There is so much going on with politics these days that I realize that I can no longer stay away and I must say something.
We have two options and I since it's my blog and my opinion, I am going to tell you what I think... besides, if you're reading this now, you already want to know. But for me, it's more than just what I think, it's about why I feel this way.
So, we have a woman running. In my opinion, I think our country could use a little female influence in our political arena. However, as my step dad says, I just don't think she's the right one for the job. But, since my other option is the Donald, I am looking more and more like a supporter of Hilary.
Here is why I am feeling this. For a lot of reasons, I can very vehemently say that I will NOT be voting for this man. I find his words to be inflammatory in nature and insulting to me. And not just me personally, I find him to be highly offensive in nature and have the manners of a spoiled child. Ok.. To the actual reasons. First and foremost, I find his comments about women in general to be sexist and misogynistic and I can't abide that in a leader. Women make up more than half the population and when a man says that he won't participle in a debate because there is a girl there that he doesn't like, I find it to the equivalent to listening to my 9 year old tell me that she doesn't to go somewhere because she doesn't like them. I also find his blatant regard for women as objects to be stared at and not taken seriously as something of a problem as well.
I see him talking about how we need to deal with the illegal immigration problem in our country and while, I thought at one time a wall would be a great idea, it's not feasible, or practical, and it made me think of another wall that was built, in the not so distant past, that was meant to keep out all the undesirables out. It kept people in, and became one of the most formidable and hated symbols of the communist era. And when that wall was torn down, the relief that those who lived within it's confines felt, must have been overwhelming as well as relieving. They celebrated with the new neighbors who had been kept out for 30 years. This doesn't mean that building a wall to keep Mexicans out is going to work. It doesn't mean that it will work, but, it puts a great deal of unnecessary stress on the relations with have with our neighbors to the south. Most of the citizens of Mexico that I have met or spoken with are not drug addicts or rapists. They just want a chance to have a better life for themselves and their families. I think they should go about becoming a citizen of our country the legal way that so many others before them have done. Going through Ellis Island isn't going to happen for them, but the process that it takes to become a citizen needs to revamped, no matter who is elected.
The Donald's running mate is of great concern to me. He is a man who made it legal to discriminate others based on their sexual preference. I don't understand so much about that, that I can't even begin to describe how I feel about that. What a man or woman does in the bedroom is no reason for anyone to say that they won't provide a service to another person. I am deeply disturbed by this for so many reasons, and that is something I will have to go into later, just not tonight. I find it absolutely disgusting and horrific that we are so willing to abolish people's rights that are guaranteed under the Constitution because of a belief system. If you're going to take away rights because you think it's gross and a book told you so, then, while I can't change your mind, maybe should reread what is in our Constitution about our rights. Just because the first amendment says that we have a freedom to assemble in any religious group and worship as we have been taught, it doesn't say that we can use these groups to take away the rights and freedoms that have been granted to us in The Constitution. Here is what is says " Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." I have gotten out of this that we aren't going to make everyone join the country's church, such as Church of England, or you have to be Orthodox or Jewish to live here. I have never understood it to mean that it's ok to say that well, my book says you shouldn't be doing that, so I'm not going to help you because I disagree with your lifestyle.
We are all going to disagree with everyone at one time or another. But to make it legal to deny is just as bad as discriminating based on the color of your skin. Who you love, and what color your skin is, is not something you have control over... But I digress...
Now, if you've stayed with me this far, I will tell you about my last reason for not voting for The Donald, and while I wish I could say it was because of his hair, which is horrible at best, it has to do with what he said in regards to Mr. John McCain. I was a huge fan and supporter of this man for a lot of years, he's an elected senator in my home state, and I loved that he was in the Navy... To me it always meant that he joined before being drafted. However, he's old and somewhat senile and I no longer think of him as this wonderful many. But Donald made a comment about his service in the military. He said that John McCain must be an idiot because he was a POW. He was caught, so he must be an idiot. Now, I have never been a Prisoner of War, and I certainly don't envy those who have been. In fact, they are hero's in my eyes. They survived and they made it home when all odds were stacked against them. I can't fathom the pain and suffering that any POW has gone through. But to make a comment about how if he was caught he must be an idiot, I cannot allow that to slide. Coming from a man who has never surrendered himself to anything greater than himself, I can't... I just can't.
Now, I am sure, if you're still here, dear reader, that you're screaming about the fiasco that happened with Benghazi and all that tragedy. It was a tragedy. Lives were lost and no apologizing can bring back those men to their families. But here is the thing about that. In war, there are always causalities of a collateral nature. True, deaths didn't' need to happen. But, in a war torn country, anything can happen. There have been so many needless deaths in war that have happened, but, those are all wars of the past you say. Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan... all wars that we could have stayed out of. And yet, we didn't. Those who went knew what they were doing, they knew they may never come back. Many didn't come home. And that's gut-wrenching and sickening all at the same time. In my reading and understand of the country of Libya, and this is very limited I'm sad to say, it's a country that in recent years has undergone some large changes. The year before the attacks on our Embassy, the country went through radical changes in their government through some very serious attacks and bombings that were perpetrated by the United States. I can't say that I am a war advisor nor would I say that I know any of why we did this. But I know, that, given what limited information that I have, I can say that it seems to be to be a type of retaliation. I can only think, in my pea brain, that if I was a diplomat in the country at that time, I would have thought that there is a possibility of death. It doesn't make it right. The truth, is never going to be revealed I think. No one will truly know why the events unfolded this way. There is a movie out right now, called 13 hours about what happened, and I can't say that any film, done in this manner is true to life. It's been done up for Hollywood and there are likely bits of truth in it. But, when we only hear about the 10% of the situation, and it's only reported on from a certain point of view, I can't believe it. There were mistakes made, and I'm sure, someone is regretting making a call or not making a call. Anyway you look at it, it's sad and tragic.
Hilary has experience in the political arena. She has dealt with foreign heads of state and knows how to not say well fuck you to any president of another country. She has more tact and for that, I have to think that she would make some better choices. Every country has a bad time with the elections and whose who are running. Ours is no different. We have many things that are making it hard to get and keep good paying jobs. We are in debt just coming out of college, we think that living paycheck to paycheck is the only way to get by and it's not... but it doesn't make us special. Every country in the modern world has the same problems.
I fear for our country. I fear for those who pander to the weak and the downtrodden and spew hate and anger. I fear for what may come. But, only time will tell. I honestly see the decision as going between Joffrey and Ramsey... Neither are good choices...
