Politics As Usual

I'm one who typically avoids talking about politics.  I want to talk about them, I'm interested in them, I'm disgusted by them, I'm hopeful in them, but I don't know enough or I'm reluctant to stir up a hornet's nest, so I sit and listen more than I do participate.  I trust people who know me, know I am a rational fellow and that I am respectful in my communication.  I am a lover of people and don't wish to offend.  I have many thoughts regarding the state of political affairs these days, but choose not to share them because, A) Everybody is so easily offended these days, B) Nobody really listens anyway or they are closed minded to another's thoughts unless they align with their already determined thoughts and C) I just don't know enough about politics or even where to validate what I hear, read and see. 

Well, be warned...this blog entry will be one long political rant.  An effort to get it out of my system.  Of the 4 readers of this blog, I hope that I don't offend you.  I hope that you read this with an open heart to my thoughts as I would try to do in return.  I hope you keep your comments respectful and peaceful as you communicate your personal feelings about such a sensitive subject.  I don't think the last wish will be that difficult as nobody EVER comments except my Mother who has an unquenchable desire to "like" every comment, picture and post of mine that she sees on facebook as well as an undying drive to validate her oldest son's ramblings with a positive comment on every blog post.  Thanks, Mum!  So, with that said, here are my random thoughts regarding the current state of politics in America...as I see them. 

We're All Americans

Except those who are not, we are all Americans.  I believe at the core of the average American citizen is a goodness and desire to do good.  Regardless of political affiliation, the majority of us love our children and want to protect them.  Most of us appreciate the finer things in life and want things to progressively get better.  Most of us either believe in an Almighty being that watches us and wants us to treat each other with kindness and respect.  Those who don't likely find themselves compelled by that natural goodness to treat others as they would be treated.  We are all Americans.  We are all in this together. 

That being said, we each have differing opinions on how we love our children, protect our children, obtain the finer things in life, progressively get better and serve our God and fellow man.  As we discuss, share and debate how we are to navigate our way through this life; as we find ourselves in disagreement one with another, we should remember that most of us want the same things, we just have differing principles on how we are to get from point A to point B.  This is what makes life interesting.  If we were all the same...with the same views, opinions and goals, I for one would not appreciate life nearly as much.  We must remember that we were all raised in different homes and in different families.  We have had different experiences and were given different trials and blessings.  We may worship differently.  We may have differing levels of education or have reached differing levels of success in our careers.  

WE ARE DIFFERENT and these differences make up our different paradigms and choices and views.  Unless you, the reader, has experienced life in the exact same manner as the other you speak to or view, you should not judge.  You can disagree.  You can debate.  You should debate.  But you should always remember that the person you speak to or view, likely has the same objective as you, and that is the pursuit of happiness...they may just see happiness differently or see a different route to it than you do.  That is okay.  It seems we've forgotten that. 

What Has Happened To Us?

I think this may be a result of social media, but we seemingly have forgotten in our country, how to civilly, politely and respectively debate.  What has happened to us?  Why must we resort to name calling or implying this or that about those who disagree with us?  If you think the forefathers of our great nation all had the same opinions of what they should do, how they should do it, when they should do it and what the end goal should be...then you are in great need of studying the history of our country.  The forefathers also came from different walks of life.  Some were motivated by money, others by principle, and even more by the simple need to live free and without the meddling of a foreign leader.  They differed in opinion on everything; right down to whether or not to separate from England. 

In spite of serious differences of paradigms, beliefs and opinions, they civilly (not always, but mostly), respectfully and politely disagreed and debated those beliefs and opinions and they were open to change.  Some reluctantly agreed in the end and others flat out refused to participate, but they heard, considered and then either agreed or politely disagreed.  I have to wonder what the outcome would have been if founding Father John Dickinson, rather than politely disagreeing and refusing to sign the Declaration of Independence from Britain, had resorted to the name calling and passive aggressive implicating remarks on facebook, Twitter or Instagram.  The entire thing may have exploded and we would all possibly be British subjects and have bad teeth today!

Luckily, these men, in that time, knew how to communicate passionately and fiercely, but also respectfully.  I miss those days. That is not to say there are not those among us who are not capable of doing so.  In fact, I won't mention people by name, but there are a few of my friends and family that I disagree with wholeheartedly, but I respect the manner in which they communicate their differing beliefs.  Okay, I'll mention one name....no, I don't think I will.  I'll let them know personally if they bring it up.  But I think more of us need to strive to be more open to the things others say.  We can still disagree, but the bigger part of communication is listening.  Anybody with a Mother has probably heard the adage, "God gave you two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as much as you speak".  I'm not suggesting you make your personal values and principles disposable, but if you want to more effectively get your point across to others, you sometimes (and often) have to first listen to theirs.  If they know you are not hearing them, they will not hear you.  What we're left with is a bunch of noise.

