I am reading a book called Second Term by John Price. I have never heard of him before. The book is about the President, in his second term, taking over the country. It is a difficult read because I get agitated by the realization that it is entirely possible given the structure of our government today. i.e. Nothing in the book is unrealistic. The President has total control. I don’t know yet how it ends because I’m only 60% through the book.
An example of press reaction to the takeover. They have arrested a guy who spoke out against the reelection of the President and the bill.
New Your Times “ATTORNEY GENERAL DENIES MADISON IS POLITICAL PRISONER White house suggests Madison is Linked to Right Wing Terrorists.”
CBS “Amnesty Universal Interferes in America”
MSCNB (not my typos here) “JOHN MADISON – TIES TO AL QUEDA?”
FOX “AMERICA’S #1 POLITICAL PRISONER”
The bill in question passes the House by one vote, and it tells how that vote came about when it was originally opposed by a majority of five. Anyhow, The Lawrence McAlister Hate Speech and Hate Weapons Elimination Act becomes law. Madison is already in prison and the Governor of Arizona is arrested.
It is well worth reading if you have the stomach for such. You can see it happening. The president becomes a dictator. The general doesn’t want to arrest the Governor of Arizona, but the President has declared an emergency and mobalized the National Guard. He has to do his job. The media, (except FOX) supports the President. The Supreme Court supports the President. The military will obey the Commander in Chief.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali on why Western feminists don’t fight for Muslim women:
“Common among many Western feminists is a type of moral confusion, in which women are said to be oppressed everywhere and that this #oppression, in #feminist Eve Ensler’s words, is “exactly the same” around the world; in the West just as in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“To me, this suggests too much moral relativism and an inadequate understanding of Sharia law. It is true that the situation for women in the West is not perfect, but can anyone truly deny that women enjoy greater #freedom and opportunities in the United States, France and Finland than they do in Iran, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia?”
Most women don’t know, or care about the women in Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. They do not have any agitators for them. i.e. There is nothing to be gained for agitating for freedom in Iran. Thinkaboutit.
On yesterday’s post I said that the Obamas and the Bushes had dignity and that Trump and the Clintons did not. (I will leave Zsa Zsa the nude model and the other Trump wives out of the discussion). Chas agreed and A.J. disagreed.
Maybe the rules are different up north, but here are things a person with dignity does not do in the South:
1. Call women pigs.
2. Insult women who have been assaulted by your husband.
3. Curse in a public speech in front of women and children.
4. Sexually assault a guest in the Oval Office.
5. Call opponents names.
6. Talk about your private parts in a debate.
7. Make fun of the disabled.
8. Insult POWs.
9. Run around with pedophiles like Jeffrey Epstein.
10. Brag about adulterous affairs.
When it comes to dignity, Obama is George Washington compared to Trump and the Clintons.
“On yesterday’s post I said that the Obamas and the Bushes had dignity and that Trump and the Clintons did not. (I will leave Zsa Zsa the nude model and the other Trump wives out of the discussion). Chas agreed and A.J. disagreed.
Maybe the rules are different up north, but here are things a person with dignity does not do in the South:”
———————————
The only comment I made on the matter was this.
“Dignity?
Coulda fooled me. The Obama’s are about as classless as it gets.”
———————————-
That is the extent of my comments on the matter.
So Ricky, if you are going to distort what I said into what you posted above, you are truly clueless, or your hatred of Trump is causing you to be dishonest.
At no time did I say that the Bushes didn’t, in fact I think they have maintained the dignity that should be associated with the office of President and the position of First Lady both during, and after leaving office.
Also, at no time did I mention Trump or Clinton. I said nothing about either of them. You’re obviously reading things into my comment that I never said or implied.
As for the Obama’s, I stand by my comment. Repeatedly lying to the public, vilifying those who oppose baby murder, and saying that those in opposition to your husband’s horrendous policies are only doing so because they’re racist, while repeatedly sowing discontent between races, is undignified and unworthy of the office and FL position. Not to mention how both have repeatedly bad-mouthed Bush and blamed him for everything wrong in the world. Also, undignified.
