Will White Supremacist Support Be Enough for GOP Voters to "Sit Out"?

The majority of my friends and family do no share my political persuasion and label themselves as Republican or "conservative."  One of the traits that is common among them all, and admirable in most contexts is that of loyalty.

I am truly frightened if that trait is going to carry over to the 2016 Presidential election.  Absent some unforeseen event, all polling and news reporting indicates that Donald Trump will accept the GOP's nomination to run for POTUS. His likely opponent will be Hillary Clinton.

My GOP friends have a serious dislike of Hillary Clinton.  I used to get it.  I grew up in family where Ronald Reagen was second only to Jesus.

But here we are in 2016, and these same GOP friends lament that Mike Judge's Idiocracy is coming true.  And I have asked them, "What are you going to do?"

Most tell me that if The Donald is the nominee, they won't vote at all for POTUS, which is a decision I can respect.  I have done the same in the recent Alabama Gubernatorial Elections in recent years as the Alabama Democratic Party put up a party switching opportunist. 

But my concern is that loyalty to Political Party, and blind hatred of the Democratic Nominee (whoever it is), will override a reasonable decision to "sit out" this election.  I encourage my GOP friends who are inclined to vote for the more measured, but losing, candidates to do the following:

Remember that the House of Representatives is unlikely to switch to a Democratic majority anytime soon.  So sitting out in the general election for POTUS protects your interests.

A GOP House and a Democratic President of produced historically great economic success for the country.  (And yes, this is simplistic, but wait until you get to the conclusion, because these points are to set your mind at ease if you choose to "sit out.")  Here's a citation for you to consider.  

Making the effort to prevent the Donald from being elected President might let the GOP Party leaders find a way to refocus their message and start anew.  Let's face it, a non-Trump GOP voter not involved in party machinations is wondering what the hell is going on?

So, for those who feel a moment of weakness in November, remember that "telling it like it is" is giving the country a voice to say the following:

Read and LISTEN to the following Robocall:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/trump-robocall-super-tuesday-william-daniel-johnson

Review this frightening piece
David Duke has noted that Trump has given voice to white nationalism

And this one.

Sadly, I think the knee jerk response is "this is just the 'liberal media' going after the GOP candidate."  But for my friends who can get past this reaction, I think it is time to admit the GOP has lost control of its party and that the American equivalent of Greece's Golden Dawn Party and and other growing white nationalist groups in Europe is about to emerge in this country.

So I encourage those loyal to their conservative values, sitting out and not voting for The Donald is the way to stay loyal to those values. 

But I must ask, in light of the Donald's likely nomination - What is Wrong with Us?  How did this ever happen?  

Senators Shelby and Sessions - opposing Judge Kallon's 11th Cir. Nomination says more about you than it ever will about him.

Senators Sessions and Shelby - What is Wrong with You?

President Obama recently nominated United States District Judge Abdul Kallon to serve as a member of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Here is your citation!

Judge Kallon was a District Court nominee both of you vetted, supported, and voted for in 2009.  Turns out that vote was unanimous!

So now, let's ask why you would oppose this nomination!  Oh wait, politics

Senator Shelby, you are in an election campaign.  You need something to "stand up to Obama" every single day and you got what you wanted!  You can now smear a highly qualified, good man as a "liberal" and put his face in front of Alabama's racist voters.   

And your opposition can't risk disagreeing with you.  In fact, they will have to double down and probably say even worse things in racially coded language.  

As for Senator Sessions, none of this is shocking.  Concerns about his tendency for racism have existed ever since his nomination for a judge's seat was rejected by the Senate in 1986.  
You can fact check this one to satisfy yourself! 

So here we go, another good man serving the public AND qualified for the position is about to become a political football for no reason whatsoever.  

Senator Shelby - what is wrong with you?  

Senator Sessions?  - we know what's wrong with you.  The Better question is what can we do to help you change for the better (whether you are in or out of office?)  



 

Even Netflix Thinks People are Missing the Point

The Phenomenon of Neflix's Making a Murderer is shining example of unintended consequences.

I am turning your attention to the following article in today's New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/us/making-a-murderer-town-netflix-steven-avery.html?_r=0 

Please read the article in full before proceeding so you can take in the information before drawing conclusions.

Manitowoc's Wisconsin's government employees and volunteers within the community are being  berated because they live and work in the same city that is the subject of Steven Avery's criminal story.

I am also writing to those people traveling to the Avery’s Auto Salvage & 24 Hour Towing sign to "take selfies."

