The true nature of Trump’s ‘love of the military’

Why Can’t I Support Donald Trump? Because He’s Not A Veteran.

UPDATED, RETITLED and RE-POSTED FROM MAY 2, 2016

Do I require every Presidential candidate to be a Veteran before I will vote for them? No, of course not. So why do I require Trump to be a Veteran and not other candidates?

When an American makes the challenging transition from late adolescence into early adulthood, they are faced with many decisions. One certain, specific combination of choices will be the choice of whether or not to serve their country by enlisting in the military. Many will choose not to serve, and this is their right, during peacetime, and in some cases, it is also an option during conflicts, if there is an absence of a military draft.

Me at a Donald Trump rally in protest.

Does the term ‘Chicken Hawk’ mean anything to you?
The label ‘Chicken-hawk’ is is a political term used to describe a person who strongly supports war or other military action (i.e., a war hawk), yet who actively avoids or avoided military service when of age. Chicken-hawk indicates that the person in question is hypocritical for personally dodging a draft or otherwise shirking their duty to their country during a time of armed conflict while advocating that others do so. Generally, the implication is that chicken-hawks lack the moral character to participate in war themselves, preferring to ask others to support, fight and perhaps die in an armed conflict.
This is not to say that everyone who does not enlist is a 'chicken' or a coward. As I've stated military service is not a pre-requisite to gaining my vote, and as I've pointed out the choice to serve is, for the most part, voluntary. The deciding factor may be economics or a sense of duty among other considerations, but during a conflict and a military draft, the duty rises to a sense of obligation and responsibility for many.
My problem is not with those who didn't serve, my problem is with those who chose not to serve, and either then, or at a later time, advocates for engaging our military and sending it into harm's way. It is this hypocrisy that I find intolerable, especially for someone seeking to be commander in chief in spite of their failure to see a call to duty.
By Definition, Donald Trump is a ‘chicken-hawk’, with the emphasis on ‘chicken’. It is one thing not to serve, as I’ve said it is a choice, but it is another thing to make such a choice and then hypocritically advocate for putting another generation in jeopardy as a moral stance.

Chicken-hawk mottoe: “Let’s you and him go fight; I’ll hold your coat.”

• I have more respect for those that opposed the Vietnam War and fled to Canada rather than face the draft…
• I have more respect for conscientious objectors who served under accommodations or served jail time…
• I even have more respect for the rich and politically protected who gained protection by enlisting in politically protected National Guard and Reserve Units like the Texas ‘Champagne Guard (at least they were supposedly under threat of a call-up…)

All these people get more respect from me than chicken-hawks like Trump, Dick Cheney, Glenn Beck, and Rush Limbaugh, who all just outright avoided service.

Like many of my generation (the same as Trumps) I had doubts about the Vietnam War, but I was raised with a sense of duty and service, not greed and entitlement. Along with my doubts I signed up for a 4 year enlistment. Two more years than Trump would have had to serve if he was drafted or enlisted for the minimum.

But here is the most important point about chicken-hawks, with the emphasis on ‘hawks’. It is there willingness to send others, the next generation, off to war and advocating for adversarial responses, international stare-downs with the crazies of the world. All from the safety of their office, the campaign trail or a talk show. With the abolition of the military draft, they don’t even have to worry about their kids being put in harm's way.
Then there's the issue of Trump's attitude towards POW's:

“He’s not a war hero," Trump said dismissively of McCain, who spent more than five years being tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and suffered permanent injuries as a result.
Trump, who received a number of deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam, backtracked slightly after drawing boos.
“He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured” he said, to a mix of laughs and jeers from the several hundred social conservatives gathered at the Family Leadership Summit.
“I believe perhaps he is a war hero, but right now, he said some very bad things about a lot of people,” he continued.

