Election 2016 or, Donald VS Hillary - What A Choice!

The 2016 Presidential Election is fast approaching, and early voting is in progress now.  I cannot remember a worse Presidential Ballot than the one we have coming up this November 1st.  Maybe someone older than me can, but that may hark back all the way to the pre-World War I years.  That is just a guess, and it is really irrelevant.

The fact that our American political system cleared out the pack leaving just these two candidates escapes my belief.  Out of all of the candidates who declared in the primaries, it is outrageously appalling to me that the "best" of the field were supposedly Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.  First I would like to rant about Donald Trump.  Mr. Trump is a loud-mouthed, contentious man who is full of himself.  He represents great wealth with which he buys anything he wants, including influence.  He appears to have no "class," by that I mean he says and does anything he wants without thought as to whom he may be hurting, or how silly he looks when he is so boisterous.  As a business man he accomplished a lot by any means he had to use.  I do not know enough about him to know whether he "started with nothing" and built an empire, and I am not really interested enough to do that research.  Regardless, he made a fortune and now reaps the king's benefits from having made that fortune.  But until last year he had no interest in the US Presidency; in fact, he was often busy decrying government intervention in the world of business.  In his rise to billionaire, Mr. Trump learned to deal with people in a brash, rude, and arrogant way.  Will this be the way he deals with his contemporaries should he become President?

There is something about Donald Trump, besides all the above, that concerns me.  He has contributed funds over the years to Bill Clinton.  To Hillary?  I am not sure about that, but I know that Donald, Bill, and Hillary go back for at least the past couple of decades.  Don't believe me...do just two or three minutes "research" on the Internet.  I know this is just the very tip of the tip of the "ice berg" and there is so much more.  The point is, Donald Trump was very, very chummy with Bill C back in the 1990's.  It would not be a stretch to imagine that he was very chummy with Hillary C right up to...well, right up to the beginning of the primaries.  Are Donald and Hillary REALLY arch-rivals now?  Maybe, but I find that really hard to accept.

If it is really possible that Donald and Hillary's rivalry is a sham, then is it not also possible that all of Donald's rhetoric regarding Hillary is also a sham?  If elected, isn't it possible that Donald will suddenly "decide" that some of his ideas as Candidate Trump are just "not feasible" for President Trump to carry out as promised.  In fact, isn't it possible that someone who was "chummy" with the Clintons even as late as last year might also be "chummy" with Clinton ideas and goals?  Said another way, is our choice REALLY a choice at all?

The only candidate besides Donald Trump that has a realistic chance (VERY REALISTIC, I am afraid!) is Hillary Clinton.  About Hillary I have to ask, how is it even possible that she is a viable Presidential candidate?  She has made former President Nixon look like a jay-walker with her various criminal and political activities, including involvement in scandals in Arkansas even BEFORE the Clintons ever made it to the White House!  These activities are well-known, well-documented, and I do not have the time nor the patience to list them here.  Suffice to say that Hillary Clinton is a disgrace to America and, had she done the "email thing" back in 1974, she could have resigned along side of Nixon, who was castigated because eighteen minutes of voice recordings were erased.  I wonder how long it would take to read over thirty thousand emails into an old fashioned cassette recorder? 

Hillary's involvement with events that have left a trail of bodies across this nation and in various countries around the world is also easily traceable through the various recorded media.  Yet millions of Americans are literally fawning over her, literally can't wait for her to be the FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!  Her character, her actions, her words in woefully pitiful denial of those actions - all this notwithstanding - there are half, possibly more than half, of registered voters willing to put this unindicted criminal into the White House.  The gutless Director of the FBI himself said that, although he would not recommend Hillary's indictment, he had found illegal activity of the kind that would have resulted in someone else's arrest.

This election would be laughable if it were not such a serious matter.  One of these two unpalatable choices, barring something totally unexpected, will be our new President of the United States.  One of these two undesirable choices will lead this nation for at least four years.  I can only believe that, like the old Simon and Garfunkle song, "any way you look at it you lose" will hold true for this nation.  Do I think the US is "doomed?"  Do I think this is "the end?"  No, but I think this election more than any other is a wake up call for America.  Do we want to "stay the course" with either Trump or Clinton in 2020?  I hope for this nation's sake that we do not.  More than that, I hope for an awakening of Americans who desire to rein in the government and truly make it a government of the people, to make it a government that truly works FOR the people.  I think we still have time to get this nation on course, and ultimately, to make this nation truly one that is governed under the law of the land, the United States Constitution, to make America great again with neither Clinton nor Trump at the helm.

