Has the world gone mad? Last week in the South Africa edition of The Huffington Post there was an opinion piece in which the writer suggested that the vote be taken from the white male for about twenty five to thirty years. Yes folks you read that right. Let that thought soak into your consciousness for a moment. Let it marinate as you consider all of the implications in that statement. A major publication of the United States (the leader of the free world), published an opinion piece that advocated for the disenfranchisement of white men all over the world. True it was the South Africa edition of the Huffington Post, but that does not make the matter any less significant, because Companies generally have a code under which they operate, and it applies to branches of the organization wherever in the world they may be. In the internet age, a publication like the Huffington Post has a very far reach, and the excuse that it was the South Africa version does not hold water. At the end of the day this is an American Publication, and an arm of their organization felt comfortable enough to print an opinion piece hostile to a large section of the world’s population. Imagine an organization like Breibart News publishing an equally egregious piece from their London Branch, about a favorite victim group of the left.  The excuse that it was not the American Bureau that published the piece would not fly.

It is stunning that people feel comfortable making the suggestion that the vote should be taken from people for no other reason than those people’s race and gender. The American People and the People of South Africa know better than most, the horror of racial oppression, yet here was this established publication allowing someone to advocate for the disenfranchisement of a people. So once again, the question begs; has America and the world lost its collective mind? One could say that this writer does not represent the views of most Americans, and people around the world, but why would people of this mindset feel at ease in publishing this bile, this utter nonsense, that is the exact opposite of what so many fought and died for to further the cause of civil rights around the world.

Dr. Martin Luther King, and the great Nelson Mandela must each be doing two full 360 degree turns in their grave. After the progress that we have made in the United States since the death of Dr. King, and the progress in South Africa, the many challenges and the many struggles that South Africa still face; how have we regressed to the point that people could openly promote this blatant discriminatory piece. Why does it not trigger the same type of outcry that we would see if someone suggested taking the vote away from the black man or any group of women? The answer to that ladies and gentlemen is that politicians have inculcated such a victim mentality in certain groups of people that many now see this type of thinking as justifiable. Many are no longer content with equal opportunity, they want pay back. It is to the benefit of politicians (in the United States, they come from one political party) to pander to people, keeping them in a state of perpetual grievance. These politicians then sell themselves as the ones to make everything alright. The only thing that the aggrieved have to do is put and keep them in power.

In an environment where people constantly see themselves as victims, it is easier to foster this type of climate. That is why the Black Lives Matter Movement could demand in a news briefing that “all white reporters go to the back,” without an outcry from the media. On another occasion, people in one of their rallies chanted “pigs in a blanket, fry em like bacon,” (referring to the police). Just over the Christmas, one university professor tweeted “all I want for Christmas is White Genocide.” He was unapologetic and he never apologized. The school also did not fire him.  Conferences and courses in white privilege abound, and the white male is maligned to the point that it now seems fashionable to do so. It is the one group about whom one can say just about anything, stereotype, and caricature without any repercussions. It is no wonder that people feel comfortable saying the things that they do, and a publication like the Huffington post can proudly post an op-ed calling for white men all over the world to lose their right to vote. White men’s reactionary response to progressivism have prevented the successful implementation of progressive policies around the world according to the writer of the piece, so therefore they should lose their vote. They do not vote right, so let’s just take their vote away. Folks when we say to you that leftism is dangerous do not doubt it for a moment. Imagine what would happen if people who think this way were to ever get their hands on unfettered power.

If something like this were to truly happen, what do people suppose the response would be? Would the white male just give up his right to vote and roll over? If something as fundamental as the right to vote is taken away what else can be taken away? How much further will the treatment of white men degenerate. Apart from this being a sheer immoral idea, has anyone who even thinks that is a good idea given any thought about the ramifications of such a wicked act?

The Huffington post did end up taking down the post, but not for the reasons one would think. The South African editor defended the piece, but they took it down because “the blog submission from an individual who called herself Shelley Garland, who claimed to be an MA student at UCT, cannot be traced and appears not to exist.” Nothing more needs to be said.

The 1980s are calling. They want their foreign policy back. These are the words of President Barrack Obama during one of the debates in the 2012 Presidential campaign. Leftists everywhere were in delight as their liberal champion dropped this powerful one liner that pierced right at the heart of Mr. Romney’s campaign, delivering a fatal blow to candidate Romney’s Presidential bid that had started out so promisingly. Mr. Romney was expressing his thought that Russia presented one of the bigger threats facing America. Of course, President Obama was completely wrong on that issue, but it did not matter. As we saw during his entire eight years as President, his actions mattered little to those who paid obeisance to him. His words above all were what mattered. His delivery of grandiloquent speeches, and his utterance of nice sounding platitudes covered for his lack of competence, and stunning inability to confront in a meaningful way the important issues of our day. Once again, his mastery of the spoken word-though lacking any substance whatsoever-was able to spring him over another huge obstacle, catapulting him once again to the highest office in the land, and the most powerful position in the world.