NOT a War Hero? Because he was captured? PERHAPS a War Hero? This from a guy who sought and got 5 deferments! Make no mistake about it, this is a statement that reflects attitude towards others, an attitude that is dismissive of the worth of people not in his circle… what some would call his ‘world view’
John McCain did not just walk up to the North Vietnamese and say “I give up”. He was flying dangerous missions, was shot down, parachuted with two broken arms and one broken leg and landed in the water where he was dragged to shore by the North Vietnamese, with few options. Is Trump, a person who wouldn't even serve, suggesting that McCain and other troops should put a bullet in their own head? Who knows what he is actually suggesting. Most of us are worried that he has no concept of what he’s saying until after he says it and gets a negative reaction, and even then his ego will not let him believe he’s ever wrong… just misunderstood, or victimized.
Try to wrap your head around this: Trump claims that he would be ‘Great for the Military, the best ever.’ I love the military. Statements he makes about everything.
But if he doesn’t understand the concept of soldiers and sailors as heroes for answering the call to duty in the first place, of course, he won't see POW's as hero’s, because they shouldn't have gotten captured, in other words, he likes “people who weren’t captured” more than he does people who were captured. People like himself that made the safe choices that would prevent them from ever being captured.
He’s obviously unaware of what happens in war, and that makes it scary to see him as the leader of the free world and our military. He just doesn't understand the concept of signing that 'blank check' and therefore volunteering to be placed in harm's way.
Donald Trump Reportedly Didn’t Know What A Gold Star Family Was

“…New York Magazine’s Gabriel Sherman reported on Saturday that when one adviser warned Trump he had just attacked a Gold Star family, the GOP nominee responded “what’s that?” The term is commonly used to refer to any family that has lost a loved one in war. The United States has officially recognized these families since 1936.
Trump has pledged to support veterans throughout his campaign. Earlier this year, he promised to donate millions to veterans groups, but only appeared to do so months later after The Washington Post noted that he had not fulfilled his promise.
Sherman also reported that Paul Manafort, who was then Trump’s campaign chairman, had to explain what ‘Gold Star family’ meant.
“The election is about the American people, it’s not about you,” Manafort reportedly said, adding that Khizr Khan wasn’t running for president….”
……………………Sam Levine Associate Politics Editor, The Huffington Post

Donald Trump reveals a superficial understanding of soldiers, military live, and the consequences of war.

“They see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over and you’re strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can’t handle it,” Donald Trump

While acknowledging concern over the issue of Veteran suicides he actually demonstrates the atmosphere that discourages Veterans and soldiers from seeking help. While we can argue if Trump is sincere or not over the issue we cannot deny that he does not understand the nuances or reality of military life, PTSD, and mental health in general.

"Approximately 20 former service members die by suicide per day, and veterans make up an astonishing 18 percent of all suicides deaths in the U.S. Trump’s comments are a prime example why many members of the military don’t ask for help: they’re fearful of appearing “weak” in a field that is so deeply associated with “being strong.” Research shows this stigma attached to mental health disorders actually prevents people from seeking treatment."
From <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-veterans-mental-health_us_57f280bbe4b082aad9bc4903?section=politics>

Veterans are not weak for having a mental health disorder. And it’s insulting to equate strength with not having a mental health issue after returning from combat.

What Trump loved was playing Army at Military School, not committing to the concept of Duty, Honor, Country.

He claims he will make the military strong again (like America he promotes his ability to rescue the military from a state of… ???) by spending more on the military. Well, its not going to be his money, and he feels no need to explain where the (taxpayer) money will come from, and hey, he’s good at spending money.

• One has to wonder though is it his love for the military or his love for spending money on extravagant toys.

Is his love for the military reflected in his generosity for Veterans? He claims so. But is that guilt or love? Is it politically correct posturing? Its certainly tax-deductible, but is it even his money?”

“…Mr. Trump refused to attend a Republican debate hosted by Fox News…  …Instead, Mr. Trump hosted his own fundraiser to raise money for veterans groups.But several veterans organizations saw the fundraiser as a political move and refused to accept Mr Trump’s pandering donations.
Paul Rieckhoff, the CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, slammed Mr. Trump in a tweet at the time, saying “We need strong policies from candidates, not to be used for political stunts.”

Where in his life has he displayed any love for the military? Certainly not by joining and serving. From his Military education? He was sent to a military school for rich kids because his father said he was getting out of hand? His love for the military didn’t lead him to a collegiate military academy.
Trump's immigrant grandfather was also a draft dodger.
At age 16  grandfather Friedrich Trump left Germany for America in 1885. Having avoided mandatory military service he was stripped of his German citizenship four years later. When he returned in 1905 he begged local authorities in southern Germany (in a since published letter) to revoke the deportation order for avoiding military service as a teenager. His plea, it seems, proved unsuccessful, and he had to settle for a life across the Atlantic. Once the full translation is available it will be interesting to see if Friedrich offered to make right on his failure to meet his military obligation.
http://www.voanews.com/a/mht-1905-letter-shows-trumps-grandfarther-begged-to-stay-in-germany/3605969.html
 

