Planned Parenthood: America’s Moral Megiddo

December 2, 2016 J.M.Abortion, GOP, Planned Parenthood, TrumpLeave a comment

This election cycle, the GOP floated and then campaigned on its promise to defund Planned Parenthood. Trump’s election was more of a cultural statement than anything else if we truly analyze the factors of the election. American conservatives were forced into casting their ballots for a man who displayed not a single inkling toward a fondness for any of the central pillars of conservatism. People voted for him anyway. I believe it was mainly out of a feeling of desperation which was born out of a culture war which was swinging the United States into a social quagmire. In essence; the Trump voter voted for Trump because he at least carried the title, “Republican” which had up until his nomination, been the party of principle. His election was a mandate from the on-the-fence and reluctant Trump voting conservative. This means that the GOP had better make good on its promise to defund PP. Planned Parenthood has become a pillar and a symbol of progressive ideology in this country. The left, emboldened by eight years of moral malaise paid for with a blank check from the Oval Office, have found themselves in a fight they were certain they would never actually have to lace up the gloves for. It will be interesting to see how the left defends PP when it is actually put to the fire in Congress.

The truly vocal, radicalized progressives in the west are better at convincing themselves of falsehoods than any other group in the world. Case in point; the belief that Fidel Castro was a freedom fighter and a hero, a man to be admired. I point this particular nonsense out to illustrate the truth that progressives truly consider their political counterparts across the aisle as dangerously evil people. Yes, people who pay their taxes, go to Church, have traditional marriages and vote GOP are in their eyes, on a lower human rung of worth than Fidel Castro. A man who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of his own countrymen. So it is safe to say that there won’t be any hands reaching across the aisle in an attempt to begin a dialogue by the left. Admitting that the majority of federal money that pours into PP is used to subsidize the medicine, services and procedures it offers other than abortions in order to do nothing more than facilitate cheaper abortions would be the first step. Don’t hold your breath.

Unfortunately for the left, they have a bit of an issue with that pesky problem of morality. It can be argued that the justification for taking a life is relative to the particulars of the situation. Counter examples being; a soldier killing the enemy in war vs. the armed robber killing their victim for a wallet. The realization that the ultimate act of evil can be categorized into separate columns offers little more than a cold shudder to the staunch pro-lifer. That is, until they begin to analyze and understand that not only do we need to understand the intent of a situation but also the individuals involved in order to make our own moral judgments. To the left however, it would seem to be an air tight argument on the part of the pro-abortion crowd. In practice this line of argument offers little more than an easily dismissed talking point. One where all of the “gotcha” sentiment is instantly lost once the question of innocence is raised.

Here is where we have the problem. The question of innocence when discussing victims. We are dealing with an ideology of progressivism which instantly attributes innocence to the victim. This should seem altogether correct. However, it makes little to no sense once we understand that the idea of who the victim is has changed. Victims are no longer victims in the classical sense. The victim in the case of an abortion, where a baby is killed, is no longer the baby, it is the mother. The victims in the case of a city on fire due to rioting are not the store owners or homeowners who lose their property, but the rioters who became violent because of feelings of disenfranchisement. When Ben Shapiro is banned from college campuses, it is because he doesn’t fit the ideal narrative for American higher education. The students who disagree with him are the victims, not the speaker who just had his first amendment rights trampled on. When you or I feel exploited because our tax dollars, without our consent, go to fund an agency we’d rather have no truck with, it is the agency that suffers and by proxy the people who go to said agency that can claim the mantle of victimhood. Not us who are having the money taken from us regardless.

If that doesn’t seem to make any sense to you it is because it doesn’t. If the next administration, which so far has shown more allegiance to Goldman Sachs than it has to its droves of rabid supporters falls short on this particular issue you can essentially write off the moral superiority clause the GOP has for so long championed. It is time for all sensible Americans, regardless of their political allegiances to understand that victimhood disenfranchises the actual victims of crimes. People who point out the provactive attire of rape victims are roundly rejected as being laughably ignorant and rightly so. Why then, is it different when it comes to other types of victims? The definition of victim is clear. How morally bankrupt have we become that we are willing to entertain the idea that Fidel Castro was a hero, but an unborn child is superfluous?

That is a question that is too depressing to think about.

Dumpster Fire: Round 1

September 27, 2016 J.M.Conservative, Election, GOP, Hillary Clinton, Liberal, TrumpLeave a comment

It was as advertised; a somewhat boring affair with Clinton at her coldest and Trump at a 7 out of 10 on the narcissistic rage scale. Nothing of substance came out of either candidate regardless of the fact that fairly substantive questions were asked. Questions were left unanswered and the best the viewer got out of it lands somewhere between, “what have we done” and “is it too late to pick a couple other candidates?” The best overview / rundown of the night was a single tweet I read which simply stated: “We are talking about birtherism before national security. Let that sink in.”