They are most unworthy. (But I would be interested to hear what some of you think it is that is dignified about the Obamas, ‘cuz I don’t see it.)
———————————-
Ricky,
I anxiously await your apology for misreading, misopining, and misleading others about what I really said.
Get it right. Don’t put words in my mouth.
(And again with the Northern devils thing. Dude, you guys lost. Get over it already.)
No act of the Obamas in any way compares to the outrageous indignities of Trump. I must conclude that certain Yankees don’t know the meaning of the word “dignity”. That may be why they are Trumpkins.
AJ we do so enjoy our distinction of Southerness. It is something you can’t understand unless you were born into it. We do so love to rile us some Yankee feathers. Why, it’s almost a sport. (You should read that with ME faking a suth un accent.
I fail to see how anyone can deny that the Obamas carried themselves with dignity and class in the last eight years. You may vehmently disagree with their policies but you cannot deny their dignity.
I vehmently disagreed with Bush but in retrospect i can think of one case he lack a sense of decency. In the annual press dinner, he showed a short clip of himself looking for WMD in the White House. Whether a delibrate lie or mistake in judgement the WMD rationale led to a war and thousands of nit millions of deaths. Not a joking matter.
In comparision to Obama and Bush, Trump is a classless boor without a dignified bone in his body; a complete narcissist.
The Clintons — I’d admit a certain admiration for Bills political abilities but not exactly the dignified example the Obamas have presented to the public.
But I’ll agree with AJ on one thing, enough of the civil war, you lost move on. Not too mention the fondness the South has for Trump who is the ultimate modern day carpetbagger.
Ayaan Hersi Ali is right. Count me as a leftist who sees the differences. Unfortunately many on the left compromise women’s rights when campaigning for other causes.
A colleague and friend participates in the annual run for Palestine. She asks for donations and sponsors. I always tell her i will donate $50 if she can run in Gaza wearing her usual running attire. For me, the rights of 50% of the population trump other causes.
hwesseli, acknowledging that there is a distinct southern culture is not about the civil war. I would say that white southerners and black southerners have more in common culturally than white southerners and white northerners. As far as Trump, we vote Republican, but would have preferred a different republican. If you will look at the primary results, Trump did better in the northeast than in the south. He didn’t win a majority in a single southern state.
A Southerner can no more “move on” from his/her Southerness than a Jew can “move on” from his Jewishness or a Cherokee can “move on” from his heritage. As Kim said, you can’t fully understand our culture unless you are born into it.
It is also difficult for many to understand the extreme differences in culture between regions. Many Texans (including this one) feel much more at home in the home of a Mexican in a mountain village near Saltillo than in the home of a Northerner in a suburb of Chicago or New York.
We all know “good Yankees”. However, just as Trump represents the Ugly American to people around the world, Trump also represents the worst of all traits that Southerners associate with Yankees. When a Yankee can not distinguish between the unbelievably crude actions of Trump and the behavior of Obama, it simply confirms what Southerners already knew: We are two different peoples with completely different values. We are not going to “move on” from that.
KBells is exactly right. Black Southerners and white Southerners have much in common, and often gravitate to one another when they are in the North. Texans have the same experience with Mexicans. Our culture is a blend of The South and Mexico.
Much of culture is knowing what not to do. From birth Southerners are taught not to do all those things that Trump does on an hourly basis.
Ricky, Kim, & Kbells – I think that if we took a look at the core values of the average Southerner & the average Yankee, they would be pretty close. The way they express & live those values may look different, though. Too often, it is the caricatures people are looking at – Southerners may compare their good people against the brash, crude New Yorker, & Yankees may compare their good people against the racist, dopey redneck.
Sometimes I see these things about how “Only in the South. . .” (or something similar) listing kind & gracious things Southerners do, & I think to myself, “Hey, we do those things, too.”
