WE NEED A NEW MAJOR POLITICAL PARTY

It is clear that the Republican Party has lost all credibility as a legitimate political party.  It has abandoned all honor and integrity and abandoned true conservative philosophy and policies by embracing Trump and “Trumpism” and the agenda of the “Religious Right”.  As I previously posted “The Republican Party is Dead!”

A new true conservative-based party needs to be created based on a platform that embraces the following conservative principles -

·  Protect & Maximize Individual Rights

·  Ensure a Limited Government

·  Uphold the Rule of Law

·  Commitment to Federalism and the Separation of Powers

·  Maintain Free & Open Markets (Economic & Social)

·  Fiscal Responsibility

This new party must totally reject the political agenda of the so-called “Evangelicals” and the Religious Right, which seeks to minimize individual rights by having the government force the specific religious beliefs of Christian fundamentalism, related to  abortion, sexual preference and identity and same-sex marriage among other issues, on citizens via legislation in direct contradiction to the Constitutional separation or Church and State and the conservative tenets of protecting and maximizing individual rights and ensuring a limited government.

And this party must, in its conservative-based support and defense of the Constitution and the intent of the founding fathers in the development of the Constitution and its amendments, acknowledge that the real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies – the militia – would be maintained for the defense of the state, and has absolutely nothing to do with a citizen’s absolute and unfettered right to possess any type of weapon.

I believe the Republican Party is too far gone to be able to be properly reformed.  A new party to replace it really is needed.

What do you think?

POLITICS AND RELIGION

I have never been able to understand why Republican candidates feel they must pander to fundamentalist Christians – aka “evangelicals”, the “religious right”, and the Tea Party – in order to be perceived as a true conservative.

I also find it the height of hypocrisy that these so-called Christians continue to support and defend the most “un-Christian” President in our history. 

It has always been my understanding that one of the basic tenets of conservatism is limited government – the belief that the government should intrude in one’s personal and business life as little as possible.  The role of government should be to provide citizens with the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals; conservatism emphasizes empowerment of the individual to solve problems.

Another quote from Barry Goldwater, the politician most often credited with sparking the resurgence of the American conservative political movement in the 1960s –

“I am a conservative Republican, but I believe in democracy and the separation of church and state. The conservative movement is founded on the simple tenet that people have the right to live life as they please as long as they don't hurt anyone else in the process.”

Contrary to the belief in limited government, “evangelicals” want the government to tell citizens how to live their lives by forcing the specific religious beliefs of fundamentalist Christianity on them.  The Republican Party has perverted conservative philosophy to include the tenets of extreme fundamentalist Christianity.

Religious belief is personal and individual.  It should never be legislated, or used as the basis for legislation.  One’s religious beliefs may cause a person to become involved in political activity as a way of helping society and one’s “fellow man”, but one religious group’s specific religious beliefs and interpretations should NEVER be made into law.

I agree with Susan B Anthony, who said, “I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.”

Founding father Thomas Jefferson correctly observed, “Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law”.

Murder is not illegal because God said, "Thou Shall Not Kill".  It is illegal because it takes away the victim's civil right to life as guaranteed by the Constitution.

If your religious beliefs instruct you that abortion is bad – then do not have an abortion.  If your religious beliefs tell you that homosexuality and same-sex marriage is wrong - then don’t practice homosexuality or marry someone who is the same sex as you.  But you cannot force your specific religious belief on your neighbor, regardless of any sincere desire to save him or her from the “fires of hell”.

Returning once again to Barry Goldwater, from decades ago -

"Today's so-called 'conservatives' don't even know what the word means. They think I've turned liberal because I believe a woman has a right to an abortion. That's a decision that's up to the pregnant woman, not up to the Pope or some do-gooders or the Religious Right. It's not a conservative issue at all."

The religious can certainly "preach the gospel" to those who will listen, but cannot make the government force non-believers to follow their perception or interpretation of the gospel.

America is NOT a “Christian country” - it is not a religious country, period.  The idea of religious freedom and the separation of Church and State is a cornerstone of American democracy.  It is one of the main reasons the first settlers came here.  Separation of Church and State means that the government cannot tell a citizen how to worship or what to believe.  It also guarantees the right of citizens NOT to worship and NOT to believe.

I remember seeing a sign at a diner may years ago that said –

THE LAST TIME WE MIXED POLITICS WITH RELIGION PEOPLE GOT BURNED AT THE STAKE.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Enough is enough!  America needs strict national gun control legislation now.  We have had too many mass shooting tragedies at schools, churches and public places not to act. 