TRUMP: Breakdown and lasting question

He started strong and brought up the fact that she had been a career politician with little or nothing to show for it. He hammered her record and for a few minutes made her look like a lightweight compared to his tell-it-like-it-is rhetoric. However, that was only after she had brought up the fact that his father facilitated his success with his loan. It shows that he can still be gotten to. His past and his family’s past is his Achilles heel and anything to do with him personally sets him off like a roman candle. His entire appeal among his mainstream followers is the fact that he is not a politician and that he is a business success who seems to be as upset with the direction of the country as they are. What he is overestimating however, is the amount of self-serving grandstanding the on-the-fence voter can handle. The answer remains to be seen in November but I am guessing that answering policy questions with examples of your all-inclusive and racially welcoming golf resorts isn’t going to be something that makes you look like a deep-thinking policy genius. He is going to need to look far more presidential in the next two debates to repair the damage he did to himself last night when it comes to policy and planning. If he can’t beat Hillary in a debate… how can he expect us to believe foreign powers will capitulate to his brand of bluster? Question: How the HELL did he not destroy her on the emails when they had a five-minute back and forth on cyber attacks and the possibility of cyber terrorism?

CLINTON: Breakdown and lasting question

Woah. It is always interesting to watch a politician lie. It begs the question; how does someone train themselves to be devoid of all feeling? It’s actually impressive. What she lost in the beginning she made up for during the second half of the debate by putting Trump on the defensive. He is not good when he is on the defensive. Now she knows that. No one is really all that good on the defensive. Proof of this fact was seen last night when she simply thumbed over the fact that her email gaffe potentially put America and Americans abroad at risk by saying; “I made a mistake.” What would you expect from the woman who also famously asked what difference it made? She has been in this circus long enough to understand more about policy and the repercussions of policy decision than her opponent. That was made painfully evident by the fact that she is more automaton than human. Her thousand yard stare, forced chuckles and emotionless delivery is downright creepy. Does she have the chops to be the president? No. But neither does he and at this point this election is more like choosing a plug for a sinking ship than a captain to get us into port before we go under. Question: How the HELL can she keep a straight face when discussing law and order a few minutes after essentially disavowing due process?

RESULT: Draw, with a slight advantage to Clinton.

Two more of these trainwrecks to go.

Get some popcorn… and Valium.

The 2016 Election and Total Freedom

May 24, 2016May 24, 2016 J.M.2016, Conservative, Donald Trump, Election, GOP, Hillary Clinton, Liberal, LibertarianLeave a comment

We’ve moved beyond the, “lesser of two evils” model here in 2016. On one hand, I reject the hysterical fear mongering of the right which states that a Hillary presidency will lead to the National Guard busting in your front door to steal your guns while they force you to watch an atheist perform an abortion on your wife. I reject the laughably reactionary warning from the left that a Trump presidency will see, Free Guns for Toddlers stands on every corner being run by Klansmen against a backdrop of mile after mile of crucified immigrants. On the other hand, these cartoonish examples of extremes do not negate the fact that we have two choices which are doing their best to appeal to the extreme wings of their respective sides.

First of all, the decision not to cast my vote for Donald Trump has nothing to do with me wanting a Hillary presidency. That particular castigation has been thrown at me a number of times by rabid Trumpkins. No, I will not bend my knee and get in line with your incomprehensible lunacy so you can pretend you have a normal candidate for the next six months. You made this liberal bed, you hitched your wagons to this disingenuous star, you own it. Hell, your own man said you didn’t need us, so why do we need him?

Answer: we don’t.

For the first time in my life as a voter, there is no lesser of two evils to choose from. They are equally as reprehensible. Thomas Sowell (one of the most brilliant men alive) said it best of Trump; “There was a time when someone who publicly mocked a handicapped man would have told us everything we needed to know about his character.” It is awfully apparent at this point, that the fact that he has said and done absolutely disgusting things over the past year is neither here nor there on the national stage. It doesn’t matter to his droves of followers who were basically equated with sociopaths by the man himself when he used the now infamous shooting-on-Fifth-Avenue line. He is a died in the wool liberal who has been a liberal his entire life. He walks back absolutely everything he says that gives me and other conservatives even the slightest glimpse of hope for his candidacy within hours of saying it. His body of work stands for itself and I don’t trust people who have made umpteen millions of dollars looking out for no one but themselves. So basically, I don’t trust millionaires, period.

Hillary is equally as nauseating. She will kowtow to special interests in a manner which would make a lobbyist blush out of thrombosis inducing cringiness. Every single move she has made over the past year is so painfully rife with pander that it is hard to take her seriously, even when she’s coughing uncontrollably. She is so loathed by her own side that she is being given a run for her money by a kindly old lunatic who looks like he’s perpetually frustrated with a jacket zipper stuck on a shirt button. Don’t misunderstand Bernie’s appeal. A very small number of his supporters are true socialists and an even smaller minority of those Bolsheviks actually have half a clue on what socialism is. He is appealing for one reason and one reason only to the majority of his supporters and moderate Democrats; he’s not her.

