Dear Fred,
Thanks for Frog Hospital.
How was Hawaii?
I think Trump is a dangerous man. With his finger on The Button, I believe The Despicable One is more dangerous than Hitler in the '30s.
He is not likely to perpetrate overt racial/ethnic crimes but he will make spiteful Americans feel good about their biliousness and hate crimes will continue to increase on the heels of his post-election spike.
I do not know if it is advisable to attack Trump with pejoratives.
In any event, I don't need to recite "my litany": you know it well.
However, I will point out that, "from the beginning" --- and despite my longstanding conviction that a Trump presidency would make America a coarser, more hateful, more violent place by inflaming the lesser angels of our nature --- I have argued that Trump has been spot on in his no-holds-barred criticism of The Iraq War.
Spot-On Truth-Teller Donald Trump: The Most Important Thing Said At The Republican Debate
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/12/spot-on-honest-donald-trump-most.html
(I will mention parenthetically that Trump's emphatic commitment to the protection of Social Security and his vigorous promotion of far-reaching improvement of infrastructure improvements are two bright stars in America's never darker firmament... even if Republicans lathered themselves to block infrastructure improvements for the last 8 years. "Even a broken clock is right twice a day.")
Yesterday afternoon, while canvassing for Hillary in the Orange County countryside, I had an insight.
Although the details can be debated, Trump did oppose The Iraq War early and vocally.
"Israeli War Historian, Martin van Creveld's Startling Commentary On The Iraq War"
Excerpt: "For misleading the American people, and launching the most foolish war since Emperor Augustus in 9 B.C sent his legions into Germany and lost them, Bush deserves to be impeached and, once he has been removed from office, put on trial along with the rest of the president’s men. If convicted, they’ll have plenty of time to mull over their sins." War historian Martin van Creveld is the only non-U.S. author whose writings are obligatory reading by America's Officer Corps."
I doubt Trump had anything more than a "sound bite view" of Vietnam although he expended considerable energy "getting out of it" with a laughable medical deferment for bone spurs despite a very active career as a college athlete, participating in baseball, tennis and squash.
But back to yesterday afternoon's insight...
What percentage of American conservatives applauded Iraq and Vietnam just because "warfare is what American conservatives reflexively do?"
"We Like War"
Video
"The American Dream"
Video
(Foul-mouthed but brilliant.)
Favorite George Carlin Shticks
And what percentage of those conservative cheerleaders now look back regretfully on those two random fits of decerebrate belligerence?
I would venture that at least a third of American conservatives fall in the category of "kneejerk cheerleaders" who will "fall in line" anytime Uncle Sam beats the drum.
According to a 2015 NBC poll, 44% of Republicans already regret Iraq and I would LOVE to be "a fly inside the skull" of the other 56% to see exactly how their synapses are firing! http://www.nbcnews.com
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2016/11/lies-my-teacher-told-me-everything-your.html
I feel certain that the percentage of dependably-belligerent conservatives who reflect on recently-concluded warmaking and say "it just wasn't worth it" can be taught to see "it wasn't worth it" in the first place.
All crucial historical "lessons" can be taught through high-quality secondary school courses in American History and World History.
All crucial historical "lessons" can be taught through high-quality secondary school courses in American History and World History.
So let's make them required courses for high-school graduation.
By devising a history-based educational process, we could avoid the lion's share of belligerent "young buck folly," puerile eruptions of dimwittedness ultimately perped by old men "giving head" to young boys' testosterone surges.
"Do War's Really Defend America's Freedom?"
(Homage Marine Commandant, Major General Smedley Butler)
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspo
The Age-Old Normalization Of Warfare Through Stupidity, Ego And Religion
If nothing else, make every high school student write two decent essays; one on Major General Smedley Butler, the other on General William Westmoreland or any other renowned representative of "military brass." https://en.wikip
To the extent that "America doesn't win any more" it is because we are an aggressively ignorant people and The Body Politic, on balance, wants it that way.