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NOTES AND RESOURCES:

Here’s what Trump and McCain were doing in 1968:

“Trump was 21 years old and handsome with a full head of hair. He avoided the Vietnam War draft on his way to earning an Ivy League degree. He was fond of fancy dinners, beautiful women and outrageous clubs. Most important, he had a job in his father’s real estate company and a brain bursting with money-making ideas that would make him a billionaire.“When I graduated from college, I had a net worth of perhaps $200,000,” he said in his 1987 autobiography “Trump: The Art of the Deal,” written with Tony Schwartz. (That’s about $1.4 million in 2015 dollars.) “I had my eye on Manhattan.”
More than 8,000 miles away, John McCain sat in a tiny, squalid North Vietnamese prison cell. The Navy pilot’s body was broken from a plane crash, starvation, botched operations and months of torture.
As Trump was preparing to take Manhattan, McCain was trying to relearn how to walk. …as Trump drove around Manhattan in his father’s limo, McCain was refusing to mention his dad for fear of handing valuable intelligence to the enemy.“
In his autobiography, Trump describes these early years as fraught with danger: a quick learning curve for the soon-to-be-celebrity CEO as he went around learning the business. “This was not a world I found very attractive,” he wrote in “Trump: The Art of the Deal.”“I’d just graduated from Wharton, and suddenly here I was in a scene that was violent at worst and unpleasant at best.”The danger? Collecting rent.”Trump said he didn’t serve in Vietnam because he was “going to college,” and because he "was not a big fan of the Vietnam War."

The Washington Post

• [He] describes his battle with venereal disease as his own personal Vietnam.” (It’s true: In 1997, Trump told Howard Stern of trying to avoid contracting sexually transmitted diseases: “It is my personal Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave solider.”)
• “In the ’80s, Trump tried to throw disabled vet street vendors off Fifth Avenue, accusing them of essentially being a blight on the aesthetics of the street. Before his presidential campaign, Trump’s charitable foundation gave more to the Clinton's than to veterans organizations.”
• “In January, Mr. Trump refused to attend a Republican debate hosted by Fox News…  …Instead, Mr. Trump hosted his own fundraiser to raise money for veterans groups. But several veterans organizations saw the fundraiser as a political move and refused to accept Mr. Trump’s pandering donations. Paul Rieckhoff, the CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, slammed Mr. Trump in a tweet at the time, saying “We need strong policies from candidates, not to be used for political stunts.” The statement prompted Trump-supporting Internet trolls to bombard Mr. Rieckhoff with hundreds of disparaging and even threatening comments.
• Veterans groups who declined donations from GOP front-runner Donald Trump are now being flooded with nasty messages from the businessman’s supporters online, who want to punish them for challenging their candidate.”

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/17/donald-trump-supporters-lash-out-at-veterans-who-d/

• see also: Veterans’ Charities Say Trump Hasn’t Handed Out Donations
• see also: DRAFT-DODGING TRUMP TELLS AMERICANS ‘IF PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO FIGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY THEY CAN LEAVE’

90 / 121 / 153 / 171 / 238

This is devastating.

Yes, as always, we have to accept the results and move forward. We have to trust that our system, with its checks and balances, will continue to work to protect us from our excesses and our darker nature. I have faith in the better nature of people, and believe that we are capable of uniting for the common good.

But...
How do we unite behind someone who has based his entire campaign on dividing us and condemning the very system that elected him? How do we unite behind someone who sought to appeal to the fringe elements of our society? How do we unite behind someone who has appealed to our darker nature and the divisiveness of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, bigotry, and nationalism? If anything he enters office having proven that he was very wrong about one thing... the very system that elected him.

Yes I will pray for our country.
Not my country, not his country, not your country. Our Country. I will pray for the families whose only crime was coming to this country improperly. Who otherwise followed the laws, raised good families, and paid their taxes in hopes of a better live for their children. I will pray for those families, those born here and those who immigrated, whose only crime is having been born into or joined a different religious believe or denomination. I will pray for those people whose only crime is having been born different, poor, or disadvantaged. I will especially pray that the obstructionist that have held this country back for the last 8 years and the remains of their fractured political party will finally realize their true responsibility and start putting their country first, ahead of party.

But most of all...
I will pray that I am wrong about Donald Trump and that he will prove me wrong, because now, more than anytime in my life I have to hope I am wrong about something. I pray that if I'm right about Donald Trump any damage done in four years will be repairable.

