President Trump is putting forth a plan to bring unprecedented power to the Executive Branch of our Government while weakening the Judicial and Legislative Branches. Trump is trying to achieve his goal by dividing Americans through a formula of spreading fear and hatred throughout our society. Trump and his cohorts Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, Sean Hannity, Jeff Sessions and Company are achieving this by bending the truth or blatantly lying in their daily communications with the public. What his buddies don't realize is that in Trump's quest for absolute power, Donald Trump only cares about Donald Trump.
People like Donald Trump, who are self absorbed and power hungry, normally don't wind up on the right side of history. Just ask Hitler, Napoleon, Jefferson Davis, and Senator Joe McCarthy. Our Democracy has faced numerous challenges over the past two centuries and it is by no means perfect, but we have evolved. George Washington taught us our most valuable lesson, that not one person, one group, nor special interest is bigger than our Democracy and the Freedoms and Happiness Americans are entitled to by our Constitution. Twice Washington set this precedence when he resigned as Commander in Chief at the end of the Revolutionary War and when he declined to run for a third term as President. Over the years, we have been blessed with leaders like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, T.R., Wilson, F.D.R., Truman, Ike, JFK, Reagan, McCain, and Obama who understood that the United States and the values we represent of "Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness" have a greater meaning that goes way beyond our borders.
Donald Trump's biggest mistake is that he under estimates the exact people he was elected to lead. America will make the adjustments and reject Trump's selfish policies of racism, bigotry, sexism, antisemitism, and homophobia. If Trump doesn't make the necessary adjustment, voters will. We are "one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all"
Friday, October 20, 2017
Friday, October 13, 2017
Trump: Destroying Democracy one tweet at a time
One of the great aspects of our Democracy is that "We, the People" have the freedom to develop our own opinion on topics that occur in life whether it is social, economic, political, sports,fashion and that we are allowed to express those opinions in a non-violent way. There have been issues that have divided us to the core, i.e. Slavery, Women's Suffrage, Equal Rights, Civil Rights, and Vietnam. It is because of our Democracy that America has always eventually evolved form these issues for the better. However, this is the first time that our Nation is facing a crisis where our President wants to destroy our Democracy and make himself "judge, jury, and executioner".
Donald Trump wants to achieve this by infusing and promoting hatred between the citizens of the United States. The American political system is no longer made up of the Republican and Democratic Parties but the Alt Right or Pro Trump and the Alt Left or Anti Trump. The Alt Right wants to move this Country back to Pre-WWI era where all aspects of life were dominated by White Christian Men. In the world that Trump and his alt right supporters want to take us back to, we would be isolationist on the international stage, Jim Crow laws would be reinstated, women and Hispanics would be second class citizens, and homosexual and transgender rights would cease to exist. Racism and antisemitism is already on the rise as Nazis and Klan members have no qualms about spreading their evil doctrine thanks to the support they receive from Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, and Donald Trump.
The Alt Left believes in the good and common decency of humanity. We believe that ALL men and women are created equal in the eyes of the law and the Lord. People should be treated with compassion and kindness and if we have our differences we can discuss and debate them like adults. This is what makes America the Greatest Country on Earth! Americans would not get these freedoms if we lived in Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, etc. The President of the United States should be promoting the traits that Americans have that bind us together not tear us apart.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump does the latter with the obnoxious, vindictive, and self serving words he spews out during his speeches, on Twitter, or through his rotating door of press secretaries and mouth pieces in the White House and on talk radio. Trump treats people like we are his possessions or property. He could care less about the average American citizen whether you are a U.S. Senator or a worker in a factory in Ohio. Trump cares about himself and his quest to not only undo all of President Obama's achievements but to rip apart the Constitution. Leaders like Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln encouraged Americans to reach goals that no one else could achieve but more importantly to judge their fellow man based on their actions and not their nationality, color of their skin, sex, religion, or sexual orientation.
