By the fruit they pick, you shall know who they are.

Is it possible to judge a person you do not know by the friends they  have met and worked with over their lifetime?  If so, Donald Trump is a revelation. 

The friends who have stood by him over his lifetime, and more recently are amazing.  They include such luminaries as Paul Manafort, Carter Page, Steve Bannon, George Papadopoulos (30 years old!), Anthony Scaramucci, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, Stephan Miller, Sebastian Gorka, Harold Bornstein, Rudolph Giuliani, Gary Cohn, David Pecker, Sean Spicer, Jared Kushner, Hope Hicks, Kellyanne Conway, Trump's initial choice of cabinet people such as Tom Price, Brenda Fitzgerald, Rex Tillerson, Andrew McCabe, HR McMaster, Scott Pruitt, and aides such as Manigault Omarosa, Hope Hicks (29 years old) and there are a large number of others such as James Comey and Walter Shaub (who was in charge of "Ethics").

Really,  his choice of Bannon says it all. But in retrospect, Bannnon seems  kind of mature. Especially when compared with Papadopoulos and Omarosa.  And then, there is  Bornstein who was Trump's doctor for nearly 37 years!  Wow! 

Miss Management

          No one made more mistakes running a government office than Robert McNamara.  He was in charge of the Defense Department during the early stages of the Vietnam war and he said in 1962 that: “running the Department of Defense is not different from running Ford Motor Company or the Catholic Church … Once you get to a certain scale, it’s all the same”.   Back then, he believed any type of organization could be run by common techniques, the same system of management.  It was only later, after harsh experiences, he began to appreciate the importance differences in culture, history, values and traditions.   

          So McNamara was the worst of the worst  – but wait – he has finally been "Trumped" and now is nowhere in the leadership of those who mismanage.  Government is not like ordinary management.  It requires the directing of procedures in road building, Air traffic control, running the army and the navy (plus the Air Force), Public education, the environment and many, many other agencies.   From McNamara we learned that any manager has to know WHAT it is that he or she is managing. The president is more like a conductor of an great orchestra and he or she has to know the capabilities of the players and appreciate the understandings of the audience.   Anyone who is ready to "fire" a player over a mistake they make, or to convince the audience that a miserable song is really a masterpiece, is simply someone who doesn't belong in front of any orchestra.  

Niki Haley Cashes In.

Nikki Haley asked a Rhetorical Question into the microphone at the UN concerning "Who will remember the NEXT Time America is Asked to Contribute?"  This, as if the had no examples in leadership or guidance, as if she had never heard of Adolph Hitler
 or how badly the world had been devastated by him, and how many lives had been ruined in his wake.

She apparently had also been left out of the appearances of Stalin, and the Soviet Union, and also of the mess that China had made of North and South Korea, and the tumult that had roared across the face of north Asia, and then the mess that spilled over into Vietnam.  She apparently was only concerned with donations of money but we have to wonder if there is any collusion with the Republican Party to begin to undermine the government of the  United States.

Rising Sea Levels – How Fast?

This presentation by Harold R. Wanless , Ph.D.  Professor and Chair, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Miami, was given on 2017.0201We1900 at UU Congregation in Naples, Florida.  

The Sea Level Rise we are now experiencing is inevitable, irreversible, faster than anticipated and it is accelerating.  The CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere is enough to power more than a 70 foot level of sea rise.

The sea level on the planet Earth normally rises and falls several hundred feet every 100,000 years or so, now we are riding the introduction of CO2 gasses which resulted from the Industrial Revolution.

Wars, which Professor Wanless did not talk about, also increase the introduction and dispersion of many unnecessary and undesirable gasses and chemicals. 

Fix the Criminal Justice System

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of 6340 Napa Woods Way, in Naples, Fl hosted a meeting tonight, Thursday, January 19, 2017 from 7 to 9 P.M. about Florida's Broken Criminal Justice System and how to fix it.


The event was co-sponsored by the ACLU of Florida Collier County Chapter, NAACP, Collier County Jewish Community Relations Council, and the Universalist Unitarian Congregation.

