Just some comments, etc re: the 2016 election.
First, last
night, Dr. Ben Carson referred to Saul Alinsky and his "useful idiots"
idea, which is actually a quote from Lenin, although whether he said it
or not is up for debate.
From Wikipedia, "useful idiot is a
term for people perceived as propagandists for a cause whose goals they
are not fully aware of, and who are used cynically by the leaders of the
cause"
Regardless of the origins, the idea stands.
I
encourage my friends, regardless of ideology, to think for themselves.
Research any statistics, ideas or agendas put forth by anyone, from any
political or "news" organization. Many times, the truth is far from
what is put out there.
And PLEASE do not get your information
from comedians. While I enjoy John Stewart, Bill Maher and John Oliver,
they should not be the source of facts.
For those who think Fox
News has an agenda, you are correct. But if you think MSNBC, CNN and
other Main Stream Media do not, you are incorrect. Take the information
fed to you by these news sources with a large grain of salt. Use it as
a jumping off point for your own research on a topic, but do not take
anything from any news source as gospel.
Donald Trump said
something to the effect that the US has become too PC. I totally agree.
I also think he is a blowhard, but that is neither here nor there.
I, for one, would love to have a Libertarian candidate to vote for.
The fact that the major outlets, including Fox, are excluding viable
Libertarian candidates, is reprehensible. The two party system in the
US is a complete sham and shame.
As for my Republican friends, if
you are sick and tired of Democrat control over our government, then
you really need to look at who can win the general election. It is a
never ending source of amusement for me to see candidates from both
parties go to the extreme edges of their ideology during a primary, only
to come to the center for the general election, only to go towards the
extreme end of their ideology after winning.
If Republicans hope
to win the general election, they need to nominate the candidate with
the best chance of winning, not your favorite among the "choices" you
have been presented with.
In my opinion, that is Marco Rubio. He
is young, Hispanic, son of immigrants and worked his way through the
American Dream to get where he is. He is also articulate and
thoughtful.
Ben Carson is clearly the smartest, and most "normal
guy" among the group, but he is too "god said this" to win in a general
election. Although many people go to a house of worship, very few
actually follow all the teachings of their chosen religion.
Jeb Bush seems to be the most qualified all around, but his last name will doom him.
To my Democrat friends, does it not bother you that Hillary is
basically anointed as the D candidate? I know it would bother me if my
party basically handed the candidacy to a person without any real
opposition.
To all my friends, please do not vote based on race, sex, hair color or any other silly thing such as that.
Finally, recognize that any time a group is addressed in a demeaning
manner "Clown Car", "Guntards", "Birthers", "Bible Thumpers", recognize
that this is a tactic designed to dehumanize and discredit the group
before thoughts are engaged.
It is a useful tactic, as it puts
the target group on the defensive and diminishes their ideas, before a
conversation is had. It is also a tool used by agenda driven people to
advance their own, usually opposite, agenda.
As one example, many
"news" organizations are referring the the number of Republican
Candidates as a "clown car". That car has a billionaire business man,
several senators, a Rhodes Scholar, a brain surgeon, CEO of a multi
billion dollar organization and several governors. If you were invited
to an event where these people were key note speakers, I am quite sure
the event would not be referred to as a clown car.
You may notice
that I did not put any demeaning terms in this list that refer to
Democrat or Liberal ideology. That is truthfully because I could not
think of any terms, in common use, among news outlets, that fit the
bill. I am open to suggestions.
In conclusion, please think
critically, take everything from all sources with a grain of salt, and
vote with your mind and not with your heart in the coming elections.
