Clear And Present

I know. You were all expecting my first post back in the States would involve a laborious re-telling of my latest European adventure. Not to worry, that is certainly coming. I lay awake in bed this morning, fighting jet lag and I couldn’t go back to sleep because my mind kept wandering to tomorrow’s election. I know. Weird. Really, not so much. There has not been an election since the Great Depression when more is at stake for this country. I should lead into this by saying I love this country more than is probably healthy. I served, in unform, for more than a quarter of a century which only embellished that love. I see that country now under attack from within by a clear and present danger to our way of life.

One of the greatest mysteries of the twenty-first century is how Donald Trump continues to garner the support he does. I have friends, good, honest people who continue to support him and I cannot understand it. I can understand the frustration with the federal government, but trust me, it’s a better system than exists in human history. I’m a lifelong Republican and shudder to think of being forced to vote for a left-wing democrat, again. I wrote back in 2016, when he was elected, that I had enough faith in the country and its institutions that we could survive a Trump presidency. Now, I’m not so sure and honestly believe he represents that clear and present danger, in large part because of the damage he’s done in the ensuing years.

This is the list of things I do not understand how the Trumpsters can’t see and actually forgive.

-Trump does not have any problem telling blatant lies. A leader must have credibility.

-Trump puts himself and his interests ahead of the country. A leader, and certainly a president, cannot do this.

-Trump surrounds himself with sycophants because he cannot bear anyone disagreeing with him. Think about how dangerous that is.

-Trump approaches his political career as a business opportunity, as it has given him the opportunity to fleece his followers into donating to him to help address his self-inflicted legal woes.. A leader cannot abuse his constituents in this manner.

-Trump takes no responsibility for his actions. A leader must!

-Trump was not a business “genius”, he was known for bankruptcies, being massively litigious, and not paying his bills. Think about that.

-Trump is a danger to our national security and this is what scares me the most. Think about how hard Putin and the Russian internet troll farms are working to get him re-elected. Ask yourself why. Putin is a cold warrior and sees the USA as his lifelong enemy. He sees what Trump has done to the country in dividing us. At best it is only because of this. At worse he’s appealed to Trump’s narcissistic side so effectively in the past that he knows he can play him. The most clear and present foreign danger to western democracy likes Trump in the White House, again, think about that.

-Trump has no personal loyalty. I was heartened by some his initial hires in his presidency, some good men. All those good men, having seen him operate, label him as unfit for the presidency.

-January 6^th. How can we forget or forgive that day? Trump claims it was a peaceful expression. Really!? I’ve never been more shocked or more frightened for my country than on that day and he was responsible, despite all the blatant lies he now foments about that day of infamy.

-Trump has launched an ongoing attack on two of our most vital institutions, elections and the judicial system. He has never offered proof of widespread election fraud, but his followers still fall in line with his lies. He claims the judicial system is politicized against him, despite his lifelong practice of using it to lubricate his business dealings and scare off creditors.

-Trump’s attacks on immigrants is pandering to our fears. We are a nation of immigrants. In the military some of my best Soldiers were immigrants. After my military career, I loved hiring immigrants because I knew they would work harder. They came here to find the American dream and believed in it. I know there are fringe elements that cause problems. Congress had a bipartisan bill to reform our broken immigration system. Trump killed it because it would be a political liability for him. Again, himself before the country, always.

-Trump is a massive step back for empowering women. If you have daughters or granddaughters, how you can even think about supporting him?

-Trump is a clear and present danger to our way of life. I do not say that lightly. I believe it. I know you can like his anti-establishment stance, but do you really want to see the level of damage another Trump presidency will render? I know most ardent Trumpsters didn’t read past the first paragraph, truth is not something they tolerate well. If you haven’t decided yet and you’re going to vote tomorrow. Think about what I’ve written, but more about what you can see for yourself as he offers daily more evidence why he should never be allowed anywhere near the White House again. Know that it will be a little painful for me to vote democrat but when I think of the alternative, it becomes clear. We will not be the same country if Trump is allowed back in power, and it won’t be a better version.

I'll still love my friends who support him because that is what we, as Americans, seemed to have forgotten. We can disagree politically but we're still in this together. 

Two movies fell in the A-Z watch (before I left), both keepers: Meet the Parents, a little dated but still funny to see DeNiro going after Stiller and Meg, a fun Statham action vehicle.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course