Trump v.s. Hillary? Now THERE'S a death by poison or by shooting choice!

I think anyone who seriously believes Trump is going to tone it down and suddenly start acting Presidential is dreaming. No way. That is not him. He doesn't think of himself that way. His whole shtick is to hog the limelight, to be a flamboyant showman playing to an audience of adoring fans--and to no one else. Being a serious leader, responsible to and for all citizens of the U.S., will never suit him. He might fake it for a short while, but it will wear off in short order, I guarantee it.

This week we learned that Ted Cruz and John Kasich apparently have just decided to double-team Trump, Kasich agreeing to step out of the way in Indiana and allow Cruz to prevail...and Cruz returning the favor in Oregon and New Mexico.  It's the old divide and conquer strategy--one Trump calls "collusion".

I guess if you're a Trump fan, it does stink of a rigged, corrupt system--and a last ditch effort by a couple of losers to finagle a win. But if you're of the opinion (as I am) that Donald Trump in the Oval Office could possibly be the most dangerous thing that could ever befall our nation, then you probably salute that collaboration as heroic and patriotic--a move by Cruz and Kasich to momentarily put aside their own political hopes to focus instead on what is in the best interest of the country. My observation is that the polls more or less show that about 20% of us are in the former group, 40% are in the latter group, and the rest have no idea what's going on and couldn't care less.

My view of Trump as President is well-known. And, yes, I am predictably dismayed by tonight's election results in the New England states where he ran away with things as was expected.  But so did Hillary Clinton. So what about her?  Let me share my take on Hillary as President.

First, I will never ever vote for Trump, that is a given; so if she ends up being his opponent next fall she will likely get my vote---PROVIDED she and her running mate keep it toward the center.  If, on the other hand, she picks someone like Elizabeth Warren and I see them go slipping off to the left, I will be forced to stay home on election day. While I don't exactly care for her demeanor, and I have questions about her judgment and integrity, I do get a sense that she just might be a fairly strong and decisive leader on the economy and foreign policy. I have to say, though, that I do not agree with her on social issues--or at least on what she is saying about them on the campaign trail.  I'm not sure that her stump speech is really what she believes.

I have a suspicion that she is merely trying to appeal to the liberal base of the party (i.e. Bernie's people) and that, once she wins a bunch of them over and gets in office, most of her rhetoric about the plight of blacks, women, gays and such will immediately cease. In other words, I think Hillary is really a left-of-center moderate pretending for now to be a lefty. And, since I am a right-of-center moderate, there is a clear possibility I might vote for her in the fall...but with a caveat:  I have to be comfortable that I won't be helping to open the door to liberal Supreme Court justices and further expansion of the progressive agenda which I feel is damaging our country severely. 

Is God real. Absolutely. But we are too tiny to see over that mountain.

I like to imagine that we get the word God from the imaginary word GUTT...which, in my own imaginary parlance of pondering, stands for the Great Unknowable Transcendent Truth.  God is simply man's convenient way of referring to whatever it is that started the universe, created all the beauty of nature, and keeps it all purring along smoothly.  Is God a bunch of robots?  An alien force?  A bearded dude in the clouds with lots of wisdom and magical powers?  I don't have any idea.  But there is no question in my mind that, based on that broadest of definitions, God is just as real as anything we can see and touch. 

 

So, what about all those preachers and churches that keep insisting they are in touch with a living, personal God who says this, or did that, or wants this or the other?  Are they full of it?  No, not necessarily.  But the more they stray from the notion of trust based on 'faith' and get into claiming to actually be in touch with God (as with another human being) the more likely they are to be mistaken.  And, besides, the numbers don't add up.  There can only be one body of truth; so if someone were to be lucky enough to hit it right on the head, it would immediately mean that all the others have to be off in the ozone somewhere.  Let's look at it logically.

 

Elementary arithmetic anyone? Let us suppose for the moment that there have been, for the sake of conversation, 10,000 totally unique and different definitions of God throughout history. What is the most that could possibly be correct? (Answer: one) What is the least that could possibly be correct? (Answer:  zero) Okay, with me so far? So, now, do the math. How many does that leave that are GUARANTEED to be wrong? Only two possibilities, right?  Either 9,999.....or 10,000.   But, of course, we know that all 10,000 swear that they alone are right and keep preaching that message to beat the band.