Cast your vote in the coming election and ...

May God Bless America

A Beautiful Sunday...

Today is a very beautiful day outside and inside, too.  We have just finished with a couple hours of house cleaning (maybe not two, it just seemed like it) and now we are both lounging in our loungers, except she (my lovely bride) is not technically "lounging" since she is engaged in working on her never-ending collegiate assignments.  She loves to learn, my lovely bride.  I, however, do not engage in learning so much anymore...actually I am now more engaged in forgetting what I have learned, as well as forgetting where I put the TV remote...dang it!

I have taken several days away from this blog, for a number of reasons, but today I felt the need to get back into my blogging rhythm.  I have to say that the biggest reason for my lack of blogging for the past couple of weeks is that there is so much going on that I do not like, that is negative for our nation, that is not so good for the world, that I did not want to write about.  I felt that I would get trapped in a negative cycle with my posts, and no one wants to read a succession of negative blogs...not even ME!

As you might guess, the biggest negative thing going on right now is the Hillary Trump Satire On American Politics.  Neither one of these persons deserves to be President of the United States.  Neither person is the "best choice."  How could the American election system have produced this NO CHOICE election ballot?  Not only that, but it appears that as few as forty percent of all legally registered voters will cast ballots.  I may be overly optimistic here...maybe as few as nine or ten percent of the people will cast ballots.  The reason for this low turnout is that many people believe that the Electoral College will select Hillary no matter what the "popular vote" might be.

Another big negative is our government's program of constant warfare somewhere on the globe (actually MANY SOMEWHERES!) so that our military is constantly engaged in some conflict.  On top of that we have "military advisers" located in many other points of conflagration around the world.  Along with this government "permanent war" mindset is the military industry that, to earn maximum dollar, promotes the permanent war mindset and actually exerts a large degree of control or influence on the Defense Department as well as on senators and congressmen.  The last thing this "military/industrial complex" wants is "peace on earth."

Then there is the unrest throughout the nation because of various political and social beliefs conflicting to the point of open violence and rioting.  In both houses of the federal legislature, with both sides refusing to agree on anything except congressional pay raises, no laws can be passed except in watered down, weakened versions that accomplish nothing.

So I think it is safe to say that our American political system is broken and does not appear to be capable of internal repair.  We (including me) the people are too divided to fix it ourselves.

So this blog post could be nothing but negative....

But it is a beautiful Sunday.  There are a lot things that are good and right with the world and right here in our lovely abode.  For instance we got to have Baby Baby with us for two whole days this weekend.  This little angel brightens up the day like a thousands suns could not do.  She loves to sing and play, and she loves to explore.  Honey and I (Pop-ee) spent many pleasant hours with her this weekend, and also got to spend a few hours with her mother, Child B.  Finally Child B and Baby Baby had to go.  My goodness was the house quieter after they left! 

Child A resides with us while going to college and working, and we get to spend a little time with him every now and then.  Child A provides us with many hours of interesting and humorous conversation, sprinkled with his very sharp witticisms.  His personality is as warm and bright is this sun-shiny day today.  Child A, Child B, Son B, and Baby Baby are such great bright spots in our lives, brightness that outshines all the negative in the world.

I just needed to take a while to get things back into perspective.  With all that is going on, with all that could happen after the election, that is going on in the world, overall our nation is a great place to live, and our world is still a world full of beautiful, wonderful, and mysterious things.  I cannot say that I will never write another negative blog, but I can say that I believe the positive in our world, in our nation, and in each of our families, outweighs every negative thing that can be thrown at us here in this "vale of tears."

So today I pray that God bless you all, even in the midst of your troubles and worries, and...

