An Open Letter To My Fellow Youth In Distress Over the Future Of AmericaA Story by John D. DevoeMy manifesto going forward after 2016 and on-wards to continue the progressive movement and what we need to do to accomplish this.By Johnny Devoe
I’m born and raised in two parallel families; well, not exactly parallel. Both families are of Roman Catholic origins, both are families of immigrants, both sides from backgrounds of hard work, adversity, heartbreak and overcoming that in the progress. On my father’s side, my lovely grandmother is hails from a family of Italians-that women makes the best damn lasagna outside of Little Italy, take my word for it. But, she is of a strong faith, a weekly church goer who excels through a life that includes a war against depression and the inevitable sadness I would expect a long life coming to a slow but eventual close. Still, she works at a library, gets out of bed every day, and that Italian Roman Catholic in her damn sure makes her one sweet, sweet, soul that God will be blessed to accept into his pearly gates, although hopefully no time soon to come. My grandfather, now the loving, “shirt off his back, shoes off his feet” type of guy he is, I gotta’ admit he’s one f****n’ tough a*s. After a childhood where every teacher he encounter told him he’d be shoveling s**t and only he knows the long list of adversity he grew up around, he decided to join the Air Force after high school. Now, that’s prolly’ why the man wouldn’t dare take b.s. from the Pope himself (well, maybe besides my grandmother), but despite his stern, guiding force that he displays at the ultimate patriarch of my father’s side of the family, he is also an converted Lutheran to Roman Catholic who’s prayers I am in every night…a man who’s morals and ethics will be remembered through oral tradition as he is not a bragger nor does he boast. My grandpa has lived life as a voice of reconcile to the needed of advice, a caretaker to those who cannot care for themselves, and the exempt example of how the leader of a family troubled buy a list too long to not keep the validity of the piece being typed at this moment. A man of most likely French-Burgundy decent (i.e. the name “Devoe” from the french spelling of likely Belleveau, Billivaux, or of such spelling), upon meeting meeting my grandma, his high school sweetheart in gorgeous 1950’s Massaapequa, Long Island. Eventually, in the late 60’s my father, Michael Devoe Sr., and brother John were born and the Devoe family of upstate NY was created. The family moved to Lake George, NY, about an hour north of Albany when my father was around the age of 10 or so and so began a life one could only dream of for my father, and his siblings John and Kathleen. The village of LG nowadays is a tourist black hole, but back then the lake was peaceful, drugs had stayed relatively Scott-free of the gorgeous lakefront village and my father was growing up a disciplined, well mannered, and Sunday dress clothes and church-going lifestyle. I still make the trip up to gain wisdom, find peace, feel tranquility…everyone needs a place where they find they’re own slice of peace, and for me its right in Lake George, where the water is clean, and Yellowstone? Come on, gimme’ a break, they’ve got nothing on the Adirondacks. And s**t I was born in Glens Falls, so its kinda like a second home. Everyone needs that, it makes a scattered mind silent for a bit, and sometimes you can’t ask for more. ` And so my heritage of the Devoe’s had been written; a simple, persevering, and strong family that would never let money or illness, longstanding bitterness, or anything come before family. My mother’s name is Kristen Devoe. Her maiden name is Weiss, but her father left the family when she was young…I doubt they’d recognize each other walking past on the street and I’ve never met the sorry b*****d. All I know is hes around, somewhere, who gives a s**t where. He’s a Lithuanian, which clearly explains my interest with Marxism and leftist political causes, but as far as I know the guys a b*****d didn’t value child support much and the only thing he did was give way to my mother’s surrogate father, Dave. When my grandma (I call her Mia, lord knows why but grandma is Mia to me) and my unknown grandfather who’s name I couldn’t even tell you divorced, it was still during an era where the action was a taboo. But let me tell you, my Mia never let any odds through hell or high water dictate her life, and she doesn’t to this day neither! Mia’s last name is McNally, and that’s the name I am proud to say is part of the drunken “Mick” blood running through my veins. If anyone knows anything about Albany, its the Irish who to this day have shaped the whole Capital District, and due to the upbringing that transcended from my Mia to my mother, politics and government are a dream of mine that will