The Film Archives: Jeff Guinn- Jim Jones: 'The Most Complete Picture To Date Of This Tragedy'

Source: The Film Archives- Reverend Jim Jones, the Father of Jonestown. 

“Jim Jones: The Most Complete Picture to Date of This Tragic Saga.”

From The Film Archives

I think Jeff Guinn the author of this book about Reverend Jim Jones and Jonestown makes a good point about how the 1960s relates to Jim Jones's movement and what became Jonestown. I would just add that the 1960s was such a divisive era and you had this huge generation of Baby Boomers who hated the 1950s and wanted something different for themselves and their families, who were politically very radical who saw things in America that they hated. Like war, poverty, racism, materialism, and wanted to change the world ( to use a phrase from the 1960s ) and create a new society and America.

Source: The Today Show- Reverend Jim Jones in Jonestown 

People who believe in these things and are active politically, tend to at least be very open to socialism and even communism and see those philosophies as the only ways to build the society that they want. Jim Jones, even though he grew up in rural Indiana in the 1930s and 40s, was a Socialist who hated the things that his followers hated and wanted to create a new society. Who was very charming and very intelligent both for good and bad, who became a reverend in Indiana and built his own church. Who moved his church from Indiana to San Francisco which might be the capital of American socialism, who are much more tolerant of minorities and alternative lifestyles like homosexuality and saw San Francisco as the home for his new movement.

Source: The Today Show- Reverend Jim Jones in Jonestown 

The main reason why Jim Jones, moved his People's Temple from San Francisco to Guyana in South America, is because there were accurate reports from the SF media that Reverend Jones was abusing his members and even kids that went to the church. Even things like sexual assault and had he not had moved out of San Francisco maybe his church and larger organization gets closed down in San Francisco by the city government and Reverend Jones ends up in jail. Reverend Jones, had already had experience in South America and decided to move his organization to Guyana where all of his followers followed him and his group down there.

The vision of Jonestown in Guyana, I believe was very solid and he wanted to create this communitarian society, a socialist state where everything was shared and no one ever had to go without the basics in life. The main problem with Jonestown in Guyana was Jim Jones himself. He took what might have ended up becoming a socialist utopian state under sober responsible management and he turns it into a communist state. A maximum security prison where everybody who lives there is now his prisoner. And if you try to leave Jonestown, you're putting your own ,life at risk. Very similar to how North Korea looks today. And when Jones loses complete control of Jonestown, that is where he decided to murder what's left of his followers by giving them poison and then he kills himself. 

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The Newman Group: 'Think Before You Speak Because You Can't Hit Rewind, Mr. Trump'

Source: Presenting Yourself- Intelligent people think before speaking. 

Source:The Newman Group

I don't want to make this too much about Donald Trump. God knows ( if there is one ) that this blog has written about President Trump a lot the last couple of weeks ( not that we regret a single word ) but Donald Trump's brain ( which might be the most interesting human organ in the history of the universe ) is the perfect example of why thinking and intelligence is so critical in life and the most basic and powerful tool that we have and when we don't use them, we pay a heavy price for them.

Source: Linda Miles- Sound advice 

Similar to what can happen when you try to cross a street without looking, perhaps even trying that blindfolded and you get hit and when you finally decide to use your brain again ( assuming it's still there ) you realize how stupid you were and that if you just bothered to look before crossing, you're not lying in a hospital bed right now with a broken leg or whatever the injury or injuries that you have. Well, speaking without thinking with no thought put into it, can have similar and in some cases worst consequences not just for yourself, but for the people you hurt by saying stupid, nasty things to them without any thought put into what you said.

I don't pretend to be a psychologist and I'm not going to start now, but pre-2011 or so Donald Trump was famous for being a star on what's called reality TV, where thinking and preparation is discouraged and stupidity is celebrated where party's are thrown for it on every different show. Donald Trump has this reality TV/Charlie Sheen mentality of saying exactly what comes to his head at the very given moment, because he thinks it's funny and sounds cool. Sheen, was interviewed by ABC News's Diane Sawyer in early 2011, ( you might be able to YouTube it ) where she essentially asked him, "why do you say some of the things that you say?" With Sheen answering by saying, "because it sounds cool and is funny." Regardless of what the consequences come from saying what he's saying.

If you come from reality TV and celebrity culture period, appearance and being cool ( or as the young people say awesome ) is the most important tool that you can have. It's paramount to everything else that you can have going for your life including your relationships and even career. The cooler you are in Hollywood and in celebrity life in general, the more popular you'll be and the more money you'll be able to make. You might be too wild to work in movies or on TV, but you might get your own so-called reality TV show that will allow you keep working and making money when no other studio wants to work with you, because you're too wild and unprofessional, because you're so into being cool and popular at the given moment.

I realize being off the cuff has it's moments and place especially when it comes to humor and comedy and I have an off the cuff humor myself, but people even think when they're being off the cuff. They see someone or something that is silly at the given moment, analyze it with a wisecrack. Not as if they just see something or someone that looks stupid and just crack a joke immediately. We actually think thirst even for that short moment and then crack a joke about what we're seeing or hearing. If you're familiar with the great sitcom M*A*S*H, you know most of that show was based off of off the cuff humor but very smart off the cuff humor.

With Donald Trump, I believe saying a lot of the stupid stuff ( to be kind ) that he says has a lot to do with him trying to protect his image as a New York tough guy ( or some might say strongman ) and a lot of what he says has to do with his lack of popularity with the country as a whole and that he's always in trouble politically because he says or does something that makes him look bad politically and will say something controversial with no thought put into it and probably getting no advice on what he's about to say in order to distract people especially the media and get them to focus on his latest controversy instead and appeal to the 40% of the country that still supports him and would probably vote for him again. Instead of just being human and admitting an obvious mistake.

