Showing posts with label Above The Law. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Above The Law. Show all posts

November 9, 2016

14 Lessons Learned from the Political Process

So here are some things that I learned from this awful, drawn out election:

1) Keep it positive - Negativity, divisiveness, and hate hurt you more than it does anyone else.

2) Don't play the *ism card - Using racism, religion, gender, and sexual orientation to divide people and get what you want from them is dirty politics and empty promises for votes; stick to the facts and the issues. 

3) Focus on service to others - "Public service" is about service to others, not self service; it is more important to give than to receive any of the fame, fortune, and favors. 

4) No one is above the law - Corruption, collusion, and cover-ups are a boomerang that eventually come back to hit you in the proverbial head.


5) Action speaks louder than words -- What you actually did, accomplished, and how you behaved is the much louder message than what you say you did or claim you will do. 

6) People are not sheep - Regardless of how strong and biased a position the media and others take, hammering and hammering away, in the end people are not sheep and can and do think for themselves. 

7) Polls, statistics, position papers, conventions, and debates - There are many tools for manipulating the masses and they, like the people who prepare and administer them, have biases and lie. 

8) Branding yourself and others - Creating an image for yourself and others by weaving a tall tale narrative only goes so far unless the words and deeds are consistent and ring truth. 

9) Speak from the heart - Preparation and practice make perfect, but a perfect what?  Prepared lines and zingers are great sound bites, but speaking from the heart goes to the heart. 

10) Moral high ground - Just saying you are taking the moral high ground does not make it so; you actually have to have integrity to stand that ground. 

11) The political machine - Politics and the money and operatives behind it, are very strong and dangerous, and those that wield it can and will do anything to gain and stay in the much coveted positions of power. 

12) Don't think you're so deserving - Be humble and compassionate on others, instead of believing you are so great and the world owes it to; the more you run after something, the more it tends to elude you.

13) Listen to your gut - There are great orators, writers and influencers out there, but you've got to listen more to your gut and moral compass than to anyone else trying to bend your mind and will. 

14) Star power - Bringing out the big gun superstars to speak, sing, and endorse you is some nice added glitz, but the real superpower is the one Almighty who ultimately decides who wins and loses. 

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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September 28, 2016

Wiping The Smug

How you ever seen someone with that unbelievable smug look on their face? 

They are almost glowing in hubris and elitism.

They have gotten away with something and they know it and think they are above earth and Heaven.

Feeling better, smarter, and mightier than everyone else around them. 

They have built a fortress of minions, money, and power. 

And nothing, they think, can bring them back to Earth. 

Through deals, cunning, intimidation, and even elimination of their rivals, they survive and thrive growing stronger with every kill. 

High and mighty, but G-d sees all. 

Arrogant and corrupt, but G-d forgets none. 

All humankind is connected and one.

As one sits in the dust of the feet of another. 

The wheel of life turns, and the roles reverse. 

The next person has the chance to act different and better.

To mend their soul and humbly influence others for the good. 

No one should be smug, because everyone serves. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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September 11, 2016

Exceptions To Every Rule

Fair or not, some of us have to live by the rules and others do not. 

As in all history, we have a class society--there are:

- The kings and the commoners. 

- The lords and the vassals and serfs. 

- The elites and the commoners. 

- The majority and the minorities. 

- The rich and the poor. 

- The haves and the have nots.

Or any other number of variations of this.

Recently, with Hillary Clinton and her multitude of scandals, there was some shock that even in modern-day America, she was able to get off scot-free.

And in this great democracy of ours, it was understood to shut up, or else, for not toeing the line. 

The message to everyone was clear: while "the little guy" is made to pay the price for mediocrity, there are some people that will always be above the law!

It was funny-sad, because we don't want to believe that anyone can really escape from justice--that it can be beaten--although at times, we just have to acknowledge that justice may have to wait and come in the next world from the true Master of All. 

Today, coming out of my building, a dog from a neighbor started jumping (playfully) on my leg and barking--it was sort of hard to get out of there. 

The problem with this scenario was that my building doesn't allow dogs.  

So out of curiosity, I stopped someone in the building and asked innocently, "I thought dogs are prohibited in this building?"

"Oh yes." they answer, but seeing this lady with the active dog, they continue, "That lady has an exception from the board!"

We sort of all looked at each other, because this was not a service dog or anything like that, and it obviously seemed unfair that for her there was one set of rules, and for everyone else, another. 

