2016 has been one hell of a strange year. No one can dispute that.
Mother Nature has been in a bit of a snit. We have seen massive wildfires throughout the Southwest and the Southeast. Temperatures are going to be brutally cold this weekend. Louisiana and West Virginia suffered devastating floods. Here in Brunswick, Ga, which never has tropical storms, in a little over a month, we had two tropical storms and a hurricane. Earthquakes are showing up in odd places, like Oklahoma; seemingly, fracking is not such a good idea.
Flint, Michigan and Corpus Christie, Texas have had contaminated drinking water issues that have proven costly and time consuming to solve.
Terrorism has hit here again and again, most notably, the dumpster bomber in NY and the shootings at the gay club in Tampa. Europe has been hit much harder. Yet still, both here and throughout Europe, immigrants, unscreened and unscreenable, continue pouring in.
Heroin use and over doses have become a National disgrace.
More and more, in large American cities, homeless people are filling the streets, and many, many of them are kids. Again, a disgrace.
Those of you who signed up for Obamacare are about to get nailed with higher premiums and higher deductible. Cheer up, that will be going bye-bye soon, although, no one seems to have a clue what's going to replace it; maybe nothing.
The last election is now almost two months passed and still, the Democrats are whining like little brats and the Republicans, the old timers in Congress, don't have a clue about their future course. After the nastiest campaign I can remember, Trump is almost to his inauguration, and I'm still not quite sure what his plans are, but at least it will be something different.
Across college campuses, political correctness has hit the point of total absurdity, Any mention of Christmas seems to have become akin to felonious assault. Gender identity is a huge issue and colleges are issuing guides telling students how they should address, in as gender neutral a way as possible, their classmates.
Racial issues have reached a crescendo, with rioting erupting in several cities, the rise of the inane Black Lives Matter movement, and the growing hostility between Whites, Blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics, and Muslims.
Let me offer a few predictions for the New Year.
Trump will have a hard time, even with a Republican Congress, getting his Cabinet approved, his immigration issues dealt with, and getting trade laws passed. He will get Obamacare removed and taxes cut, many regulations removed, and very likely will get his way on rearming the military. He will not get any change in education issues, or environmental issues, and, no, he will not build a wall.
Racial trouble will grow worse. About the best we can hope is that the various divisions will simply ignore each other and live mostly separate lives. Not good, but better than riots.
Our interminable wars in the Mid East will drag on for a while, appear to end, and then explode. The trigger points will be (pick one) Libya, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jorden, Tunisia, Somalia, or Lebanon. A major confrontation will occur involving Russia, Turkey, and Iran, possibly relating to the continuing Kurdish problem. Israel will jump in, hoping to stick it to Iran and we will jump in hoping to stick it to Russia. This will be a major, tragic war. It may not break out in 2017, but this is the year the stage will be set.
Rampant deregulation will lead to an economic windfall, for a while. Then something will stick a pin in the bubble and it will all fall down. Again, maybe the bubble will not burst in 2017, but the stage will be set, so live it up while you can.
Religion will become a major point of contention. Devout Christians and Jews will become almost outcasts in many circles.
And, last, the Climate will get weirder. Yes, the climate is changing and changing very quickly. No, humans are not the sole cause, but we better get a grip on what's going on and make necessary changes as soon as possible. Instead, we will spend useless hours haggling over issues that may not matter in just a very few years.
So, that out of the way, Happy New Year. Have some fun while you can, because the ride going to get a trifle bumpy.
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Obama - the Media - and the Truth
Today, we have post-Christmas mall riots, cop shootings, the Syrian debacle, China threatening, Putin threatening, and the fat kid who runs Korea threatening. So what's the big news?
The death of George Michaels. Okay, it's sad when anyone dies of a heart attack at 53, but why is the death of a moderately talented pop star more tragic that the death of anyone else at a premature age. Countless mothers and fathers and children die every day, and we don't go into deep mourning. Because someone made some semi-decent records hardly justifies the intense coverage of his passing.
The other big story is Obama's blame of conservatives in general and Fox news specifically for the Democratic defeat in the recent election. He actually named Fox in his statement, thus setting a new low standard for tackiness.
Sorry, Obama, the fault lies in the Democratic Party itself and it is twofold. First, you and the Party have long overlooked the remaining power of those who love traditional America. That is ironic since, at one time, that's who the Democrats represented. Now, the Party has shifted so far to the left, that it represents only minorities. You cannot win an election when your base is almost strictly just Blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, gays and lesbians, over the top feminists, and students. Heck, you didn't even get all of their votes and many of them, seemingly just sat the election out.
And that brings us to the second problem your party had, Hillary Clinton. The woman was a terrible candidate. She didn't speak, she brayed (perhaps that was fitting give the Party symbol, the donkey) The alternately bellowed belligerently and whined childishly. She lied herself into a corner Houdini could not have escaped from and showed a complete lack of respect for traditional Americans, us deplorables. The only reason she has not been tried and convicted of several crimes is that, like her husband, good old Slick Willie, is that she knows many of the skeletons hanging in the closets of the powerful.
As far as Fox goes, they did successfully balance CNN and The New York Times, otherwise known as the media wing of the Democratic Party, but it might interest you, CNN and Fox to know that no one trusts the big time Media outlets. Many, many people get their news from the internet, including something all politicians dread, the alternative media. The folks who run those sights definitely get some things wrong, but no more that the standard media and at least they get news out that the guys in your pocket, or for that matter, in Trumps pocket, ignore, calling it fake news.
