Troy Michael

 

I am just an ordinary citizen, with high hopes of Liberty and Peace in our time. I currently reside in Los Angeles, the City of Dirty Angels. But just like most of my fellow Angelinos, I grew up far away from this urban jungle by the sea. I was born in a small Kansas town and lived a simple life. And even though I had a slight interest in politics early on; things like Football, Star Wars, Cartoons and Rock & Roll were much more important in my everyday life during those ‘Reagan’ years of my youth.
 
At a young age, the realities of Politics are not always clear, but I remember being curious to hear my family, our neighbors and friends talk about the issues of the time, as it was a constant source of conversation in my community. And over the years I have equally been intrigued, astounded, enlightened, shocked and even appalled by a great deal of their opinions.
 
During the summer of 1990, I moved with my family to Los Angeles and my whole world changed. I was living in a different world, with millions of people, with a wide range of views. Shortly thereafter, my generation got to experience our first encounter with War, courtesy of CNN, as US Forces removed Iraqi troops from Kuwait during the 1st Gulf War. I was captivated by the coverage and soon I wanted to learn more about why this was all happening, sparking what was probably the first time I actively sought out information on politics.
 
In April of 1992, following the acquittal of several police officers in the brutal beating of Rodney King, Los Angeles erupted with rioting and looting across the city. It was as if all social order had been destroyed. The National Guard was called in to quell the violence, and for the first time in my young life, I saw armed troops walking through my neighborhood enforcing a curfew. It was extraordinary, and it changed the way I saw the world around me.
 
Later that same year, our country elected a little known Governor from Arkansas named Bill Clinton as President of the United States, and I was extremely disappointed that I wasn't yet old enough to vote. Between Clinton's idealism and charismatic personality, along with Ross Perot's run as an independent, my eyes were opened up to the possibility that the President didn't have to be an old stuffed-shirt member of the Washington elite.
 
Finally, in 1996 I was able to vote in my first election, but having just graduated from high school I was certainly not a very informed voter. And naturally, I was of course distracted by early adulthoods many muses. So it wasn't really until the year 2000 that I came to learn that politics was my passion in life.  Los Angeles was host to that years’ Democratic National Convention, and I spent several days downtown with the protesters, police and street vendors watching the events unfold. After a free concert, a few protesters got out of hand and the police rode in on horses and viciously beat people trying to flee the scene.
 
On that day, I came to realize the harsh realities of dissent in America, and I was determined that things had to change. The debacle of the 2000 Election thrust politics into the spotlight, and when the Supreme Court handed the Presidency to George W. Bush, my beliefs in our system of government were shaken to its core. I dreaded what the future would hold for us, and then suddenly, a few short months later I awoke to the horrors of September 11th, 2001. After the initial shock had subsided and my anger and outrage were finally under control, I like so many others wanted to learn more about why this had happened.
 
I was glued to the TV looking for news, trying to learn more about what happened, what we were doing about it and what came next. But soon I came to the conclusion that our news coverage was being manipulated and propagandized. We weren't being told the truth about what happened. I have long believed that the corporate controlled media that we rely on for our news is inadequate at best and criminal or even treasonous at its worst. So I turned my attention to the Internet. With access to the Information Superhighway, it was now possible to stay  informed about what was happening in the world and gain a better understanding of the global implications of American policies.
 
Over the last few years I have been scouring the internet for information about our history and how America interacts in the world. And in that time, I have discovered so many fascinating and even horrendous things that I felt just had to be shared.  So I tried to find ways to get others involved as well and I would engage my friends and family in political conversations and bore them with theories and stories I had read.   But slowly I realized that wasn't going to be enough.
 
 When Bush was re-elected in 2004, I decided there had to be a way to change this steady decline of America's moral standing and the erosion of our Liberties and the Constitution. I am usually willing to give our Commander in Chief the benefit of the doubt, but too many awful or outright criminal decisions had been made. Too many times I saw our Democratic principles undermined, our Liberties destroyed, and Constitutional guarantees put in jeopardy.  
 
Thus, the idea to create this website was born and set into action. Since 2004 I have worked in my spare time to put together a general source for information on politics in America that isn't censored by corporate interests or partisan propaganda. A place where citizens like you and me can come to stay up to date on the news that matters and discuss the issues that are important to us.

Just before heading to the DNC in August 2008, my scattered thoughts and ideas finally came together on the world wide web, as I officially launched the site. Since that time, I have worked tirelessly to improve upon those ideas and refine the site to make it a preferred destination for any American who wants to learn more about what is happening in the world around them.

More recently, Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the 2008 Election. History was made, and the candidate with promises of hope and change was elected. I was extremely relieved that he had won, not because he was my favorite candidate (that would be Ron Paul) but because he seemed like the lesser of two evils. Change doesn't come from slogans or fancy words; it comes from people like me and you, making a commitment to something more than ourselves. And hope is not instilled in the hearts and minds of Americans' if a slick talking politician makes promises he cannot keep. I am certain we elected the better of the two candidates we were allowed to choose from. But that is all I know. The future is not yet written.

And that is where I find myself today. I continue on in my quest to provide the vital information and spur the debate and discussion that we as a people will need in order to enact real change in our society. You took the time to read this, so now take some time to stay informed, or work to better your community. I'll do whatever I can to help you along the way.

The rest of my story is still unknown, but you are certainly invited to sit back and enjoy the ride right here at PoliticalRefugees.com

- Troy Michael