For the people contacting Manitowoc's government employees via telephone, email, and social media and leaving ugly and unnecessary messages, I must ask, What's Wrong with You?  Did you not comprehend the point of the documentary series.  What happened to Steven Avery and Brenday Dassey could happen to you.

Instead of screaming at the powerless volunteer at the Manitowoc's Historical Society, I suggest you get on your state government's website and identify your local legislator and make him or her aware of the issue and demand that your state's criminal justice system work such that a similar mistake is not repeated.  For those of you in Alabama, here is the link: 

http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/alison/FindLegislator.aspx

The Attorneys General of Alabama have never conceded a mistake, even when they are wrong.  Read the story of Anthony Ray Hinton: http://www.eji.org/deathpenalty/innocence/hinton

I suggest you contact the Innocence Project and learn about the injustices going on in your own state and find out how you can support those are wrongfully convicted.

http://www.innocenceproject.org/
http://www.eji.org/

As for those driving to Avery’s Auto Salvage & 24 Hour Towing lot to take selfies, for pete's sake, what's wrong with you?  Show some humility  This documentary is not produced for your entertainment.  The documentary is intended to make you aware of a flawed criminal justice system that very well could convict you of a crime you did not commit and that policing is a power that needs to be checked and balanced.

The Avery's home is not akin to visiting Graceland or the Empire State Building.  Even if you are fully in support of Mr. Avery's and Mr. Dassey's innocence, you are being horribly indifferent to the Steven Avery's parents and family and treating them the way the paparazzi treat Hollywood when you sit there and take a selfie. 

Richard Shelby's Tasteless and Cruel Advertisement

This past weekend, while watching television, my Sr. Senator from Alabama, Richard Shelby aired the following campaign advertisement:

https://youtu.be/FPFS4xJ-E_U

So my question is not so much for Richard Shelby, who is pandering to Alabama electorate's propensity for racism, but instead is for Dakota Roberts of Tuscaloosa, is What is Wrong with You?

The claim that President Obama is "out of touch" about taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees shows a complete lack of compassion and understanding of the calling of Christians, Jews, and Muslims, many of whom, among all faiths, live in Alabama:

Jewish Scripture supporting Welcoming the Stranger: 
Deuteronomy 10: 19 You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Leviticus 19:34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

So we've got a long tradition in the Jewish faith about making sure that strangers are treated with dignity and respect such that it is a command dating back to days of Moses. 

Jesus was pretty clear about what to do: 

Matthew 25:35 I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me..

Here is a link to help Syrian refugees eat and drink:
www.unrefugees.org/donate

Islam's sacred text the Q'uran also addresses this concept:
Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler… (Al-Baqarah 2:177)

Now, Dakota, let's be clear what you are saying makes President Obama, and the several million Americans who think opening our borders to these Syrian Refugees, results in he and us, being out of touch:

• Giving hungry people food and water who are trying to leave a war zone.  Nobody wants to stay in a war zone. Nobody wants to go to a war zone.  Even soldiers. 
• Watching Fathers and Mothers put their children on make shift rafts to cross the Mediterranean Sea.  No parent in their right mind would ever willingly do this unless the other options are worse.  i.e. staying in a war zone where they will die or otherwise watch their sons be forced into ISIS's army or their daughters be forced into sexual slavery. (here is a reminder of what you are saying we should turn a blind eye too):

 
So, Dakota, as Richard Shelby's mouthpiece, I think I can ask now, in light of knowing you are in favor of denying people safe haven to eat, drink, and be safe, What is wrong with you?  Can you honestly look a Syrian parent in the eye and say "tough luck, sorry that your daughter is going to be raped."  I would hope not, but Senator's Shelby's position seems to be exactly that.  Are you sure you want to stand up for that?

The political advertisement makes a false illusion that Syrian Refugees were the cause of the November 2015 Paris attacks.  Like most difficult situations and topics, a closer reading of the facts shows several countries of origin:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_2015_Paris_attacks#Identification

Right here in Birmingham, Alabama, the Birmingham Islamic Society donated fifty coats to clothe the local poor and homeless.  Why did they do that?  Because the local church that annually performs that coat drive said this year's donations would be given to Syrian Refugees and our fellow American Citizens that practice Islam did not want our local poor and needy to go without coats.  Certainly, we should quake in our boots at what level of kindness our fellow Americans would receive if 10,000 Syrian refugees were shown a similar kindness.  

