COUNT ME OUT

COUNT ME OUT!

(Suffering from Post-Traumatic Election Disorder)

As I sit in my condo trying to make sense of what has happened in American politics, I am befuddled. I don’t even know the meaning of that word, but it is the only word that seems to describe the way I feel. I see the future for America as a rodeo where a cowboy is about to hop on the back of a mean bull. For the next eight seconds he needs to hold on tight because he is in for a rough ride. Those eight seconds for Americans will be extended into days, weeks, months, and years.

 

The “dumbing down” of America is a mystery yet to be solved. I have difficulty getting my head around minimum-wage workers going to the polls and casting a vote for the political party that has looked them directly in the eyes and said, “We are not going to increase the minimum wage for working-class Americans.” So you are stuck with at least four more years working for minimum wage that is not even a living wage. But because Fox News told you that you must vote against the lady who used a private server for her emails, you voted for the Republican Party. If this is intelligent voting—COUNT ME OUT!

I have further difficulty understanding retirees, many of whom are barely making ends meet with Social Security checks, voting for the political party that has publicly stated they will reduce funds for Social Security recipients. Plus—those who plan to retire must work an extra two years because the Republicans plan to up the retirement age.  But because Fox News told you that if a lady used a private server for her emails she is evil and you must vote against evil, you voted for the Republican Party. If this is intelligent voting, please do not hesitate for a second—COUNT ME OUT!

Hold on just another minute. I personally know many individuals who count on monthly disability checks as their only means of income. But they went to the polls and voted for the political party that has also stated they will cut federally funded disability programs. Let me put this in terms that are easier to understand.  This means that your monthly check is going to be less. It isn’t something that will happen to someone who lives a hundred miles away; this is something that is going to happen to you. But you listened to Fox News and you believed all the lies about the evils of the Democratic Party, and you went to the polls and voted to cut off your nose to spite your face. If this is intelligent voting, don’t give it another thought—COUNT ME OUT!

But wait, I’m not finished. I personally know many Christians who voted for the man who told evangelicals that he will appoint judges who will overturn the Marriage Equality Act. There is absolutely nothing on record that proves same-sex couples have caused any harm to anyone.  But those same Christians voted for the political party that has cut funds for programs that feed hungry children. Not only that, they have stated they will cut more funds from the same programs. Same-sex couples have caused no harm, but cutting funds that feed thousands of hungry children has caused much harm.  I will tell you straight out, actions such as those have caused me to have little or no faith in man-made Christianity. If this is an example of Christian voting, please—COUNT ME OUT!

Now I come to the final point. I know a few gay men who have been very vocal in their support for Mike Pence. Apparently you fellows don’t know that he spent millions of taxpayers’ dollars to DENY the rights of LGBT citizens in the state of Indiana. He even went so far as an attempt to jail same-sex couples who applied for a marriage license. I know that straight America loves this, but I have difficulty understanding gays who support these actions. Apparently you don’t understand “conversion therapy”—a program Mike Pence intends to institute all across America—and the harm it will do to young gay boys, young lesbian girls and transgender students. I hope it’s because you don’t know, rather than you don’t care, because your vote has already done much harm to gay America. I assure you that the millions of gays yet to be born will be much smarter; they will do extensive research and find out who voted for what, and when. They will continue to write the book of gay accomplishments and name the great gay leaders who sacrificed their lives for the cause. It is highly improbable that your names will ever be inscribed in that book. If your vote for candidates who have caused harm to LGBT citizens is, in your heart and mind, the right kind of vote, then by all means—COUNT ME OUT!

(Of course, I got the idea for the title COUNT ME OUT from the lady, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, who used the important phrase “DEAL ME IN” successfully in many of her campaign speeches. I want to give credit where credit is due.)               

      

  

     

                                                                                                

OBSTRUCTIONIST LEGISLATORS

OBSTRUCTIONIST LEGISLATORS

    American democracy was founded by the process of compromise. The Great Compromise laid the foundation for the bi-cameral legislative branch of government. It was a compromise between the large states and the small states that led to the adoption of the US Constitution. 

  The American form of democracy has been successful for over two hundred years, but within the past few years the Republican Party has tried to hold the government in jeopardy with a no-compromise approach.  This approach is based strictly on the fact that a man of color was elected President of the United States.

   There is evident proof that on the first day of President Obama’s administration the leadership of the Republican Party sent out a mandate, spearheaded by Fox News, that they would find something wrong with every word that came from the President’s mouth. Also, all members of the party were encouraged to obstruct any presidential proposals.

