Dwindling Faith

So the Republicans have given the President the power he wants in the trade agreement. Well, so much for their concern about the little guys in this country.  They've stayed true to form paying homage to the Chamber of Commerce and the big corporations.

Back when the Republicans took over the Senate and kept the House I tried to have faith in the promises they made.  I really did, though neither Mitch McConnell nor John Boehner are exactly inspirational personalities.  Unfortunately my doubts won out over hope.

So where do we go from here?  I feel like the country is a ship without a rudder. None of the Republican candidates inspire me.  None of them.  Hillary scares me.  The first female President does not have to be Mrs. Clinton. I don't trust her motivation nor do I think she necessarily has the skill to govern. So where does that leave us?

We need a leader who catches our attention and inspires us.  But who?  Actually it could be a flamboyant Donald Trump. He loves to be the center of attention and knows how to play to it. None of the other candidates in either party have his flair. Nor do they have a set of policies that convince me they're the one.  At least no one is articulating them at this point.  Of course that's politics. Don't give the opposition anything to attack.  And leave us guessing.

I fear it will be based more on personality than skill and that gets us no where.  If it's personality who can compare to Trump?  Cruz? Huckabee?  Maybe except he and Cruz play too much to the evangelicals.  While their concerns are important and they are strong in the early primary states, they are not a reflection of the country as a whole.  Do we matter?  Can one of these candidates please them then shift to the rest of us?  Then we're faced with which side of the candidate to believe.  The one who is far left or right or the one who expeditiously has moved to the center?

A non-politician who doesn't care about the politics of it but cares deeply for the country as a whole and has the policies and leadership skills to carry them out would get my vote. We have three non-politicians running.  Ben Carson, Carly Florina and Donald Trump.

Is there any one else out there?  Please?

Can Trump Triumph?

Can the Presidential field get any more ludicrous than it already is? Like some horse races, if there are too many in the gate they can get hurt at the start from the crowding.

I think that may have happened to Jeb Bush last night.  I watched a bit of his interview with Hannity and literally dozed off.  Inspiring he was not.  Personally I don't think he really wants to run but forces beyond his control, like his monied supporters, pressured him into it.  Couldn't he have just said no if that was the case?

We haven't heard about a lot about many that have already declared but I'm sure we'll hear a lot about Trump even if he has to buy his own network.  He's that kind of guy.  Will he resonate with anyone?  I think he will.  Because of the best thing he has going for himself, he's not politic!  Agree with him or not he'll tell you what he thinks no holds barred.  It will be interesting to see what his policy positions will be.

I wish some of the Republican candidates would have a change of heart and save their money because their chances are nil. Pataki. Carson. Huckabee.  Not that they aren't good men, their appeal just isn't broad enough. However, there is no sign yet that anyone is willing.

Then there are the Democrats.  Who ever though Bernie Sanders could back Hillary into a corner?  He won't win but he's fun to watch and apparently a lot of people agree considering the number he draws for his speeches.

The others?  Eh.  Lincoln Chaffee and Martin O'Malley.  Basically unknowns nationally and invisible when pitted against the presumptive Hillary. The line up is a joke!

Hopefully as we near mid to late summer more Democrats will declare. Ones who aren't as far left as Hillary is being pushed.  Is the entire party really that far left?  Heaven forbid!  We having an eight year preview of what it will be like.

More Republicans will jump in and boy had they better have something to say.  Trump could annihilate them by forcing them to speak to the subject at hand rather than the usual side stepping.

It promises to be interesting watching.  Will someone credible challenge Hillary or not?  Is there anyone capable of standing out as the front runner among the Republicans?  At the moment its any ones guess!

Rachel, Rachel

I live just outside of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho where the story about Rachel Dolezel broke.  If what I've read in the local paper is accurate our community has to take some responsibility for being an enabler.  You see, some questioned whether or not she was truly black and it fell upon deaf ears by the powers that be for whom she worked.

I think everyone feels a mixture of emotions.  Mostly shock then empathy then confusion.  That she has some mental issues is of no doubt.

Her allegations about hate mail and an ominous noose that "suddenly" appeared were found to have no merit when investigated by the police.  Was it a ploy to get attention? I think probably. Why, I haven't a clue.

