The Pitiful Case of Donald John Trump

Preface
Everything I'm about to say in this essay, other than my opinions, is public knowledge.  One may have to dig just a little to find some of the information, but it's all available to anyone who looks.
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1.  The Don was a millionaire by the time he was eight years old.  Thank you, Daddy.

2.  He likes to tout the fact that his father gave him a "small loan" of a million dollars (when he was a young adult), and from that he built a billion dollar business...supposedly.  Indeed, Fred did give his son that loan...and then, over the following years, he did it again, and again, and again, etc.  The total wound up being sixty million dollars.  Thank you, Daddy.

3.  When his business was on the verge of utter and complete bankruptcy in the 1980's, various banks bailed him out and put him on a generous monthly allowance.  The financiers figured his name on a viable business was worth more than what they'd get out of his bankruptcy.

4.  So much for Trump's narrative that except for a "small loan" from his father, he essentially built a business from nothing.  It's one of an infinite number of outright lies.

5.  The Don learned how to lie, smear his opponents, and psychologically gaslight from the former Mob lawyer (and former Chief Counsel for Senator Joe McCarthy), Roy M. Cohn.  Cohn was his personal lawyer for a time.

6.  During his years in both real estate and the casino business, several times he shafted employees out of both jobs and wages.  At the same time, some independent contractors were shafted out of duly earned fees.  If they sued, he would countersue.  Cases would drag on until the aggrieved parties quit trying to recoup their losses.

7.  He's an autocrat wannabe, but appears to be a shallow, weak person who admires most of the dictators on the world stage.  That alone makes his Presidency an embarrassment to all decent people in this country. 

8.  Thanks to the mistakes, misdeeds, and sheer nonsense of the Establishment Oligarchy, The Don pretty much fell into the Oval Office.  Shenanigans by the Republican Party operatives prior to and during the 2016 election certainly helped, but mostly it was because most people were fed up with same ol', same ol' crap from politicians.  They thought The Don would change things to their benefit.  They were about 99.9% wrong about that.

9.  Since getting into office, he has been crass, boorish, a serial liar, foolish, ignorant, unstable, alienating, and dangerous.  I believe he's the most dangerous President in my lifetime...and I was born in 1942.

10.  The Don should not be hated...hate engenders more of the same.  Instead, he should be pitied... and booted out of office.  Maybe then, we can return politics to some degree of sanity here.  Maybe then, 80% of the world's adults will stop believing that our Gov't is the greatest threat to stability and peace on Earth.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well
p.s.  Again, for any new readers, I'm not a Republican or a Democrat.

Fed Gov't and Corporate Media Propaganda + Lies by Omission Accelerate

I say this often, but it's true in every case:  if this situation weren't so tragic, it would be comical.  The highest levels of the Fed Gov't and Corporate Media keep pushing this narrative:  our intelligence agencies have proof that the Russian Gov't (now including Putin personally) have hacked our cyber infrastructure and interfered with the recent election.  This claim apparently refers to the hacking of emails and subsequent release of same, not the hacking of voting machines.  Let's examine the two parts of this distraction from what's really important---the content of those emails.

Hacking Our Cyber Infrastructure---
Even if true (& it probably is), here's what our Powers-That-Be are leaving out--- our intelligence agencies hack any institution or person they so desire, at will.  WikiLeaks, The Intercept, The Guardian, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Der Spiegel, and a few others have revealed that (via the Snowden documents) over and over.  Our Gov't even has hacked our allies.  They've even hacked Angela Merkel's cell phone.  Do you think for one minute our Gov't has not hacked Russia, Iran, and China?  Please.  The implied self-righteousness and holier-than-thou attitude of our high-ranking politicians is downright sickening.