Not saying that Donald Trump is an idiot, ( necessarily ) but what I'm saying here goes to my broader point that if Donald Trump was a thinking man ( not to be insulting but factual ) he wouldn't say a lot of the stuff, junk to be more accurate ( bullshit to be precise ) that he says because he would've bothered to spend a moment at thinking about the consequences of what he's about to say. "Do I really want to label a whole group of nations as shitholes, especially in Latin America, when I'm trying to get a broader immigration deal done with Congress, is that really the best play here?" And unfortunately that's just one example of our President Donald Trump speaking before thinking.

To be Frank ( and then later I'll be Joe or John, ha, ha ) asshole is one of my favorite words for two reasons. One, because it's the perfect way to describe a nasty person who enjoys putting people down especially if they feel superior. Two, if you're familiar with the expression speaking out of your ass, well then you know what an asshole is. A short way of describing people who speak about things that are not true. Or to paraphrase President Ronald Reagan, "they know so much that is not true." Someone who speaks before they think to put it simply and speaks about things they're not familiar with as if they're experts on that subject.

The best way to move in life is with your brain. Learn about things that you're interested in before you give long statements about it so people who listen to you know that you know what you're talking about. The opposites of asshole I believe are kindhearted and intelligence. People who treat others the way they want to be treated, or at least treat good intelligent people the way they want to be treated and who know what they're talking about because they've took two seconds to think about what they're saying before they say it and have studied and worked in the subjects that they speak about. The opposites of your typical reality TV star.

Source: Avik Roy: Jonathan Gruber- 'Americans To Stupid To Understand ObamaCare'- Speaking on ObamaCare and health care in general 

Investigation Discovery: Jodi Arias- 'The Missing Pieces'

Source: Investigation Discovery- Convicted murderer Jodi Arias. 

"Ten years later, people still talk about Jodi Arias and the murder of Travis Alexander. Through exclusive interviews with her former lawyer, a former cellmate, and a rapper who recorded a tribute to her, The Missing Pieces goes deeper into Arias's story."

From Investigation Discovery

If you look at Jodi Arias who was convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in 2012, if you just look at her on the surface and seeing her for the first time physically, I think you would have a very difficult time believing she could even kill a mouse let alone a grown, healthy, strong, young man. She's simply too damn cute to play the role of a murderer even fictionally, let alone in real-life. She comes off a a girl who is still in high school and perhaps even younger than that as far as her physical appearance, her voice, and personality.

Source: Philo- Convicted murderer Jodi Arias

But perhaps the most successful murderers especially serial murderers, are the cutest people doing the murders. Or in Ted Bundy's case, the handsomeness and most charming, because their victims would never expect them to kill a bug let alone another human being. The ultimate sneak attack which is how Jodi Arias murdered Travis Alexander at his home in 2008. I'm not arguing that she's not guilty of at least killing Travis and I believe she probably murdered him, just saying that on her surface she looks like one of the last people who could ever kill anyone. But then you get to know her and learn about her personality, it's not hard to believe that she could kill anyone.

Source: Kevin Clark- Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander, when they were together 

As far as her lawyer Kirk Nurmi, who came down with cancer from apparently defending Jodi and trying to keep her from the death penalty, I don't want to make light of his situation. And I'm not making light here either, but even defense lawyers have a conscience and he must have had a pretty good idea that his client was probably guilty of this crime, but decided to defend her anyway. Even murderers have a constitutional right to an adequate defense, but unless the judge assigns you to the case, you don't have to take it and you can always asked be to be removed from it and step down.

I don't want to say lost soul here, but before Jodi Arias met Travis Alexander she really had no idea what she was going to do with her life. Unlike Travis who was a devout Mormon and was making his living as a public speaker and self-improvement speaker. We don't know what happens to Jodi had she not had murdered Travis and perhaps Travis would've dumped her because she did seem to have possessive characteristics and could even be dangerous and violent. Maybe she moves on in life makes something positive of herself or finds another victim. We'll never know.

You can also see this post at The Daily View, on WordPress.

Politics and Prose: Caitlin Moran- 'How To Be Famous'

Source: Amazon- The internet has made becoming famous fairly easy-

I'll be honest with you for at least a second, ( before I go back to making an ass out of myself ) I haven't actually read this book. I haven't even heard of Caitlin Moran until last week or the week before, whenever I first saw the video of her at Politics and Prose. Which is probably my fault and as a blogger perhaps I should've known about her by now. Even if I do live three-thousand miles away from her in Washington with her living in London. But with celebrity, reality TV, tabloid culture being so prevalent in America and I'm sure Britain as well, this is the right title for this piece and what I'm going to write about here and hopefully it has at least something ( hopefully a lot more to do ) with what Caitlin Moran is talking about here.

Source: Penguin Books- Not that difficult in the internet age

Thanks to the internet and social media, stupidity running rampant to America that it could probably now viewed as a crisis in this country and so many Americans at least being so superficial where the superficial in life dominates their lives and seems so important to them, with actual important things like the economy, America's place in the world with a Nationalist as President, rising health care costs, is the President of the United States compromised by a foreign adversary and what did Russia actually have to do with our 2016 elections and if I go on with what is actually important unlike what rehab facility Lindsay Lohan is staying at right now or what nightclub Khloe Kardashian got kicked out of, but if I kept talking about what is actually important I might put everyone else asleep.

