"The Charbor Chronicles"

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Comparing Trump to Hitler

I have heard people comparing Trump to Hitler at times lately, and recently responded to such claims on a post in Facebook.

Frankly, I have tired of the Hitler comparisons. Everyone that we do not like or agree with is Hitler. We forget, or gloss over the fact, that Hitler took absolute power over Germany within months, and then proceeded to build up a war machine, test the waters with the rest of the world while building up the military behind the scenes, passing all-encompassing racial laws within Germany to promote this idea of racial purity, then went ahead and took over numerous countries - Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Norway, Denmark, Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece, and much of northern Africa and the Soviet Union. He also exterminated millions of people with a bureaucratic machine, as extermination became a modern nation's official policy. Ultimately, the war that he started - which was the deadliest war in all of history to date - saw an estimated 50 million people dead.

However much we might not like someone we disagree with, that does not entitle us to making comparisons to such a man as that.

So, this is how I responded to the comparisons (admittedly, it was a bit long-winded):

Too many people are very quick to pull the trigger on Hitler comparisons. There seems to be a trend in the last couple of decades or so of comparing people to Hitler. Saddam was Hitler, George W. Bush was Hitler, Obama is Hitler. People make these irresponsible comparisons for political profit, but certainly not out of some historical knowledge to back their claims up. While I find Trump both ridiculous and despicable, I agree with Lenny in thinking that such comparisons are overblown. Let us not forget that Hitler advocated expansion to the East well before he ever took power. Hitler also became the leader of a political party because of his ability to generate unbelievable excitement with his speeches, and was known to stand silently at the podium for one full minute before beginning the speech. Imagine standing at a podium for one full minute while saying nothing - he was clearly very confident in himself! He made clear that he wanted to remilitarize, that he hated some other countries (Russia and France in particular), and that the Germans were the master race, and Jews were essentially subhuman. He was very clear on those points, whether or not he specifically mentioned extermination before taking power (although I also do not know if he ever did). Trump, to my knowledge, is simply making stupid comments off the cuff. He hardly seems to have a solid plan in place, let alone to have a very specific agenda, as Hitler and the Nazis did. Also, let us not forget that democracy in the United States is not quite yet dead, and is probably still stronger than it was with Weimar Germany, which was essentially imposed on the country, and thus very weak. So, while Trump may have xenophobic views, and is bringing the worst out of too many Americans (and it is shameful that so many seem to like the guy), the Hitler comparison is, quite frankly, way overblown and as predictable as it is tiresome. Hitler was Hitler, and he was unique in history specifically because there never has been anyone like him before, or since. As bad as Trump might be, Hitler he is not. Quite frankly, Hitler was smarter and craftier than Trump could ever be. Trump is, however, the symbol of everything that is wrong with this country today, being an ego-centrist rich prick, loud, and with a false sense of entitlement and a greatly exaggerated sense of greatness. He rejects serious thinking on issues and favors quick opinions that generate attention that make for great soundbites for both those who love him and those who hate him.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Native American Records Now Digitized

Modern technology can be a mixed blessing. While a lot of it remains sumberged in the muddy waters of the baser instincts for much of humanity, it was originally designed to be a tool for greater and quicker access to information than was ever previously available.

Indeed, it allows greater access to information than ever before, and can be a great and convenient tool for unprecedented learning, breaking down previous barriers.

Here is a case in point:

I found this article recently, and thought that it was very cool news, allowing people with Native American ancestry to better and more accurately discover and/or keep their family records tracing back centuries, as well as documenting how much America's westward expansion devastated their people.

PROQUEST’S DIGITIZATION OF AMERICAN INDIAN RECORDS OPENS PATHS FOR EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF WESTWARD EXPANSION BY LEVI RICKERT / CURRENTS / 16 NOV 2015:

http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/proquests-digitization-of-american-indian-records-opens-paths-for-exploring-the-impact-of-westward-expansion/

Paris Attacks - Fluctuat Nec Mergitur

Image courtesy of Yann Caradec's Flickr page - La tour Eiffel illuminée en bleu blanc rouge - Fluctuat nec Mergitur - Liberté, égalité, fraternité: https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/23166709356/in/photolist-BhCnau-ACu1K2-Ao4tqp-AJDkKk-BktiW8-AnW3i5-AnW9mN-Biarzo-ATk9oY-AJDGSa-ArDcyu-Ao4KZ6-Ao4EG2-AnWkZh-AnWhn7-AJDirx-AJDhqe-ATke7A-Ao4x96-Ao4pUB-AnW4FW-Bib4xW-Ao4TGk-AnWtXm-BiaT8Y-Ao4MUD-Ao4QbH-ALXPa4-Ao4K3X-AT7Bxo-AJDDsK-ACKJp4-AQHzfV-B8X7Jz-5ZGntM-AcQCVd-a2Df2P-dK72Y9-dTrNS1-6nZwqZ-bW5h2H-B4sV2H-cB9KaW-ArDMhM-AqxUck-cB9oFo-ng5bV-AJDAs6-2NR3w-4HhFbF

