I usually experience a high level of excitement on voting days. On the occasion of the Super Tuesday primary I am instead feeling fear and foreboding. Back in the summer when everyone who has ever been a member of the Republican party decided to run for a shot at the head job in this country it seemed ludicrous to believe that Donald Trump would be anything other than an amusing distraction in the nominating process. There were the usual flakes in the Republican pack who would no doubt be ignored by thinking party members but Trump was in a league of ridiculousness by himself. The most serious contenders gave him little or no attention back then because, like me, they viewed him as little more than a buffoon. Soon enough all of us who had been convinced that there was no meat to the Trump campaign would realize that somehow he had managed to capture the hearts and minds of a considerable number of Americans. Today he is poised to emerge as the winner of enough delegates to essentially make it mathematically impossible for anybody else to emerge as a contender for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Continue reading “This Too Shall Pass”
Category: Politics
We the People
I recently created a bit of a stir among my former classmates by mentioning that I never learned much about Texas History in school while I was growing up. Many of my long time friends not only insisted that we indeed had a strong grounding in the story of our state but that it was also quite exciting. Others believed like me that the topic of Texas was rarely if ever mentioned in our classes. I suspect that Texas may have been part of the curriculum somewhere along the line but was so uninspiring to me that I blanked it out of my mind. I had a great education in my youth but social studies failed to enchant me the way the other subjects did. I recall mostly reading from a textbook and then memorizing dates and facts. It was not until I went to college that my fascination with history and politics was born. Continue reading “We the People”
How Did We Get Here?
On this first day of the Lenten season I find thoughts careening through my head like marbles rolling uncontrollably around a room. There are so many concerning events taking place throughout the world that it is difficult to focus on the spiritual. I suppose that this is the reason that so many of my FB friends are leaving their walls for the next six weeks and will not return until after Easter Sunday. Sadly social media has become such a hotbed of angst in some regards that even people like Lena Dunham have sworn off of sites like Twitter until she feels safe in its environs once again. Continue reading “How Did We Get Here?”
Three Things
I had an interesting evening last night. Mike and I were preparing to leave for a camping trip this week but I left in the middle of our work to attend a memorial service for a dear friend. Since I got home rather late, I still had quite a bit to do so that we might leave for our destination this morning. I tuned in to all of the election coverage to see how the different candidates from the two parties were doing. It was almost midnight before I finally went to bed. Continue reading “Three Things”
Chief Executive
In one week the political run up to the presidential election will begin in earnest with the first primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire. They will finally provide us with a peek at what real Americans are actually thinking. Most of us are already exhausted from the furor leading up to this big day. It’s difficult to imagine that it will only become worse as we move slowly but surely toward November and the final resolution of who will next serve as our nation’s president.
Much has been said and written by the various players in this incredibly important contest. After all of the money has been spent and the arguments have been presented it will be up to the common man and woman to cast ballots. Voting for the President of the United States or for any other office is a moment that we must never take lightly. Our choice will determine who becomes one of the most powerful people on earth. It is incumbent upon each and every one of us to use the most rational aspects of our abilities to think critically rather than emotionally. We need to remember that, in truth, a great president is one who is not beholden to a particular group but one who always considers the needs of all citizens. Continue reading “Chief Executive”
All It Takes Is A Little Love 