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Tag Archives: current-events

Elections


The long season of elections is wearing me out. The ongoing attacks and counterattacks are at once ridiculous and unnecessary. I am not sure when we came to this point but all of rhetoric is off-putting and serves no good purpose. The merits of the candidate should be the focus not some past non relevant information. It is true that some candidates should not be candidates at all but this is America and that’s how we roll. Right now we have a race based too much on Race and sound bites that sound true but ring false. The truth is what comes out later but the falsehoods have already been implanted like a germinating plant. We already have a dysfunctional Congress and we certainly need to address that as much as possible in this electoral cycle but pressuring the current Congress is equally important as there are many members who should have been gone years ago as they have added nothing of note to our progress as a country if it did not directly benefit them. These are the “elder Statesmen” who make seemingly profound statements that in fact are no more than campaign speeches in disguise. We voters have lost the ability to reason out who actually represents the “American people” that they quote regularly. We cannot allow the 535 seat fillers to continue to do what they want to do in our names, in my opinion trust in the Government is lost due to the long serving Congress as we    have given them the OK to do what “they” think is correct and at the same time is a benefit to them and theirs. The political establishment is actually the voters as we have kept these folks in the job too long. I believe no one should  remain in the office long enough to be pensioned out, when we the American People look beyond the rhetoric we will see that the Congress is not representative of the voters who elected them. There could be a case made for long term service but I am hard pressed to see it.

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You Never Had To


Americans who are what I call regular people are the Americans who grew up white may or may not understand the following statement: “You never had to face discrimination due to skin color so you do not understand what it’s like”. The reason for this is that you as normal people are color blind and are reminded sometimes of color or ethnicity when it is put before you. This is not a failing  but more a lack of exposure to the issues  that face non white Americans. We all hear and see the same news and information from the same sources generally but there are pockets of information on both sides that would enlighten and unite us all as Americans. The title “American” should be worn with pride by all of us and unfortunately we have allowed our leaders to keep an implied or even specified difference between us aside from the natural differences inherent in all humans. These implications are what has allowed the rise of the Donald Trumps as viable candidates for the Presidency of the United States. Those of you old enough to look backwards a number of election cycles will understand that our two-party system is flawed and too often do produce the best leaders (not necessarily the President) via the Congress. The real problems in a Democracy is  weakest when  the people we elect to serve are allowed to remain too long in office and then cross over the private sector to further influence the lawmaking process. Our true power as voters is to forget the hot button issues and buzzwords such as Race, religion and citizenry but to look at the long serving legislators who so easily use “the American People” as a reason for not doing their job. If you were able to get a straight answer from any of them you would find that they have not asked too many of “the American people” for their opinion. This is a classic case of “when I want your opinion, I will give it to you”. Our focus as “Americans” is to begin the process of reasonable assessment of our legislative leaders at the State and Federal levels and ignore the reality show atmosphere of modern politics. Beware of the man behind the curtain.

Friedman Says It Better.


I blogged about Paul Ryan and his strange semi endorsement of Donald Trump but this article from Michael Walsh covering  Mr. Friedman states it better.

Thomas Friedman calls GOP morally bankrupt, criticizes John McCain

Thomas Friedman is drawing attention for his blistering column about the state of the Republican Party, which he thinks should “declare moral bankruptcy” and start over.

The three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist said the United States needs a healthy two-party system but that the Grand Old Party is not doing its part, which traditionally has been to advocate for market-based solutions and sound fiscal policy. Instead, he said, it’s merely an empty shell willing to sell itself off to the highest bidders — untethered from principled, center-right conservatism.

On Tuesday, in an opinion piece for the New York Times, Friedman lambasted top Republican leaders — who had been willing to buck the party line in the past — for throwing their support behind Donald Trump despite his history of off-color comments.

He was perplexed that Ryan would still endorse Trump after the businessman questioned Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s ability to preside over the Trump University lawsuit without bias because of his Mexican heritage. Ryan called this a “textbook definition” of racism but said it’s worth backing Trump because he will sign off on a Republican agenda.

“Really? Mr. Speaker, your agenda is a mess, Trump will pay even less attention to you if he is president and, as Senator Lindsey Graham rightly put it, there has to be a time ‘when the love of country will trump hatred of Hillary,’” Friedman wrote. “Will it ever be that time with this version of the G.O.P.?”

Friedman also reprimanded Arizona Sen. John McCain and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

“Et tu, John McCain? You didn’t break under torture from the North Vietnamese, but your hunger for re-election is so great that you don’t dare raise your voice against Trump? I hope you lose. You deserve to. Marco Rubio? You called Trump ‘a con man,’ he insults your very being and you still endorse him? Good riddance.”

Trump sparked controversy back in July when he said McCain is not a war hero, even though he spent more than five years in a notorious North Vietnamese prison: “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured. OK, I hate to tell you.”

In an interview with “Morning Joe” Wednesday morning, Friedman admitted to being deeply disappointed in McCain because of how much he respects him. But, Friedman said, McCain wants to get reelected in Arizona, where the party’s base has backed Trump.