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Image courtesy of Yann Caradec's Flickr page - La tour Eiffel illuminée en bleu blanc rouge - Fluctuat nec Mergitur - Liberté, égalité, fraternité: https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/22564367624/in/photolist-BhCnau-ACu1K2-Ao4tqp-AJDkKk-BktiW8-AnW3i5-AnW9mN-Biarzo-ATk9oY-AJDGSa-ArDcyu-Ao4KZ6-Ao4EG2-AnWkZh-AnWhn7-AJDirx-AJDhqe-ATke7A-Ao4x96-Ao4pUB-AnW4FW-Bib4xW-Ao4TGk-AnWtXm-BiaT8Y-Ao4MUD-Ao4QbH-ALXPa4-Ao4K3X-AT7Bxo-AJDDsK-ACKJp4-AQHzfV-B8X7Jz-5ZGntM-AcQCVd-a2Df2P-dK72Y9-dTrNS1-6nZwqZ-bW5h2H-B4sV2H-cB9KaW-ArDMhM-AqxUck-cB9oFo-ng5bV-AJDAs6-2NR3w-4HhFbF

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Image courtesy of Yann Caradec's Flickr page - La tour Eiffel illuminée en bleu blanc rouge - Fluctuat nec Mergitur - Liberté, égalité, fraternité: https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/23076411945/in/photolist-BabDit-AsnWy8-BbaZLz-AQHzfV-ArDcyu-ePL8X6-AJDK4V-ePL9eZ-AwdfDF-BqYvt-82JkNK-4e1gAx-9z6gS8-8k88Kn-8dLijM-B8YLnf-AdhyRP-BbaSLH-BbaPtF-B7T3Lj-Awd5Eo-B7SWHY-BabwFa-B7SYmC-Ayw2sp-BktRwn-bW5h2H-Bktv62-Ao4EG2-bEUdg3-5JtF78-4Eh7XQ-dK72Y9-eS4yHL-4Eh7no-7N1iSa-5yS5i9-AnWkZh-ATkw3E-BktzLz-Ao4ANa-AnWhn7-8bZw6z-cUQASA-ACKJp4-Ao4tqp-AJDkKk-AJDirx-BktiW8-AJDhqe

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

There have been a lot of interesting pictures of the Eiffel Tower recently floating around on the net, since the Paris attacks. Pictures of it blacked out, pictures of it decked out in the blue, white, and red colors of the French flag, and just generally some pictures of it from visitors wanting to share their own memories of it.

But one interesting picture that I saw of it recently showed it at night, with the words Fluctuat nec mergitur written across the first level.

I had to look up what that meant, admittedly. But what I found out was that Fluctuat nec mergitur is a Latin phrase that means "Tossed but not sunk".

And so it seemed appropriate to devote a blog entry to it, as a reminder that Paris will continue on, even as the Paris attacks begin to move out of the current news and into history. The city of lights will remain strong, not allowing the brutality of terrorist attacks to defeat or define it, which is a message that I think the whole word can take comfort in and learn from.

FLUCTUAT NEC MERGITUR: FRENCH SWIMMERS SHOW RESOLVE BY RACING ON IN ANGERS November 19, 2015 - Craig Lord

http://www.swimvortex.com/fluctuat-nec-mergitiur-french-swimmers-show-resolve-by-racing-on-as-it-should-be/

Sunday, November 22, 2015

A More Ideal World

Photo courtesy of DonkeyHotey Flickr Page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/donkeyhotey/6143809369

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

The old button from the Environmental Club days which I just happened to find on Earth Day! It is a little beat up (particularly the ends of the ribbon), but no worse for the wear, I think. And it is one of the few items that I have left from those days, so it carries a lot of great memories for me! Nothing Changes Until You Do!

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's gred."

~Mahatma Gandhi

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."

