Simon's Blog

The United States Constitution's 2nd Amendment does not refer to individual rights but the rights of a group of people. Our interpretation of the 2nd Amendment is faulty, and because of capitalism, we seek individual rights over the community. The founding fathers did not endorse individuals right to own guns but the rights of a community to own guns. A community has the right to keep and bear arms, not individuals. The first three words in the US Constitution, 'We the People' exist to serve its citizens. When the safety of US citizens is threatened, we need to amend the US Constitution to protect ourselves. The US Constitution is not a perfect document, but when the safety of citizens is threatened, we need to act and remedy the situation. The US Constitution did not initially give women the right to vote. It did not abolish slavery nor give citizenship to former slaves. We remain one of the few countries that entertain the right to keep and bear arms. But gun-related viol...

In early 2013, Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi formed the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. BLM began with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. They were fed up after watching things exacerbate for Black Americans. BLM became a political and social movement hoping to put an end to racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Dr. Melina Abdullah, co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter, voiced that "group-centered leadership is their guiding principle. These guiding principles are due to the influence of Ella Baker - the feminist civil rights leader who championed collective grassroots activism over a single leader. She was clear that movements should be bigger than individuals."    In the last few years, public opinion of BLM has gone down drastically. In June 2020, research found that 67% of adults supported the movement. Towards the en...

America is great again. I have to accept reality. Deep in its core, America is still a racist and misogynistic country. The election reveals how much work we all need to do on a personal level. Not politics, not economics, but deep-down spiritual work. We are a mentally weak country. Even in places that voted Democratic, there was a large Trump presence. He won the popular vote. That’s pathetic!

After landing in Hanoi, I took a taxi from the airport to the hotel. Until I arrived at the hotel, traffic remained busy with cars and scooters meandering to find space. They seemed to be flying by chaotically with a melody everyone understood. I once asked a native for advice for crossing the street. He said, “Raise your hands, signaling to cross the street. After his advice, I watched people signaling; it didn’t make much difference. It turns out that the only way through the madness is to breathe, walk, and hope to make it to the other side. Vietnam turned out to be a larger country than I imagined. In the north, I experienced rolling hills, green valleys, and way too many buffaloes. The area remains populated with natives who remain dependent on tourism. I explored the area for two days. There was always a native person asking me to purchase something. Initially, it was difficult to find restaurants serving anything other than chicken or pork. As I experienced the city and searched...