Interfering With Our Election---
IF it did "interfere with" or "influence" the recent election, how?  Was it by revealing scurrilous, hidden truths about the Democratic Party Machine and/or Hillary Clinton?  If so, I have no problem with that.  Here's what I do have a problem with:  the hypocrisy and lies-by-omission of the highest levels of the USA Gov't and the Corporate Media.  Over and over in our history, the Fed Gov't has not only interfered with elections in country after country, but also has covertly and overtly overthrown governments... some of those governments were democratically elected.  Let's not forget what our Gov't did in Guatemala, Iran, and Iraq in the 1950's... and what it did at other times in Italy (1948), Laos ('57-'73), Haiti (1959), Cuba (1902-04 & 1961), Ecuador (1961), Congo/Zaire (1961), Dominican Republic (1963), Brazil (1964), Indonesia (1965), Greece (1965 & 1967), Uruguay (1969), Cambodia (1970), Bolivia (1971), Chile (1973), Australia (1975), El Salvador (1979), Haiti (1986 & 1993), and after 9-11, Afghanistan and Iraq.  The previous list represents cases where our Fed Gov't interfered with elections and/or overthrew governments, most of which were democratically elected.  The list is incomplete.  The holier-than-thou attitude of our politicians does nothing but make enemies around the world.  The hypocrisy of our high-ranking representatives surely must be legendary in foreign countries.

I love this Land with great fervor, but despise the (in general) hypocrisy displayed by too many Higher-Ups in our Gov't... both Republicans and Democrats.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Electoral College and a Popular Vote Lead of Over 2.6 Million

Below is my response to an email which stated that the Electoral College system in the USA "makes sense" as evidenced by the fact that of the total number of Counties in our Land, the overwhelming majority voted for Trump.  That email was written when Clinton's popular vote lead was 1.1 million less than it is now.  [My piece below is edited very, very little.]
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The email below apparently was written when Clinton's lead in the popular vote was only 1.5 million.  [It's now over 2.6 million...and still counting.]  It follows, then, that it was a bit premature to say with certainty how many counties voted this way or that way... because the vote count wasn't over.  It still isn't.

But all that aside---

Yes, of course the Electoral College system makes sense... as long as---

1.  You don't believe in democracy, i.e., every vote is equal, every vote is counted, and whoever gets the most votes... wins.  The College always has been weighted in favor of less populous areas; thus, every vote is not equal.  If you're fine with that, then yes, it all makes sense.

2.  You believe a winner in Presidential races should be determined before all the votes are counted.  If you're fine with that, then yes, it makes sense.

3.  You don't believe in the concept that the winner must get the most votes.  If you're fine with that, then yes, it all makes sense.

4.  You accept the fact that when College Electors vote in the actual Presidential election (this time it's on December 19th), they don't have to vote according to the pledges determined when we voted.  They can, instead, vote according to their "consciences"... even if that's the opposite of the pledges.  If you're fine with that, then yes, the Electoral College makes sense.

"Luckily" (so to speak, but not really), except for social hot-button issues, it makes very little to no difference who gets elected President.  Nowadays, they're all Neoliberals... that is, all of them at the highest levels in the two major Parties.  [Any exceptions are fairly quickly marginalized.]  They all have similar beliefs when it comes to significant issues like war, economic policy, monetary policy, the corrupt Fed Reserve, Global business, too-big-to-fail-or-jail Mega Banks, the broken Fed Justice System, the war on the Fourth Amendment, the war on the First Amendment, the war on cash (part of the war on privacy), Corporatism/Crony Capitalism, & a few others.  Plus, Trump shortly will discover that it's high-level, lifelong bureaucrats who run the Gov't, not Presidents.  Especially in the case of Trump v. Clinton, we were shafted no matter who won.

To refer to those who opposed Trump as "whiners" really is hilarious.  Today, the biggest whiner in politics is the Don... he's still whining even after he was elected.

Finally, in case anyone doesn't know, 58% of the electorate opposed Trump AND CLINTON.  [That includes me.]

p.s.  The Don, like all politicians, already has started going back on his campaign promises... even before he takes office.  Example:  he railed against Wall Street insiders, but now is appointing Wall St. insiders to his Admin.  Example:  he said he'd deport the "illegals" (11 million of them); now it's down to about 3 million--- those who are "criminals".  Example:  he said he would launch an investigation into the criminality of Hillary; now that's off the table.  Example:  he said he would register all Muslims; now that's gone as well.  [It's a good thing; such a registry would be blatantly unconstitutional AND unAmerican.]

