A Few Thoughts Regarding Trump.
Yes, Trump can be a jerk. Yes, Trump is arrogant. But then, what politician or high profile individual isn't? Trump is many things, as one might expect. Some good, other's bad. But he is seldom boring. Why has Trump become a phenomenon? To a degree, he was already that, a long time ago. Trump is a reaction, a symbol of division, he is the White man's candidate, and he has been a long time coming. Make no mistake, the symbolic essence of Trump has been building steam for decades. I don't think any of these things is inherently bad, mind you, anymore than the Black Lives Matter movement is inherently bad or Jesse Jackson is inherently bad. Corrupt? Yes. Divisive? No doubt. Ignorant as hell at times? You bet. What else should you expect from a nation of people who've increasingly been driven to find their "Otherness" by politicians and racial demagogues. Stand up and proclaim, "I'm different! I'm me! Now give me my stuff!" That is Washington's preferred methodology, divide and conquer. At the heart of it is the politics of division. And, let's face it, Trump sure as hell didn't create our current climate of division. No, Trump is the blow-back. He may also be a counterweight, a big, bold hammer, wielded like a scythe of selective justice. I'm not sure we can ask for more in the age of Obama, so you take what you can get. That is Donald Trump. Here are a few thoughts accumulated over a period of time about Trump. I make no apologies for any of it, anymore than Trump would.
Which is worse Radical Islam or Donald Trump?
How common are crimes against Muslims in the U.S.? Actually, a good deal less common than crimes against Jews, according to FBI statistics. So why did the Attorney General, the highest law officer in the land, say that her greatest fear was an anti-Muslim backlash? That was one day after the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. Not another attack by Radical Islamic fanatics, but a backlash against Muslims. Which, by the way, has never happened in the U.S., not even after 9/11. The rhetoric used by the president and his supporters is always the same, attack the character of the victims and claim that you're just protecting minorities from Americans, who are really a bunch of racists itching for any excuse to behave badly. And people think Donald Trump is racist. What a bunch of assholes.
How common are crimes against Muslims in the U.S.? Actually, a good deal less common than crimes against Jews, according to FBI statistics. So why did the Attorney General, the highest law officer in the land, say that her greatest fear was an anti-Muslim backlash? That was one day after the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. Not another attack by Radical Islamic fanatics, but a backlash against Muslims. Which, by the way, has never happened in the U.S., not even after 9/11. The rhetoric used by the president and his supporters is always the same, attack the character of the victims and claim that you're just protecting minorities from Americans, who are really a bunch of racists itching for any excuse to behave badly. And people think Donald Trump is racist. What a bunch of assholes.
Blowback
Some moron tried to burn down a Mosque in California. Let's be clear, whoever did this should be punished. The members of the Mosque quickly blamed Donald Trump as the probable inspiration for inciting Islamic hatred. The near endless sectarian violence by radical Islam or the recent slaughter in California, not so much.
No, Donald J. Trump is the obvious bad guy here. I have no doubt that the media will follow suit, as they do anytime something bad happens to the favored few. In response, the rest of America will break down into their tribal rituals of blaming everyone but themselves, looking only for those answers that already reflect their deepest wishes. That is America in the post racial world of Barack Obama.
Some moron tried to burn down a Mosque in California. Let's be clear, whoever did this should be punished. The members of the Mosque quickly blamed Donald Trump as the probable inspiration for inciting Islamic hatred. The near endless sectarian violence by radical Islam or the recent slaughter in California, not so much.
No, Donald J. Trump is the obvious bad guy here. I have no doubt that the media will follow suit, as they do anytime something bad happens to the favored few. In response, the rest of America will break down into their tribal rituals of blaming everyone but themselves, looking only for those answers that already reflect their deepest wishes. That is America in the post racial world of Barack Obama.
Which is worse ISIS or Trump?
As ISIS moved deeper into Iraq, they decided to set a few dozen Yazidi and Christian children on fire. They needed to send a strong message to the world that they would not be trifled with. "Why would anyone do that?" The media asked, horrified. "Because of Donald J. Trump," the ISIS fighters answered. Reporters in the media thought for a minute and then responded with a quick nod in agreement, knowing they'd found their answer. This caused them to wonder if they could connect Trump to other historical disasters like the Hindenburg, maybe, or the Salem Witch Trials, possibly even the Bubonic Plague. Sure, the plague happened in the 14th century, which might seem a stretch, but if only one person was protected from Trump, it would be worth it. To assuage their conscience (For those who still had one) they asked themselves, "What would Hillary do?" And they knew that no lie, no matter how big, was off limits when it came to saving the world from its true enemy, Donald J.Trump.