To reiterate my previous point: there is no lesser than equation in this election cycle.

When faced with the choice that Americans are going to have to make in November, it is easy to fall into despair. I did for a while. Until I realized the magnificent liberation that comes from being absolutely skunked. A line from Matthew Broderick’s character in the movie, The Freshman sums it up best; “there’s a kind of freedom in being completely screwed… because you know things can’t get any worse.” I can actually vote my conscience this go around. Quite frankly, the last two GOP nominees for president didn’t exactly light my sociopolitical, partisan world aflame. In fact, I wasn’t a fan of either. This year, I can honestly vote for who I think would be the best option for leader of the country. As a conservative, my vote doesn’t matter here in New England. That fact coupled with the awful choice equals total freedom. Ah, that makes it all a little better.

I will end up voting for whoever the Libertarian candidate is or perhaps write-in someone else. Because after careful consideration I’d rather throw away my vote than to cast it for someone my principles can’t reconcile. I’d rather know that I had nothing to do with our national nightmare than be part ot it. Sorry, Trumpkins and Hillbots. But my soul ain’t for sale.

Not this year anyway.

Extreme Begets Extremes

May 6, 2016May 6, 2016 J.M.Conservative, Election, GOP, Liberal, TrumpLeave a comment

I hate to sound like a liberal apologist. I loathe to sound like a left-winger. I cringe inwardly and outwardly when I think I remotely sound like a Salon.com contributor. But, every once in a while you have to set aside the icky feeling which springs from the question; do I sound like them, in order to make a point. With our current apparent choices for president this November, only one thing is absolutely clear; President Obama was a catastrophic cultural failure.

It is a common misconception to believe that the current state of American politics represents an unprecedented drop in political decorum. This is simply untrue. The attacks which were run against candidates and parties in the 19th century make today’s debacle seem tame by comparison. It cannot be ignored however, that while the current state of things is much different from the way it was over 116 years ago, there is still a tremendous amount of vitriol swirling around out there in the ether.

So we have what we have now. The extreme ends of both parties and ideologies are gaining an enormous amount of traction. As recently as the previous election cycle, the idea of a seriously contending Democratic candidate alluding to the virtues of socialism would have been unthinkable. At very least, the natural inclination to extol the virtues of socialism by the left and candidate would have been stifled to the point where the dirty word itself would merely have been alluded to in an attempt to pass ideology as sweet sounding policy. Now, we have a presumptive Democratic nominee who was almost beaten by a socialist. An openly socialist, socialist. It would be in the best interest of Hillary to recruit Bernie for VP but that would be career suicide for the man who built his campaign on the platform; ‘I am not like her.’ Then again, at his age, how much more career can there realistically be?

We have a presumptive Republican nominee who has been as far from conservative as a GOP candidate could possibly be. Lets use the previous comparison formula to keep things on an even playing field. As recently as the previous election cycle, the idea of a Republican candidate donating over a hundred thousand dollars to the person they are running against coupled with a solid liberal history would have been unthinkable. A candidate who literally told his supporters that they were stupid with his shooting-people-on-Fifth-Avenue analogy. There is no amount of logic, empirical evidence or outcome projections that can dislodge his rock solid support. His appeal is far easier to quantify than one would care to admit. It is not because he is a great candidate. It is not because he holds the same ideals as his supporters. It is not because he is a principled conservative. It is not because his vision for America is sustainable let alone attainable. It is because the human mind relegates reason in order to achieve its most sought after goal; instant gratification.

After almost two full terms of President Obama attempting to change the character of the United States, the frustration levels among some on the right-wing made thoughtful political calculation, analysis and reason seem almost nauseating when contrasted with the immediate release offered by a figurehead who says all of the awful things that swirled in their minds but were afraid to say. Pulling the lever for the Donald offered many disenchanted GOPers the instant gratification they desperately wanted which came after watching Romney flounder in ’12 coupled with the subsequent hurricane of Obama overreach. Donald Trump is not a presidential candidate. He is a drunken rant to your buddies after you’ve had a bad day. Or a bad seven years. The relative ease by which he sailed into the nomination is on par with the relative ease that the president’s ideological paradigm shift took root in the left over the past seven years. For every action … well you know the rest. There is an old adage which is said any number of different ways but it perfectly reflects the sentiment at the core of the Trump Train. See if this rings a bell: I knew it was a bad idea then and I know it’s a bad idea now but man, did it feel good at the time.

There are two solid facts that need to be understood by anyone who supports a candidate who could be considered politically controversial:

Political tides are cyclical. One always comes as a response to the previous.
Smugness from the previous cycle amplifies the more destructive elements and voices from each subsequent cycle.

With Trump leading the charge at least in title, you can be sure that with or without a win in November and with the appeal of socialism among the young and the reckless that are just now graduating; the push back is going to be unthinkably extreme. I have a feeling that a lot of people are going to learn those two facts the hard way. But I guess it doesn’t matter because at the time it felt great. For some people at least.