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Actual Presidential Election is on December 19th

Below is a slightly edited email I sent to a few friends and family members today.  Not that I want her (or Trump) to, and though it's not likely, Clinton still could win the election.  It's certainly not probable, but it is possible under the Electoral College system.
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1.  Technically, the Presidential election is not yet over.

2.  Electors are not bound by the Constitution to vote according to electoral pledges of the election we just had.  Many, but not all, States and/or Parties have rules stating the electors should vote that way...but the fine for noncompliance is below $1,000.

3.  President-Elect Trump is the least popular "winner" (of the pledges) we've had since 1824.

4.  The Electoral College system was set up to favor the less populous States. 

5.  Clinton's lead in the popular vote is now over 2.2 million.

I'm surprised that the Corporate Media are not harping on all this; they clearly favored Clinton during the entire campaign season.  The fact that these two candidates were selected as nominees is a sorry state of political affairs...and in Trump's case, a testament to just how much Americans are (in general) filled with anger & despair because of the policies & actions of the elitist Establishment.  [It's too bad that Trump is, among other things, a rich billionaire Crony Capitalist.]

Boycotting would have sent a more powerful message.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Anarcho What???

Below is my response to an organic farmer friend who responded to the last blog post here with the statement that our country is a Republic, not a Democracy.  [I did some minor editing...nothing important.]
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Precisely.  Too bad 99.99% of politicians keep saying it's a democracy, trying to deceive people...here & abroad.  Telling people that in America every vote counts.  It's plain that's not true. 

I don't know why folks in CA even vote:  Trump was declared the winner long before all the CA votes were counted... fully one-third of those votes had not been counted when the Don was announced as winner... and there were uncounted votes in many other States as well.  Every vote counts, my ass.  Politics & politicians are despicable.  Now ask me what I really think.    [It's a rhetorical statement:]

Despite the propaganda to the contrary regarding Anarchism, what would be better is Anarcho-Syndicalism---an organizational form of direct democracy... and have it go all the way up to the national gov't level.  Then every vote would count.  Of course, we'll never see that in our lifetime.  [Oligarchs would be the big losers, even though property rights still could be protected.]  The majority of Main Street Americans probably don't even know what Anarchism really is; I'm not criticizing them, just stating a fact.  All they know is the propaganda saying it's chaos & destruction.  Not true at all.

Apparently, we'd rather stick with the "Meritocracy" concept.  When that term first was coined, it was in a negative, disparaging way... as it should be.  It bespeaks elitism loud and clear.  At that time, it meant not only selection of rulers based on merit, but also based on membership in the aristocratic class.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Clinton's Lead is Now Over Two Million

Though the election is over and Trump is the President-Elect, Clinton now has over two million more votes than the Don... and there still are uncounted votes.  We have quite an unusual "democracy", eh?  I suggest our leaders stop the hypocrisy, and stop calling our form of gov't a democracy.  Obviously, it isn't.

[I'm in favor of a genuine democracy, but not in favor of either Clinton or Trump.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Clinton's Lead Grows, & the Evil of Two Lessers

As of 11-19-16, Clinton leads Trump by about 1.5 million more votes.  The tally continues.  Because of 240 years of relentless propaganda and indoctrination, we still think we live in a true, participatory democracy.  To those who disagree with that assessment, I suggest watching this series:  Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States... and this documentary as well, Requiem for the American Dream.  Both can be found on Netflix and elsewhere online.

Finally, it's not about Left v. Right anymore.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well
p.s.  Reminder:  58% of us (including me) were not in favor of either major candidate.  We never should vote for the evil of two lessers.  When will we ever learn?

November 16--- The Latest Vote Count

Clinton is about one million votes ahead.  It's a good thing for Trump that the election wasn't in a democracy.  So much for "every vote counts" and "your vote is just as important as the next person's".  I don't agree with Scott Walker on much of anything, but he was right about this--- "Twelve States will elect the next President.".

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say this:  It's too bad for Clinton that the election was in a kinda, sorta, partial democracy.  In any case, it finally should be obvious to everyone that the USA is not a true, participatory democracy.  It never has been.  Propaganda reigns supreme here.  Molding the public mind is the Oligarchy's national pastime... especially regarding the subject of "democracy".