be touched upon soon to come in this piece, but let me just say if my grandma “Mia” wasn’t one brave, groundbreaking, and extraordinary manner, then I might be aiming for Wall Street or 45 years in a cubicle, but thanks to the brainwashing at the hands of my mother and Mia, I just don’t plan on making a difference; failure is not an option, hell, its not even in my train of thought. A revolution is in the air my friends, piers, and readers, and it will be the generation of the MP3 player, Iraq War and the Sanders Political Revolution that I so proudly consider myself an active part of, it is us who will be the ones to make the big changes that were promised to be made by the time young adults like myself were supposed to be starting to taste success and be living in a country and planet where the prosperity has already began, but it’s quite obvious that has yet to begin. My interest in politics, social, and economic justice, and the counterculture of fighting for progress most likely started after I stopped talking so much as I did once as a young, immature, and yet to become knowledgeable and aware young teenager, and began to grow and listen instead. I always knew my families where junkies for government and political drama like acid-trippers at a Phish and Dave Mathews concert up at SPAC. Yet, I always thought getting high smoking weed was a better way to “enlighten” myself then open my ears and maybe hear something that through the heart pumping in my chest I had a natural interest too. And so I listened, read, and learned, along with a hell lot of growing up, much needed at that. Let me giver some background about how I ended up going from a poor student and reefer fiend to young political dreamer and hopeful soon-to-be active in the process, for the people and the betterment of all. Mia’s mother’s family came to Albany when the Dutch settled some 400 years ago, and her father some 250 when a large Irish immigration landed in the North Albany area. Both also stout Roman Catholics, years and years ago during the famous Troubles between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland, my family lived on the border-not the best place to be settled a quarter millennium ago. Located in Ulster County, Ireland and other surrounding areas, where they were Catholics in a predominantly Protestant area, which for centuries has been a center of conflict. Being that Catholics generally settled in the southern mainland of Ireland they faced discrimination as well as the threat of violence. To add on to this, the deadly Irish Potato Famine struck the whole island. Between the religious persecution and chance of starvation, my Mia’s father’s ancestors took a boat to Ellis Island and began the life my second half of the family with heritage rich as I could dream, and landed there like so many other Immigrants. They settled with most of the Irish, in North Albany. They spent Sundays at Sacred Heart Church right off the highway in the now Vietnamese district. It all started through the connections so many Albany families build due to the nature of a city with barely 100,000 people, known by locals as “Smallbany” because of the idea everyone knows everyone. Well, that kinda’ fits here. Years ago, electricity wasn’t widely accessible and coal was needed to heat houses and for use of a plentiful list of household necessities. Now here’s where the history gets interesting… In the mid to late 1800s, Albany was more populous than today and controlled by a vast and elite group of local Republicans in government. Due to a favor-vi-favor business, which became more a basis, only wealthy Republican families had control over most of most of the coal and access to better prices in a city that was quite industrial and needed a steady supply of coal to go around. Due to the obvious inconsistencies with coal distribution a small group of local Albanians, including ancestors of Mia, my mother, and I, formed a grassroots movement much like that of today that aimed at gaining support to stop the Republican Machine and bring Democrats into government so a more equal distribution of coal and other commodities like milk, eggs, and firewood could be brought to residents throughout the capital of the State of New York, the longest incorporated city in the entire Northeast of the U.S. And so a grassroots movement began, through methods similar to what Senator Sanders utilized today. Led by a popular group of the “Micks” that once were shunned equal to blacks (it is well known help wanted signs famously said “No blacks, no Irish”) and supported by the popular blue collar workers of Albany, the impossible happened and a new government was birthed, one that would and still is being lead by Democrats. Albany is well known for having been the longest of a select 2 or 3 Political Machines left in the U.S., having