Give It A Try, You May Like It

About a year ago, I started watching a lot of news.  I found myself disgusted by it, but it also stirred me.  I watched the three major news providers, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.  I found myself siding more with one than the others, but I did so reluctantly and still disgusted.  It was clearly obvious that each had their own agenda.  Rather than reporting the news, they explained the news AS THEY SAW IT and AS THEY WANTED YOU TO SEE IT.  Sadly, as I see many (myself included sometime) repeat and puke forth the same rhetoric they heard the night before by whatever talking head they choose to listen to, I became less and less hopeful about the intellect of the average person.  If it was SOOOOOOOO obvious and clear to me that there were slants in the delivery of the news by each of these channels, how can others not see it?!  Often times in discussions I would find myself about to spew what I had heard and stopped myself for fear of having not truly received the news with all it's information and facts, but rather a portion thereof. 

I go in and out of sharing some political posts on social media that I find interesting, funny or informative.  I don't always vet the information I share, but I share it because, whether I can support the facts or not, the principle at the discussion rings true in my heart, mind and soul.  That being said, I should vet the information first and always.  I realize many might take my words as gospel, but if they are going to do so, I probably should be responsible with what I share.  The funny thing is, if I hadn't vetted the post I shared, those from the opposing side are quick to point it out and do so using their own unvetted shared posts from others with their own slanted view on the same matter.  It's hard to know what is real out there and what is not.  With that in mind, I suggest you try a couple things I did. 

1)  Turn off the news.  I know.  It's hard.  I do so every February.  After football season is over, I usually downgrade my viewing options to the bareboned minimum channel package in an effort to save money.  Every time I do so, I recognize something.  My home and life seem more peaceful.  The only conclusion I arrive at is that these channels and their agendas are designed to do one thing...stir up the souls of men to anger.  I have the control to manage those feelings and to limit what I pass along or not, but in my soul, I feel angst.  I get angry.  I hate being uninformed.  I have found some news on PBS informative and seemingly delivered in a simple and factual manner with no emotion either way.  Other news on PBS is still blatantly leaning one way, but I recognize it.  Nonetheless, my home and heart seem more peaceful when I rid my home of CNN, MSNBC and Fox News.  I may be intellectually and socially like the man who lived in the forest while the rest of civilization crumbled around him, but in that there truly is bliss in ignorance. 

2)  Have a prayer in your heart.  Pray or mediate for understanding.  Being a religious person, I have come to trust my feelings and the Spirit as it speaks of truth to me.  I have more than once found myself leaning one direction only to be corrected by my feelings.  Call it the Spirit, the light of Christ or simply the gut.  I trust it.  I rely on it.  Other times, I found myself leaning one direction while denying my feelings.  Perhaps I relied more on my sense of logic or reason.  I learned that my feelings were correct and I should have listened to them.  It is a constant battle to sift through the volumes of information and trash that is being fed to and fired at us from every direction.  We hear it everywhere; family, friends, television, radio, magazines, internet, print ads...literally EVERYWHERE!  It takes vigilance, a strong awareness and an understanding that people are working to mold your mind to a certain way of thinking.  These people are not dumb; they know how to effectively influence your thoughts.  You must accept this is happening and then be aware and vigilant to discard that information that doesn't feel accurate, whether in part or whole. 

Can We Please Stop The Divisive Rhetoric?

It seems everybody is pitted against everybody these days.  It also seems that everybody is so easily offended.  Personally, I believe you can trace these problems back to the two main sources, the sources that have the most to benefit from this divisiveness....politicians and major news channels.  But we too have a say in how effective their efforts are to divide us.  We can choose to stop the cycle and not repeat the divisive rhetoric.  We can choose to not perpetuate the divisiveness.  Truthfully, the most painful thing for me to read and hear is how one party and its affiliates/supporters accuse the other party and their affiliates/supporters of this and other things. 