We have no. big time media that really give us news. All network and cable news runs by a formula, give the headlines, then have a bunch of talking heads sit around and argue politics. Gone are the days when someone like Walter Cronkite would tour Vietnam to find the facts. Gone are the days when Edward R. Murrow would go to Oklahoma and spend days with the Okies to learn about their devastating circumstance. Instead the same old tired faces show up, day after day, to drag out numbers and pseudo-fact to spin the news in the way they see fit. Not a one of them should be allowed on Sesame Street, much less on the air explain important events to us.
So, President Barak Obama, suck it up and face the facts. The Democratic Party got its ass kicked because people are tired of the utter crap that people like you and Hillary and Wolf Blitzer and Bill O'Reilly and Karl Rove and Thomas Freidman and every other conventional politician and pundit have been feeding us. Trump is a wild card. Maybe, he will change things. Let me amend that. He will change things, the question is for good or ill. I think, maybe, for the most part, for the good, but at least it will change.
My Dad, when face with people who could not make a decision, use to say, "for Gods. sake, do something , even if it's wrong." Well, face it Barak, we, the traditional heart of America, did something.
The death of George Michaels. Okay, it's sad when anyone dies of a heart attack at 53, but why is the death of a moderately talented pop star more tragic that the death of anyone else at a premature age. Countless mothers and fathers and children die every day, and we don't go into deep mourning. Because someone made some semi-decent records hardly justifies the intense coverage of his passing.
The other big story is Obama's blame of conservatives in general and Fox news specifically for the Democratic defeat in the recent election. He actually named Fox in his statement, thus setting a new low standard for tackiness.
Sorry, Obama, the fault lies in the Democratic Party itself and it is twofold. First, you and the Party have long overlooked the remaining power of those who love traditional America. That is ironic since, at one time, that's who the Democrats represented. Now, the Party has shifted so far to the left, that it represents only minorities. You cannot win an election when your base is almost strictly just Blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, gays and lesbians, over the top feminists, and students. Heck, you didn't even get all of their votes and many of them, seemingly just sat the election out.
And that brings us to the second problem your party had, Hillary Clinton. The woman was a terrible candidate. She didn't speak, she brayed (perhaps that was fitting give the Party symbol, the donkey) The alternately bellowed belligerently and whined childishly. She lied herself into a corner Houdini could not have escaped from and showed a complete lack of respect for traditional Americans, us deplorables. The only reason she has not been tried and convicted of several crimes is that, like her husband, good old Slick Willie, is that she knows many of the skeletons hanging in the closets of the powerful.
As far as Fox goes, they did successfully balance CNN and The New York Times, otherwise known as the media wing of the Democratic Party, but it might interest you, CNN and Fox to know that no one trusts the big time Media outlets. Many, many people get their news from the internet, including something all politicians dread, the alternative media. The folks who run those sights definitely get some things wrong, but no more that the standard media and at least they get news out that the guys in your pocket, or for that matter, in Trumps pocket, ignore, calling it fake news.
We have no. big time media that really give us news. All network and cable news runs by a formula, give the headlines, then have a bunch of talking heads sit around and argue politics. Gone are the days when someone like Walter Cronkite would tour Vietnam to find the facts. Gone are the days when Edward R. Murrow would go to Oklahoma and spend days with the Okies to learn about their devastating circumstance. Instead the same old tired faces show up, day after day, to drag out numbers and pseudo-fact to spin the news in the way they see fit. Not a one of them should be allowed on Sesame Street, much less on the air explain important events to us.
So, President Barak Obama, suck it up and face the facts. The Democratic Party got its ass kicked because people are tired of the utter crap that people like you and Hillary and Wolf Blitzer and Bill O'Reilly and Karl Rove and Thomas Freidman and every other conventional politician and pundit have been feeding us. Trump is a wild card. Maybe, he will change things. Let me amend that. He will change things, the question is for good or ill. I think, maybe, for the most part, for the good, but at least it will change.
My Dad, when face with people who could not make a decision, use to say, "for Gods. sake, do something , even if it's wrong." Well, face it Barak, we, the traditional heart of America, did something.
Friday, December 23, 2016
America - Merry Christmas
We have truck terrorism in Germany, a plane hijacking in Malta. a shooting in Switzerland, an assassination in Turkey. Russia is modernizing its nukes and Trump is insisting we do the same. Clinton supporters are still whining and a few are trying to impeach Trump before he takes office.
China is kvetching about The Donald. Obama is blaming the news media for his woes. Syria has basically been demolished, and Iraq is still fighting. ISIS is calling for the Holiday bombings of Churches. Indonesia, Germany and Australia have just arrested several suspected terrorists and the Tampa, Fl. police have busted a guy in the process of building a bunch of bombs.
Heroin is rampant and the NY cops just busted some folks with 250 pounds of psychedelic mushrooms. No one has a clue what we are going to do economically and Congress is ready to go after most of the Cabinet appointees, when they're not busy investigating the ubiquitous Clinton emails.
My solution? For the next few days, forget the whole mess. There is not one thing you can do about any of it. Sit back and enjoy the Holidays.
Merry Christmas to one and all, and have a Happy, prosperous New Year.