During the period of the campaign. He was caught on a hot mike telling the outgoing Russian President of Russia that “this is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility. The gleeful Mr. Medvedev could hardly believe his ears. He replied “I understand, I will transmit this information to Vladimir (Putin, the incoming President). Mr. Obama kept his word, and for the next few years, he showed us how flexible he could be. Unfettered by the constraints of having to run for another election, he embarked on a policy of appeasement, under the misguided and foolish notion that a less assertive America on the world stage would be a good thing. He somehow believed that this policy of appeasement would lead America’s enemies, and those who wish to do us harm to forsake their ways. Despite his many foreign policy blunders during his first stint as President, he never wavered on this misguided policy. Quite frankly, President Obama’s foreign policy seemed akin to giving the bully his lunch money. Confronting the bully would only make the bully more hostile in President Obama’s mind, appeasing the bully would cause him to go away over time. During his little chat with President Medvedev, President Obama said “on all of the issues, but particularly missile defense, this can be solved, but it’s important for him to give me space.” That was the President of the United States talking to his Russian counterpart, not from a position of strength, but signaling in no uncertain terms that America was willing to grant concessions in exchange for “space.” He was not demanding space, and telling the Russians to back up, but promising them more of his lunch money if they just leave him alone.

It is interesting to note that no one in the media accused him of colluding with the Russians, despite hearing him say that he is willing to grant unwarranted concessions to the Russians, based on the circumstance that this was his last election. As the Russians outmaneuvered and outplayed President Obama in every area, they took advantage of America’s lack of leadership, and unabashed display of weakness, to reassert itself on the world scene-and not in a positive way. The Russians flexed their muscles, and America’s enemies became more emboldened as America continued to give up more and more concessions to its enemies.

One of the things that Russia was supposed to do was ensure that Syria gave up its chemical weapons arsenal. Just a couple of months ago, the astute and trustworthy Susan Rice (President Obama’s former security advisor), assured us that Syria had given up their chemical weapons, thanks to the Obama Administration’s diplomacy. In the Nuclear deal with Iran, Russia is also supposed to play an important role in ensuring that Iran does not use its nuclear capabilities to develop nuclear weapons. One can be forgiven for not having a sense of assurance that that means a lot.

Today Russia is a major player again in the Middle East after almost two decades of their absence, and having no influence there. We have seen the deterioration of the middle east, the rise of Isis, the resurgence of the Taliban, Russian Aggression towards it neighbors, China making unprecedented claims to territory in the South China sea and threatening its neighbors, all as America stood idly by over the last eight years. In a world of bad actors, it is folly to think that constantly appealing to people’s “better angels” would trigger the response that we hope for from them. The history of the world shows that those whose ambition it is to destabilize the world in pursuit of their territorial goals, and to expand their sphere of influence only respond favorable to a show of strength. People would do well to look at the world, and see the nations that have the potential to dominate the world stage politically, militarily, economically and in other important areas, then ask themselves which country they would prefer at the helm.

America does not need to get involved in more foreign wars. We need only look at the way our last few efforts have turned out. Despite our noble and best efforts to spread democracy and freedom across the world, it is sometimes better to let people shape their own destiny. In addition to that, not one of our recent war efforts has been lost on the battlefield, but in the chambers of congress where politicians who gleefully send young men and women off to war, then begin to forsake them when it no longer suits them politically. To them winning at the ballot box becomes more important than winning on the battlefield. Many of them have no qualms about sabotaging the efforts of the men and women who answer their nations call to put their lives on the line.

It is reassuring to once more to see a strong and assertive America on the world stage. America’s enemies must know that we will not hesitate, nor will we be afraid to exert our power and respond forcefully to threats when necessary, but we must be careful how, and when we choose to use it. President Trump would do well to heed the words of Teddy Roosevelt when he said to “walk softly, but carry a big stick.”

The Untouchables and the Race Industry
Race hustlers, race pimps, malcontents, and all the capitalists in the race industry, enabled by certain politicians in one political party, will never give up on their cash cow. The politics of, and appeal to race continues to be their bread and butter. It is a voter turnout machine. The strategy is simple. Keep certain groups in a state of outrage against “the system” that is designed to keep them down, promise to “fight for them” and they have it made. Just continue to blame everything that goes wrong in certain people’s lives on old white men in particular, and white people in general (that one group in America about whom one can say anything), whose only desire is to hold on to their power structure while keeping marginalized groups suppressed. In the world of these propagandists, nothing ever goes wrong because life is unpredictable, difficult or hard. Everything difficult that people face is the cause of a ubiquitous oppressor system from which no designated victim group can break free, unless they pledge their allegiance to politicians of this party, who will then “fight for them.” Not only will they “fight for them,” but in the process; these champions will ensure that the oppressed for whom they fight gets lots of goodies in the process. The fury of these self-appointed heroes is then unleashed on anyone who challenges them and/or calls them out on their modus operandi. Power is the ultimate prize for these charlatans, and they will do anything to seize it, and hold on to it. Because they present themselves as the voice of the downtrodden, they are often allowed to say and do anything for which they are never held accountable. One such politician, who can say and do no wrong is Representative Maxine waters. Famous for playing the race card, and uttering the most asinine statements; she is the prime example of how it is possible to thrive despite having no discernible talent or skill. She can say or do no wrong. The sycophants in the media will always have her back, and we can be sure that she will never be held to the same high standards that we expect of politicians in general, but particularly politicians on the right.

