USA vs. Trumplandia

patriot flag versustrumplandia 2

If you love the USA as much as I do, you will not vote for trump.  If you need a reason for your less-enlightened friends, here are the top 50 reasons a US patriot would not vote for Trump.

  1. He has not released his tax returns.
  2. He mocked the disability of a journalist.
  3. He is divisive even within his party. A dozen Republican senators, four Republican governors, the last two Republican presidents and the last two GOP nominees refuse to attend the GOP convention at which Trump will accept the “party’s” nomination.
  4. He opposes vaccinations recommended by pediatricians.
  5. He thinks of women and African-Americans as possessions, “my African-American,” and “I think the only difference between me and the other candidates is that I’m more honest and my women are more beautiful.”
  6. He believes China created the global warming issue to make the U.S. unable to compete, rejecting the majority opinion of the world’s scientists.
  7. He described laziness as a character trait of black people, declined an invitation to speak at the NAACP, and sued the government to get out of renting to African-Americans. He dismisses the unequal justice concerns of African-Americans.
  8. He accepted the support of the Ku Klux Klan and its leaders.
  9. He makes up his mind about foreign policy issues based on his intuition, rather than facts, as he stated to Wolf Blitzer “I’m an intuitive person. I didn’t read books on NATO.”
  10. He has no idea how many articles are in the U.S. Constitution.
  11. He does not consider U.S. veterans who were prisoners of war to be heroes.
  12. He avoided the draft by claiming a bone spur on his foot.
  13. He demanded the resignation of a US Supreme Court judge who spoke critically of him.
  14. He demanded the recusal of U.S. Federal judge based on the judge’s ethnicity.
  15. He encourages violence against those who exercise free speech, announcing to a crowd “I’d like to punch him (a protester) in the face.”
  16. He insulted Mexicans by calling the majority of those “sent” here rapists.
  17. He praised Putin and Saddam Hussein, especially their propensity to torture suspects, and vowed to bring back waterboarding “and worse.”
  18. He had young girls dance for him, and wistfully announced he would probably date his daughter if they were not related.
  19. He asked voters to pledge allegiance to him (versus our country).
  20. He attributed a female journalist’s tough questions to her menstrual cycle.
  21. He says he consults with “his own brain.”
  22. He has been unfaithful to his spouse(s).
  23. He has cheated workers out of agreed-upon pay.
  24. He has used wealth to abuse our legal system, bringing multiple frivolous lawsuits.
  25. He has pledged to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it.
  26. He has proposed a ban on all Muslims entering the U.S.
  27. He believes a woman’s physical appearance reflects her worth.
  28. He used a six point star of David with cash behind it to imply opponent’s alliance with stereotypically imagined Jews.
  29. He uses profanity.
  30. He withholds press privileges from journalists he perceives to be critical of him.
  31. He vows to destroy established trade agreements.
  32. He did not know Scotland voted against Brexit.
  33. He makes an every day practice of name-calling his opponents on Twitter.
  34. He allows terrorists access to guns in the US.
  35. He blames the U.S. President for domestic terrorist attacks.
  36. He claims to be a Christian, but admits he has never asked for God’s forgiveness, instead maintaining that he never makes mistakes.
  37. His school preyed on people trying to get an education – for his profit.
  38. He perpetuated the stereotype that Jews are good for counting money.
  39. He plays the victim (“I’m being attacked”) while bullying others.
  40. He approved a logo that showed him on top of his running mate in a sexually suggestive animation.
  41. He used the Orlando terror attack as an opportunity to take credit for his predictions about Muslims.
  42. He lied about self-funding his campaign.
  43. He lied about the extent of his wealth.
  44. He failed to pay contractors who worked on his mansions.
  45. He wants to deny health insurance coverage to those Americans with preexisting conditions.
  46. He wants to deport children born, raised, and educated in this country because one or both parents arrived without documentation.
  47. He wants to ban immigration from any country he deems has terrorists.
  48. He promotes politics of exclusivity, not inclusivity.
  49. He said, “The beauty of me is that I’m very rich,” revealing his belief that money is the source of beauty.
  50. He is a proven racist, with an ignorant bully’s approach to foreign policy, which confirms every negative stereotype about Americans worldwide.