had power taken when the unlikely Irish-Catholic Dems used grassroots politic to bring heating to a greater number of Albany residents for a lower cost. Famously, Mayor Erastus Corning II led a coalition of Democrats from the early 1940’s until he died in office in 1983, known fondly for the federal stimulus plan implemented during the 1950’s-60’s that revitalized a depleting urban landscape in Albany, one now known for a booming nightlife. During the long lasting Democratic Political Machine, the suburbs of Albany and its surrounding towns and hamlets were also created to a scale of wealth and affluence as well as more affordable housing in order to give families living in neighborhoods high in crime and poverty a chance to move to nicer, safer areas of the city and its surrounding areas. Although much can be said about a Political Machine that controlled a majority of activities in Albany, it is this dying history that is what keeps me so interested in the effort of continuing a movement in which young people and the social/economic/racially unheard may have a voice, and it is also heard. The point of gaining the support of the public and the people who are needed for their voices to be heard is to actually go out and hear those voices. Now age 19, at age 15 I traveled from my white suburban town of Bethlehem to Albany, where the diversity makes the town of Bethlehem look like a tank with all orange goldfish and a little crayfish crawling around without a clue in the world; but I wanted to witness what the world outside of a sheltered community looked like. I made a friend in high school, a Albany kid who owned property in Delmar where I live and went to BCHS to he could stay away from the crime and drugs that flooded the streets of a city just 5 minutes away from a former America’s Top 25 Town. The inequality was despicable to me. And my friend, “X” he goes by, not a single kid from the privileged high school I attend bothered to reach out. Was it skin color? Economic privilege? Or maybe that’s too judgmental, maybe my high school was just full of clique egomaniacs, that’s all. But I actually got lucky, ironically so. I got my fair share of detentions, never discipline or disrespect, but for me I ran on my own time, not the the bell’s time when it rang. So we talked a lil’ bit. For me, I try never to see color, even though I’d be a liar if I said everyone, white, brown, black, yellow, we all have our prejudices. Its a fact of life. But anyway, X and I, hell, we ended up shooting the s**t every time we saw one an other in the detention room, lucky for us the monitor there was one cool a*s lady. But X started off just talking with me, how the school was on some b.s. not letting hats be worn and how our friend had just gotten suspended because he showed up looking like he was actually Jeff Spicolli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Anyways, we bonded, and he ended up telling me how he basically stayed to himself, or more like others stayed away from him. X usually rocked an afro with comb in it like you’d see in a late 80’s Eddie Murphy movie, he wore polo almost every day, and I’ll always remember the time I peer edited a paper he wrote for U.S. History wrote. By that time, we had become friends, he showed me videos of black girls fighting like psychos during detention and we walked together in the hall even though my friends I played lacrosse with obviously looked at it like it was trouble a’brewing and not friends being friends. But reading his paper, to be completely honest, the grammar couldn’t have been read by anyone who didn’t have an understanding of twentieth century African vernacular slang, or at least read in debt The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I told him I knew what he was trying to write, and I offered to re-write it so it could be acceptable as an essay on early American History. He said to me, “John, you know going this school, I can talk write, but mannn my n***a, cuz’ John you are my n***a, I can’t write white for s**t man.” It was a pretty enlightening thing to hear, from a friend who talked as least as he could about the poor race relations at Bethlehem High. But this, this was something from the heart that few people in an almost all white school get to here, especially from a friend and total South Pearl-bread outsider at the school. I said I’d to anything I could to help, but he went and talked to the guidance counselor and switched to the remedial coerce. But to this day, it sticks with me such a “prestigious” school could help a homie out enough just to get him on some online courses and get him out with the BCHS diploma…not to get into personal details, but credits became a problem and that school wasted one hell of an opportunity to graduate a good, and damn hard working kid from the streets with a diploma, but