went straight for the "We live together now. That makes you my wife and you have to respect me and do as I say." the first week in. I tried to rebel but this one was twice my size and would bench more than I weighed every morning. He beat me, put me through walls, tore down dead bolted doors by slamming me into them repeatedly. He took me to and from work, left a friend of his outside my job while he went to make his own money to ensure I didn't run from work, and didn't let me see my family at all. I couldn't even close the door when I pee'd because he KNEW if given 10secs of privacy I'd jump from that 2nd floor window and run for my life. 

I finally swallowed my pride after 8 months and told my boss what was happening to me at home. God Bless that man he was so damn kind to me. He checked the employee records to see who lived the furthest and found a guy in Receiving lived an hour away. Talked to him about letting me stay with him for a week, gave me my 2 week vaca time early, and smuggled me out the store via the loading docks in back. Convinced any who came by that I left on my lunch break and never came back. Then promoted me to a management position so I could work in the back offices instead of on the sales floor. Kept me hidden for over a month while I looked for a new place. Then someone came in looking for a job and was sent to me to be interviewed because the boss was away. The guy was one of my psycho ex's friends. He showed up there that same night and began tearing the store apart looking for me. The boss was urged by his boss to let me go. Walking to the train station to ride back to the safe house I'd been staying at he rolled up in a car I never seen before and took me. I was captive for a month before my family decided to send news to me threw his father in PA that my grandmother was dieing and I was expected at the hospital to say goodbye. We didn't travel into PA for a week. So when the message got to me she had passed and it was actually the day before her burial. To my surprise his father realized what his son was doing to me and actually beat the crap out of him and threw him out of his house. Leaving me inside to call and wait for my family to get me. His father rescued me and I haven't looked back since.

The moral of the stories here is that you can't always assume to know the whole story from witnessing one fight. You can't possibly phantom the ugly truth of what may or may not be happening in a home when you see a couple fight. It could be just what you see or something way worse behind the scenes. For all you know she does try to leave, but has not yet succeeded. Some die trying to leave. Some succeed but not for long. That fight you could be seeing is him having found her after she left. Walking away could mean the difference between her ever being seen again.

CALL THE COPS!! So what if it turns out he's not a woman beater and they were just arguing and they get mad at you for butting in? Better to be wrong about the depth of the danger in this way then the other. Could you really live with your conscious if you read about her body turning up three days later?

We do try to leave!!! Leaving just isn't always as clean cut as one not in the situation thinks it is. Watch the movie and learn something.

WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?

Italy. The whole country is just rich in history and culture. I would love to tour the whole country. Ireland would be my second option.

Truth about parenting

Parenting takes more then just buying your kids gifts on Christmas and birthdays, and calling them several times a week. While money is also needed to pay for their cost of living. Child support payments DO NOT make up for lack of parenting.

Parenting takes love, understanding, compassion, encouragement, mentoring, and TIME. A lot of time to get all of that done for them. Children aren't some magical being that poofs into your life out of thin air and says, "You look like you need some chaos in your life. I'm moving in with you and calling you Dad\Mom". They have no say in when they are made, born, or to whom they are raised. WE make them, WE choose to carry them to term and birth them, WE choose to raise them. Until they turn 18, 16 in some states, they can't walk away from us and raise themselves. So we, as the responsible "adult" should owe up to our choices and actually do them in full. Not in part, or when it's convenient for us to.

Children need us to teach them how to dress, tie their shoes, make a basic (non-stove using) meal\snack for themselves, go potty alone, bath themselves, pick up their room when they are done playing, change the TV themselves, put in a movie on their own, read\write, tell time, count, add, talk, basic social skills, etc. They should be independent by age 13. At which point they need us to teach them responsibility and accountability of their own actions, and finding their way in life. (and now too, how to cook stove using meals) So they can take all that we've taught them in their first 13 years of life and apply them in actual day to day life. So that when they are legally old enough to be accountable as adults, they actually can be productive ADULTS that can support themselves.

Too often in families in which the parents are no longer in a relationship together. The non-custodial parent thinks acknowledging the child's existence is better then walking completely out of their lives like some worse parents do and never seeing or speaking to the child again. They do the bare minimal to be in their child's life and think that entitles them to be called Dad or Mom. NO IT DOESN'T! If you constantly have excuses to not be at school functions, to not be at their rehearsal\practice\games\etc, to not help them with their homework, to not take your child for a day or a weekend, or even a freaking afternoon... You do not deserve to be called anything then by your birth name. If you are nothing more then a paycheck and a phone call then you should be greeted on the phone by your child as "John" not Daddy, or "Mary" not Mom.