But because of our current internet and celebrity media culture and with stupidity being on the rise, becoming famous in America is actually very easy now. If you catch major car accident or an attempted mugging let's say on your i-Phone and then make it public or someone else somehow knows that you have that footage, not only will law enforcement want to see that footage, but they'll want to talk to you about it and the local media and perhaps even the national media, CNN picks up a lot of stories like this in the middle of the afternoon with a bystander getting footage of important local events simply by being there and having a smartphone with them

Unknown people have become famous simply by getting kicked out of events and making a complete asshole out of themselves with someone getting footage of that and then media being interested in that and wanting to talk to the person who made an asshole out of themselves and perhaps is just an asshole altogether. Being stupid is considered cool in America especially with Millennials who view the superficial and must need-to-know information, with actual important events being "like so yesterday and boring. If I wanted to know about current events and history, I would've finished school or stayed awake in it and managed to put my smartphone down for as much as five minutes in class."

But, if you want to be famous from doing positive and substantive and make a good life for yourself and even contribute in a positive way to society, I believe the best way to be famous is to not try to become famous. Figure out what you want to do with your life professionally, what you're good at and have good skills at and not just be the best that you can be at that profession, but be great at it, standout from others in your profession. Whether it's as lawyer, teacher, doctor, whatever it might be. Even if you want to be a professional entertainer in Hollywood, actor or singer or whatever. If professional success is what drives you in life then be as good as you  possibly can and fame will take care of itself. Maybe you won't be famous, but you'll be successful if you're good at what you do and are professional at it and don't make an ass out of yourself.

Source: Politics and Prose: Caitlin Moran- 'How To Be Famous'- Caitlin Moran, at Politics and Prose in Washington in July 2018 

Commentary Magazine: Noah Rothman: 'The New Left is Coming For You'

Source: Commentary Magazine- Socialists coming for you.

Source:Commentary Magazine

"The New Left is coming you:" when I read that I'm thinking they're coming for Republicans ( especially in the House ) and everyone who supports Donald Trump. This election cycle reminds me a lot of what happened in 2006 for Democrats and 2010 for Republicans. Even though in 2006 I don't believe activist Democrats hated President Bush and Republicans, as much as Tea Party Republicans hate Democrats and President Obama in 2009 and 2010 or Democrats hate President Trump and Republicans in 2017-18. That might be debatable, but I believe Democrats and Republicans are more divided now than they were 12 years ago.

Source: Left Forum via Twitter- The New Left Forum?

The last two years of the Bush Administration when President Bush had a Democratic Congress, they actually managed to pass some major legislation together. Including the bank bailouts and even a minimum wage increase. Whatever biparrtisnsahhip that we saw in the late 2000s is basically gone now. If a Democrat or Republican, is even caught by an activist in their party, being friendly to someone from the other side especially in Congress, they risk getting primaried in their next election. That wasn't the case in 2007-08.

And what I'm getting to is what happened in 2009-10 for the Republican Party, is now happening to the Democratic Party. The parents left the house to go on vacation basically to escape their 10 kids and left no one in charge at home and now you have the kids running the house. Using the couch as their trampoline, eating cake and cookies for dinner, skipping school, because their parents aren't home.

There is a vacuum of leadership in the Democratic Party now that was in the Republican Party 8-9 years ago and every Democrat that thinks highly of them self whether they're currently in office or not, believes they can be the leader of their party or at least a major player in the Democratic Party and is now making their play. Even if they have no government experience previously or don't even have much of a professional background at all. We saw activist lawyers, radio talk show hosts, bloggers, getting elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 and now we're seeing the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's of the world who was bartending in order to help herself pay her bills just a year ago, who'll probably be representing New York City in the House next year.

In 2010, you saw a whole wave of in some cases Conservative-Libertarian Tea Party Republicans. The Rand Paul's, Ron Johnson's, Mike Lee's of the world who got elected to the Senate and Justin Amash in the House. But you also saw some Far-Right Nationalist populist Republicans who make up a lot of the House so-called Freedom Caucus and represent the Donald Trump base, who oppose things like birthright citizenship, or voters being able to elect their own Senators instead of state legislatures, the Steve King's of the world in the House.

In 2018, what were going to see in the House of Representatives, assuming Democrats not just ran back the majority but do it in a big way and have 15-20 or more seat majority in the next Congress, is fringe base of the Democratic Party looking less fringe and more like mainstream Democrats. Not mainstream to the American electorate as a whole, but more normal inside the Democratic Party. With Socialists getting elected to the House especially in the Northeast, but in California as well, and perhaps in big Midwestern cities like Detroit, Chicago, perhaps in other cities.

And that the House Democratic Leadership will need these members to not just keep their majority, but to pass anything in the House. We already have a so-called Progressive Caucus in the House, who are actually Democratic Socialists ideologically like Maxine Waters and next year you might see this group actually use the label Democratic Socialist and be proud of it and not hide from it especially with all these Socialist Democrats getting elected to the House this year, assuming House Democrats win back the majority in 2018.

If you want to know why American voters be enlarge aren't fans of either the Democratic Party or Republican and why their approval ratings are so low and why 4-10 or more Americans voters now view themselves as Independents regardless of their political ideology, is because the parents aren't home in either party and have escaped from their children and are perhaps living it up in the Caribbean and perhaps living in hotels that don't allow children, while their children are left home by themselves. American voters, tend not to like the fringes of either side. The Nationalists on the Far-Right in the Republican Party and the Socialists on the Far-Left in the Democratic Party.

Source: The Cynical Historian: Rise of The New Left- 1968- Socialists, coming out of the political closet in America 

Mises Media: Tom E. Woods- 'On Socialists and Other Grotesque Ingrates'

Source: Mises Institute- Right-wing talk show host Tom Woods, speaking at Mises on Socialists 

"The opening lecture of Mises University 2018. Includes an introduction by Joseph T. Salerno. Recorded at the Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, on July 15, 2018.

Mises University is the world's leading instructional program in the Austrian School of economics, and is the essential training ground for economists who are looking beyond the mainstream."

