Monday, November 7, 2016

trump's America

From today's The Tennessean...

A transgender woman's truck was spray painted with the words "Trump" and torched in her driveway as she and her 3-year-old son were inside their Cookeville (Tennessee) home early Saturday morning.








She said her toddler is still frightened.








  1. Unfortunately these are the types that form part of Trump's Cromagnon right wing base. Short on brain cells and high on intolerance. should he win it will only embolden them...

  2. As an outside viewer (UK) I can see the idiot fringe on both sides. Didn't Obama step in and defend a veteran who dared to speak up for Trump at a Clinton rally. Threating behaviour from either side is not acceptable. Fortunately it is not something we see that much of in the UK. NO one should be intimidated because of their gender, race, beliefs or any other reason.

    I am not sure which will be worse gung-ho Trump or Clinton who has already cost American lives by not standing up and using force when needed.

    1. Yes about Obama. I thought what he did was great and represented what America is about. If you missed it, here is the short video.

  3. This is a problem when a candidate does not immediately disavow the support of fringe elements. Minorities of all types become potential victims, so that the people of low esteem can do something harmful to say - they must be listened to. A leftist friend told me that riots are a way that disenfranchised people get the attention of the elites. I think that on the right, harming those weaker, more vulnerable than you is the way the same thing happens.

    America has a big problem that has to get fixed quickly, as our social safety net is nowhere near as good as in Europe. I fear greater violence in the near future, as we do not want to deal with structural unemployment here. In short, it's the fear of the likely self destruction of our country that is worrisome.

  4. The police are investigating the incident. In the meantime it is scary that so many on the left or supporters of Clinton are using the event to push out the vote. It may be that the evil came from the Clinton camp looking to use the publicity. Why is the so little outrange when the well organized and funded machine was paying people to disrupt Trump rallies? These were organized by longtime Clinton associates and funded in part by George Soros. Do you think that it was a coincidence that the Trump rally disruptions stopped after the scheme was uncovered?
    Marian's comment that a leftist friend told her that riots are a way that disenfranchised folk get the attention of the elites is pure Alinsky.
    Let's wait and see what the police determine before anyone jumps to conclusions.

    1. Pat - I don't agree with that friend. But I recognize the symbolic truth inherent in the idea - people stop following normal rules of society when they feel outside of it. This holds true for both rural and urban people, white and colored people, etc. - the alienated in society have little reason to follow social norms and will often stop doing so when an appropriate catalyst is present.

      Alienation is a big problem in modern society, as there are too many people being left behind as society changes. If I were to focus on rural society, we'd see the single major firm in a region shut down with nothing new coming in to provide jobs to the displaced workers. Once their savings run out, what do they do? Move? They can't afford to leave the area. And they are right to feel betrayed by the capitalists in charge of this country.

      You and I come from professions of decent income. ("Great" is a relative term here.) When we work, we're comfortably in the 5 figure range (or more). Both of us have skills that require education, and are tolerably portable. (My work less than yours, as my skills are largely obsolete.) I've been able to save enough money to retire humbly, which is more than the people who have been displaced. You and I have a vested interest in preserving the current system - the alienated people do not.

      We must be careful to recognize that we come from positions of privilege. Neither of us have generally had to worry about what will happen if our employers shut down - we live in an area of relative prosperity, and we both have done reasonably well for people where we live. The people who are alienated no longer have that privilege, and live in fear - fear that what few scraps they have will be taken away from them.

      Do I like Clinton? No! But even if she's half as bad as Trump made her out to be, it means she has studied Machiavelli 101. And this is important to have a successful leader in charge of a country. Trump, on the other hand, has bankrupted at least 4 companies, and has used questionable practices to feather his nest at the expense of all of his partners. To use him as a model for business success befuddles me. To use him as a model of ethics causes me to break out into laughter. To see him as a leader gives me great concern, as his modus operandi is eerily similar to a certain Central European leader who shall not be named.

      Given a choice, I'd rather have had a Ted Cruz vs. Bernie Sanders election. It would have been an issues election instead of the character election we're having today. A true left vs. right choice would have been much more meaningful than what we have today, except that it exposes most party loyalists on both sides as people who are first loyal to their political tribe over their supposed loyalty to their country.....

    2. Marian
      Ted Cruz vs. Bernie Sanders would have been fun to watch...although Clinton vs. Trump was certainly not boring.
      There were some polls that support your musings.
      Prior to the election there was an there was an even split of voters who said that they hated both Trump and Clinton and that they would vote the issues. The even split in the polls was not carried into the election booth where 49% of people who said they hated both candidates but would vote issues voted for Trump and about half that many voted for Clinton.