Politics
In this section, I will share some articles that I have written about the political scene in the United States. My only purpose is to share my opinions and thoughts. I certainly do not want to offend anyone. We can certainly disagree and remain friends. The Politics section has four chapters.
Impeachment Hoax
You can color me sad and angry! I do not usually make political posts; however, what I have just observed during this last week really scares the daylight out of me. I must be a masochist as I watched about 99% of the impeachment inquiry hearings. What a disaster for this country! It is probably the best example of a kangaroo court that one could ever find. Adam Schiff has to be the most unlikable person that I have ever observed in my 72 years on this planet and the process (unfair rules) that the majority party has followed is something that one might find in Russia or a second world dictatorship. It was an exercise in the concept of announcing a verdict and then looking for a crime. (What polls best in the Democrats focus groups? Is it quid pro quo, is it bribery, is it witness intimidation, or is it obstruction of justice?) The one thing that I find consoling is that Schiff and the Democrats most likely will be punished at the ballot box – and possibly in the justice system (see FISA warrant abuse). Also, early polls of independent voters in some of the 31 districts won by Democrats that also gave Trump a majority in the 2016 election have already suggested that the impeachment process has had the opposite effect of what the Dems desired. We will have to wait and see!
You may ask, why did you watch? Let me give a short answer. I do not form opinions based on my friends’ opinions, TV news pundits’ opinions, or editorials in the print media. My opinions are based on the information that I, personally, am able to collect, sift, organize, condense, and analyze. I watched because I just wanted to determine if I still would have the same opinions after watching it on live TV. (I guess that I was looking for validation and reinforcement!) For that same reason, I do not usually share posts from others’ Facebook posts. I feel that if it is a post worth posting under my name that it should be my informed opinion in my own words – not words from CNN, Fox News, the Huffington Post, MSNBC, Occupy Democrats, or one of my Facebook friends. That just happens to be one of my idiosyncrasies. Each of us has our own way of doing things and personal rules that we follow and that is all perfectly fine and good.
Before I began my musings, let me make a disclaimer. I am not a Democrat and I am not an establishment Republican. I am a conservative. I do not like some of the personal characteristics of President Donald J Trump (particularly his salty language or his continuous tweeting) and I do not agree with him on everything, nevertheless, I think he has been an outstanding president. (In my 72 years, I can only include Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan in my list of outstanding presidents.) As many of you may know, I grew up in a family of Democrats. In the county (Mississippi) and the state (Missouri) where I was born, the Democratic Party always easily won elections. Furthermore, in 1964, I was minimally involved in the campaign of the Honorable Warren E Hearns of Charleston for Governor of Missouri. (I attended high school in Charleston) He served from 1965 to 1973. I became disillusioned and apolitical in 1969 as the Democratic Party nominated George McGovern as their candidate for president. He was even too liberal for my father and grandfather who were staunch Democrats.
In the late 70s, as I was working on my Masters Degree, I became fully convinced that I could not vote for anyone that followed the tenets of the Democratic Party platform unless they made significant changes. Some of my economics professors at the University of Illinois were full-fledged anti-capitalists and pushed “share the wealth” concepts. This went against all my past beliefs as I fully believed in the American dream, which consisted of working hard, keeping one’s nose clean, and obtaining a good education or trade. As my work life began in the 70s, I did experience my share of gender, race, and political discrimination which I overcame. As you know, the 70’s and 80’s was the era of affirmative action and it was particularly strong in Illinois government. My point is that the playing field was not level during my work tenure from 1972-2004. Also, I want to debunk the idea of “white privilege’. I was white, middle class (not rich or poor), and not politically connected, and I was drafted. I offer that I had a successful career even though, as a white male non-partisan, I met obstacles that I had to overcome. Was there and is there discrimination in the workplace? Most certainly. But one should not try to correct discrimination with more discrimination. Quotas go against everything that is fair and just! And look what they (quotas) have bought us. As a country, we will never be as strong as we can be until we drop the ridiculous idea that diversity, in itself, somehow makes us a stronger nation. (That is political correctness gone amuck!) In many cases, diversity makes us weaker! Pulling and coming together for the same goal – not diversity is what makes us a strong country!