The speakers presented as a panel and addressed criminal justice reform on a local, state, and national level and its impact on public safety, recidivism for offenders, ending the war on drugs and other solutions to a system that has proven to be unproductive, wasteful, and dominated by racial disparities.

Discussions included the use of SWAT Teams, how some 95% of sentences were result of plea bargaining, and mandatory minimum sentences.  Also the fact that some 70% of prisoners will return after release and how the length of prison sentences is increasing.  The problems with education, mental health, and the use of basically military-type forces to counter basic health problems.

Panelists included (from left to right) Raymer Maguire, Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform Manager, ACLU of Florida, Deborah Brodsky, Director, Project on Accountable Justice, FSU, and Adam Bates, J.D., Policy Analyst, Cato  Institute's Project on Criminal Justice.  Moderator was Mo Winograd who can be reached at mowinograd973@gmail.com

De-friended

Well, Harry, you’ve really put your finger on the crux of the real issue.  It goes to the heart of government, and emphasizes why Democracy is so very difficult to work.  While authoritarianism makes every problem seem simple because it tells you what to do, and all you have to do is shout and charge into compliance, democracy is very different.  Democracy requires you to meet with people who are different from you, and who do not even like you or completely trust you, and you don’t trust them.  But democracy requires that you get to know them, and sit down with them and work together to solve a common problem.  It assumes that your solution may not work at first, and even if it does, the main problem will not be solved, but it changes and becomes a more complex problem, and you and your counterpart must develop a more complex relationship to deal with it and the other issues that you will create together.

Make Your Vote Really Count – Vote Twice!

First, go to your computer. Find the sample ballot identical to the one you will have given to you when you go to the polling place.  You can find this by completing an application form.  It may be available on the computer or it may have to be mailed to you.

Now, you vote the first time. You can do this over the next day or two.  Take your time.  Enjoy some coffee, tea or beer or wine.  Sit down and reflect.  There will be a few long choices (some with over 100 words - and up to 15 “ands” and several “ors”).  You can think about some of these for a day or two, even pick up the phone and play auditor, or ask questions on Facebook or Twitter or Whatever. 

There may be some positions you have never heard of and a lot of names you have never heard of.  But now you have time to think about all this, even get with your friends and ask questions, get a conversation going, get a dialog, talk about your problems.

Finally, you vote the second time.  This time in your polling place.  You are ready!  Even with a completed ballot you have worked on for the past day or two.  AND you can make this vote REALLY represent you, AND you will move through the voting process quicker than anyone else who has not already voted for the “first time”.

The Real Problem is Not Trump

“I will keep you in suspense!”  Those words from Donald Trump.  Said like he is pretending to decide how he will vote in a beauty pageant or something similar.  What he apparently does not understand is that there are other people running for the office he also seeks, and if he does not get the most votes, it will be because another has been selected by the will of the people.  Yet, by his own words, he may not concede even then.  

Yet there WILL be a tally of the votes.  There WILL be celebrations and despair – by some – at least.  There WILL be an announcement by some “Certified Official”.  There WILL be an inauguration and a moving out of the White House and a moving in by the victor.  If the one who officially lost the election will not concede, he will not be permitted to assume the office.  That is a matter of regimen.

Now comes the binding issue.  The issue created by those who voted for the loser.  Those who voted in what they now might claim was a “rigged” election.  What will these “masses” do now?  A lot of that might depend on the “leadership” they might get from the one they are now choosing to follow.  But there is a much greater danger.

Trump is not a leader.  He is a disrupter, an agitator.  He is one who stirs things up, but he cannot walk a straight line.  Yet there is a magic in stirring,  It creates a force that can attract power and form a center, and if there is some form of coherence that appears with that attraction, some surrogate with persuasive rhetoric, then the stirred center can take on a life of its own.  

Trump's Deplorable Values

The Republican Party is wobbling in its attempts to seek limited form of government, particularly as the world, and the united States also, begins shifting from a mostly rural environment into an urban development.