“Truly a war hero. A great American patriot,” he said of McCain. “Imagine if John were out there right now talking the way you both have been talking this morning. Clear. Principled. I don’t think Trump would survive. I think this thing would be in a very different place right now. There are few people in that party whose voices count more than others, and his is certainly one of them.”

In the op-ed, Friedman also went after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a man who famously (or infamously depending on which side you’re on) worked with President Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy despite a fast-arriving general election. Now, according to Friedman, it seems that Christie is more interested in currying favor with the potential future president than defending his minority constituents against slander.

“Chris Christie, have you not an ounce of self-respect?” Friedman wrote. “You’re serving as the valet to a man who claimed, falsely, that on 9/11, in Jersey City, home to many Arab-Americans, ‘thousands and thousands of people were cheering as that building was coming down.’ Christie is backing a man who made up a baldfaced lie about residents of his own state so that maybe he can be his vice president. Contemptible.”

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Election 2016


The real election is upon us and we have some serious issues. The Dupublican party has some deep-rooted problems. To begin with many supporters have no idea what a conservative is or perhaps do not realize what the party is  actually about. What has excited them is a candidate who does not hold his tongue and plays to their anger in general with the Congress and by extension the Presidency (perhaps). These supporters are basically anti anything government but many have voted by rote for years with no examination of the candidates qualifications are or if they are running for re-election , what they have done while in office. This applies to the Scamocrats too. The path of this country will never be smooth as the history of our beginnings began with conflict and prospered due to outside conflict. We became a world power due to War but we never recovered from our internal war in mind and spirit. This Presidential election uncovered the open wound of Racism and greed that was part of the Civil war that divided us over a century ago. The negative tone of the current election season was set 8 years ago and has only progressed with the ascension of longtime rote elected politicians in our Congress and some states. The real suffering will occur if the voting public decided to make a change based on rhetoric, fear and hate instead facts and information. There will never be a perfect candidate for any elective office but an informed voter can always make a reasonable choice and be prepared to change that choice should it prove to wrong. We must not be caught up in politispeak and campaign rhetoric since neither of these make policies that affect us. Remember “talk is cheap”. The world stage is so diverse that we (U.S.A.) cannot afford to ignore the events in other countries as these events will affect us now and in the future (whether we like or not). If we elect a President who espouses any bias towards other countries , religions and races then we are sure to become isolated in the world. That isolation will affect us financially now and in the future.

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Paul Ryan


 

 

 

 

The article below is taken from the newspaper “The Hill” and the statement is from Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House. It appears that the Dupublican Party has put themselves in a hard to defend position with Mr. Trump as the 800 pound elephant in the room. Their inability to support the candidate they wanted and failure to stop Mr. Trump will be their ending as a force in the political arena. This is not a David and Goliath story , it is just a tragedy in the making of a political party that seems to be imploding with the help of a reality “star”. Even taking the point of Hillary being bad how will the “party” survive. Mr. Trump has garnered a lot of support but with some of the worst elements of our society. If we as a country are to continue as a respected world player, the Dupublican base  will have to break from strict party lines and insure “the Donald” does not gain the Oval office. This is not an endorsement of Scamocrats or Dupublicans, just a statement that Mr. Trump is too dangerous to be President.

Donald Trump’s comments criticizing a judge because of his ethnic background are “the textbook definition of racist comments,” Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Tuesday during an event on poverty in Washington D.C.

“I regret these comments that he made,” Ryan said. “Saying a person can’t do their job because of their race is sort of the textbook definition of racist comments. … I think that should be absolutely disavowed.”

Ryan, who also criticized Trump’s comments last week, was bombarded with questions about Trump at an event to highlight the House GOP’s policy agenda – beginning with poverty reform.

“I think they’re wrong. I don’t think they’re right-headed,” the Speaker, who endorsed Trump last week, said of the remarks.

He later called the comments “indefensible” but would not say he’s rescinding his endorsement.

The flurry of questions about the presumptive GOP nominee highlights the difficult challenge faced by Ryan and other GOP leaders, who are backing Trump as their nominee but seeing his controversies crowd out their efforts to talk policy.

Ryan conceded that Trump’s comments do “undercut” the House GOP’s efforts to put forth a policy agenda this election year.

“I’m not going to even pretend to defend them,” Ryan said. ” I’m going to defend our ideas. I’m going to defend our agenda. What matters to us most is our principles and the policies that come from those principles, and our ability to give the people of this country a better way forward.”

Ryan repeatedly said Tuesday that he was backing Trump because he believes the nation is far better off with the Republican nominee than Hillary Clinton as president.