After watching the hearings, what did I learn? First, I think the number one thing was that Adam Schiff likes to hear himself talk and that President.Trump should be paying Mr. Schiff rent for residing in his head! Poor Adam has a severe case of (TDS) Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Second, I once was a bureaucrat and understand the inherent thought processes of bureaucrats. I think that many of the non-elected witnesses that were asked to testify were butthurt because they did not have as much power as they thought they had. (see Lt. Colonel Vindmand and Dr. Hill) and the President and the President alone has final say on US policy – not bureaucrats. Their job is to carry out those policies! If they had a problem with that, they should have resigned I think many of their egos and feelings simply got hurt!
Third, I think Adam Schiff actually outed the whistleblower with his interruption of a question for Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. I, therefore, have concluded that Mr. Vindman is the leaker to Eric Ciarmella. I share many similarities with Lt. Colonel Vindman. I have worn a fancy blue uniform like the one he wore at the hearing. I have earned many of the same medals that he has including the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB). I also was a ranger and we both trained at Ft. Benning, Ga. Notable differences include that he was born in the Ukraine and he was an officer while I was an NCO. Further, I only wore the dress blue uniform on special formal occasions. Mr. Vindman usually wears a suit and tie in his daily job. Did he wear the dress blue uniform thinking that it gave him more credibility? I agree that Mr. Vindman has an interesting background story as an immigrant; nevertheless, he came across as an arrogant snot as he chastised one of his questioners (a civilian) for calling him Mr, Vindman instead of Lt. Colonel Vindman. I only know of one other person who did something similar. That was Senator Barbara Boxer of California who a few years ago chastised a hearing witness for calling her Ms. instead of Senator. What a show of utmost disrespect to Lt. Colonel Vindman and Senator Boxer by those witnesses (lol).
Finally, I agree that President Trump did something that was inappropriate, but I do not think it meets the criteria of an impeachable offense. If it does, I would have to argue that Mr, Biden’s braggadocious video about getting Ukranian Prosecutor General Shokin fired and President Obama’s recorded comment to Russian President Medvedev on an open mike to ”Tell Vlad that I can be more flexible after the election” are on the same level of inappropriateness. But not a whimper from the Democrats and their major ally, the so-called “mainstream US press.
I will note that the impeachment process actually began before the 2016 election. Mr. Trump was a different kind of politician. The establishment from both parties and the news media have fought him every step of the way. It is absolutely amazing that he has accomplished what he has, thus far, given those almost impossible odds. My honest opinion is that the Democrats have handed the Republicans a gift. The Democrats in the House will impeach and the Senate will acquit. In the process, Joe Biden will seriously be damaged and Adam Schiff will be exposed as having unethical meetings with Eric Ciarmella. More importantly, in the process, a new precedent has been established and, as a result, the U.S. Constitution will be damaged. We must pray that the Republicans do not try to retaliate with the next duly-elected Democrat Party president that they dislike with ‘trumped’ up charges. (pun intended). I sincerely hope that after this fiasco that Congress can get back to work on what it was elected to do. And that is doing the people’s business!
Yes, my old party has actually run off the rails with its attacks on the first and second amendments and other issues. I respect the flag! I respect law enforcement! I respect the military! I support the constitution! I respect human life! I believe that the most heinous act than one can commit is the murder of an innocent baby. I believe that all illegals in this country should be sent back to their country of origin and that any government, law enforcement organization, or social service or religious organization that provides sanctuary should be held accountable for aiding and abetting criminals. Being in this country without proper documentation, ( i.e. il – legal), by definition, makes one a criminal. We must be a country of laws. Otherwise, we do not have a country. Until my old party get its train back on the tracks, I will not consider it worthy of my vote!