[In case anyone doesn't know--- I wasn't for either one of the major candidates.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

It Turns Out That Trump LOST...

the popular vote.  Plus, almost one-third of the California vote has yet to be counted.  The Don won the election due to the constitutional electoral college system.  It's all legitimate; it just isn't democracy.  I suspect that many Americans don't understand the electoral college system, and further, don't realize that our Founders were not in favor of democracy.  That's why they created a Republic.  Perhaps it's time to reconsider our electoral system.

This is not sour grapes--- I didn't want either one of the major candidates to get elected.  My main point is that Trump and his following most likely believe they have a popular mandate... but that's not true.  He lost the popular vote.

It's a testament to the power & persistence of Propaganda that most Americans believe they're in a true democracy.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

A Con Artist Has Conceded to Another Con Artist!

It just goes to show you:  no one can predict everything with accuracy.  Mea culpa.

Trump borrowed a page from a man he can't stand, Obama:  the Don sold a bit more than half the voters* on HOPE and CHANGE... with little to no details.  I give Trump voters less than a year from January 20th before they become disgruntled.  [I forget how long it took Obama voters to become disgruntled after January 20th, 2009.]  *Later I discovered that he lost the popular vote.

The good news---
1.  IF Trump was sincere, the TPP is dead.
2.  The rule of the dictatorial, major political Parties may be over.
3.  A war with Russia is now somewhat less likely...hopefully, much less likely.
4.  If we're lucky, the Clintons are out of politics.
5.  Wall Street is bewildered.

The bad news---
1.  Trump's economic "plan" consists of only two parts:  put the brakes on so-called "Free Trade" deals, and Trickle-Down Economics.  Only the first part of that is good.  The second part doesn't work because of false assumptions.
2.  America's Police State will grow... especially if Giuliani is in the Cabinet.
3.  Crony Capitalism will expand.
4.  The economy will worsen.  First will come the next Financial Crisis... soon.
5.  The Super-Rich will get richer.
6.  The Middle Class will continue to be hollowed out.
7.  The Poor are just plain shafted.
8.  The International Financial Coterie has won... the next Financial Crisis will make them even richer, and increase their Power.
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The Asian Stock Markets already are taking a nosedive:  the Nikkei is down almost 1,000 points; the Hang Seng is down almost 500.  Let's see what happens when the NYSE opens... hopefully, not much.

Good Luck to Us All
Be Well

Why Trump Will Lose...Big Time

Preface
Again, a reminder that I am vehemently against both Clinton and Trump.  Both of them are Corporatists and serve the so-called 1%...the Oligarchy.  [I'm aware that Trump True Believers don't believe that about their man, but they are dead wrong.]  By the way, Corporatism is not Free Market Capitalism.  Corporatism is Crony Capitalism, AKA, Fascism...the perfect marriage of the State to Big Biz.
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In politics, one cannot be 100% certain that any prediction will be accurate.  That's because politics arguably is the most despicable profession in existence; one never knows what sleaziness is going on behind the scenes.  Nevertheless, based on Logic and plain ol' common sense, here's why Trump will be buried at the polls today.  [It's now about 2:40 AM (Mountain Time) on Election Day.]  He has about one chance in a trillion of winning.

1.  The billionaires at the highest levels on Wall Street want Clinton to win; they usually get what they want.

2.  The majorities of the following groups will vote for the Corporatist Clinton, rather than the Corporatist Trump:  Millennials (ages 18-35, 31% of the electorate), Latinos (15% of the electorate), Blacks, all other minorities, college-educated Whites, Women (52% of the electorate), Independents (42% of the electorate), and the Super-Rich.  All of them together make up the overwhelming majority of voters.  Game over.