In response to Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, Representative Maxine Waters described them as “a bunch of scumbags”. She refused to attend the inauguration of the President of the United States because she did not like the outcome of the election. She even boycotted his speech to a joint session of congress. She has said that she will not work with the President, and that her greatest desire is to see him impeached. Miss Waters received no blow back for any of her statements, and she continues to act in the most distasteful and unprofessional manner every day because she does not like that her party’s candidate lost the Presidential race. Of course conservative commentators everywhere have highlighted her disgusting behavior, and parlayed their message into an example of the double standard that once again is on full display in the traditional media’s refusal to hold anyone on the left accountable for their behavior.

Recently Bill Oreilly made a silly joke about Miss Waters, and her wig. He said that he is always distracted by her “James Brown wig” whenever she speaks, and he finds it hard to concentrate on what she is saying because of it. All hell broke loose and Mr. Oreilly, to no ones surprise was castigated for what he said. One CNN commentator, in speaking for all three hundred million plus Americans, as the arbiter of all things funny, and defender of black people and women, self-righteously declared; “It’s not funny to joke about women of color or to joke about gender. Nobody finds it funny. They shouldn’t find it funny.”  In a classic demonstration of how the left completely lacks any kind of self-awareness, none of the people outraged by Mr. Oreilly’s silly joke could see the hypocrisy in defending a woman who has said some of the most outrageous statements over the years.

Congresswoman Waters has been spewing her bile for decades. Listen to her from way back in 1993. “Policy, for the most part, has been made by white people in America, not by people of color.   And they have tended to take care of those things that they think are important.   Whether it’s their agricultural subsidies, or other kinds of expenditures that are certainly not expenditures for poor people, or for people of color.   And so we have to band together and keep fighting back.” She had this to say about the Rodney King riots “If you call it a riot, it sounds like it was just a bunch of crazy people who went out and did bad things for no reason.   I maintain it was somewhat understandable, if not acceptable.  So I call it a rebellion.”

This is the woman that the self-righteous left has declared one is forbidden to joke about because she is a “woman of color.” In one fell swoop Congresswoman Waters fills two of the left’s favorite victim roles, being a woman and being black. So once again the soft bigotry of low expectations is on full display. We are not allowed to hold Miss Waters and others in the Democratic party who over the years have continued to play the race card, ride the race horse, and destroyed the reputations of so many decent people by labeling them racist for no other reason than that these people oppose the leftist agenda. It is now five months since the elections, and the perpetually outraged continues to show us who they are. Hopefully it is to the country’s benefit that they show out this way so that everyone can see them. They are showing and telling us exactly who they are. Let us not doubt them when they tell us, instead let us utterly reject them, and do the best to keep them from getting their hands on power for a long time. It is one thing to have a different vision for the country, that’s fine. Parties do not have to agree, in fact a strong opposition is one of the hall marks of a strong democracy, but this behavior is just plain over the top.

The rapper Wiz Khalifa, recently in Columbia for a concert, made a stop at the grave of Pablo Escobar. There he laid some flowers at Escobar’s grave then posed for a picture at the gravesite while smoking a big fat spliff. CNN also reports that Mr. Khalifa also posed for a picture outside a home where an attempt was made on the life of Mr. Escobar many years earlier by attempting to blow up the property. For anyone unfamiliar with who Pablo Escobar was, he was a notorious drug kingpin whose murderous reign terrorized the people of Columbia and led to the deaths of thousands of people. His victims extended from the poor to the elite. Presidential candidates were among his victims, judges, police officers and the common man. One of his henchmen admitted to killing over 300 people, and ordered the deaths of over 3000. His reign of terror was felt across all of Columbia, his drug empire was like nothing the world had ever seen, and he became extremely rich funneling his product to the United States, and across the world. He became so rich from his exploits that he was once named by Forbes magazine as the seventh richest person in the world. This is not the full story of Pablo Escobar, time and space will not allow for a comprehensive detailing of this infamous character’s life.

Why then would Whiz Khalifa pay tribute to such a murderous villain? Was he attempting to solidify his street cred? Was he affirming his gansta bona fides, to show that he “keeps it real out here?” It is mind boggling that such an influential individual who has the potential to inspire so many would use his position as a prominent cultural figure in such an irresponsible way. This behavior coming from anyone would be disturbing, but it is particularly troublesome to see this coming from a black man. At such a time in America, when so many inner cities where black people live, and are the victims of violent crime; here comes this rich, privileged black man (and yes, he is a privileged black man)  paying tribute to, and idolizing one of the most violent men that ever lived.  He lionizes the life of a brutal mass murderer, without receiving the kind of blowback that we usually see reserved for white people, or black people of the wrong political persuasion who slip up. Recently, Ben Carson used the term immigrant to describe slaves and he ignited a firestorm for this egregious sinful act. Never mind that he used the term in the exact context that Barrack Obama used the term a few years earlier. He was never the less castigated all across the blogosphere, and opinion circuit. He was called the vilest names, and his comments made the news in the NY times, CNN, the BBC, USA Today, NBC News and on and on. While Mr. Obama referring to slaves as immigrants evoked applause, Ben Carson using the same analogy evoked mockery. Similarly, while there was some negative response to Mr. Khalifa, most of the outrage was expressed by the people of Columbia where Escobar was from, but the response in general to his actions is nothing compared to what we see when the offending individual is on the “wrong side” of the political spectrum.