Source:Mises Media

I think it's important when you're talking about Socialists to categorize them and put them in three factions, because there Socialists and there are Socialists. Just like there are lawyers and then there are lawyers and then there are politicians and then there are politicians. There not all the same people, but just happen to have the same title. So, what I going to do here is talk about those three socialist factions and then talk about what I don't like about any of them, but perhaps leave out the word grotesque or any other highly insulting word. Not that I'm a fan of political correctness because I'm not, but I'm not a fan of Christian-Conservatives, Nationalists, or Islamists, but I don't think they're disgusting either, just perhaps some of their beliefs.

When I think of Socialists, I think of Bernie Sanders, Hugo Chavez, and Fidel Castro. One is a small d Democratic Socialist. The other is a hybrid between a Democratic Socialist and Communist and the other is a Communist, a Marxist-Socialist.

The Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party, what would've been the Far-Left of the Democratic Party just 10 years ago and had been the Far-Left at least since George McGovern was a major factor in the Democratic Party in the 1970s, but because you have all of these Millennial's who can't afford to pay off their student loans and can't find jobs even if they have college degrees, have decided that socialism is "like totally awesome" for them and free speech is bigoted, freedom is dangerous and capitalism is racist, have all decided that their now Socialists and have moved out of their parents basements and into the Democratic Party. With what's left of the Democratic Leadership to babysit them. So, now you know what I don't like about Socialists.

And as a result what was the Far-Left in the Democratic Party pre-Barack Obama is now looking mainstream in the party similar to how Nationalists are now looking mainstream inside the Republican Party. Even though back in the day Nationalists were considered to be mental patients by Republicans. But Bernie Sanders today, represents for Democratic Socialists what former U.S. Representative Ron Paul represents for Libertarians, perhaps Gary Johnson represents for Classical Liberals and represents what's left of American liberalism.

So what's democratic socialism and what do Democratic Socialists believe?

Democratic socialism is a hybrid economic as well as governmental and political philosophy. That you should have a small d democratic state meaning country or any other jurisdiction, that individuals should have a good deal of personal autonomy short of hurting others with what they're doing. That the economy even by enlarge should be in private hands and that there should be private enterprise and even capitalism, but that you need a big central state to make sure that everyone in society's needs are met. That no one goes without the basics in life because there is no poverty and there's no wealth. Because big government is managing the finances of the country and decides what people need to live well in life. A long way of saying a welfare state that's financed though high taxation. A long with a large regulatory state to regulate the private economy.

So what do I not like about Democratic Socialists?

Similar to Communists, they tend to view people as stupid who need to be babysit ( sort of how Millennials actually are in life ) and that individualism is dangerous because some people will actually do very well in life and not need or even want the welfare state, while others will struggle just to survive in life. What Socialists like to call income inequality. Socialists tend to view non-Socialists as stupid because they don't have an Ivy League degree or a degree from some other great Northeastern or Pac-12 college, and see themselves as brilliant who aren't capable of making mistakes even when they're trying to run other people's lives for them. They're just simply over narcissistic and wrong about these things and should probably get rid of every mirror they own and perhaps they'll fall out of love with themselves and see the real world for a change.

So what's socialism and what do Socialists believe?

Socialism, is basically democratic socialism or if you prefer social democracy, combined with communism. And this here is about what I call hybrid Socialists, people who mix both democratic as well as communism in their political thinking. Venezuela, is essentially now a socialist state. Not purely a communist state and certainly not a social democracy, but they still have elections as sham as they are and even perhaps still have some free media even if it's tightly regulated and they still not just have an opposition party, but a liberal democratic opposition that if the Maduro Regime there were forced to have real elections, President Nicholas Maduro would probably be out-of-power right now. And yet you have Socialists in America who believe President Maduro is a good man and the Socialist Party there are good people.

So what do I not like about Socialists?

Similar to what I not like about Democratic Socialists which is Socialists believe individualism is dangerous and people are essentially come from idiot farms where brains were never given out or developed and need big government to manage their lives for them. Socialists, regardless of the faction have this Donald Trump narcissistic cult like persona that they have all the answers and thinking should not just discouraged, but perhaps outlawed. They remind me a lot of Reverend Jim Jones who created that death camp in Guyana known as Jonestown.

So what is communism and what do Communists believe?

There really isn't any real official definition of communism and what it means to be a Communist anymore. Cuba and China, are officially still communist states, but China especially now has a large private sector where people there not only own their own homes and other personal property, but manage and own their own businesses. Similar to Cuba, but Cuba is still in the early days with their experiment with private enterprise and capitalism. The official definition of a Communist is basically someone who believes in the state should own the means and production of society. Meaning the economy and capital. Meaning there is not private enterprise or private economy in society. But doesn't explain what Communists believe as far as their politics and how decisions should be made in society.

My definition of a Communist, is someone who believes that individualism, freedom in general should be outlawed and that it's the job of the central state to manage the welfare of the people. Decide where they should work, live, what they should believe, learn, etc. And exchange their basic needs in life will be met by the state. The Communist Republic of Korea ( or North Korea ) unless you want to include Syria, is really the only remaining pure communist state in the world. Not authoritarian, but the last of the communist states in the world.

So what do I not like about Communists?

Well, imagine doing a life sentence in a maximum security prison, because that's what life would be like living in a communist state. But if you to a typical maximum security prison in America, you might see inmates there that have more freedom there than the average person in North Korea. That is inmates who aren't in solitary confinement and by enlarge obey the rules of the institution and take advantage of what the prison has to offer. Things like education, work, visitations, etc. I mean, do I really have to explain what I wouldn't want to live in prison especially a maximum security prison? Because that's what life is like in a communist state.