Trump supporters don't appear to get it--- this election is pretty much a repeat of the Goldwater v. Johnson election in 1964.  I'm intimately familiar with that fiasco.  One of the major differences between the two elections is this:  after his devastating loss, Goldwater went on to become a Senior Statesman... well respected by both Repubs and Dems.  That won't happen with Trump.
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The real winners in this election are the Mega, Globalist Financiers of the world... the Ruling Oligarchy.  The election should have been boycotted on a massive scale.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Here's the REAL Clinton...and Obama

The piece (at the link) below is from Bill Moyers and the publisher of Harper's, John R. MacArthur.  It's almost two years old, so it gives insight into the fact that the Dem Party higher-ups promoted the Corporatists and marginalized the Populists regarding this current election.

Once Madam Pres gets elected, she'll again change her mind about the TPP & be in favor of it...more jobs will evaporate, & more factories will move overseas (most likely to Malaysia and Vietnam).  Count on it.  Low-paying service jobs and part-time and/or temp. positions here will expand.

"Free Trade" Agreements are not primarily about Trade; instead, they're about investments and proprietary agreements.  They enable the hollowing out of the Middle Class in our country.  They overwhelmingly benefit the Oligarchy, not Main Street.  They evaporate American manufacturing and jobs.  Clinton, Obama, Schumer, McConnell, McCain, and many other Corporatist national politicians promote and support them.

This all reminds me of Ross Perot & Al Gore discussing NAFTA---Perot was right on the mark ("All you'll hear is the loud sucking sound of jobs rushing to Mexico..."), and Gore was dead wrong ("NAFTA will create more jobs here").  As predicted by Perot, one million jobs were lost here because of NAFTA.  The TPP will be much worse.

Trump (for other reasons) AND Clinton = disaster for the Lower & Middle Classes in this country.  Boycott the election, or vote for a worthy alternative candidate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0rA1oCp4_g&list=WL&index=38

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Third "Presidential" Debate, 2016

If this whole situation weren't so tragic, it would be absolutely comical.  The performances of both candidates can be summarized with the following words---

deceit
misdirection
avoidance
pettiness
rudeness
propaganda
elitism
farcical
ridiculous
tragic

These two puppets are supposed to be the best this country has to offer for the highest leadership position in the Land.  Good grief---no matter who wins, we are totally shafted.  With one, we'll get who-knows-what...and craziness.  With the other, we'll get much more Neoliberalism...which is a polite form of craziness, elitism, and economic disaster.  With both, we'll get acceleration of the rush to NeoFeudalism... and probably WAR.

Boycott the election, or vote for a worthy alternative candidate.  Boycotting is best because the election already is over---whichever candidate is installed into office in January, the International Financial Coterie has won.  SSDD.  All we can do is send a powerful, peaceful, legal message (by boycotting), and then work outside the corrupt system to eliminate elitism-Neoliberalism-Oligarchy and bring about genuine democracy.  STEP ONE is to stop drinking the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid being promulgated by the State-Corporate-Financial Complex.

This election is the worst political farce I've seen in my entire life...and I was born in 1942.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Second Presidential Debate, 2016

Mostly SSDD.

Interrupting each other again, but this time a bit less of that...especially by Clinton.  Both candidates regularly exceeded their response time limits, and did so while talking over the moderators' pleas to stop.  The same amount of personal sniping at each other was present...of little to no interest to us, and completely unprofessional.  A tiny bit more discussion of the issues, but that primarily was due to audience questions.

Here's what was glaringly obvious in this debate:  national politicians are masters at either avoiding the question, or answering in such generalities as to make the answer essentially meaningless.  Both Clinton and Trump did that over and over and over.

So, we had a debate set up by a private corporation (the Commission on Presidential Debates), moderated by reps from mega corporations, with two candidates who are Corporatists.  Oh, for the days of the League of Women Voters running the show.  What we have now is a farce.

Clinton's biggest misstep probably was her handling of the question concerning her leaked, taped statement of awhile back that went something like this (paraphrased):  At times, a politician has to have a public stance and a private stance.  [In other words, politicians have to be two-faced.]  This, of course, is pretty much true; that's one reason politicians are despicable.  Hillary's answer to that question was revealing (paraphrased):  Um...[hem-haw], I believe I was talking about Abraham Lincoln [hem-haw]...um...etc.  She then very quickly changed the subject.  I gauge the probability of that answer being an outright lie at about 90-95%.