    Republicans presently have the majority in the House and in the Senate, and their only purpose is to make sure the administration of America’s first black president is a failure. Nevertheless, they have failed! They have offered no plan, no suggestions, and no positive legislation that benefits Americans. They are highly paid elected officials who have done nothing but obstruct the President’s policies. Never in American history has there been a political party whose only objective was obstruction.

   Every minute of the day for over seven years Fox News and the Republican Party have tried to find something wrong with every thing the President has proposed. Instead of offering something positive that would benefit Americans, all they have provided is criticism.

   There is a hidden danger in all of this. They have been able to brainwash many average Americans to support the Rich Man’s Party. A perfect example: many working class Americans support the party that has publicly stated they are against any increase in the minimum wage. The party’s leaders advocate cutting funding for Social Security recipients. They plan to decrease all federally funded disability programs. They have already cut funding—and plan to cut more—from programs that feed hungry children. Yet they propose the biggest tax cut in American history for 1% of the country’s population—the mega rich at the top.  Also, with the help of Fox News, they have been able to use brainwashing techniques to get many Americans to support these anti-social policies.

    Everyone in the world knows that the wealthiest nation on earth should be able to provide health insurance for all citizens. The fact that Obama’s healthcare program prohibits insurance companies from dropping customers due to preexisting conditions is itself enough to save the program.  But instead of helping the program because it is the right thing to do, all Fox News and the Republicans can do is try to find something wrong.

   President Obama has accomplished something that has helped over 20 million Americans, but, according to Fox News and the Republicans, that is bad. And the reason it is bad is because it is an accomplishment by a man of color. This is pure and simple pre-Civil War prejudice.  Prejudice has always been something tucked away in the hearts of many Americans, but no one knew just how deep it was until a man of color was elected to the office of President of the United States.                 

    The way some Republicans and Fox News have treated President Obama, his wife, and his children, is a disgrace that will never be erased from American history. But through all of the criticisms and the name calling, the President now has an approval rating of over 52%. 

   On November 8, 2016, if the public opinions polls are correct, there is a great possibility that the American people will show the Republican Party that they are not going to allow a political party to jeopardize the progress of American government.  The American voters will probably elect Democrats to regain the majority in the Senate, and perhaps even in the House. Just as soon as the majority of average Americans realize that they have been brainwashed to keep the Rich Man’s Party in power—all done by the Republicans and Fox News—great change will come to America.

THE DANGER OF MIND CONTROL

THE GOSPEL OF MIND CONTROL

    Some religious leaders have turned Christianity into a multi-million dollar business. The pulpit is being used as an instrument for financial gain and many preachers have become very successful in the process.  Nevertheless, preachers are not satisfied with 32 room mansions, luxury jets, chauffeured limousines, and house servants; they still want more. Therefore, gospel ministers have learned to use the power of the pulpit to control the minds of their followers. For years they have used brainwashing as a tool to justify the killing of gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals. They spent months, as well as thousands of churchgoers’ dollars, to influence lawmakers to pass laws to limit the right to marry. They have continued to teach parishioners to disobey the Supreme Court ruling of marriage equality. They have banned same-sex couples from the church and made heroes and heroines of those who denied basic civil rights to individuals of different sexual orientations.

   In recent days preachers have looked women directly in the eyes and told them that men have the god-given right to make nasty, vulgar, and disrespectable remarks about them.  The greatest horror of this is that some women believe it. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, preachers are using the wrath of God to dictate how people should vote. They have stood before congregations and told thousands of people they will go to hell if they do not vote for a certain candidate.

    There is a bright light at the end of this tunnel. Those who call themselves the masters of the pulpit find it difficult to control the minds of America’s youth. Recent public opinion polls prove that the majority of young Americans do not think that preachers have the right to tell them how to vote.

    America is a nation born in hate, lives in hate, and enjoys the turmoil that hate brings. America’s youth are trying to shape a different America. They have seen the beauty in the diversity of skin color. They have learned there is no threat in the friendship with individuals of different sexual orientations and that knowledge can be acquired from people of different ethnic origins. In spite of what is being taught in many churches, young Americans bring hope to a closed social environment where change is slow, and a stagnated mind opposes all forms of progress.        

THE POLITICAL GAME OF KICK THE CAN

(This was originally written and posted in November of 2015.) 

THE POLITICAL GAME OF KICK THE CAN

   The toughest game played on American soil is the game of politics. In the political arena there are no penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct, and there is no referee to prevent punches below the belt.  The only rule that applies is ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR.

