Trump vs. the Race Card Industry

Donald Trump: racist?

I doubt it. I could be wrong, but not based on what people are showing me.

I think three or four denunciations of the KKK should suffice. After that, the reporters are just badgering the candidate, and obstructing the airing of other issues. The exception would be if there is credible evidence of Klan involvement, like all the evidence the Left ignored in the life of the late Senator Robert Byrd (D- WV). Senator Byrd skated on that, everywhere but talk radio.

But what about video showing black people being roughed up at his rallies?

That could be racist. It could also be misanthropic, or just thuggish.

In some circumstances, it could be justified - depending on what sort of menacing actions the person might have been doing.

If white people are doing the same thing, and getting kid glove treatment, while black people are singled out for the rough stuff - that would indicate racism.

Just the fact that protesters are removed from a rally is not wrong.

If I pay for a hall, it's so people can hear from me, not from my detractors - that is right in line with the first amendment. You don't have a constitutional right to disrupt a meeting in a venue for which someone else paid.

That said, I believe Trump is not a friend of the first amendment, and that some of his comments about the press - as dishonorable as many of them are - portend a return to the Alien and Sedition Acts under John Adams, and the imprisonment of those who protested wars under Lincoln and Wilson.

Also, it is certain that Trump is a nationalist, and that his followers have authoritarian tendencies (based on this article and my own interaction with many of them). And yes, Trump comports himself as a potential dictator, especially at his rallies.

Reminds me very much of when ancient Israel demanded a king.

Which did not end well for them.

Nationalism is not synonymous with racism, although many racists are also nationalists.

Ben Carson struck me as a nationalist, even before he announced his support for Trump today. An endorsement which likely shocked some of Ben's supporters, but not those who pay close attention. Ben is as ignorant about foreign affairs as he is brilliant in his field of neurosurgery.

I don't think Ben Carson is stupid, nor is it helpful when Trump's opponents call Trump supporters stupid.

Also, I don't think Carson is a racist, and if he was, I would assume his racism would not be directed at black people, eh?

Marxist Left, Fascist Right: Twins!

Last week, a self described "liberal" accused me of blind allegiance to Ron Paul.

Today, a "Conservative Animal" (blog name) called me a "paulie" (sic).

For the record, I do agree with Ron Paul, but my opinions were largely in line with his before I began to pay much attention to him, about six years ago. Plus, whatever is wrong with my opinions, a lot of thoughts go into them, and so ad hominem arguments are resented, chiefly because they indicate no respect for my time.

The "Left - Right" paradigm in which we frame political discussions seems more absurd to me everyday.

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"Left" and "Right" have much more in common than their shared disdain for the simple honesty of Ron Paul.

* They both have the exact same plan to deal with our national debt problem - blame the other party.
* Democrats spoke against Bush's military adventurism; Republicans decry Obama's. But in the end, both keep funding our unsustainable worldwide military presence.
* Neither has any respect for the Constitution: Conservative Animal is offended by the confidence with which Ron Paul supporters cite the Constitution (it's our fault that hardly anyone else reads it?), and  thinks the Federal courts are the sole arbiters of its meaning. Animal thus affirms the hubris of Chief Justice Hughes: "...we are under a Constitution, but the Constitution is what the judges say it is..." My "liberal" critic thinks the Constitution is subservient to popular opinion, and inadequate for modern life, and since his view is shared by the statists who dominate the federal judiciary, he, like Conservative Animal, is happy for our country to be governed by de facto tribunals of judges.
* Both quickly play the race card when they have no answers: the liberal thinks objections to Obama's massive expansion of the federal government is rooted in racism; Conservative Animal accused me of being anti-Semitic because I think Israel deliberately attacked the USS Liberty in 1967. Since I didn't mention the Liberty attack in my post on Mr. Animal's blog, I'm guessing somebody searched out my comments about it elsewhere online. I'm opting out of participation on that blog, as the proprieters are given to overbearing and verbose tirades full of ad hominem arguments, red herring, and ipse dixit assertions posing as axioms. See for yourself here.
* Both are ignorant of, or OK with, the President having authority to imprison American citizens indefinitely without charging them.

The Left side of the box is still the box. Ditto the right side.

Ron Paul's ideas are not really profound. He just cuts through the bullshit; and millions of people are ready for someone to do that.

Unfortunately, many more millions are still thinking in the box.

Pray and think. Please.

Reasonable liberals - an oxymoron?

Politically conservative person seeks discussion forum to occasionally engage in discussions with liberals, progressives, and others on the political left without first being subjected to neo-Stalinist diversionary tactics.

A word of explanation - by neo-Stalinist diversionary tactics, I refer to the common practice of accusing every opponent of Obama's policies of being a racist, a disciple of Fox News, or a Limbaugh sycophant. Also, it gets tiresome, when asserting that Obama is a socialist, of being told that "socialist" is code for the N word. I have a dictionary, and I use it. The two terms are not synonymous.

It's not that my sensitive ego can't withstand a barrage of agitprop masquerading as discourse. It's a matter of logistics. I have limited time - not enough to waste defending against baseless charges from ideologically rigid people with no tolerance of other views. A member of my family is a communist - I'll contact her if I need a condescending and contemptuous response to my ideas.

Anyone aware of an internet forum that fits the bill, I'd greatly appreciate a heads up.