tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9653889617287642002024-02-21T02:17:21.231-06:00Firetree / Firetree PublishingFiretree is dedicated to analytic discussions of issues from the liberal point of view. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.comBlogger3522125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-57033846163872328032016-05-23T20:35:00.001-06:002016-05-23T20:35:17.519-06:00WHAT HAPPENS NOW. THE GREAT UNANSWERED QUESTION
Austerity promoted by modern conservative leaders is destroying this country. Their kind of austerity is a misinterpretation of what the goal of conservatism should actually be. Conservatism should deal with controlling spending and not try to stop all spending. In the tipsy trivia political world of today the conservatives and liberals have migrated into on or the other political party rather that form wings of the party. The conservatives are amassed in the Republican party and the liberals are amassed in the Democratic party. Thus, the modern Republican Party appears to have taken an extreme position, which happens because they lack the moderating liberal points of view from within that party. The position they have taken would have been the expected position of what in the past would have been an extreme point of view for an entire party. What is happening is that the party is not trying to make government better, as political parties did in the past, but are working to completely destroy it, which is obviously an unacceptable extreme . . . one half of the body politic trying to destroy their reason for existence. It makes no sense. What is most disconcerting about the movement is that it seems to be worldwide. Several governments in the Europe Union have recently elected extreme rightwing government leaders. Austria seems on the verge of following suite. This seems dangerous to me; however, I have to admit that I am puzzled where this is going to lead. It seems counter to the usual conservative fear of loss of national sovereignty. In the past in individual countries it has led to dictators of one kind or another, which has led to tyrannies of one political party or, in the case of communism, it led to tyranny of the majority. The tyranny of royalty was the most common form of tyranny and replacing it with democracy was the result. Perhaps it will be multinational corporations left to take the reins of leadership. Of course, tyranny is tyranny.
Of course, this movement to the right is receiving a disproportionate amount of support because individuality is something we all want and are willing to fight to get; it seems to be in our genes. Also, experience in the material world has taught us that we should ask for more than we actually want. I am a great believer in the idea that conservatism is driven by greed, which is an individual thing, in contrast with liberalism, which is driven by empathy. Obviously, empathy is a judgement of a group. We cannot survive without greed. The result in a free society, which is the hall mark of democracy is that we routinely fight for more than our share. This means democracy has an innate built in conflict; we ask for and expect to receive more than our Fair share. We as a society have reached that point. The question is it this happening at the country level or is it happening at the world level and if it is what is the final result. Where is our society going? We as a species have been around for about 100,000 years. Have we reach or are we approaching some sort of utopia? I find interesting is that many including some of the best minds down through the ages have tried but no one has ever been able to describe or even come close to describing what that might be. My point is that it seems as if are we are about to find out the hard way? The next one hundred years is bound to be interesting.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-74618132687562139532016-05-01T10:18:00.000-06:002016-05-01T10:19:19.770-06:00USS LOWRY ON THE YALU RIVERLike most ex-service men, I have little stories I can tell about serving aboard the USS Lowry in Korea during the Korean war. We call them “war stories” although they generally do not deal with shoot-em-up battles there were tense times. Fortunately, most of them ended well. One of my favorite such stories has to do with being in a very dangerous place during a very dangerous time when I am absolutely sure every crew member knew they were in danger but 99% of the crew did not realize how close they came to disaster. I have no idea of how many knew where we were sailing on the Yalu River, why we were there, and what real dangers they face. The date was May, 1952. At the time ship’s rumor had it that we were on an assignment to pick up information from a spy although our ship’s commanding officer later wrote we were there to deliver guns and ammunition to a contingent of Marine Raiders operating behind Communist lines. I saw nothing of that sort being transferred to the boat and only one of the men in the boat appeared to be an American and he was not in uniform of any kind.
It was a moonless night with all light turned off and the ship’s portholes and hatches closed. The crew was at condition “E”, which meant they were standing at ease but remained at their battle stations. My duty station was in the electronics shop or ET Shack standing by with other electronic technicians petty officers to repair damaged radio or radar equipment if there was any. This compartment was next door to the Combat Information Center or CIC, the hub of communications. The CIC where the radio and radar is housed, which means we knew most of what was going on all the time. In addition, the ET shack had a common door with the navigation center or what we called the map or chart room. As is so often the case of our time in Korea, it was a long boring time with one lonely ship silently sailing for hours in complete darkness dark. Most of us, even in the CIC, did not know for sure where we were actually going or why we were going there. Boredom and curiosity led me to open the door to the map room where I found the navigation Officer working intensely over the map table. I did not realize at the time he was navigating without verified chart or maps. I later learned he was referring to a Royal Navy Chart, circa 1854. He left and returned several times, ostensibly to go to the ship’s bridge. From the radar images and from the charts it appeared to my untrained eye that we were sailing directly into the mouth of the Yalu River, which at the time and under those circumstances was unbelievable.
