Anyone that actually knows me understands that I don’t buy the hype about much.
I’m the guy who wore sneakers to the 8th grade dinner dance and I’m rarely quick to buy a new app or gadget.
I just don’t believe in the drama of life. I try to abstain from it as much as possible.
That is especially true when it comes to politics and public life.
We, the people control our politics whether we want to believe it or not, and we have the power to make change whether we want the burden or not.
I don’t care about the pomp and ceremony of politics. I’m not interested in the game of it. I care about getting things done and making real progress for real people.
That is why it bothers me when I see the current crop of politicians on the local and national level.
Some are forward thinking and interested in making change, but most are wastes of space, seeking only their own career advancement.
From climate change to the widening income gap to the atrocious way in which we treat adults with developmental disabilities, we face real challenges in South Florida and across the country.
I almost ran for the state legislature last week after being encouraged to by family and friends.
I almost did it. Almost drove to Tallahassee to register as a candidate. Almost bought voter data. Almost designed a logo. Almost built a campaign team.
We could have put up quite the fight. And one day, we might.
But I didn’t run because I believe that RISE NEWS can become something really special and I want to focus all my energy on making this collective dream a reality.
Over the course of the last year, we have published pieces from scores of talented and idealistic young people from all over the United States and some other parts of the world.
We have broke news and made people think about the future while giving voice to the disparate parts of our generation.
But we still have much more to do and so many more stories to tell.
I don’t believe in the status quo way of doing things in either politics or journalism. Neither do large swaths of the public.
I don’t believe that politics should be a dirty game that few want to play.
And I don’t believe that journalism should be an elite endeavor that few feel connected to.
I do believe in speaking truth to power however and in shaking things up in order to bring about change.
So that is what we will strive to do.
We cannot allow our generation to grow cynical in politics. We are the only hope this country has to fix the biggest problems facing our future.
And we will do more in this publication to fight for the things we believe in moving forward.
Journalism can only work when you believe in it. And we hope to earn your trust as we work to find the truth, and labor for what is right and just in our society.
Finally, I’d like to encourage young people to get involved in public life in whatever way they feel that they best can, whether that is on the side of running for office or keeping those running for office accountable.
Accountability doesn’t have to be a big dramatic production after all.
It can be something as small as paying attention to how your representatives vote on important issues and remembering their votes come election time.
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: Jim Bowen/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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Kanye West Hospitalized
Kanye West has been hospitalized after a string of strange public incidents and the announcement that he would not be continuing on his latest tour.
NBC News is reporting that West was checked into a Los Angeles area hospital for “his own health and safety.”
More from the report:
NBC News: @kanyewest hospitalized after abruptly canceling his tour https://t.co/KAn23why2i @anblanx pic.twitter.com/91XMnyoFsW
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) November 22, 2016
This is a developing story. Stay with RISE NEWS for more as it comes in.
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Easter In South Florida Is…Different
What’s News In This Story?
-Miami Shores celebrated its 23rd annual “Marshmallow Drop” Saturday.
-The event saw over 1,000 people come to the community recreation field as a helicopter dropped 16,000 marshmallows.
-While similar events happen all around the country, Miami Shores was one of the first communities that helped popularize it. It also used to be one of the largest in the country.
-In 2005, “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” featured the Miami Shores event because of how strange they found it.
Watch Another Story: Meet Miami’s Queen Bee And Her Backyard Insect Revolution
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Conservative Columnist Posts Racially Charged Attack On Reddit: “Black Men Are Notorious For Lusting After A Well-Rounded Caucasian Butt Cheek”
In a controversial Reddit post, Breitbart columnist Milo Yiannopoulos responded to criticism of his publication’s crusade against the woman who Tweeted criticism of a Texas police officer that was murdered last week.
In the post, Yiannopoulos launched into a racially tinged tirade against African-Americans and Monica Foy, the woman who Tweeted a distasteful message about the murder of Texas Deputy Darren Goforth.
“I can’t believe so many people care about a dead cop and NO ONE has thought to ask what he did to deserve it. He had creepy perv eyes …,” Foy tweeted on September 1.
The Tweet quickly went viral after it was published on Breitbart.com, the right wing news website.
Two days ago, a Reddit user that goes by the name of tracker2208 posted a message on a pro GamerGate subReddit questioning Breitbart’s decision to report on the Tweet. (Foy only had 20 followers at the time and was not a public figure.):
“To me when I read that she is commenting about how society reacts to black shooting victims, not anything about the cop. But that doesn’t matter. What does is that she had 20 followers, she was a nobody,” tracker2208 posted. “Yet Breitbart journalist Brandon Darby decided she was relevant enough to do a hit piece on her. What follows is pretty much what you would expect when Gawker pulls this s**t. Why would he think so? Because they were investigating the BLM movement, and she retweeted #BlackLivesMatter 3 times. Are you eff’n kidding me.”
Yiannopoulos responded in the comments, referencing his GamerGate (GGers) audience.
“Alright, I’ll respond. I know that GGers are too gentle a species to engage in the sort of cruel and vindictive social media witch-hunt so often staged by progressives, so instead allow me as a distinguished member of the press to share a few thoughts.”
“Does she have a blackcent? Is this all a ruse to pick up dark-skinned men, now she’s grown too gigantic to get a white date? Perhaps I’ll write to her in prison.”- Milo Yiannopoulos
Here are some of the more pointed remarks by Yiannopoulos (you can read the whole post here):
“Enter stupid fat cracker Monica Foy, a large-and-in-charge supporter of Black Lives Matter who called one of the slain officers “creepy,” tweeting: “I can’t believe so many people care about a dead cop and NO ONE has thought what he did to deserve it. He had creepy perv eyes.” Foy is the latest and greatest example of moronic white lard-asses who might mean well but have bought into the lies and conspiracy theories peddled by BLM organizers…
“Monica Foy is a student, by the way, at Sam Houston State University, which is rightly proud of its strong criminal justice program. Talk about the wrong place to talk smack about a cop. If it’s right to kick frat boys off campus for saying they don’t want blacks in their club (and I’m sure it is), I can’t help but wonder: has Sam Houston already put an order in for the crane?…
“Racist? Me? I’ve had more black dick in me than the entire Kardashian family,” Yiannopoulos Told Rise News.
“All of which leaves the looming question of why a woman like Foy was so enamoured with Black Lives Matter in the first place – her penchant for violence excepted, of course. Now, forgive me for being crude, but I happen to know there’s quite the interracial chubby chaser scene in Texas, and black men are notorious for lusting after a well-rounded caucasian butt cheek. I speak from experience. Does she have a blackcent? Is this all a ruse to pick up dark-skinned men, now she’s grown too gigantic to get a white date? Perhaps I’ll write to her in prison. (For some tips, you understand.)”
Yiannopoulos responded to an email with multiple questions from Rise News. One of the questions we sent him asked if his remarks were racist.
“Racist? Me? I’ve had more black dick in me than the entire Kardashian family,” Yiannopoulos wrote. “Yes, that’s on the record.”
Cover Photo Credit: NEXTConf/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)
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