I apologize if I am coming across as snarky and sarcastic, but I love this country and I think that we may be only one election away from becoming a banana republic (see Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Elizabeth Warren). I guess that, given that we only have a few years left on this planet according to some of the famous and renowned climate experts such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, and Greta Thunberg, I really should not be so concerned about the short future of our great nation. But I am! May God continue to bless America! And my prayer is offered for Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and all other parties.
Article - I had a Dream
Sometimes it is difficult to discern the difference between dreams and reality. Last night I had a vivid dream or more accurately a nightmare. My dream began with my wife and I driving on Interstate 75 between Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida. All of a sudden, I heard a siren and noticed lights flashing behind me. The state trooper motioned for me to pull over. About a minute later, another vehicle with two men in business suits pulled in front of me. The trooper asked me to get out of the car and show him my driver’s license. The trooper suggested to my wife that she just drive home and forget about this incident. He assured her that I would be fine as long as I cooperated. The two men in business suits then escorted me over to the blue SUV that they had parked in front of my car. I did find it quite strange that the trooper did not come along with us. Obviously perturbed, I asked in a loud, abnormal voice, “what is going on and who are you guys?” One of the two men answered the first of my questions with a blunt response “you are going to see the boss.” “What did I do?” I screamed. The second man then replied, “calm down, I think it’s about something that you posted on social media. Now, just sit tight and you will find out soon enough.”
As we were traveling in the northbound lane of I – 75, I was suddenly blindfolded as we approached the right turn off of I-75 onto SR 70. Now, this is getting more eerie! We drove about 5 minutes before turning onto a bumpy gravel road. I was taken out of the SUV and was told to sit down on the concrete floor of what I surmised was a warehouse. I had heard what sounded like a large sliding overhead door open and then close. After about 10 minutes of waiting in the warehouse, I heard a familiar noise that sounded like a helicopter! Even though I am almost deaf, I know the sound of a helicopter when I hear it! My captors escorted me to the chopper where I remained quietly for what seemed to be a 3 or 4-hour flight.
Upon arriving at our destination, the two men jerked me out of the chopper (still blindfolded) and helped me walk down three flights of stairs. (I felt like I missed about every third step!) Apparently, we had landed on a helipad on top of a building. Finally, I was forcibly plopped into a chair. With my blindfold removed, I could see that I was sitting alone in an office reception area. What was this clandestine operation all about? The first thing I saw was the three large letters ‘DNC’ on the wall in front of me. It is bizarre that the first thing that popped into my mind was ‘dilation and curettage’ but I could not figure out how that in any way applied to me. Then, one of my two new travel companions said to the young lady at the reception desk, “let the boss know that Mr. Morrow is here”. She replied, “Mr. S is speaking with Rachel from MSNBC right now, so it will be awhile.” My two captors told me to sit tight and not try to escape as there were security officers stationed at every outside door and that they would use force, if necessary. I had been there about ten minutes when a very tall man who looked very familiar came in and asked the receptionist if George was free. She replied, “no, Mr. Comey, he will be awhile!” Did I understand her to say Mr. Comey? Yes, of course, I had seen him on TV before! This was James Comey.
I now knew that my wait was going to be quite long. After a while, I asked the receptionist for directions to the bathroom. She replied, “you go out that door and turn”. I rudely interrupted with ’radically left’ before she could get the word ‘left’ out of her mouth. I almost gagged when she said if you identify as a male you should use the first one on the left and if you … I blurted out that I identify as a snowflake and that global warming is going to get the best of me if I do not hurry – so which one should I use? (I immediately regretted and was embarrassed by my rude behavior toward this pretty young lady as I usually am very civil and respectful to everyone! Further, I had temporarily forgotten that I actually was being held captive! Finally, I said to myself, Glen, you have never been such a tough guy before – so why be so macho now when there have been several prior, more appropriate occasions?) The young lady’s pretty face flushed and her mouth had dropped as she could only muster up a nasty, cold stare as I departed.