~John F. Kennedy

Photo courtesy of U.S. Embassy New Delhi's Flickr page - President John F. Kennedy: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usembassynewdelhi/5386861182/in/photolist-9d259W-tmwAo-cWtMa-7a4Byr-f2QNxR-6T4jUP-9D8P7N-fNDPna-owAEr7-cMia3q-byZ3sQ-5nUjps-3BNPpE-dejPUc-dejPeY-6BmWcm-6599wx-xvZgh6-3BXC4T-7a7U2J-fsx31D-fswNCz-dejP8o-nKsnKa-9d2AYA-nsYcM8-bLpmLn-e6FRc4-5X3TCf-hTFK4N-5FTTUx-Abf3GV-a1ExFz-621Udq-7UJoDn-6zdUWD-dS84z5-6zhYzo-mszAN8-msyXcP-msyWZe-mszAtk-msyWLZ-msATFA-msyWzg-mszxVV-dEmU38-fstNe2-bLoGDz-8VE5tv

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

This is a particularly solemn day. I just stepped outside in the predawn hours, and it is cold, feeling more like winter than the fall. Only a week and change ago, a shocked and horrified world witnessed the Paris attacks, and a renewal and intensification of the war on terrorism.

While the aftermath of these events are still taking place, this day of course also marks the anniversary of another grim event - the assassination of JFK some 52 years ago in Dallas, Texas.

Both events gripped the world, and shocked it to it's core. In both cases, we saw something glorious and perhaps even beautiful marred by senseless violence. The killing of a young president who embodied what was best about America in one case, and the beautiful city of lights suddenly under attack by ruthless and sadistic terrorists in the other case.

It is too easy, when we examine these and other tragic events of our past, to give in and resign to some sense of helplessness and hopelessness about the world. Many people have voiced the opinion that humanity as a whole is a hopeless basket case, that there is something wrong with us, and that our doomsday destination is a foregone conclusion.

However, there some hopeful signs, as well. Among other things, diseases are being eradicated, old rivalries between warring nations have become mere memories in some regions of the world (this is particularly true in Europe), and people appear to be experiencing an awakening and a sense of empowerment that was perhaps inevitable with the universal education that many in the richer countries too often take for granted.

We are finding some value in civilizations that were too easily dismissed in the past, finding wisdom in their words and in their ways. A lot of that started with Henry David Thoreau, who is often credited as the father of the modern environmental movement.

So, I thought that I would take the time to share a quote that held particular resonance with me now for quite some time, because I believe in them. Thoreau believed that each town should have some space reserved specifically for wilderness, and that this space was not to be touched by development, but left alone for all future generations to enjoy. This would be a universal place that would deceptively appear to remain the same, yet would have undergone incredible changes, through the course of the decades and centuries.

Thoreau was right, and I feel that this idea of his should be taken more seriously. So, I share those words of his today, with hopes that still, someday, they might be realized:

"Each town should have a park, or rather a primitive forest, of five hundred or a thousand acres, where a stick should never be cut for fuel, a common possession forever, for instruction and recreation. We hear of cow-commons and ministerial lots, but we want men-commons and lay lots, inalienable forever. Let us keep the New World new, preserve all the advantages of living in the country. There is meadow and pasture and wood-lot for the town’s poor. Why not a forest and huckleberry field for the town’s rich? All Walden Wood might have been preserved for our park forever, with Walden in its midst, and the Easterbrooks Country, an unoccupied area of some four square miles, might have been our huckleberry-field."

~Henry David Thoreau, "Huckleberries", Journal, 15 October 1859

http://www.walden.org/Library/Quotations/Conservation

52nd Anniversary of the JFK Assassination

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

Watching programs and clips dating back to the days of the presidential administration of John F. Kennedy, you really get a feel for how the country must have felt good and confident about a bright present and a brilliant future.

Simply put, the early 1960's were John F. Kennedy's moment in the sun to shine, and the entire country not only watched, but felt a part of it. Kennedy represented the very best of the youthful energy, idealism, and enthusiasm that the United States felt at the time about itself. In that sense, they shared in his glory, in the dream of Camelot. He was a fitting representative of the nation as it saw itself then. He seemed youthful, good-looking, highly intelligent, idealistic, witty, and strong, and that was probably the way that many Americans would have described their country at the time.