As I explained in “The 2nd Amendment is Obsolete", the ability of a citizen to own a gun for individual personal use – protection, hunting, target shooting - is a privilege and not a right.  Like. as one op-ed I came across suggests, owning a car.  “Not everyone can or should own a car.  Driving requires education, registration as a driver, and insurance on our vehicle.  Our government regulates how fast we go and assesses fines for infractions, and it can take back that privilege.”  Individual gun ownership is no different.

In addition to banning all assault weapons and passing a “red flag” law, ownership of a gun must be treated in the same manner we treat automobiles and driving.

* All gun owners must have a valid license, which must be renewed every year. The initial issuance of a license must be based on a thorough and comprehensive background check.

* To get a license a person must pass a written test and a “practical” test. Gun licensees must demonstrate they know how to properly operate and maintain a gun.

* Underage individuals must not be allowed to own guns.  The minimum age for a driving license is usually 17, but the minimum age for owning a traditional gun should be 18.

* Gun owners must have insurance similar to auto insurance.

* We must title and tag each gun at point of purchase, so each gun is registered in a local data base and law enforcement can know if a person is stockpiling an excessive number of guns.

Guns must be inspected at least every other year.

American lives are more important than political contributions.  Fuck the hypocritical Republican Party!  And fuck the NRA!

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS DEAD!

The Republican Party has totally abandoned all honor, integrity and responsibility, has abandoned the Constitution, American values, and traditional Republican and true conservative philosophy, and has lost credibility as a legitimate mainstream political party. 

The Republican party is truly dead and now must be buried.

By embracing Trump and “Trumpism”, and truly becoming the “Party of Trump”, the once Grand Old Party has also embraced corruption, cowardice, deceit, dishonesty, hypocrisy, and racism. 

It is very literally impossible for anyone with a brain and a conscience to continue to support Trump as President.  Anyone who supports Trump either doesn’t have a brain or doesn’t have a conscience.

Trump’ words and deeds are indefensible, and the continued defense of Trump’s words and deeds by the Republican Party and Republicans in Congress is unacceptable and indefensible.

Trump has committed, consistently and unapologetically throughout his entire business and political life, every single “bad act” that Republicans have claimed, rightfully or wrongfully, were committed by a Democrat and that they have denounced in the past.

The Republican Party is literally saying to the American public that only Democrats can commit, be charged with, and be held accountable for illegal and unethical activity.  The same activity performed by an alleged Republican is neither illegal nor unethical and should not be punished.

The term “Republican” has officially become a synonym for the word “hypocrisy”.

The only possible reason to explain the Republican Party’s support and defense of Trump is that they are afraid of offending, and losing the votes of, Trump’s core cult of ignorant racists, who apparently make up about 30% of American voters.  The votes of these deplorables are more important to Republicans than protecting the Constitution and the future of America.

It is vitally important that, if he survives impeachment, Trump must be voted out of office in the 2020 election.  But that is not all.  Every single Republican in Congress running for re-election who does not publicly oppose, denounce and disavow Trump must also be voted out of office. 

In the past I have voted for Democrats, Republicans and third-party candidates, depending on the candidate and the issues.  I will never again vote for any Republican for any office unless he or she vocally opposes, denounces and disavows Trump and “Trumpism”.

If the Republican Party is to survive, rank and file Republicans with a conscience, and true conservatives, must encourage, support, contribute to, and vote for a candidate who challenges Trump in the Republican primaries, like Governor Bill Weld, and encourage, support, contribute to, and vote for anti-Trump challengers to the current hypocritical Republicans in Congress in the primaries.  And they must only support local and statewide candidates who publicly oppose, denounce and disavow Trump.

A final point – see how the Republican Party has changed in my lifetime.  The following is from the official Republican Party Platform of 1956 (the highlight is mine) -

“While jealously guarding the free institutions and preserving the principles upon which our Republic was founded and has flourished, the purpose of the Republican Party is to establish and maintain a peaceful world and build at home a dynamic prosperity in which every citizen fairly shares.

We shall ever build anew, that our children and their children, without distinction because of race, creed or color, may know the blessings of our free land.

We believe that basic to governmental integrity are unimpeachable ethical standards and irreproachable personal conduct by all people in government. We shall continue our insistence on honesty as an indispensable requirement of public service. We shall continue to root out corruption whenever and wherever it appears.

We are proud of and shall continue our far-reaching and sound advances in matters of basic human needs—expansion of Social Security—broadened coverage in unemployment insurance —improved housing—and better health protection for all our people. We are determined that our government remain warmly responsive to the urgent social and economic problems of our people.

To these beliefs we commit ourselves as we present this record and declare our goals for the future.”

REMEMBER OUR VETERANS!

THE SECOND AMENDMENT IS OBSOLETE!

Yes, America, the 2nd Amendment is obsolete.

