Category Archives: Events

The US Presidential Election: The Liberty Bell Tolls

©2016 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee [caption id="attachment_3118" align="aligncenter" width="388"]The Cracked Liberty Bell tolls... 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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America Must Face Reality

© 2016 by Raymond Alexander Kukkee     [caption id="attachment_3589" align="aligncenter" width="250"]America must face reality about assault rifles Assault Rifles[/caption]  

Does the Future America offer Peace?

Another Needless Massacre

Once again, the United States of America must face reality. Americans are in shock with the most recent mass shooting occurring in a  gay nightclub in Orlando,  Florida.  Another unnecessary tragedy, a horrific killing of  49 innocent people  by one  unstable, radicalized Muslim;  an extremist  born in the USA  but influenced by ISIS and the challenge of living within a complex, confused North American society .   This tragedy is another event which must, at some point, be taken seriously, like it or not,  as difficult as  only can be imagined, —and  politically-correct or not.  

To ignore the reality of fanatic extremism is to invite more fanatic extremism and ever more deadly events. How sublime it seems, then, when each occurrence is followed by foolishly ineffective discussions, knee-jerk  political responses coupled with bold but meaningless  rhetoric and statements of position, copied,  seemingly verbatim, from previous horrific mass shootings, bombings,  or other horrific events.  America must  face reality regardless how difficult that process may turn out to be.

America must face reality,  look inward and face both the  guilt and results of willfully and inexplicably allowing sales of assault rifles and weapons to deranged racists,  lunatics and fanatics of all kinds on watch lists,  to unstable individuals, radicalized by brutal foreign influence or not.   America must take ownership and  responsibility  for a society so immune to reason that disgruntled opponents, both foreign and native-born Americans themselves , see no other choice but to lash out and kill; turn assault rifles and other weapons against unprotected, soft and innocent civilian targets in their predictable,  hopeless rage.

America Must Face Reality

Yes,  everyone knows politically-correct society insists:  "a mentally-disturbed individual did it."  Regardless of  description,  those who are angry kill,  mentally-deranged individuals kill, radicalized fanatics kill, extremists kill, and religious zealots with sick obsessions, motive and questionable agenda kill.  Equally guilty are political and religious  leaders who kill by failure to lead governments which  kill by failing to govern with reason and common sense,  and  all organizations and religions which kill by failing to teach peace, tolerance and understanding instead of brutal demands for compliance to  narrow-minded theology, barbaric idiocy, revenge, blood-letting and execution.  In the minds of desperate zealots of all stripes, no solution or path is offered but that of hopelessness of  violence or death itself.

Yes,  America must face reality; the hard  truth that fanatic American mandates and 'rights' are  cast in bitter, brittle fundamentalist self-righteousness, right-wing Republicanism, or equally bitter Democrat blather. It may be observed there is little separation in terms of stubbornness, intolerance, or mindset from that of  black-robed, preachy, AK-waving ISIL extremists,  bitter, delusional and fanatic jihadists, or Islamic criminals on watch lists,  global or home grown.

The  common operating  madness is the narrow, bitter interpretation of  ideology,  self-declared 'righteousness'  void of  respect for others or any responsible, reasonable social response. Politics and religion, now equally unappealing globally, are  based upon the unacceptable, deadly,  narrow-minded intolerance of others.   Justified by quoting verses from the Quran, chapters from a Bible, or 'rules of the  self-entitled' from failed, corrupt and out-dated political platforms, the evil  dwelling in the  unstable minds of radicalized, angry lunatics  has but one purpose; a mandate of intimidation, revenge, and fear by mindlessly killing  helpless human beings in crowded venues.

Because of  a long history of  arrogance, greed, endless warfare and exploitation of other nations,  elements in America can be held equally responsible for  poverty, prejudice,  bigotry, injustice, intolerance, and racism  resulting in predictable  radicalization,  terrorism, and fanaticism, all of which are desperate responses of protest and revenge.  Events like the massacres  which have occurred in Orlando,  the Boston massacre, 9/11, and countless other events will continue to happen. When will you get it?

Name them.  You know them all. Make excuses.  Declare war. Recall the blood, the horror, lifeless bodies, the maimed.   Recall broken families,  tears, the dearly beloved,  injured or lost forever. Mass murders are  happening with increasing regularity.  The politically-correct  may say "Yes, but, innocent people are killed daily by accident too."   So sorry, but we must ask; how do YOU not  'get it' ?  

The difference is that these events can be stopped.  Is it that we simply cannot face the necessity of accepting responsibility for creating ideal conditions for the import of evil, and the generation of home-grown terrorism?

You need not worry about the insanity of religious and political ideological struggles half-way round the world  over there, out of sight in the Middle East.  The brain- worms of ideological hate, rot, and violence  have clearly been imported to North America. 

How predictable. Now you, too, can hustle victims from back yard massacres to emergency hospital rooms in the back of  pickup trucks. How long will it be before little black pickup trucks are racing everywhere with machine-guns  mounted upon them too?

Choices

America must make very difficult choices, and soon. Not choices between  gun control or the NRA.  Not playing political games,  refusing to call  horrific events radicalized Islamic terrorism  by  labeling them acts of insanity.  Not by choosing to label perpetrators as 'deranged'  or 'lone wolves' or Islamic or  ISIL -inspired, when they may be all or none of the above.  Building fences and banning immigrants from the USA or not doing so, whether red, yellow, black or blue-blood, and being politically-correctwill not resolve the growing problem.

Voting for billionaire Donald Trump and his fence-like brash, careless, racist rhetoric,  or  alternatively, voting for Hillary Clinton's  suspect, pseudo-hawkish,  "I can be as tough as Donald Trump"  corrupt and  meaningless blather about gender-driven 'historical occasions' will make no difference.  It is not about choosing  male,  female or transgender  washrooms or same-sex marriage.   It is certainly not about choosing Republican or Democrat, with equally ridiculous, equally greedy and equally narrow-minded partisan ideologies —and equally presumptive intent.

It IS a choice between  awaking to choose  common sense and unity,   or choosing apathy, enabling this social disease further,  only to watch the shattered American Dream crumble and fail completely .

America must face reality.  Reason and common sense have always been  stronger foundations to build upon than  bitter, mindless, delusional ideology cast in greed, and arrogance. Now is not the time for stupidity.

 Simply observe —and think.

 That's how we see it.  Difficult choices or not,  the right choices must now be made for humanity instead of waiting for the inevitable chaos.  For the record, peace and hope are that simple.

 

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Is that Incoming I hear?

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