Life is complicated and Syria's tragedy is horrible.  But saying "no" is just plain wrong.  So when you say "no", I've got to ask "What is wrong with you?"  Where is your moral compass?  And how can we help you get the magnet off of that compass so you can find some compassionate direction.  I dare say you could some help from our local Islamic Society.

  

Kim Davis's choice of outfit is not due to be mocked

So apparently Kim Davis, Kentucky's most famous County Clerk, attended the State of the Union Address last night.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kim-davis-sotu-photos

Here is your citation (just in case you didn't notice it on the multiple television broadcasts).

And then the internet went aflame with nasty comments about her choice of apparel.  Among Facebook commenters I have perused, one referred to her as wearing a sleeping bad, another mocking her for wearing an ugly American flag, and then frankly I had enough and quit looking for more.

The issue of same-sex marriage involves a dispute over deeply held beliefs within the Christian church and many other faiths.  Ms. Davis is one of the many with such a deeply held belief.  And to be clear, this author asserts she irresponsibly applies her belief to her position as an elected government official and mistakenly believes she is a required to impose that belief on the citizens of her county.  There is a legal remedy to resolve this dispute and Ms. Davis has been told she is legally wrong throughout every step of the way inside the court system.  

However, for those of you who decided to mock her choice of outfit, I must ask, "What is wrong with you?"

Ms. Davis's deeply held belief is tied to her Christian faith.  I share that faith and I think with further education and understanding of Jesus Christ's mysterious teachings and inspiration, Ms. Davis might reconsider her position on the issue of same-sex marriage and realize her adherence to an unloving position is due to be abandoned.  But mocking Ms. Davis for her clothing is not the message of love that will open her heart. or the hearts of others that share her point of view.  Instead, it is childish behavior, which the "collective we" often laments because "we" know children are often times mindlessly cruel.

Let's be more mindful. 

Pundits Mock President Obama for Crying During Press Conference

Following yesterday’s press conference in which President Obama announced the entry of his Executive Order that included expanding the definition of what constitutes a firearms dealer, a slew of conservative pundits, and sadly regular people via the internet, mocked the President for shedding tears when he discussed the Newtown, Connecticut massacre.  

Citation for the doubters:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/conservatives-mock-obama-crying_568c091be4b014efe0dbdf2c?utm_hp_ref=politics\

Let’s be clear about what you are mocking:  you are mocking another human being for crying when discussing the murders of 20 first grade children and 6 adults in their classroom at an elementary school.  

If you joined in this mockery, I’ve got to ask, “What the hell is wrong with you?”  

I realize some will echo these pundits and say that President Obama “faked it” or bring up some other tragedy in which a usually stoic man did not evoke enough emotion to your satisfaction.  

But let’s come back to the point:   you are mocking another human being for crying when discussing the murders of 20 first grade children and 6 adults in their classroom at an elementary school.  

A good friend provided this link in regard to the President's meeting with the parents of these 20 executed children.   

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/26/the-presidents-devotional_n_4158485.html 

Blessed are those that mourn, for they will be comforted.  Comfort sometimes involves sharing tears.

If you posted something ugly about a man comforting those that mourn, ask yourself this - What the hell is wrong with you?  And if you figure it out, take heart, because through the grace of Jesus Christ, you can find forgiveness. 

Chief Justice Roy Moore, the United States Supreme Court's Greece v. Galloway decision ... What a Mess.... for Christians!!

Chief Justice Roy Moore, the United States Supreme Court's Greece v. Galloway decision ... What a Mess.... for Christians!!!

What a week!  Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore states the following: 

“Everybody, to include the U.S. Supreme Court, has been deceived as to one little word in the First Amendment called ‘religion.' They can't define it.” Moore said. “They can't define it the way Mason, Madison and even the United State Supreme Court defined it, 'the duties we owe to the creator and the manner of discharging it.' They don’t want to do that, because that acknowledges a creator god. Buddha didn't create us. Mohammed didn't create us. It's the god of the Holy Scriptures. ... They didn't bring a Koran over on the pilgrim ship, Mayflower. Let's get real. Let's go back and learn our history."  

Watch the video:   

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/05/alabama-judge-christians_n_5267662.html

You'll find the Chief Justice praising Blackstone's commentaries.  Such commentaries are influential, but the foundation of his argument is that Constitutional Jurisprudence rests on a law review article written by an otherwise unremarkable Tory member of the House of Parliament.  (The Tories were the party in opposition to American independence, but to heck with that tiny hiccup).  Blackstone was one thinker ... of many, and his claim to fame was translating British law to the masses.  (I.E. he made the law accessible to the non-lawyer and made a lot of money in publishing).