Are we really that stupid?!  If you are a democrat and blame the republicans for such things as stirring up fear in order to get votes, then you really might be stupid because the democrats do that too!  If you are a republican and blame the democrats for such things as stirring up fear in order to get votes, then you really might be stupid because the republicans do that too!  One thing we all should understand about our politicians and our choice of news channels is this...they are all cut from the same cloth.  To them, this is a job...a very well paying job, and most of these politicians share drinks at night with their apparent enemies across the aisle.  They're probably laughing at us fools right now as you read this!  They are all divisive and only interested in their own well being.  I'm not saying they're entirely void of good ideas.  If we find truths among all the other crap they sling, take that truth and hold firmly to it, but please recognize that they are what they are.  They are money hungry, greedy, self serving, me monsters and we apparently are the morons who help them do their dirty work by taking and passing along their finger pointing and re-electing the same con artists year after year.  

I recently heard the President speaking about this and accusing his opposing party of stirring up fear and being divisive.  The man, Barrack Obama, is clever and slick in his choice of words.  He is smart.  He's no dummy.  He would never levy that accusation then follow it up with a simple statement that in turn stirs up fear.  That would be too easy for the trusting and simple-minded general public to identify as hypocrisy.  He instead said something like this, and I'm paraphrasing, "Any person who loves life and the safety of children, would want more gun control".  It is these types of divisive statements that create the fear and division and hate.  The more subtle message is, "If you are not in support of more gun control, then you hate children and don't value life", or "If you know somebody who doesn't support more gun control, then that person you know, hates children and doesn't value life".  Neither of those statements are true.  I direct you to my first point.  The majority of our citizens value life and love children and want safety for them and their family. 

The President's statement was in fact intended to divide us and push an agenda.  I am leery of gun control, but open to discussion on measures taken in minimal strides.  Perhaps his rhetoric was honest enough and intended to find those fence sitters on the matter and sway them to his way of thinking.  The fact that he is a politician, makes that possibility suspect, but it is possible.  Nonetheless, his words worked, as they have many times before, to divide rather than to create thought provoking debate.  They instead shore up both sides to their already made up minds on the matter and cause them all to dig in their heels and get ready for a fight. 

We must recognize that the same can be said for those who stir up fear on the other side that claim their counterparts want to take away all of our guns, causing us to shore up our defenses against such a possibility.  This is not always the case.  Some may want to take extreme measures such as removal of the 2nd amendment, but many do not.  As a side note, I have always been of the opinion that it should be slightly harder for people to obtain guns, but as my trust in the government and those who wish to control us slowly disappears, I have become more reluctant to remain open to gun reform.  If those we elect were more efficient at enforcing the laws, measures and restrictions already on the books, I would be more open to the discussion of adding upon them.  If the government showed more success in running anything, I would again be more in favor of those discussions.  If there was not the uncomfortable feeling of us vs them (citizen vs government), I would still be supportive of a discussion regarding gun control measures.  If I felt I could trust the government to have my best interest in mind, I would trust them more to make the right decisions for me and my family.  If our government were not arming citizens of other countries in an effort to support that country's citizens in pushing back against an oppressive government, I would better understand their need to disarm their own citizens.  Our government's hypocrisy prevents me from believing any word they speak! 

Sorry for getting negative.  Moving on...

The Lesser Of Two Evils...Why?

I have heard this more and more with each political cycle.  Why must it be this way?  Well, that's another lengthy discussion about greed, money and power.  Perhaps a discussion for another day.  But, Why?  How sad is that?!  How sad should we be?  Where have all the good men (and women) gone?!  In fact, if there was ever a time we should be electing women to the higher offices of the land, I would think it should be now!  The moment a man throws his hat in the ring, I immediately don't trust him.  If a woman throws her hat in the ring, I consider that person with a little less suspicion.  That being said, I want to make it very clear, I trust Hillary Clinton about as much as I trust a color blind person picking what I should wear on a daily basis.  Coincidentally, a color blind person would likely do better than I do at choosing what to wear and certainly better than Hillary and her choices in Dr. Evil-esque Tunics and pant suits!

Where was I....Oh yes...trustworthy candidates.  The government as of late have done a terrific job of creating suspicion and doubt in the minds of the voters when it comes to those running for office.  For example, Mitt Romney.  I believe for the most part, he is a good man.  Surely he has his faults and he has proven to be a bit wishy-washy and politician-like in his political career, but I believe, all in all, he is a good man and likely the best man we've seen run for office in a long time.  You may not believe in his principles, values and platform, but as a person, I trust him and his character more than just about any past or present candidate in the last 24 years.  Why do I feel that way...now?  Because he is no longer running for office.  The moment he threw his hat in the ring, I immediately grew curious and suspicious as to what his real motives were, how this would personally serve him and why he couldn't be trusted.  I bet there are others like him out there, but will they ever be willing to insert themselves again?