As ISIS moved deeper into Iraq, they decided to set a few dozen Yazidi and Christian children on fire. They needed to send a strong message to the world that they would not be trifled with. "Why would anyone do that?" The media asked, horrified. "Because of Donald J. Trump," the ISIS fighters answered. Reporters in the media thought for a minute and then responded with a quick nod in agreement, knowing they'd found their answer. This caused them to wonder if they could connect Trump to other historical disasters like the Hindenburg, maybe, or the Salem Witch Trials, possibly even the Bubonic Plague. Sure, the plague happened in the 14th century, which might seem a stretch, but if only one person was protected from Trump, it would be worth it. To assuage their conscience (For those who still had one) they asked themselves, "What would Hillary do?" And they knew that no lie, no matter how big, was off limits when it came to saving the world from its true enemy, Donald J.Trump.
Do Americans fear The Donald or ISIS?
What is America's greatest fear? It depends on who you ask. For some, it's Donald Trump. For others, it's radical Islam. For others still, it's not being able to get a decent job and pay the bills. You'd think we were all living in different worlds. I guess you could say we are. If you have a good job, those other 94,000,000 unemployed Americans may seem a distant concern. Or, maybe you view it as a case of our evil corporate overlords taking all the cash while the rest of us languish with the crumbs. There are reasons enough, just choose one according to your preferred ideology and stake your claim.
Some folks respond by telling stories about good Muslims who are kind. And, obviously, there are many Muslims who are exactly that. Such stories frequently have the air of condescension about them, though, as if Americans were just a bunch of racists in waiting. Waiting for whom? For Donald J. Trump, no doubt, the chief racist. Or, would-be Racist-in-Chief, if you prefer.
As a response to Islamic terror, Barack Obama lectures Americans about the Crusades whenever we get uppity and demand that our government protect us from radical Muslims, which, according to our president, don't really exist. Protection from a foreign threat should be the government's first and most important task, not social engineering, but you have to have priorities.
Having said that, I'm pretty sure that no Americans were involved in the Crusades. Primarily, because they took place many centuries before America was even a gleam in the eye of conquering Europeans. But, since Europeans were involved, all people of European ancestry are somehow accountable. That's how this game works, find a connection, no matter how tenuous and you can blame anyone for anything. Just not Muslims. Who are a diverse lot, so we're reminded every time another radical Muslim targets and kills men, women, and children, intentionally, mind you. This isn't collateral damage, which is inevitable in war, those are the intended targets.
Anyway, that is America at the moment, competing tribes of liberal, conservative, minority, majority, Black, White and other. A nation divided, just ripe for the conquest. Maybe not today, or next week, but soon enough.
Mark Magula
What is America's greatest fear? It depends on who you ask. For some, it's Donald Trump. For others, it's radical Islam. For others still, it's not being able to get a decent job and pay the bills. You'd think we were all living in different worlds. I guess you could say we are. If you have a good job, those other 94,000,000 unemployed Americans may seem a distant concern. Or, maybe you view it as a case of our evil corporate overlords taking all the cash while the rest of us languish with the crumbs. There are reasons enough, just choose one according to your preferred ideology and stake your claim.
Some folks respond by telling stories about good Muslims who are kind. And, obviously, there are many Muslims who are exactly that. Such stories frequently have the air of condescension about them, though, as if Americans were just a bunch of racists in waiting. Waiting for whom? For Donald J. Trump, no doubt, the chief racist. Or, would-be Racist-in-Chief, if you prefer.
As a response to Islamic terror, Barack Obama lectures Americans about the Crusades whenever we get uppity and demand that our government protect us from radical Muslims, which, according to our president, don't really exist. Protection from a foreign threat should be the government's first and most important task, not social engineering, but you have to have priorities.
Having said that, I'm pretty sure that no Americans were involved in the Crusades. Primarily, because they took place many centuries before America was even a gleam in the eye of conquering Europeans. But, since Europeans were involved, all people of European ancestry are somehow accountable. That's how this game works, find a connection, no matter how tenuous and you can blame anyone for anything. Just not Muslims. Who are a diverse lot, so we're reminded every time another radical Muslim targets and kills men, women, and children, intentionally, mind you. This isn't collateral damage, which is inevitable in war, those are the intended targets.
Anyway, that is America at the moment, competing tribes of liberal, conservative, minority, majority, Black, White and other. A nation divided, just ripe for the conquest. Maybe not today, or next week, but soon enough.
Mark Magula
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