Something that really stood out and resonated with me was just how universally this man, and really surely any man who held the office of the presidency back in those days, was the level of universal respect and admiration that he received. Compare that with today, when the men who have held that office in recent years have seemed only too human, and not up to the challenge of meeting our too often admittedly excessive expectations of what a president should be, and should represent. Kennedy seems even today to be respected and even beloved by American people of almost all political stripes. He is quotes still so often, and his words continue to inspire, even many decades after his death. We can see why he was so popular at the time, and what he meant to a country that was enjoying a golden age, and perhaps had reached a peak during those days of Camelot. I remember being quite surprised when my mom told me once that the Kennedy Assassination felt more shocking than the September 11th attacks did, and I can imagine that it is because, in that world, it was unimaginable that anyone could even get close enough to the glory of that president - again, a glory that most Americans basked in and shared on some level - to be literally gunned down in the streets before throngs of admirers.

That makes the shock value of his being struck down in Dallas on that November day all the more understandable and tragic. It is often said that the nation lost it's innocence on that day and, indeed, there is more than a grain of truth to that. In the aftermath of the assassination, the country grew undeniably more cynical. A majority of Americans believed that there was more than one shooter, and that there was more, even far more, behind the assassination that the official reports suggested. When the Warren Commission came out, a majority of Americans disagreed with the conclusions drawn there, and they have remained skeptical ever since. And this really was just the first of a series of events that saw Americans turn from idealism and enthusiasm in the way in which they viewed themselves and their country, and grow gradually more cynical and divided. Next came the racism on display as the civil rights movement came to a head, then the Vietnam War, then Watergate. Suddenly, the nation was entirely different, and the images of the days of Kennedy and Camelot truly did seem to belong to another, far more innocent and naive era, and the nation had grown out of it.

There you have it. The reason, I suspect, that the death of just one man has left such a lasting impression on the American psyche. That and, of course, the fact that this singular event has become legendary for the conspiracy theories linked to it. So many people have radically different theories on who did it, why they did it, and how they did it.

One way or the other, however, the Kennedy Assassination has continued to linger with us for quite some time afterwards, which itself figures in it having attained near mythical status. It is hard to know the truth of so much of what happened in the past, but this one event in particular seems to both attract so many who have remained curious, as well as to elude any real attempts at definitive proof or settling the question once and for all, thus assuring that this legacy will continue on through the decades and, perhaps, centuries to come.

To honor the memory of the 35th President of the United States on this anniversary of his death, I have posted some videos documenting his life, and those four dark days in November that shook the nation, and indeed the world, so terribly.

Hope you enjoy!

Four Days in November (1964)

JFK The Final Hours A National Geographic Documentary (2013)

JFK with Peter Jennings (1983)

JFK: In His Own Words (1988)

In Memory of John F.Kennedy, 35th President of the United States

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

"So let us not be petty when our cause is so great. Let us not quarrel amongst ourselves when our Nation’s future is at stake."
~John F. Kennedy

Yes, I know that I already posted a blog on the whole Kennedy assassination, which today marks the 50th anniversary of.

I have been watching some videos about Kennedy on Youtube, as well as the documentary that was aired about him recently on PBS. It all reminded me of my own youth. Tat may sound strange, but even though I was born more than a decade after he was killed, he seemed to have made a strong and lasting impression on the nation in general, and it almost felt a bit like there was still a lingering presence, something that, by all rights, should have continued, but did not.

One of the videos that I watched (unfortunately, I cannot right now remember which one, precisely) termed those three or so years that he was in office as a time of political enchantment, and that sounds about right.

My grandparents had man reminders of the past. They had Howdy Doody dolls, and there were other things as well. Old magazines dating back decades. Old pictures, of course. And quite a few old books. One of those books was "The Thousand Days: John Fitzgerald Kennedy as President". It was a relatively glossy (it had lost a bit of this glossiness over the years) hardcover book from 1964, the year after Kennedy was assassinated. I leafed through it time and again, and imagined what it would be like to have such a young and idealistic leader, one who could deliver such amazing words. The pictures (it was in large part a book of illustrations) showed a seemingly young and healthy, robust man with a lot of energy. Only a few pictures betrayed this image, such as the ones that showed his back problems. Yet, even these were meant to illustrated the character of the man, to show that he was wiling to hide how own, personal discomfort, in order to represent that more positive image, almost like a personal sacrifice.

That book was my closest glimpse of the Kennedy years, and what they might have been like. I still have it somewhere, and admittedly still enjoy leafing through it, although it is beginning to show it's age, as the binding is now going, and I had to tape it up, so it looks even more beat up than it probably should be.