Trump's biggest misstep probably was that, except for slashing taxes & eliminating regulations, he rarely ever says HOW he's going to accomplish this, that, or the other.  Slashing taxes and eliminating regs has been tried...more than once.  It didn't work; it only made the rich into the Super-Rich.  The trouble with Trickle-Down economics is that it assumes Big Biz will invest in USA manufacturing, new ventures, new products, etc.---all requiring new employees---instead of investing in foreign currencies, foreign bonds, foreign factories, bizarre financial derivatives, etc., or simply socking the extra money away somewhere offshore...all of which require no employees.

Right after WW II through the 1950's and into the very early 1960's was the greatest period of prosperity ever known in this country.  It was known as the Golden Age of [American] Capitalism.  During that time of tremendous economic expansion, corporations were taxed at a 90% rate.  They now pay (if at all) a 35% rate; Trump wants to lower it to 15%.

As to war, both candidates favor different versions of it.

There was no discussion, or sometimes no significant discussion, about:  the gutting of the Middle Class, the coup of Financialization, the Recession in which we find ourselves, the various economic/financial Bubbles ongoing, Climate Change, the ongoing one trillion dollar Fed Gov't nuclear weapons program, our current Police/Surveillance State, the broken Fed Criminal Justice System, the failed War on Drugs, Crony Capitalism, USA Hegemony, and a few other significant issues.

For the most part, the candidates squabbled about the past, sniped at each other, and had very little to say (except for broad generalities) about the future.  According to the corporate moderators and the Corporatist Trump & Clinton, the most pressing issues facing the country apparently are:  Trump's comments about women, Trump's taxes, Clinton's emails, Bill Clinton's marital affairs, and other such trivia.  Talk about distraction from what's really important...good grief!

Neither one of these candidates should be President of the USA.  Both are shills for Corporatism and the Globalist Oligarchy.

The Kabuki Theater continues...on & on.  Wall Street and the CRONY Capitalists are the Directors.  Carroll Quigley's International Financial Coterie is the Academy.  The Oligarchs already have won the election.  Our best hope for avoiding the fairly imminent NeoFeudalism that's coming and the continued hollowing out of the Middle Class is peaceful, direct action outside the Rotten System...such as boycotting the election, or (if you must) voting for a worthy alternative candidate.  On a massive scale, either of those actions would send a powerful message.  Unfortunately, because of unending Edward Bernays style Propaganda, I don't see either of those things happening this year; but, one always can dream.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Once Again: Trump is Trumped by Trump

Here's my latest email to family and friends---
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RE:  tonight's news---

The man's mouth again reassures me that my prediction is correct:  barring extreme unforeseen circumstances, the Don will be slaughtered in the upcoming election.  Too bad that Clinton is a rich, two-faced Corporatist...much like Trump.  That's about his only hope, however slim, of winning.  Wall Street prefers Clinton; and it looks like they're going to get her.  Whichever one wins, we lose.
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The Kabuki Theater continues.

Boycott the election, or vote for a worthy "Third Party" candidate.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Carroll Quigley on the Major Political Parties

"The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers."  Carroll Quigley

Carroll Quigley. BrainyQuote.com, Xplore Inc, 2016. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/carroll_quigley.html, accessed September 18, 2016.

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It's astounding to me that today many people still think there are significant differences between the Democrats and Republicans...especially regarding the economy, finance, mega banking, foreign policy, USA hegemony, Corporatism, Gov't deficit spending, the trashing of the Constitution, Orwellian policies, and war.  American history, particularly in the last 26 years, proves otherwise.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Democratic & Republican Hierarchies FEAR Third Parties

Evidence of the truth of the title above can be found in the refusal to allow any Third Parties to participate in the upcoming Presidential Debates.  That refusal is the policy of the private corporation that manages the debates.  Republican & Democratic "aristocrats" run that corporation.  Evidence also can be found in harsh Ballot-Access Laws put in place by Dems & Repubs.