Speaking of the brash New Yorkers, some people who are like that on “the outside” can also be the kind who will “give you the shirt off their back”. My Aunt Gert was kind of like that. She could seem tough & outspoken, but she had a tender heart, & a lot of people loved her & were loyal to her.
So go ahead & celebrate your Southern roots & customs, but know that although our roots & customs may differ, we have the same core values, we just may express them differently.
Trump is reminding women of a stereotypical sexist man and is just solidifying the female vote behind Hilary. I’m not a fan of Hilary but she is calm and composed in comparision to the blowhard beside her.
Hillary seemed to have a good night (from what I caught), she seemed pretty unflappable (whereas Trump came off irked and over-defended himself several times). I didn’t “see” much of it but heard big chunks on the radio driving home (it came on at a bad time for me, just as I was leaving work — and I had a couple grocery stops to make so I missed some sections altogether).
Wandering Views 
Arnold Palmer was one of my first sports heroes, a fine athlete and a gentleman.
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I am reading a book called Second Term by John Price. I have never heard of him before. The book is about the President, in his second term, taking over the country. It is a difficult read because I get agitated by the realization that it is entirely possible given the structure of our government today. i.e. Nothing in the book is unrealistic. The President has total control. I don’t know yet how it ends because I’m only 60% through the book.
An example of press reaction to the takeover. They have arrested a guy who spoke out against the reelection of the President and the bill.
New Your Times “ATTORNEY GENERAL DENIES MADISON IS POLITICAL PRISONER White house suggests Madison is Linked to Right Wing Terrorists.”
CBS “Amnesty Universal Interferes in America”
MSCNB (not my typos here) “JOHN MADISON – TIES TO AL QUEDA?”
FOX “AMERICA’S #1 POLITICAL PRISONER”
The bill in question passes the House by one vote, and it tells how that vote came about when it was originally opposed by a majority of five. Anyhow, The Lawrence McAlister Hate Speech and Hate Weapons Elimination Act becomes law. Madison is already in prison and the Governor of Arizona is arrested.
It is well worth reading if you have the stomach for such. You can see it happening. The president becomes a dictator. The general doesn’t want to arrest the Governor of Arizona, but the President has declared an emergency and mobalized the National Guard. He has to do his job. The media, (except FOX) supports the President. The Supreme Court supports the President. The military will obey the Commander in Chief.
Scary stuff. It’s on my Kindle
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I drink the drink named after him all the time: half lemonade half iced tea (unsweetened–I only say that because they are southerners here).
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A friend posted this: Retweeted Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC):
People who have done nothing wrong typically don’t ask for immunity.
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Same friend posted this:
Ayaan Hirsi Ali on why Western feminists don’t fight for Muslim women:
“Common among many Western feminists is a type of moral confusion, in which women are said to be oppressed everywhere and that this #oppression, in #feminist Eve Ensler’s words, is “exactly the same” around the world; in the West just as in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“To me, this suggests too much moral relativism and an inadequate understanding of Sharia law. It is true that the situation for women in the West is not perfect, but can anyone truly deny that women enjoy greater #freedom and opportunities in the United States, France and Finland than they do in Iran, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia?”
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Most women don’t know, or care about the women in Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. They do not have any agitators for them. i.e. There is nothing to be gained for agitating for freedom in Iran. Thinkaboutit.
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Pres Bush and pro-lifers were right; Pres Obama was wrong.
http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/29891
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On yesterday’s post I said that the Obamas and the Bushes had dignity and that Trump and the Clintons did not. (I will leave Zsa Zsa the nude model and the other Trump wives out of the discussion). Chas agreed and A.J. disagreed.
Maybe the rules are different up north, but here are things a person with dignity does not do in the South:
1. Call women pigs.
2. Insult women who have been assaulted by your husband.
3. Curse in a public speech in front of women and children.
4. Sexually assault a guest in the Oval Office.
5. Call opponents names.
6. Talk about your private parts in a debate.
7. Make fun of the disabled.
8. Insult POWs.
9. Run around with pedophiles like Jeffrey Epstein.
10. Brag about adulterous affairs.
When it comes to dignity, Obama is George Washington compared to Trump and the Clintons.
