So what did you all make of the first presidential debate?
I am still baffled as to why the Republican party have allowed Donald Trump to run in their name. But it has finally sunk in that this is really happening and my mild amusement has turned into absolute horror. It makes Kanye West’s crazy notion of running for president seem less of a joke and more of a possibility! You may not be comfortable using the popular hash tag #ImWithHer but perhaps you could consider #ImNotWithHim ….
American politics are not what us Brits are accustomed to; in the UK if someone is interested in running the country, they have to have at least dipped their toes into a prior political role, whereas over here you don’t need any track record to apply for the job of Commander in Chief.
I needed a bit of light relief over the weekend and opted to watch the documentary ‘To Be Takei’ on Netflix. However, it wasn’t as fun-filled as I anticipated. George Takei discusses many things; from being a pioneer Asian actor, his work as an activist for the LGBT community, and he also shares memories of the four years he spent as a child in an internment camp for Americans of Japanese heritage in Arkansas during WW2. For those of you who weren’t aware, the American government at the time decided the safest option was to round up all Americans of Japanese heritage and Japanese immigrants living in Pacific Coast states and put them in camps for the duration of the war. It’s worth noting that over 60% of those interned were AMERICAN citizens. The only place in the Western United States this wasn’t done Hawaii, where Japanese-Americans constituted too large a segment of the population for it to be feasible. Instead they confiscated their boats and radios and closed all the Buddhist temples.
These actions, which took place 80 years ago, make Trump’s threats of building walls and rounding up Muslims seem less far-fetched and ridiculous than we initially thought – as he is going off of a precedent that was set Franklin Roosevelt, hence his popularity amongst certain voters. The world is honestly a bewildering and confusing place right now. If you have a vote please don’t waste it – I am not saying Clinton is the best option, but right now she seems to be the only option to me. I would honestly love to hear from you if you are planning on voting for Trump – as I don’t seem to know anybody who is, so your insight would be an education for me. Feel free to email me at eileen@britsin.la.
If you need an antidote to the crazy world we are living in I have some options for you! Come and chew the fat with us at our weekly Breakfast Club, held every Tuesday morning at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood. We also have our bi-monthly pub quiz at the Pikey on October 4th and your quizmaster will be Sandro Monetti.
On October 5th our featured Meet A Member, Michele Paradise, will be hosting a workshop on how to manage Stress & Anxiety with Havening Techniques (made famous by Deepak Chopra and Paul McKenna) at the Ramada hotel in West Hollywood – if you are reading this you qualify for the Brits in LA discount which means you can reserve your spot for only $5! Visit changeyourmindforgood.com for details and use the code ‘Members’ to obtain the discount. I will be attending so if you are apprehensive about coming alone feel free to drop me a line.
We also have another concert ticket giveaway for Kula Shaker at the Roxy Theatre on October 8th – if you want to win a pair just email us at info@britsin.la to put your name in the hat. Winner will be drawn at random on Monday afternoon.
Visit us at www.britsin.la for info on our upcoming events and competitions.
Cheers!
Eileen
