Founder-CEO. Senior diplomat. Consul General. USMC NCO/combat vet. Navy officer. Public school teacher. Aged out of foster care. Adoptive dad. Believer.
2/2 Unfortunately, these things aren't true for too many others. And as it was, we went into debt and she will always have a preexisting condition. These things I think about as a voter.
1/2 My wife survived cancer not too long ago. We had good health insurance, two incomes, and a car. There were excellent medical facilities. She could telework during chemo and I could take time off to help.
@TheBizzznizzzz
@galaxycruiser
@SethMacFarlane
I lived in this trailer with my two bothers, mother, uncle and grandma just before going into foster care at 10. I was a ward of the state until I joined the Marines at 17. I now pay way more in taxes than was spent on me. I proudly vote
#Democrat
because I didn't get here alone.
@NYDailyNews
My brothers and were homeless with our immigrant mom and spent years in shelters and foster care. We're all combat vets. I served in the USMC and Navy and was a teacher. For 17 years, I've been a diplomat protecting Americans and promoting U.S. values. I'm now a Consul General.
I moved back home to Arkansas this year after 20 years of representing America abroad. I will be a fully engaged citizen and do everything I can to preserve what is good about our beautiful state and fight to overcome the challenges.
I was embarrassed about where I lived as a kid so I'd get dropped off in front of a nice place and walk two miles to our crummy place. I also skipped lunch at school so others wouldn't know that I was on the free program. Wish I could go back and tell myself not to care or worry.
who grew up in abject poverty, homelessness, and foster care; relied on food stamps, Medicaid, government cheese, and Pell grants, is the son of a single-mom immigrant from Central America with an 8th grade education, and was a public school teacher and a 20-year diplomat.
My politics are also explained by my heroes: The early martyrs of the church, Marines who landed at Tarawa, and the women and men who braved dogs and billy clubs to cross the Edmund Pettus bridge, plus Abe Lincoln, U.S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Harry Truman, and Sid McMath.
@AccountableGOP
Interesting that he refers to the United States Department of Defense as the “defense ministry.” Is that a tell revealing that his script arrived from abroad?
I just accepted an offer to serve in Mexico City as the Chief of U.S. citizen services in the capital and coordinator of U.S. citizen services throughout all of Mexico. It is a big job, but I'm excited. My family won't be able to join me so please keep the Derees in your prayers.
@TheBizzznizzzz
@galaxycruiser
@SethMacFarlane
When I grew up, the rich folks I knew were the ones with doublewide trailers. You're selling a dude born on third base who acts like he hit a triple and spent a lifetime conning and not paying working people (from behind an anonymous account) and most of us ain't buying it.
I lived here with my mother, grandma, uncle, and two brothers. I honestly thought of folks in doublewide trailers as unimaginably wealthy. I’ve since attained a measure of financial success, but I’ll always be a trailer park kid. And that’s ok.
My neighbors have two small children. The house they rent has a major mold problem. The owners said they should move out if they have a problem. Arkansas is the only state in the Union in which this is legal.
I had multiple stints of homelessness as a kid, as well as extended periods of food insecurity. I was lucky that our society wasn’t quite so mean back then so I made it out. My goal in life now is to chase the monsters who punish poor and working people back under their rocks.
BREAKING: SCOTUS will hear Johnson v Grants Pass, a case about if homeless people can be punished for using things like pillow and blankets when sleeping outside if there are no safe shelters.
This is the biggest SCOTUS case about homelessness in decades.
“The 82-year-old hands that used to pick somebody else’s cotton went to the polls and picked her youngest son to be a United States senator,” said Warnock, the pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church.
My immigrant mom with my sons. She didn't own shoes until she was 6, has a 9th grade education and never made more than minimum wage. Her sons are all combat vets. One retired from the Navy. One is a preacher/was a cop. One is a diplomat/was a teacher. This is the American dream.
Having grown up in
#fostercare
, I'd like to point out today is
#NationalAdoptionDay
. Every kid deserves a loving family. This is Garrison, who we adopted in Mexico, on the day he became a U.S. citizen. 125,000+ kids are waiting to be adopted from foster care.
#Adoption
The ONLY people Jesus got angry with were hypocritical religious leaders, those who oppress the poor, and money changers at the temple. Sinners, broken people, the sick, the doubtful, complicated people… They were His people. Why is that so hard for so many in the church to get?
I first realized I was a Democrat in junior high. I was very active with the party and campaigns through my 20s. From age 32 to 52, I was a diplomat and couldn’t be involved in politics. I’m back home in Arkansas now and ready to do my bit again to help good candidates.