My 9th grade history teacher taught me that we should not "study history in a vacuum" & to "learn the lessons from the past". All Americans have a responsibility to make sure that Donald Trump does not destroy our Democracy and that America remains the "shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere"
Donald Trump wants to achieve this by infusing and promoting hatred between the citizens of the United States. The American political system is no longer made up of the Republican and Democratic Parties but the Alt Right or Pro Trump and the Alt Left or Anti Trump. The Alt Right wants to move this Country back to Pre-WWI era where all aspects of life were dominated by White Christian Men. In the world that Trump and his alt right supporters want to take us back to, we would be isolationist on the international stage, Jim Crow laws would be reinstated, women and Hispanics would be second class citizens, and homosexual and transgender rights would cease to exist. Racism and antisemitism is already on the rise as Nazis and Klan members have no qualms about spreading their evil doctrine thanks to the support they receive from Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, and Donald Trump.
The Alt Left believes in the good and common decency of humanity. We believe that ALL men and women are created equal in the eyes of the law and the Lord. People should be treated with compassion and kindness and if we have our differences we can discuss and debate them like adults. This is what makes America the Greatest Country on Earth! Americans would not get these freedoms if we lived in Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, etc. The President of the United States should be promoting the traits that Americans have that bind us together not tear us apart.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump does the latter with the obnoxious, vindictive, and self serving words he spews out during his speeches, on Twitter, or through his rotating door of press secretaries and mouth pieces in the White House and on talk radio. Trump treats people like we are his possessions or property. He could care less about the average American citizen whether you are a U.S. Senator or a worker in a factory in Ohio. Trump cares about himself and his quest to not only undo all of President Obama's achievements but to rip apart the Constitution. Leaders like Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln encouraged Americans to reach goals that no one else could achieve but more importantly to judge their fellow man based on their actions and not their nationality, color of their skin, sex, religion, or sexual orientation.
My 9th grade history teacher taught me that we should not "study history in a vacuum" & to "learn the lessons from the past". All Americans have a responsibility to make sure that Donald Trump does not destroy our Democracy and that America remains the "shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere"
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Guns Don't Kill
Guns don't kill, people do. But people with military weapons kill them by the truck load. No American citizen who is non-police or military needs semi automatic weapons and George Washington & Friends didn't intend for that when they wrote the Bill of Rights!
The GOP would rather discuss Gun Control later on when the Las Vegas Massacre is on the back pages of the news cycle. Jimmy Kimmel was correct in saying that if the shooter had a beard & was from another land, we would build walls & pass stricter laws, but we won't pass stricter laws when a 64 year old white male mows down husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, & daughters. How much blood needs to spill before Congress tells the NRA no more?
The GOP would rather discuss Gun Control later on when the Las Vegas Massacre is on the back pages of the news cycle. Jimmy Kimmel was correct in saying that if the shooter had a beard & was from another land, we would build walls & pass stricter laws, but we won't pass stricter laws when a 64 year old white male mows down husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, & daughters. How much blood needs to spill before Congress tells the NRA no more?
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
The Great Divider and the Future of Democracy
The events of the last few days have bothered me as a Husband, Father, & Jewish American. Donald Trump's agenda is to clearly divide America & he is doing it with the #1 controversial topic in the history of our great Country: race & inequality. People have different opinions as to whether or not Trump is a racist, a chauvinist, & an egomaniac. I think he is based on his statements regarding the Birther issue, Charlottesville, Pardoning Arpaio, Access Hollywood tape, Megan Kelly comments, & the list goes on. Trump is the "Great Divider" and he has instigated the latest debate around our Flag & National Anthem (most likely to detract attention from Mueller's investigation).
I am personally against kneeling during our Anthem. The American Flag represents ALL Americans, from the soldiers serving overseas, the school teacher on Long Island, the cop in Iowa, the farmer in California, & the football player on the Steelers. The conversations we need to be having with our children, friends, & co-workers is the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. We can live wherever we want to live, pick whatever career we choose, freedom to worship at any church, temple, or mosque, love & marry without restriction, & peacefully demonstrate when change to our Democracy is needed.
Instead of debating whether or not the NFL players are disrespecting the flag, there needs to be the discussion as to why they are protesting. There is no law against kneeling during the National Anthem, just as there was no law broken by the white supremacists who chanted "Jews will not replace us" in Charlottesville, and there were no "fine people"marching with the white supremacists. Most pro athletes donate their time and millions of dollars to charities & other worthwhile causes. This is done a majority of the time when there is no press around.