After my nature break, I decided to explore this office building a little more. I wandered into another hallway that had doors on both sides. Almost all the doors were slightly ajar and I could hear talking inside some of the rooms. Each door had a sign posted above it. As I walked down the hall I noticed signs for AP, Snopes, AARP, PolitiFact, Huffington Post, Occupy Democrats, Riden with Biden, Reuters, AFL-CIO, ANTIFA, SEIU, NAACP, United Mine Workers, AFSCME, CIA, FBI, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, Reverend Al Sharpton, Barack Obama, Planned Parenthood, Americans for Globalization, Southern Poverty Law Center, BLM, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, Time Magazine, Mother Jones, Greta Thunberg, John Brennan, James Clapper, Susan Rice, Eric C., Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, James Comey, Christine Blasey-Ford, Robert Mueller, Andrew McCabe, Rod Rosenstein, Joe Biden, Mitt Romney, Jeff Flake, John Kasich, Alexandra Chalupa, and President Hillary Clinton.
Wow, what kind of office building was this? I recognized all of the names, except one, but I have only scouted the first of the three floors? Then I recalled seeing the letters ‘DNC’. Not a total dummy, I immediately dismissed the possibility that this was the office for the ‘Do Not Call’ registry. With those names on the doors, I would think that it would not require mensa potential to realize that I actually was now standing in the offices of the Democratic National Committee. Yep, no doubt about it, but why was I being detained. What mess had I gotten myself into?
As I walked by the door with a sign reading Eric C., I saw Adam Schiff sitting inside talking to someone. Eric C. was the only name on the doors that I did not recognize. Who is Eric C.? I heard Mr. Schiff say, “Eric, talk to Christine, down the hall. She has been there and done that. It really has paid dividends for her! Further, John Brennan and Joe Biden will be extremely proud of you and the Democratic Party will forever be indebted to you for sharing what you know to be the truth! You may not even have to testify. I do appreciate your coming on board with us back in 2016 as part of our insurance policy.”
Since I had been gone for almost 15 minutes, I decided that I should probably return to the reception area. After all, the “boss” could be waiting to see me. I asked the receptionist “is the boss ready for me yet?” Her reply surprised me. “Mr Sor” and her voice trailed “I mean Mr. S told me that it really is Mr. Zuckerberg that wants to talk to you. I will tell him you are back from the ‘men’s’ room, (she emphasized the ‘men’s’ part so I think I may have gotten through to her with my rude and sarcastic behavior!) It was not even two minutes before someone came and took me to Mr. Zuckerberg’s office.
I was escorted to the second floor. I passed by offices labeled Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, You Tube, and Google. After our introduction, Mr. Zuckerberg stated that this is the technology floor of the DNC and that the technology groups work well with the first and third floor personnel. Then, he got to the point. “it has been brought to my attention that you have posted a few times disparaging our algorithm about the number of posts received each day from social media friends”. Taken aback, I responded, “well, only twice. I was only addressing the absurdity of people who actually took it serious and posted that ‘it’ (posting a specific statement) works before the poster had even seen the results of his post!” By the way, why does that matter? Mr. Zuckerberg retorted “think dollars”. Every time someone makes that particular post, the DNC pays us x amount of dollars. You see, what the post really does is harvest all of that poster’s friends’ email addresses and sends them here to DNC headquarters. The DNC then uses that list to solicit donations and send subliminal messages touting the Democratic party and their preferred candidates – so you can see why we are asking you to immediately cease and desist.
I responded that, as an economist, I get that and do now truly understand why I was brought here as I could be affecting your bottom line. Mr. Zuckerberg, what I do not understand, however, is how you all were able to find me in Florida and bring me here as my facebook profile shows my address as Illinois. How was that possible? All I will say, Mr. Morrow is that the powers that be have a long reach and unlimited power. You do use google and other internet applications and surely know about tracking – don’t you? And surely you are aware of how we followed Carter Page, George Papadopoulos, and General Flynn online, aren’t you? I will concede, however, that it has been much more difficult with Mr. Barr at the helm. As you can see, there are many special interests including the news media, past and present government officials, several law enforcement agencies, and powerful people that are all located here under one roof. We do coordinate and cooperate with each other. You understand that this program has been working nicely for decades and, there really is one man on the 3rd floor behind the curtain.