China is kvetching about The Donald. Obama is blaming the news media for his woes. Syria has basically been demolished, and Iraq is still fighting. ISIS is calling for the Holiday bombings of Churches. Indonesia, Germany and Australia have just arrested several suspected terrorists and the Tampa, Fl. police have busted a guy in the process of building a bunch of bombs.
Heroin is rampant and the NY cops just busted some folks with 250 pounds of psychedelic mushrooms. No one has a clue what we are going to do economically and Congress is ready to go after most of the Cabinet appointees, when they're not busy investigating the ubiquitous Clinton emails.
My solution? For the next few days, forget the whole mess. There is not one thing you can do about any of it. Sit back and enjoy the Holidays.
Merry Christmas to one and all, and have a Happy, prosperous New Year.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
America and the Obama Factor
Our current President has grown increasingly bizarre. I saw his press conference last Friday and have seldom seen a more disjointed and incoherent presentation. He rambled and mused and babbled, while seldom giving a real answer to the questions. Also, he seemed to carefully hand pick the reporters who got to ask questions. Thus he was assured soft ball questions and he had difficulty answering those.
Then, we have the horrific attack in Germany. That was Monday. As I write this, it is Wednesday morning and we still have no statement from the President. He could at least issue a statement of condolence, but, so far nothing. We do, however, have a lot of pictures of him playing golf in Hawaii. By the way, he has an awful golf swing.
He is still praising his administration's efforts in Syria. That is quite odd since Syria has almost been reduced to rubble and the death toll is at least in the hundreds of thousands. The rebel forces we are backing are being stomped. I am still not sure why we armed these rebels because, even though they oppose Assad, many are closely tied to ISIS. And we armed them. Contrary to the old saying, the enemy of my enemy is not always my friend. To conduct foreign policy based on such inane drivel is juvenile, yet for years it has seemed to be the basis for much of our foreign policy.
In addition, between rounds of golf and sipping Mai Tai's on the beach, he is busily signing Executive orders banning oil drilling in the Atlantic. Forget the fact that we need to stop depending on Arab oil, forget the fact that we can create good jobs by drilling, why is he bothering. Trump has made it clear that all those Executive orders are going away very quickly.
He is also signing Presidential pardons at a furious clip. No one has had the time yet to review just who is being released and, no doubt, some of them deserve release, but I will bet huge sums that the release of some of the folks will turn out to be a bad idea. That's always the case and while Obama does have the right to pardon, a wee bit of restraint may have been a good idea.
Then, we have Gitmo. Today, he is ordering the release of 22 of its inmates and it seems likely that the facility will be emptied by the time he leaves office. These inmates are the worst of the worst, and, given the terrorist organizations they come from, that is saying something. This will not end well.
I seriously believe that Hillary's failure and the inevitable dismantling of his legacy, something he seems obsessed with, has so rattled him that he has become a bit unglued, Blessedly, we have only 30 more days before he has to hand over the reins to Trump.
Then, we have the horrific attack in Germany. That was Monday. As I write this, it is Wednesday morning and we still have no statement from the President. He could at least issue a statement of condolence, but, so far nothing. We do, however, have a lot of pictures of him playing golf in Hawaii. By the way, he has an awful golf swing.
He is still praising his administration's efforts in Syria. That is quite odd since Syria has almost been reduced to rubble and the death toll is at least in the hundreds of thousands. The rebel forces we are backing are being stomped. I am still not sure why we armed these rebels because, even though they oppose Assad, many are closely tied to ISIS. And we armed them. Contrary to the old saying, the enemy of my enemy is not always my friend. To conduct foreign policy based on such inane drivel is juvenile, yet for years it has seemed to be the basis for much of our foreign policy.
In addition, between rounds of golf and sipping Mai Tai's on the beach, he is busily signing Executive orders banning oil drilling in the Atlantic. Forget the fact that we need to stop depending on Arab oil, forget the fact that we can create good jobs by drilling, why is he bothering. Trump has made it clear that all those Executive orders are going away very quickly.
He is also signing Presidential pardons at a furious clip. No one has had the time yet to review just who is being released and, no doubt, some of them deserve release, but I will bet huge sums that the release of some of the folks will turn out to be a bad idea. That's always the case and while Obama does have the right to pardon, a wee bit of restraint may have been a good idea.
Then, we have Gitmo. Today, he is ordering the release of 22 of its inmates and it seems likely that the facility will be emptied by the time he leaves office. These inmates are the worst of the worst, and, given the terrorist organizations they come from, that is saying something. This will not end well.
I seriously believe that Hillary's failure and the inevitable dismantling of his legacy, something he seems obsessed with, has so rattled him that he has become a bit unglued, Blessedly, we have only 30 more days before he has to hand over the reins to Trump.
Monday, December 19, 2016
America - The Donald Chronicles, Part 2
Well, today, the Electoral College votes and it is almost a sure thing that Trump will be named President. America had best hope and pray that this goes smoothly. If it does not, if enough Electors go rogue and this is not finalized today, all Hell will break loose. But, let's assume all goes as scheduled.
I have had, and continue to have, grave doubts about Trump. But, to be fair, he has surprised me a little. At first, it looked like he was creating his Cabinet out of an assortment of tired, old Washington insiders. That would have been disappointing, but not surprising.
