I begin this journey on March 19th, 2023, the twentieth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. There is a wide breadth of discussions to be had on that topic alone, but that is not the purpose of this post. Rather, I chose this date because I believe it is symbolic of the reason I decided to create my own blog. To put it simply, I want to create a space of genuine open discussion, a place where everyone is welcome to freely express and discuss any idea, regardless of how controversial, abstract or uncomfortable. As an American, it has become painfully obvious that in modern day America the consent of the masses is manufactured to either be completely beholden to state power or apathetic and disinterested. As the most powerful nation in the history of mankind, our vision of our country and the world around us is carefully curated in such as way that serves the interests of the elites and those in power. The relationship between our government and big business is one that is, in my view, wholly undemocratic. I believe that the “two party system” is a myth and that we actually have, in the words of Noam Chomsky, a singular business party. All of this is at the detriment of not only us, the American people, but the rest of the world. As Americans, it is our duty to be vigilant, educate ourselves and speak truth to power. For this reason, it is my firm belief that freedom of expression, speech and thought are among the most important core principles of a healthy democracy. That is what this blog is for. This is a space intended to be for anyone who feels left out and let down by the political process in this country, a space to have open dialogue and most importantly, a place to dissent. If this was done more two decades ago, perhaps we could have avoided entering into a pointless war that resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent lives and shred every pretense of international law. Lastly, I choose to criticize not from a place of hatred or anger, but from a sense of responsibility and duty as a citizen. Failure to do so gives us and the world situations like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. To this end, I welcome any and all points of view and I thank you for joining me on this journey.