Bits and Pieces

Just a short travel today through the issues of the day:

Bernie vs Hillary: I prefer Hillary because she is well prepared to govern. That means she understands the pitfalls before her and will have to work hard to compromise and work with a lot of people who oppose her. She had eight years of exposure to this negative work environment while her husband was the President. Seemingly Republicans invented hateful politics back in those days. They have grown only worse leading up to today’s gridlock in Congress. I doubt Bernie’s embracing a revolution will gain any traction in the Capitol building. It will be hard enough for Hillary. He can help her in many ways attain the same goals they both share.

So it’s time to unite behind Hillary and move on to the convention and the fall campaign. Please.

Trump et.al.: Well the Republicans are in a mess. Trump is not a governing person. He is a decision maker and edict maker. He expects his ideas to be implemented and pressed forward. This will not work in Congress unless most of the residents are oosted in this round of elections. With most attention focused on the White House race, I predict Congress will remain much the same as it is today. Sad but true. In any case, Congress will continue to block anyone residing in the White House.

Kardashians: Why are these people still on the front page of our media? Why? They are not interesting. Pretty, yes; meaningful and valuable to the success of our society? I don’t think so. And Caitlyn? How can a repressive party in all things gender oriented still attract Jenner/Caitlyn? Methinks more than a few screws are loose in that noggin!

Iran and the Future: It amazes me that Iran was hurt terribly by the economic sanctions of the past decades due to their anti-social behavior on the international stage. Now that a huge majority of nations have approved a peaceful settlement with Iran so they can resume building their future, it is stunning that they are thumbing their nose at the majority of nations that defined that peace settlement. Would they rather we go back to the old status quo which produced dictators within their borders and a hegemony of religious power mongering that rob citizens of their freedom? Is that what the Iranian people think?  If not, they still allow the kooks among them too much power to poke the eyes of good people around the globe attempting to be their good friends. If the kooks are not as I described them, then perhaps Iran’s culture is warped beyond salvation?  It is theirs to build constructively or with folly. If the latter, we all lose. Everywhere. Would be very sad!

North Korea: What nonsense and psychosis convulses the power centers of this nation! Ludicrous and sad. Trouble is it is also scary that people devote their lives to such destructive ends. They are capable of much more good than this but they choose the negative because it is easier and clouds reality from the population. The people are afraid because their government makes it seem normal. The people thus cannot see how enslaved and poor they are. Not having a free press and vigorous public discussion of issues allows North Korea to produce their false front. Surely they know that a nuclear war – if it is even possible by them – would lead to their entire erasure from the face of the planet, by their own destructive means or defensive action of others nearby. Well, at least they would be beyond the hurt of their present circumstances. But so too would the hurt be on many others.  Sad.

Anti Government Sentiment: I can understand having a problem with authority. We all grew up surviving parental demands and sibling orders, especially if you were the youngest! A teacher’s regime in the classroom was sometimes viewed as unfair, but in time we realized this was not the case. The principal of the school was another issue entirely. He (or she) was seen as the judge and jury of the entire school building. And we treated him with awe from afar and hoped we never earned his attention!

But anti government sentiment runs heavy in America in the southern states and southwestern enclaves of Nevada, Arizona and Texas. The lonelier locales of Idaho and Utah also harbor some of the same sentiment but to a much lesser degree. For the most part I get the sense that these people are greatly afraid of authority outside of their own skins. The reasons are vague and not based much on facts. Governing them is thus an oxymoron; they are ungovernable. But they push conspiracy theories and all the rest of the baloney. Thus the gun culture thrives in these places.

The Republican Tea Party seems to be home to these crazies and that complicates things for the rest of us. Especially the party. Can you even imagine a Cruz, Rubio or Trump presiding over this mess of anarchy?

Conclusion: the world is in a particularly bad mood these days. We can only hope that cooler heads will prevail all over the globe. I hope so. I’d like to enjoy the spring and summer that’s coming. Please let there be thunderstorms and not Armageddon!

March 10, 2016