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Yes, Obamas and Bushes have dignity, those others mentioned do not.
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Post on FB — Pick of computer geek on the phone consulting with caller: “Have you tried turning the United States off and back on again?”
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Ricky opines(wrongly I’d add)
“On yesterday’s post I said that the Obamas and the Bushes had dignity and that Trump and the Clintons did not. (I will leave Zsa Zsa the nude model and the other Trump wives out of the discussion). Chas agreed and A.J. disagreed.
Maybe the rules are different up north, but here are things a person with dignity does not do in the South:”
———————————
The only comment I made on the matter was this.
“Dignity?
Coulda fooled me. The Obama’s are about as classless as it gets.”
———————————-
That is the extent of my comments on the matter.
So Ricky, if you are going to distort what I said into what you posted above, you are truly clueless, or your hatred of Trump is causing you to be dishonest.
At no time did I say that the Bushes didn’t, in fact I think they have maintained the dignity that should be associated with the office of President and the position of First Lady both during, and after leaving office.
Also, at no time did I mention Trump or Clinton. I said nothing about either of them. You’re obviously reading things into my comment that I never said or implied.
As for the Obama’s, I stand by my comment. Repeatedly lying to the public, vilifying those who oppose baby murder, and saying that those in opposition to your husband’s horrendous policies are only doing so because they’re racist, while repeatedly sowing discontent between races, is undignified and unworthy of the office and FL position. Not to mention how both have repeatedly bad-mouthed Bush and blamed him for everything wrong in the world. Also, undignified.
They are most unworthy. (But I would be interested to hear what some of you think it is that is dignified about the Obamas, ‘cuz I don’t see it.)
———————————-
Ricky,
I anxiously await your apology for misreading, misopining, and misleading others about what I really said.
Get it right. Don’t put words in my mouth.
(And again with the Northern devils thing. Dude, you guys lost. Get over it already.)
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No act of the Obamas in any way compares to the outrageous indignities of Trump. I must conclude that certain Yankees don’t know the meaning of the word “dignity”. That may be why they are Trumpkins.
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I didn’t say they had class, I said they had dignity. They carry themselves well, though they are clueless in many areas.
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And yet Trump will carry Texas and all/most of the South. He will fair much worse in the North. I guess it’s not just a northern thing huh?
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Most Texans will choose between two bad Yankees with no dignity. On the other hand, I will vote for a dignified, conservative Southern dog.
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AJ we do so enjoy our distinction of Southerness. It is something you can’t understand unless you were born into it. We do so love to rile us some Yankee feathers. Why, it’s almost a sport. (You should read that with ME faking a suth un accent.
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Michelle when I order your Arnold Palmer I always ask for half unsweet tea and half lemonade (shhh don’t tell anybody)
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Kim, I do the same thing and I actually get about 3 parts unsweetened tea to 1 part lemonade. Does this mean we are backslidden Southerners?
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Probably.
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It makes the tea palatable for me . . .
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I fail to see how anyone can deny that the Obamas carried themselves with dignity and class in the last eight years. You may vehmently disagree with their policies but you cannot deny their dignity.
I vehmently disagreed with Bush but in retrospect i can think of one case he lack a sense of decency. In the annual press dinner, he showed a short clip of himself looking for WMD in the White House. Whether a delibrate lie or mistake in judgement the WMD rationale led to a war and thousands of nit millions of deaths. Not a joking matter.
In comparision to Obama and Bush, Trump is a classless boor without a dignified bone in his body; a complete narcissist.
The Clintons — I’d admit a certain admiration for Bills political abilities but not exactly the dignified example the Obamas have presented to the public.
But I’ll agree with AJ on one thing, enough of the civil war, you lost move on. Not too mention the fondness the South has for Trump who is the ultimate modern day carpetbagger.
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You all are going to make me get that Civil War rifle out of my closet again, aren’t you?
