As I laid sleepless in a hospital bed a week ago, a question kept bouncing around my head: How could seventy-seven million Americans vote for DT? (I have a difficult time even saying his name.) I know all seventy-seven million have the same information I do. Here’s what I came up with:
- Trump is a pathological liar. During his last administration, he told over thirty thousand lies. I have no idea if he ever tells the truth. Do you? To his followers, this seems like acceptable behavior for the president of the United States, but I don’t agree.
- It’s no secret that he cheats on just about everything, including his wives, his taxes, his business dealings, his friends, on the golf course, with the contractors he hires, and even with his family. His supporters rationalize this by saying, “Oh, everyone cheats a little.”
- As president, he led an insurrection against our country. His supporters contend, with a straight face, that they were on a tour of the capitol that got a little out of hand, totally ignoring that hundreds were convicted, lives were lost, and much was destroyed (e.g., democracy). This is traitorous!
- Despite the well-known fact that he has had six bankruptcies, ten of his businesses have gone under, and over three thousand lawsuits have been filed against him due to his business practices, many claim he is a great businessman. In my books, he’s a great con artist.
- He has no regard for the Constitution, which he vowed to protect when he was sworn in as president. Almost on a daily basis, he flagrantly violates it, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue for those voters who wave American flags, say the Pledge of Allegiance, and sing patriotic songs. I think our Constitution is one of the finest documents ever written. He doesn’t even care about it.
- Why is it blatantly obvious to me that he’s setting the stage to become a dictator, but half the country is fine with this? Not me!
- He is the poster boy for narcissism. He’s incapable of having compassion for anyone or anything. Everything is all about him. He never accepts blame for anything, even though he has a history of consistently making mistakes. Why doesn’t it make any difference that in his first term, he was the third-worst president in history of our country or that the national debt rose over 41 percent during his last administration? This is a huge negative for me.
- He has not been in office for even one hundred days, and he has already destroyed our government, sent millions into unemployment, and put the world in economic chaos, with the strong possibility of a worldwide recession and possibly depression. His cult continues to claim that “he was sent by God to clean up America and the world.” This rationalization is sick.
- He is a convicted felon thirty-four times. Seventy-seven million people have no problem with this. I do.
I could go on, but my readers know all this. Let me ask this question: if I displayed half the negative traits of Trump, would any of you want to be my friend? I hope not.
Do I want to have anything to do with anyone who voted for Trump? My gut says no! Nothing says yes.
Why do I need friends who have lost their moral compass, who don’t care about our democracy, and who are willing to destroy me and my immediate family all because they believe a pathetic, lying narcissist is going to give them cheaper eggs and good government. And when I say destroy, here is what I stand to lose, so far: Social Security, Medicare, much of Annie and my savings, Alzheimer’s research (my wife is beginning to show signs), our two granddaughters’ college scholarships, all financial support for our daughter who is deaf and blind, her job, and my VA benefits for starters.
What do you think about keeping these seventy-seven million people close?
PeaceLoveJoyHopeKindness
Bil
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P.S. People often ask me provocative questions about current events, both religious and secular. I have found that some of these questions are being asked universally. I’ll be periodically alternating regular articles with one of those questions and my answer. I invite you to send me your question to bilaulenbach@yahoo.com.
Photo courtesy of the National Guard
Hope you are doing better, out of hospital? I agree 100 percent with you, and feel the same, and it is so depressing and frustrating that so many of our citizens are so ignorant and accepting of the horrid reality, Love to you, Julie
Thanks Julie. The procedure didn’t work out as well as I hoped. It slowed the leakage on one side but not the right side. But It hasn’;t slowed me too much. We keep hoping to go to DP and meet you, but I’m in Cardio PT 3 days a week and seeing Drs. for both of us. Annie is now dementia but doesn’t loook or act like it. I’ll call when I seee a day that’s going to wotk .
PeacewLOveJoyHopeKindness Bil
From Guillem Ramis – Mallorca
Palestina, la traïció de nostra humanitat (resum)
https://www.globalresearch.ca/silent-tragedy-gaza-global-crisis-morality-humanity/5888331
La tragèdia que s’està desenvolupant a Gaza no és només un conflicte regional, sinó un profund aval moral per a tota la comunitat mundial. El que estem presenciant no és només la devastació d’un poble, sinó el desmantellament dels valors i principis que l’ordre internacional afirma defensar. Cada dia que el món es queda immòbil mentre civils són assassinats, cases destruïdes i comunitats senceres esborrades, ens enfrontam a una pregunta dolorosa: què queda de la nostra consciència col•lectiva?