Granted, I don't have the business experience Mitt had (nor does Hillary or Obama), but I'm a good person.  I try to do the right thing.  I try to consider the needs of others.  I try to have long term vision when making decisions and plans of action.  That being said, I make a pledge to you now, that you will never ever see my name on a ballot for any job in the Senate, Congress or Oval Office.  I can't currently fathom ever trusting politicians again and, as I feel right now, the moment I put my name on the ballot, I am apparently an asshole.  (Sorry, Mom.  I probably should have chosen a different word considering you are 1/4 of everybody who reads my blog)  We have reached a point in time where only assholes run for office therefore, only assholes are elected and only assholes make the decisions.  And we wonder why nothing but crap comes from DC!?  Where does crap come from?  That's right, Politicians!  

Third Party and Congressional Term Limits

 I can't help but think that career politicians are a great part of the problem.  Apparently many feel the same way as this contributes to the success of Donald Trump.  His greatest trait he lends to the ticket is not his business expense, not his wealth, not his lack of pandering to big money, but rather the simple fact that he is not one of these previously mentioned Assholes.  Again, sorry, Mom.  But seriously, his greatest selling point is that he isn't one of these life long politicians.  If politicians are not able to stop themselves from being corrupted by the job, then let's put ceilings on how corrupt they can be.  By the time the good guys figure out that the real game in town, the game that pays the best, (abandoning the needs of those who elected them and rather serve the lobbyists and big businesses that are willing to pump money into their accounts and efforts to be re-elected), their time to serve will be up and the next noble and selfless civil servant can step into their place and role to do well with the time they have been given. 

Also, as somebody who is registered unaffiliated with neither of the two major parties, I find myself wishing that there was a third party that could shake things up.  I realize that for either party to do so right now would be suicide for the party they separated from.  We have seen political turmoil this year in both the Republicans with the more conservative Republicans and the Democrats with the more socialist Democrats.  I long for the day when a third or even fourth party pushes its way in there to give more options for the many who feel either of the two major parties no longer align accordingly with their core beliefs. 

What To Do, What To Do...

Choosing the lesser of two evils is a theme we hear more and more over the past couple decades.  This election cycle is no different.  Actually, that's not true.  It is different.  The concept and acceptance of electing the "lesser of two evils" has been amplified and discussed more this election cycle more than ever before.  We have two of the worst individuals I have ever seen running for office.  Both are so full of themselves and full of shite that it is almost hard to pick which one is worse!  What a sad statement that is.  We should be ashamed that it has come to this. 



So, for me, it isn't a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.  In fact, I believe the two candidates will likely share a room together in hell when this is all over.  For me, it really is a case of mistaken cliché.  For me, it comes down to a different cliché.  It comes down between choosing the "devil you know or the devil you don't know".  For me, politically speaking, we know exactly what we'll get in Hillary Clinton.  I don't want to perpetuate the negative and divisive feelings that already exist and I don't mean to do so, so I won't expand on what my thoughts are concerning her.  But, she is the devil we know.  I'm pretty sure of what we'll get if she is elected. 

What I don't know is what we'll get if Donald Trump is elected.  That makes him the devil we don't know.  Now, many things are spoken of Donald's past as a business man and how that might translate to his job as Commander in Chief and President of the United States of America, but the operative word is "might".  It is all speculative.  I know what we WILL get in Hillary.  I speculate and am cautious about what we MIGHT get in the Donald.  I recognize it might be worse than Hillary.  I also recognize, and hope, that it might be better than Hillary.  So, as much as it pains me to do so, I'm not debating and deciding my vote on the lesser of two evils, I'm deciding my vote on the chance and hope that Donald might love his country more than himself.  That is a tall order, because that man is deeply in love with himself.  Nonetheless, I'm more comfortable with voting for "hope of what can be" rather than voting on "acceptance of what would be".