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Rape As A Tool


Recently a Presidential candidate spoke about immigrants being rapists. This sentiment has been brought forth before in the words of segregationist whites who stated with complete confidence (but no proof) that Black men will rape White women and thereby cementing the idea of the evilness of Blacks. This sentiment was apparent in ancient times and recent times until today with the various mini wars around the world. To get back to the American Black white rape deal, does anyone remember or chose to remember how many times Black women were raped when captured in Africa, on board the slave ships and after reaching America on the plantations. Since the White masters felt they were better than the Slaves they “owned”, there was no guilt associated and the general population paid no mind because the Blacks were considered sub-human. So what made these “master” and the populace in general fear the Black male so much? Could it be an innate “human Guilt”?  The Rapes were used as a tool to control the population of slaves by demeaning them as people and a control (This is the same method used on native Americans during the “settling” of the West). The long-range effect is and has been a long line of mixed race folks whose original ancestry is often lost to the ages due to poor record keeping possible on purpose or through ignorance. The best that can be said is that we are all Americans   and the bias minded Americans need to get over it and move into this Century.

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Demagogues, Witch hunters and Charlatans


It has become clear to me that many current and past well known figures in politics and the public eye are not who they purport to be. We have over the years been enthralled or distracted by seemingly larger than life figures who have turned out to be less than most of us ordinary people. We have had Jim Jones (Jonestown) who induced hundreds to commit suicide or be murdered , Senator Mc Carthy who sent the nation on “red” witch hunt and ruined lives, We had Several Evangelicals who fell from grace after information on their personal and financial misdeeds came to light, we have had several Federal legislators ousted and imprisoned over  official and personal misdeeds. Years ago in the 1600’s we had the “Salem Witch Trials”. All of these things have to do with people who took upon them selves the mantle of  leadership under the guise of administering justice and religious right. Our current political climate appears to be running in the same vein. We have a congress lead by Right wingers who without our explicit consent doing what “they” want and ascribing it to the “American people”. We have a leading Presidential aspirant with unknown affiliation or motivation who has excited the angriest (gullible?) elements of the country into a mob who are covered with a blanket of hate for anyone not like them in mindset and skin color. This is the same type of mass sentiment that created the witch hunts ala Salem and the McCarthy eras. It is of great concern to me that the media coverage no matter how the middle of the road is flavored and often overshadowed by  the extremes of the right and left of center outlets. With all of the truth being available not enough people avail themselves of it and become entrapped by the Demagogues, witch hunters and charlatans whose sole purpose is to incite discord which in turn hides their own agendas which do  include the good of anyone but themselves and their cohorts. Remember the following Names: Joe McCarthy, Dennis Hastert, Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump, Spiro Agnew, Jim Jones, Cotton Mather, Tom Delay and many others. They have all been (or are currently)  high in the public eye and (or will fall) fell after their true nature or purpose is exposed. If we become and remain vigilant we will be wary when the lies sound like the truth according to someone with a high public profile.

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Snake Oil


Listening to NPR news this morning there was segment of an interview with Mitch McConnell. This inter view was much like listening to a snake oil salesman. The questions while being straight forward were answered the way you would expect a not so honest person to respond. Mr. McConnell came through with flying colors. His responses while being extensive were not true answers as much as they were talking points. His use of the phrase the “American People” has been a mainstay of his party for years but only means the people we can fool. Mr. McConnell is a polished speaker but an inveterate liar whose sole objective is and has been for years to gain power in the Congress. Now that he has it he will do no good for the country as a whole. His remaining in the Senate is a tacit OK to poor government and a unilateral shift to the right which will impact us all for years to come and in no good ways. It is unfortunate that his disciples fail to see the true face if their hero.

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Memorial Day Reminder


So we don’t forget–forgetting about vets is a tradition. Here’s a Ted Rall article that’s over 9 years old but (unfortunately) still applies. Ted Rall 3/13/07 Abandonment of Vets is a Military Tradition

May 29 at 3:08 PM

Disrepected by 535


The Presidential race is an issue in its self. The uproar over Hillary Clintons emails and servers has been blown way out of proportion. No one is investigating the previous Secretaries of state (Condoleezza Wright and Colin Powell) for their use of private servers, apparently its ok for one political party but not for the other or is this just another part of the dirty politics we are experiencing ? If we the people (voters) allow these political misdeeds to continue then shame on us! It is understandable that a lot of us (if not all) are angry and dissatisfied with our government and have been for a long time but that anger is misplaced. The energy in that anger needs to be placed on the doorstep of our Congress. These are the culprits in our broken politics. For too many years we have voted these people in without questioning what they are doing and have done, all the while they have mislead us and made us like it. How many coal miners lives have been lost due to the personal ambitions of their representatives? How many disasters and climatic problems could have been avoided or lessened by these representatives if they spent less time politicking and setting up their future lives with their “cronyism” ? The easy yet seeming hard question is are we willing to take a stand and vote against these political ne’er do wells and begin the shift to a more practical government much like the one offered (or perhaps required) by the Constitution? There will be no major shift towards better government until we demand it in the voting booth. Keep in mind that change in government does not begin or end with the President, it begins and ends with the Congress and if we do not take a stand against them then our fate is tied to 535 reckless and often feckless representatives.  The current vile and vicious language of the Presidential race is not a joke and we need to rise above the awful, hateful rhetoric to understand who we really need to elect even if that choice is not our primary one. Remember we have a broken Congress and we need to understand that whoever is in the Oval office will not prosper until we begin with election to replace the  535 seat fillers who have demeaned the office for years and at our behest.

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