You can't put Socialists in the same discussion as you would put Liberals, Conservative-Libertarians, or Nationalists, because again there are Socialists and then are other Socialists. I believe the best way to look at Socialists is two camps, one being democratic and the other communist. All Socialists have a lot in common similar to how Liberals and Conservative-Libertarians have a lot in common as far as individual rights and equal rights. The best way to look at Socialists is to look at each faction of socialism or just the socialist faction that you're interested in. 

You can also see this post at FreeState Now, on Blogger.

Salon Magazine: Andrew O'Hehrir- Interviewing Rob Reiner: On Why Neither Party Works Today

Source: Salon Magazine- Ron Reiner, President of the Donald Trump Hater Club. 

Source:Salon Magazine

I disagree with Rob Reiner on one thing in this video that Donald Trump wasn't vetted at all. I would argue that he wasn't even vetted properly. We know all about how dangerous, undisciplined, unqualified, bigoted, lacked character, lacked the most basic personal credentials that no Republican pre-Trump would give any other Republican or Democrat a pass on as far as being their presidential candidate, during the Republican primaries and he still won.

Donald Trump, labeled Mexicans as rapists when he announced for President in June, 2015.

Donald Trump claimed that John McCain, wasn't a war hero because he got captured in Vietnam.

Donald Trump's sexist attacks on then Fox News's Megyn Kelly during the first Republican presidential debate was just a couple months after his attacks on Mexicans.

Donald Trump, came out for a Muslim ban in December 2015.

The Trump University stories and how he screwed people that went to that money pit of a so-called university started breaking in early 2016.

In early spring 2016 Trump tells his supporters at one of his reality shows, I mean campaign rallies to beat the hell out of people who protest against him and he'll pay their legal fees.

Donald Trump's attacks on a gold star military family that lost their son during the Iraq War and implying that the soldier's mother didn't speak out because they don't allow that in the Muslim faith.

The Access Hollywood tape in October 2016.

The three debates where Hillary Clinton clearly looked and sounded more ready to be President than Donald Trump.

We had a tone of information and more importantly real facts and not alternative facts ( to quote White House Counsel Kellyanne Conway )  that was public for why Donald Trump wasn't just not qualified, not intellectually prepared to be President, lacked the character, the temperament, to be President, but represented a real danger to our country and government, well before he became President of the United States and the man still won. The real question is not whether Donald Trump was vetted or not, because of course he was with all the media attention that each of these stories about him got, but the real question is why Donald Trump, not just became President of the United States, but how does a man with his background, lack of qualifications, intelligence, and character, win the Republican nomination for President in the first place and put the country through this.

To go to the point that Rob Reiner made about the two-party system not working and that we need a strong Democratic Party and Republican Party, that's how Donald Trump wins the GOP nomination in the first place, because we have a weak two-party system that's about destroying the other party and not advancing an agenda that can draw popular support among American voters that's positive and shows voters who don't belong to either party why they should give Democrats or Republicans enough power to govern the country.

If we had just one party that was considered responsible enough to govern and offered that positive agenda, that party would not only have complete control of Congress, but with enough political support to actually govern. Republicans, have one, but not the other right now. A better scenario would be two strong and popular political parties that actually competed against each other with both having popular agendas leaving Americans to think I like both parties, so I'm going to let them govern together. With one party in the White House and other party having control of at least one chamber of Congress.

I would argue that Donald Trump, first won the GOP nomination because he wasn't just anti-establishment, but he's anti-Conservative. He's not a Conservative, never has been and has only being a Republican officially since 2011 or so and has always been an Independent in actuality as far as how he looks at politics and has never fitted in well with either party. We essentially have an Independent in the White House right now. The Republican Party is no longer a conservative party. They're a reactionary in the moment party that pretty much only makes decisions based on what they believe will help them politically at the given moment. At least at their leadership level and that fits Donald Trump's empty all the bullets in the gun first, figure out what all that means later approach to politics. Where everything is about now and spontaneous and thinking, intelligence, preparation, homework, is for losers.

Donald Trump, didn't first win the GOP nomination ( which was impressive enough ) because he was a Goldwater Conservative Republican who was going to turn the Federal Government back to what Conservative-Libertarians believe is the 10th Amendment role of the Federal Government which is basically no safety net or regulatory state and let the states deal with those issues themselves. Most Trump voters not only like the Federal safety net, but depend on it for their daily survival. We're talking about lower income blue-collar, older voters, who are also veterans, for the most part.

Donald Trump, won the GOP nomination because he against what the Republican Party traditionally believes in including things like character and knowledge, temperament. Who brought bigotry out in the open and made to seem OK to a lot of Republicans and even Independents. Had Trump run as a traditional Conservative Republican, he not only doesn't become President, but he never wins the GOP nomination, because there were 17 other Republicans who were more qualified and better suited to being President of the United States, including several Republicans who are young enough to be is sons.

Source: MSNBC: Hardball With Chris Matthews- Rob Reiner: On Donald Trump - Rob Reiner, on President Donald Trump's SCOTUS pick 

The Economist: 'When Donald Trump Met Vladimir Putin- Cartooned'

Source:The Economist- Don & Vlad, in Helsinki, Finland. 

“President Trump spent two hours alone with President Putin at a controversial meeting in Helskini this week. Our cartoonist Kal imagines the encounter.”