s**t doesn’t always work out. And that’s more likely sure for the kids with unequal opportunities, I promise you that! I ended up being the first white kid to come to the corner store he lived above that his dad owned he told me…It’s weird when you’re refereed to as “my white friend” on the phone, humbling at the slightest. I feel blessed at an early age I was able to and am still accepting whatever culture is thrown my way, and even more humbled that almost always I’m accepted back. In a time where polarization in America is the top of every news story, I feel its good to remind people different people from different background can become good friends, and look past skin color and what end of Delaware Ave you live on. Now, I may be remembered from high school as the kid who didn’t really try, the procrastinator, the “stoner.” But I did absorb a few things. To be honest, I’m an avid reader, I love poetry, and I just spent 6 hours writing this, so believe me I’m not fried. Hudson Valley will be the start of a new chance to really focus of grades, lacrosse, and community activism. I will study Political Science (as you, the reader, can prolly’ guess.) Hell, I might even check out student government. But the point is, one man cant lead an army. I desperately reach out to anyone who wants to get involved in local, state, or federal campaigns this election cycle, we can knock on doors, make phone calls, maybe even make some changes if we really try! Oh, and here’s a secret the establishment doesn’t want you to know the power young voters 18-25 hold. We are the largest generation since the Baby Boomers of the 60’s, and just like the times of the Kennedys, MLK, Civil Rights Act, and The famous College Protests (i.e. Kent State, Yale, George McGovern allowing black students in U of Alabama) we hold the whole country in the palm of our hands and its time for someone, hell maybe not me, but someone needs to spread the message that we need prove we live in the greatest country in the world, it never wasn’t great! Lets just make it better, as one group, cuz’ don’t ever forget we are all human, we all bleed the same color. I was raised to believe this, and although I’ve made mistakes everyone has and due to my wonderful family I’m proud they passed down the morals and ethics we all need to make a difference! Back to grandma “Mia,” well she was a drug counselor in Albany County for most of her life, along with doing backroom campaign work with figures from her friend former Mayor Jerry Jennings of Albany, close family friend and a man I respect as a model in honest politicians Mr. Mike Conners (Albany County Comptroller), various other local Albany County elected and running/primary running civil servants, even meeting Hillary and Bill Clinton on an occasion or two and volunteering for their campaigns along with the others and so many more I do not even have knowledge of. She grew up in young adult hood a hippie actually, attending the first Woodstock. But if you ask me, I know for a fact she was in it cuz’ she truly believed in creating a long lasting social change, not for the LSD and ganja. This is one of many things that’s inspired me to aspire to get into government (not the drugs to be clear, the fact that the change Mia fought so hard for still needs its warriors). My mother has worked for officials in Albany County like Mr. Conners, Dan McCoy (County Executive), and now does public relations for the department of emergency management in the state of New York, basically the state version of FEMA. With all of this bureaucracy in my blood, I feel it is not just my calling to continue to carry on the family tradition of working to give back to my community, but its something that runs so deeply though my heart and soul that I as a 19 year old starting my first year of Community College already dreams of standing before old men sitting down presenting planks on top of platforms, ways of bettering not just Albany, or New York, but the country and the world. For starters…
Side note-Mia grew up active in the 60’s as I said….and the 70’s too. Well, despite the violence, Weather Underground, the hostage situation of the Olympic Village by Black September, active black militia groups, and still open and accepted racism and bigotry, “we have made steps forwards, but I’m sad to say the violence in today’s age is a whole lot worse than when I was protesting for voting rights and against Vietnam.” That’s sad, a CNN commentator recently called the Syrian-ISIL situation the “largest quagmire since Vientman,” and for those who aren’t familiar with the term, a quagmire is a Military situation expected to last up to lengths of 20-30 years or more. Although I am a supporter of the Obama Administration, I feel as if I have done my research and I know for a fact of Special Forces are they most highly trained