   The one word that draws Americans to the voting booth is the word CHANGE. However, for several decades Americans have been voting for change but getting much of the same. An individual who enters the political arena with the intentions of making major changes must realize that politics in the U.S. is a dangerous game. Once elected to a political office the official is quickly tossed into the arena and must swiftly learn the rules of the game. A beginning player has little or no chance of getting constructive legislation passed for major change against experienced players who have played the game for many years,

   Thus, American politics has become a game of kick the CAN a little farther down the road.  However, the time has come that America is faced with major political problems and must recognize that up ahead the road is forked. The direction in which the CAN will be kicked is left up to the voters. To kick the CAN to the right means the rich will continue getting richer, and America will continue to be an oligarchy rather than a democracy. To kick the CAN to the left means to rebuild the working MIDDLE CLASS and to reestablish the democratic principles that made America great.

   The creators of American democracy were some of the most intelligent statesmen the world has ever known. They created a government in which the power to govern was placed in the hands of the people. In other words, American government can be controlled at the voting booth. However today, American voters are faced with some of the most powerful brainwashing techniques ever used on American soil. A politically motivated and biased media has developed a cult-like following that presents a dangerous threat to American democracy. Never in American history have working class voters been so misinformed that they have gone to the polls and voted against themselves.

   For one who loves America and is greatly concerned about America’s future, I can only hope that very soon Americans will realize that the future of our country is in our hands.  Major issues—veteran’s benefits, social security, minimum wage, college tuition, and universal health care—are the issues that will ultimately determine America’s future.

   It is the POWER OF THE PEOPLE that must be reestablished in a highly polarized society in order for that society to remain a permanent global leader. Americans need to be reminded of the words spoken in the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858: “A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CANNOT STAND.” And that election to public office is not a game, but a serious commitment to citizens who deserve to be governed in a fair and honest manner.

POTATOES ARE BACK ON THE MENU

HOW DO LIKE YOU YOUR POTATOES?

    Within the United States government there is now a division that attempts to abolish diversity, the same diversity that has been the statue of strength for the land of the free and the home of the brave. The superior white arm of power has been raised from the trenches where it lay dormant for a few years; it was only waiting on an opportunity for resurgence. Americans are once again asking to be served a large order of white potatoes, seasoned with white salt, and covered with pure white gravy. This has been America’s favorite dish from Jamestown to the genocide of Native Americans. 

   Americans demand the white potatoes to be grown in white fields, cultivated by slave labor, and served in white kitchens by colored maids who added a dash of black pepper every now and then. White potatoes continued to be served on American tables during the Jim Crow days and with the gerrymandering of the potato fields to guarantee that no others species of potatoes could ever exist.

   Now the oligarchy of the white arm of power is shaking a fist at America, saying we might have slipped up once and allowed our potatoes to be served with a heavy seasoning of salt and pepper covered with an off-color, mixed dish of white gravy, but never again.

   America’s white potato will never be served to a female in the White House backed by black pepper and with a different recipe for brown gravy. The American white potato cannot be served by the side of a rainbow-colored salad bowl filled with black-eyed peas, brown lima beans, yellow grains of corn, and pink tomatoes.

    Walk carefully my friend, avoid stepping on the weeds and tiptoe gently through the garden of white tulips.  

RESPECT GIVEN

 RESPECT GIVEN IS RESPECT GAINED 

     Disrespect for America is much deeper than one football player refusing to stand for the National Anthem. It has shocked the world to see the disrespect given to a respectable family-of-color when President Obama was elected to occupy the White House.  Americans have shown the world just how deep the roots of hatred are embedded within American society.

   Colin Kaepernick may be forced to stand for the National Anthem, but he cannot be forced to respect a society that has, for over two hundred years, disrespected people of color. Force is a method used by dictators around the world as a tool to secure power.  Respect is not gained by force and the use of force will do nothing to solve the problem of the racial divide that is within American society.

    If Americans want respect, Americans must give respect. Throughout the history of the United States African Americans have faced unspeakable forms of discrimination. Americans have yet to accept the fact that forcing humans into slavery created long-term problems that are far from being solved.  People of color are still being mistreated by law enforcement officials who carelessly use deadly force as a method to attain social order. And today American prisons are filled with working-class individuals who are victims of an unjust judicial system.

    Every day the world sees an America that is moving away from the land of the free and the home of the brave. To even consider the idea that in the land of the free an individual can be forced to conform to a public formality of respect is to show just how close America has moved in the direction of a dictatorship. The fact is: most great Americans were nonconformists.  Nonconformity produces the actions that later turn into the characteristics of greatness.

   From the beginning of American history an attempt has been made to force gays to conform to the heterosexual lifestyle. There are hundreds of examples of LGBT citizens being bullied by members of a so-called straight society in which little or no punishment was given to the abusers.  LGBT individuals continue to be victimized by name calling, denied job promotions, refused housing, and locked out of religious organizations. Gay and lesbian citizens have endured verbal and physical abuse, nevertheless the gay lifestyle has flourished from the closet to the public square. Presently, the talents of the gay communities have been recognized around the world.  

