The Campaign is Finally Over

Thank God the 2024 US Presidential election is over after months of name calling, idiocy and outright stupidity expressed by both Democrats and Republicans. Donald Trump defeated Kamela Harris 312 to 226 votes in the electoral college, which is the antiquated system used to pick presidents in the United States.

The Republicans, it appears will control both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.  This combined with Trump being in the White House gives that party a trifecta in the legislative and executive branches of the US federal government.  This is the same situation as Trump had when he was elected to his first presidency in 2017.

Thanksgiving takes place in the US later this month on the 28th.  I am already thankful that this election is over.

Joe Biden Decides to Not Run

I think Donald Trump must be ecstatic his Democratic opponent for president of the United States, Joe Biden, has decided to not run for re-election.

Biden, under increasing pressure from colleagues in the congress and senate, announced a few hours ago he would not seek another term.  He said he will focus on running the nation for the next seven months.

Personally, I think Biden must have slipped much more than we the public know. Otherwise, if he really did have "just a bad night", I think his party would have been more supportive after the first presidential debate.  Reports today say Biden has slipped a lot, from the man who took office in January 2021.

It appears Kamala Harris is the front runner and Biden endorsed her almost immediately after announcing he would not run again. But, that won't necessarily keep the Dems from selecting someone else when they meet next month in Chicago.

Regardless of who the Dems select as their next candidate they are going to have a very hard time beating Donald Trump and the GOP.  Biden was already facing an uphill battle but now without an incumbent, the party will have to work extremely hard to hold onto the White House. I don't think they can retain the presidency.

And, that scares the daylights out of me.  Trump is a pathological liar, convicted felon (34 times) and arrogant narcissist. I fear what will become of the United States and our allies if he is elected. He served four years previously and made an ass of himself and the USA repeatedly. I also theorize that the growing divide in our country will encourage the upper middle and upper classes to make additional substantial contributions to the GOP campaign. I also think there are under educated Trump supporters who think they will be able to make this country go back in time to the 50s and 60s. Back then African Americans and other minorities had absolutely no say in running the United States.  Combine those voters, with the religious right, who would like to turn this country in a Christian fundamentalist nation. These are the same people who are critical of the radical Muslim sects, such as the Taliban, but are attempting to do the same thing in the U.S.  So, you can see why Trump has a great chance of being elected President of the United States and "leader" of the free world.  Like I said in the first sentence of this paragraph, Trump scares the daylights out of me. For more proof read, Trump and the Republican party's Project 2025 document. While, the GOP criticizes Democrats as being the radical left, the organizations supporting this document are reactionaries.

The next three and a half months will be a battle between the two parties with both sides playing for huge stakes.  Those stakes are the future of the USA, our allies and the rest of the free world.

I won't tell you who to vote for but pay close attention to everything you hear. And then fact check it for the truth. The nation's future is dependent on your vote.

Hypocrites

I've debated posting this for two weeks but I'll get to the point.

On June 24th, the United States Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that established the constitutional right to abortion.

The hypocrisy lies in several women I know who are pro-choice, screaming about the court's decision and blaming conservative members of the High Court for the reversal.  Three of the conservative justices were appointed by former President Donald Trump.  The women I find to be hypocrites are the same ones who voted for Trump in 2016 and last year.  It doesn't make sense to me that they are now blaming the court and not Trump.  See what I mean by hypocrites?

Personally I have an opinion on the matter of Pro Choice vs. Right to Life, but being a man it doesn't matter.  It's women who are impacted.

Hail to the Chief

 

After 1461 days the United States is under new management.  President Joseph Biden was sworn in this morning as the 46th President of the nation.  I wish Mr. Biden well as he attempts to divide a diverse and extremely divided nation.

I found one line in his inaugural address to my particular liking when he said it is time to end this nation's un-civil war.  Hopefully, congress can take the lead on this as the polarization in the house and senate shows the rest of the country a horrible example.  I also hope Nancy Pelosi and Charles Schumer are willing to offer the "olive branch" to their peers on the other side of the aisle.

For the record I voted for Joe Biden in November.  I also voted for Donald Trump four years ago, but could not do it again after watching his ego get the bett er of him and the United States for the four years he served as our top elected official.

Good luck to you Mr. Biden.  You are going to need it.

The Morning After

Dreamstime image

Rubble, debris and a newly certified US President are with us on this first day after the US Capitol building was overrun by a group of US citizens who were incited to riot by their president.  

Overnight the US Congress certified the election of Joe Biden of Delaware and Kamala Harris of California to lead the US for the next four years based on the Democrats win of the general election in November and the electoral college.  A spokesman for President Donald Trump says the president will work with Biden and Harris for a smooth transition.

