Thanksgiving – True Spirit and Intent

At the urging of Publisher, Sarah Josepha Hale, Abraham Lincoln establish the current Thanksgiving Day holiday.  Lincoln was long dismayed by what he perceived as America’s arrogance in believing we alone were responsible for the many blessing bestowed upon us.  Lincoln therefore, viewed the establishment of a precise, single, national date of Thanksgiving as an opportunity to awaken and recapture a proper national sense of gratitude which he believed extended way beyond that of just human efforts and enterprises.   

Lincoln’s National Fast Day Proclamation - March 30, 1863

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown.  But we have forgotten God.  We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.  Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”  

Proclamation of Thanksgiving – October 3, 1863 

“Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the field of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than theretofore.  Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.” 

“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.  They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.” 

“It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people.  I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”

        

Supporting Our President

Our Republic was founded on the precept of a government that serves the common good and general welfare of all its citizens.  That not only requires hard work and commitment but most importantly doing what is right when it can be extremely difficult to do. 

Upon the election of President Barack Obama, the so-called loyal opposition immediately stated that their primary, if not their sole function, would focus on making Obama a one-term president.  He hadn’t proposed any new legislative action or initiated any policies of any kind.  

Those thinking more clearly saw this as partisanship or tribalism – some as racism and bigotry – a blind loyalty based upon some form of hatred.  The blindness is glaringly apparent in that the country was faced with serious difficulties requiring immediate attention and a unified course of action.  Yet a hatred of the new president was the most predominate element in their thinking.  Demonstrating, once again, the most destructive and evil nature in hatred. 

Now we are at it again. 

Some Americans are of the belief that support for President-Elect Trump should be withheld.  They argue that he won the election based on the support of bigots and therefore to support him would be to further the cause of hatred.  They also believe his failure to win the popular vote justifies their outrage and opposition.  Like President Obama, Trump has not proposed any new legislative action or initiated any policies of any kind.  We are supposed to learn from history to avoid repeating the same failings from the past.  It appears that wisdom is escaping us.  Yet, another residual of hatred. 

To be certain Trump’s lack of civilized and moral demeanor is a concern.  Yet we have no idea how his demeanor will affect his governing. Everything surrounding this objection is purely speculative.  

The other major objection is that he was elected without winning the popular vote suggesting his victory is bogus.  What is necessary here is a reminder that this nation is not a democracy.  We are a Republic based upon democratic principles.  This is crucial to the stated objective of our government to be representative of ALL its citizens.  Thomas Jefferson; “…that the MINORITY POSSES their EQUAL RIGHTS, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.” 

Next it would be wise for us to remember that the popular vote still has a strong influence in determining the outcome of an election.  To win the electoral votes in any state requires winning the popular vote in that state.  As well, the number of electoral votes is based upon the population of the state.  It’s a brilliant system in that it still gives a strong voice to the majority while also providing the minority with a voice that cannot be ignored. 

Trump is the fifth president to win election without the support of the popular vote.  There is absolutely no evidence that this has been extremely detrimental to our Republic.  Would Al Gore have been a better president than George W. Bush?  To believe that is completely speculative.  Al Gore would have to serve as president for us to honestly answer that question. 

Therefore, it is disingenuous to suggest that Trump’s victory was bogus.  He managed his campaign with the goal of achieving electoral votes, NOT with a goal of winning the popular vote.  Had the popular vote been his goal, he would have conducted his campaign in a far different manner.  The point isn’t that he would have won the popular vote, but rather, that it is hardly congruent to suggest he failed when he achieved what was required of him to win the presidency. 

We have mistakenly begun to believe that total opposition is justified upon one difference of opinion or misgiving.  We have never had a perfect president nor have we ever had a president we can all agree with in total. 

What is required of us is to evaluated thinking and course of action on each individual issue.  We then formulate an evaluation on the merits or drawbacks resulting from those thoughts and actions.  This sometimes takes years to properly assess.  Once a president’s time in office is completed a tally of his influence and direction can then be properly assessed.  None of this seems to be an exercise most Americans wish to engage in today.  

With the help of an irresponsible press devoting much of their time to supposition and speculation, we have become a knee-jerk society in our evaluation process.  This has not benefited to America. 