We were at war, with North Korea, which was supported by Red China. The river flows between these two countries; not a healthy place. Actually, we were at a stalemate in the war. We were worried about MIG attacks but were told we were safe from air attacks because Navy planes from three of our aircraft carriers controlling the skies. Both sides in the war, or United Nation’s police action as it was called at the time, were maneuvering for advantage in truce negotiations that were expected to start soon. Ship’s scuttlebutt was that we were on our way to meet the equivalent of a small rowboat with an oar used to propel the boat. We referred to them as wiggle boats. Again out of boredom, I went out on deck to see what I could see, which was nothing. Eventually, I could faintly hear an American voice yelling for the deck hands on the stern to show a light, meaning a handheld flashlight covered with a red cloth, and to throw him a rope. The exchange became sharp when there was no light and the sailors on the stern of the ship yelled that the guy in the boat should throw them a rope. He quickly showed his Americanism by saying he did not have one and that he the thought a “big f---ing boat would have an f---ing rope. The rhetoric accelerated to panic when unexpectedly a powerful airplane searchlight on the ship’s bridge was turned on illuminating the entire rear half of the ship and a good share of the river. Just as quickly, the light was turned off.
The small boat was tied up to the stern and three or four guys, all dressed in loosely fitting Korean clothing, climbed aboard. Only one looked to be an American. He was a tall thin man with curly blond hair and the least likely looking person to be a spy behind enemy lines. The American was taken to the wardroom. I was told that a the others were given free access to the ships store, which they literally stuffed their pockets with candy, cigarettes, etc. Still bored as the events on the fantail slowly unraveled, I returned to the ET shack. For something to do, I stepped into the chart room and turned on the fathometer for not real reason. It indicated in digital readout that we were in 40 some feet of water, which I thought nothing about because I knew the ship had a 15-foot draft. To my surprise, the navigation officer looked at the readout and yelled and explicative as he ran from the chart room and headed up the ladder to the bridge. I was confused by his excitement. Later, I found out he knew the river was shallow and the depth of the river tide was about 30 feet. He also knew the tide was going out; we would soon be stuck in the mud on the Yalu River, which would have been a rather precarious situation—a mighty United States warship helplessly stuck in the mud on the Yalu river. Immediately, the ship starting to turn. Luckily, the wiggle boat had tied up to the stern or it would have been left on the river.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-42776823739118846102016-04-20T10:00:00.003-06:002016-04-20T10:01:26.886-06:00TRUMP IS NO MYSTERYSome folks seem to think Trump’s popularity is a mystery. They even question if he is a “true” Republican. The affinity is no mystery; it is based on the same old common principle that holds the GOP together, which is good old fashion greed, which makes him more of a Republican than most Republican are. In addition, his thinly veiled strong-arm rhetoric strengthens, his affinity with that Party. For an example of this examine his build a wall battle cry and make Mexico pay for it. We are then richest nation in the world and Mexico is one of the poorest. There is no reason why we should not use our economic might to force Mexico to not only build the wall but to pay for it as well. This was the kind of strong arm American foreign policy that made us into what the world sees as the “ugly Americans”. Under the able leadership of President Obama and the liberal philosophy, we have matured and are moving away from this kind of diplomacy. We as a nation are still the world leader but have that position out of respect and not fear. There is a big difference.
The Trump political campaign has opened up this ugly argument again about this blind spot. Why is it that Republicans as a political party cannot see the difference between respect and fear? In the past I have written about a bullied teenager dressed in a black trench coat carrying an assault rifle and wearing a back pack full of ammunition standing in a door of a school demanding the “respect” of his teachers and fellow students. Few among us fail to see the difference, yet we listen to Donald J. Trump stand at a microphone and receive round after round of applause for demanding we use our economic might to force Mexico to build a wall and pay for it. His weapon of choice is not an assault rifle but rather our balance of trade with that country. This is the same as what he is saying about trade with China or Japan. Rather than building walls and menacing countries with our economic might, how about regaining respect us because we build better products, cars for example, or educating our young people to a higher standard, or offering better and more affordable health care, or eliminating poverty and for having a fairer society.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-50780833693361543562016-04-01T09:56:00.001-06:002016-04-01T09:56:49.580-06:00BEN BERNANKE MUDDLE<a href="http://firetreepub.blogspot.com/2016/04/ben-bernanke-muddle.html?spref=bl">BEN BERNANKE MUDDLE</a>: I just finished the strangest book I have ever read cover to cover. It was titled, The Courage to Act: A memoir of a Crisis and its Aftermat... URL: firetreepub.blogspot.comComments Invited and not moderated<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-46311956128663809292016-04-01T09:55:00.003-06:002016-04-01T09:56:23.289-06:00BEN BERNANKE MUDDLEI just finished the strangest book I have ever read cover to cover. It was titled, The Courage to Act: A memoir of a Crisis and its Aftermath by Ben Bernanke. 2015. The author was the head of the Federal Reserve System following Allan Greenspan, which led up to and followed the greatest economic crisis the world has ever experienced. The reason it was such a strange book is that sentence after sentence said exactly the opposite of what author’s message was. Bernanke claimed to have had the courage to act however that is what he did not do.
