Reflections

As this tumultuous year 2016 winds down, I gather my loose synapses into some form of strained logic to reflect on who has been boiling our porridge over our last orbit 'round the sun.

First, the Religion of Peace has only killed a few hundred thousand of us this year ... mostly their kindred souls tragically but, for the rest of us, fortunately. However, their belief that martyrdom rewards them lavishly and lasciviously propels them into the most uncivilized brutality that man can invent. This twisted form of moral immorality is both the reason for this tribe's remarkable successes and, unless corrected, its eventual doom. The primary reason for its rise is that it offers discipline and order in an undisciplined and unordered world. It has become the flickering flame to which many meek seekers are moth-driven. They are clearly charting their, and possibly even our, end.

Second, after an eight year escape from our senses, the American middle has, at least temporarily, recaptured its mojo. We have chosen an unlikely leader who knows how to get things done and is doing things ... most of which seem intent on righting our ship of state after a long meandering voyage with open scuppers. Trump's words and actions are often crude and rude, but he is all we got, so we have given him the helm with our fingers crossed. His choices for his crew who would carry out his mandate are a mite questionable but, I for one, am willing to wait and see ... mostly because he has obviously had more life successes than failures. Yes, there will be some duds appointed. But I suspect he will not be shy with the term, "You're fired!"

Third, the Democrat party has been pulled so far into the outback of loony liberalism that they are going to need a modern-day Moses to lead them back to civilized thought and action. Their travel agents for this sad sojourn, Obummer, Schumer, Hellery, Pelosi, Biden and the like still have the party's ideological credit card and are spending them into policy penury. Unless liberals can find new and more moderate leadership, they will continue to enjoy ballot box failure. Will the Republicans get vindictive toward the left after they assume full power on January 20th? I surely hope so. And, if Trump can fulfill even half of his economic promises, he will likely change the traditional political alliances for a generation.

Fourth, for the first time in my dotage I have some hope for some Mideast pacification. Trump's pledge to put Iran back in the box, his moving our embassy to Jerusalem, his recognition of Egypt's el-Sisi as a Muslim mitigating force, and his (hopefully) persuading Russia to help stop the slaughter in Syria ... all have me optimistic, not for full peace, but at least for detente. My expectation is that his policy in this region will be to reward moderation and punish radicalism ... exactly the opposite of what the current administration has been doing. Why Obummer has pursued this insanity is between him and his Mullah ...

More to come later ...