In the final analysis, if we are committed to strengthening our Republic, we must suspend all this irrational thinking.  We must abandon our polarization and intransigence.  WE must begin this process by supporting our president when he is serving the best interest of all Americans, regardless of how we FEEL about him.  We must recognize our criticisms surrounding flawed thinking and failings, while necessary, isn’t more crucial than our earned support.  We must realize that our support lends far greater credibility and legitimacy to our criticisms.  We must base those criticisms on issues and actions and NOT on some predisposition embedded in hatred.  We must act as Americans.

Must End Partisanship and Hatred

Cheap shots and wild-eyed speculation only serve to further weaken us. Expressing your distain may make you feel better, but there is far more at stake here than just individual comfort levels. Time to Grow up.

What we have seen over the last eight years is how hatred for the president has clouded our judgement and retarded our ability to solve our problems. By contrast we have seen how Hubert Humphrey’s working with Everett Dirksen, or Tip O’Neil working with Ronald Reagan resulted in benefiting our nation greatly. 

If we have learned anything through the political ugliness of the Obama Administration, it should be that we must dispel the demons that propel a bitterness and sense of frustration over the loss suffered by our candidate. We MUST rise above our own human failings and judge any actions, initiatives, or form of legislation on their merits and not some hatred toward those who support or oppose the proposals.
As a veteran I was appalled at what Trump said about John McCain. Whenever it is conjured up the anger grows even stronger. But that anger should not, and WILL NOT, allow me to withhold support for his initiative for an aggressive program to rebuild our infrastructure, demanding an end to China’s trade exploitations or any other programs that will clearly benefit our nation or solve our existing problems. To become as bigoted as the bigot and to model our thinking after what is most despicable about Trump’s thinking is not justification for stifling any proposals that will end the pain and suffering of so many Americans today. It only drags us down into the same gutter in which bigotry and hatred reside and the stink is the same.

Also, to allow our disappointment to negatively impact our view of our fellow citizens not only demeans the First Amendment to our constitution but is extremely self-destructive. There is ample evidence that validates the Trump vote was about CHANGE. Yes, there are racists and bigots that supported him but then racists and bigots vote in every election. To say half the American people are mostly or simply motivated by hate, bigotry, ugliness, greed, sexism is not only wrong but hurtful and mean-spirited. Advancing that thinking only further manifests the notion that our president should be despised. Had Hillary won, the charge would have been that Americans supported, lies, deceit and personal gain over the general welfare of our nation. That would have been as invalid as the charges now waged against Trump supporters. It was about pain and demanding CHANGE.

Finally let’s be realistic. Do we really believe that Trump will build a wall and if he does that Mexico will pay for it? Do we really believe he will appoint a special prosecutor to throw Hillary in jail? Do we really believe he will round up every illegal alien and deport them?  Do we really believe he can mandate hatred and discrimination toward Muslims by not allowing them to enter our country???  The point is that we have no idea what a president is all about – what he truly thinks – or what he will actually do, until he takes the oath of office. Until then we have an obligation to give him the benefit of the doubt and then act accordingly based upon the merits of his positions, thinking and conduct.

We must end this awful ugly partisanship and hatred. If we continue to allow it to dominate our thinking and behavior our pain and suffering will only intensify. 

History Is Our Guide To Ending Hatreds

The Vietnam War led to massive violent uprisings.  The hatred was enormous.  Private businesses, college campuses, government buildings were shut down by protesters.  Like today, activists wanted a complete overall of our government and way of life.  There would be no comprising.  It was their way or the highway.  They made every effort to circumvent the democratic process by attempting to thwart the 1968 Democratic Convention.  The awful ugliness on the streets of Chicago that was captured and witnessed by millions of Americans on television, will never be forgotten.

This resulted in the trial of the Chicago Eight.  What we witnessed there was a total lack of respect and adherence to our judicial system.  One of the defendants, Bobby Seale, had to be gagged and tied to a chair in the courtroom to prevent him from disrupting the legal process and proceedings.  Seale was so rebellious that his prosecution had to be severed during the trial, reducing the ugliness of the Chicago Eight to the Chicago Seven.  Others, on occasion, had to watch the court proceeding on closed circuit television from their jail cells. 