   Instead of a public uproar over the act of standing to show respect, the real concern should be the evidence of disrespect for African and Latin Americans, LGBT citizens, and other minorities living in the United States.  In America there are enough examples of disrespect to go around. The capitalistic economic system has become known as the system of disrespect. There is disrespect for the American workers by employers refusing to pay a living wage.  There is disrespect for the veterans of war who are denied adequate health benefits. There is disrespect for the honest taxpayer in the series of the tax loopholes given to the rich. There is disrespect shown to women who do not receive equal pay for equal work. Therefore, many rich Americans should not stand for the National Anthem, but should be down on their knees begging forgiveness for the harm they have caused other humans.  

THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL

THE HANDWRITING IS ON THE WALL

A political script is being written on the wall and the majority of Americans are reading it.

It wasn’t conservatives who fought the battle that brought down the Great Wall of Jericho.

It wasn’t a conservative who said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”

It wasn’t a conservative who rebuked the church leaders and developed new inclusive policies for the Christian Church.

It wasn’t conservatives who fought for religious freedom within the original thirteen American colonies.

It wasn’t a conservative who wrote, “All men are created equal.”

It wasn’t conservatives who fought for women’s right to vote.

It wasn’t conservatives who fought to end slavery on American soil.

It wasn’t conservatives who passed the Social Security Act of 1935.

It wasn’t conservatives who enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

It wasn’t conservatives who passed the Fourteenth Amendment giving all citizens equal rights under the law.

It wasn’t conservatives who fought to give all children a quality education by integrating public schools.

It wasn’t conservatives who have fought for over two hundred years to gain equal rights for all minorities including LGBT citizens.

It was not conservatives on the Supreme Court that passed the Marriage Equality Act.

It has not been conservatives who have fought to provide free meals for hungry children.

It has not been conservatives who have fought for the rights of women to receive equal pay for equal work.

It has not been conservatives who have fought for increased pay raises for America workers.

It has not been conservatives who have fought to provide universal health care for all Americans.

   Everything that has made America a better place for humans has been accomplished through a progressive agenda.

  If you believe that conservative principles have brought progress to the United States, you need to do one thing. Forget about praying for others, forget about being down on your knees, but stand in front of a mirror and look yourself directly in the eyes and pray for yourself, because your mental capacity is in need of prayer.

   The agenda that is standing in the way of American progress is the political system. All other systems are on go.  Every recent public opinion poll proves that the majority of Americans are ready to move on. Americans have seen the harm caused by discrimination and are now ready for a better day. Americans realize that same-sex marriage has caused absolutely no harm to anyone and now is the time to move forward.  An overwhelming majority of Americans have learned that there are benefits to medical marijuana and Americans are ready for nationwide legalization.

   The conservative Southern Bible Belt will soon be a thing of the past.  Although there are still a few grandmas and grandpas who are trying to teach their grandchildren to hold on to the principals of the Confederate Southland, their grandchildren are rejecting the outdated policies. In a matter of a few years, institutions such as the Southern Baptist Church will disappear if they do not change. They must change leadership or change policies. Today, membership in conservative churches is on a rapid decline. The only Christian organizations gaining members are those taking progressive steps to meet the needs of a modern society.

   It was only a few years ago that the esteemed godfather of the Republican Party spoke the profound words, “Mr. Gorbachev, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL.” Now the leader of the Republican Party has developed a rallying cry, “BUILD THAT WALL.” History has not been kind to the building of walls, and it is difficult to believe that in November the majority of Americans will allow themselves to be confined behind an IRON CURTAIN. In all probability Americans will reject isolationist policies. The globalization process will demand that America continue to be a part of the global society. 

   The majority of Americans are demanding real change. President Obama, through a multitude of difficulties, laid the foundation for major change in America. Bernie Sanders listened to the voices of young Americans and has been instrumental in including many changes in the political party platform. If elected president, it is believed that Hillary Clinton will continue the progress. For every drop of blood that has been shed, for every body part that has been sacrificed, and for every emotion that has been shattered on the battlefield, the hope for a better America is just around the corner.  From the dark shadows of America’s busy streets, from the lowlands of the ghettos, or from the backside of nowhere, a leader will emerge. This leader will be able to use millions of one-dollar donations to lead Americans into the Promised Land.

    God is tired of discrimination being disguised as a righteous robe of dignity. God is tired of the love of his son being turned into hate. Rest assured—the handwriting is on the wall.