When you run after your thoughts, you are like a dog chasing a stick: every time a stick is thrown, you run after it. Instead, be like a lion who, rather than chasing after the stick, turns to face the thrower. One only throws a stick at a lion once. Milarepa “Just as it is known t hat an image of one's face is seen d epending on a mirror b ut does not really exist as a face, s o the conception of "I" exist d ependent on mind and body, b ut like the image of a face t he "I" does not at all exist as its own reality." Nagarjuna "Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible. Nagarjuna
"The republican party has made itself a relic and it has no one to blame but itself." Hopefully common sense will prevail less we need to substitute the 'United States of America' for 'republican party' in that statement.
ReplyDeleteWe need more parties ... with plenty of wine, not whine.
ReplyDelete(Frankly, I feel abused by politics and even more abused by the media)
Agreement here on all points.
ReplyDeleteI miss Huntley, Brinkley, Cronkite, Donaldson, Wallace, and others of their era. Reporting and the news ain't what it used to be.
Instead we have Oh Really? and Mad Dog.
ReplyDeleteOr Rashell Maddog
ReplyDeleteDon't you mean Russell "Mad Dog" Cox?
DeleteI k ow her name, , I said what I said to be Sarcastic
ReplyDeleteWhatevah.
DeleteWell, let's give credit where credit is due. At least Brother Jeb has taken a moral stand, which is more than I can say for some others.
ReplyDeleteBreaking news: Even the Trump family dog has refused to address the GOP convention. No barking up the wrong tree for this pooch.
Trump Is Their Nominee
ReplyDeletePeople who write and say hate about Trump are playing in to Trump's hands. He wants division. He wants you to enhance the message he has. Trump and Clinton are tied in the national polls. If Trump is so bad, where is the condemnation for the American people who voted? It seems those who hate Trump so much are to cowardly to call American voters the same scum like words they use about Trump.
Trump is the choice of 40% of the American people, not just 45% of Republicans. Clinton is the choice of 55% of Democrats, but still only 40% of Americans nationally. These haters on the left even attacked Sanders whose only crime was to try and win the nomination of the Democratic party. Seems the Clinton supporters use hate against anyone challenging their candidate. But it's the American people casting the votes to make Trump a front runner.
It's not the Trump supporters who started the violence in the streets. It's not Trump supporters who are killing our cops. That violence is being done by forces on the left. So who are the scum that earn our condemnation? Those whose ideas are repugnant, or those whose ideas drive people to violence? Either way it's hate driving this election and our decision on who to vote for.
I'm not joining that hate. I don't write hate about either Trump, or Clinton. I don't post silly pictures, cartoons, or videos that cast candidates as Hitler, or other evil killers. I do write about what I think is a good, or bad course for America and its politics. And hate is not a basis for voting, or not voting for anyone. But you go ahead and try to convince people who to vote for based on hate and just add to the already vitriolic atmosphere. That will help. That will solve our problems - NOT.
RN, the two parties have taken a turn. Neither are our Grandfather's parties. I switched back over to Independent on my voter card. I'd rather stand by my convictions than follow lock-step with a party that is in shambles.
ReplyDeleteAnd like Octo, I feel abuse by politics and the media. Shame, shame.
Good for you Pamela. Not always easy to do in our overheated political environment and winner take all mentality.
DeleteI haven't been affiliated with s party in 10 years and never will be again.
TOM, with all due respect your fixation on hate is puzzling. Hate is not an emotion rational individuals have any use for. Hate eventually will destroy the person(s) doing the hating.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as an individual I do not hate Trump at all. Do I dislike much of what by his own words indicate he stands for? Yes. Do I believe he is a danger to our representative democracy? Yes. Do I see him as a threat to our civil liberties? Yes. Do I believe Trump is concerned about equality of opportunity for all? no I do not. Do I believe Trump is a demagogue playing on the fears and anxiety that exists in America? Yes I do. So while I have no hate for Trump I do pity him and I have no respect for him. But that TOM, irrespective of your rhetoric, DOES NOT represent hate. perhaps ypu are projecting your own hate for anyone who disagree with YOUR beliefs?
A for Clinton, she has many flaws I agree. But hers are, at least in my opinion, by far less dangerous to our American values. As we complete the circus acts known as the National Conventions and general election campaigning begins in earnest I think you'll see support for Trump dwindle as more American focus on what the Trump/Pence ticket might very well lead to.
At any rate the American people will have their say. Lets just hope the popular vote and the EC vote are aligned .
Interesting, that there is really no principled disagreement showing up to the general consensus.
ReplyDeleteDo any rational Trump supporters (quite unlike peevy profane hot-heads such as Tom and his clones) exist to defend him?
It kind of seems like it is a similar situation in the US political universe, and not just with this blog.
It's not just the USA. Or the Brexit vote in the U.K. Palpable anger and resentment is worldwide. This weekend, an attempted coup in Turkey followed by a brutal crackdown. And ISIS is payback for our misadventure and destabilization of Iraq. None of this gives me a good feeling about where the world is heading. For my part, the best I can do is caution against hate speech in the opinion column of Scripps/USA Today newspapers. Unless we cool the reckless rhetoric, the worst is yet to come.
ReplyDeleteMuch of Trump's support has nothing to do with his positions. Many of his supporters have stated they don't agree with many of his positions, but that it doesn't matter to them. These are the cart kickers. These voters have had it with the status quo and simply want to kick over the apple cart and see what rolls out, and I'm quite sympathetic to that. But they're crossing their fingers that Trump won't do quite a few things he's run on.
ReplyDeleteJMJ
ISIS has actually lost ground, money sources are beginning to dry up, and recruitment is down, all positive trends that indicate Obama's approach at fighting terrorism is working. Regardless of the media lack of reporting and the neocon/TeaPublican/Trump screeching how horrible Obama has been on anti terror activities.
ReplyDeleteThat being said (O)CT(O)PUS, you are right about general angst across the globe. It is the tone of our time. Of course concern for the trend in America toward division and neo fascism is what should cause the utmost consternation among Americans. The divisive hateful rhetoric is dangerous and unless quelled will continue to eat away at, and eventually destroy the very fibers that have held our country together.
"ISIS has actually lost ground..."
DeleteHow much of this is US policy, and the neo-Soviet Russian police of killing every Syrian in sight in the hopes that it kills a few Isis guyts?
A good research project for dmarks.
DeleteI might just do this in my next guest post at "Sleeping With The Devil", RN.
DeleteSure Jersey, millions are ready to "kick over the apple cart and see what rolls out". Our political system in Washington DC has ignored the concerns of the average middle class American
ReplyDeletefor quite some time. The CU Supreme Court Decision was perhaps the clincher as it has turned out to be one of the worst decisions in Court history.
Hell, I'm as upset with Washington politics as anyone. However, looking past and closing my ears to Trump's divisive rhetoric, his overwhelming political dishonesty, and his complete lack of experience (remember 2008) is something I and millions of other folks just cannot overcome. Kicking over the present Apple cart and replacing it with something bizarre and Trumpian is I risk just not worth taking. Hopefully a large majority of Americans will come to that conclusion before November 2016.