This led to strengthening the Black Panther Party.  Their very public callings for the killing of “pigs” (police officers) propelled heavy government scrutiny of the organization.  As arrests were made, the Panthers charged law enforcement officials with racism and oppression.  Police officers were targeted for death.  Some thirty-five police officers were gunned down by the Panthers.

Many young people decided to “turn off and drop out” of mainstream American culture.  Some just wandered the streets aimlessly, while others created and joined communes.  Everything they had and everything they could acquire, by any means, became the property of the commune.  “Free love” (licentious sexual behavior) and securing illicit drugs was their stated lifestyle. 

One such commune was started and controlled by Charles Manson.  He preached love and inner beauty while intoxicating his members with LSD and directing their sexual activities.  Some cult members believed he was the second coming of Jesus. 

Manson, a lifelong criminal, had one objective in mind.  He wanted to start a race war.  He believed if wealthy high-profile individuals were brutally slaughtered by what appeared to be the Black Panthers, “whitey” would rise up and attack the black community.  During the war, Mansion and his followers would remain hidden.  It was Manson’s premise that “whitey” would never defeat the superior physical traits of “blackie.”  But the blacks would not be able to govern themselves, at which point, Charlie would emerge to rule the world.  To get the war started, Charlie and his followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations over a period of five weeks in August of 1969.  This preceded the Chicago Eight trial by just one month.

Then on June 17, 1972 came the Watergate break in.  The prowlers had been caught attempting to bug the telephones of, and steal documents from, the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate office plaza in Washington D.C.   There is no evidence that President Nixon knew anything about the break in plot before it happened.  However, the combination of the national uproar over his handling of Vietnam and evidence of his involvement to cover up and forcefully silence the Watergate investigations led to his resigning from office on August 8, 1974.  Nixon was the only president to ever resign from the office.  Just six years earlier President Johnson announced (March 31, 1968) he would not seek another term as President.  The Vietnam War had forced him into early retirement.  

Enter President Gerald Ford.   He knew he had to stop the bleeding.  His first act was to pardon Richard Nixon for any and all involvement in Watergate.  This ended the scandal and the awful hatred it generated.  Just nine months into his presidency Ford also ended all United States involvement in Vietnam successfully slamming the door shut on that ugliness.   By 1975 all draft and military conscription requirements were ended.

Gerald Ford had to know that he was committing political suicide.  It didn’t stop him from doing what needed to be done to heal our nation. 

While so very many of events from the late 60’s and early 70’s parallel today’s events, the one missing element is whether we have a leader with the courage to lead – the courage to end the hatred and bitterness that plagues us today.  For it would appear that political suicide is necessary once again.

Best of The Worst

A scribe was recently asked for specifics as to why polls have consistently shown that the American people do not like or trust Hillary Clinton.  

He began with Whitewater.  

It was reveled in a March 1992 New York times article that Bill and Hillary Clinton were heavily invested in the Whitewater Development Corporation.  Jim and Susan McDougal were also investors in the real estate investment program. 

Criminal allegations surfaced when David Hale, an Arkansas banker, claimed that he was pressured by Bill Clinton to provide an illegal loan of $300,000 to Susan McDougal to invest in Whitewater.  Three criminal investigations could not tie the Clintons to any fraudulent or illegal behavior.  Susan McDougal went to prison for refusing to testify as to whether Bill Clinton lied in his testimony (Bill perjure himself? – Never) surrounding the scandal.  President Clinton pardoned her just hours before leaving the White House.  

Whitewater also uncovered suspicious activities surrounding what came to be known as “Trooper-gate” “Travel-gate,” “File-gate” and the questionable circumstances surrounding the death of White House counsel and Hillary Clinton aid, Vince Foster.  

Next it was reported that Hillary Clinton purchased 10 cattle futures contracts that cost $12,000 for only $1,000.  The next day those contracts were worth $6,300 and after a mere 10 months, $100,000.  Robert L. "Red" Bone, who allowed the trades, received the biggest fine ever recorded in Arkansas future exchange history and was suspended from conducting all market activities for three years. 

For brevity we will skip “Looter-gate” “Drug Dealer Donor Scandal” “China-gate”

and Norman Yung Yuen Hsu’s 24-year prison sentence for fraud in attempting to manipulating the political process in Hillary’s 2008 Campaign.  