She moved on to Spokane, maybe 30 miles away, for a fresh start.  Was the ploy no longer working and more people were becoming suspicious?  I don't know but when it started up again in Spokane the lid blew off.  Obviously she was not well schooled in the art of deceit coupled with the lure of publicity though she got her fair share by virtue of the positions she held.  It just wasn't sensational.

People wanted to believe there was merit to her claims.  She was likable enough and trying to do good work for the minorities in our cities.  One thing I can say with some certainty, if she was really raised in Troy, Montana it's hard to believe she started identifying as black at the age of five.  It would be difficult to find enough blacks in Troy for her to identify with.  It's a tiny town in northwestern Montana not far from the Idaho border and decidedly white.

The more she seeks out publicity the less sympathy people are going to have for her.  What's next?  A reality TV show?  A movie?  I hope not.  While it may enrich her pocket book, it won't enrich her life.  Perhaps a better avenue would be sorting out her family conflicts.

It's strange to me that this should have started here, at least the breaking of the news.  Coeur d'Alene and its surrounding areas, especially Hayden just to the north, has fought long and hard to rid itself of the reputation as a haven for neo Nazis and their ilk. Now it seems we have a case of racism in reverse.

I hope she gets the help she needs to sort out her life.  It seems a waste for one so capable to be so hindered by her own actions.

Republican Hypocrites

The Obama trade bill hasn't had quite as much hype as Obamacare did, but it comes close.  The stand out about Obamacare is Nancy Pelosi gurggling about how wonderful it was that it passed because we could now find out what's in it.

To their credit the Republicans didn't vote for it.  What happened to that sense of integrity?  Nothing because there was none.

Now the shoe is on the other foot.  While with Obamacare the Democrats wanted it as a step closer to a one payer system.  It had nothing to to with the well being of Americans and everything to do with a political agenda.  If not then the promises blatantly made wouldn't have been false.

Now it's the Republicans turn.  Big business really really wants the trade bill even though it has been shown that middle class jobs will be lost. The devil, as usual, is in the details and that's why the likes of Mr. Integrity, Paul Ryan, is saying no one shall read it until it's passed.  Why is that?  What's in it ?

What ever happened to having legislation put on line so the American public, as well as Congress itself, has time to read it and digest it?

Personally I wouldn't give this President the power to negotiate anything considering his track record, but that's beside the point.  The point is that when it comes to specific interests which will benefit a party all bets are off.  The lack of integrity is interchangeable.  What's good for Americans?  Who?  Oh.  Us.  We who have no voice.  Same game, different faces.  Same outcome.  Lovely.

It Isn't Just ISIS!

Remember the young Saudi who was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for the sin of blogging?  He barely survived the first 50 lashes and it was to continue once a week until 1000 had been reached.

There was huge outcry from around the world and the sentence was postponed.  During that time it was appealed to the Saudi Supreme Court which has upheld the sentence. Forget the ins and outs of the "crime" which shouldn't even be debatable. Consider the mentality of those who impose this type of punishment and those who watch and cheer.

So now what?  Aren't we fighting, in our own inimitable way, ISIS for the same cruel behavior?  How can we aid the Saudis when they act in the same barbaric way?  Or any other of the Middle Eastern countries who dole out similar punishments and we well know it.

Now Obama can go back in history and claim that early Popes often ordered the same type of punishment.  Yes, they did, but civilized societies recognized the cruelty of it and ceased.

I've often said part of this country's problem is that we don't understand the Middle Eastern culture. When we become aware of their practices in this day and age we are shocked and appalled as well we should be.  So what do we do when the Saudis tell us and everyone else in the human rights community hat we have no right to interfere with their internal policies and practices.  In other words, shove it.

I'd like to see the world practice some payback rather than conceding everything workable, like severe sanctions, in the futile and naive effort to bring them into the world community.  We've seen from Iran they have no intention of changing their ways; nor is Syria or Iraq or any of the others.  They play nice at the negotiations, for anything, while they beat and maim their citizens.

I believe we need to play a more active part in defeating ISIS because they are the worst of the worst but as for the others, no more aid or weapons or training or anything else they want until they eliminate such practices.

True, they cannot and will not change over night, but they can immediately halt archaic methods of punishment. If they don't we need to do more than complain.  We can.  We won't.  A young blogger is likely to die because of it.  I hope the mirror's reflection is pleasing to those who can apply the pressure to make a change but won't.