Yes, there is an exception to every rule...some people can basically do what they want by virtue of their power and money or by who or what they know (i.e. can anyone say lots of skeletons in the closets).  

So while the little guy gets locked in stocks and pillories and the key thrown away for maybe the littlest of misdeeds, others are the exception to the rule--and may even become the Commander In Chief.  ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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August 14, 2016

Deserving To Be President

I took this photo this morning of this guy in a shirt that says, "Good deeds eventually are rewarded."


My question is whether the corollary is true, and are bad deeds eventually punished?


Watching this horrible election play out, this shirt helped me to figure out what was bothering me about the alleged crookedness of one or more candidates. 

And it's not just that they seem to have done corrupt things, because there are a lot of bad people out there that have done really terrible things.


Rather no matter what horrible things the candidates do, they don't seem to get punished for it, but rather they bask in more money, more fame, more honor, and now potentially the highest office of the land, the very President of the United States itself. 


Do people like this who are allegedly involved in the following types of activities deserve to win the election (and rule over almost 320 million Americans)?
  • Rigs the election and commits voter fraud against Bernie Sanders
  • Colludes and conspires with the DNC 
  • Money launders millions, if not billions, of dollars through a "charitable" foundation
  • Uses political office for personal benefit and conducts ethical violations with "pay to play" donors and cronyism between the public and private sectors
  • Manipulates the media "echo chamber" 
  • Gets off child rapists and laughs about it
  • Keeps secret servers and destroys email
  • Lies and commits perjury
  • Recklessly handles and endangers national security
  • Doesn't enforce "red lines" against regimes using weapons of mass destruction
  • Embraces and makes bogus deals with our sworn enemy, Iran (the #1 state sponsor of terrorism and human rights abuses worldwide)
  • Leads from behind in world events in the face of dangerous regimes
  • Wastes our nations blood and treasure in the premature retreat from Iraq
  • Sows rapid violence, refugees, and crises worldwide
  • Oversees the weakest U.S. economic recovery in history and a doubling our national debt to $20 trillion
  • Takes this nation in the wrong direction with an 80% dissatisfaction rate
  • Enables racial divisiveness and the shooting of police officers in the U.S. 
  • Has dozens of opposition members show up in murder-suicides? 

If G-d ultimately rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked, then should such candidates be promoted to the be the leader of the free world?

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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August 2, 2016

Stealing The U.S. Election

So I've never seen anything quite like this before.

The liberal media is completely trying to destroy Trump, and this is a true crisis of democracy.

They are jumping on him like a gang of bandits, ruthlessly punching and kicking him into the pavement, while reveling in the ascendancy of their absolutely do no wrong Queen of the 2nd Impeached President of The United States of America.

The saying that all publicity is good publicity, has now been proved totally false!

Sure, does Trump have a big mouth and say stupid and offensive things, absolutely.

Is it possible that the guy is flawed, but really doesn't mean it the way it comes out, as awful as it does?

Never-the-less, the power elite behind the Hillary machine have seized on these things to label him a fascist, racist, Nazi, demagogue, black soul, evil, and even today in the respected Wall Street Journal, a sociopath

(Hopefully the stupidity of the people saying these wild-a*s things is forgiven, so G-d forbid one day we shouldn't have a candidate who really is like that!)

On Sunday, in the New York Times Review Section, it is not uncommon to find 3 articles on a single page dumping on Trump and almost the entire section dedicated to his downfall. 

And of course, this treatment of one candidate, Trump, is not over-the-top at all, and completely fair and balanced thinking and coverage (sarcastic), as we wholly forgive Hillary for (alleged) lying, collusion, corruption, foundation money laundering voter rigging, and year after year of failed global policies (anyone out there been following that 80% of the people are dissatisfied with the direction of this magnificient nation). 

Add to that the murder-suicides of dozens of people associated with the Clinton's from Vince Foster in the Whitewater scandal to the killing of DNC staffer, Seth Rich, out of the blue just last month in DC. 

Now let me say right out that I am the first one to condemn Trump's outrageous and off-the-cuff statements about a disabled reporter, a POW Senator, and the the Muslim parents of a fallen soldier--yes, these are truly despicable and stupid things. 

But yet, when I watch the tapes and hear the guy speak, I think that very possibly he is just a huge, nutty-type of eccentric, like these very rich people, under the covers, tend to be. 

I think his mouth gets away from his brain, and yes while this is obviously not a good thing for an ostentatious Presidential candidate, why has the opposition been so successful at completely demonizing the guy (and don't just say that he did it to himself) and giving a bright shiny nickle to the other candidate?