Then, he began loading the Cabinet with military personnel. For a while, I thought I was witnessing a junta, a military takeover. Then, he surprised me. He name Tillerson as Secretary of State. This was a huge surprise. The man is a talented business man and will bring a new approach to that office.
Some, both Republicans and Democrats, are upset. While they will not admit it, I am sure that the naming of a business leader instead of the usual political hack, to that office is not what they were looking for, In addition they are all in a snit because he is friendly with Putin. They have done business together and the Established politicians seem to think Tillerson is going to hand Vlad the keys to the Nation.
Personally, I would rather see a guy who gets on with Russia in the State Department than someone who is hostile. Putin is by no means saintly, but then, neither is Trump, neither are any of you, and neither am I. We need to get a grip on something. The rest of the World is not the same as us. They have radically different traditions and their government cannot and will not be the same as ours. Putin could not be President here and Obama would not have worked there. In addition, where do we get off complaining about Russia when we support some absolutely wretched leaders in other nations. An example? Our good buddies the Saudis. Their monarchy is nightmarish and still brutally suppresses women. They make Putin look like an old hippy.
Looking over Trump's nearly completed Cabinet is interesting. He has mixed old time Washington insiders, the military, business people, and a few off the wall characters (like Steve Bannon). They all disagree on many issues, both with each other and Trump. I like it. Such tension, if handled correctly, can lead to new ideas, and God knows we need that. It might work. I still think it's a long shot, but it might work.
One thing for sure. The next four years will be interesting. Pay attention. It might be the best show around.
I have had, and continue to have, grave doubts about Trump. But, to be fair, he has surprised me a little. At first, it looked like he was creating his Cabinet out of an assortment of tired, old Washington insiders. That would have been disappointing, but not surprising.
Then, he began loading the Cabinet with military personnel. For a while, I thought I was witnessing a junta, a military takeover. Then, he surprised me. He name Tillerson as Secretary of State. This was a huge surprise. The man is a talented business man and will bring a new approach to that office.
Some, both Republicans and Democrats, are upset. While they will not admit it, I am sure that the naming of a business leader instead of the usual political hack, to that office is not what they were looking for, In addition they are all in a snit because he is friendly with Putin. They have done business together and the Established politicians seem to think Tillerson is going to hand Vlad the keys to the Nation.
Personally, I would rather see a guy who gets on with Russia in the State Department than someone who is hostile. Putin is by no means saintly, but then, neither is Trump, neither are any of you, and neither am I. We need to get a grip on something. The rest of the World is not the same as us. They have radically different traditions and their government cannot and will not be the same as ours. Putin could not be President here and Obama would not have worked there. In addition, where do we get off complaining about Russia when we support some absolutely wretched leaders in other nations. An example? Our good buddies the Saudis. Their monarchy is nightmarish and still brutally suppresses women. They make Putin look like an old hippy.
Looking over Trump's nearly completed Cabinet is interesting. He has mixed old time Washington insiders, the military, business people, and a few off the wall characters (like Steve Bannon). They all disagree on many issues, both with each other and Trump. I like it. Such tension, if handled correctly, can lead to new ideas, and God knows we need that. It might work. I still think it's a long shot, but it might work.
One thing for sure. The next four years will be interesting. Pay attention. It might be the best show around.
Friday, December 16, 2016
America - Have We All Gone Mad?
Today was going to be Part 2 of The Donald Chronicles, but that will wait until next week because right now, I think we are losing our collective minds.
Where should I begin? Okay, let's start with the behavior of our current President. I have seen Presidents come and go, and while, at times, it was clear that they disliked each other, they put on a good face and tried to make the transition smooth. I have never seen a President try so blatantly and ruthlessly to undermine his successor. Obama is ranting about Russian influence on the election. In trying to cast doubt on the legitimately of Trump's victory, he is attempting to stop the Nation from coming together around the new guy.
You have Electors seriously talking about refusing to vote for the person their state's voters chose. You have politicians egging them on, encouraging this outrageous behavior. You have Electors, with no security clearance, demanding security briefings before they vote. At the same time, you have the security agencies refusing to brief Congress until the President gives his approval.
I just saw an ad, a long, expensive ad, put together by various celebrities urging Electors to refuse to vote for the choice of their state's people. Who in the Hell gives a rat's skinny, little ass what a bunch of spoiled, overpaid, half assed singers and actors have to say about the running of the country. Tell the all to go have another margarita, shut up, and go find a real job.
As far as Russia and hacking goes, let's grow up and face the real world. First, no matter who is ultimately behind the leaks, they still display a candidate and a party and a State department that danced dangerously close to felonious illegalities. At the very least, it shows how insanely incompetent they were. Second, we have no moral high ground to stand on. I have pointed out in previous posts that we, the USA, have intervened, often violently, in the internal politics of many nations. Just recently, Obama threatened England with serious economic difficulties before the Brexit vote.
Dose Russia hack US communications? No doubt. And guess what? We hack theirs. This is the way of politics and things have been that way since long before the Nation was founded. It is idiotic, wasteful and dangerous and it is not going to stop any time soon. Does Putin know about this? He would be a damn poor leader if he didn't. Did Putin influence the election? He did not have to because the Democrats ran the worst, most incompetent candidate they could. Clinton beat Clinton.