Today, the scourge of Pablo Escobar and his legacy reverberates across Latin America and the United States, which continues to be the main market for the drug trade. In a time when there is so much violence in the black community, where so many decent people practically live as prisoners in their own homes, Mr. Khalifa’s glorification of a murderous drug Kingpin must be condemned in the strongest terms, especially by the people who have a prominent voice and a powerful megaphone. Refusing to hold men like him accountable is nothing more than a soft type of bigotry. It is a bigotry that says people like him cannot be expected to know, and do better and therefore deserves to be treated with kids’ gloves, and excuses must be made for him. We must do the opposite and hold him to the same high standards that we hold others to when they mess up. Let us stop embracing what has been ingeniously termed the soft bigotry of low expectations.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3238278/Buddy-circumstances-make-man-Pablo-Escobar-s-hitman-Popeye-admits-ordering-3-000-murders-breaks-silence-say-doesn-t-feel-guilt-victim-King-Cocaine.html

http://www.biography.com/people/pablo-escobar-9542497

https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTca_svt1Yz_4AtNsnnIlQ;_ylc=X1MDMTM1MTE5NTY4NwRfcgMyBGZyA3locy1tb3ppbGxhLTAwMgRncHJpZANoa2VPeGg4ZFFJYUdjcnVHS3lGM1pBBG5fcnNsdAMwBG5fc3VnZwMwBG9yaWdpbgNzZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwMwBHBxc3RyAwRwcXN0cmwDMARxc3RybAM1MARxdWVyeQNUaGUlMjBsZWdhY3klMjBvZiUyMFBhYmxvJTIwRXNjb2JhciUyMGluJTIwQW1lcmljYQR0X3N0bXADMTQ5MDkzNDAwNQ–?p=The+legacy+of+Pablo+Escobar+in+America&fr2=sb-top&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-002

The way that the Republican Party approached their attempt to reform health care in the country is the classic example of why so many people lose faith in politicians, throw their hands up in the air, and check out of the system in frustration. For years, these people put on a show passing legislation to repeal Obamacare. They passed a series of bills, and voted on them over and over again, while putting on quite the exhibition to demonstrate that they were serious about addressing the debacle that was Obamacare. During the entire time that they played out these theatrics, they knew that President Obama was never going to sign any of the bills they had passed to become law, but they could always go back to their constituents and say they tried to pass reform, but the President would not sign it.

It is easy to display bravado when there is nothing to prove, in fact; courage is really needed when there is risk involved, when something valuable is at stake. There was never anything to lose taking those bills they had passed to President Obama’s desk. During all of those years they refused to use Congress’s power of the purse to try and force the President’s hand. That definitely would have required courage, but they had no interest in going down that road, and so they never did. They promised that if the people elected a like-minded President they would be able to finally pass smart health care reform.

With the opportunity to effect change in a positive way with a President who promised to make healthcare reform a major part of his political agenda, the Republicans failed miserably to address the issue. The problem, from all reports is not just that they failed to pass any meaningful legislation in their attempt yesterday, but that the legislation itself was badly flawed. Though it addressed many of the problems in Obamacare, it did nothing to address the inevitable rising costs, it did nothing to increase competition among insurance companies in a free market, nor remove insurance out of the hands primarily of employers, and there are still many of the problematic Obamacare aspects in it. That is why some call it Obamacare 2.0 or Obamacare lite.

Why after so many years of railing against Obamacare would these politicians be not more prepared to address this important issue, and why would they be so adamant about pushing through this version that so many of their colleagues in their own party hate? According to many conservative pundits, the truth is that there are better versions of healthcare reform bills that were passed previously that they could have presented, and would have worked much better than version that they were trying to rush through, but those bills are more unpopular and would require leadership on their part to promote. They would require more work to convince the American people that they are better, they would require patience answering the questions, and addressing the worries of concerned Americans. In other words those bills would require more effort, and political will to pass.

Republicans are doing so many of the things that that they accused the Democrats of doing when they were rushing through Obamacare a few years ago. They seem to be rushing the bill through without much public debate, and in one of the more surreal statements you will ever hear, Republican Congressman Chris Collins said “In my district, right now there is a lot of misunderstanding about what it is we are doing, and once we get it done, and then we can have the chance to really explain what’s in it.” Nancy Pelosi made a similar statement years ago and she was rightly ridiculed for saying that “we have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it,” but here is this Republican politician saying essentially the same thing without the same blow-back. This is just remarkable!

The bottom line is that the problems in healthcare must be addressed. Many of the changes necessary to fix it, and get it to the best system possible might be too radical to implement all at once because of the short term disruptions that they may cause to the system, but there are definitely better plans than what we have presently, and what Speaker Ryan and the President was proposing. Make no mistake about it, Obamacare is a disaster. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, and there is no doubt that some have benefited from it, but the net effect of it has not been good.

