Donald Trump and free speech

The presidential election is a few months away yet and a lot of water/information has to pass under the bridge before that happens. I love America but some of the stuff I am hearing on the news is rather unsettling regarding the Donald Trump rallies and speeches. Violent "protesters" to be exact.

Being a maturing adult during the 60's and the 70's was an education in itself as far as protests is concerned. But right now the organized hateful violence of the opposing protesters at the Trump rallies is, in my opinion, totally wrong. It makes me wonder just what they are trying to accomplish with the hate and violence. I figure that Donald Trump should be able to speak freely so we can understand just what he is saying. If he backs down due to the violence and hate we will not get the information we need to vote our conscience.

When it comes to free speech the truth comes out eventually. good to remember the old adage: Give a man/woman enough rope and he'll/she'll hang himself/herself.

On the same vein, so far at least I have not seen all that violence and hate at The Hillary Clinton rallies except a few from the Bernie Sanders camp. Pics my curiosity as to just who is for free speech in the political arena. The media sure has their favorites and I'm thinking it just might come back to bite them over time if free speech becomes a thing of the past.

Justice in America and our president

Our President, eyes downcast and forlorn, played upon the emotions of his audience for some unknown reason and said, "It could have been me." Speaking, of course about the shooting and death of Trayvon Martin. A terrible thing. Mr. Zimmerman, the man who shot Trayvon was, in a court of law, found not guilty of the charges brought against him by the prosecutor. Mr. Obama, evidently does not feel justice was served in our legal process and appears to be, for some reason stirring up unrest and civil protests, seemingly pitting one race against another. Protests are a way of life in this country. However, I have not seen in my lifetime a president that caused them. It brings to mind some statement from Mr. Obama's run for the presidential election. He said he was ashamed of this country. I figured at the time it was some sort of populist retoric. I guess it wasn't.

Letter To President Obama

President Obama, Congratulations on being re-elected for a second term! My wish is that this country receives a real benefit from your presidency. I do not know you other than the face and voice that I see and hear on the media. That is not a clear picture of who you are because of the bias of the reporting agency or your PR person. I understand that, it's the way of politics. If you have a zit on one side of your face, the camera shows you from the other side. What you say and do is filtered the same way. I do not favor or disfavor anyone because of what they look like or say. I am a reasonably intelligent person and my opinion is derived from what they do. Mr. President, I didn't vote for you in either election. However, I am one of those people who works, pays taxes and does his best not to receive anything from the government. A long time ago I really took to heart what one of my war time heroes said: " Ask not what your country can do for you, ask rather what you can do for your country!" It was John Kennedy. He's long gone but his words still ring true.

Mr. President, I am not one to worry and wring my hands and fear for our future. You are no doubt a well intentioned man. At least that is my hope. Whatever it is I am asked to do as a citizen and it is appropriate, I will do. With that being said, I would like to offer you some words from a lowly voter.
I ask that you carefully look at those things you champion and the reasons for which you champion them. For what you do could hold the country hostage or move it forward as a bastion of freedom.

 You are smart, that's good but knowledge without character is more a weapon than a tool. Are you a man of character?

We have seen how you operate in politics, sometimes the scene was blurred by spin and your principles were obscured. Are you a man of principle?

You enjoy having a good time. We've seen that. A good time is balanced by a good conscience. Are you a man of good conscience?

One area we do not see eye to eye on Mr. President is probably insurmountable. I challenge you anyway. I have heard you many times speak of the re-distribution of wealth in the name of fairness. Wealth without effort or work will destroy this nation and what it stands for. When you re-distribute wealth are you willing to destroy our freedom to do it?

Business is a necessary part of a thriving nation. Business provides us all with an avenue to improve ourselves and pursue happiness. Business without morals will in turn sap the energy of our citizens. Are you a moral person and able to honorably guide the business community of this country?

Science brings us hope and promise and inroads as the future unfolds. You are knowledgeable and can see the benefits of science I am sure. Science must be accountable to all of humanity and not separate from it.

And lastly Mr. President, I understand that on occasion you attend some type of religious services. From what I see you are not overly devout but that is your choice. We all have our preferences as to what we have faith in. That's the freedom America offers isn't it? I know and understand that my choice of worship is bound to bring sacrifice, it is virtually guaranteed. All I ask is the freedom to worship as I see fit not be restricted or forced to go against my beliefs.

Mr. President, you did not receive a "mandate" to carry on any particular idea or approach. You simply won the election by a very narrow margin. Listen to the voters that pay taxes. They are the ones paying the bills for your ideas. That doesn't necessarily mean they voted for you. When they run out of money or get tired of having it taken away and given to those that choose not to work, well Mr. President, that will be a day of reckoning I'm thinking.