Mona Parsons was born in Nova Scotia.
She studied in Boston and taught in Arkansas.
She was in the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway.
When she was working as a nurse in New York, she met millionaire businessman Willem Leonhardt.
In 1937, they move to the Netherlands and marry.
My youngest son is 14 today! He's here with me in Mexico, the country of his birth. We celebrated with his brothers and mom via video since they are back home in Arkansas. My heart is full.
Lived here with my mom, brothers, uncle and grandma for a chunk of my childhood and in other trailers at different times. We also lived in our car and a tent for a spell. Food stamps kept us fed. I'm financially well off today, but I refuse to pull the ladder up behind me.
Lived here with my mom, brothers, grandma, and uncle. My brothers and I later lived in a Chevy Vega and spent 7 years moving from one foster home or institution to the next. My childhood was all the hard things, but I emerged with the gifts of compassion, thankfulness, and grit.
8/21/87. Graduation Day at Parris Island. I began boot camp a week after high school & left the foster care system for the first time since I was 10 the day I got on a plane for PI. Earning the title of Marine was the first adult thing I ever did even if I was only 17.
#NotALoser
My son, Marshall, is at Big Bend National Park, the spot in the continental United States with the least light pollution. He took this photo last night.
@twrobertsII
@JennylovesCam
@JonesForAR
Baptized in a country church. Joined USMC at 17 & Navy Reserve at 30. Served in 2 wars. Met my wife of 30+ years at Bible camp. Have undergrad and master’s degrees from Harding. Been a deacon & elder. Adoptive dad. Run biz serving biggest Ark bizes. Reckon, I am too.
@JonesForAR
Some Nazi dude with an anonymous account and an ugly frog profile pic done called me a snowflake. I shall endeavor to overcome the insult and make it through the day.
These are gas prices from 2008 - 14 years ago. $4 in 2008 is equivalent in purchasing power to $5.22 today. Nobody likes paying more for gas, but prices go up and down based on demand and world events.
My politics are rooted in treating my neighbor how I would like to be treated and believing all that stuff I used to teach as a civics teacher. Apparently, that’s radical to a big chunk of my fellow citizens. Who taught their Sunday School and civics classes?
"Whatever may have been my political opinions... we have a Government, and laws and a flag, and they must all be sustained. There are but two parties now, traitors and patriots and I want hereafter to be ranked with the latter, and I trust, the stronger party." U.S. Grant, 1861
I grew up just about as poor as a person can in the United States of America. Hunger sucked. Homelessness sucked. Moving from place to place sucked. Fear sucked. But I've come to see the travails of my childhood as a gift. Clearly, empathy does not come easy in our society.
Tomorrow afternoon I'll have served as a Marine, Sailor, and diplomat under Reagan, H.W. Bush, Clinton, W. Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden. “I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."
This is me teaching World History at LR Central. I taught for six years and never had a bad day in the classroom. I just couldn't afford to keep up with my student loans and mortgage. Any politician who attacks teachers and support staff is walkin' on the fighting side of me.
I lived here with my mother, two brothers, grandmother, and uncle. It is just one of the trailers we called home over the years. I advise you not to use the term "trailer trash" in my company.
So far living in Fayetteville, I’ve seen a muskrat, a beaver, a roadrunner, hawks, buzzards, fish, heaps of deer, and an incredible number of grey haired dudes with ponytails.
Apparently the approved school in Tennessee is for kids with specialized needs, and they take kids from the region. But shouldn’t we just ensure our public schools are adequately resourced?
Two Marines, two enlisted Sailors, two Navy officers, a Soldier, a preacher, a cop, a couple business owners, a teacher, a politico, a diplomat, and three dads of 10 kids walked into a room. They were three brothers who once lived in a Chevy Vega and ate government cheese.
It is 2022. Do we not understand many kids don’t have dads in their lives or many dads have hourly jobs that make it hard to take off during the day? I’m sure the concept is well intentioned, but we really need a more compassionate approach. Signed guy who grew up without a dad.
Goodness gracious, woman. I also grew up on welfare, Medicaid, and food stamps. I’m not obtuse, so I am thankful to my country for preparing me for success and I have no interest in pulling the ladder up behind me.
These brothers grew up on welfare, food stamps, and Medicaid. Between us, we’ve started/run businesses; served in the Marines, Navy, and Army in three wars; and been a cop, teacher, preacher, and diplomat. Stop stereotyping and limiting poor people!