People should not forget that in order to get Obamacare passed, one of the chief architects of the bill said a “lack of transparency was a huge political advantage” in passing Obamacare and that the “stupidity of the American voter or whatever, was really, really critical for the thing to pass.” Robert Reich, President Obama’s former Labor secretary said that to “reorganize the American health care system to be more amenable to treating sick people, young, particularly young healthy people are going to have to pay more.” He said “by the way, we are going to have to, if you’re very old, we’re not going to give you all that technology and all those drugs for the last couple of years of your life to keep you maybe going for another couple of months. It’s too expensive. So we’re going to let you die. Also, I’m going to use the bargaining leverage of the federal government in terms of Medicare, Medicaid… to force drug companies and insurance companies and medical suppliers to reduce their costs. But that means less innovation, and that means less new products and less new drugs on the market, which means you, are probably not going to live that much longer than your parents.” Ladies and gentlemen these are not the statements of some crazy right wingers, this was a formulator of Obamacare, and an official of the Obama administration making those statements.

America can certainly do better. The President, the Speaker and all those elected to represent the American people must put their personal political agendas aside and carefully address this issue.

As usual, these matters are difficult to tackle in sound bites. So here is some backdrop while giving this opinion.It is no secret that the Democratic Party has not only been saying that “the Russians hacked the elections” in order to help Donald Trump win. As a quick side note, please note that there is a difference in “hacking the elections” and hacking the Democratic National Convention’s website. They are two separate and different things. No voting machines were hacked, nor was there anything done to any election apparatus that compromised the outcome of the elections. In addition to hacking the DNC, John Podesta became the victim of a fishing scam and that is how more information on the Hillary Clinton Campaign got out. That also, is not the same as “the elections getting hacked.” The Democrats did not do a good job of protecting their data, and they suffered the consequences.

A lot of damning information was revealed about Mrs. Clinton, party leaders, media collusion with the party, sabotaging the Bernie Sanders campaign, and more negative information that would in any other circumstance be enough to not only sink the campaign, but send heads rolling. With any other group there would have been resignations, media calls for accountability and twenty four hour outrage about what was revealed, but as usual; Democrats can do no wrong in the eyes of the media. Instead of what was revealed becoming the issue, the story became “the Russians hacked the elections.” Of course there were also attempts to hack the Republican National Convention’s websites, but these attempts were unsuccessful because of the systems that the Republicans had put in place to combat such efforts.

After the election, the story was not only that the “Russians hacked the elections,”   but there were incessant attempts to link the Trump campaign to the Russians with these attempts. There was soon a lot of talk, and speculation about “collusion with the Russians.” Well, Donald Trump being Donald Trump decided to turn the tables on the Democrats, and the media’s constant attempts to link him to the Russians. As one talk radio host put it, “he decided to pick up the grenade and throw it back at them.” He said you want to accuse me of colluding with the Russians without any proof or evidence whatsoever, well I’m accusing your guy of wiretapping me. Of course, for years the Democrats have grown accustomed to conservatives being their doormats without conservatives ever fighting back. They are accustomed to Republicans always playing defense, and trying to prove that they are not really racists, they do not hate women, they do not want to destroy the poor, kill old people, or eat little babies while simultaneously attempting to throw gays into gulags. So here comes this guy who plays just as dirty as they do, and is willing to fight back, and they do not know how to deal with that. Since Donald Trump made the accusation against Barrack Obama, all the talk of him colluding with the Russians has practically ceased. The focus then shifted to defending the reputation of his Lordship Barrack Obama.

Prior to Trumps accusations against Obama, it was the media who made the claim, or at the very least speculated that members of the intelligence community were looking into whether Donald Trump, elements of his campaign or people close to him colluded with or was colluding with the Russians. A lot of this reporting was used to push the narrative that Trump was in cahoots with the Russians to topple the campaign of Hillary Clinton. As long as it served their purpose, it was ok to cite these reports as evidence that something was amiss in the Trump camp. When Trump decided to use the same data that they relied on for months to make a case against him, he suddenly became the object of their ridicule for citing the same data that was used to make the case against him. All of a sudden the “fact checkers” say these reports that Trump cited as evidence are “sketchy at best,” or something to that effect. When it suited their purpose, these reports were credible enough to make a case showing that the President and his team might have colluded with the Russians. In a classic illustration of flipping the script, the President threw it back at them, and now the Trump Derangement Syndrome has metastasized.

That’s my take on the issue. Let the chips fall where they may in any investigation of the entire matter.