Source:The Economist 

I think a better name for the Trump-Putin Summit in Helsinki could be, "When Republicans go Hippie" or, "When Republicans Became Idealistic, Utopian, Hippies", with the subtitle being, "Give Peace a Chance." I can just see what would've happened if let's say, gee I don't know George McGovern, Ted Kennedy, Dennis Kucinich from back in the day, took this approach with any dictator whether the dictator was a rightist like Vladimir Putin's case or a leftist like Nicholas Maduro in Venezuela, the Republican Party would have a nationalist freakout calling any of those Democrats American traitors and appeasers who should be locked up, the American Neville Chamberlain. ( Sorry for the Chamberlain reference, if you're not familiar or knowledgeable about history )

Source: The Economist- Vladimir Putin, trying to hold back a smirk or laughter at Donald Trump 

Not saying all Republicans now sound like they're idealistic, utopian, hippies, who'll be calling for the end of racism, war, hunger, and poverty, not just in America, but around the world tomorrow. Not all Republicans today talk like they live on marijuana farms who only live there for the free pot and not to sell it, just saying too many of them do. Just saying too many Republicans, would like to go back or visit for the first time the late 1960s and live in San Francisco and be around other people who believe everything that is bad about the world can be eliminated if people just want and campaign for it.

Source: Issuu- Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, more than a bromance at this point 

Some Republicans have stayed home and missed the last spaceship flight to Planet Utopia and are not only still in touch with the real world and don't just have relatives, friends, and colleagues on Planet Earth, but physically and mentally still live here. Like Senator's Flake, Corker, McCain, Graham, Rubio, even Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as plenty of House Republicans like Ed Royce and others including the Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Just saying too many Republicans have taken the Trump flight to Utopia when it comes to President Trump, President Putin and Russia.

And because of President Donald Trump's attitude and what seems to look like an admiration if not friendship for just Vladimir Putin, but other dictators like Kim Jung-Un from the Communist Republic of Korea, he becomes a national joke and target for comedians including cartoonists over at The Economist. People who normally live in the real world both physically and mentally, but make fun of people who vacation on other planets that look and sound nothing like Planet Earth. Whatever you think of President Donald Trump, gotta admit that he's great for comedy about himself.

Which just goes to show you that whatever touch and feel that Donald Trump may have had when he was running for President this natural feel for how voters feel about him and feel in general, he doesn't seem to have much of that as President Trump. And makes big decisions like this like appeasing a Russian dictator believing it will play very well for him politically, instead of blowing up in his face like a guy pumping gas while he's having a smoke at the same time. ( What could possible go wrong? ) And in this sense President Trump, is starting to sound and act like President Jimmy Carter without President Carter's intelligence, experience, character, as someone who doesn't have much of a feel about American politics as far as how Americans feel about what's he's doing and about him personally.  

You can also see this post on WordPress. 

Foreign Policy Magazine: Jeremy Shapird: ‘Donald Trump Is Coming Off As Vladimir Putin’s Poodle, But That Actually Undermines Russia’s Ultimate Goal'

Source: Foreign Policy Magazine- Vladimir Putin, "I got my doggy Donald, right where I want him." Or perhaps something else in Russian. 

Source: The New Democrat

I don’t like talking about the President of the United States like this, simply because it makes America my country look bad and I actually respect the office of the presidency regardless of who serves in it and because a lot of very good men have served in that office in our history, but I don’t respect President Donald Trump for several reasons.

Source: Foreign Policy Magazine- President Donald Trump, meeting President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki 

As much as Donald Trump likes to talk about “make America great again”, as if America is not already great which is an insult to a lot of Americans is not most Americans and an insult to America as a country and helpful to our adversaries around the world and to the Far-Left in America who doesn’t see America as a great country and see us as the real evil empire in the world and as much as his base who live in 1950s American emotionally and personally, even though physically they’re unfortunately living in modern America that the rest of us have to put up with, it’s not so such America that they love away, but there part and people in America that they love.

Source: CNN- The Daily Mirror, on the Trump-Putin Summit 

And as much as Trump voters want to chant USA at the Trump reality show political rallies, Donald Trump is not an American Patriot. A New England Patriot perhaps, because of his relationship between Bob Kraft and Tom Brady, but he’s not an American Patriot. He’s a Trump narcissist and money lover who would sell America down the Hudson River if he thought he, his company, and family would profit from it. And this staged press conference which was really just an ( pardon my American ) an ass kissing contest, where it was the only time where President Trump came out on top of President Putin, by kissing Putin’s ass more during the summit.  The so-called summit with President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation on Monday, are just more examples of that.

We now have an American President, who at least publicly takes the word for a former Communist and now right-wing Nationalist ex-Russian KGB officer, over his own intelligence community which just happens to be the best most well-funded intelligence community in the world. Imagine if George McGovern, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, or any other major national Democrat especially Far-Left Democrat who ran for President, had said that about the American intelligence community. What would be the Republican reaction to that?

If Vlad tells Don, that he and his government didn’t interfere with the 2016 American elections and aren’t interfering now, than Don takes the word of his daddy Vlad, because Vlad promised Don that he would given him a treat after he takes him for a walk later if Don is a good boy. And in this case that means not accepting the word and intelligence of his own Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, who is an American military veteran, who severed in Congress both House and Senate for 24 years including serving on the intelligence committees in Congress. As well as taking Vlad’s word over the rest of the American intelligence community that says Russia, interfered with the 2016 elections and are still interfering with our elections.

You can make the case that President Trump and his administration, have been tough on Russia with the new sanctions and kicking Russian diplomats and intelligence officers out of the country. There are a few problems with that. President Trump, was essentially forced to do those things by Congress when they passed their sanctions bill that didn’t include a waiver in it allowing the President to waive the sanctions unilaterally at any point. They just didn’t pass those sanctions, but passed them overwhelmingly in spite of what the Trump Administration wanted and didn’t work with them on the sanctions. Just told them they were going to pass this legislation that passed with over 400 votes in the House and 98 in the Senate. Had the President vetoed that bill, he would’ve looked like a bigger schmuck or dog for President Putin, than he already is, ( if that’s possible ) because Congress would’ve overwhelming overridden his veto with a bipartisan vote.