I recognize that both candidates have in them the ability to be humble and honest.  I realize that either can step forward and make the necessary changes to fight for the principles that made this country great.  I realize that both can surround themselves with those who have the abilities to make appropriate decisions.  Sadly, I also have a hard time granting 100% of my trust that either will do so.  I feel awful that this is the case.  It is what it is, but of the two devils, I guess I'll go with the one I don't know. One thing I can tell you is this, whichever candidate wins, I will hope and pray for that person.  I will hope that they will make decisions based on what is best for the country and its citizens.  I will pray that they will have the ability to ignore the lobbyists, donors and political parties as they chart a path over the next term in office.  I will be optimistic and hopeful, just as I was for Obama when he took office.  I didn't vote for him, but for the sake of our country, I wanted him to do great things. 8 years later I've been left wanting and sadly disappointed, but it was nonetheless my duty as a citizen to lend him that support and I will do the same for either of these candidates that win.  For in each of them is great potential.  However, potential is a trait only used to describe those who fall short due to lack of control, effort or character. 

In Summary

I am not interested in hearing who the 4 followers of my blog are planning to vote for.  It's hard to not adopt the slogan of Montgomery Brewster from the movie, "Brewster's Millions", "Vote None of the Above".  I have come to my decision by way of logic, reasoning and strategy that makes sense to me.  I encourage all 4 of you to thoughtfully consider the same things I have considered and to vote in a manner that you feel you should.  For nobody has the right on this planet to tell you how you should feel.  It is your feeling and that should be sufficient.  If you feel in your soul you should vote in a manner or direction opposite me, I respect that.  I am always open to hearing your points of view and know that there are only two points of view that I am near unwavering on.  Even still, I say "near unwavering".  I'm open and that is important.  It is important for two reasons; 1) open discussion and civil debate was necessary in the creation of this great nation and is still necessary today in its preservation.  2) If I am not open, if I am so closed off to other possibilities, than will I also possibly be closed to the promptings of my soul and the Spirit that guides and directs me?

While I may disagree with you, I will always value you and respect your right to believe differently than I do.  I will do my best always to assume the best in you and to not dismiss you and I will strive to remember that we are alike in so many ways.  I trust that you love your spouse and your children.  I trust that you want what is best for you and for your loved ones.  I will assume that you do not want to harm those around you.  Please grant me the same assumptions.  When you read my words, assume I don't mean to offend.  Assume I also want peace, love and liberty.  Assume I love my fellow man and cherish their worth.  I don't think that is too much to ask, though time will tell. 

I abandoned my typical approach of avoiding political discussion recently and posted a few political memes or shared a couple posts that rang true in my mind.  It immediately stirred up conversation, albeit from some that I haven't heard from in quite a long time.  It saddens me that the only time they feel the need to participate in my life is when they disagree about something, but perhaps that says more about them than it does me.  Anyway, I appreciated those comments that were respectful and polite.  It was proof to me that we still can communicate and debate civilly.  Hopefully we, as a country and people, don't fully forget how to do that.  Wouldn't it be grand if that somehow trended upward towards those in positions of power such as politicians and news outlets.  It may be a pipe dream, but anything's possible, right?  It starts with each of us.

Don't Be A Political Chihuahua

Nonetheless, I will revert to my old tactics of listening rather than contributing...for now.  In fact, I would encourage more to do so.  It seems to me, when you speak less, a higher value is placed upon your thoughts and words when you finally share them.  I have a couple friends that constantly post political ideals, criticism and opinions.  Some I agree with and some I don't.  If you are one of those friends that do this, I want you to know, I don't read them.  You have become like the yapping dog next door.  Initially I hear you, but eventually you grow annoying and ultimately I learn to tune you out.  This is true for those I agree with and those I don't.  I have a couple friends that post all the time and the reality is, I probably agree with them 95% of the time...the sad thing is, I no longer want to hear them. 

Please, all of us, myself included, strive to be more selective in what we post and how often we post.  Mostly, strive to read and reread your posts before you hit the enter key.  When you do read and reread, go back and try to read it again in the eyes of whomever it is you are trying to sway or persuade.  In my experience, very few people are ever persuaded politically or religiously from anything posted on social media, but I could be wrong.  Continue to be firm in your beliefs and passionate in your feelings, but challenge your tactics and ask yourself how effective you are really being.  Are you getting through?  Do you listen to others so that they'll listen to you?  Are your words divisive or manipulative?  What will be the benefits of my words or the sharing of others' words? 

I realize my thoughts may have not been organized well or perhaps didn't flow smoothly from one point to the next, but I figured I'd get this out there anyway.  If you happen to be the one out of four readers that read this lengthy collection of thoughts, I owe you an ice cream.  Give me a call.  I'd love to treat you to a scoop or two.