He is not 'my' President, but he is our President.
I have confidence in the American people as a whole.
I have confidence in this country, warts and all.
I will continue to speak out for what I believe is right and against wrong.
May God Bless America.

www.glennlittrell.org

There is A Difference: Trump/Hillary

We've heard his schtick and we've heard her policy issues.

We've heard the conspiracy theories about her and we've heard WHAT HE's SAID on video.

We know what she's done for children in this country we know what he's advocated against protestors at his rallies (again on tape).

We seen her try to discuss issues at debates and we've seen him try to reduce EVERY debate to a playground game of 'playing the dozens".

She has struggled to, and kept, her family together through good and bad times, he has recycled marriages of infidelity 3 times.

We've seen her fight for issues against powerful political parties and politicians and we have seen where he has fought and belittled the little man the contractor, the journalist, the protestor, the home owner.

We've seen her condemned for obtaining some wealth and success and we've seen him lauded for legally filing bankruptcies, avoiding taxes, eminent domain, billion dollar business loses and stiffing small businesses, exporting his manufacturing overseas... and firing people.

We have seen her explain and debate what she stands for and we have seen him ridicule and bully everyone who questions him.

We have seen her endure ridiculous conspiracy theories and cross examinations on her own and we have seen him employ experts and yes men to validate and ensure the success of everything he did.

We've seen someone who has risen from a middle class family through 30 years of public service and someone who was born to wealth and started as a multimillionaire and NO public service.

To say neither is perfect is not saying they are the same, to say one is flawed is not saying they are evil. To advocate doing nothing because you can't decide is shameful and dangerous.

20 Degrees of Hillary Clinton.

In response to the accusations of murder, none of which have been proven, I decided to address the validity of the statement that those accusations are facts.

I checked several fact checking websites, all of which concluded that all the accusations were either false, misleading, inconclusive, distorted, or based on shaky connections. Of course, having been down this road before and I know that too many will reject these fact checking websites as part of the vast left-wing conspiracy.

I am open to looking at any non-liberal fact checking website in support of the claim, if one can be found. I ask that the website fits some simple criteria for the sake of this conversation:

• They explain their methodology for evaluating a fact.
• They offer links to supporting resources independent of their website.
• I don't have to read through a 50,000 word manifesto to realize there point) (Yes, I realize that this one of mine comes close.)

I then googled the deaths related to the Clintons. Having become a cottage industry among conspiracy theorist there is no shortage of sites advocating the guilt of the Clintons. Oddly though there is not one that can provide a death that has ever provided enough proof that it has led to a charge of murder, manslaughter, negligence, etc., against the Clintons. (Or a successful Civil Suite??)

All these websites have common threads that raise suspicion about their conclusions. Getting keys facts wrong, such as cause of deaths, proper identification of the victim, lack of a specific motive (other than they are the Clintons). They ignore both convictions in the cases and the conclusions of the victims' families (there is no hesitation in accepting the families opinion when it concurs with their theory)

The most disturbing aspect of these websites and their so called proof is two things:

1. Tenuous connections: Most of these murders are connected to the Clintons by a laughable stretch of the imagination that’s used to get a conclusion of 'guilt by association'. It's as if these guys got tired of playing 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon' and created a more challenging version called: '20 Degrees of Clinton and the Most Absurd Motive Possible’ game.
2. An inconsistent body count:  The problem though is not high count alone. The problem is that depending on which source you accept the body count runs from less than ten to more than 90. This point alone defines the whole Clinton body count as a conspiracy and a theory, and oh yes… a conspiracy theory.

Why so many inconsistent counts? Because none are concrete or conclusive, some don't even get the rumored or the factual cause of death right, one is traced to Russian propaganda, most are traced to unnamed sources or chain email, some are drug dealers (people prone to being killed by any number of other people) only connected by the '20 Degrees of Clinton…' rule.

A search, just for the phrase 'Clinton body count' alone produces 9,480,000 results. It mystifies me why anyone would attempt to list over 90 supposed murders by the Clintons (which would make them two of the most successful murders of all time) without at least proving ONE murder first.

A preponderance of unrelated coincident does not change one of those incidents from fiction to fact, or validate the collection itself. Connect-the-dot talking points do not validate each other if those talking points are unrelated or unproven.

All of this is so sad because there is much to criticize Clinton on without resorting to conspiracy theories and outlandish accusations, but we can't get to the legitimate criticism because of all the BS.