It is up to us as parents to be the role models for our children and to teach them that hate mongering against people of different backgrounds is wrong. People should be judged based on their achievements & how they treat their family, friends, & neighbors. Most of all, we should not judge people based on the color of their skin, religion, or sexual orientation.
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" - Paul McCartney
I am personally against kneeling during our Anthem. The American Flag represents ALL Americans, from the soldiers serving overseas, the school teacher on Long Island, the cop in Iowa, the farmer in California, & the football player on the Steelers. The conversations we need to be having with our children, friends, & co-workers is the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. We can live wherever we want to live, pick whatever career we choose, freedom to worship at any church, temple, or mosque, love & marry without restriction, & peacefully demonstrate when change to our Democracy is needed.
Instead of debating whether or not the NFL players are disrespecting the flag, there needs to be the discussion as to why they are protesting. There is no law against kneeling during the National Anthem, just as there was no law broken by the white supremacists who chanted "Jews will not replace us" in Charlottesville, and there were no "fine people"marching with the white supremacists. Most pro athletes donate their time and millions of dollars to charities & other worthwhile causes. This is done a majority of the time when there is no press around.
It is up to us as parents to be the role models for our children and to teach them that hate mongering against people of different backgrounds is wrong. People should be judged based on their achievements & how they treat their family, friends, & neighbors. Most of all, we should not judge people based on the color of their skin, religion, or sexual orientation.
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" - Paul McCartney
Friday, February 17, 2017
The Trump Doctrine - Leading America in the Wrong Direction
After four weeks in office, Donald Trump is strongly showing his inexperience at governing and his inability to appoint strong candidates to his cabinet and his staff. Being the leader of the Free World is far different that being the leader of "Celebrity Apprentice".Trump's first mistake is thinking that every issue and topic is about winning and losing. It is about what is best for America and her citizens and what policies should be put in place in order to continue to American Prosperity for future generations. Instead of moving us forward, it is apparent Mr. Trump wants to take us back to 1937 America.
Trump does not seem to get that everyone from the press to the average 15 year old has access to something called the Internet. When he switches his story, tells a lie or as Kelly Ann Conway likes to call it "alternative facts", anyone can go online and verify it. It boggles my mind that no one on his staff realizes this? The President can keep calling events that don't shine a positive light on him or his policies "fake news" but facts are facts and they can't be changed. Every time he uses the phrase "fake news" all I think about is "Cover Up".
What is even more disheartening is Trump direct and indirect promotion of racism and anti-Antisemitism. Not only does he refuse to answer questions about these topics, but he is combative i.e. his press conference on 2/16/17. Asking a reporter, who is African American to set up a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus for him is demeaning and disgusting. Mr. Trump is the President and has several assistants and advisers who could do that for him. The fact that he failed to mention the 6 Million Jews that perished at the hands of a Fascist Lunatic on Holocaust Remembrance Day is also sickening. Didn't he think to pass the official White House Statement released regarding Holocaust Remembrance Day by Ivanka or Jarrod Kushner?
The President's views on legal and illegal immigration are solely based on race and religion. Don't get me wrong, there needs to be stringent vetting process for people coming into the United States, no matter where they are from. The stringent vetting needs to be based on the individual coming into the United States not which Country or what Religion they are. Banning refugees was a pure scare tactic and all it did was show Trump's inexperience and made American look bad. By the way, did anyone seriously think Mexico would willingly pay for a boarder wall? Yes, people need to come in to our Country legally but wouldn't we be better off working with Mexico in coming up with a solution that is satisfactory for both of us and that we can equally pay for? In the end it might be cheaper than laying out the money to build a wall which will in turn take away funds from much needed domestic programs like education and social security.
Donald Trump thinks that he is a modern day Theodore Roosevelt. However, they are far apart in their actions and philosophies. TR put America first and foremost. Trump puts himself first. TR spoke softly and carried a big stick, Trump speaks loudly and carries a nuclear stick. Scary.
Trump does not seem to get that everyone from the press to the average 15 year old has access to something called the Internet. When he switches his story, tells a lie or as Kelly Ann Conway likes to call it "alternative facts", anyone can go online and verify it. It boggles my mind that no one on his staff realizes this? The President can keep calling events that don't shine a positive light on him or his policies "fake news" but facts are facts and they can't be changed. Every time he uses the phrase "fake news" all I think about is "Cover Up".