Aquesta crisi no es limita a les fronteres. Transcendeix la geografia i la política, i serveix com a mirall que reflecteix les deficiències morals del nostre temps. La manca de responsabilitat dels perpetradors, la manca d’intervenció decisiva per protegir els innocents i l’erosió contínua dels estàndards internacionals de drets humans, tot apunta a un sistema global més preocupat per preservar el poder i les aliances polítiques que per defensar la vida i la dignitat humanes.
Sense una responsabilitat genuïna, sense una voluntat política valenta i sense un compromís renovat amb els principis bàsics de la justícia i el dret internacional, aquestes atrocitats no només continuaran, sinó que redefiniran allò que el món està disposat a tolerar. La normalització d’aquesta brutalitat estableix un precedent perillós: que algunes vides són d’un sol ús, que algunes persones estan condemnades per sempre a viure i morir sense protecció i que la responsabilitat moral es pot suspendre quan no sigui convenient.
En permetre que Gaza es cremi mentre no s’ofereix gaire més que preocupació retòrica o gestos simbòlics, la comunitat global corre el risc de perdre qualsevol credibilitat restant en les seves reivindicacions de lideratge moral. Les institucions dissenyades per protegir els vulnerables estan paralitzades. Les veus que abans demanaven la pau estan silenciades. I la idea mateixa d’una ètica humana compartida —una que valori les vides de totes les persones per igual— està amenaçada.
El món s’ha de preguntar, urgentment i honestament: continuarem desviant la mirada, excusant la inacció amb la burocràcia i la geopolítica, observant i esperant mentre una altra generació es perd a causa de la guerra? O finalment trobarem el coratge per defensar, no per un bàndol o un altre, sinó pels principis bàsics de justícia, humanitat i el dret de tota persona a viure lliure de violència i opressió?
Això no és només una prova de política, sinó una prova de la nostra humanitat. La història recordarà com vàrem respondre. Assegurem-nos que el nostre llegat no sigui de silenci i complicitat, sinó de solidaritat, consciència i acció en defensa de la dignitat de totes les persones.
Ruel F. Pepa, filòsof filipí establert a Madrid.
Thank you, Guillem.What the Israelis and USA are doing to the Palestine is nothing but genocide. I don’t care if my former Jewish friend call mne anti-Semitic, because I am as long as the IOslraelios keeps mudering innocent people. Some day, Israel and I hope the USA is going to pay dearly for this.
PeaceLoveJoyHopeKindness
Bil
Not a problem for me. When acquaintances find out I’m out there demonstrating against the administration and their friend Elon, they drop me! I feel like its the ‘79’s again!
Thanks, Penny. WE know the feeling but our democracy’s worth it.
Pax, Bil
Too much high rent and low wages for too long with numerous promises from politicians to change them that never did. Numerous people who don’t want apartments built in their neighborhoods so they keep their extraordinary property values. This is a recipe for disaster. Keep people in a financial struggle and then comes along a liar saying he’ll fix all this. And then we get Trump. Whether voters didn’t feel voting for anyone could be depended on to change their lives, or there was one liar that said that he would. You get the same result, Donald Trump.
So what is the reason this person voted for Trump. If they are rich and wanted lower taxes then yes, drop them. If they are in debt and struggling then educate them and work on Democratic politicians to come through for them.
That’s my advice.
Hi Chris. I hope all is well. My take: The fundies think Trump is going to help them make the USA a theocracy (Project 2025), their kind which has little to do with Jesus. The second group in those who claim they don’t like governemnt (Even tho they all use it every day.). Now we are seeing our country operate with a governmant that knows lettle about what their doing. (With all the cuts/tariffs w/in a month people are going to see/feel what life w/o government is going to feel like.) The next group are the rich who’s main object is to get richer. (Money= power. See Eldon). Unfortnately, these groups encompasses a majority of our country and we are where we are. It’s not the first time in our history that we’re going to have to fight for our democracy and with DT it could be war. I know this isn’t helpful but what has been to us is to be out demonstrating every Sunday afternoon here in Irvine (400 to 600 evry week. Their motto: Alone we’re a drop of water, toghetr we’re a powerful ocean. With that in mind we’ll be out there this afteroon and I suspect there will be a big crowd. PeaceLoveJoyHopeKindness. Bil