Thankfully, my wife’s sharp elbow caused me to extract myself from this frightening nightmare. She informed me that I had been kicking, turning, and screaming “he is the whistleblower – he is the whistleblower”! Now fully awake, I began to wonder if I had been watching too much c-span. As a capitalist, anti-globalist, and patriot, I now have a much greater fear of what lies ahead for America. This dream only validates and reinforces the point that there is at least one man now standing up against that globalization and for the life that we have known and come to love since our inception as a country. That is why the news media and establishment of both parties want to bring him down!
My only regret regarding my dream is that it did not divulge the name of the man on the third floor behind the curtain; however, my short stay in the reception area provided some clues. Mr. Comey called him George and the receptionist slipped and called him Mr. Sor, So it is George Sor——. I just wish that I was the sharpest tool in the toolbox, but I am not. I will continue to work on this as I think it could be an important breakthrough just to determine who this George Sor guy could be! While I am at it, I also will try to find out what this man named Eric C. is all about. Finally, I want to know the true identity of the whistleblower. ( I have always thought that it was that pompous Lt. Colonel Vindman!) I really have a lot of work to do!
Disclaimer: This was a dream. This is satire! Unfortunately, the impeachment of President Trump is not a dream and is very real! Mr. Zuckerberg’s comment about this program being carried on for decades really troubled me. All lovers of this nation and our way of life should consider the real threat of socialism and a one world government. It is a “clear and present danger”! God bless the USA!
A Smart Psychologist
A smart psychologist friend of mine once stated, when you have your convention rigged, you have your debates rigged, and you have your polls rigged, and your pals in the media say you can’t possibly lose. And then you lose to a bunch of deplorables and to of all people “Donald J. Trump”. What can you expect?
NO !!!! You will NEVER, EVER live that down and get over it. And the longest temper tantrum in this country’s history continues. He stated that the only way to recover is to search for a safe space and attack your case of TDS straight on!
The Kavanaugh Hearings
Have you been watching the Kavanaugh hearings? It has been a real travesty. It appears that the facts, fairness, and the rule of law does not matter to my former party. Attack, smear, and destroy one’s reputation seems to be their mantra. I am embarrassed and regret that I used to be one of them! After watching every moment of this hearing I have a very uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I am appalled at the actions of many of the Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee. This is what I observed.
Spartacus Booker is such a hypocrite and continues to be nasty although, in his recent book, he admits to groping a young lady. Sen. Blumenthal has a lot of nerve to judge anyone relating to integrity as he is a documented liar about his service in Vietnam. Where would Senator Harris be in the political arena without her main squeeze, Mayor Willie? I did get some comedic relief when Senator Whitehouse continued to press Judge Kavanaugh about a calendar entry relating to flatulence. Senator Hirono, most likely, would be disqualified from any jury duty due to her stating publicly that all men are evil. To me, the worst of the bunch is Senator Durbin of Illinois. He seems to make a lot of statements that he has to apologize for. One example is that he compared the prison guards at Guantánamo to the Nazis regime. My last observation relates to Senator Feinstein. She receives an anonymous complaint, does not share it with anyone, and then recommends an activist democratic law firm to represent Ms. Ford.
Finally, the whiny little Ms. Ford takes the cake. I do not find her believable. She sounds very rehearsed. I do think the Dems got what they wanted from her but I do not think it will work. It just does not pass the smell test!
I think the Republicans made a mistake by wasting time in the morning with their female lawyer who did little damage to Ms. Ford’s credibility. The Republican senators were able to fluster her in the afternoon .
Although wounded, I predict that Judge Kavanaugh will be confirmed in a close vote. I will be watching the senators from Alaska, Maine, and West Virginia. Their votes may make the difference.