“I don’t know, man. He’s just gonna talk about all of the issues and what he’s going to do to solve them. That’s what fucking presidents do.”
The back of Jacob’s crisp, white T-shirt read, “I think, therefore I TRUMP.”
His buddy’s shirt skipped the metaphysics, opting instead for the pithy “ISIS SUCKS.” They had caught me trying to photograph their clothing from a short distance, leaving me with no choice but to shove my thumbs through my belt loops and sidle up. We were just over an hour away from Donald Trump’s appearance at his Birmingham, AL campaign rally, and I figured this man’s guess about the specifics of Trump’s inevitable diatribe was as good as anybody else’s.
Trump would definitely have something to say about ISIS, and the need to blow them to smithereens sooner rather than later.
“They’re easier to find than you think,” Jacob explained, whipping out his iPhone to illustrate. “If I was a person of interest, they could look up exactly where I am on this thing and drag me out of here before you and me even finished talking. Did you tell your phone number to Facebook?”
“Not even pictures,” I said. “I don’t want ‘em knowing anything about me.”
“You got that right.” The friend offered an affirmative nod, too.
Cristian made it past security without any trouble, having shaved his beard down to tight stubble the night before in an effort to pass as Puerto Rican.
At last, we had found Trump People. I’d heard tell of them since late summer, and as summer slipped into fall, debate polls and survey results on the TV told the story of their continuing growth, but I had yet to find anyone who would admit to me in the flesh that they actually supported Trump’s candidacy for President of the United States of America. Or even that they liked him, for that matter.
Maureen, my girlfriend, can’t stand the dude. She’s a staunch feminist and pinned a Bernie Sanders bumper sticker up in her office back in August, and so naturally I have spent the past several months of dinner conversations feigning solidarity with whichever flavor of ridiculous bombast Trump had unleashed that day, in the interest of seeing her get riled up.
Our friend Cristian is the son of Mexican immigrants, but he, too, relishes any opportunity to get Maureen’s goat. We ordered three tickets the day they were made available online.
We made it past the woman snatching tickets from hands as she barked at the line to keep moving. We made it past the security checkpoint on the second try, after I had been escorted by Trump’s Head Goon, who was unyielding but exceptionally polite, to and from our car to deposit my pocket knife.
Cristian made it past security without any trouble, having shaved his beard down to tight stubble the night before in an effort to pass as Puerto Rican.
A man selling Trump related campaign clothes outside of the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex on Nov. 21, 2015. Photo Credit: Jordan Cissell/ Rise News.
We made it through the long lines outside of the bathroom, located just to the left as we entered the convention hall. The woman who filed into the much-longer women’s line behind Maureen told her husband to wait for her by the pillar.
“I may be awhile, unless you want me to turn into a transgender and go in the men’s,” she warned. He assured her that he was content to wait.
Yes, these were the elusive Trump People for whom I had been searching. And for the next two hours, by virtue of association, I would be Trump People, too.
After parting ways with Jacob and Friend, Cristian and I spotted a choir group huddled in the far corner, the men clad in crimson ties, gray suit coats, and black pants, the women clad in shimmery red tops and black slacks. We picked two guys off from the herd, one white and one black, and introduced ourselves.
They had driven down from Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, the night before and would be today’s opening act. They were noncommittal when I asked what they would be singing, so I asked them whether or not they actually liked Trump. They shifted uncomfortably and wrung their hands for at least 20 seconds until the white guy forced out, “I guess he seems alright.”
I heard the guy in the flame-print bowling shirt behind me say that he figured there were about 8 or 9 million in attendance. Seemed about right.
We rejoined the throng pressing against the fence stage left, just in time for a guy who looked like Wrath of Khan-era William Shatner whose name I don’t remember to introduce a former colonel and current pastor to the stage to lead our opening prayer.
After calling upon the help of the Lord in granting us a president who would put an end to the twin specters of ISIS and Planned Parenthood in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen, the Colonel stepped down and returned the mic to the faux Shatner.