 

If you think any of these are unfair, do your own FACT finding research – each of these statements is based upon Trump quotes or public records (in the case of the lawsuits he has brought and defended).

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Trumped-up* Leadership

romney trump racist*Trumped-up means spuriously devised; fraudulent; fabricated

The violence and murders in the past “tough” month have given voters the opportunity to evaluate our presumptive presidential nominees’ real-time leadership skills in times of national crisis.  Trump failed the test.

First was his panicked, off the cuff call for restoring “law and order” and his fear-instilling comment about our civilization’s thin protection against “chaos.”   This was Trump’s reaction to the Dallas murders.  The murders of black men at the hands of law enforcement in the days, weeks, and months earlier inspired no similar call for justice. Apparently, law and order only have to be restored when Trump feels racially threatened. He appeared to be ready to impose martial law in the immediate aftermath of the Dallas murders.  Then came the scripted, pre-recorded, “surprisingly tactful” Trump response calling for unity and prayers and noting that work that needs to be done so all Americans feel safe.

A true leader confronts problems.  That is the only way to find a solution.  Trump has ignored the problem of racism and violence at the hands of law enforcement – not addressing it in any speech or tweet, until the Dallas murders.  Trump is in fact incapable of addressing these problems because he is part of the problem.

Fortune magazine (which would seem to align with Trump’s self mythology), recently published an article on whether Trump is a racist.  Consider the two examples below.

In 1973 at the age of 26 Trump was president of Trump Organization, and Richard Nixon was president of the United States.  The U.S. Department of Justice brought a complaint against Trump’s business because potential renters were being screened by race. Doormen testified they had been instructed to turn away blacks who came to Trump buildings to apply for apartments. In response to the investigation, Trump brought a 400 million dollar countersuit against the government, which was soon dismissed as a “waster of paper.”  Trump grudgingly had to comply with reporting to show he was not discriminating against black renters.

The Fortune article also references a quote attributed to Donald Trump by John O’Donnell, past president of Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, a quote Trump described as “probably true” in a 1997 Playboy interview.  Trump reportedly said: “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys wearing yarmulkes… Those are the only kind of people I want counting my money. Nobody else…Besides that, I tell you something else. I think that guy’s lazy. And it’s probably not his fault because laziness is a trait in blacks.”

Just two examples of where Trump stands issues of race and justice.

I often refer to speeches and commentary by our country’s founders from my copy of the 1807 book, The Voters’ Guide:  Or, The  Power, Duty and Privileges of the Constitutional Voters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,  by attorney Abijah Bigelow.  Equal justice is affirmed as a constitutional principle in the following excerpt:

“The principle of equality among the citizens is recognized and established by the Constitution. It is an equality of rights, which ensures the same protection to each individual, and requires that all men of every description shall be amenable to justice. It results from equal government and impartial laws, when the way to honor and preferment is open to every one; and the pretensions of no citizen are limited, except by the distinction of merit and capacity.

from governor Caleb Strong’s (Governor of Massachusetts) speech, June 5, 1804. The Voters’ Guide, p. 117. (emphasis added).

I love my country and the principles on which it was founded.  Those principles are what made and what makes America great.  Trump’s rejection of constitutional values is a gross embarrassment to my party and my country.

 

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Can Hillary Overcome the Trump Card?

*A trump card is a card elevated over its normal rank, which in a trick card game, will beat the others, regardless of their value.

hillarypresident

She holds all the cards to win the 2016 election:

  • Foreign policy expertise
  • Intelligence
  • Record Protecting human rights, equal rights, privacy rights, religious freedom, free speech
  • Favors fair taxation
  • Even temperament
  • Committed to family
  • Integrity

Her Republican opponent lacks all of these yet continues to attract large numbers of supporters. Will not-so-veiled racism be the card which “trumps” Hillary’s hand?