What is even more disheartening is Trump direct and indirect promotion of racism and anti-Antisemitism. Not only does he refuse to answer questions about these topics, but he is combative i.e. his press conference on 2/16/17. Asking a reporter, who is African American to set up a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus for him is demeaning and disgusting. Mr. Trump is the President and has several assistants and advisers who could do that for him. The fact that he failed to mention the 6 Million Jews that perished at the hands of a Fascist Lunatic on Holocaust Remembrance Day is also sickening. Didn't he think to pass the official White House Statement released regarding Holocaust Remembrance Day by Ivanka or Jarrod Kushner?
The President's views on legal and illegal immigration are solely based on race and religion. Don't get me wrong, there needs to be stringent vetting process for people coming into the United States, no matter where they are from. The stringent vetting needs to be based on the individual coming into the United States not which Country or what Religion they are. Banning refugees was a pure scare tactic and all it did was show Trump's inexperience and made American look bad. By the way, did anyone seriously think Mexico would willingly pay for a boarder wall? Yes, people need to come in to our Country legally but wouldn't we be better off working with Mexico in coming up with a solution that is satisfactory for both of us and that we can equally pay for? In the end it might be cheaper than laying out the money to build a wall which will in turn take away funds from much needed domestic programs like education and social security.
Donald Trump thinks that he is a modern day Theodore Roosevelt. However, they are far apart in their actions and philosophies. TR put America first and foremost. Trump puts himself first. TR spoke softly and carried a big stick, Trump speaks loudly and carries a nuclear stick. Scary.
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Trump, Clinton, Sanders, and the New York Jets
I wanted to give a little commentary on some of the political events of the past couple of weeks.
Most sane people are amazed that Donald Trump won or will win the Republican Nomination. However, it is amazing how Washington Republicans are shocked of his win. I think they live in a sheltered world where there is life according to them and life according to the rest of the Country! Trump is a smart and established business man and a very good in marketing. He let the established Republicans hang themselves by letting them go forward with this pledge to support the eventual nominee and now that he has won, former candidates like Jeb Bush have said that they are not going to honor the pledge. This just helps him prove the point he has made all along to his "followers" that Washington is dysfunctional and your current long time elected representatives don't understand you.
Most sane people are amazed that Donald Trump won or will win the Republican Nomination. However, it is amazing how Washington Republicans are shocked of his win. I think they live in a sheltered world where there is life according to them and life according to the rest of the Country! Trump is a smart and established business man and a very good in marketing. He let the established Republicans hang themselves by letting them go forward with this pledge to support the eventual nominee and now that he has won, former candidates like Jeb Bush have said that they are not going to honor the pledge. This just helps him prove the point he has made all along to his "followers" that Washington is dysfunctional and your current long time elected representatives don't understand you.
I drove by a house the other day that had an American flag, a Confederate Flag, and a "Trump for President" sign in the front lawn. This a perfect example of the people that respond toTrump's rhetoric. He is rude, a racist, and a chauvinist and his supporters don't care. Hilary Clinton cannot under estimate Trump. She needs as much time as necessary before the November election to focus solely on defeating him, which is why Grandpa Sanders needs to step aside. Sanders has no path to victory and to be quite honest he does not give a crap about the future of the Democratic Party. Every time I hear Sanders speak, he reminds me of a crumby old man who argues with the manager at a restaurant for 20 minutes in order to get his meal for free. It behooves Hilary and the Democrats to take the key points of Sanders campaign and integrate them into the platform that she will run on this Fall.
Lastly, this has nothing to do with politics, but Ryan Fitzpatrick, please! What is the matter with you! I understood your tough negotiating stance when Denver and Los Angeles were still looking for a QB, but your only suitor is the New York Jets. It is the only place that you will be a starter and you have chemistry with the receiving corps. There are many 33 year old men who would die to get $8 Million to be QB1 for the J-E-T-S! Stop your Harvard temper tantrum and sign on the dotted line! We Jet fans can't take the drama anymore!