We could drastically enhance American civilization by requiring a two-year high school course in American history in which one year's textbook would be Howard Zinn's "A People's History Of The United States" while the other year would employ any right-of-center text written by a professor from one of America's top hundred colleges and universities.
We could drastically enhance American civilization by requiring a two-year high school course in American history in which one year's textbook would be Howard Zinn's "A People's History Of The United States" while the other year would employ any right-of-center text written by a professor from one of America's top hundred colleges and universities.
"A People's History Of The United States" By Howard Zinn (Entire Text Freely Available Online)
Better yet, devise a required three-year American history sequence with a different text each year; one by Zinn, one by a right-winger and the third by a middle-of-the-roader.
You can count on unprecedented political opposition to this proposal, mostly from "conservatives" who know in their bones (if not in their brains) that their identity-survival depends on carefully coordinated stupefaction.
"A People's History Of The United States" By Howard Zinn (Entire Text Freely Available Online)
Man Behind Trump Security Scare Says He Was Beaten For Holding Anti-Trump Sign
Compendium Of Pax Posts About Donald Trump
(I wish Mencken had said "most of them imaginary.")
FROG HOSPITAL -- November 5, 2016
Anything Can Happen
By Fred Owens
Anything can happen this election day. My forecast is a narrow victory for Hillary Clinton, but your guess is as good as mine.
Hillary has the lead, but Trump is closing fast. All the news is about sex and emails, but does that matter? You look around and ask "Are you better off?"
Employment and wages are up. Crime is down, except on the south side of Chicago. Putin makes a lot of noise, is he really a threat? The civil war rages in Syria. Now there's a serious problem, I admit that. But here in our country, people are making a living -- unless they're shooting heroin in rural Ohio.
It's not a disaster and that means Hillary wins, but as I said, anything can happen. I am seeing, on Facebook and around town here in Santa Barbara, the emergence of closet Trumpistas, more than I expected. Trump will finish strong, but he will finish second.
TruthWe should remind people that it is a secret ballot and that a polite answer to who are you gonna vote for is none of your business. I'm voting for Hillary, but I don't have to tell you that.... With that in mind I encourage people to vote for whomever they think will make the best President. If you think this election is a joke, then I support your decision to vote for Wavy Gravy. I even celebrate your right to abstain from voting. In sum, I do not believe it is possible to "waste" your vote. Your vote is your coin, spend it as you choose.
And no matter how you vote, I support your right to complain about the results.....
You do not need my approval. I sure don't need yours.
What a country!
Disgusted, Discouraged and Disappointed. So many people say this about the election. Not me. I'm having a great time. I love a good fight. We're supposed to be living in a divided country -- what nonsense. I find it easy to make friends with people who don't agree with me.
The bad things are out there -- hatred and vile language -- I don't want to seem all happy talk, but by and large people are not losing their minds.
Both candidates have proven themselves. Although they are of advanced age, being 69 and 70, they have both shown exceptional stamina. They talk and talk and talk. Then they go to another state and talk some more.
It's true they lack wit or style. A good joke now and then would be appreciated.
Voting for HillaryLike millions of Americans I am choosing Clinton because she is not Trump. She is highly over-rated. She has poor political skills. She is the first presidential candidate to be over-qualified for the job. She has been in the public domain since I was in high school, like forever. But she has that outstanding quality of not being Trump, so she gets my vote.And when you get to substance, I actually agree with her on a lot of issues. She tends to moderation and middle of the road positions. So do I.Trump is just a little bit too much for me. You can heap pejorative adjectives on him, but I will not do that. I just think he should not be President.A PledgeSomebody is going to lose. Somebody is going to be in a sour mood come Wednesday morning. I pledge to extend the hand of friendship to one and all when this is over. If we win, no gloating. If we lose, no crying. That's life. Don't get mad, just get over it.thank you,Fred
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