A 5 minute phone call to say 'hey how ya doing?' a few times a week makes you nothing more then a family friend. Hell, there are likely to be actual family friends that do more then you if that's all you do. Child support makes you nothing but a financial backer to the child's life. It does not make you a parent. You are not teaching that child anything other then how to be an irresponsible slacker.

Step up your game boys and girls!!! Children do grow up to see you for the worthless person you are to them and resent\hate you for it.

My Terror & My Littlest Hero

I took my 8yo daughter, 4yo son, and 7yo niece out onto the trails to ride bikes\scooter through the woods. The kids love riding through the trees, seeing the deer, and stopping at the pond to try and catch a frog. 

About 1.5mls into the trails my niece, Mariah, hits a rock or something on the path and flips over the scooter. She lands on her left knee and has the biggest gash I've ever seen on such a little knee. Blood is streaming and all I can think is 'crap'. My daughter agrees to ride the scooter back to the car while Mariah sits on her bike so I can pull her along. We get about a quarter of a mile from the end of the trail and Alexia falls off the damn scooter and sprains her left ankle. Now I've got 2 girls that can't walk and we're in the damn woods. 

I double, triple, and quadruple check my daughter's ankle is def sprained and she's NOT walking anywhere. Mariah's gash is still steady flowing blood down her leg and she can't bend her knee at all. I've got 2 options:

I leave the scooter, take Mariah piggy back since she's the smallest, and pull Alexia along on the bike the rest of the way. HUGE chance I wont make it as my back is already hurting from pulling Mariah the mile+ so far. (I have 2 bad discs in my lower back, a few cracked vertebrae, and triple scoliosis)

I send my 4yo son to the car to get his dad and bring him back to help me with these girls. 

After a few minutes of pacing the trail weighing my options my son points out a 2 foot wide, worn down semi-path thru a break in the trees about 10 feet from where the girls are. The path opens onto the baseball fields. Four baseball fields that connect to make a massive square field, the playground on the other side of them, a small parking lot, a wall of shrub that separate the playground from the main parking lot & picnic area. I'll have a clear line of sight on him if he takes this route up till he goes around the shrub wall into the picnic area. At which point he will be within eyesight & ear shot of his dad. 

I weigh my options some more and try my hardest to figure out how to get these girls out myself without paralyzing myself along the way. Finally I look at my son and say "Saviant, I need you to do something I dont feel the least bit comfortable with asking you to do." After he says 'ok mommy' I continue: "I need you to walk across this field, to the left of the playground, carefully across the parking lot around the bushes, and into the picnic area. Your papi is napping on a picnic table by the bathrooms. I need you to find him and tell him to bring your stroller here because the girls are hurt, ok?" He tells me with steal courage and a brave face "Ok Mommy I will" Then drops his bike and starts walking. 

Alexia immediately starts to cry in protest, "Please mommy don't make him do this. He's only 4 he could get stolen. Mommy please he's too little!!" I turn to her and say "I know, I don't want to. You're both hurt and neither of you can walk. The trees block you from sight, and the distance stops me from hearing your screams. If I leave you to get help myself any pedophile could stumble across you and hurt you before I get back. There are a bunch of them registered in this area. I can't leave you here. He has to go" My heart aches at the idea I could be sacrificing 1 child to save 2, but I forbid myself to think such a thing again and begin to pray out loud as I watch my son walk across the field. "Please get him to his father and keep him safe." I repeat the prayer again & again with each step he takes to where it sounds more like a chant.

He eventually disappears around the shrub wall and I hold my breath in fear, while continuing my prayer mentally. What felt like an eternity passes when suddenly I hear my car alarm going off. I never felt happier hearing that sound!! They forgot to disarm my alarm before opening the trunk. He found his father, and he was safe!!! It took another 2 minutes before the two of them came into view around the shrub wall and were making their way to us. Saviant pushing the stroller gleefully. I nearly fell to my knees with relief at the sight of him as a tear fell from my eye. My baby was a brave, courageous, hero!!!

We got the girls back to the car and took them for the medical attention they needed. I've never  been more terrified in my life as I was watching my 3 foot tall, 52lb, 4 year old son walk out onto that field and away from my protective reach. Nor have I ever felt more PROUD as I was to see him coming back with help. 

Even the smallest people can have the biggest courage!!!

You kids today with your “cloud computers” and your “Googly Docs”…

Belated "Ground Rules" in a relationship

Unless you're still in Jr High and are dating your first boyfriend\girlfriend ever, you should relate to the immaturity of belated 'ground rules' in a relationship. Seriously... "ground rules" for what each person feels is appropriate behavior, boundaries on types of and\or gender of friends, and how to balance your time evenly between your job\school with your friends & new relationship should all be laid out on the table and made definitive and finite as soon as you both realize you are getting 'serious'. There is nothing that turns me off more then being 6 months to 2 years into a relationship with a guy\girl and all of a sudden BAM!!! Things they were "ok" with are suddenly relationship ending no-no's that must end. o_O???