May God Bless America

Protest and Pro Football

In these United States today we have seen many athletes, whether amateur, collegiate, or professional, choose to openly, as representatives of their respective sports, teams, and organizations, show public disrespect for the National Anthem and the Star-Spangled Banner at the opening or closing of one event or another.  Many Americans, including myself, have been outraged by this increasingly common form of "protest."  I find this conduct angering, although I am the first to acknowledge that those who chose to protest in this manner have the constitutionally-guaranteed, bought-with-blood right to do so.

As an American citizen, though I do find the above mentioned conduct angering and disgraceful, I also am very thankful that our government must allow this protest to go on.  Why?  Because if I decided to protest something (I would never dishonor the Flag or the nation for which it stands) I am protected from government action, such as arrest or prosecution, just as are the men and women who are grabbing headlines these days.  I will say it again, plainly: though I find their protest disgusting, I whole-heartedly agree with their right to do it, and their right to remain free from government retaliation.

BUT....
The "right" to protest does not mean that one SHOULD engage in a form of protest that dishonors the blood sacrifices of so many who have died to keep our nation free.  And, while GOVERNMENT prosecution of such protesters cannot and SHOULD NOT be allowed, there is nothing that says these people should face NO CONSEQUENCES.

In 2003 Natalie Maines chose to criticize then President Bush II during a "Dixie Chicks" performance in France.  Maines had every right to her opinion, and every right to blast out her opinion over international airwaves...BUT...she (and unfortunately her two band partners as well) faced the consequences of an enraged nation.  The "Government" did not prosecute her in any way, but her hasty, poor-thought out comments outraged virtually her entire fan base.  Because of Natalie Maines the Dixie Chicks became OVERNIGHT OUTCASTS.  Over a decade later the Dixie Chicks have not regained their position as one of the most popular country acts of the past few decades.  This was because the fans pulled out their support for the Dixie Chicks like a rug suddenly pulled from under a juggler's feet.

Country music fans are some of the most independent people in America, who believe in freedom, and who believe in America.   Back in 2003 the country fans knew that America was not perfect, that maybe the war was not the best solution, but they also knew how to properly respect the ideals that this nation stands for and strives, not perfectly, to uphold.  Natalie Maines did not "speak" for America or even the majority of country fans, and they let Natalie know that in a big way!

Now, over a decade later, a highly popular and athletically gifted pro football player has opted to exercise his right, to publicly dishonor this nation, and to encourage others to follow his example.  We all know that pro football teams want only ONE thing, that is to win!  The particular player that has stirred up this controversy is indeed a highly desirable player.  His team wants to win.  The owners of his team want the team to win.  And the fans of this team want them to win.  Rah! Rah! Rah!

But this player has made his statement.  The only question now is this: Will football fans, players, coaches, owners, and the armies of profiteers of pro football have the same kind of integrity displayed by country music fans over a decade ago?  That's right...can coaches and a team that wants the national championship demonstrate their integrity by not allowing this person to play?  Could fans of this man and his team actually show the fortitude to boycott every single game until this player is pulled from the roster?  Will advertisers exert pressure by refusing to sponsor this team?  Will owners and stockholders demand that this type of conduct NOT BE CONDONED?  Because letting this man continue to play, and not penalizing other athletes who choose the same means of protest, is saying very loudly that athletes, if they are "good enough," can dishonor this nation and face no consequences.

I am not holding my breath, as the saying goes, as I wait for the rightful condemnation of this man for turning a sports event into a captive venue for his political agenda.  I do not expect that he will face near the degree of ostracism that Natalie Maines experienced, because he is a national football great.

By the way, speaking of being a WELL PAID football star, I believe this man's protest rings with a bit of hypocrisy.  If this man is SO OFFENDED by this nation (including the blessings he has received as both a CITIZEN of this nation and a well-paid football player) why does he not renounce his football contract, give away his millions of "tainted" dollars, and move to a nation (if he can find one) that does not have some social injustice blemish on its record?  

If the day ever comes that the majority of Americans feel no loyalty to the Republic, if some day the vast majority of the people refuse to honor the National Anthem and the Star-Spangled Banner, I myself will still stand tall and salute our flag until that day that my body is finally too weak, then I will ask those standing next to me if they can raise me up just one more time to stand and sing the National Anthem.


May God Bless America