Lastly, this has nothing to do with politics, but Ryan Fitzpatrick, please! What is the matter with you! I understood your tough negotiating stance when Denver and Los Angeles were still looking for a QB, but your only suitor is the New York Jets. It is the only place that you will be a starter and you have chemistry with the receiving corps. There are many 33 year old men who would die to get $8 Million to be QB1 for the J-E-T-S! Stop your Harvard temper tantrum and sign on the dotted line! We Jet fans can't take the drama anymore!
Saturday, April 23, 2016
The Decline of the Republican Party & It's Affect on America
"Ted Cruz and Donald Trump Decide to Run For President..." If you heard that sentence 18 months ago, you would be waiting for the punch line from Fallon or Kimmel. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that it is not only a reality, but these two men are the front runners for the Republican Nomination for President with only a few months to go until the Convention. One is an over zealous evangelical and the other is a racist egomaniac and through their campaigns they have put a spotlight on negative political and social issues that still exist in America.
Most of us would view America as a modern, technologically advanced Nation, but every night when I watch the news, all I hear about are topics that were prevalent 50 years ago. America was supposed to be the social leader on race, religion, and equality for woman, minorities, and same-sex & transgender couples, instead it sometimes feels as though we are back in the 1960's or in some cases, the 1860's. Donald Trump has shown that he is publicly a racist, i.e. his treatment of Mexican and Muslim Americans, as well as a male chauvinist. His treatment of woman is awful. Trump has built a legion of followers who act on his every command. The United States would definitely loose a bunch of Allies and its good standing in the International Community if he is elected.
The scary thing is that Trump makes Ted Cruz "likable" and this is the guy whom his own party can't stand! My issues with Cruz are similar to my issues with his fellow Evangelicals. They are more worried about the "negative" effect Homosexuals, Blacks, Jews, and Transgenders will have on their communities, i.e. how much will their property values go down, versus the more prevalent issues. Cruz gave an interview the other day in support of the new discriminatory laws in North Carolina and Mississippi, but there is no mention from Cruz, Trump, as well as Sanders on the continuing gun issue in this Country.
In the last week, a man in the Orlando area ran over his estranged wife with his car in a restaurant parking lot and then proceeded to shoot and murder his 4 year old and 1 year old children. His estranged wife had a restraining order. Why aren't we talking about this? Or about the 8 members of a family that was murdered execution style in Ohio!! Republicans need to stop worrying about whether or not a woman chooses to have an abortion (it's her choice!!) and start worrying about how to stop rape and sexual violence against woman.
We need to become a more accepting society and not a segregated nation. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz will eventually cause the down fall of the Party of Lincoln, but if Lincoln were alive today, he would want nothing to do with the Grand Old Party he put on the map.
Most of us would view America as a modern, technologically advanced Nation, but every night when I watch the news, all I hear about are topics that were prevalent 50 years ago. America was supposed to be the social leader on race, religion, and equality for woman, minorities, and same-sex & transgender couples, instead it sometimes feels as though we are back in the 1960's or in some cases, the 1860's. Donald Trump has shown that he is publicly a racist, i.e. his treatment of Mexican and Muslim Americans, as well as a male chauvinist. His treatment of woman is awful. Trump has built a legion of followers who act on his every command. The United States would definitely loose a bunch of Allies and its good standing in the International Community if he is elected.
The scary thing is that Trump makes Ted Cruz "likable" and this is the guy whom his own party can't stand! My issues with Cruz are similar to my issues with his fellow Evangelicals. They are more worried about the "negative" effect Homosexuals, Blacks, Jews, and Transgenders will have on their communities, i.e. how much will their property values go down, versus the more prevalent issues. Cruz gave an interview the other day in support of the new discriminatory laws in North Carolina and Mississippi, but there is no mention from Cruz, Trump, as well as Sanders on the continuing gun issue in this Country.
In the last week, a man in the Orlando area ran over his estranged wife with his car in a restaurant parking lot and then proceeded to shoot and murder his 4 year old and 1 year old children. His estranged wife had a restraining order. Why aren't we talking about this? Or about the 8 members of a family that was murdered execution style in Ohio!! Republicans need to stop worrying about whether or not a woman chooses to have an abortion (it's her choice!!) and start worrying about how to stop rape and sexual violence against woman.
We need to become a more accepting society and not a segregated nation. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz will eventually cause the down fall of the Party of Lincoln, but if Lincoln were alive today, he would want nothing to do with the Grand Old Party he put on the map.
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