 

Now, if I were a betting man and looking for someone wise to follow, I wouldn't put a nickel on any of those 10,000 churches and religions. I would instead go with the one that admits they don't have any earthly idea who, what or where God really is.  And that is precisely where I am on the God matter.  I have faith that God is something that is out there somewhere; but I don't dwell on trying to figure 'Him' out. I place my trust instead in Jesus who I believe was (and perhaps still is) a real person who probably actually does know God. I do my praying to him, and he is my connection to the big guy.

 

God may or may not have a brain and thoughts and opinions.  But the one we affectionately call our Father in Heaven, whoever or whatever that might be, is not something spiritual, or supernatural, or metaphysical.  God is real: the real explanation for everything--the real "big picture" of which we are an infinitesimally small part.  But it all lies so far over the distant mountain, beyond our horizon of understanding, that we can never have the physical capability of ever going there.  The best we can ever do is have faith that God does exist and is good.        

Our mega-corporations had better forget China and start putting the U.S. first

Back in the 80's I spoke out against what was then termed "Reaganomics", a theory most conservatives still cling to today as "free market capitalism". The idea is that if you deregulate the big corporate businesses, keep the federal government out of their hair, and let industries and their billionaire CEO's regulate themselves, it will encourage competition, resulting in lower prices, better products and services, and a healthier economy--and their success will "trickle down" to the rest of us.

I said at the time that Reagan was misguided and his thinking was flawed; that what would really happen is the rich will get richer (through collusion and loopholes) and the rest of us will get screwed. Well, guess what? That is what's happening. (Just ask Bernie Sanders). I mention this because it is our big business conglomerates that are making countries like China richer and our country poorer.

We need to clamp down on them with protectionist laws that force them to keep their facilities here at home, hire American workers, and stop selling out to places like China. If a company is going to call itself a U.S. company and is going to profit from our capitalist perks and benefits, they had better start putting the U.S. first, and not their bottom line.

Free market capitalists will always holler foul, of course, insisting businesses should be free to do whatever they want to make money. I say wrong. We, the people, own this country...and we need to take it back.

(Fact: the average CEO makes $100 million a year...and gets a bonus of, on the average, $150,000).

An irrational leader holding sway over an angry public is dangerous!

White working class men (who make up the bulk of Trump's supporters) do have a very legitimate beef with the way things are going. Their jobs are going to foreign countries, immigrants, computer geeks, and robots...while their towns and communities are going to hell in a handbag--increasingly losing all semblance of the traditional Western European Christian ethic, culture, ethnic makeup, and religious flavor they grew up cherishing. And, now, to them, it looks like the government is going the same way--having been taken over by pushy liberals who kick sand in the faces of their wimpy, comotose conservative counterparts. Am I right?

Hey, I totally agree that there is plenty of room for anger. As a traditionalist, I am irritated myself by this trend. But I also try to be realistic. I have to ask my fellow furious folks to stop for a moment and think about whether making Trump President will make things better or worse. Sure, he claims he's one of us and that he has all the solutions and will get things done. But is there anything to all of that bluster and braggadocio? Or is he blowing hot air out his you-know-what? I'll let you be the judge. But I don't trust him one bit.

Just remember: His plan to throw democracy and decency out the window and steamroll over anyone who gets in his way may result in the changes HE wants; but what do you plan to do if they turn out to be changes you DON'T want? What then? That could happen. He is, if nothing else, utterly unpredictable. No one knows what he will do or how he might act tomorrow, let alone as President. And if he really does turn out to be the powerful, ruthless, invincible warrior he purports to be, look out friends! Be afraid! That, as history has shown repeatedly, is a highly dangerous mix of leadership qualities.

Trump is what you get when low-info voters rally around "one of us"

Trump is emblematic of our dumbed-down culture. Before the age of 'smart' connectivity, those who were politically engaged had ordinary common sense, street smarts and a rudimentary education ... AND ... we wanted leaders who towered above us, who were the crème de la crème. Today, those ordinary would-be voters are intellectually lazy, out on cloud nine, and ridiculously narcissistic ... AND ... we want a President who is "one of us". Guess where that takes us?

Someone once said wisely that "The most essential requirement for democracy to work is an informed public". That's why it is dreaming to think we can go stormtrooping into places like Iraq and Afghanistan, set up some voting booths, and expect democracy to work.