The purpose or the 2nd Amendment, the reason it was written, was to protect the existing state and local militias because many of the founding fathers opposed a national standing army.

This purpose no longer exists. We no longer rely on volunteer local and state militias to protect our communities, states and the country and to fight wars, as was the case in the Revolutionary War and before. We now have local, county and state police forces, the National Guard and national Armed Forces.

Since the purpose for creating the 2nd Amendment no longer exists it is totally obsolete and has no relevance today.

Sara Huckabee Sanders, the former Trump Administration official liar whose job it was to lie to the American public and repeat and defend the lies of Trump, recently tweeted one the stupidest things ever, even from a “Trumpee”, which is, sadly, also erroneously believed true by some Americans and reinforced by the NRA –

“No, we have guns because it’s our God-given right enshrined in the Constitution.”

For one, I don’t recall it saying anywhere in the Bible that God has given man the right to own a gun.

And let me quote conservative Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger –

“The Gun Lobby’s interpretation of the Second Amendment is one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word fraud, on the American People by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies – the militia – would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires.”

Before I leave the subject let me make one thing perfectly clear.  There is absolutely no legitimate reason for any American to own an assault weapon.  If the government acknowledges this and appropriately bans Americans from owning assault weapons, as it had in the past, saying people shouldn't be able to own assault weapons - why wouldn't you have a mandatory buy-back of currently owned assault weapons? It is only logical. 

The government would NOT take the rifle you use for hunting or target practice – but it should take your AR-15, your AK-47.  No American should be allowed to own assault weapons, regardless of when it was purchased.

TTYL

REALITY (TV) SUCKS!

From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary –

ex-cre-ment noun \ ek-skrə-mənt\

Definition of EXCREMENT

(1) waste matter discharged from the body; especially: feces

(2) reality tv

— ex•cre•men•tal\ˌek-skrə-ˈmen-təl\ adjective

— ex•cre•men•ti•tious\-ˌmen-ˈti-shəs, -mən-\ adjective

Examples of EXCREMENT

(1) an ordinance that requires dog walkers to remove their animal's excrement from city streets

(2) MTV’s "The Jersey Shore" is a steaming pile of excrement

Reality sucks!  Reality tv, that is.

I wish someone would explain to me why the great unwashed masses are so fascinated by watching people with limited intelligence and no self-respect behave badly on a deserted island, in courtrooms, on the runway or at a photo shoot, in a boardroom sucking up to an over-exposed and self-absorbed millionaire, losing weight, in restaurant kitchens, in tattoo parlors and beauty salons, or supposedly looking for a mate.

Once upon a time television, while not always succeeding, at least attempted to entertain, enlighten and educate. 

Watching self-absorbed trophy wives - neither “real” nor “housewives” - bitch and moan, drink like fishes, and engage in catfights certainly does not deserve a “bravo”.

Watching a family of ignorant and bigoted hillbillies hunt ducks is neither art nor entertainment.

Watching the brain-dead living together in close quarters is not entertaining, enlightening or educational.

Watching a bevvy or women throw themselves at a potential mate, who is only in it for the sex, is nothing more than bad soft-core pornography.

Watching children being abused and paraded around in inappropriately mature costumes in dance class or “beauty pageants” is porn for pedophiles. 

The above all represent examples of the genre incorrectly referred to as “reality tv” (the only true reality tv is the evening news).  I remember coming across the last scene in the tv movie about arrogant moron Trump while channel surfing several years back.  Mark Burnett is pitching the idea for THE APPRENTICE to Trump.  “It’s not reality,” Burnett tells him.  “It’s reality tv”.

There is more expression of true human emotion and “reality” in the main characters of BONES remembering a fallen comrade or android Data trying to learn to be “human” in STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION than in an entire season of any reality tv garbage.

While the motto of the father of reality programs is “Outwit, Outplay and Outlast”, the real motto of the reality tv genre is “Embarrass, Humiliate and Abuse”.

Just to be clear, when I refer to “reality tv” I am not talking about legitimate talent contests or home improvement shows likes those on HGTV or DIY.  You know what shows I am talking about.

What does reality tv do?  It takes greedy self-absorbed individuals, totally devoid of self-respect and common sense and with questionable intelligence, puts them in unnatural situations, encourages them to act outrageously, and films everything they do.  This has nothing to do with “reality”.

In my younger days the criteria for determining if a book or movie was pornography was the lack of any “socially redeeming value”. I dare anyone to show me any socially redeeming value in any reality tv program.