Now, we have Obama issuing grave threats to Russia. Funny, he did the same thing to Assad in Syria and they just took Aleppo and are about to finish off the Syrian rebels. The destruction of a once great city and the horrific slaughter of its people is a nightmare. What happened to that stern Presidential warning? And why, in the name of anything sane, is he trying to pick a major fight with Russia?
What we are seeing, quite likely, is a showdown, a big time showdown, between two factions for the soul of America. The old time, left wing, Eastern Establishment, that has had its way for many years, has been almost swept aside by the anti-globalist, pro-America faction. Both groups are fantastically wealthy and frighteningly powerful and both are deeply, deeply flawed but, when it comes down to choosing sides, I'll stay with the pro-American traditionalists every time. This used to be a damn good Country and, maybe, just maybe, we can be that way again.
Where should I begin? Okay, let's start with the behavior of our current President. I have seen Presidents come and go, and while, at times, it was clear that they disliked each other, they put on a good face and tried to make the transition smooth. I have never seen a President try so blatantly and ruthlessly to undermine his successor. Obama is ranting about Russian influence on the election. In trying to cast doubt on the legitimately of Trump's victory, he is attempting to stop the Nation from coming together around the new guy.
You have Electors seriously talking about refusing to vote for the person their state's voters chose. You have politicians egging them on, encouraging this outrageous behavior. You have Electors, with no security clearance, demanding security briefings before they vote. At the same time, you have the security agencies refusing to brief Congress until the President gives his approval.
I just saw an ad, a long, expensive ad, put together by various celebrities urging Electors to refuse to vote for the choice of their state's people. Who in the Hell gives a rat's skinny, little ass what a bunch of spoiled, overpaid, half assed singers and actors have to say about the running of the country. Tell the all to go have another margarita, shut up, and go find a real job.
As far as Russia and hacking goes, let's grow up and face the real world. First, no matter who is ultimately behind the leaks, they still display a candidate and a party and a State department that danced dangerously close to felonious illegalities. At the very least, it shows how insanely incompetent they were. Second, we have no moral high ground to stand on. I have pointed out in previous posts that we, the USA, have intervened, often violently, in the internal politics of many nations. Just recently, Obama threatened England with serious economic difficulties before the Brexit vote.
Dose Russia hack US communications? No doubt. And guess what? We hack theirs. This is the way of politics and things have been that way since long before the Nation was founded. It is idiotic, wasteful and dangerous and it is not going to stop any time soon. Does Putin know about this? He would be a damn poor leader if he didn't. Did Putin influence the election? He did not have to because the Democrats ran the worst, most incompetent candidate they could. Clinton beat Clinton.
Now, we have Obama issuing grave threats to Russia. Funny, he did the same thing to Assad in Syria and they just took Aleppo and are about to finish off the Syrian rebels. The destruction of a once great city and the horrific slaughter of its people is a nightmare. What happened to that stern Presidential warning? And why, in the name of anything sane, is he trying to pick a major fight with Russia?
What we are seeing, quite likely, is a showdown, a big time showdown, between two factions for the soul of America. The old time, left wing, Eastern Establishment, that has had its way for many years, has been almost swept aside by the anti-globalist, pro-America faction. Both groups are fantastically wealthy and frighteningly powerful and both are deeply, deeply flawed but, when it comes down to choosing sides, I'll stay with the pro-American traditionalists every time. This used to be a damn good Country and, maybe, just maybe, we can be that way again.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
America - Politics and Theology
This is a sticky subject, worthy of a full length book treatment. But, relax, I have no intention of even attempting that. What brings the subject to mind, us my recent rereading of Frank Herbert's Dune and the subsequent Children of Dune. The main subject of his series is the interplay of religion, especially a populist, Messianic religion, and politics.
Religious fanaticism, when inflamed by a popular, charismatic leader, is overwhelmingly dangerous. In past civilizations, religion and governance were inseparable. The Pharaohs of Egypt were god/kings. In later times, Church and State were complimentary arms of Government, such as in the European royalty and their assumption of the Divine rights of kings.
Slowly, Church and State grew more and more separate, until, in the USA, they were Constitutionally declared to be totally separate. This has become more and more the case in modern Western culture. (I know that this is an amazingly simple minded way of stating things, but, as I said, I am not writing a book).
But, however much we think we want to separate these areas, humans are religious animals. Even atheism is a religious stance, a negative one, but religious none the less. The recent Presidential regime, despite its protests to the contrary, has attempted to be almost purely secular. It has become almost funny in its politically correct attempts at ecumenical inclusion. Many in this Country are happy with this, and many are not. Seemingly, those who are not have spoken. Our current President elect has repeatedly said he will defend Christianity around the World and at home. His Vice President is devoutly Catholic and he is surrounding himself with folks in his Cabinet who are very traditional in their beliefs.
He is walking a tightrope, with only a very tiny safety net. Fortunately, he is a very middle of the road Christian. Were he a rabidly charismatic preacher, dogmatic in his beliefs, we might have a wee bit of a problem.
Much of the World is not Christian. A lot of Europe gives, at best, lip service to Christianity. China is still officially atheist, but seems to be allowing some leeway on the subject. Much of the Far East is still Buddhist or practices their local and ancient beliefs, although there are pockets of Christianity. India is Hindu dominated.
Africa is a very uneasy blend of old religions, Christianity and Islam. The Middle East is, of course, mostly, although by no means totally Islam. Mexico, Central and South America are still. largely Catholic, but inroads have been made by local beliefs and Protestantism, especially Pentecostal.