I'm sure most of us have dealt with the most common of these belated ground rules: No friendships allowed with the opposite sex! (-____-)

WORSE....When its a bias belated ground rule because they themselves have friends of the opposite sex. The infamous 'lil sisters' they love so much. *eye roll*

If you KNEW I grew up as "just one of the guys" and played sports and watch sports now as an adult, and had ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM with me going to watch games at the sports bar or live at the stadium with my guy friends when we met.... You have no business getting pissed about it 4 years later!!! Especially if I proactively chose to tune it down looooong before you started having 'issues' with it out of respect for our relationship, because I'd rather do these things with you then them. If you've met and chilled with these guy friends of mine (and when doing group hangs - their girlfriends) your damn self. You have all their numbers in your own cell phone and they are on your Facebook just the same as they are on mine. Why the sudden insecurity? If I'm down to only seeing them at New Year's parties, annual cook outs they host (and you attend with me) and all of our respective birthday gatherings.... Why have an issue with the occasional Facebook comment saying 'hello' or the even rarer text\phone call. Most comical is when they call me for advice on saving their relationships and you insist they go through you 1st before talking to me about it. 

It's been 2 years since this drama started creeping into our now 6 year relationship, and I've reached the end of my tolerance with him about it. See, it's been my collective experience as the universal "little sister" that all my boys talk to about their problems that this only happens when the following has happened:

The only reason they were cool with the guy friends in the beginning is because they saw you as a jump off or short term GF at first. So they were exploring other options at the time and didn't care if you were doing the same. Once shit got real for them they decided it was time to reign you in before Karma bit them in the ass.

They were genuinely the loving, trusting, great guy they portrayed themselves as in the beginning but something changed. Either 1 of their 'lil sisters' stepped up and confessed feeling for him all this time and it trying to sleep with him. Making him scared you will do the same with 1 of your boys. (This one I feel opens the door to a new realm of issues that I'll save for another blog)

OR: He actually cheated on you recently and now he's worried Karma will bit him in the ass. So he's trying to do damage control by limiting your opportunities to get him back.

Reason 1 & 3 happen most often so I favor thinking, if he hasn't suddenly stopped talking to one of his 'lil sisters' recently as much as he used to... You need to boot his ass out the door!!!

Ladies and Gents... We all just need to be real straight out the gate and stay real. No script flipping halfway into filming the movie. Be honest, be faithful, and BE YOU and stop the bullshit! ;)

Rihann & Chris Brown Re-uniting

Its kinda beginning to piss me off that people are running their mouths about Rihanna getting back together with Chris Brown. I'd like to first say that I agree what he did was deplorable and evil. I personally feel he should have done at least 5yrs in jail without parole, and been court ordered into anger management for no less then 2yrs post sentence completion. A non-famous man would have been thrown in jail and ordered into anger management for less than the severity of beating Chris gave Rihanna. 

HOWEVER: She did not run straight back into his arms after the incident. What everyone is failing to see is that, there is more to the story then what the paparazzi publish or the police report of what Chris did. No one knows if he got professional help on his own privately. No one knows what he must have done during the time he and Rihanna were separated to PROVE to her that he deserved a second chance to be a better man. She is NOT one of those females that took a beating and said "Its ok baby, I know I made you mad. It was my fault too. I forgive you" and ran back to him straight from the hospital. We all know that 1 female (friend or family) that does do exactly that. He did not beat her regularly before she said 'enough' and left him. It was a single fight between them and he let his emotions and actions get out of control. 

As TRUE Rihanna Navy: We must trust her judgement and intellect. Trust that she did make him get help privately and prove to her that he has learned to control his emotions and actions. Trust that she is not going back to him blindly. Remind ourselves that she did make him wait and has had serious time to consider the impact of this decision. Trust that if he fails again she will walk away from him again and for good the second time. And PRAY, truly PRAY for her safety and for her to be right in her decision so she may find the "happily ever after" she deserves.

We are not in her shoes and do not know the whole story. Stop hating, stop judging without all the facts, and just love her as you did before this news broke.

I LOVE MY LIFE!!

and...... Karma can be a bitch, but.... I'm on top anyways.

The end of my relationship with my daughter's father. Best thing I ever did ;)

Jan 27, 2010 .... Except I didnt get the benefit of "justice"

One day I will have this with a man, and this will be our wedding march... lol (The instrumental of course)

Defines all of my failed relationships of my adolescence and early adult life. So glad I finally grew wise enough and emotionally strong enough to break this chain. :D