Again, I don’t like talking this way about the American President, but unlike those 65 million or so Trump voters, I’m not one of his puppies or puppets, or a member of the Trump Cult. Or work for Fox News, which means I have the freedom to speak for myself and actually look at evidence and facts. And all of the objective evidence and facts is that Vladimir Putin could have something horrible on Donald Trump, that Don doesn’t want to get out. Which would explain why President Trump who is supposed to the President of the United States, is so nice at least in public to President Putin and looks like a tool or Poodle for President Putin and the Russian Federation.

Source: CNN: CNN Tonight- Don Lemon: 'Trump Went From Alpha Dog To Lap Dog'- CNN, once again nailing Donald Trump

Bernard Goldberg: 'Donald Trump Is No Ronald Reagan'

Source:Bernard Goldberg- Donald Trump-Vladimir Putin meeting in Helsinki. 

Source:Bernard Goldberg

To say Donald Trump, is no Ronald Reagan, is like saying it gets hot in South Florida during the summer. You would be so guilty of stating the obvious that you would have to plead guilty if stating the obvious was illegal and beg for a plea bargain or mercy from the court. As much as today's Republicans claim to love Ronald Reagan, they don't because they love Donald Trump instead who is very different not just politically, but in tone, temperament, character, or lack of character on The Donald's part.

Source: Bernard Goldberg- Classic Bully Donald Trump, taking on a disabled reporter in 2016 

Whatever you think of Ronald Reagan's politics and his presidency, most people tended to give him the benefit of the doubt that he at least believed what he was saying. Unlike Big Don, where 3-5 Americans depending on what poll you look at don't like the man and tend not to believe him when he's speaking. What Republicans like about Ronald Reagan is his popularity and the fact that he's a Republican, his supply side or as Democrats call borrow and spend economics, he was tough on crime and believed in large defense budgets.

Source: Mike Russo Expose- President's Donald Trump, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington & Ronald Reagan 

But beyond that today's GOP doesn't like The Gipper's politics, because he believed in immigration, diversity, multiculturalism, America is a city on a shining hill that welcomes everyone that is willing to work and contribute to America. In today's Republican Party if you're not of Western-Northern European, especially British Protestant background, they don't want you and see you as Un-American, shit holes. ( To use President Trump's own words) Reagan, Saw big government as a threat whether it interfered into either economic and or personal affairs. Not only was Reagan not in bed with the Christian-Right on social issues, he wasn't even in the same room, floor, home, neighborhood, city, zip code, county, state, etc. Unlike the Christian-Right that goes to bed politically with Donald Trump every night as he tucks them in.

Reagan, hated authoritarianism in all forms whether it was communism, nationalism, or religious fundamentalism. Unlike Donald Trump, who has tried to become friends with at least two Communists in President Xi Jinping from China and President Kim Jung-Un from North Korea. And wants President Vladimir Putin from Russia, to be his best friend, perhaps has a poster of him in his bedroom, running to be President of the Vladimir Putin Fan Club, if his current gig doesn't work out. And yet you always here Tea Party Republicans today talk about Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, as if they're the same man both politically and as far as personality. When they're as different as weather reports from Seattle, Washington and Miami, Florida in January.

Source: Fox News: Bill Hemmer- Bernard Goldberg: Narcissist Donald Trump Thinks Loyalty is a One-Way Street - Bernard Goldberg, taking on President Donald Trump 

Reason Magazine: Peter Suderman- 'Donald Trump's Vladimir Putin Summit Is Another Reminder He Prefers Dictators To Democratic Leaders'

Source:Reason Magazine- President Trump & President Putin, meeting in Helsinki.

"Among the most consistent characteristics of Donald Trump's worldview is his admiration for dictators, authoritarians, and political strongmen—not in spite of their most thuggish tactics, but because of them.

Trump often appears more comfortable in their company, and with their style of politics, than with the leaders of liberal democracies. This aspect of his personality was on display again today in his joint press conference with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

At the press conference, Trump refused to acknowledge Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. That Russia interfered is now well-documented in both a report by Republican lawmakers and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's recent indictment against Russian military intelligence operatives. Allowing that Russia interfered in the election is not equivalent to saying that Russia's actions swung the election in favor of Trump, but the president cannot seem to distinguish between the two." 

From Reason Magazine 

"Speaking following their bilateral meeting in Finland, U.S. President Donald Trump said he trusts Vladimir Putin's word that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 election before bringing up Hillary Clinton's missing emails." 

From Global News

Donald Trump, likes to portray himself as this big guy from Queens New York who doesn't take any junk ( to put it lightly ) from anyone and never gets pushed around. He always shows strength and toughness and is never soft. That is the reputation that he wanted to have in his 45 plus years in business and the reputation that he wants to have now as a politician. Except that in his heart he's basically just a bully. Trump, is a guy who'll be as tough as he possibly can against someone he says as a pushover, but if the person has any strength at all, he'll fall back.

Source: The Denver Post- President Trump & President Putin, greeting in Helsinki 

If President Trump, believes he can push someone around and sees that person as weak, he has no problem attacking them verbally, because he doesn't believe that person can defend them self, but if that person fights back like Hillary Clinton or someone else, he backs down. Or if he views someone as tough like a Vladimir Putin, he'll be as nice as he possibly can even going as far as appeasing that person to make them feel as good as possible. He'll make our democratic allies in Canada and Europe, look like the enemy and the authoritarian dictators look like our friends. 

Donald Trump, is the ultimate flatterer to people he views as tough and respects, who'll tell someone who just made them a peanut butter sandwich that is the best sandwich that he's ever eaten or the best meal he's ever had, even if the peanut butter sandwich only came with crackers and perhaps water and not even milk, he'll try to convince the person that he sees as tough as serving them the best meal he's ever had. Forget about those great steak dinner and other meals that he's had in New York or those great quarter pounders that he's had on his own airplane, the peanut butter sandwich is the best thing he's ever eaten, which is what he would want that person to believe. 