The links below are a combination of right and left wing news sites that reported on the stories that Trump pulled from. Form your own opinion based on the information available.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/01/19/intercepted-russian-communications-part-inquiry-into-trump-associates/2q1DWgwrQJWIUHkTUPfAdM/story.html

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article127231799.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/12/us/politics/nsa-gets-more-latitude-to-share-intercepted-communications.html

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/01/19/intercepted-russian-communications-part-inquiry-into-trump-associates/2q1DWgwrQJWIUHkTUPfAdM/story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/01/us/politics/obama-trump-russia-election-hacking.html

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article127231799.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/us/flynn-is-said-to-have-talked-to-russians-about-sanctions-before-trump-took-office.html?_r=0

Yesterday Dr. Ben Carson sent self-righteous liberals into a tailspin over his comments about slaves. Dr. Carson while talking to Housing and Urban Development employees said the following “That’s what America is about, a land of dreams and opportunity.” He said “there were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less.” In response to this, the eloquent Samuel L. Jackson who said that he “voted for President Obama because he was black,” and received absolutely no blow the way a white person would if he said something similar (not to digress), said  “mutha f****ka please.” Other celebrities practically lost their minds, while USA featured a headline that said Dr. Carson called slaves immigrants. As can be imagined, their indignation, and hate for any black person who strays from the liberal plantation allowed them to miss the context in which Dr. Carson used the word “immigrant”. One commentator talked about him being the token black man in President Trump’s cabinet, and in that one statement lies the root of their response to what he said. Dr. Carson does not fit the mold of a how a black man should behave. He has no axe to grind against the system, he does not think that white people are to blame for everything that is wrong in the black community. He talks about personal responsibility, and he believes in the promise of America for everyone willing to seize on the opportunities that this country offers to all.

His statement was an opportunity for them to hurl more invective at him for being what they perceive as the white man’s stool. They had absolutely no interest in the context of his words. These same people who were so offended by Dr. Carson’s statement were silent when his highness, the immaculate President Obama said the same thing that Dr. Carson said. These were the words of his holiness Barrack Obama in one of those rare moments when he attempted to speak positively about the country: “that’s what America is about, a land of dreams and opportunity. There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less, but they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, great-granddaughters, might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land. Was he saying that slaves were immigrants in the sense of how we normally understand the word? Now, not to be a defender of President Obama, but obviously in the context of what he was saying, he used the word immigrant as a euphemism to make a larger point. The point that both he and Dr. Carson made was that even under the circumstances in which they came to America, black people still had hopes and dreams for themselves, and their posterity, that America would indeed live up to its promise towards all men. Many people would not use the word immigrant in any context to describe slaves, and no one would fault them for that, that is understandable, but by the same token context is important. It is intellectually dishonest to take the words of Dr. Carson to mean that he believes slaves were immigrants in the regular sense of the word. If you apply that standard to what he said, you also have to apply it to President Obama who also said this “We say it so often, we sometimes forget what it means — we are a nation of immigrants. Unless you are one of the first Americans, a Native American, we are all descended from folks who came from someplace else — whether they arrived on the Mayflower or on a slave ship, whether they came through Ellis Island or crossed the Rio Grande.

So, to the people who are condemning Dr. Carson for his use of the word immigrant to describe slaves; you have the right to feel the way you do one would guess, but did you feel the same way when President Obama said practically the same thing? Did he deserve to be lambasted in the same manner with a headline in USA today saying “President Obama uses the word immigrant to describe slaves?”

It never gets old pointing out the stark, raging hypocrisy of the hateful left. This response to Dr. Carson is not so much about what he said, as it is about him being a black supporter of Donald Trump. He is an independent black man who does not walk around in the chains that some white liberals and members of the black left attempt to place on him. He marches to his own drumbeat, and that is the real source of the rage. It is transparent to all those who are not afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome.  Let the left continue to expose themselves, let the beautiful people of Hollywood continue to rage. The more they do, the more Americans will see this ideology for the cancer that it is.

Two days ago, two white supremacists were given stiff sentences for disrupting the birthday party of a young black boy a couple of years ago. The little boy was celebrating his eighth birthday with family and friends when the celebration was interrupted by a group of confederate flag waving jerks. It mattered little to them that this child was there to just enjoy the time with loved ones, and that their actions were likely to affect him psychologically in a way that no eight year old deserves. This child’s innocence was shaken in a moment that was supposed to be filled with joy, laughter, and love, when he should have been creating fond memories to last him a lifetime. Instead the memories are of a different kind. He was suddenly ushered into the reality of how cruel the world around him could be. He got to see a side of human nature that he no doubt would learn about or encounter at some point in his lifetime, but got an early introduction.

No one should have to deal with these issues in a supposedly enlightened world, in a country that is a vast melting pot of cultures, and people, but we live in an imperfect world where bad things do happen. Sometimes bad things happen to the most undeserving among us.

According to reports the group showed up and stormed the party, yelling racial slurs and threatening to kill people. Apparently even the children present were subject to their vile and hateful behavior. Not only did they make threats, but they even pulled out guns while making their threats. This was no doubt a very frightening experience for anyone to get caught in, more so for the children who were present. Thankfully no one was physically hurt, but no doubt the incident left some scars at a time when the nation seemed to be going through one of the worst periods of racial tension in decades.

The incident eventually led to the arrest of four people. Reports state that two of those arrested pleaded guilty, and were given shorter sentences than the ones who were tried and sentenced. The judge wanted to send a strong message that this behavior cannot, and will not be tolerated as he handed out his sentence. The male perpetrator received a thirteen year sentence, and the young woman received a six year term. They both must also serve a fifteen year probation when they come out of jail, and In addition to the hard jail sentence that the judge handed out to the two; he also banished them from the county when they come out of prison. They both cried after their sentencing and the young woman apologized to the people they subjected to their abuse.