Good Luck! God Bless! I will support the good stuff and resist the bad stuff. No matter what you do I am watching. We are all watching. As a voter I will remember how you apply your powers. That's what we do around here. It's not what you look like, it's not what you say. It is definitely what you do! Are you doing it for us?

I'm Joe and I approve this message!

Vote!

Please vote!


It's what we do instead of throwing rocks, shooting at each other and burning buildings.

It's also a way to celebrate the end of political commercials and phone calls until next time.

I read a comment that this is the best time of year to pick out a turkey. Hmmm!

Yeah, please vote. Serious as it is we have much reason to smile.

Voting rights and American history

After being privy to some guys discussing how to cure our country's political problems I felt unschooled in history surrounding our voting rights. A sight popped up during my search for information and my education began. I'm sure that somewhere during my 12 plus years in school and college, some time was spent on the subject of the evolution of our ability to vote. I forgot. Being of this generation much of the concerns of our forefathers escapes me. I am not faced with the British oppression, taxation without representation, Religious persecution, prejudice, constant bickering between parties or any of that other stuff so prevalent back then. The basics of the voting rights were well meaning. Freeholders, or landowners voted. They had vested interest and because of their holding showed they were enterprising and able to make mature decisions. Women didn't vote because the were otherwise occupied with domestic obligations. Most minorities couldn't vote in that, that is the way it was during those times of positioning. Common belief was that someone had to take the helm and carry out the mission. "Too many cooks spoil the broth!" Although exceptions were often made for anyone that was a freeholder, regardless of race. In the beginning religion wasn't much of a factor but after a while Catholics and Jews were refused the vote. It took hundreds of years to refine voting rights to where they are now. Because we are an ever changing landscape of humanity, I am sure those rights will continue to evolve.

In reading up on this subject, taking into consideration all the pitfalls, I wondered what other country offers so much to such a vast collection of differing cultures? I wonder that most likely, because of all those differing cultural approaches to what is considered fair voting rights for all of us, the arguments will probably continue far, far into the future. I find it an interesting subject to ponder as it is critical to our ability to collectively proceed and build a great country. No less than it was back when they wrote the Constitution.

I find it very entertaining to view from a distance how the mistakes of the past provided a complicated set of checks and balances on the road to where we are now. A common phrase says: "The pendulum always swings back!" I can see that. Right, left, middle but always swinging.

American history and our future

I am not a world traveler. I've been physically in only three countries, Here in the Unites States, Canada and the District of Columbia. :)  However, I do read continuously all sorts of stuff about the rest of the world. From what I read, in my opinion there is no other country that tries harder to make everyone happy, regardless of race, religion, gender or whatever else that separates us from being a common culture. If anything, it almost seems that we are constantly in a turmoil because we find it repulsive or sinful to agree on any particular life style or set of rules. We can't call each other mister, or master or miss or miz without offending ourselves. Then we turn around and describe ourselves as some type of other country American or specific lifestyle American. Everyone wants to get in on being American but they want every American to cater to their unique standard of what they feel American should be. America used to be a melting pot. I don't particularly see that as true any more. Without a clear picture of just what being American should be we are left to fend for ourselves. American can mean almost anything now a days, be it legal or illegal. Yeah, I know, now I'll get a bunch of guff for picking on illegal aliens but I'm not saying anything more than what's going on. With all  rules and standards designed to preserve our way of life up for grabs we are a country bound for internal extermination. With free interpretation of our laws by both lawmakers and the judiciary they change so often there is no security left as far as the right and wrong the American culture used to stand for. Instead of evolving and strengthening our way of life, we are de-volving into hundreds of separate mini, rogue cultures.

In our constant attempt to guarantee freedom to be whatever and whoever we want to be we have dispensed with the most important part of freedom: Standards!

Standards of right and wrong concerning just about everything:
behavior
speech
respect
rights
business
government
manners
sex
honesty and truth
reward and punishment
boundaries
religion
you name it.

Although we all mean well when we try to accommodate the desires and needs of each and every one of us, meaning well doesn't make up for the loss of a common standard we can all count on to establish how we can all live together. No sir ee! In school history class the teachers, all of them stressed how the past is always a mirror of the future be it learn from mistakes or be required to repeat them. "The pendulum swings."  I wonder if I will See it swing back?

Voting and protesting

I admire those people that stand up for their principles. Protesters around the world are occupying buildings, streets and town squares railing against what they view as oppression. It's not so important whether I agree or not. It is important that they be heard and we all think about it. One of the greatest gifts of civilization, in my opinion is open communication. Civil protest is a form of communication. Good can come of it. I'm not one to occupy anything. I am always concerned about the availability of sanitary facilities and I'm not particularly fond of spending any time in jail either. That's just me. A protest of another kind has always appealed to me. Voting!