#arleg
Wrapping up twenty years as a diplomat in coming days. I'm chomping at the bit to tell y'all what's next. Hint: Without exaggeration, we are going to change the world.
I lived in a Chevy Vega in the 8th grade, washing up in a city park bathroom before heading to class every morning. I’ve been blessed with the gift of perspective.
I moved to Little Rock from Searcy with the dream of teaching in this beautiful, historic building. Mr. Rudolph's call to offer me a job remains one of the happiest moments of my life.
I was discussing getting a concealed weapon permit with my wife. She said, "Let's talk about guns after you figure out how to tell if the cap is on your pen when you use it to scratch your back."
I had a minor medical procedure and the first thing the nurse said was, “Did you used to teach history? I think I was in your class.” Sho ‘nuff. She even remembered some of my stories.
It is a small world and an even smaller Arkansas!
Someone needs to hear this: Just because it is currently cold where you are doesn't mean the earth as a whole isn't warming quickly. Also, climate change means lots of weird and dangerous things like more extended droughts, extra powerful hurricanes, and, yes, blizzards in Texas.
Sid McMath’s military decorations, including the Silver Star and Legion of Merit earned for combat service as a Marine in the South Pacific. He went on to kick the mob out of Hot Springs then get elected Arkansas governor at 36 on a civil and worker’s rights platform. My hero!
I took this picture of oil fires set by the retreating Iraqi army as my Marine unit went into Kuwait 30 years ago this month. I don't feel that old. Except my knees and back. They definitely feel that old - and like I was in the infantry.
@PreetBharara
@aselrod
"The [attorney-client] privilege takes flight if the relation is abused. A client who consults an attorney for advice that will serve him in the commission of a fraud will have no help from the law. He must let the truth be told."
Justice Cardozo for the Court, Clark v U.S., 1933
In elementary school, I was identified as being significantly behind in reading which is no surprise as I was being raised in poverty by an immigrant mom with an 8th grade education. My life changed in the 5th grade when I picked up Where the Red Fern Grows.
My wife and two sons just boarded a flight from Tegucigalpa. They will shelter back home in Arkansas. My older son is sheltering at a friend’s house in Virginia. My dog and I are staying behind to assist Americans in Honduras . Please stay home everyone so this can end sooner.
When I was a kid, my mom wrapped empty boxes so nobody would know she couldn't afford Christmas presents for her kids. I now live with plenty and enjoy Christmas with my family. That's not the case for so many who endure poverty, loneliness, or trauma over the holidays. Be kind.
Exciting news... My company has been acquired by BDV Solutions of Greenville, South Carolina. "The two companies announced the purchase on Wednesday. Dana Deree, CEO of AGC and one of its founders, will remain with BDV Solutions as VP..."
I lived here with my two brothers, mother, an uncle, and a grandmother shortly before we became homeless and my brothers and I entered the foster care system for several years. All things considered, I keep it together well until someone asks me if I read '
#HillbillyElegy
.'
1) I have a master’s degree in education. I carried out my student teaching semester at Little Rock Central High in 1995 teaching world history. After about a month of substitute teaching in multiple Little Rock and Pulaski County schools…
My mom is an immigrant w/ an 8th grade education. There were no books in our home growing up so I needed remedial reading help as a kid. Then, I read 'Where The Red Fern Grows' in 5th grade. It made me a lifelong reader and that opened all the doors! Has a book changed your life?
I once had to drop my promising application to be a White House intern because there was simply no way for me to afford to live in DC without an income. It is long past time we stopped reserving opportunities for the already wealthy.
President Biden and Vice President Harris are announcing that, for the first time in history, White House interns will be paid. The first session will commence in Fall 2022.
As I work on my 2023 taxes, I'm reminded the state of Arkansas offers a $50 per year tax CREDIT for donations to local political candidates. That's $100 for couples filing jointly. We usually give much more, but we always make sure we find a good Democrat to donate at least $100.
I'm a capitalist who has stumbled upon the concept that treating my employees, the workers we staff, vendors, and clients above and beyond the requirements of the law and contracts has served my business really well.
I don't live my life in fear of COVID. I just take precautions because I'm a responsible adult who loves my family and my neighbors.
I am pretty freaked out by the large number of people who think and act otherwise though.
Former teacher here: There isn’t a shortage of teachers. There is a shortage of professionals willing or able to work for low wages and without respect.
Want my vote? Fill potholes. Support our kids and their teachers. Keep the public safe and healthy. Promote justice. Make everyone pay their fair share. Want my stink eye? Engage in performative religiosity and patriotism. Divide rather than unite. Make it hard to fill pot holes.