“Alright, let’s continue these proceedings in the correct and patriotic way. I would like to direct you all to my rear.” The crowd tittered, and faux Shatner scrambled to recover. “And that beautiful, old flag.”
We dutifully directed our attention and recited the Pledge, and then Jason Perkins, a Dress Blues-clad Marine with a chest like Gaston, was ushered onto center stage.
“I gotta tell you… Isn’t this the best-looking devil you ever saw? And he has the best voice you’ll ever hear. Without further ado, let’s just let him do what he’s gonna do here today.” faux Shatner ceded the mic to Gaston with stars in his eyes. Gaston’s baritone soared, and the crowd went wild.
Donald Trump supporters listen to the candidate speak. Photo Credit: Jordan Cissell/ Rise News.
They cleared the stage, and the teeming hordes pressed closer around us. I heard the guy in the flame-print bowling shirt behind me say that he figured there were about 8 or 9 million in attendance. Seemed about right.
Like Noah’s Ark, the crowd had at least two of everything: white people, black people, Mexican people, country club types, scruffy hipsters in Levi’s 511s, and NASCAR clodhoppers, every one of them hopped up on democracy.
There was a multigenerational family of six directly in front of us, and four of them were each bearing a red or blue sweatshirt with each successive word of “Make America Great Again” embroidered in white on the chest. When faux Shatner had first stepped on stage a few minutes earlier, I had shouted, “It’s Trump!” in hopes of seeing some heads turn.
Read More: Batman of Birmingham- The Curious Story Of Willie J. Perry
Mrs. Again, the matriarch of the outfit, had turned her head back just enough to spit a terse, “No.” It was plain to see that she was onto us. We’d have to proceed cautiously.
The Lee University Campus Choir was up next, all plastered-on smiles and shimmying shoulders as they tore through a glee club-y patriotic medley and Pharrell’s “Happy.” My favorite part was their weird chorale interpretation of the Declaration of Independence, in which they layered on harmonies like a bunch of jingoistic, Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys.
LISTEN: Lee University Campus Choir sings the preamble to the Declaration of Independence at Trump rally
Two black women swapped lead on Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me,” and they both sang beautifully. A man and wife slow-danced on the outer edge of the fray. The throng, by now whipped into a blind, nostalgic frenzy, slathered them with uproarious applause.
A cross-eyed brute with slick-backed hair in a boxy Brooks Brothers suit prowled the fence line.
At exactly 10:32 AM, a guy in a brown suit and yellow tie who Trump later referred to as Mark shuffled up to the podium with a 20-ounce Dasani water bottle with a green cap, foggy like it had just been removed from the fridge.
He slid the water bottle into the shelf underneath the podium surface bottom-first, taking deliberate pains to make sure, with his outstretched thumb and pointer finger as ruler, that the cap end of the bottle was sticking out by just the right amount, which seemed from where I was standing to be about 3.22 inches.
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Mark shuffled a few papers on the podium and adjusted the mic, then made another concerted effort to check that the water bottle was appropriately positioned before scurrying back off of the stage.
At exactly 10:59, Mark ran back up, grabbed the water bottle from the shelf, and stepped off to the side to stand with the cross-eyed brute.
Trump burst onto the convention floor at precisely 11:00, the tsunami of the mob’s hysterical glossolalia drowning the bent-note splendor of “Sweet Home Alabama.”
He bulled his way along the fence, a cross between Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Jesus Among the Lepers as he fist-bumped the outstretched knuckles of his frothy disciples. He ranted and raved for exactly one hour.
After a breather by the trashcan, Black Lives Matter guy yelled, “Fuck everybody here!” and exited the hall chanting “Fuck Donald Trump!” as the loiterers by the door jeered.
Early on, Trump suggested that President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry need to read his 1987 book Trump: The Art of the Deal.
Without warning, the words “They can’t read!” were ripped from my larynx and thrust into the torrent, earning us the approving chuckle and renewed confidence of Mrs. Again and her daughter, Mrs. Make, in the process.
Spittle flashed in the stage lights, and tempers flared among the horde. A staggering woman with the complexion of a catcher’s mitt was ostracized for touching someone’s baby one too many times, but that proved to be just the undercard.