There is a phrase that is seen around that makes sense. "Be kind to your enemies, it messes with their heads." Has kind of a nice ring to it doesn't it? It suggests an entirely different type of protest that can be far more effective than occupation. And it's so easy too. Every political party wants us to vote for them. They spend huge, almost obscene amounts of money to bring us around to their way of thinking. It works in instances where someone is leaning in their direction in the first place and occasionally when a voter is on the fence about a particular issue. That's the political process in a nutshell. However, it is predicated on the assumption that many of us do not vote and their followers will overwhelm the others. The idea of voter protest completely messes up that whole scenario. There are hundreds of thousands of loose cannons out there that are fed up with then status quo. Most of them are so disenchanted with the system that they don't bother to vote, they assume theirs doesn't count anyway. They are so wrong!

Because so many people refrain from voting we are operating under the wishes of those that do vote. No sense in complaining because we didn't voice our opinion in the voting booth. The pinnacle of protest is within our grasp. If everyone voted, and I do mean everyone, our leaders would get one huge reality check. Middle income, working class people become so frustrated they simply give up and deal only with survival and trying to maintain a halfway decent life style in a world that chooses them as a tax base to support their own agendas and defines our moral environment according to boisterous special interest groups. Another phrase goes something like this: "All it takes for bad things to happen is for good people to do nothing." Not voting amounts to doing nothing.

I would like to see what the results would be if every eligible person in this country voted. Then we would know which way the culture is going. Wow! Brings special meaning to "The will of the people." Kind of scary but at least we'd know wouldn't we. Until we all vote en mass it will still remain a mystery. Talk about a protest huh?

America's most powerful person

I've been reading and hearing about the most powerful person in America. It seems that he can do just about anything. He's got a bunch of friends too. When they get together it's supposed to be an awesome thing to behold. My curiosity is running overtime because I can't find his picture or any background on him. I don't have his last name. You'd think that with all the freedom of information stuff we have I could find just about all I needed to know. I'm going to keep trying. From what I hear, he runs practically the entire country from behind the scenes. Frustrating as it is, my search for him is turning into quite the riddle for me. As you probably already know, I love a good riddle! I'll let you know how it goes. I'm looking for a possible conspiracy here..............Joe

Hispanic, Latino or just American

I read the daily newspaper. Actually it probably be said that I devour the news from it. I can read and think at my own pace without being dependant upon the personal bias of the reporter. TV, radio and the Internet round off my quest for knowledge concerning current events and opinions. Another entertaining part of the paper is the comic section. No matter the news of the day, I can always rely on finding some comic relief on that page. I don't know if that says something about my maturity but it really doesn't matter to me. I like it anyway. One of the strips is named "Baldo." Baldo is centered on an Hispanic/ Mexican decent teen age boy of that name, living in America with the rest of his family. He goes through all sorts of situations faced by young boys during the growing up, becoming a man process. Cars, girls, studies and choosing friends. I remember that stage well. Good for a lot of laughs on a dreary day most of the time. The writer also includes insight into the world of being of Mexican and Hispanic decent. Interesting and informative for me. We all have richness in our respective heritages I think. Some is presented in a light hearted way and some in a serious way. I learn from it, expanding my knowledge and lessening my ignorance in this country known as a melting pot. A double whammy. Today the strip brought me up short.

Baldo has a younger, pre-teen, genius type sister. Smart and witty with high aspirations of adult achievements. Constantly coming up with wisdom far beyond her age. Today she was concerned about what to call herself. It went something like: She was speaking with her dad and wondered if she should be called, Hispanic or Latino? Latino is actually Italian she said. And Hispanic refers to a lot of people that aren't Spanish. And then the writer had her say something that took me aback: "Or, should we just call ourselves, "Americans?" The comment sounded to me to be referred to as a last resort. Something to be called only when all other designations were exhausted. Is that why I call myself, "American?" Because there isn't any other special name good enough left to call myself? Has that what being an American has become, a last resort? Is being called an American the new racial slur or insult? I don't get it!

In any given conversation, I believe that if asked what nationality we are, if we are citizens of this country, it should be an honor to call ourselves American. I believe that if we enjoy the benefits of this great country we should be pleased to be able to say we are American first, not last.

So, if I had a daughter that asked what she should call herself I would answer: "American!" If asked about my heritage I'd be happy to share my Dutch, German and other ancestral stories. Those stories surround the reasons my ancestors came to the United States to build a new life, they were glad to come here and call themselves Americans.

So my opinion is this: Let's be proud of our heritage and readily share it with each other. However, lets join together as Americans and quit being so blasted divisive by calling ourselves by some special name first. I don't see the good in those special names. I think being able to call ourselves American is pretty special in itself. Even in the comic section.......................Joe