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What a Letter to My Senator Taught Me About Politics

On Wednesday, Senator Lindsey Graham announced that he intends to introduce legislation allowing the United States to authorize the use of military force in Mexico.


That’s right, Mexico.


Of course, this is an absurd proposal. Economically, Mexico is our number-one trade partner with $276.5 billion in goods going to Mexico in 2021, and $384.7 coming here from Mexico in the same year, the top three import categories being new vehicles, individual auto parts, and computer hardware. This trade partnership creates more production and movement than our partnerships with both China and Canada.


The basis of Senator Graham’s proposal is, you probably assumed, cartel activity; specifically, the Gulf Cartel. His proposed legislation would designate Mexican cartel groups as terrorist organizations legally for the first time. I wrote a letter to my senator, Mr. Tom Tillis, voicing my concerns about using U.S. military force in the sovereign territory of our neighbors. In return, I received a letter (obviously automated) about our “shared concerns about President Biden’s failed border policy.”


Maybe I was unclear. While I do believe that Joe Biden’s presidency has been one of fraud and inaction, I am concerned that a sitting senator would consider the use of military might in allied territory as a reasonable solution to failed border policy. For comedic use, I have provided the Senator’s reply below.

Here is a perfect example of what I discussed in my previous article, "Dreamworld: The Consequence of Aesthetic Over Analysis." Instead of addressing my concerns, as it is in his job description to do, the senator believed it completely viable to send me a form letter stating his brand, his One Thing. In this case, the brand is as follows: your real question is not important, the president is to blame, and my colleagues and I are the only answer.


In my latest novel, I.P.A., the tyrannical Mayor Masters employs these tactics and this exact language. She repeatedly uses the phrase "let me be clear" to draw her listeners to the brand, to the One Thing, telling them without actually needing to "this is what matters, tune out everything else."


Power, no matter what, is anti-populist. Powerful people want those who are not powerful to turn off their brains. Don't do it; don't ever do it.





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