A Mighty Wind Blows Toward Chicago

I am anxiously awaiting these hours at my day job to fly by for tonight, I will be attending a travelling circus in the city of Chicago. Donald Trump and his campaign are hosting an event at 6 p.m. C.S.T. and I have taken it upon myself to be there. Why I have made this decision is still not exactly clear to me but I have been telling myself that it is out of sheer morbid curiosity that I observe this display- whatever it happens to be.

When I first heard of Trump's plans to hold his rally at the University of Illinois Chicago, something told me that I just needed to get there and witness first-hand the zoo that has plagued our televisions and computer screens these last several months. When I first heard the radio advert for the rally, I figured I would turn the event into a writing assignment for myself. And so, as a contributor for the Marijuana Free Press, I applied for media credentials, a request that is still pending according to Donald Trump's campaign site, a mere seven hours before the event. Regardless, I have a general admission ticket and I will be on site.

To be completely transparent, I am not a Trump supporter. It seems to me that many of his positions, rhetoric, as well as his thin-skin make him an absolutely horrific prospect for the highest office in the land. I was always more inclined to lean towards candidates that hold positions on a cleaner climate, higher wages for the disintegrating working middle class, and more liberal on social issues.

Is Trump a tried-and-true Republican? I am not so sure, as he has back-handedly praised the Democrats and their positive impacts on the economy in the past. He is also quite obviously scaring the shit out of the current Republican establishment. Many people are actually comparing the man to Hitler, as has happened in almost every political campaign since the death of the micro-penised German dictator. I will say this: Trump is not Hitler. Hitler was Hitler. End of story.

I have been been racking my gourd trying to get to the heart of what the piece for the MFP would be. It has led me to several restless night, anxiety up the wazoo, and a nice healthy dose of mood swings. I had another night like that last night. I was pondering so much that my brain must have given way; I woke up in my bed at 11:30 p.m. without any recollection of lying down. I tossed and turned until it was time to get up for work at 5 a.m. My bones were stiff and my head ached. I'm also fairly certain that I have an ear infection. The question still lingered: Where was I going to go with this piece?

I was on my drive to work and it hit me...

"The American Dream"- it is the concept that sent Hunter Thompson on escapades of futility and madness and drunken debauchery. It might just be where I need to start...minus the drugs and debauchery, that is. I mean, I'm a father and a husband for Christ's sake. And I have a day job that I currently still need, so we will save the hallucinogenic-addled lunacy for another day. But I digress...

Just what exactly does Trump's rise in the polls and violence-spawning rallies signal for "The Dream"? This I do not know, but on its face and within my gut, it is frightful. 'The dream' used to be about living free and pursuing our own happiness, working hard and being able to raise a family in comfort stemming from that hard work; A strong working class breathing clean air, avoiding sending our sons and daughters to die in far away lands, and an American populace that works together despite our differences.

Those are the things (among many others) that signify the dream FOR ME. I am guessing that many of the people attending the rally tonight in earnest may not share any or all of my idealistic definitions for 'The Dream' but I'm willing to find out.

The dream seems to be dying alongside our waning middle class; with Americans in unparalleled debt from college, a stagnant minimum wage, and a tragic comedy of an electoral system, it is my contention that 'the dream' is circling the drain.

Call me crazy, but if you hand me a free front row ticket to just about anything, I'll be there. And who knows, maybe we are all really being duped by the "Lame Stream Media" and Trump has some good ideas that you never hear about on the news. Unlikely, yes, but hey, you never know.