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Michelle,
Ayaan Hersi Ali is right. Count me as a leftist who sees the differences. Unfortunately many on the left compromise women’s rights when campaigning for other causes.
A colleague and friend participates in the annual run for Palestine. She asks for donations and sponsors. I always tell her i will donate $50 if she can run in Gaza wearing her usual running attire. For me, the rights of 50% of the population trump other causes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
hwesseli, acknowledging that there is a distinct southern culture is not about the civil war. I would say that white southerners and black southerners have more in common culturally than white southerners and white northerners. As far as Trump, we vote Republican, but would have preferred a different republican. If you will look at the primary results, Trump did better in the northeast than in the south. He didn’t win a majority in a single southern state.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A Southerner can no more “move on” from his/her Southerness than a Jew can “move on” from his Jewishness or a Cherokee can “move on” from his heritage. As Kim said, you can’t fully understand our culture unless you are born into it.
It is also difficult for many to understand the extreme differences in culture between regions. Many Texans (including this one) feel much more at home in the home of a Mexican in a mountain village near Saltillo than in the home of a Northerner in a suburb of Chicago or New York.
We all know “good Yankees”. However, just as Trump represents the Ugly American to people around the world, Trump also represents the worst of all traits that Southerners associate with Yankees. When a Yankee can not distinguish between the unbelievably crude actions of Trump and the behavior of Obama, it simply confirms what Southerners already knew: We are two different peoples with completely different values. We are not going to “move on” from that.
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KBells is exactly right. Black Southerners and white Southerners have much in common, and often gravitate to one another when they are in the North. Texans have the same experience with Mexicans. Our culture is a blend of The South and Mexico.
Much of culture is knowing what not to do. From birth Southerners are taught not to do all those things that Trump does on an hourly basis.
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Time to pop the popcorn…
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On with the show, this is it!
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Tony Reinke @TonyReinke
Matt Chandler: “I’m waiting for this election season to be interrupted by ‘Live from New York it’s Saturday Night!’”
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No surprise. Hillary is the old commie. Trump is completely out of control.
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Ricky, Kim, & Kbells – I think that if we took a look at the core values of the average Southerner & the average Yankee, they would be pretty close. The way they express & live those values may look different, though. Too often, it is the caricatures people are looking at – Southerners may compare their good people against the brash, crude New Yorker, & Yankees may compare their good people against the racist, dopey redneck.
Sometimes I see these things about how “Only in the South. . .” (or something similar) listing kind & gracious things Southerners do, & I think to myself, “Hey, we do those things, too.”
Speaking of the brash New Yorkers, some people who are like that on “the outside” can also be the kind who will “give you the shirt off their back”. My Aunt Gert was kind of like that. She could seem tough & outspoken, but she had a tender heart, & a lot of people loved her & were loyal to her.
So go ahead & celebrate your Southern roots & customs, but know that although our roots & customs may differ, we have the same core values, we just may express them differently.
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Yikes! This is even worse than I thought. I”m switching over to The Westerns Channel.
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Torturous….. 😦
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Trump is reminding women of a stereotypical sexist man and is just solidifying the female vote behind Hilary. I’m not a fan of Hilary but she is calm and composed in comparision to the blowhard beside her.
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I turned off the tv. I never thought i would find a voice more annoying than Hilary but Donald s voice compelled me to turn it off.
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Hrw is anonymous
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Kizzie, Part of me would like to believe everything you said, but Trump and Hillary just confirmed all of my worst fears and stereotypes.
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Nate Silver is having some fun while being politically astute. Maybe the US already is an Idiocracy.
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I doubt it helped or hurt him particularly.
Hillary seemed to have a good night (from what I caught), she seemed pretty unflappable (whereas Trump came off irked and over-defended himself several times). I didn’t “see” much of it but heard big chunks on the radio driving home (it came on at a bad time for me, just as I was leaving work — and I had a couple grocery stops to make so I missed some sections altogether).
Sounds like no big surprises in Round 1.
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