The deaths of Foster, Stevens and Rich have formed the basis of some of the most avidly discussed theories about the Clintons being cold-blooded killers. But there are many others.

These conspiracy theories don’t just affect the Clintons. They’ve also increased and prolonged the pain of the families who have lost loved ones.

“Now we have two problems we’re trying to deal with,” Joel Rich, Seth’s father, told The Huffington Post on Monday. “One is getting over the death of Seth and the hole that will be there forever... The other problem is this distraction of people trying to... mess up his reputation and his legacy with absolutely no facts.”
["Conspiracy Theorists Won’t Stop Accusing The Clintons Of Murder: The families who have lost their loved ones want the speculation to stop."]

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NOTE: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a parlor game based on the "six degrees of separation" concept, which posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart. Movie buffs challenge each other to find the shortest path between an arbitrary actor and prolific character actor Kevin Bacon.

Voter registration deadlines approach.

If you haven’t registered to vote go to: http://savetheday.vote/

Indiana voters, if you need to register or if you’ve moved and need to verify that your current address is updated to your voter registration go to:  https://indianavoters.in.gov/PublicSite/Public/FT1/PublicLookupMain.aspx?Link=Registration 

Important Voter Registration Dates

• October 11, 2016 Voter Registration Ends
• November 8, 2016 General Election Day
• December 1, 2016 Voter Registration Begins

NOTE: Certain military and overseas voters have extended registration periods. See http://www.in.gov/sos/elections/2673.htm for more information.

Mail-in voter registration applications must be postmarked on or before the above registration deadlines.

On the Issues: 2016 Candidates

Not surprised Biden fit my answers more often than the others. Had he run he and Sanders/Warren would have been my top choices. I’m a little surprised that Jill Stien and I agree that much… I’ll have to take another look at her, but not for this election.

Many might be surprised that Obama and Hilary don’t rate higher since I seem to spend so much time defending them, but the truth is I’m not defending them as much as I’m defending the truth and decency in politics and opposing fear mongering. Yes Obama got my vote every time and Hilary will get my vote this time, but they were not my first choice in their primaries.*

The highest Republican matching my answers was Chris Christie(33%), that’s a shocker to me and he would never get my vote. I’m a little scared that Peace and Freedom party candidate Roseanne Barr(40%) matched me more often than any Republican… that’s just silly.

Probably the only Republicans that ever had a chance of getting a consideration from me, George Pataki(25%) and John Kasich(20%), trailed Rand Paul(28%), meaning that Democrat James Webb(43%), or Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson(28%), or the aforementioned Jill Stein would have gotten my vote before any Republican candidate this year if Democrats had totally faltered and failed (or Trump was the Democratic nominee).

GlennDL 2016

*Like most people I can find flaws and faults with every candidate, even Obama and Clinton, but in this period of elevated partisanship anything less than an adamant position will get you butchered and drown(out). There are many things that I could criticize about both Obama and Clinton and would love to discuss those things, but both of them are so constantly bombarded with outrageous and dishonest criticism that defy logic and the opportunity for civil discussion that the only place such a discussion can be held is either with those who totally agree with me, or the radical left partisans who are just as unreasonable as the anti-Obama/Clinton right.

Things have gotten so bad that 2012 was the first election I voted a straight party ticket. Even though I still hold fast to not being affiliated with either party.

In every election I have sought out Republican choices early, in anticipation of a poor choice coming from the Democrats, and held out hope for them. Unfortunately, like by first choice on the Democratic side these candidates fail to make the party cut, or when they do they blow it in the post convention shifts.

take the comparisan survey yourself

compare the issues

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Another Survey/comparison

Look at that moon!

Has anyone noticed how big the moon is tonight, really big. I've never seen it that big, and I know because I've been complaining about the size of the moon my whole life.
Congrats to me!
I should me Donald Trump's running mate... look at that moon.

What an incoherent idiot!

Make America Great Again: With Fear???

In the 60’s :

When I was a kid living in Germany we were within a hundred miles of the  Fulda Gap, where a few Russian Armored Divisions were constantly poised to attack.

We played baseball in the backyard.

At one point Russian ships were steaming to Cuba to install Nuclear Warheads aimed at America.

We went to the movies.

Our enemies (Russia and China) had thousands of nuclear missiles aimed at us (still do), and armies as large as ours (still do). We had drills (similar to tornado and fire drills) where we crawled under our desk or tables and assumed a kneeling 'fetal' position with our hands behind or heads.

Throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and today we have had thousands of troops, and their families, within 50 miles of the Korean border where one of the worlds largest army is poised to swarm over the border.

Those families go to church and have picnics.

Today, the Republicants and Donald Trump would have you:

Fear immigrant children at our southern borders,

Fear immigrants seeking the American dream

Fear refugee families at the Statue of Liberty,

Close our borders and cower in the closet.

The fear is manufactured, that's my point, and the anger is pompous.
The Fulda Gap, Cuban Missile Crisis, American families along the Korean DMZ, and Nuclear Arsenals, those were things to worry about, not a bunch of extremest wackos with no air force, missile program, or substantial army. A group that numbers less than 20,000 troops and a minuscule number of sympathizers world wide.
Can they do harm, yes, but so far, in America, homegrown right-wing wackos have killed more than any jihadist, more people have died from dog bites since 9/11. Not to mention gangs, domestic violence, and the flu.
So if we're still the 'home of the brave' where do idiots get off 'ramping up' the hate and fear, just like after 9/11 where we sent troops to Iraq (which had nothing to do with 911) to die over there so they wouldn't die over hear. Remember after 9/11 Bush said we needed to stock-up on sheets of plastic and duck tape to be prepared for that 'mushroom cloud'.

GlennDL

Donald Trump Doesn’t Know What the GI Bill Is (or Anything Else):

see: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-soltz/donald-trump-doesnt-know_b_9872222.html

see: http://www.glennlittrell.org/2016/05/why-cant-i-support-donald-trump-because.html?utm_source=BP_recent&utm-medium=gadget&utm_campaign=bp_recent

The drawbacks and oppresiveness of the primary system: updated

A lot of people miss the point of the primaries. They are not, for lack of a better term, public elections. They are the parties election. Each party is holding there own internal election to select the 'parties' nominee. They get to establish their own rules and process.

They create the allusion of it being a public election by allowing any registered voter to participate (in most states), and by holding the primaries on government facilities. But at whose expense? You don’t think the parties foot the bill for the primaries do you? 

The public is allowed to participate, but it is perfectly legitimate to 'stack' the process to keep it in the parties hands, this also creates the opportunity for non-party members to affect their selection process, ie. crossover voting in primaries to screw with the other parties selection process. To counteract crossover voting they maintain some control with the 'super-delegates' process, which keeps crossover voting from screwing with their party process.

By creating the allusion of fairness and openness they are perpetuating the power of their two-parties to discourage third parties. If any of the current candidates were to run (now or later) independent of the two parties they would be at a disadvantage because of the time missed and the taint of moving away from a party they previously claimed to support. That doesn’t rule out the possibility of winning, but when did that last happen? Because Bernie has always claimed to be independent he might survive such a move. On the Republican side, Trump could make such a move, but he would be hurt because it would lend criticism to a common believe that he was being duplicitous in his party affiliation (but then his negative traits have failed to hurt him so far), all the other candidates would have a lot of explaining to do if they made such a move.

We have a 2 party system that dominates the process and part of that dominance is their control over down ballot politics... ie., the party establishment. How is it that 'party' primaries are funded by tax payers.

This is how the 2 parties exclude any real chance of a third party or independent candidate from running a viable national campaign. The pledged delegates is another way they guarantee an independent like Bernie can't win, or a renegade populist like Trump when running within one of the two parties.

Trump is no more a Conservative, let alone a Republican than Bernie is a party Democrat.

To become viable they have to run under a party banner... if they make enough progress and have a big enough ego then they could mount an independent 3rd ticket run, but they wouldn't stand a chance if they ran that way from the beginning. (Remember Ross Perot). Whats the first response you will hear if Bernie or trump mention an independent run at this point? It will be that they are handing the election to the other party? So run with us against them, or don't run at all. That's the way the two parties want it so lets not complain when they reluctantly play the game according to the two parties rules.

This is the system created by party politics, not the constitution, to guarantee their shared dominance.  

The fairest way would be for the parties to limit primary voting to party members and declared party affiliations only. This would remove most voters from the primaries, but a lot of voters don't bother to vote in the primaries anyway. A lot of independents don't vote in primaries either... that's why they are independents... no party alliance. I say a lot because most people claiming to be independents are really just democrats and republicans trying to appear neutral, for various reasons; trolling. denial, and indecisiveness, but nobody wants to admit to any of those positions.