    

Now comes Trump.  He was nastier than any of his 18 rivals and wound up as the “GOP Choice” for President.  It was a rough coronation, as a brand new guy wandered on to the stage in Cleveland and was “chosen” by the masses.  Two things became immediately apparent:  1)  The self-praise of Trump for Trump, 2)  and the slowly increasing numbers of people either positing they would not vote for Trump, and an increasing number announcing their preparation to leave the Republican Party.  

Arizona Senators Jeff Flake, and John McCain were early departures from Trump, NH Senator Kelly Ayotte, NY Governor Pataki, Carly Florian, SD Senator John Thune, Mitt Romney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tim Pawleenty, Kasich, Murkowski, Lindsey Graham, Condoleezza Rice, and so on.  (See https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/updates/2016/05/04/conservatives-rebuke-trump-as-he-captures-republican-nomination/   for an amazingly long list of others)   He has exchanged the intellectual  bright lights for the riffraff who show up at his rallies.  

Also represented in the departures from voting for the GOP nominee are Elliott Abrams, Bill Kristol, George Will, Jeb Bush and both former presidents named George Bush. Now comes even Charles Krauthammer with his own list of Trump’s deplorable values:   habitual mendacity, pathological narcissism, profound ignorance and an astonishing dearth of basic human empathy.  And then the threat, if he is elected, to put his opponent, Hillary Clinton, in jail.

The Republican Party, in its moment of death is visited by a Grim Vetter who has come to scatter its ashes.      

Not Fit to Print

The second debate, or “Town Hall Meeting” was a discussion devoted to Donald Trump.  Hillary couldn’t really change the topic because it would look like she was evading his questions or trying to change the subject.  She did try a couple of times but it didn’t work.

The result was there was no discussion of anything that matters to the American people or the world at large.  There were no questions or comments about international affairs, climate change, gun control, infrastructure, or anything other than Donald Trump and his relationship with women who had gotten to know him.  

It was as if Trump was a little boy, perhaps from English history, with incredible power.  He was leering, menacing scowling and stalking.  He even said that Hillary would be investigated if he won the presidency and she would probably be put in jail.  

Now the New York Times has gotten involved in this event, largely due to the income tax information they published.  Trump has promised to sue the nation’s greatest newspaper over this information.  Too bad, because while he will have little chance of carrying through with this, the New York Times has become famous for disclosing “All the news that’s fit to print”.  Now Donald Trump is leading them into a rabbit hole they would normally not find very fitting.

Trump has Grabbed the GOP by Its Pu$$y

He’s got more people voting for him than the Republican Party has and so it is all over now.  Even if the Party wants him to step down, he’s got the power and they don’t.  Republicanism is shattered and is now morphing into a powerful money machine.   Trump didn’t plan this out, ‘cause he can’t plan anything, but he is a very useful tool.  He doesn’t know what is going on and neither does the Party, and they are each looking in the opposite direction for help.  Trump is not the leader of this takeover, but he is the best bait in the world for the real fishermen.  

Debate One

First debate is over and it seems clear and obvious that Hillary won easily.  Trump probably kept most of his supporters though, because they are people who hate the Establishment, those powerful officials who run and ruin their lives.  Hillary would certainly have to be right at the top of that pile of power.

Yet the primary duty of the President is the job of politics.  He (or she) will not get everything they start out to do.  They will have to give as much as they get, and that will not make any difference in the great scheme of history as long as they can weld together what they did get, into a workable program.

One of the biggest differences between Trump and Clinton last night was their demeanor while listening to the other one speak.  Trump appeared to be not listening, or trying to pick up a favorite theme of his, and constantly in the process of interrupting even as he kept his lips pursed. He appeared (to me) to show signs of contempt  while she seemed to maintain an aura of listening with the apparent intent on reaching out and elaborating on his comments. 

Will Trump Leave the GOP?

Hard to say right now.  Trump seems to have the GOP under his command, but he is not going forth to meet a bride, no, he goes forward to take charge.  And many of the old party members are very, very quiet. 

Some long term members are restless  Some, like George Will, are announcing their departure.  And the Repbulicans who are leaving are not becoming Democrats but offering wisdom to a new, still congealing mass of political ideology. 

