Jesus or Trump

   Some people comb through the bible attempting to find support for their opposition to homosexuality and abortion.  They search for hidden meanings, insist that they know the mind of Jesus, they don't.

   Jesus was very clear as to what he believed to be important, there was no beating around the bush.

   What did he think about those who would use other people's faith for their own gain?  Just look at what he did to the money changers in the temple. (Matthew 21:12-13)

   What did he think of those who made a big deal of their faith so as to look good, he saw thorough the hypocrisy and condemned it. (Matthew 6:1-4)

   He rebuked those who would keep little children from him, should those who claim to follow him do less (Matthew 19:14)

  When it comes to people we fear, see as a dangerous other, look to the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).  Jews at the time saw the Samaritans as dangerous, the other, Jesus saw them as good neighbors often better people than the pillars of the community.

  What did Jesus say was our duty to the stranger among us, the sick, the hungry, the thirsty?  You know the answer but if you have forgotten look again at Matthew 25:35-45.

 "I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me."

  These teachings of Jesus seem to be the antithesis of the preaching of Trump with which many among us are enthralled.  What are we to think?  Is Trump the Antichrist?  I think not for he is a weak little man.  He may have charisma but so did Hitler and Mussolini.  In all honesty I can't see the attraction of any of these men.

  Is Trump a great prophet.  No, that would be giving him credit for wisdom he does not have.

  What Trump is is a great con artist.  He speaks against the teachings of Jesus while convincing his followers otherwise.

  In truth, one cannot follow Trump while being a follower of Jesus, one must choose.

    

Thoughts on the New Court

I have been thinking about what it would mean to have an entrenched ultraconservative majority on the Supreme Court.

I know that many of my fellow citizens are pleased with the idea that women’s reproductive rights might be abridged, many are joyful at the thought that the right to love and marry whoever one pleases will be revoked.  A supreme court that will allow the government to slam our doors in the faces of those subject to violence and oppression will be met by rejoicing by many, the right to breath clean air and drink unpolluted water so that those “persons” known as corporations can make more money will simply be ignored by those with the resources to live in a place where these things are not an issue.

Then I think are any of our rights safe from a court that is willing to take away the rights of some and I am reminded of the words of Martin Niemöller

“When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.”

 

Impotent Republicans

It now seems that the Republicans are totally impotent when it comes to governing.  I wonder if there are little blue pills that can help them get up to the task.

What Nunes Revealed

Congressman Nunes seemed to think that what he revealed to Trump and the press was big news, that it proved that Trump was right about the wire taps.  No, it didn't vindicate Trump for his ludicrous claims.  What it showed was far more disturbing, it showed us that foreign agents who were under surveillance by  our counterintelligence agencies were talking to members of the Trump team.  Rather than proving Trump was accurate his accusations  it suggests that members of his team may not be honest brokers of Americas interests.

Trump's March to an American Oligarchy

 We are beginning to understand Trump's admiration for Putin as he seeks to establish a Russian type oligarchy in the United States.
  Let's start with his cabinet:
   1.  Department of Labor--a man who wishes to replace as many workers as possible with robots.  Those that remain he would deny a living wage.
   2.  Housing and Urban Development--a man who does not believe in fair housing.
   3.  The Environmental Protection Agency--a man who doesn't believe in climate change nor does he believe that the EPA has a mandate to protect the environment except in very limited circumstances.  He has sued the EPA from his position of Attorney General of Oklahoma.
   4.  Health and Human Services--a man who will not only eliminate the Affordable Care act but radically alter Medicare and Social Security.
   5.  Treasury--a man who wants to eliminate not only the regulations intended to keep banks solvent but deposit insurance as well.
   6.  Secretary of State--a man who is good buddies with Vladimir Putin.

 Then there is the troubling questionnaire Trump's transition team sent to the Department of Energy.  The questions suggest a witch hunt against those in the department who are working to limit the effects of climate change.

 We already have seen how Trump will threaten and intimidate those who criticize him.  He will make up "facts", repeat false news.  Trump likes to schmooze with the rich and the powerful and those are the people he has chosen for his cabinet.   It's not the "Bully Pulpit"  he's just a bully.

 He admires Putin's ability to manipulate his public and surround himself with wealthy oligarchs and it seems that is the way he will rule the United States.  He has put in place a team devoted to relieving the American people of all the protections they have enjoyed and replacing those protections with a system in which there are a few very rich and the rest struggle to survive.

Something Good Came From This Election

As I listened to some of my sixties folk music I wondered where the idealism of our youth had gone, the hope for a better world?  Back then our primary concern was for an end to war and for civil rights for all.  Environmental issues were in the mix, remember "Diet for a small Planet" and zero population growth? These were largely fringe issues, though, important to some, including myself, but not most.

Now war has dropped in the concern of the idealists and the environment has risen to the top, shoulder to shoulder with civil rights and our youth are again on the march.  They rallied with Bernie Sanders, they marched on the Dakota Access pipeline.  They decry the killing of black men for the crime of driving or walking while black. They support the LGBTQ community.  Some may find their activism naive but I applaud their passion.

I give Trump credit along with Bernie for stirring them up, they give me hope for the future.  

America May Be the Loser

 I fear that whichever candidate wins this election it is the American people who will be the losers.
  Should Trump win rather than making us great we will be he laughing stalk of the world.  I fear an economic collapse greater than the Bush's great recession.  Listen to his speeches, they are full of platitudes and short on specifics.  When he does try to be specific he shows himself to be lacking a true understanding of the issues and the facts.
  Should Clinton win it will be four more years of gridlock.  Republicans have promised to again block any initiatives of a democratically elected president not of their own party.  America can not function with another four years of gridlock, we can not continue to be a great nation.  Without a Democrat majority in Congress Clinton's hands would be tied.
 A Republican president and Congress will mean a windfall for the one percent.
 A Democrat president and Republican Congress will mean gridlock with no progress on needed reforms to benefit the middle class.
  Only the unlikely outcome of a Democrat president and Congress will mean  real progress for the American people!