What are they afraid of...why do they fear Third Party participation?  It's simple:  Third Parties primarily talk about significant issues instead of personalities.  The very last things that elite Dems & Repubs want to talk about are the issues.  Look at the current campaign.  Except for a few Hot-Button social issues, the candidates of the Repub-Dem Party mostly talk about how horrible is each one's opponent.  Major issues either are not mentioned, or glossed over in a cursory way.  Neither candidate talks in depth about our controversial military adventures overseas, or our failing economy, or our support of dictators in various parts of the world, or our crumbling infrastructure at home, or the failed "War on Drugs", or the broken Fed Criminal Justice System, or the Israeli-Palestinian problem (& our part in it), or Climate Change, or the fact that for 2-3 decades wages have been stagnant while the incomes of the Super-Rich increased 700%, or the trashing of the Fourth Amendment, or Legislative Absolutism, or Executive Absolutism, or the Fed's failed Monetary Policy, or the WTO problem, or the TPP problem, or the Trans-Atlantic Trade Agreement problem (the acronym once was TATA, but they keep changing the name of that Agreement...I don't know what it is currently), or the Eminent Domain problem, or the Money/Debt Bubble problem, or the Wall Street Mega Bank Casino Capitalism problem, or Crony Capitalism in general, or the $1.5 quadrillion Derivatives Bubble problem...and on & on.

Noam Chomsky is right when he states that major political candidates are marketed just like toothpaste--- the objective is to get uninformed consumers/voters to make irrational choices about vaguely-described products/candidates.  [I refer you especially to Obama's 2008 Campaign...he won a top marketing award from the Ad Industry for that Hope-Change-Yes-We-Can effort.]  The last thing the Powers-That-Be want is for voters to be informed on the issues and thus make rational choices about candidates whose positions on issues are described in depth.  The second-to-the-last-thing they want is to have Third Party candidates who concentrate on the issues get on the ballot in all 50 States and speak in debates watched by millions of Americans.

There is no true, participatory democracy in the USA; there is, however, a Rigged System.  Boycott the national elections...or at the very least, vote for a worthy Third Party candidate.  Dump the Repub-Dem Party.  [As the Pulitzer-Prize-Winning journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out on Democracy Now today, the Clinton Dem Party is to the Right of Dubya Bush regarding Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank.  There really is only one major Party in this Land.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Extreme Ignorance of the Don... and the Rigged Game

Let me state again at the outset:  I don't support Clinton, either.  In fact, there isn't a single candidate running this year that I would even consider supporting... not necessarily because of the individual, but rather because the entire System is rigged.  In the present Crony Capitalist atmosphere, it doesn't really matter at all in any significant way who gets into high office.  For that to matter, first the corruption must be changed by peaceful pressure from outside the Rigged Game.  People have been trying to change it from the inside for at least about 100 years...no luck.

Donald Trump can't be a serious candidate...not with the statements he has made for months now.  I'm beginning to suspect that his only function is to guarantee the coronation of Clinton.  Following are just a few of (supposedly) the Don's beliefs... which are extremely ill-informed.

1.  He stated today or yesterday that Iran is the biggest supporter/promoter of State-sponsored terrorism in the entire world.  One only can assume that by "terrorism" he means that of ISIS and Al Qaida... you know, the ones who are Sunnis... the ones who are the sworn enemies of Iran... that same Iran that is in the Shia sect of Islam.  Apparently (& we certainly don't know this for a fact) Trump is unaware that there's a Sunni-Shia civil (or religious) war going on throughout the Muslim portion of the Middle East.  I find it quite incredible that a major candidate for national office here would be unaware of such a thing.

2.  Not long ago, he stated that Obama was the "Founder of ISIS".  He didn't explain why, but I'm fairly sure where that reasoning lies.  [By the way, I'm certainly no fan of Obama's...I think he's a Corporatist and a Perpetual War Hawk, as well as a gross violator of the Constitution.]  It is true that when Obama took office in January, 2009, he was in a big hurry to exit Iraq.  After we left that country, the U.S.-installed Shia gov't there began to oppress the Sunni residents even more...and the Muslim civil war continued, thus giving rise to ISIS (disaffected Sunnis).  Trump's reasoning, however, ignores the Americans who were 99% responsible for generating ISIS:  Dick Cheney, Dubya Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Paul Bremer, and a whole slew of behind-the-scenes NeoCon theorists.  By the time Obama first got in office, the whole thing already was a complete shambles.