But SCOTUS takes it a step further and renders its 5-4 decision in the case of Town of Greece v. Galloway, holding that the opening prayer held before a town council meeting does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution.  

Read the entire opinion and dissents, totaling  80 pages:  

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/12-696_4f57.pdf

Chief Justice Moore and SCOTUS don't realize it, but these respective positions are about to be at war with one another.  Governments are now in the position of interpreting the question of "what is religion?" on a "spiritual" basis, instead of an objective basis.  Clearly the Alabama Chief Justice seem to think the First Amendment would allow citizens to legally, and successfully, object to an Muslim Cleric opening a Birmingham City Council Meeting with a prayer; but those same citizens would not have a legal or successful chance of objecting to a minister of whatever Christian denomination the Chief Justice belongs too.  (I've done a cursory search, and I can't seem to find where the Chief Justice worships on Sunday).  The Chief Justice could even be correct... prior to the passing of the 1th Amendment.  SCOTUS precedent is clear that the most recent amendment reflects the most recent position of Congress and state legislatures.... so the Chief Justice is presently wrong because the 14th Amendment is more recent than the First Amendment.  Religious liberty applies equally to us all, but I guess some of us are more equal than others pursuant to this interpretation. 

Jefferson's writings about the separation of Church and State are crucial, not just for the disagreements between distinct religions, but because of disagreements of doctrine among Christians.  SCOTUS's opinion is naive.  Here's why: one of my best friends grew up in the west Oklahoma countryside in a town of about 10,000.  The community was composed of distinct Christian denominations: Catholic, Baptist, and smaller Protestant churches.  Each morning, a student conducted a school prayer over the high school intercom.  The prayer often consisted of the student-conductor praying to God that the the students that were not a member of the conductor's denomination to repent from their ways and be saved from going to hell.  Apparently one ecumenical Church is a little tough on high school kids (and that's not a sarcasm, its tough on adults).  SCOTUS seems to think grown adult will not act this way.  Obviously, SCOTUS has not accounted for the Alabama Chief Justice and those of his persuasion. 

The Hypothetical:  

Now imagine, a prayer conducted before a City Council meeting with a zoning dispute about the location for building a mission center to be operated by Church A, and created in order to feed the homeless.  To open the meeting, the prayer-conductor of Church B performs the invocation by praying for the souls of the Godless-misguided members of Church A because Church A's congregation (or leadership) is open minded to gay rights (or hostile to gay rights) OR  doesn't teach the Rapture (or does); OR teaches creationism (or doesn't) OR you could go on and on about doctrinal divisions.  

However, Church B's prayer conducted in opening meeting sets the tone for the entire meeting with its potential to stir bitterness and vitriol in control of the meeting  (Sounds like starting a day at school on a bad note).  Then if a vote is taken and Church A is denied zoning for its mission center, then it is fair for Church A's congregation to assume that Church B's prayer influenced city councilors to consider (1) that one church has more voters than the other, and/or (2) that the prayer  swayed the governmental body's making of its decision, or otherwise considered Church B's congregation as less than honorable people.  Church B also could assume that the City Government, in operating in its authority to determine how to zone a building, is now also victorious in spreading its religious doctrine. 

Sadly, the issue that gets lost is the zoning a building that will help further both churches' mission by creating a center to help the poor, goes by the way side with at least one congregation angry at the other. 

Of course, the next step is litigation wherein a simple zoning dispute has now become a battlefield of whether Church B's actions have swayed of its City Government incontradiction to Jesus's teachings to feed the poor.  What a mess.  

Supreme Court cases are based on these messes, and until today, the Court previous arrived at resolutions of separating Church and State  But this morning SCOTUS created problems, instead of resolving a problem.  Previous decisions make more sense because it is best to leave religious doctrine at the Government Building's front steps, but now it appears religious doctrine is brought directly into Government Buildings.  Now add to it that the lead jurist of one of the 50 States states Constitution rights only applies to Christians, and the next step is obviously determining which  religious doctrine is superior in a Court of law.  If you aren't scared yet, you should be. 

The Alabama Chief Justice seems to have an answer to this question about what religious doctrine is superior.  I'm fairly certain this pro-gay rights, pro-civil rights, pro-social justice, pro-equal pay, pro-science, liberal Christian who believes every person is welcome at Christ's Communion Table has a different answer than the Chief Justice.  

God help us all.