Four people died in the violence yesterday, three due to medical conditions and one at the hands of the capitol police.  This may not be a very popular idea but I believe a grand jury should be called to examine the individual who fired the shot or shots that killed a young woman from California who was protesting the outcome of the election.  But, the role of the grand jury should be expanded to investigate why there were not enough trained police officers at the building.  They knew ahead of time and had been telegraphed by social media what was headed to Washington D.C.  And the capitol police failed to protect it.  The American public has the right to know why this happened.

Finally, the grand jury should have the power to examine the role of Donald Trump in inciting a riot at the capitol.  He, repeatedly lied to the public when he knew he had lost to Biden and Harris.  And when asked to call off his supporters yesterday, Trump thanked them for coming and told them "he loved them".  Trump should be indicted and tried for his role in the rioting and violence that claimed the lives of Americans yesterday.  But, at this point I would be happy if he just goes away in two weeks and becomes the poster boy for bad leaders.

A Dark Day in the United States

It has been quite a day in the United States, as the capitol building came under attack from a mob of protestors, who entered the building as congress was set to finalize the election of Joe Biden as the country's next president.

I am confused by the actions of these few who seem to have been encouraged by lame duck president Donald Trump.  I think what bothers me most is that a US citizen died at the hands of a law enforcement officer who shot her.  I was a junior in high school when the Kent State shootings took place in May 1970.  The outrage at the time divided this country much as today's actions have split this nation.  To be fair it is too early to form an opinion on today's shooting.  But, why were Capitol Police shooting at protestors?  Why weren't alternatives such as tasers or bean bags used instead of handguns.  I also would like to know why the National Guard wasn't on call when the possibility of trouble was known well ahead of time.

I will write of this more as details become available.  But, for now I have to say I am embarrassed by the "journalism" I have seen on the commercial networks today.  From talking head reporters to network announcers, including Savannah Guthrie and Lester Holt of NBC, the reporters have for the most part editorialized whenever they've felt like it.  This is not journalism.  This is reporters taking liberty with their reporting to reflect their personal opinions or insert themselves in the story.  As an example, the crowd was initially called "protestors".  But, as the day wore on the talking heads changed their description of the protestors to "rioters" or a mob.  This was due to pack journalism.  Rather than be left behind, all of the networks I watched, decided to change that designation to rioters.  I have no doubt there were a number of people at the capitol today who wanted to damage the building and raise hell in the halls of congress.  But, my guess is many more were just out to express their frustration with the system.

There were a number of things that happened today that need to be explained properly by the media.  I look forward to learning more and will write as that info becomes available.

Happy New Year!

 

The first thing that comes to mind as we greet a new year is may 2021 be a far site better than 2020.

My thoughts of 2020 will include a world ravaged and terrorized by a pandemic and in the United States a government that was feckless at times.  The year also brings back memories of many selfish people who would rather not wear a mask than help protect their fellow man.

The inconsistencies of governments also struck me as bizarre when dealing with the COVID-19 virus which did not discriminate by imaginary lines drawn on the ground.  One county in the state where I live would have all local restaurants and bars closed for safety, while you could go to the other side of the street and restaurants and bars would be wide open.  Many "leaders" of our state and local governments showed their true colors when failing to protect the general public.

But, the COVID virus wasn't the only issue we heard about repeatedly in 2020.  The presidential election in the United States was bizarre at times.  Former Vice President Joe Biden unseated incumbent Donald Trump fairly easily.  But, the post election drama was strange as Trump and his legal teams proceeded to claim the election had been stolen from them.  No court where litigation was filed ever sided with the Trump campaign but that didn't stop it from trying to have the public's decision overturned repeatedly.

Racism is still alive and well in the United States as evidenced by the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis murdered in late May at the hands of white police officers.  For several weeks protesters and rioters across the United States used it as an excuse to riot and loot in minority neighborhoods.  Not too far from where I live, it was described as a war zone with gunfire, fires being set deliberately and helicopters flying over the combatants.  It is something that I as a white American am not proud.

I hope 2021 is a whole lot better than 2020, but in reality unless a vaccine is rolled out quickly to everyone in the world I don't think the year will be much different than last year.  I pray this changes.

Very Sad to See

While watching one of the big three network nightly news broadcasts this evening I saw something that I really don't like.  I observed the Speaker of the US House of Representatives behave like a two year old.  Nancy Pelosi took what I am told was an advance copy of President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech and tore it in half.

Have the so called "leaders" of this country really sunk to this level that they blatantly act like children?  I see the name calling and imaturity more and more frequently from both sides of the aisle.  And I don't like it one little bit.  The lack of respect for members of the other party and lack of cooperation is no longer acceptable to what I really believe is most Americans.

We have two three year old children in our family and if either one of them tore up papers or deliberately destroyed something, they would be in trouble and probably get a time out if not a good spanking.