There will be a showdown later in Cleveland, a city known to some as “The Mistake by the Lake”, when the GOP holds their convention there.  It is not at all improbable  – in my mind at least – that Trump may slam the door there and stomp out, claiming to take the “Real Republicans” with him.  

Well, that would split the Republican Party and hand the election to the Democrats, fancilly engraved on a silver platter!  Or, or would it?  This is the year of Brexit, after all! Could it be that such a stomp n’romp by Trump would open the door for an old socialist Jew to also consider running, seeking liftoff for his last flight into glory?  

Well, who knows?  Now, anyway.  But that would give both Trump and Sanders a chance to make America what it could have been, once upon a time . . . all this while the Democrats and Republicans are just running to make themselves great again.   And – that would throw the 2016 election into the realm of English glory.

Brexit!

Not the worst mistake that England has ever made, but it is a pretty good one.  Too bad they didn’t work harder at being a better member of the European Union.  Apparently, a large number of Brits figured that they could scare the EU folks by showing them how little England was concerned about the “union”.  Whoops.  Now, more than 2,100,000 of them want to vote again  But like too many things involving elections, it is too late to vote again – they (we all) have only one vote to cast.  

Of course we Americans understand the importance of voting.  In fact we turned out 36.4% of eligible voters in our last election.  That’s almost half of the eligible voters who turned out in Brittian this week.  They hit 72%. 

 We Americans may well face a similar problem this November.  We may have to decide in advance.  And like the Brits, we will only get to vote once.  And we don’t want to try to scare anybody!

Donald Trump and the Stairs

The truth about Donald Trump is he is the type of person that those of us who are parents had all tried to keep from raising our kids as.  He IS the Boggie Man Under the Stairs.   He IS the incarnation of the great concepts of Evil, Pitiful, and Ignorance and he shines in the great glory of brilliant greed. He was created by the power of wanton money.  He has attracted the Republican Party and they have begged him to notice them, and now he has grabbed them and won’t let go. 

Is this how the Republican Party ends?  Maybe.  They now have to decide whether an increasingly obvious errant committment to Donald Trump is more important to them than the duty they have to the American People.

Trump's Biggest Surprises . . .

. . . are yet to come!  It is not so much that he will continue to tell us more, as it is that we will gradually learn to understand him better.  We will begin to see what he is trying to show us and some of us will become different people for his taking care of us.  He apparently knows which parts of our democracy work and which parts don’t work, He knows which judges can render “good” decisions and which newspaper and TV reporters can tell the “Truth”, and we really just have to hang on and follow Him.  

The Republican Party is doing as good a job as it can.  Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has come along and apparently accepts The Donald, although it is obvious that he really doesn’t understand a lot of the details.  It is hard to know where Mitch McConnell is, probably because the senate majority leader doesn’t want to tip his hand,  and he is an expert at presenting a “poker face”  under all conditions so that no one else knows whether or not he really understands an issue or not.  We really don’t know what the Republican Party means anymore, so this is a new opportunity for it.

The “grand OLD party” descended from the Whigs of England, which represented a forceable transfer of power from King to Charter.   Only certain actions were permitted by government and these all had to be few and concecrated in writing.  All other power was left to “the people”, meaning whatever you can get, grab!  This brings us to the era of Scrooge and this is where the grand OLD party has become deeply mired. Thankfully, The Donald has emerged, rising to a new crescendo of surprising guidance.  No longer do members of the Republican Party need to take positions on changing conditions of the world, no more stress and concern, just follow The Donald.  Just press the button . . . the head will pop up . . . and an answer will come forth in great glory!

Now The Donald has graciously offered to serve us as President.  He will rebuild our country and make it great again.  He will build walls, and approve religions.  He will choose judges and select reporters.  He will always know what is in our best interest.  He will lead us onward and approve our actions.  No longer will we have to wonder, and test our theories by discussion, there will be no more different issues, no more new opportunities. No more concern.  All we will have to do is just try to carry out orders.