3.  His statements regarding "extreme vetting" and Cold War style identification & handling of those "hostile to our values" essentially is a call to return to the McCarthyism of the 1950's.  Any major candidate calling for such a thing nowadays would have to be a total ignoramus.  That rhetoric appeals to perhaps 10-15% of the electorate...and turns off everyone else.  No serious candidate would ever make such a proposal... because instituting that policy would be completely un-American.  [Instead of "Hoo-ah", the Don's call to action is "H.U.A.C.".]  Anyone who can't see why that would be an extremely dangerous, slippery slope simply is not thinking on all cylinders.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Trump Wonders Why We Can't Use Nuclear Weapons???

As reported on Democracy Now, according to MSNBC's Joe Scarborough--- months ago a foreign policy expert went to advise the Don, and three times Trump asked (regarding nuclear weapons), "If we have them, why can't we use them?".  If true, that's the only reason anyone needs to dump Trump.

Clinton should be dumped as well...simply because she's a Neoliberal, Perpetual War Hawk.  Don't take my word for it--- ask Bill Moyers, Cornel West, Chris Hedges, Jeremy Scahill, Ralph Nader, and many others... listed on a previous post on this site.

This is the year to opt out of the corrupt, Rigged Game.  If you don't think so, Google this Neoliberal Think Tank Report---  "Extending American Power: Strategies to Expand U.S. Engagement in a Competitive World Order".  Just what we don't need--- an extension of American Power.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Farcical Kabuki Theater Election Campaigns Continue

NOTE:  number 3 below was edited on 7-31-16.

1.  It's all about the individual personal traits of the candidates.  There has been close to nothing said about the ISSUES, especially not anything with any semblance of depth.

2.  Trump continues to speak as though he's purposely throwing the election...about hacking Clinton's emails, and wanting to "hit" speakers at the Dem Convention, etc., etc.  The Don is not Presidential.

3.  Clinton continues to say whatever the Main Street Dems want to hear...even though her record is almost totally the opposite of what she is saying.  Hillary is a Neoliberal Corporatist and a Perpetual War Hawk... ask the following people what they think about that statement:  Chris Hedges, John Pilger, Jeremy Scahill, Cornel West, Michael Hudson, Steve Keen, John Perkins, Glenn Greenwald, Julian Assange, Eddie Glaude, Jill Stein, and many others.  They all agree.

4.  As far as can be seen by an examination of a wide variety of news sources, about two million votes STILL have not been counted in the California Primary Election a short while ago.  Clinton "won" over Sanders by 440,000 votes or so.  Well...maybe.  We don't know that for certain.

5.  The Repub Hierarchy continues to ignore (some with disdain) their Party's candidate.  Again, this is highly suggestive of throwing the election.

6.  Kaine has the gall to reference his experiences in Honduras (1980-1981) and what it was like to witness life in a dictatorship, but fails to mention that the dictatorship was installed and supported by the U.S. Gov't.  He says all this on the heels of Clinton supporting a different, 2009 (I think that was the year) military coup and dictatorship in Honduras.  That country keeps getting SSDD from our Gov't, including from former Secretary of State, Clinton.

7.  Some Main Street Repubs (maybe 20% of registered voters), many who are so-called "Conservatives" (which nowadays means NeoCons or Neoliberals), continue to support a guy who is neither Republican or Conservative.  Furthermore, Trump shows little knowledge of or respect for the U.S. Constitution.  [In that respect, he's exactly like most high-level, national, "Establishment" politicians.]

8.  At the Dem Convention, Obama claimed that Hillary was the most qualified candidate for President, man or woman, in our history.  Please, Mr. President...you can't possibly be serious.  Your statement bespeaks a lack of knowledge concerning the history of this Land...or, a deal you made with Clinton back when...or, who knows what.
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Politics in the two major Parties (which really are only one Party) is nothing but the illusion of choice and a distraction from the truly significant issues affecting our country.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well