In the main event, a scrum formed around a Black Lives Matter supporter and dragged him to the ground. Police, Secret Service, Mark, and the Head Goon peeled the man off the ground and started directing him towards the exit, so I followed.
“Get him the hell out of here,” Trump ordered from the podium. As the man whirled around in a wild-eyed daze and staggered toward a trashcan, Trump People who had moments before applauded the Lee Choir soloists hurled cries of “Taze him!” and “All lives matter.”
A Black Lives Matter supporter, later identified as Mercution Southall was removed from the Trump rally. Photo Credit: Jordan Cissell/ Rise News.
A disgusted fraternity brother said, “Get the fuck out of here, man,” and Mark told him to shut up.
After a breather by the trashcan, Black Lives Matter guy yelled, “Fuck everybody here!” and exited the hall chanting “Fuck Donald Trump!” as the loiterers by the door jeered.
Maureen and Cristian told me afterward that Mrs. Again and Mrs. Make had extended their middle finger to Black Lives Matter guy as a parting gesture.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Black Lives Matter Removed From Trump Rally In Alabama
Trump concluded his remarks and dismissed us all into the sunshine.
On our walk to lunch Cristian said he was going to take a shower when we got back home.
Maureen said, “I’m just sad.”
Hungry, disgusted, and upset. Trump People.
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Cover Photo Credit: Jordan Cissell/ Rise News.
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Pro Gun Groups Plan To Hold Fake “Mass Shooting” Near University Of Texas Campus
A college campus. The sound of gunfire. Screams. Bodies strewn about, covered in blood.
What has all too frequently come flashing across our Twitter streams and TV screens in this case is not another actual campus shooting, but a planned demonstration at the University of Texas, Austin.
This Saturday at noon local time, two gun rights groups, Come and Take It Texas and DontComply.com plan to conduct a “crisis performance” after marching through Austin openly carrying loaded rifles and other weapons according to Matthew Short, a spokesman for the organizations.
Once near the university, “crisis actors” will use props made of cardboard and fake blood while the sound of gunfire rings out from bullhorns to perform a mock mass shooting incident, complete with pretend armed heroes who will apparently end the fake carnage with cardboard weapons of their own.
The groups intend to highlight their positions regarding “gun free zones”, like the UT Austin campus.
“Gun free zones are killing us,”A statement on the event’s Facebook page reads. “These target rich environments are letting our children be murdered by evil people. Now is the time to stand up, take a walk, and put pressure on politicians to ban Gun Free Zones.”
UT Austin is the site of two campus shootings, the Tower shooting in 1966, in which 14 people were killed and 32 wounded by student Charles Whitman. Whitman was killed by police, ending his siege.
In 1990, student Colton Tooley fired shots on campus from an AK-47, before ending his own life in the main library.
Initially, organizers endeavored to hold the event on campus, however this was met by threats of criminal charges by the Board of Regents. Organizers now intend to hold the event on a public right of way, using the university as a backdrop.
June 1, 2015 marked the passage of S.B. 11, the so called ‘campus carry law’, which Governor Greg Abbott signed in to law.
The law gives concealed carry permit holders legal authority to carry their weapons on campus beginning August 1, 2016.
In response to this, UT Texas has set up an advisory board, will hold two public forums and has also set up a survey to explore how the University intends to comply with the statute, while maintaining public safety.
Given the recent terror attack in San Bernardino and the shooting at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado, some feel that this event is in bad taste, and could be potentially dangerous.
Ralph Fisk, the CEO of Fisk Consultants in Hutto, TX, and a published Emergency Management professional with expertise in Active Shooters, Counter-Terrorism and Physical Security, has heard a great deal about this event from his local law enforcement and other campus contacts.
“I understand the right to exercise your first and second amendment rights, as in this case, however that planned demonstration in my opinion is over the top,” Fisk said. “Having a mock ‘active shooter’ incident is better saved for those that exercise these incidents in preparation for an actual attack. As an Open Carry Supporter, I feel this is not something that I personally could support.”