VA Secretary & Disneyland

VA Secretary, Robert McDonald,  told reporters on Monday, May 23, 2016, that the VA should not use “wait times” as a measure of their success because Disney, in their operations at Disneyland, doesn’t use “wait times” either.   Disney relies on how satisfied their clients are.  What Mr. McDonald clearly doesn’t understand is that there is a significant difference between the services Disney promises to provide to their would-be clients, and the service already promised by the VA to those Veterans who have already paid.  AND - if you want to compare the price and service “promised” by Disney to would-be clients, with that “price” already paid by many Veterans - some of which were life-altering, then go ahead and play that game, Mr. McDonald, but first you need to step down from your position and let someone who understands the issue take over.  

More on Trump's Mother

Another connection between The Donald and his mother is the gesture of hands-up – usually it is a woman who would use that as a sign that she has tried EVERYTHING else and she has no idea of what remains to be done!  And therefore, it is THEIR responsibility for whatever consequences follow.

Donald Trump's Mother

Of course I never knew her, but I think we all know some of her features.  She had to have been a fiercely protective creature.  That much is obvious.  She was also a person of power.  She almost certainly intervened between the world of practical problems and her son, Donald.   It is obvious that she constantly assured him that what ever seemed to be happening would be “all right” and would “turn out OK”, that whatever got broken would be made whole and would be great again. He clearly could forget what he had just done, and could look forward to a future devoid of his own personal consequences because what he was going to do in the future was going to be better than anything ever done by anybody any time in the past.   Everything was always going to be much better than it was now, and everything was going to be far better in the future than it had ever been before.

Why Trump WILL Run as an Independent.

There’s never been a better time for this to happen.

Republican Party is fracturing, awash with Reaganomics and Tea Baggers. It seems to be collapsing and spending its last days tearing each other into pieces.

Sixteen candidates have announced, Seventeen . . .  do I hear eighteen?  There may be more to follow.

No leadership is apparent in the party from Boehner or McConnell, or anyone else.  Other Republicans stand around behind these two, looking sad, white and male, a bit like the faces on Mt. Rushmore.

Democrats have a different problem.  But it’s still a problem.

Hillary is sure bet to win but nobody likes her.  She is tied up and encumbered.  Democrats are prepared to hold their noses and vote for her, at least some are.  How many will actually go to the polls, hold their noses, and vote, for her, is a good question.

Bernie is great!  EVERYbody likes him!  But he is still a socialist Jew.  And he is too old!  Bernie is 73 which has been made to seem much older than Biden (72) and Hillary (67).  By way or comparison Trump is 69 (his last chance?)  Still people gather round Bernie to hear what he has to say.   And they like it!

Bidden is everybody’s friend.  But it is widely known (?) that he doesn’t have the internal fire necessary for a long and bitter campaign.  He would obviously make the best possible president because he has the natural ability to bring the nation together after a destructive campaign.

But back to Trump.  He is not a solid Republican.  Many Republicans see him as a “late-comer”.  As someone who wants to take over and run the show, but many wonder what he will do if he can’t run the country by fiat and has to go through the democratic process.  Would he walk away? Would he send the army marching in under the great dome?  The Republican Party will not let Trump run as a Republican, because they have too much to lose.  

And who would be his vice-president?  Hard to say now.  Palin is out.  Ben Carson might think about it, especially if he gets shuffled out of the race for president.  There could be others.  If Trump called you up and asked if you would be willing, how would you answer? 

If the Republican Party won't let Trump run, this would be his way to take over.  If they have problems with that, then “you’re Fired!”  And perhaps his version in this case of “firing” would be to take over, run for president as an independent, win the election and THEN, after totally shattering the Republican Party there would be a day of massive reckoning.  He would know how America should be run!  And he doesn’t need any damn constitution to tell him what to do.

And if he lost?  Which he would, what would rise out of the smoldering ashes?  That’s a really good question.  

But the bigger question is can America run politically without the two party system?  There IS a third party now, has been for a while.  It has no name but is widely known to be The Money Party.  And without having to travel either the Democratic or Republican highway into power, then will the members of that party become free to rip each other apart and wreak havoc on America?