I wrote about why I didn't support Donald Trump back in March. That hasn't changed. I don't feel vindicated by the information that was published today about lewd comments Trump made years ago. It is not surprising. Something like this was inevitable. So why should I feel good about being right? I find it depressing and completely predictable. And there is probably more to come.
It is too late at this point for the Republican Party to do anything about it. Elevating Pence to the top of the ticket? For what purpose? It's too late, and I'm no fan of Pence, whose acceptance of the role demonstrated poor judgement (or vain ambition). Why set him up to run in 2020? Just because he knows how to behave in public? No thanks.
2016 may well mark the end of the Republican Party as I've known it, or to the loyalty I've felt to it. This is saying something for someone who has often said he was "born Republican." Do GOP elites think that doing something drastic NOW will atone for this mess? To paraphrase a great spiritual leader, when it comes to repentance "the bandage must be as wide as the sore." The Republican Party must suffer through this to the bitter end.
I don't want Hillary Clinton to be President of the United States, but at this point she should win. And we deserve the result. I believe in our system, I believe in the Constitution. I believe in our country. I'll keep working hard, taking care of my family, and enjoying the rich relationships that continue to make life here beautiful and worthwhile. I have a lot to be grateful for.
07 October 2016
Reaping the Whirlwind
15 February 2011
On Names
Where do they come up with names for prescription drugs? I just saw an ad for Beyaz, a type of birth control. The name is a little too similar to a certain word used in speech as a kinder version of an unkind word.
Just seems like a poor choice to me.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
14 January 2011
Keep it Clean
This article is a nice companion to yesterday's post. David Brooks looks at the roots of our societal incivility and makes some good points:The problem is that over the past 40 years or so we have gone from a culture that reminds people of their own limitations to a culture that encourages people to think highly of themselves. The nation’s founders had a modest but realistic opinion of themselves and of the voters. They erected all sorts of institutional and social restraints to protect Americans from themselves. They admired George Washington because of the way he kept himself in check.
But over the past few decades, people have lost a sense of their own sinfulness. Children are raised amid a chorus of applause. Politics has become less about institutional restraint and more about giving voters whatever they want at that second. Joe DiMaggio didn’t ostentatiously admire his own home runs, but now athletes routinely celebrate themselves as part of the self-branding process.
So, of course, you get narcissists who believe they or members of their party possess direct access to the truth. Of course you get people who prefer monologue to dialogue. Of course you get people who detest politics because it frustrates their ability to get 100 percent of what they want. Of course you get people who gravitate toward the like-minded and loathe their political opponents. They feel no need for balance and correction.
So while I agree that politics was just as ugly and rancorous 100, 500, or 1000 years ago, there WAS a decorum, born of modesty, that is missing in much of what we do today. It would be nice to have some of that back. In the meantime, we have to take it easy.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
21 December 2010
A Daily Dose
I have recently traveled by plane, and encountered no problems while going through security, even with our heavy-laden group. Still, I continue to find the processes and methods of the TSA to be humorous at best and ineffective and invasive at worst. This website shares the joy of the patdown with all of us.
The Daily Patdown
