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It’s my absolute pleasure to introduce a man who has my unwavering respect—not just as a decorated combat veteran, small business owner, and gifted writer, but as my real-life best friend. Shade Burgs is now an official contributor to Rescue Our Democracy (ROD), and I couldn’t be more proud to have his voice join ours.

Born and raised in Iowa, Shade has lived through and stood firm in some of life’s most unrelenting battles—both on the frontlines in service to this country, and right here at home, in the fight for truth, justice, and common sense. His perspective is grounded, unflinching, and always from the heart. He doesn’t write to impress—he writes to challenge, to connect, and to call things exactly as they are.

As a decorated combat veteran, Shade brings a level of lived experience and integrity that cuts through the noise. As a small business owner, he knows the grit it takes to build something real in a system that often seems designed to keep everyday people down. And as a writer, he weaves insight and honesty into every sentence.

Shade’s contributions will be raw, informed, and rooted in a deep love for community and country—not the kind sold on bumper stickers, but the kind that shows up, speaks out, and fights for a better future.

Please join me in welcoming him to the ROD author team. I’m honored to stand beside him.

You can read his first article and all contributions for the world here:

• The President’s War Powers: What You Need to Know Right Now
• Meet Shade Burgs – Author, Veteran, and Lifelong Advocate
• A Box of Spiders

An Opinion piece by Shade Burgs

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Let’s talk about a of a box of spiders.

A lot of people are trying to encourage forgiveness and acceptance for those who now regret voting for Emperor Peach Palpatine. Others are wondering why Black people are sitting comfortably, watching the chaos unfold under the newly elected Turd Reich.

I’ll explain it a little with this:

If someone walks into a room full of people where there’s a box full of spiders, and everyone in the room says, “Hey, don’t open that box—it’s full of spiders,” and they respond with:

“Well, they might not be poisonous.”

Then all the Black people in the room explain in great detail exactly what spiders are in the box, how poisonous they are, and the person replies:

“Well, you don’t know what you’re talking about because you’re Black, so you’re just scared they’ll bite you.”

There’s also a big red sign on the box that reads:
“DO NOT OPEN — CONTAINS POISONOUS SPIDERS.”
But they proceed to open the box anyway—and they get bitten.

Now, everyone scrambles to help. Some people start actively killing spiders, risking getting bitten themselves. Others tend to the wounded, trying to make sure they don’t die. But ultimately, everyone has the same reaction:

“WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?”

Then, the person starts spinning every excuse imaginable for their actions:
“Spiders eat other bugs,” or they start flexing nonsensical Republican talking points that have no relevance to the situation, like “Technically, there are more spiders on Earth than people,” or even “I didn’t believe there were spiders in the box.”

They’ll say anything to deflect—from the absurd to the irrelevant—because the truth is, they didn’t believe the spiders would bite them, just everyone else.

This happens so often to the Black community and people of color in general that we’re tired of treating wounds and risking bites. We knew they would open the box anyway. It’s time to hold people accountable for their reckless behavior that affects all of us.

White people have continuously opened the box—then blamed everyone and everything else for the spiders they unleash into our lives. And somehow, they spin the consequences into being the responsibility of the very people who told them not to open the damn box in the first place.