©2016 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee [caption id="attachment_3118" align="aligncenter" width="388"] The Liberty Bell Cracks[/caption]  

American Election:  The Bell Tolls for Democracy

Americans are visiting  the polls on Tuesday.   That is, if they haven't already voted early.  A bell tolling, you ask?   Is democracy at work?  We have witnessed the most surprising, dirtiest,  most impolite and  loco  race for the White House  in history.  Revelations of racism, misogyny,  sexual predatory behaviour and assault,  vows to refuse the results,  accusations of rigging, disbelief in the system, hate, off-script visceral reactions and  certainly troubling, local, state, national and global fear mongering. The Liberty Bell tolls for democracy—for democracy, in the USA, like the old bell, is cracked. Badly.

Accusations: Unmitigated gall and finger-pointing...

Nerves jangle.   According to the juicy rhetoric, the victor  of this sleazy race will be either brash, dangerous, unstable,  nasty, and thin-skinned  in the persona  of 'a one-time reality star 'you're fired'  billionaire Republican Donald Trump  or  the Teflon®-coated,  'crooked Hillary' corrupted and corrupt,  reportedly careless, unstable, a negligent private-server-using emailing security risk. That would be none other than the  tired, worn-out, evil ex- lawyer,  corporate-funded Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton, the 'First Lady' of the past. We must not forget, along with Hillary will come an added bonus in the form of    disrespected boy toy -adviser, "First Man' Play-Bill, her hubby , Monica's playschool friend, and ex-President.  Yes, that Bill.

Wow. Some choice. Uber rich, both with coloured past, the  spoiled candidates are both unpopular, considered unfit,  or pretty close to it, depending on—what?  What exactly is the measuring stick?  The  past, morality, questionable dealings,  failures in security?  And which playbooks and lip service,  foundation records are consulted, which tax disclosures.  Don't forget Clinton Foundation games.

Well okay,  let's add a  little truth?   Some truth and bare-bones honesty from the candidates themselves might  be nice  at this late date.

Yet— it never dawns on the public. It never ceases to amaze thinking observers that these unbelievably unsuitable, brash individuals  are deemed the best, the only candidates possible, chosen magically and inexplicably  from 300,000,000  people. Unbelievable.  Notice that 'best of the worst'  is not relevant. It simply does not apply.  Consequently...

The Liberty Bell Tolls for Humanity

To hear Hillary tell it, the Donald might stub his toe, fall down or suffer a few bruises —and instantly, in a rage, push the  nuke button , destroying humanity itself in a Trump-apocalypse.  Subsequently, in that model,  if Vladimir  isn't his friend any more out in the old sandbox, if China floats a fishing-boat in the China sea,  North Korea winks, or Melania, God forbid,  sends the old boy out in the White doghouse for diddlings of the past, Trump might get a  headache,  suddenly hate more Mexicans, say bad words like you're fired!  and build  higher fences at all borders. And chase  out immigrants, just in case, to  revive isolationism.   Most likely all of that won't matter, anyway, since Hillary insists the world can first expect  a resounding  tantrum and unprecedented button-pushing in the old sandbox.

"Trump  is thin-skinned"  —according to one  who screeches about unwashed deplorables, (Trump supporters) the dumb voter, the foolish uninformed, who (coincidentally) may not be persuaded to choose her hidden corporate agenda.  Of course there is  more screeching about the undecided Republican or Democrat, who's who, —who happen to rightly  voice displeasure with Trump locker-room talk and escapades past and present—but secretly love his less-than-stellar 'let's make America great' oratorical  skills.  And the Hillary-bashing part.   Nevertheless, what remains is a genuinely rich, Trump-hating rant...from an equally-unsuitable,  exhausted gender-chosen 'candidate' .... to make history yet. Go figure.

Clearly, as we consult the latest FBI machinations and revelations, the runes,  tea leaves, waving peasant-sticks and broken Trump signs, the Liberty Bell tolls for humanity itself.   After the election, everyone may wish to take that under advisement.  And go for coffee.

The Liberty Bell Tolls for the United States of America

Most notably,  it has become increasingly apparent the political system used by the United States of America is badly broken.  Think about it. Millions of people  somehow, somehow voting  for the worst candidates in history  BUT  80% or more Americans do not like either candidate. Following that heady deception,  that  supposedly rigged honest  voting process, the Electoral College is free to ignore the popular vote and decide for themselves who's going to destroy lead the country, blow it to smithereens,  or manipulate  it with  a deceptive,  some suggest 'corporate fascist-minded police-state bureaucracy'.

Bad choices, people, result in bad outcomes.

Given that the founding fathers of 1776 clearly did not have any faith in  '(We )the (ordinary) People' and  the subsequent choices made by ordinary American voters, a reality check is sorely needed. The Liberty Bell tolls for the minds, core values, and  perhaps the very existence of the United States of America.   The unimaginable is always possible; in observation, if the USSR can fragment with political differences, so can the USA.

Is a revolution in the making?  You decide. On Tuesday. That is, if you've decided to vote at all in the biggest political circus in history.  Vote or not, you'll hear  bickering, name-calling and the acidic results of lies, half-truths, mandatory head-examinations and media spin.

Unbelievably, a Boeing 747,  U.S. Air Force One  may be seen, dutifully trundling President Barack Obama  in partisan high fashion, happily coaching voters,  stumping for the 'stellar' Hillary —all the way across America  to Hillary-rallies everywhere— at a cost to taxpayers of  $200,000 per hour.  How about that?  That's the President, " Ensuring democracy" ...er... when he should be at the White House hard at work.  We must wonder who should be paying the bill for that one...

As for we Canadians—this is just another  'beyond belief' American reality show. It may be X-rated entertainment but it is entertainment that concerns.  Perhaps it is comic relief from the  cold realization that the performance of our own collection of  'politicians' breaking political promises, practicing the Peter Principle, taking ga-ga selfies, and leading parades while selling out Canadian interests— is equally disastrous.

...Let us laugh.  Perhaps a prayer or two for the old Liberty Bell might be in order.  Coffee time before the big show...

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