Why is this important? Simple. Someone (and I cannot remember who) said that all politics is theological and truer words were never spoken. How you view the World and its place in the Cosmos and how, or even if, you relate to the Creator, dominates all of your beliefs, all of them. Thus, religion determines, to a huge degree, how you think we should be governed.
We may have got it right in this Country by choosing Trump. It is a fine idea to bring back the Christian view that has worked so well in this Nation's past. At the same time, he is moderate enough to be sensible. I think.
I grew up in and loved the traditional America and that included its spiritual basis. At the same time, I and most folks I knew, were never over the top with our beliefs. We tried to be realistic and sensible within that framework. Maybe, that is where we are headed now. Maybe.
I still do not trust Trump, but, I could be wrong. It would not be the first time and it will not be the last. Maybe this will work. I'm not at all sure how, but, maybe.
Religious fanaticism, when inflamed by a popular, charismatic leader, is overwhelmingly dangerous. In past civilizations, religion and governance were inseparable. The Pharaohs of Egypt were god/kings. In later times, Church and State were complimentary arms of Government, such as in the European royalty and their assumption of the Divine rights of kings.
Slowly, Church and State grew more and more separate, until, in the USA, they were Constitutionally declared to be totally separate. This has become more and more the case in modern Western culture. (I know that this is an amazingly simple minded way of stating things, but, as I said, I am not writing a book).
But, however much we think we want to separate these areas, humans are religious animals. Even atheism is a religious stance, a negative one, but religious none the less. The recent Presidential regime, despite its protests to the contrary, has attempted to be almost purely secular. It has become almost funny in its politically correct attempts at ecumenical inclusion. Many in this Country are happy with this, and many are not. Seemingly, those who are not have spoken. Our current President elect has repeatedly said he will defend Christianity around the World and at home. His Vice President is devoutly Catholic and he is surrounding himself with folks in his Cabinet who are very traditional in their beliefs.
He is walking a tightrope, with only a very tiny safety net. Fortunately, he is a very middle of the road Christian. Were he a rabidly charismatic preacher, dogmatic in his beliefs, we might have a wee bit of a problem.
Much of the World is not Christian. A lot of Europe gives, at best, lip service to Christianity. China is still officially atheist, but seems to be allowing some leeway on the subject. Much of the Far East is still Buddhist or practices their local and ancient beliefs, although there are pockets of Christianity. India is Hindu dominated.
Africa is a very uneasy blend of old religions, Christianity and Islam. The Middle East is, of course, mostly, although by no means totally Islam. Mexico, Central and South America are still. largely Catholic, but inroads have been made by local beliefs and Protestantism, especially Pentecostal.
Why is this important? Simple. Someone (and I cannot remember who) said that all politics is theological and truer words were never spoken. How you view the World and its place in the Cosmos and how, or even if, you relate to the Creator, dominates all of your beliefs, all of them. Thus, religion determines, to a huge degree, how you think we should be governed.
We may have got it right in this Country by choosing Trump. It is a fine idea to bring back the Christian view that has worked so well in this Nation's past. At the same time, he is moderate enough to be sensible. I think.
I grew up in and loved the traditional America and that included its spiritual basis. At the same time, I and most folks I knew, were never over the top with our beliefs. We tried to be realistic and sensible within that framework. Maybe, that is where we are headed now. Maybe.
I still do not trust Trump, but, I could be wrong. It would not be the first time and it will not be the last. Maybe this will work. I'm not at all sure how, but, maybe.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
America - The Donald Chronicles, Part 1
Here and there, I want to point out the strange activities of our President elect. I will call these posts the Donald Chronicles.
Right now, Trump seems intent on filling his Cabinet with as many Military officers as possible. These guys also, often, have deep ties to the Defense industry. I get a wee bit uncomfortable with such folks controlling how the Government spends its Defense dollars. Also, the Military seldom has a lot of interest in keeping us out of conflicts, since conflicts justify all that money they get.
Trump has, seemingly (it is really hard to keep track of what he's doing) gone from four candidates for Secretary of State to maybe as many as ten. This includes Gen. Petraeus. who admitted and resigned from the CIA because of giving classified information to his biographer and lover. This is the same crime Trump beleaguered Hillary about. She deserved it, but why is he excepting the General's behavior.
Then, we have his financial issues. He says he will give control of his business to his kids, but then wants his kids as advisors, setting up a very real conflict of interest problem. Then, today, he says he might keep some control of his business. Legally, he doesn't have to do anything. He can run his business while President if he wants to, but it does seem a might tacky. Any way you look at it, it would be nice if he could just make up his mind.
Then, we have Gen. Flynn, who has gravely and idiotically insulted the Chinese. He has written that they, the Russians, the Cubans, and the North Koreans are deeply tied to Al Qaida and ISIS. The Chinese point out that a) it's not true and b) they are having huge Islamic problems of their own with their Moslem Uighar population, which makes their denial of ties to terrorist groups pretty plausible.
Trump named a virulent Global warming opponent to head the EPA, which is at least consistent with his stated position on the matter (he called it a hoax created by the Chinese, angering them even more). However, he then says maybe he's wrong and has started asking Climate Change aficionados to visits at Trump Tower.