This incident no doubt played into the hands of those who believe that America is an unjust country where black people are constantly under threat by white Americans, and no doubt in the minds of many; the incident served to solidify that image that many have of the country. The fact that just a few weeks earlier a young man walked in to a black church, and slaughtered nine worshipers after sitting and fellowshipping with them for over an hour, then stating that he wanted to start a race war was no doubt still fresh on the minds of those who were subjected to the abuse by this hateful racist, group. Some say that they were probably emboldened by the church shooter, and chose to take the actions they did as a result of this. Whatever the reason for them behaving the way that they did, the message from the judge was loud and clear that there is no room for this type of behavior in the United States of America. While some may feel the need to use the incident to point the finger and say “I told you so,” people should stop for a minute and put this whole incident in perspective. No doubt many feel vindicated when incidents like this happen, and in some quarters there might even be a sliver of morbid rejoicing because in their minds they have the proof that this is indeed a racist country. While incidents like these should not be happening, and we all should rightfully recoil in horror from the thought that it did happen, we must also be not too quick to look at this as proof of some bigger scourge that exists.

Racism is one of the many problems that is a part of the human experience. Other issues that we contend with include corruption, greed, jealously, contentiousness, anger and many other negative attributes that have the potential to bring out the worst in people. For some reason when it comes to racism, people seem to have a standard of perfection that they do not have for all the other reasons that bad things do happen in life. This is not to say that people should treat these proven racist incidents trivially when do happen, but we should see the country for what it is-a place that is filled with imperfect people where that imperfection manifests itself from time to time in incidents like these. The fact that these people were held accountable for their actions speaks more about, and is a greater indicator of the character of the nation in which we live than the acts that they committed. The judge in this case, the prosecutor, the police who arrested them, and the jury is the true representation of America, not these fools.

As the time goes on, this stuff becomes more and more fascinating to watch. Observing members of the toleracracy descend further and further into the gutter, one can’t help but wonder how deep and how far they are willing to go. Apparently there are no boundaries. About one week ago the younger daughter of President Donald Trump was shunned by fashion editors of some very popular fashion magazines at a New York Fashion Week show. Like a scene stolen from directly from the movie Mean Girls, these bastions of tolerance determined that she needed to be ostracized so that she would know how they feel about her father. They no doubt see themselves as champions of woman’s causes…unless of course they do not like the politics of a particular woman’s father. During the shunning of the young Ms. Trump, they felt so proudly of their actions that they tweeted about it. It was such a bad example of how to treat people that ultra-liberal apologist Whoopi Goldberg did something that the left does not do much, by calling out the editors, and coming to the young woman’s defense. Just to mention again, the right does not behave this way, or if they do; they are always roundly condemned by everyone including their own. This is not the first time that one of Mr. Trump’s daughters has been targeted, and singled out for abuse by members of the open minded society. Older daughter Ivanka Trump was targeted for abuse by a male passenger on a plane while traveling with her husband. On that occasion too, the harassers felt justified in pestering this woman because they do not like her father’s politics, and just like in the other incident the “husband” of the man boasted about it on Twitter.

Ask yourself dear reader, why would these people after targeting women for abuse, feel emboldened to publish via Twitter the stories of their exploits. The answer to that question ladies and gentlemen is quite simple. It is because they know that they are held to a different standard, and that as long as a conservative or Republican is the ultimate target of their abuse, it justifies any action on their part. Once again it is important to note that so many of these people are not your random troll, or your run of the mill jerk that anyone could run into anywhere. These are often prominent people in their fields. The man on the plane was a University professor. A lot of them are also very influential in the Democrat party. This fact, ladies and gentlemen is what makes them dangerous. Many of them are people of influence with the capacity to cause real harm.

It should give us pause and cause us to ask what would happen if these people get their hands on unfettered power. They currently have a powerful foothold on the media, academia, and the entertainment industry. They rule the culture. If they ever get a hold of political power again, and also end up controlling the judiciary, in addition to the other institutions that they control, people will wonder what became of the United States. It cannot be stated more clearly that this ideology is dangerous, and it must be said again that this is not meant as hyperbole. It is not said to shock, but to cause awareness and make people think deeper about what would happen if the left truly gets control of all the major institutions in society. They continue to show their hand more and more in the way that they treat people who disagree with them. They loot, they riot, they beat up those they oppose, threaten livelihoods, careers, hurl insults, and try to silence the people who do not share their ideology. They become more emboldened and their behavior becomes more vituperative with the passage of time as the shock of their actions become less and less offensive to the sensibilities. In the meanwhile people continue to become entrapped by their promises to make America into a Utopian paradise where nothing ever goes wrong and no one wants for anything.

The reason for constantly highlighting the hate and vitriol of the left is not to paint conservatives as victims or paragons of virtue, but to highlight the viciousness that is a central aspect of this ideology. Conservatives have their issues and their own demons to contend with, but when it comes to political intolerance and the unwillingness to fight battles based on the strength of ideas, the left has that market cornered. Those who oppose leftist ideology must know what it is they are up against when they decide to challenge it.