and equipped set of troops on Earth, and I question why the number of troops in the American created Afghan situation has remained almost totally stagnant, while religious radicals who have interpreted the Q’uran as an excuse for human rights violations unseen in the 21st century. I question the upcoming election, choosing between a con-man and a liar, or voting for someone who, although much more qualified such as Gary Johnson or maybe Dr. Jill Stein, would just be a waste of a vote and a shame for my first general election. But would voting for regression be any better? Bernie Sanders captivated the souls of young people who to had my knowledge no interest whatsoever in the fate of our country and our children. I plead to all supporters of the Senator who are hurt or even betrayed he did not win the primary, and very likely was unfairly targeted so Hilary Clinton would get the nomination, I BEG YOU! Don’t give up on a revolution that just began. Hell, it just started, why retreat now??? It’s our turn to pick up where Bernie took us, and to stand up and show that just because we may be young or not millionaires or maybe we aren’t doctors and lawyers, but f**k it we matter too! Back to the issues though! 3.ENHANCED BACKGROUND CHECKS ON ALL GUNS AND A BAN ON ASSAULT RIFLES FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT LAW ENFORCEMENT, FORMER MILITARY SERVICEMAN AND OTHER VERY, VERY SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES Look, everybody’s sick and f*****g tired of all the obituaries because nut jobs are getting there hands on AR-15’s and as we have seen, it’s ending very very badly. The fact it, the 2nd Amendment was created when it took 45 seconds to take a shot, most likely miss the target, and load they’re muskets again. YES, they’re are exceptions. People hunt, people lock their guns up, people NEED to protect themselves, I get it! But if you can’t get on a plain, you should NOT be able to buy a gun. If your on the FBI watch list, HELL NO. 4.HOLD SENATE COMMITTEE ON REVIEW OF OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTINGS AND SEND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO TEACH DEPARTMENTS ON COMMUNITY POLICING Listen, even as a white kid in the suburbs who’s usually not up to any trouble, I still get the goosebumps when I see the police. First off, the community needs to be familiar with their officers. Why not have Police Departments hold barbecues or canned food drives in order to shake the hands of the community, I guarantee that would create a higher degree of trust. Also, teach young drivers proper protocol when being pulled over, even though in recent weeks it has not been clear that it any threatening motions were taken against officers, which is why the psychiatric exams for police as well as background checks to clear incidents of aggression and racism. I also thing a proposal under a hopefully progressive elected Presidential Nominee should be written to create a committee of the Senate on high profile incidents of officer involved shootings against cases in which evidence points to police misconduct, and YES jail time and civil suits should be taken with the support of the committee in order to build back a trust that has been almost completely lost between or officers in blue and especially citizens in urban communities, particular those who are minorities due to recent events. 5.LOWER
PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION COSTS, LEGALIZE MARIJUANA AND TAX IT, OPEN
ACCESSIBILITY TO REHABILITATION CENTERS AND LOWER THE COST OF TREATMENT,
AND END THE WAR ON DRUGS AND RELEASE LOW LEVEL DRUG OFFENDERS WHILE
ENDING MASS INCARCERATION AS WELL AS MOVING TOWARDS REHABILITATION
ADVERSELY TO RECIDIVISM First off, when cancer medicines and other important health care prescription medications can cost senior citizens more than they can afford on Social Security, we have a cruel problem stemming from the pharmaceutical companies. Eleprase, a medication that treats hunters syndrome (which affects 2500 people each year) can cost up to 350,000 annually. Without insurance covering the copay of some medications I’ve taken, it can go up to 30-50 dollars, much higher than the budget of your average fairly independent 19 year old. On another note, over 63% of Americans support legalizing Marijuana. Now, in no way am I supporting illicit drug use…but I think states like Washington and especially Colorado have proved the benefits out way the negatives. In Colorado, $75 million dollars has been made in taxes selling recreational cannabis. Think about what a state like New York could do with that money? For starters, we could invest it in our public schools, improve intercity school libraries, computers, ext. We could also use the money to improve our roads, lower tuition for. community college and public schools, as