He is claiming that he has negotiated with Carrier and convinced them to stay in the USA. Well, that is sort of truthy. Yes, a good number of jobs are staying, but a great many are still going away and it only cost us $7,000,000 in tax breaks. I didn't know we were going to bribe companies into staying.
As far as the Japanese banker investing $50 billion in the USA, I would love to know the details and as far as the 50,000 jobs that is supposed to bring, well, we are going to have to wait and see on that, but I would not hold my breath.
I will return to the Chronicles of The Donald in the near future. In the meantime, remember this. Everything that is being said by the media and the President-elect's transition team is just a shell game, three card Monte on a global scale. On the other hand, it is one of the most inane and silly shows on TV.
Right now, Trump seems intent on filling his Cabinet with as many Military officers as possible. These guys also, often, have deep ties to the Defense industry. I get a wee bit uncomfortable with such folks controlling how the Government spends its Defense dollars. Also, the Military seldom has a lot of interest in keeping us out of conflicts, since conflicts justify all that money they get.
Trump has, seemingly (it is really hard to keep track of what he's doing) gone from four candidates for Secretary of State to maybe as many as ten. This includes Gen. Petraeus. who admitted and resigned from the CIA because of giving classified information to his biographer and lover. This is the same crime Trump beleaguered Hillary about. She deserved it, but why is he excepting the General's behavior.
Then, we have his financial issues. He says he will give control of his business to his kids, but then wants his kids as advisors, setting up a very real conflict of interest problem. Then, today, he says he might keep some control of his business. Legally, he doesn't have to do anything. He can run his business while President if he wants to, but it does seem a might tacky. Any way you look at it, it would be nice if he could just make up his mind.
Then, we have Gen. Flynn, who has gravely and idiotically insulted the Chinese. He has written that they, the Russians, the Cubans, and the North Koreans are deeply tied to Al Qaida and ISIS. The Chinese point out that a) it's not true and b) they are having huge Islamic problems of their own with their Moslem Uighar population, which makes their denial of ties to terrorist groups pretty plausible.
Trump named a virulent Global warming opponent to head the EPA, which is at least consistent with his stated position on the matter (he called it a hoax created by the Chinese, angering them even more). However, he then says maybe he's wrong and has started asking Climate Change aficionados to visits at Trump Tower.
He is claiming that he has negotiated with Carrier and convinced them to stay in the USA. Well, that is sort of truthy. Yes, a good number of jobs are staying, but a great many are still going away and it only cost us $7,000,000 in tax breaks. I didn't know we were going to bribe companies into staying.
As far as the Japanese banker investing $50 billion in the USA, I would love to know the details and as far as the 50,000 jobs that is supposed to bring, well, we are going to have to wait and see on that, but I would not hold my breath.
I will return to the Chronicles of The Donald in the near future. In the meantime, remember this. Everything that is being said by the media and the President-elect's transition team is just a shell game, three card Monte on a global scale. On the other hand, it is one of the most inane and silly shows on TV.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
America and the Shifting Balance of Power
Things have changed, shifted. The balance of power is not what it was.
For long years, and you can forget about political parties and who was in office, this Country has been run by the so-called left wing of the Establishment, the Rockefellers, Morgans, Mellons, Bushes, and their lackeys (Clintons, Obamas, Carters, Gores, Kerrys, etc). These are the globalists (remember GHW Bush and his 'new world order'). They weakened America, changed us into a Nation of grumpy, old folks sitting in diners and griping that the air is too warm, the soup too cold and the burger too rare. Here and there, we exercise a little and flexed our increasingly flabby muscles in little, unwinnable pseudo-wars.
These were the power brokers and this time around, they had decided that one of the dynasties would be continued. Either Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton were to be chosen and it did not matter in the least who it was. However, The Donald, stepped in and kicked Jeb out. Still, he was thought a joke, a cartoon and HRC was set to beat him like a gong.
But, their old-boy establishment has always had an opposition. Military men, certain elements in the intelligence community, and fantastically wealthy individuals who made their money outside the establishment businesses. These folks saw an opening when Trump was nominated and they grabbed hold like a fox with a chicken. Using a deep understanding of how populations are manipulated and the WikiLeaks of Julian Assange (and I am very sure that the emails he leaked are legitimate), they pulled off a non-violent military coup and have wrestled power from the hands of those they have long loathed, the Eastern, liberal Establishment.
Okay, what does that mean? They promise to make America great again. First, forget the new jobs angle; most jobs have been lost to automation and these folks love machines and gadgets. That leaves the military. Trump is filling his Cabinet with some of most hard core military people around and is promising to recreate our military might (how, when he is cutting taxes, is beyond anyone who can do simple math, but, just for the fun of it, let's take him at his word).
Alright, yeah, we are no longer a bunch of kvetching old folks, we are once again a young, powerful giant. What next? Think back, guys, on your adolescent days when, testosterone raging, you were ready to attack anyone at the slightest hint of an insult. We already know, from past events and statements, that The Donald is touchy, belligerent, and vengeful. This cannot be a good thing.
It is one thing to be powerful, it is another thing entirely to be belligerent. In the real World, actions have consequences, sometimes horrific consequences. A World leader, if he acts like a petulant child, and we have all witnessed Trump doing just that, can, and likely will cause an eruption of havoc that will costs the lives of countless people.
Rest assured however, that the new Powers That Be, like the ones they are replacing, will not be among the casualties. That will be the privilege of the common folk. Hillary might have called us deplorables, but, to the new bosses, we are expendables.