Back in 2008 USA TODAY did a cover story on reality tv with interviews panels of “stars” from various shows of the genre.  When a panel from cable channel VH1 was asked about the most memorable moments from their shows, Flavor Flav said, “One of the most memorable moments in the history of reality TV was when that girl shit on my floor.”  Someone else responded, “No, I’d say it’s Mini-Me pissing on the carpet” from THE SURREAL LIFE.  Need I say more?

One of the programs in this heinous genre was a show called THE BIGGEST LOSER. Just who is the biggest loser when it comes to “reality tv”?

It goes without saying that those who participate as hosts and contestants on a reality program, and those who actually watch the garbage, are indeed losers, in every sense of the word. Also on the list of losers are the multitude of actors, writers, directors, and other creative personnel who are unemployed as a result of the proliferation of these programs.

No actual creativity is needed for reality tv.  The director just tells the participants to act outrageously and the cameraperson points and shoots.

But the biggest losers are those of us who recognize the genre for the crap that it truly is, and therefore avoid it like the plague. For every hour of “reality” programming that pollutes the airwaves we are deprived of an hour of real television drama, comedy, documentary or news programming. By putting shows like THE BACHELOR and THE BACHELORETTE on its prime-time schedule, ABC has denied us what may have been the next ALL IN THE FAMILY, M*A*S*H, THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, DESIGNATED SURVIVOR, THIS IS US, or 60 MINUTES.  The only winners in “realty tv” are the networks and the shows’ producers, who are laughing all the way to the bank!

Reality tv is a result of, and a major contributor to the ongoing continuance of, the “dumbing down of America”.  A result of this vile genre is the creation of a new breed of “celebrities” – self-important narcissistic buffoons with no talent who are merely “famous for being famous”.

One of the best descriptions ever of so-called “reality tv” and the making of its pathetic “stars” into “celebrities” appeared in an episode of the BBC tv show JUDGE JOHN DEED, starring Martin Shaw as the judge, a decade ago.  In “Popular Appeal” an angry contestant in a British reality tv show called “The Dungeon” kills another competitor on camera, and the show's producers face charges of manslaughter in Deed's court. The prosecution contends that they acted recklessly and engineered conflict in order to get higher ratings.  A psychiatrist working for the station that airs the show testifies that the producers purposely look for psychologically flawed “contestants” who can be easily manipulated and angered, which clearly represents what reality tv producers do in “real life”.  

Judge Deed, speaking to the producer of a reality TV show after the jury has returned its verdict, correctly observes –

“Celebrity: the pursuit of the talentless by the mindless. It's a common disease of the twenty-first century. It pollutes our society, and diminishes all who seek it and all who worship it, and you must bear part of the responsibility for foisting this empty nonsense onto a gullible public.”

Reality tv is dangerous.  It teaches bad lessons to young viewers –

* Greed is good.

* Money is more important than self-respect or human dignity.

* It is acceptable to publicly humiliate people.

* A cat fight is an appropriate form of conflict resolution. 

* You don’t need education or even intelligence to be a success in America – any brain-dead idiot can become wealthy by appearing in reality tv nonsense.

In her excellent and spot on blog post “The Danger of Reality TV” Canadian Rhonda Scharf correctly observes -

“The reality of reality shows is that they effectively affect our society. Television tells us what is normal and accepted and eventually it worms its way into our subconscious.

These messages are wrong. They instill a workplace mentality of winning at all costs. They have no compassion, no understanding, and no reality about the world we actually live in.”

A news item from 2012 reported –

“The Girls Scouts are warning of the dangers of reality tv after a study by the Girl Scouts Research Institute concluded that reality shows are having a negative effect on young women.

The study found that reality television ‘more frequently portrays girls and women in competition with one another rather than in support or collaboration. This perpetuates a 'mean-girl' stereotype and normalizes this behavior among girls.’

The study concluded: ‘Teen girls who regularly view reality tv accept and expect a higher level of drama, aggression, and bullying in their own lives, and measure their worth primarily by their physical appearance.’"

Television can change the world.  Pioneers like Norman Lear and the creative staff behind M*A*S*H changed the world for the better in the early 1970s.  And same-sex marriage would not have become legally accepted without Ellen DeGeneres and shows like WILL AND GRACE and MODERN FAMILY.  Today reality tv garbage is resulting in the decline and deterioration of our society.

Still don’t think reality tv is dangerous?   

Reality tv is responsible for the death of the Republican Party and the dire mess that America and the world is in today by giving undeserved credibility to a mentally unstable narcissistic sociopath and cartoon clown who is completely unfit to serve in any elected position of power – the current President of the United States.

From the Thesaurus –

Synonyms for “shit”:

BM, crap, defecation, doo-doo, dung, excrement, excretion, fecal matter, feces, manure, number two, poop, reality tv, stool, waste.

TTYL