Change

Barack Obama promised “hope and change” when he ran for president. Once elected, he did institute change ... lots of change ... change that favored immigrants, the greenies, China, Russia, the Ukraine, Muslim countries and those south of the US border. But never came through with the “hope” part. When Trump took over, he too has changed things ... mostly by reversing those damaging Democrat policies.

So why were Obama’s changes so readily accepted and Trump’s so vehemently resisted?

May I suggest that Obama’s changes advantaged those above-noted third parties while disadvantaging the unaware American middle class. Trump’s changes have mostly reversed these Obama wealth and hegemony flows.

And the resisters to this change are the environmentalists, globalists, media, Deep State and some foreign governments ... all whom had benefitted under Obama’s reign.

Middle Americans sense this u-turn and the resulting relief to their political frustrations. This is why Trump’s rallies are overflowing and why he will likely be re-elected with a larger electoral margin than he received in 2016. Americans will not be whipsawed once again with re-heated Democrat give-aways.

Thought for Today

Life surely exists and has existed elsewhere in the Universe, but our connecting with it is a monument to hope over logic.

For you doubters, see: Sapient Window (Update).

Creeping Corruption

The Obama administration and its legions of acolytes are causing me to experience creeping corruption fatigue.  Maybe it was that I just wasn’t paying enough attention, but I used to believe and trust that those in government had the best interests of the United States at heart.  But now I am not so sure … as I hear an insidious drumbeat of government scandals (any one of which might have brought down previous administrations) ... and instance after instance of those we elect or appoint to manage our affairs subverting the best interests of our country in order to advance their own agendas and rewards.  Here are three such instances (I could provide twenty more out of the current news cycle):

- Benghazi Musical Chairs

- Patriot Act Corruption

- Border Security Non-enforcement

And, unfortunately, at the top of the list of these subverters is our President.  Does he not care what kind of country he is creating for his daughters?  Does he not respect the legacy of achievement that the 43 Presidents who preceded him had constructed?  He can charm the world with his effacing smiles and his teleprompter eloquence, but behind the scenes he and his minions are subverting our Constitution and even destroying our way of life.  To get elected Barack Obama had promised "change" and, it seems, his regime is spending all their waking hours pursuing this agenda ... primarily through creeping corruption.

I am rapidly losing that thing called hope.

Afterward: Even Ralph Nader agrees with me (at least in concept, but not in detail) ... see: Newsbusters Story

Disorder and Dreams in Zanzibar

[Created by yours truly using the template at:  Create Your Own Thomas Friedman Op-Ed Column ]

Last week’s events in Zanzibar were truly historic, although we may not know for years or even decades what their final meaning is. What’s important, however, is that we focus on what these events mean to the citizens themselves. The current administration seems too caught up in dissecting the macro-level situation to pay attention to the important effects on daily life. Just call it missing the desert for the sand..

When thinking about the recent turmoil, it’s important to remember three things: One, people don’t behave like migratory birds, so attempts to treat them as such inevitably look foolish. Migratory birds never suddenly shift their course in order to fit with a predetermined set of beliefs. Two, Zanzibar has spent decades being batted back and forth between colonial powers, so a mindset of peace and stability will seem foreign and strange. And three, hope is an extraordinarily powerful idea.

When I was in Zanzibar last August I was amazed by the level of Westernization for such a closed society, and that tells me two things. It tells me that the citizens of Zanzibar have no shortage of potential entrepreneurs, and that is a good beginning to grow from. Second, it tells me that people in Zanzibar are just like people anywhere else on this great globe of ours.

So what should we do about the chaos in Zanzibar? Well, it’s easier to start with what we should not do. We should not ignore the problem and pretend it will go away. Beyond that, we need to be careful to nurture these first inklings of a moderate, modern society. The opportunity is there, but I worry that the path to moderation is so strewn with obstacles that Zanzibar will have to move down it very slowly.

Speaking with a local farmer on the last day of my recent visit, I asked him if there was any message that he wanted me to carry back home with me. He pondered for a second, and then smiled and said, “Makuk yakuk sakuk,” which is a local saying that means roughly, “Every branch of the tree casts its own shadow.”

I don’t know what Zanzibar will be like a few years from now, but I do know that it will remain true to its cultural heritage, even if it looks very different from the country we see now. I know this because, through all the disorder, the people still haven’t lost sight of their dreams.

[And a tip of the hat to: Powerline Blog]

Fortune Cookie Politics

A long time ago I got a fortune cookie which had the following message: "If your head and your heart agree, you are seldom wrong."  Interestingly, I have had this adage proven correct many times since.  My last post here discussed the Paul Ryan pick for the V.P. slot on the Republican ticket and concluded that it was a decision of the head and not of the heart ... as a Marco Rubio selection would have been.  To me, this had clearly diminished Mitt Romney's chances of being elected President.

The reason that I had thought this is that I believe that the American people too often vote using their emotions and not their logic.  However, seeing the enthusiasm at some of the Romney/Ryan rallies over the weekend, has moved the needle somewhat away from my initial conclusion.  Also, some of the talking heads on television have pointed out that, recently both in liberal New Jersey and Wisconsin, voters have responded to cerebral arguments about the economic futures of their states.  There, they have elected fiscally conservative politicians who have treated them like adults ... and leveled with them about what would happen if meaningful austerity measures were not enacted.  And so, although I still believe that the upcoming campaigns will be over-loaded with emotional vitriol, I now believe that the Republicans may still have an outside chance of prevailing.

Incidentally, the last fortune cookie I broke open said, "If all you do is hope, change is dangerous."