Trump, doesn't care if the people he likes and respects are horrible people, just as long as he likes and respects them and he feels they like and respect him. If Donald Trump felt something he liked about Saddam Hussein, Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Adolf Hitler, or any other mass murderer you want to name in world history, he'll be nice to that person regardless of what that person has done with their life or to other people. It's not about defending or promoting America or even the people who voted for him with Donald Trump, but defending and promoting Donald Trump the man. Or I would argue Donald Trump the lack of a man who doesn't have the guts ( to put it mildly ) to take on evil dictators. Even though he literally is the most powerful man in the world.

30, 40, 50, years ago Far-Leftist Democrats the George McGovern's of the world and even to a certain extent the Ted Kennedy's of the world, even though he moderated his politics at least on national security and foreign policy by the late 1980s or so, were seen as soft and people who appease dictators around the world especially Communists dictators. Before the McGovern's it was the Henry Wallace's of the world who had this reputation and now it would be the Dennis Kucinich's of the world from the last 10-15 years when he was in the House. And for good reasons because they were soft on authoritarians and authoritarianism and in some cases would even deny the obvious brutality that would go on in those countries that would be coming from the government's there.

I only mention this because if any major national Democrat who was looking at running for president or seeking a Democratic leadership post in Congress today the Elizabeth Warren's, Bernie Sanders of the world, said half or even a quarter of the nice things that President Trump has said about President Vladimir Putin, President Kim Jong-Un of the Communist Republic of Korea, President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China, President Rodrigo Duterte of Philippines, they would be seen as American traitors and as treasonous. If Hillary Clinton won the presidential election in 2016 and had said a quarter or half of the nice things that President Trump has said about these dictators, House Republicans would be calling for her impeachment immediately. But for some reason Donald Trump gets a pass from the same people who would be looking to arrest and lockup Democrats for doing the exact same things.

Living in America now is like being on a Twilight Zone episode or just living in The Twilight Zone, where you now have a Republican President who likes dictators and authoritarianism and who takes the word of President Vladimir Putin from the Russian Federation, who is a authoritarian right-wing Nationalist who locks up and even murders journalists and politicians simply for opposing him, over the word of the American intelligence community people he appointed to run those agencies who were confirmed by the U.S. Senate in most cases overwhelmingly. Career intelligence and national security professionals who run those agencies. The truth and evidence be dammed with President Donald Trump, if it doesn't backup up his spin and propaganda and helps him politically. That's the state of the Republican Party and American politics right now. 

You can also see this post at FreeState Now, on Blogger.

The Rubin Report: Dave Rubin- What is a Classical Liberal?

Source: The Rubin Report- There's a little liberal in every non-statist- 

Source: The Rubin Report: Dave Rubin- What is a Classical Liberal?

I've been asked many times in the past what are my politics. I'm been accused ( if you want to put it that way ) of being a Libertarian or some other right-winger especially on social media, when I say I'm against government-run health health care and health insurance, especially when there would be no other options for health care and health insurance. Or when I come out against free speech over political correctness. My response has always been I'm a Liberal, Classical Liberal if that helps you sleep better at night.

Source: A Libertarian Future- Liberalism 

This blog is a Classical Liberal or JFK Liberal blog. This is not a social democratic or democratic socialist blog, progressive sure! In the sense that I believe in progress and through government action, but bot total government action. People who work in government God bless them all, but they're no smarter than people who work office jobs in the private sector and have to make payroll and profits every week and month.

Source: AZ Quotes- Friedrich August Von Hayek, on Liberals

So this socialist idea that if you just let government run things and create this new government program or put more money into a current government program even if that means less individual freedom, choice, and responsibility, that things would automatically get better reminds me of the saying that you have to be a narcissist to believe you're the center of the universe and are perfect, well you have to be a Socialist to believe that government at any level not just has all the answers, but always has all the answers. Especially when you're talking about a large organization whether that's run by imperfect people and in some cases mistake prone people because they're overworked and have too much responsibility.

So, that's why I'm not a Socialist democratic or otherwise because I don't believe government has all the answers and therefor you need an educated free society to be able to manage their personal and economic affairs. Which is sort of the definition of the freedom which is the freedom of self-determination and for people to chart their own course in life and be able to make out of it what they put into to. Enjoy the fruits of their labor and productivity and deal with the consequences of their mistakes and hopefully learn from them so they don't make the same mistakes in the future. And if you're wondering why I'm a Liberal, I just explained that I believe the best society is an educated free society. Not a statist society where you have a government big enough to try to manage people's lives for them.

I'm not a Libertarian, because the modern Libertarian ( let's call them ) sound like they're if not more antigovernment than anti-big government, they're at least as antigovernment as they're anti-big government. And especially believe that every form of government tax or rule is somehow some form of slavery or something and they tend to be very conspiratorial and sound like they operating off of a whole bottle of whisky or were released from some mental institution without their medicine, they tend to sound like they've lost touch of reality and live in a different universe or only only on Planet Earth as visitors, but mentally not really here. I'm not antigovernment and I don't bash government programs and government daily. I'm anti-big government, because I don't want government running our lives for us. I want want free educated people to manage their own lives for themselves.

Liberalism, ( or classical liberalism if you prefer ) is not about small government or big government , but a political philosophy that advocates civil liberties and individual rights, liberal democracy with free and fair elections along with all the individual rights both civil and economic that come from a liberal democratic society. And even a safety net for people who truly need it and for whatever reasons aren't living in freedom with the means and tools to pay their own way, but not to manage their lives for them, but to help them back up so they can live in freedom. Liberals, don't believe they're smart enough to not only manage their own lives, but to manage other people's lives as well, so why would government be even smarter and should have any more power over others lives than just themselves.