Is saying stupid things (even very stupid and grossly offensive things) really the equivalent of being a Nazi and sociopath--and is he truly worse than someone involved in lying, collusion, corruption, and global leadership failures that literally can threaten our nation's security and take us down a path of true global disorder (how's that relationship with the powerful Russians, Chinese, Iranians, and North Korea as well as the state of unabated worldwide terrorism doing these days)?

The left, including many prominent media outlets, have jumped on the band-wagon to label the opposition and they have been unrelenting and ruthless at destroying only one of the candidates, Trump, while they continue to give Hillary more or less of a free pass--does anyone wonder about this? 

Rather than a fascist candidate, maybe what we really have is an an outrageous attempt at a fascist election system!

I wonder whether the people supporting this ones-sided narrative and single party election will come to regret their boundless political wisdom, hard and fast professional assessments, and vicious character assassinations, once we are well into the next term of President. 

What will the pundits and media say when the economic bubble tears, when major terrorism strikes big and bad, when global upheaval dangerously spreads, and all we get is more spin, deception, inaction, and leadership from behind--are you so sure that is better than a candidate with a big mouth, but also who can build big skyscrapers and skylines over a new horizon for this country? 

Will the pundits, media echo chamber, and the elites absolutely forcing Hillary to the top have a reckoning of thinking and conscience, with their air of puffery knocked out of them--will they have the presence of mind to question for a moment their choice of a candidate with a life-filled of scandal over a big-mouth, clumsy New York billionaire builder. 

Finally, when one thinks of insane and evil, aren't the activities that Hillary is accused of exactly those. 

Perhaps this is truly the crooked pot calling the big mouth kettle black, and the biggest election coup and voter fraud taking place right under your mightily socially engineered noses. 

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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July 10, 2016

Lives That Matter Not

With the presumed racially bigoted killing of Black people, we got Black Lives Matter. 

Now with the sniper attack murdering 5 police officers, we have Blue Lives Matter. 

From the unfortunate political response to both, it seems that No Lives Matter. 

With all the violence, and revenge violence, and cycles thereof, it was amazingly sad to hear our President say last week, "I firmly believe that America is not as divided as some have suggested."

Oh, really!

From Trayvon Martin to Freddie Gray to the five police officers killed last week--there sure seems to be a lot of bloodletting for a country that is not all that divided. 

The problem is that the serious racial divisions are only a part of it. 

Economic inequality is another big factor in the equation with the top 1% owning more than 50% of global wealth, and the gap continues to widen. 

And on top of that you have the political elites who perhaps are not only above the law, but are so much intertwined with the law of the land that they can be "100% confident" on doing what they want and not getting in any trouble.  

So does the 99% matter? Perhaps only as much as your vote and/or donation count for the 1% to get and keep their beloved and worshiped money and power. 

One thing that is amazingly clear across the spectrum from the likes of Donald Trump to that of Bernie Sanders is that the system is rigged.

Yet as disparities and inequalities exist in treatment from black to blue, the elites are most able to manipulate the "echo chamber" with loads of spin to give the perception of calm and stability and some breadcrumbs for all. 

Everyone has a chance to live and to prosper except when they don't.  

Still we can gloss over the spilled blood and the ridiculous inequality with some promises, gestures, and maybe even a few handouts--and make you 100% confident that you do matter so very much. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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November 4, 2014

Stop Sexual Assault

Saw this poster coming off the Metro today in Washington D.C. 

"It's on all of us to stop sexual assault."

It reminded me of this article I read in the DailyMail about this father of a 14-year girl in India that was raped in her home by a medical supply salesman. 

The young girl was raped and impregnated by a 45-year old man who boasted that he was "too well-connected" to ever be prosecuted. 

After some time passed, the father invited the rapist to dinner!

The rapist came. 

The father overcame the rapist, and repeatedly burned the man's genitals with hot thongs.

The rapist died.

This one rapist will certainly not be doing this again. 

While blatant violation of the law and vigilantism is not okay, the poster is right that we need to "stop sexual assault."

Statistics in this country are that 20% of college women are sexually assaulted before they graduate. 

Unacceptable!

Laws protecting women (and men) from sexual assault need to be strengthened, penalties stiffened, and we all need to be on the lookout for inappropriate behavior and speedily report this to law enforcement.

And no one should be above the law and basic morality. 

"It's on us."  

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

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