Myself, I don't vote in primaries... I try to be issues oriented and stay open-minded until the general election. The entire primary process does little more than to create a money raising machine that runs for 8 months, allowing non-contenders to raise funds to bankroll at a later date. If you wanted to effectively elect a party representative you would hold your debates, have one or two days of primaries across the nation and then begin the general campaign. But that wouldn't allow for media drama, big-buck fund-raising, or political maneuvering by otherwise insignificant lower tier candidates. It will never happen because it would create an opportunity for, and encourage,  more spontaneous third-party candidates (the best weapon against a monopolistic 2-party system.)

Do you realize we spend more time selecting nominees than we do electing the office-holder? Over a year of debates and primaries versus 3-5 months of general election campaigning.

GlennDL

If Voting Didn’t Matter, They Wouldn’t Try To Stop You.

Below are screen-shots from a Facebook conversation in response to this meme/graphic concerning the importance of voting and attempts to obstruct voting. The meme does not specifically target Voter ID laws but that is the emphasis of the discussion that developed.

You can leave comments here, but if you are on Facebook I suggest you leave your comments there. I will update this post with screen-shots of your comments. I will blackout identifying information on those screen-shots unless you specifically request that I don’t.

All screen-shots are linked to the original Facebook conversation and their are links to relevant information below.

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see also: VOTER ID REQUIREMENTS ARE A SOLUTION IN SEARCH OF A PROBLEM:

• “There is no credible evidence that in-person impersonation voter fraud -- the only type of fraud that photo IDs could prevent – is even a minor problem. “
• “Proponents of voter ID laws have failed to demonstrate that individual, in -person voter fraud is even a minor problem anywhere in the country. “
• “Multiple studies have found that almost all cases of in-person impersonation voter “fraud” are the result of a voter making an honest mistake, and that even these mistakes are extremely infrequent. “
• “It is important, instead, to focus on both expanding the franchise and ending practices which actually threaten the integrity of the elections, such as improper purges of voters, voter harassment, and distribution of false information about when and where to vote. None of these issues, however, are addressed or can be resolved with a photo ID requirement. “

see also(click): A Black Man Brought 3 Forms of ID to the Polls in Wisconsin. He Still Couldn’t Vote. Now Eddie Lee Holloway is suing—and a federal court just agreed with him.

“VOTING IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE
Nothing is more fundamental to our democracy than the right to vote.
The right to vote is protected by more constitutional amendments - the 1st, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th - than any other right we enjoy as Americans.
There are additional federal and state statutes which guarantee and protect voting rights, as well as declarations by the Supreme Court that the right to vote is fundamental because it is protective of all our other rights.”

"Voter ID laws have the potential to deny the right to vote to thousands of registered voters who do not have, and, in many instances, cannot obtain the limited identification states accept for voting. Many of these Americans cannot afford to pay for the required documents needed to secure a government-issued photo ID. As such, these laws impede access to the polls and are at odds with the fundamental right to vote. "

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In closing, I repeatedly pointed out that Voter ID fraud, of the type that these Voter ID laws are supposed to stop are not a problem that rises to the level of influencing elections. I asked Steve to provide information that this was a real problem and he failed to do so. It is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist, and this gives rise to the question, “What is their real purpose?”

Here is information on how much of a problem Voter ID fraud of this nature really is (this comes from propublica):

“There have been only a small number of fraud cases resulting in a conviction. A New York Times analysis from 2007 identified 120 cases filed by the Justice Department over five years. These cases, many of which stemmed from mistakenly filled registration forms or misunderstanding over voter eligibility, resulted in 86 convictions.
There are “very few documented cases,” said UC-Irvine professor and election law specialist Rick Hasen. “When you do see election fraud, it invariably involves election officials taking steps to change election results or it involves absentee ballots which voter ID laws can’t prevent,” he said.
An analysis by News21, a national investigative reporting project, identified 10 voter impersonation cases out of 2,068 alleged election fraud cases since 2000 — or one out of every 15 million prospective voters.”