Joan Neuberger, a UT Austin Professor and advocate with the campus organization Gun Free UT, told the Statesman that staging, “a mass shooting during an anxious time for students – finals week – not only breaks rules but shows real disrespect for the feelings of students, faculty and staff who don’t want to have guns around them in the first place, but will be forced to put up with guns in public places in 2016.”
Cover Photo Credit: Derek Key/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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A Millennial For President? Why Younger Candidates for Office Will Help Our Democracy
By Jack Cahn
From anarchist Vermin Supreme, supporter of free ponies for all Americans, to convicted felon Keith Judd, this election season has seen a wide variety of political candidates.
Noticeably missing from ballot lists, however, are the millennials.
This isn’t due to lack of interest. Daniel Hernandez, 24, a Tuscon school board member who President Obama called a “hero”, attempted to run for the Arizona State Senate in 2014, but was denied because of his age.
Likewise, on the federal level, the constitution restricts those under 35, 30, and 25 from running for the presidency, Senate, and House, respectively.
In 2016 more than ever, these restrictions seem arbitrary and unfair. At a time in which young people have taken up roles as leading surgeons, lawyers, and entrepreneurs, the notion that they lack the maturity to run for political office is unreasonable.
And in an election in which the inflammatory Donald Trump is the Republican nominee for President and a convicted felon appeared on the Texas Democratic primary ballot, it is hard to argue that young people are uniquely immature compared to older candidates as to be banned from running for office.
Disqualifying candidates from public office without just basis threatens the foundations of our democracy and our value of free and fair elections.
For this reason alone, our government ought to amend the constitution to allow younger legislators to run for office, as a recent White House petition, which has garnered a few thousand signatures, advocates.
Doing so would be beneficial to our democracy for three additional reasons:
Better Representation: As of the 2010 census, 10 percent of Americans were 18 to 24, and almost a third were 18 to 34.
These young Americans deserve representation and are arguably better represented by those who share their backgrounds and perspectives.
Certainly, if younger politicians were allowed to run for office, millennial issues such as college debt reform, gun reform, and the war on drugs would be considered less fringe and more mainstream.
Less Political Opportunism: In recent years, opportunistic politicians have supported policies that help older generations, their primary voter base, at the expense of young voters, who tend to vote less frequentely.
These policies have included budget deficits that invariably saddle future generations with debt, irresponsible environmental policies that will leave millennials and their children with polluted air, water, and cities, and lack of investment in education or dedication to affordable college.
Allowing younger Americans to run for office will guarantee a group of legislators committed to the welfare of America’s future, not just its present.
Diversity of Perspectives: The latest research in management shows unequivocally that a diversity of perspectives improves decision-making.
Yet Congress is one of the least diverse governmental bodies with far less female representation than peer countries, and only a few millennial leaders.
Allowing those over the age of 18 to run for higher office would contribute to a more diverse set of elected officials and promote better policy-making in Washington.
Internationally, the practice of allowing young people to run for political office is widespread.
In Canada, Pierre-Luc Dusseault was elected as a Member of Parliament at the age of 19. Likewise, Wyatt Roy would have been ineligible to run for Congress had he been an American, but ran successfully to be an MP in Australia when he was 20.
In Sweden and Uganda, Anton Amade Abele and Proscovia Alengot Oromait became MPs at 18 and 19, respectively.
Likewise, 18-year-olds are eligible to run for mayor of New York City and other US cities including Holyoke, Massachusetts, where 22-year-old Alex Morse became mayor in 2013.
None of these cities have fallen apart as millennial detractors would have predicted.
Nor have these politicians seen any major controversy over poor decision-making.
On the contrary, young, local politicians like Syosset, New York’s Josh Lafanzan have been commended for their hard work and entrepreneurial approaches to policy-making.
The disenfranchisement of young people, then, is rooted more in fear than reality.
Emory University professor Mark Bauerlein is the perfect example of this fear.
In his book The Dumbest Generation, Bauerlein joins academics and pundits in painting a picture of young, self-centered egotists who will be this country’s demise.