But rather than worry about the third-world, we'd better look at what's happening to our government here at home. Ignorance embraces ignorance. By dumbing ourselves down as a culture, and picking leaders "like us" who "tell it like it is" and whom our lesser angels find entertaining, we may be destroying any chance of democracy continuing to work here.

Trumpism: Emblematic of our crass reality show culture?

I have this idea--perhaps mistaken (or not)--that Trump, being a seasoned reality show star, more or less represents contemporary pop culture to a segment of the public that lives and breathes that sort of cheesiness.  Could that be the secret to his popularity? I wonder... If someone were to go out on the street with a questionnaire querying people about their daily lifestyle and values, would the gung-ho Trump folks answer a lot differently than the anti-Trump folks?  Let's try it as an experiment.  You already know where you stand on Trump as being totally awesome, or totally worthless.  Now, let's see how you might answer said questionnaire. 

Let's say the questioning went a little like this:  When you are talking to your kids around home, are things like off-color humor, drinking, and guns considered no big deal--or the kind of things your family frowns on? Do you typically watch a TV show at least once a week that features "real" people doing dangerous, stupid or off-the-wall antics? Do you watch any shows where sexual innuendo, cursing or bleeped cursing are taken with a grain of salt--or, in fact, make the show more entertaining? Do you get a kick out of watching someone get dissed, humiliated, or expelled from the competition by their peers, a panel of judges, or the viewing public? Is watching and enjoying these shows an ordinary family affair around your house--no big deal if the kids want to watch? Do you have sons (or daughters) who routinely play any kind of video games where someone kills someone else?

Good, now try these:  Do you know which Kardashian or Duck Dynasty person is which, and could you identify them in photos? Do you have certain times and situations where you make your kids ditch their phones or turn them off? Do you pray, discuss religious matters, or watch religious TV shows in your home with your family at least once a week? Would your kids get grounded for calling someone a dirty or tacky name? Do you know what kind of t-shirts your kids have in their closets? Would you stop them from wearing attire that promotes violence, drugs or sexual promiscuity, or musical artists whose music promotes such...or that imitates the "look" of a rap artist or other sports or entertainment figure who is famous for vulgarity or bad taste? End of quiz.

I'm not trying to be judgemental here...although I will admit that I lean toward the traditionalist (and anti-Trump) side. My point, however, is this: I wonder if Trump represents a modern lifestyle that his fans consider perfectly normal and okay...but which more staid, traditional folks consider appalling. I dunno. But I suspect there may be some of that going on. Someone needs to do the research...because I am very curious as to whether I should be fighting back against Trumpism, or against Western civilization.
NM

If Putin wants to give Assad a fair deal, that's reasonable

I think we should be okay with Putin granting asylum to Syrian President Bassar al-Assad, as he hinted he might be willing to do. Too often, in our zeal for spreading freedom and democracy, we automatically demonize all kings and dictators as tyrants, and deny them the due process they, like every other human being, are entitled to, once they are forced out of office. We did it with Saddam Hussein and again with Muammar Gaddafi. Both of those guys are now dead, essentially lynched (literally in Saddam's case) by their political foes without being given any real chance to defend themselves.

We should remember something: Democracy is not for everyone. It requires an astute, sophisticated, educated public and a people who are inherently tolerant and modern in their thinking. Some countries are simply too backward for self-rule. They need to work toward it gradually. And, in the meantime , they need a strong "father figure" to keep order and control their destiny until they are mature enough to control it themselves.

We need to remember that before we hawkishly go seeking regime change around the world without considering the consequences of leaving a power vacuum and a public that has no idea what to do next.

Note: A friend responded to me on social media:  If you read Revelations you will see where it's all coming together. Not in our lifetime but it's working. PRAISE THE LORD

...to which I replied:

As I've said before, I believe that our purpose is not to sit around twiddling our thumbs, waiting for Armageddon to rescue us from this sinful old place. We have an obligation to use our time wisely, to spend our worldly existence making the world better. Works and deeds do matter. Peter and James were right. Paul was not. But that's just my take on it. If there are, let's say, a thousand different versions of Christianity out there, and as many different opinions on these things...then---let's do the math---How many are likely to be right? Easy. Either ONE or NONE. How many are likely to be wrong? Also easy. Either ALL or 999. Those odds don't give me much faith in all these folks who swear up and down that theirs is the only correct religion.