What is the real purpose of these laws? here is one explanation of many examples(from the Boston Globe):

“…OK, but let’s for a second pretend that Alabama’s GOP-led state legislature had its heart in the right place and was truly committed to the free and legal right of all its citizens to vote — and that it in no way was trying to limit voting rights. How then does one explain the fact that Alabama is now closing 31 driver’s license offices that are predominately located in African-American communities?
Wait, did I say predominately?
Sorry, I meant to say: almost exclusively. You see, according to John Archibald, a columnist for the Alabama Media Group and Al.com, “Every single county in which blacks make up more than 75 percent of registered voters will see their [driver’s] license office closed. Every one.”
So, to put this in more layman’s terms: The state of Alabama has, by law, made it more difficult for voters in its state to vote. According to the Alabama secretary of state, about 500,000 state residents in 2014 didn’t have a photo ID (that’s 20 percent of those registered to vote). The law disproportionately affects poor people who would find it the most difficult to get a photo ID (Alabama helpfully raised the fee more than 50 percent for getting a driver’s license) and, in particular African-Americans, who voted in fewer numbers in 2014 in places where voter ID laws went into effect. In Alabama in 2014, the state had the lowest turnout in an election since 1986. Now Alabama is closing offices where state residents can get a license with a photo ID and doing it almost exclusively in places where black people live…”

So the solution to a problem, that is estimated at less than 1 in 15million prospective voters, is to make it harder for 20% (in Alabama) of voters to vote. Followed by making it harder to obtain the needed ID by closing offices that issue the IDs, in counties that are at least 75% African-Americans. Is it really hard to see the purpose of these laws. No, and its no harder to see that this true purpose is the work and effort of the Republican’t party.

GlennDL

Moral Mondays upcoming events and actions:

Moral Mondays founder Rev. William Barber is traveling to Indiana to speak at Christian Theological Seminary on February 3rd at 7pm. The event is free and open to the public.

Moral Mondays began as protests in North Carolina, United States of America. Led by religious progressives, the protests are in response to several actions by the government of North Carolina which was elected into office in 2013 and are characterized by civil disobedience - specifically entering the state legislature building to be peacefully arrested. The movement protests many wide ranging issues under the blanket claim of unfair treatment, discrimination, and adverse effects of government legislation on the citizens of North Carolina. The protests in North Carolina launched a grassroots social justice movement that, in 2014, spread to Georgia and South Carolina, and then to other U.S. states such as Illinois and New Mexico.

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The second Indiana Moral Mondays legislative action is on February 8th. As usual, we'll wear yellow and meet in the South Atrium on the Third Floor of the Statehouse. Then, join us for the next IMM general meeting on February 13th 10am - noon. We'll be discussing upcoming legislative actions and prepare for the Spring. We're sending out a follow-up email with necessary details for the action and meeting this week!

http://www.indianamoralmondays.org/?utm_campaign=feb2016&utm_medium=email&utm_source=indianamoralmondays

Hateful Rhetoric For The Enemy, Our Friends, And Our Fallen,

UPDATED 12-12-15:



“…London Mayor Boris Johnson, another Conservative, on Wednesday called the businessman “out of his mind” and said he was playing into the so-called Islamic State’s hands.”

“When Donald Trump says there are parts of London that are no-go areas, I think he’s betraying a quite stupefying ignorance that makes him, frankly, unfit to hold the office of president of United States,” Johnson added.

“Benjamin Netanyahu has joined a long list of international leaders to reject Donald Trump’s comments about Muslims, while championing Israel's "respect" for all religions and citizens' rights.”

“Eight deployments later and still in the Marine Corps, Hadzic has become disturbed by the rising anti-Muslim sentiment in this country after the recent Islamic State attacks in Paris and last week’s San Bernardino shootings. GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump, a candidate Hadzic used to support, has called for barring Muslims from entering the United States.”

Captain Humayun S. M. Khan of the 201st Forward Support Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. A Pakistani Muslim born in the United Arab Emirates, he moved to Bristow, Virginia, and later graduated from the University of Virginia, joining the Army to help pay for law school. Captain Khan lost his life in Baquabah, Iraq on June 8th, 2004 when a car bomb exploded at his checkpoint. In a show of incredible bravery, he ordered his unit to take cover while he approached the vehicle alone, prompting the suicide bombers to detonate their deadly payloads. Thanks to his intuition and selflessness, his was the only American life lost that day. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and laid to rest with full honors. “His colleagues and superiors remembered him for his courage, honesty, sense of humor and grace while in the field, even under pressure” reads his obituary.

For Muslims in the U.S. military, a different U.S. than the one they swore to defend

Benjamin Netanyahu 'rejects' Donald Trump's comments regarding Muslims and says Israel 'respects all citizens' rights'

Aspiring Statesman Donald Trump Has Already Pissed Off U.S. Allies Around The World

Father Of Fallen Muslim War Hero Teaches Trump A Lesson About American Values

 

Saluting Muslim American Patriots

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