We are now to Benghazi.  We Know – “What difference, at this point, does it make?”  It makes a difference because like all the previous suspicions of wrong doing, Benghazi is also cloaked in a veil of impenetrable secrecy.  This behavior only promotes more serious doubt and suspicions centering on competency, honesty and thus motivations. 

As part of the Benghazi investigations, it was discovered that Secretary Clinton had used her private email server to conduct State Department business.  Following a request to review those emails, Secretary Clinton deleted 3,300 of them in obvious deviance of federal regulations requiring the archiving of all emails.  Hillary has stated that the deleted documents were of a personal nature only.  Yet no evidence can ever be presented to validate that assertion. 

We have learned that in American politics the impropriety is far easier for the American people to dismiss than a coverup.   When President John F. Kennedy was asked who was responsible for the “Bay of Pigs” debacle he responded with grace, humility and honesty in saying he had no wish “to conceal responsibility because I am the responsible officer of government…”  From that point forward it was, for the most part, forgotten. 

The Clinton Foundation has also come under scrutiny and investigation for suspected influence peddling while Hillary was Secretary of State.  While subpoenas have been issued, no illegal wrongdoings or fraudulent activity has been conclusively established.  Yet unethical behavior has been established.  After her visits to foreign countries as Secretary Of State, it became common for her husband to receive an invitation to speak in some of those countries for hundreds of thousands of dollars.  The foundation has managed to raise $2 billion, much of it coming from foreign governments, corporations and political donors.  While that is legal, it once again sends a signal that conflicts of interest could very easily be on the horizon. 

Hillary has further fueled suspicions around potential conflict of interest by refusing to release the transcripts of her Wall Street speeches.  Her position on the refusal is that she has “both a public and private position” on Wall Street.  Again, this feeds into even more doubt as to what she really represents, and what she truly believes. 

And while Hillary should not be held accountable for her husband’s sexual addiction, habitual adultery and impeachment, it is fair to hold her accountable for defending his dalliances and political bungles.  She made a repeated charge that anyone attempting to bring any scandal to light were engaging in a “vast right wing conspiracy.”   The argument that because she was Bill’s wife, she had no choice but to aggressively defend him lacks validity.  For she indeed did have a choice.   She could have remained silent. 

Yes – politics is an ugly business.  But there is simply too much dirty laundry to support the argument that ALL of this was politically motivated.  The repetitiveness unquestionably validates indisputable character flaws in integrity and honesty.  

This has not been lost on the American people. Polls consistently reveal, through

Hillary’s unpopularity reflects that Americans are keenly aware of all this political ugliness.  If we have, in fact, reached the point where Hillary is considered the best choice between the two major party candidates, the we must brace ourselves for the reality that she could ultimately play a huge role in electing “The Donald.” 

Poo-Pooing Career Politicians

The CNN Sunday morning news program “Global Public Square” (GPS) provided a fascinating and enlightening conversation.  It dealt with the immense chore and importance of smoothly transitioning the White House when a new administration takes over. 

The participants were the show’s host Fareed Zakaria, Evan Osnos a writer with the New Yorker magazine and author of a new book entitled “President Trump,” and Melody Barnes who was instrumental in directing the White House transition of the Obama’s administration.  

The size of the project is enormous.  Barnes, who has worked with many CEO’s of major corporations described it as; “…taking some of the largest companies in the world, if you bolted together Exxon and Walmart and doubled them in size you would still not reach…(the) three million employees… (or) the $3 trillion budget” of the federal government.  Therefore, a new president must identify and appoint 4,000 staff members in a matter of weeks after taking office.  Two hundred and fifty (250) of those positions must be filled almost immediately.  This must be done to assure the White House never misses a beat.  Barnes: “there's litigation underway, there are regulations, there are any number of things that are already in motion…” that must be dealt with as though no change has taken place.  Because these appointees must be put in place quickly, there is no time to play politics.  Controversy must be almost nonexistent, their experience and knowledge must be unquestionable and they should be as free of strong partisanship as possible.  

With this reality, Zakaria asked Osnos if Donald Trump’s declaration that on day one he would sign 25 executive orders to eviscerate as much of the Obama presidency as possible is legal and doable? 