Kennedy represented an ideal. he was the physical embodiment of a spirit of youth, of activism and idealism, in an age when the United States was still very much enjoying it's golden age. It was truly beyond dispute that the United States was the leading superpower of the world at the time, far and away ahead of the Soviet Union in almost every conceivable way, with the one exception being perhaps the space race. And Kennedy pushed forward to make sure that the United States would win the space race, as well, by articulating the goal of getting a man to the moon within the decade. He did not live to see it, but those words would indeed bear fruit, and within the decade, just like he said.

Kennedy started the Peace Corps. Again, he inspired the youth of a nation, and allowed them to dream of a better world, and even to act towards turning that dream into reality. I will not get into the negatives hear, perhaps the harsher realities that have since come to light - that will be for another blog entry. For now, I want to focus on how Kennedy inspired, and represented, or seemed to represent, the very best that the country had to offer. Indeed, how could young people not be stirred, when he famously borrowed the words of Kahlil Gibran in his Inaugural Address:

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

Can you imagine a modern President, or even prominent politician, saying words like these down below, or perhaps even, dare I suggest, meaning it?

"When we got into office, the one thing that surprised me most was to find that things were just as bad as we'd been saying they were."
~John F. Kennedy

"The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."
~John F. Kennedy

"If by a ‘Liberal’ they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people — their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties — someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say I'm a ‘Liberal.’"
~John F. Kennedy

Here are words that seem more true today than when Kennedy first uttered them:

"Too often we... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."
~John F. Kennedy

"Sometimes party loyalty asks too much"
~John F. Kennedy

He could laugh at himself, too.

"I just received the following wire from my generous Daddy - "Dear Jack, Don't buy a single vote more than is necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide.""

"The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it - and the glow from that fire can truly light the world"

"All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."
~John F. Kennedy

"Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings."
~John F. Kennedy

"We have come too far, we have sacrificed too much, to disdain the future now."
~John F. Kennedy

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
~John F. Kennedy

"Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly."
~John F. Kennedy

"When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters-one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity."
~John F. Kennedy

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." ~John F. Kennedy

"If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich."
~John F. Kennedy

"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining."
~John F. Kennedy

"Without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget those acts of courage with which men...have lived. The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy."
~John F. Kennedy

"Let us never negotiate out of fear but let us never fear to negotiate."
~John F. Kennedy

Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in vain.
~John F. Kennedy

"The freedom of the city is not negotiable. We cannot negotiate with those who say, "What's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable.""
~John F. Kennedy

"Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation."
~John F. Kennedy

"If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all — except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty."
~John F. Kennedy

"The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth."
~John F. Kennedy

"The Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress."
~John F. Kennedy

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
~John F. Kennedy

"A revolution is coming - a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough - but a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character, we cannot alter its inevitability."
~John F. Kennedy

"War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today."
~John F. Kennedy

Lead like John F. Kennedy BY LARRY J. SABATO November 20 at 11:07 am

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-leadership/wp/2013/11/20/lead-like-john-f-kennedy/?wprss=rss_business&clsrd

Obama honors President John F. Kennedy complete coverage)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/obama-honors-president-john-f-kennedy-complete-coverage/2013/11/20/f6bd8c18-5201-11e3-9fe0-fd2ca728e67c_story.html?wprss=rss_national

Obama pays tribute to John F. Kennedy legacy Associated Press By DARLENE SUPERVILLE 3 hours ago
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-pays-tribute-john-f-kennedy-legacy-213821490--politics.html

JFK anniversary: Barack Obama pays tribute to the legacy of John F Kennedy

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/johnfkennedy/10464226/JFK-anniversary-Barack-Obama-pays-tribute-to-the-legacy-of-John-F-Kennedy.html

Below is at least some of what President Obama had to say in honoring the slain President Kennedy:

"This is a legacy of a man who could have retreated to a life of luxury and ease but who chose to live a life in the arena, sailing sometimes against the wind, sometimes with it."

"That's why 50 years later John F Kennedy stands for posterity as he did in life: young, bold and daring.

"He stays with us in our imagination not because he left us too soon but because he embodied the character of the people that he led – resilient, resolute, fearless and fun loving, defiant in the face of impossible odds and most of all determined to make the world anew, not settling for what is but rather for what might be."

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Why Support Hillary When She Does Not Stand For What I Believe In?

A lot of people that I know who would identify themselves as progressives have been pulling strongly for Hillary, and doing so to the point that they actually make fun of anyone not with them, including those, like myself, who lean more towards Bernie Sanders. If you listen to them, the only possible reason that anyone would not be a supporter of Hillary Clinton is if they are sexist, and would go to any lengths to avoid seeing a woman become president.