For long years, and you can forget about political parties and who was in office, this Country has been run by the so-called left wing of the Establishment, the Rockefellers, Morgans, Mellons, Bushes, and their lackeys (Clintons, Obamas, Carters, Gores, Kerrys, etc). These are the globalists (remember GHW Bush and his 'new world order'). They weakened America, changed us into a Nation of grumpy, old folks sitting in diners and griping that the air is too warm, the soup too cold and the burger too rare. Here and there, we exercise a little and flexed our increasingly flabby muscles in little, unwinnable pseudo-wars.
These were the power brokers and this time around, they had decided that one of the dynasties would be continued. Either Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton were to be chosen and it did not matter in the least who it was. However, The Donald, stepped in and kicked Jeb out. Still, he was thought a joke, a cartoon and HRC was set to beat him like a gong.
But, their old-boy establishment has always had an opposition. Military men, certain elements in the intelligence community, and fantastically wealthy individuals who made their money outside the establishment businesses. These folks saw an opening when Trump was nominated and they grabbed hold like a fox with a chicken. Using a deep understanding of how populations are manipulated and the WikiLeaks of Julian Assange (and I am very sure that the emails he leaked are legitimate), they pulled off a non-violent military coup and have wrestled power from the hands of those they have long loathed, the Eastern, liberal Establishment.
Okay, what does that mean? They promise to make America great again. First, forget the new jobs angle; most jobs have been lost to automation and these folks love machines and gadgets. That leaves the military. Trump is filling his Cabinet with some of most hard core military people around and is promising to recreate our military might (how, when he is cutting taxes, is beyond anyone who can do simple math, but, just for the fun of it, let's take him at his word).
Alright, yeah, we are no longer a bunch of kvetching old folks, we are once again a young, powerful giant. What next? Think back, guys, on your adolescent days when, testosterone raging, you were ready to attack anyone at the slightest hint of an insult. We already know, from past events and statements, that The Donald is touchy, belligerent, and vengeful. This cannot be a good thing.
It is one thing to be powerful, it is another thing entirely to be belligerent. In the real World, actions have consequences, sometimes horrific consequences. A World leader, if he acts like a petulant child, and we have all witnessed Trump doing just that, can, and likely will cause an eruption of havoc that will costs the lives of countless people.
Rest assured however, that the new Powers That Be, like the ones they are replacing, will not be among the casualties. That will be the privilege of the common folk. Hillary might have called us deplorables, but, to the new bosses, we are expendables.
Friday, December 2, 2016
America.and the Shell Game
We were promised that the swamp would be drained. Instead, our new administration seems intent on importing quicksand, gators, snakes, possums, all the things that make swamps such fun places. One by one, we are being shown a parade of new cabinet officers who are just old time Washington and big business hacks.
Trump, quite rightly, excoriated Clinton and Cruz for their associations with the wretched Goldman Sachs (remember the last recession and the bank bailouts? the housing crisis and all of that?) He then turns around and names two former Goldman Sachs big shots, Bannon and Mnuchin, to his team. Hypocrisy is the order of the day.
Actually, that is too kind of a word. What you are seeing is an old fashioned shell game, or maybe three card Monte. The con man shuffle the shells, or cards so fast and skillfully, you cannot keep your eye on the prize. The Administration, using the loathsome tool of Twitter, is shrieking about flag burning, and election fraud (probably non existent, or, if real, practiced by both sides) to take your attention away from the parade of insider, power hungry, money grubbing hacks that our Government will soon be filled with.
Secretary of State is still open, look for it to be filled with either Romney, a man once ridiculed by Trump, or Patraeus, a man who, by his own admission, leaked classified information to his biographer, a woman he was having an extra-marital fling with. I would have sworn the Trump, quite rightly, attacked Hillary for the same thing, minus, minus the tawdry affair angle. Again, blatant, hypocrisy.
If you are journeying to DC anytime after the inauguration, take some anti-snake bite venom, bring along one of those gator hunters from Swamp People, and watch for quicksand, because the swamp is gong to be firmly entrenched there.
Trump, quite rightly, excoriated Clinton and Cruz for their associations with the wretched Goldman Sachs (remember the last recession and the bank bailouts? the housing crisis and all of that?) He then turns around and names two former Goldman Sachs big shots, Bannon and Mnuchin, to his team. Hypocrisy is the order of the day.
Actually, that is too kind of a word. What you are seeing is an old fashioned shell game, or maybe three card Monte. The con man shuffle the shells, or cards so fast and skillfully, you cannot keep your eye on the prize. The Administration, using the loathsome tool of Twitter, is shrieking about flag burning, and election fraud (probably non existent, or, if real, practiced by both sides) to take your attention away from the parade of insider, power hungry, money grubbing hacks that our Government will soon be filled with.
Secretary of State is still open, look for it to be filled with either Romney, a man once ridiculed by Trump, or Patraeus, a man who, by his own admission, leaked classified information to his biographer, a woman he was having an extra-marital fling with. I would have sworn the Trump, quite rightly, attacked Hillary for the same thing, minus, minus the tawdry affair angle. Again, blatant, hypocrisy.
If you are journeying to DC anytime after the inauguration, take some anti-snake bite venom, bring along one of those gator hunters from Swamp People, and watch for quicksand, because the swamp is gong to be firmly entrenched there.
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