Osnos pointed out that it is indeed legal.  He said that “legally, he (the president) has the ability to do many more…things than we might imagine.” He went on: “…on day one or within several days, they (Trump Administration) could withdraw the United States from the Paris climate deal, for instance. They could suspend the Syrian Refugee Program. They could radically accelerate the pace of deportation.”   

It was additionally pointed out that in matters of foreign policy the president has even more unchallenged authority. Trump could effectively refuse “to come to the defense of Eastern Europe because (he doesn’t) think they're paying their fair share.”  He could deny coming “to the defense of Japan. If they want to develop nuclear weapons that's fine by me (Trump).”  Osnos continued; “(this) sends out a message to all of these other governments and (they will) begin to make calculations, (they will) begin to hedge, (they' will) begin to reimagine their relationship with (the) United States and their relationship with other powers, whether it's china or with Russia.”  This would create a very volatile and dangerous situation. 

Osnos went on to maintain that because of the size and enormity of the tasks that would await the Trump administration upon entering the White House, the 25 executive orders claim is implausible.  Osnos said; “… this just further demonstrates an indicator of how little experience this group of political folks actually has.”

Finally, Barnes was asked if being a CEO is a strong qualification for the presidency. 

BARNES: “…there is a difference between leading even one of the largest companies in the world and leading the United States of America.”

“When you're the CEO of a company, you don't literally have to sit down with your loyal opposition every single day to get from an idea to a conclusion and to negotiate your way through that. You don't have the checks and balances in place that our founder(s) set up to ensure that the chief executive of the country doesn't run amuck.”
All of those things are part of what make(s) our republic work and operate.”

As we march off to the polls on November 8^th we may want to carefully scrutinize the notion that we would be better served by a novice in politics than a career politician.  We may want to remember that it was Lyndon Johnson’s and Hubert Humphrey’s political skills and savvy, along with their experience and knowledge on our governmental system and the friendships acquired over the years that ended the filibuster of the 1964 Civil Rights Act paving the way for its passage.  The same is true of Social Security, Medicare and any other crucial piece of legislation ever enacted. 

The presidency is NOT analogous to sitting on the city council.  Like any profession, it takes years of hard work and dedication to reach a level of excellence that is required and that we must demand of our chief executive.

God and Family Values

Honesty is telling the truth to other people. 

Integrity is telling the truth to yourself. 

Okay let’s agree to ignore and totally forget what the Republican Party and Trump loyalists are irrationally demanding we disregard.  Let’s forget about the Howard Stern tapes, the bus comments, the Miss Universe comments, hobnobbing with Hugh Hefner at the Playboy mansion, the Carly Fiorina personal appearance attack and all the other forgotten female slights not noted here.  Just put them out of your mind - give them absolutely no weight.

Now the question becomes; what other demands would these ardent supporters of morality and strength of character also like us to accommodate? 

Would they like us to forget all or just a portion of the following??

·         Mr. Trumps bragging about his dalliances, along with his adultery with Marla Maples while married to Ivana  

·         The mocking of a physically handicapped reporter

·         Calling John McCain, a loser because he was captured in Vietnam

·         War hero and former Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s statement that he will write-in his vote on election day.

·         Trump’s endless bigoted pronouncements 

·         For probably the first and ONLY time both Michael Moore and Glen Beck will be in agreement - Trump should not sit in the oval office.

·         Paul Ryan, the most influential Republican legislator in the country, refusing to campaign for Trump.

·         A third of the Republican senators refusing to endorse Trump

·         “Not a single CEO of a fortune 100 company has endorsed Trump – 11 of them are backing Clinton.  Not one major newspaper has endorsed Trump and some are endorsing a Democrat for the first time in over 100 years.  Even conservative thought leaders (Magazines, Noted Columnists and Pundits)…are in some form Anti-Trump and in some cases have become pro-Clinton.”  - Chuck Todd - Meet The Press 

There is of course more – so very much more – but let’s just start there so we can learn what the legitimate concerns should be when considering Mr. Trump and his character.  After all, supporters of those committed to the party of God First and family values can surely justify why all of this should be routinely dismissed. 

“I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters.” ~ Donald J. Trump