The Political Talk: A Much Needed Conversation

Let me start off by saying this: I hate talking about politics.

In this day and age, it has become impossible to talk calmly and openly about politics. This has always been an emotionally driven topic, but
with the power of the internet, people have come to abuse their right to the internet by using hatred, threats of violence and bigotry on a grand
scale to fuel their opinions. I dream of living in a world where we can state our opinions, and talk to someone who doesn’t share our opinion in
a calm manner, and yet even as I write this, I know there are people ready to curse me out, call me all sorts of foul names and flood my comments
section with all sorts of hatred. Yet I must write this, because I cannot let this coming election to happen without knowing I spoke my mind and
hopefully will have reached a few open minds.

So much controversy on both sides of the political divide have ruled this election. Let me say this because I believe in total honesty: I’m a
Democrat. I don’t know what the Republican party may have once stood for, but in recent years, (and especially in the most recent electoral
process), I have come across several Republican candidates who hope to rule a diverse country that have spewed some of the most vile, homophobic,
racist and sexist comments I’ve ever had the displeasure of hearing. The worse among them unfortunately is now the official Republican nominee,
and that’s Donald Trump.

The fact that Donald Trump is still in this election both does and does not surprise me. I can’t believe we’re living in an age where a hateful
and violent man and “reality TV celeb” is actually a possible US President, and yet I have seen the fear that has bred hatred and violence among
some of the people of my country, and it saddens me to know that this man has preyed on that fear, and has used it to his advantage to gain a
cult-like following. No matter what happens in this election, even if Donald Trump wins, I will never acknowledge him as my president. Some may
say that it is our duty to respect the office, and yet I say to those people that not only has President Obama, (a man who has accomplished a great
deal in my opinion), gotten disrespect every single day from people who don’t agree with his policies, but I believe that respect is earned, not
a given, and I cannot respect a man like Donald Trump, who would rather build walls and instill a system of violence that will make us one of the
most hated countries in this world.

Now I know that a great deal of controversy surrounds Hillary Clinton. Let me be clear: my first choice for President was Bernie Sanders. I don’t
know if Hilary Clinton is a fully trustworthy candidate, and to be honest I’ve never believed every single promise a presidential candidate
has made during an election process. Yet the sad reality is that Hilary Clinton has been chosen as the Democratic nominee, and like Bernie Sanders
himself, I believe and stand with her in this election. Not because I trust her wholeheartedly, but because unlike Trump, (whom I wouldn’t trust
with my life, let alone the lives of every citizen of this country), she has not run a campaign of hatred. She hasn’t spoken of stopping immigration
for people of certain nationalities. She has fought for women’s rights, gay rights, and more. As a half-Hispanic, half-Caucasian man, I have
seen life from both sides of the world. I have family who has lived normal, non-oppressed lives, and I have known family who has faced the glancing
eyes of those who distrust members of the Hispanic culture. I fear for a country run by Donald Trump, who would have his hands on the nuclear codes,
an entire US military at his command and an already heavily Republican US Congress. I fear that the hatred we’ve seen from him will only grow in
the years to come, and soon we could be faced with some horrific future filled with violence and horrors I can’t imagine.

I don’t know what we will see from Hilary Clinton as our president, but I know what we will get from Donald Trump, and it’s not pretty. We cannot
go back as a nation. We cannot let this man push us backwards in time, to a place where oppression reigned supreme and hatred was the catch of the
day. No one in this world would ever respect the United States as a major world power with him as President. We need a leader who will respect
the people of this nation, not disparage entire groups of people because he deems them unworthy of our country without any sort of evidence to
back up his claims. Criminals and terrorists come from all sides of life, not just the ones Trump says. There have been plenty of violent white
people in our world that have committed some horrific atrocities, and we cannot discriminate against a group of people based on their race, because if
we did, we’d be facing an extinction level event in our country. We cannot support a man who would rather show support for an alleged sexual
assailant rather than the victims of the crime, (or even remaining neutral until the facts are known, if you can’t show support for the victims).
We cannot support a man who would rather victim blame and show violent and hateful tendencies towards the women of our country rather than be
polite and respectful. We cannot support a man who judges people based on sexual orientation, race and gender on a daily basis. He is the
opposite of what America is supposed to represent, and its our duty to elect someone who represents the future, not the past.

So if you are of voting age, please do your research and vote. I’m voting for Hilary Clinton, and urge you to think for yourself and vote based
on facts and not popularity or fear. I am prepared for the hateful comments coming my way, but know this: I can handle it. It is not only a waste
of your time, but all your comment does is showcase your own hatred and ignorance. I also urge those who share my opinions to calmly debate and
leave comments. I know how frustrating it can be to come face to face with hatred and bigotry, but we have to be better than that, and I urge you
to rise above the hatred and speak calmly. I don’t normally talk about this stuff, because it’s such a heated topic, and I will go back to normal
blog posts after this, but I am passionate about this because I refuse to sit down and let Donald Trump win without a fight. I chose to fight
not with my fists but with my words, and with my words I chose to use love over hate. For those who are sad or disappointed that we don’t have
Bernie running, I feel your disappointment, but I know that this election is too important not to vote, and we cannot have this hate monger running
our country, so please, go out and vote for Hilary. I am with her, and I hope you will be too. Thank you everyone for reading this post, and I
hope you will take what I have said to heart. Long days and pleasant nights my friends.

Anthony Avina
Author