It's time for members of Congress to start acting with respect for each other.  Most aren't near to being the leaders they profess.  And many aren't representing our interests on the federal level.  If you had employees like these they wouldn't last in their jobs very long.  So, here it is; this is a call from an old guy in the middle of the US, who doesn't care two bits about the politics inside the Beltway and could care less about what most of these wannabes think of each other.  Start acting like adults, start playing nice with each other and start representing us instead of your party and its big buck donors and lobbyists.  It's time for term limits and to get rid of those who for some reason think longevity equates to infallibility on Capitol Hill.

Someone in DC needs to inform Mrs.Pelosi she can no longer act like a spoiled Kindergartner.  Just like our three year olds she needs to be taken to the woodshed and taught a lesson.

Quick Thoughts in Late March

Greetings friends, my life seems to get busier the older I get. So, here are some quick thoughts on what is happening in my world.

-I was angered to see Mizzou head coach Kim Anderson get fired by my Alma Mater; Missouri.  Anderson showed improvement as he was asked and the team is clean.  By, that I mean no recruiting or NCAA violations and the players are graduating.  Cuonzo Martin has had success at Southwest Missouri State, Tennessee and California.  But, I don't think he is the guy to take Mizzou to a Final Four.  Time will tell.  I just hope Missouri doesn't get in that rut of firing and hiring coaches every three to five years.  Mizzou tried that in football for 25 years and it didn't work very well.

-I voted for Donald Trump.  Actually I voted against Hilary Clinton.  But, the more Trump governs as President of this country the more frustrated I become.  Trump just doesn't seem to know when to shut the hell up.  Maybe he will mature the longer  he is president of the USA.

-The St. Louis Blues are like a Pogo stick.  They are up and down.  They win four or five in a row and then go on a six game losing streak.   But, beware NHL teams.  They have the players to take this team deep into the playoffs if not win the Stanley Cup.

Finally, I have no clue who will win the NCAA tournament.  Of the remaining teams it could be one of about five in the tournament.  If I were to pick a team at this point I would go with Kansas.  You know I'm a Missouri Tiger fan, but Kansas is playing as well if not better than any other team still alive in the big dance.  If Kansas doesn't win it beware the Tarheels.

Hail to the Chief

Congratulations to the new President of the United States of America Donald Trump!  Trump was sworn in on Friday and those who didn't vote for him continue to whine about him not being duly elected.  As a citizen of the United States of America I really wish they would grow up and quit their whining.

I have family members and friends who say "Oh, he didn't get the most votes in the election".  They are correct.  But the last time I checked the Electoral College has decided the winner of the presidency in every election since this country started.  If the Electoral College is such a bad idea why haven't the whiners gotten off their butts and tried to change the US Constitution?  A question that needs to be asked of the "whiners" is why didn't they go to the polls in November like they did when Barack Obama was elected in 2008 and 2012?  Analysts have repeatedly cited the failure of minorities and Democrats to go to the polls in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.  It's pretty simple.  If minorities and Democrats had voted for Hillary Clinton at the same rate they did Mr. Obama, Ms. Clinton would be President. But, she's not because her advisers didn't campaign in key counties and didn't get out the vote where they should have.

People in the "rust belt" (those states I mentioned above) are fed up with the economy and with the federal government.  Many have lost their jobs and their standard of living is worse than it was eight years ago.  I do not blame Mr. Obama for that.  In fact, I think he did a great job of running this nation.  Like many others the blame needs to go to Congress.  Many voters wouldn't vote against their congressional representatives but did apparently blame the Democrats in Congress for problems that were never resolved.  My thought is many of those voted against Hillary Clinton or just didn't vote as a protest of the feckless legislative branch of the federal government.

Finally, there are some national media biased against the Trump administration because he has called them out on their policies.  As a former journalist I have to say some reporters I know are among the laziest people on earth.  They are either unwilling to challenge Mr. Trump's opponents or else just don't understand why US citizens are angry.

This morning I heard one of the most biased interviews on NPR disguised as journalism.  I have no idea why these individuals were allowed to rant and complain about the Trump presidency for more than eleven minutes.  The name of the piece was: "Examining Obama's Legacy on Race Relations and What to Expect from Trump".  One individual on the panel, a "journalist' by the name of Debra Dickerson, spouted hatred of whites and at one point stated "Whites had better wake up".  Apparently she is of the belief that we are on the verge of a civil war and cited skirmishes in the 1800's along the Missouri - Kansas border.  I respect Ms. Dickerson's right to write what she wants.  But, NPR shame on you for giving this racist a forum on public radio stations under the guise of journalism.

It will be interesting to see how some national media treat our 45th president and if as Trump states they are trying to de-legitimize his presidency.