well as help finally cure diseases that are being treated by drugs like Oxycotin and Hydrocodone and such that had recently lead to an outrageous outbreak in overdoses from heroin due to the increased opiod epidemic that has spread across New Hampshire, Vermont, and now parts of eastern New York. This must be combated with not only a system of harm reduction that includes switching Heroin addicts and severe alcoholics to Marijuana Oil and other ways of non harmful injection of the plant. Despite despite federal laws that limit the research able to be conducted on medical marijuana, the beneficial effects in comparison to traditional, more dangerous medications have recently been advocated for by 100’s of not 1000’s of advocate groups. wwwGaurdianlv.com reported that “In fact a 2009 study conducted in Berkeley California revealed that of 350 patients, 40 percent reported using cannabis for the purposes of dulling alcohol cravings. In addition 26 percent were also using cannabis to dampen the desire for harder illegal drugs, and 66 percent were substituting cannabis for prescription medications.” Another awful problem that goes hand in hand with the disease of drug addiction is the mass incarceration that has in part been caused by the jailing and imprisonment of low level drug offenders. It is widely known that although only holding only roughly 5% of the total world population, 25% of all people imprisoned are in the United States. There needs to be a complete change in the way our incarceration system is handled…for instance.
A FINAL CONCLUSION AND IDEA ON THE NEXT STEP I can only hope and pray that by the time I have a chance to reach the age to run for a office and fight for these civil liberties, I would hope and pray that some of these motions may be passed before I have to stand on the congress floor my self. There are men who will precede me, and some of whom are inelegant and in my mind truly have the right idea for the future of our country…This includes Senators Corey Booker of New Jersey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Congressman Joe Kennedy the 3rd of Massachusetts, and of course the leader of a movement that was created, will continue, and needs its fighters to keep on fighting Senator Bernie Sanders. By speaking directly to the people who didn’t think their voice was being heard yet still wanted America to move on in a Progressive matter, I thank Bernie for making so many other people young, old, and even disillusioned after years of an establishment that has promised much and given little in reality, because now there is a whole new batch of enthusiastic, eager for change, and desperate to be heard thanks to Senator Sanders, just AS LONG AS THE POLITICAL REVOLUTION DOESN’T STOP HERE! There’s a reason Bernie connects with the Iraq War and iPhone-rs, he understands what its like for the people who call the shots to ignore the consensus, he knows what its like to fight against that, and the Jewish Independent Democratic Socialist almost one the primary (should have) but even greater he inspired millions and millions of people, and yes the battle may be lost but there is a war to be won and god d****t this is ours! I wonder why sometimes I even watch CNN or MSNBC…the violence we witness on a daily basis is just appalling. Retribution is no answer either, I know right know the word “unity” is not in the minds of many Americans. There is great division, race, politics, religion, the list goes on. It is not until we accept our differences and learn to respect each other considering them, or at least agree to disagree. In the following week or so I plan on attending a Young Democrat or RFK Club meeting as well as creating a Facebook group that aims at continuing the Political Revolution! We are also growing up in a time of turmoil, a time of uncertainty, which is why no matter what happens after November 2016 the fight continues and I will not give up until We live in an America that is equal for everyone, white,black, purple, Catholic, Muslim,Jewish, poor, rich, rural, urban, suburban… take a quote by The Beatles as I bid you farewell and wish you luck helping spark the Political Revolution…thank you, and in the words of The Beatles and John Lennon… “You Say You Want A Revolution, Well Ya Know We All Wanna Change The World!” So lets change it -John Devoe twitter:Jay_d_chillin Facebook: John Devoe instagram:yungwhitepac snapchat johnny_devoe Cell phone 15187793098 © 2016 John D. DevoeAuthor's Note
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StatsAuthorJohn D. DevoeAlbany, NYAboutInspired by social justice, a drive to make a mark on this earth for the better. Lacrosse enthusiast, political junkie, inspired by Hunter S. Thompson and Mark Twain. Don't be fooled though, I love Ge.. more..Writing
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