 

trumpisjoker

 

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SHE HAS ALL THE CARDS TO WIN but one

THE TRUMP CARD

trumpisjoker

 

 

 

 

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He Who Must Not Be Named

voldermort trump

With Cruz and Kasich out of the primary, I cannot bring myself to speak the name of the remaining candidate. “You know who” represents an epic failure of the Republican party. I will not vote for him because he:

  1. Disrespects women – especially those with any sort of power, e.g. journalists, candidates, celebrities (unless they conform to a Miss Universe model of beauty).
  2. Disrespects war heroes – John McCain, and all others.
  3. Disrespects people of any race or ethnicity he does not share – today that means African-Americans, Latins, Arabs – tomorrow that means anyone not rich or white enough.
  4. Mocks the disabled. Can someone go any lower?
  5. Lacks even a basic understanding of world politics. As someone said, he is already doing damage to foreign policy even before he could potentially be our president.
  6. Encourages violence against those who speak against him. Um, remember the Constitution was supposed to be important to Republicans. Or was that just about toting a gun around?
  7. Lacks integrity.
  8. Lacks character.
  9. Bullies opponents.
  10. Does not love the USA – civil war is on the horizon if he is elected and allowed to persist dividing us against each other.

Put your country first, do not vote for “you know who.”

 

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Tired of Peace? Vote for Trump

Trump’s divisive and racist rhetoric is leading our country toward a second “civil” war.  His slash and burn rants cut across the roots of the trees of community that have been nurtured for hundreds of years.   On international matters, Trump treats long-standing allies as if they were running against him, that is, he spews ignorant blather that confirms every negative stereotype about Americans.  When allies turn their backs on us and we are weakened by internal conflict, the man many thought was our savior will be unveiled as the mechanism for our destruction.  When our allies no longer respect us, and our serious divisions are ever more obvious, we become vulnerable.  What was once a diverse forest of community will be a scorched earth, destroyed by smoldering hate.

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Trump

BARNEY MEME

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Six Ways to Teach Your Kid to Vote

Source: Six Ways to Teach Your Kid to Vote

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Six Ways to Teach Your Kid to Vote

Years ago, “citizenship” was taught in elementary school. In the era of class-based standardized testing, such content has fallen by the wayside. Kids learn about elections from the media and random family commentary. The future of democracy depends on our children’s voting skills, and it is a skill that should be taught at home.

Here are six party-neutral traits to teach your children to use in evaluating our country’s leaders.

  1. Sacrificial Love of Country: Does the candidate have a record of military or public service?
  2. Even Temperament: Is the candidate able to disagree with another wihout engaging in personal attacks? If the candidate is a target of a personal attack, how does he or she respond?
  3. Representative of all Constituents: Does the candidate use language that unites or divides people?
  4. Wise: Is the candidate humble enough to consider others’ opinions, and smart enough to discern what is the best course?
  5. Communicator: Does the candidate use the leadership roles to engage with constituents as well as the international community? Does the candidate understand and use social media?
  6. Integrity: Does the candidate value commitment in his or her personal life? Has the candidate been consistent and honest in position statements? Does the candidate have a moral anchor such as a religious or civic affiliation?

Before going over these with your children, ask who they would vote for today, and why? Then model good citizenship by sharing your decision process and voting regularly.

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Ballad of a New Republican

Make the country great again
run by rich and white old men
Wall Street governs Washington
Can I get an Amen?

He raises up a gold baton
Cheers fill the stadium
The crowd moves on as one
Marching to the beat.

Reason tiredly watches
The suit and hairspray preen
Most popular marching on
To be prom’s king and queen.

Chanting past the crooked tree
The lush and fertile fields
Green grass flattens underfoot
Marching to the sea.

Diversity hurts you and me
Throw out those who disagree
Then bomb them ’till it’s only me
Who matters any more.

Roaring surf heard too late
Crowd crushes to the waves
Sighs fill the land of the free
At the home of their grave.

Written by Karen Grossman, copyright 2016, response to Palin’s endorsement of Donald Trump.

 

 

 

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