As we continue to see reaction to the election of Donald Trump, understand that the hysteria is not going to taper off. The media will continue to attack everything that he does. They will not let up! Hollywood and liberal professors are going to continue to wield their influence in the effort to ensure that this election is just a blip in their relentless march to make America into something it was never intended to be. Those who voted for Donald Trump must not forget why they voted for him. He is unapologetic in his love for the country, he believes in American strength, he stands for law and order, believes that the first (especially religious liberty and freedom of speech), and the second amendment must be protected, and that America has a unique leadership role in the world. We can all agree that he is a deeply flawed man, but so was Winston Churchill who turned out to be a leader for the ages (only time will tell for President Trump). Don’t get caught up in the cult of personality, hold him accountable, and let us continue to pray that Mr. Trump can live up to the promise that many saw in him, and help to steer the country back to prosperity, where “in God we trust” is more than just a nice slogan on a coin.

A couple days ago, a young black (multiracial if you prefer) woman at the Grammy awards demonstrably showed what it is to be black and free. She showed what it is to be unfettered by the chains that many attempt to place on black people, telling them what to think, what they should believe, and with whom they should associate. In the face of unwarranted criticism, ridicule, and scorn she chose to go against the tide, and in the process show that she indeed had the backbone to swim upstream. We have seen in the last few weeks that one of the easiest ways for celebrities to be showered with praise is to use these award shows as their soap box to bash President Trump. Instead this young woman chose the occasion of the Grammy’s to show her support for the President. People tune in to Hollywood to be entertained, and not to be lectured to by spoiled Hollywood elites, but that is what they have used their platform to do. It is in this environment that Joy Villa chose to go against the grain and use the opportunity to show   support for President Trump in the dress that she chose to wear. She showed that she is no dead fish just floating downstream with the current. People are free to support whomsoever they choose to get behind politically, and people have the right to disagree with the President of the United States, or any other politician for that matter, but the climate of vitriol and hate that has been encouraged and promoted by the left since the election of Donald Trump is breathtaking. It is to the point that people’s livelihood could actually be threatened for having the “wrong” point of view. People are not content to oppose the President politically, apparently they have to be shrill in their opposition. It seems that opposition to the current President must include the view that he hates women, that he is a racist, a xenophobe, a misogynist, a bigot and for the topping on the cake, a Nazi. This viewpoint is not based on the life that he has lived, but on a premise that they know what is in his heart and mind.

It is in the shadow of all this hate for the President that Ms. Villa decided to unabashedly and apologetically show her support for the President. She knew that she’d be called a coon, a house ni****, a sellout, and other names with equally colorful adjectives, for no other reason than that she supports the President of the United States, and wants to at least give him a chance to govern. Ms. Villa decided to be open with her support nevertheless. She knows that none of the negative labels (whatever they may mean) that people attempt to place on her applies to her, and she makes no apologies for her stance. Since the event, she has gone on to not just symbolically state her support for the President, but to boldly voice it with clarity.

There is nothing special in itself about showing support for the sitting President. It should not even matter, but it tells us so much about where we are as a society that it requires an act of bravery to do so in order to make a point. The reason for this is simple. It is because the left (spurred on by politicians in the Democrat Party) have decided that they have a monopoly on determining, and deciding who, and what is best for the country. Anyone who disagrees with their vision for the country must be destroyed. They do not care who it is. They become particularly venomous if they perceive that people who they think should “know better” step out of line. In their world of identity politics, if what they consider as the wrong opinion comes from a member of a group they have designated as a victim class, and for whom they see themselves as protectors; it is even worse. These people save the worst of their vitriol for any black person who dares to show a streak of independence, for women who do not march to the beat of the radical feminist drum, for gays who do not buy into their hysteria, and anyone else who refuses to play by their sick rules.

The irony is that in all of this virulent hatred, they see themselves as the guardians of tolerance. Many of the folks on the left are so far gone that a couple of weeks ago when provocateur extraordinaire Lady Gaga refused to get political at the Super Bowl half time show, she incurred their wrath because she refused to go into a diatribe against the President. She however is one of their own and will be forgiven for her momentary lapse of judgment. It is the people like Joy Villa to whom they are most unforgiving. She is her own woman. Defying this perpetually aggrieved bunch, Miss Villa said: “I just get tired of the narrative of hate-you’re racist, you’re a bigot, you’re this, you’re that, people losing jobs all because they voted for a now elected President.” She went on to say. “For me, I voted for Trump, and a lot of my friends did as well,” she continued” “and we felt like we had to be closeted, we had to be quiet about it, or we would face a backlash and bullying.” Boy was she right, two months later and the madness still has not died down for his election victory. The left and their minions claim that President Obama was treated the same way when he was elected, but they know that this is not true. He was not! It must be said till people begin to absorb that this behavior is the almost exclusive domain on the left. It must be pointed out at every opportunity. There is no parallel on the right to what we have seen on display since the election of Donald Trump.

What makes this young woman’s act of defiance so remarkable is that she knew going in that she would be attacked for he stance. She refused to take the safe and easy road in an industry that is reputed for its vengefulness against those who hold the “wrong” views. Since her bold act, sales of her music has skyrocketed and she has been showered with praise for what by no measure should require an act of courage. Her decision is commendable, and she is the perfect example of how people should stand for what they believe. In her words “go big or go home, stand for what you believe or fall for what you don’t.” Well done Miss Villa.