Not true in my case. I would love to see a woman as president. In fact, Elisabeth Warren would likely have my vote if she ever decided to run for president, being one of the few Democrats that would force me to scratch my head with my own policy of adamantly refusing to vote for a candidate of either major party for any national office.

So, yes, I would like to see a woman become president, and think that it is long overdue. However, that does not mean that it would be desirable to see Hillary specifically become the first woman president, just because she is a woman with a realistic shot at being elected president.

The problem that I have with Hillary is the same problem that I had with her husband, Bill: she's far too tied to the whole political machinery of the country. That means that she is willing to say anything and do anything to be elected to higher office, just like her husband. The Clintons can talk the talk of progressive ideas and values, but their political record sure shows something else.

Bill Clinton was often referred to as "Republican light" during his days in the White House, and too often, he did things that were specifically meant to look good on paper, but without any real value. Case in point, he could rightly claim to have paid 60% of the national debt, which sounds absolutely awesome in a speech, right? The only thing is that he did this by taking out short term loans, which means that the country does not actually owe less money, only that they essentially transferred the balance elsewhere. Neat trick, but that is the kind of thing that earned his reputation as "Slick Willy." Another thing that he "achieved" during his presidency was a strong track record regarding environmental legislation. However, here too, you have to be careful to go beyond the mere facade of what he is trying to convince you of, and recognize that a huge chunk, if not even perhaps the majority, of that lofty and impressive sounding environmental legislation came in the last three days of his presidency. That's right. He had eight long years in the White House (2,920 days), and he only really got serious about the environment in the last 72 hours of his presidency, creating strong environmental legislation that he knew perfectly well would be done away with immediately once the man who replaced him took office.

Hillary is the same kind of political animal, and she is showing this kind of opportunism now. She suggests that no one has a stronger track record on progressive issues than she does. Yet, she went from being an activist in the cause for a fairer healthcare system for the country, to being richly paid by them, and essentially now being a spokesperson to advance their interests. She recently criticized Bernie Sanders for his plan for a universal, single-payer healthcare system in the model of literally every single other industrialized country in the world, claiming that it is a far too liberal idea. She has also grown more hawkish, using aggressive rhetoric to show that she would put boots on the ground and implement a solid plan to defeat ISIS in Syria. When Sanders attacked her for being so richly funded by the huge Wall Street firms that advance the cause of the billionaires of America, she acted angry, and defended herself by saying that she had helped these big boys out in their hour of need after the 9/11 attacks. That sounds like a very, very politically scripted kind of response, using the code word "9/11" or "September 11" as shamelessly as Guliani did in 2008, and suggesting an activism on her part while essentially brushing over her overly friendly relations with these elitist corporations that define the very worst of what America has become.

She gets angry, and then voices what sounds to some, surely, as a reasonable explanation, even a heroic one. Hillary saved the day after September 11th, preventing a potentially disastrous economic collapse. That sounds a lot better than she is in bed with a whole bunch of "too big to fail" corporations who are richly funding her campaign in order to continue receiving the extensive benefits from tax loopholes and friendly tax policies benefiting them for decades now, at the expense of regular people, particularly the middle class. And then, of course, she acts outraged that the middle class is disappearing. But only when it suits her. That is the problem with the Clintons: they sound like liberals when it is politically profitable to do that, and then they sound like conservatives when it is politically profitable to sound that way. At every instance, they sound like the masterful political opportunists that they are, and thus assuring that a presidential term under Hillary will be very much more of the same.

In, short, Hillary represents big money interests, and everything that she says and does seems to suggest a more subtle approach to advancing those interests than any of her Republican counterparts. Even her anger sounds manufactured and heavily scripted, because it is politically profitable to sound angry and outraged. Yes, that is electable. But is that leadership? Is that the kind of president that we really want in office?

For my part, the answer is no. We need better, and we deserve better.

Hillary Clinton is on wrong side of everything: Stop telling me I have to vote for her because of the Supreme Court by H.A. GOODMAN, November 11, 2015:

http://www.salon.com/2015/11/11/hillary_clinton_is_on_wrong_side_of_everything_stop_telling_me_i_have_to_vote_for_her_because_of_the_supreme_court/

Hillary Clinton Sheds Progressive Façade With Bold Rightward Lurch Posted on Nov 19, 2015 By Sarah Lazare / Common Dreams:

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/clinton_sheds_progressive_facade_with_bold_rightward_lurch_20151119