This fear and pessimism couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Millennials are on their way to becoming the most educated generation in American history, and have proven themselves as leaders in academia and industry.
In Silicon Valley, they have disrupted businesses on Wall Street and Main Street, improving communication, healthcare, and technology.
Washington would be next up for reform if only young people could run for office; our country already has a backbench of young leaders from Arizona’s Daniel Hernandez to West Virginia’s Saira Blair who are brave, radical, and realistic enough to contribute to solving America’s toughest challenges in the White House and on Capitol Hill.
But they are being blocked from disrupting Washington by the same stagnancy and resistance to change that has incited anger and fueled political outsiders.
In this time of great global uncertainty, voters ought to rally against this government stagnancy and fight to allow younger politicians to run for office so that the group of those who will shape our future includes those who will live it.
Jack Cahn is the co-author of When Millennials Rule, and has served as a national leader of the Junior State of America, a civic activism organization with 10,000 members and 500k alumni. He was awarded the Scholastic National Gold Medal for Persuasive Writing in 2014.
RISE NEWS is a grassroots journalism news organization that is working to change the way young people become informed and engaged in public affairs. You can write for us.
Cover Photo Credit: shakey1694/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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Here’s The 10 Best Christmas Movies From The Past 30 Years
By Tyler Wilson
Christmas is one of the best times of the year to snuggle up and watch a good movie. Here’s a list of the 10 best Christmas movies of the past 30 years (or so).
- ‘A Christmas Story’ (1983)
This family classic will bring joy and laughter to everyone in your house, regardless of age. It is a movie about a young boy by the name of “Ralphie” who “convinces his parents, his teacher and santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940’s.”
Also a classic, National Lampoon’s family is anything from ordinary. This comedy is full of jokes, gags and tons of humor. The main character “Clark” is set on an adventure preparing his house for his arrival of his large family.
- ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ (2000)
Just because this movie was made by Disney doesn’t mean those over the age of 8 can’t enjoy it! The Grinch (played by Jim Carrey) is sure to make anyone chuckle, it is about a green “Grinch” who is very determined to steal christmas from a small village. Although his fate gets changed along the way.
- ‘Santa Clause 3’ (2006)
Although this is the 3rd installment of the series, this is the one that truly gave everyone the warm feeling of Christmas. When Jack Frost attempts to steal Christmas from Santa Claus (played by Tim Allen) he must fight through time in order to save Christmas for kids all over the world.
- Elf (2003)
When an unorthodox Elf (played by Will Ferrell) is sent to New York to find out who he really is, he’s sent on an adventure through modern technology. This is a must-watch, the humor and jokes in this movie are promised to make the whole family laugh.
- ‘Home Alone’ (1990)
When 8 year old Kevin (played by Macaulay Culkin) is accidentally left at home while his parents go on vacation, he protects his house while two men attempt to break in. This is a very funny and great movie to watch with the family and has a nice “kid-like” point of view on things.
- ‘The Polar Express’ (2004)
When a young boy is awakened by the sounds of a train late at night, he is greeted by a very exciting adventure to the North Pole. This is a thrilling family movie and will be guaranteed to make you feel like a part of the ride!
- ‘Gremlins’ (1984)
This thriller is about the darker side of christmas. When a man gets an interesting pet called a “Mogwai” he’s given very strict rules. When these rules are broken he is sent on a very hair raising adventure. This movie would be better without the kids but it is still a very good classic and is a must see.
- ‘A Nightmare Before Christmas’ (1993)
When Jack Skellington (The king of Halloweentown) gets bored with his repeating lifestyle, he demands a change. When he accidentally stumbles into Christmas Town, he is greeted with an entirely new lifestyle. When he gets back he attempts to bring the idea to Halloweentown. Its is a great family movie and will make everyone feel good.
- ‘Scrooged’ (1988)
When Frank Cross (played by Bill Murray) resents the idea of Christmas, he is greeted by the ghosts of Christmas past to get him in the “Christmas Spirit.” It will make everyone in your family get in the Christmas mood and will be sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.
Cover Photo Credit: Kevin Dooley/Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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