Bernanke carefully explained he is an was raised as Ashkenazi Jew and is a devote Republican dedicated to being fiscally responsible. Seldom do we read books where the author dedicates so much space to documenting his religious heritage. He is obviously proud of the fact that Ashkenazi Jews are known to have IQ’s an average 12 points above the rest of us. In addition, he went to some of the best schools in the nation and studied economics. It was a little surprising he did not make more of his affiliation with the Republican Party and philosophical affiliation with that party’s platform of being fiscally responsible. However, this aspect was understandable because of his having been appointed by a Republican president and the need in the foreseeable future to be re-appointed by a Democratic President and confirmed by a Partisan congress. This deniable political affiliation while at the same time embracing it, is in keeping with the tenor of rest of the book.
The doctrine of the Republican party, stated in as many ways as one can imagine, is less government, small government, no government, government is the problems, etc. As Bernanke carefully explains, he did a great job as a Republican heading a government agency dedicated to controlling the economy; an agency that he as an economist believes should not exist in a capitalist system. In addition, clearly the agency did a great job under Greenspan because it failed to provide the oversight needed, which resulted in the crisis. He repeatedly said in the books that the economic crisis came about because of the lack of supervision of banks and lending institutions, which makes my point; he is trying to take credit for correcting the great wrong that resulted from the Republican philosophy that created the economic crisis.
Do you ever wonder why people are confused by what happens in Washington?
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-53596298453967431872016-03-26T20:19:00.001-06:002016-03-26T20:19:34.529-06:00DONALD TRUMP AND PERSONAL HYGIENE<a href="http://firetreepub.blogspot.com/2016/03/donald-trump-and-personal-hygiene.html?spref=bl">DONALD TRUMP AND PERSONAL HYGIENE</a>: As strange as it may seem, Donald Trump’s candidacy seems to have contributed to personal hygiene in the United States. A number of people f...<br />
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URL: firetreepub.blogspot.comComments Invited and not moderated<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-59237625510356361702016-03-26T20:18:00.001-06:002016-03-26T20:18:57.249-06:00DONALD TRUMP AND PERSONAL HYGIENEAs strange as it may seem, Donald Trump’s candidacy seems to have contributed to personal hygiene in the United States. A number of people feel that they have to shower after listening to one of his speeches.
I have been seriously struggling with the question of what does his candidacy means for politics in the United States. Have we reached such a low point that we can go no lower or is he just a fluke in the system? In the past I wrote a blog every day, but I have stopped because I realized I was becoming repetitive. One of the few repeated themes had to do with debunking the message I kept hearing; the government is bad and all politicians are liars. In fact, that is the campaign mantra of one political party. At face value, it made no sense because candidates from that party were fighting mightily to be elected . . . why would they want to be identified as a liar and become part of something that was so bad? I wrote a number of times that their objective seemed to be to destroy government then went on to explain that as well made no sense because even small children know we need government.
Suddenly, there was Trump spouting his debauchery and nonsense. That was not the bad part. The bad part was that people were voting for him. Why would people expend the effort go to his rallies and to vote for him when they will not vote for serious candidates. Are they so filled with hate for their own government that they not only not want the government but actively want work to destroy it. Is it that they no longer understand that it is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. As I repeatedly said in my blogs, they act as if want a plutocracy, an economic dictator. That makes even less sense than for them to want to be politicians or to live without a government. The only thing that makes sense to me is that all their advertisements have convinced us to buy the half empty package with the bright yellow top without caring what is in it.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-47061671969405141812016-03-16T14:07:00.001-06:002016-03-16T14:07:18.147-06:00SUPREME COURT TREASON<a href="http://firetreepub.blogspot.com/2016/03/supreme-court-treason.html?spref=bl">SUPREME COURT TREASON</a>: Obama did what the American people elected him to do. However, once again, the leadership of the Republican party has shown they are un-Amer...<br />
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URL: firetreepub.blogspot.comComments Invited and not moderated<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-88607403016094845152016-03-16T14:06:00.000-06:002016-03-16T14:06:45.230-06:00SUPREME COURT TREASONObama did what the American people elected him to do. However, once again, the leadership of the Republican party has shown they are un-American. Can anyone who claims they are Republican and claim they are Americans and support what they are doing to the Supreme Court nominee. This is fundamental American Government function. GOP leadership is clearly violating the sense of the Constitution contrary to what the American people want. The tragedy is that the Party, with Citizens United” money, has elected people like Mitch McConnell to leadership roles in our Congress over THE fear of coal mining jobs in Kentucky. The reason that ruling happened was because of bribery of several Supreme Court Justices by the Koch Brothers. We know who those Justices are and we know who bribed them because of the fragment of remaining free press. There is no provision for the court they appointed to put them in jail or before a firing squad for treason. Yes, I said to physically harm the Koch brothers because their act of treason is that serious. Of course, I do not want violence of any kind. The only reason I suggest violence is that it is the only way that would happen. The way is should happen is for the press calls for it to happen. Unfortunately, the press has rapidly become a tool of the economic elite, which is putting us on this downward spiral, which will eventually lead our country to crash and burn. The Trump candidacy is a classic example of what can happen and I am afraid, if we listen, he is telling us exactly what will happen.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-26467570329302347662016-03-15T12:56:00.001-06:002016-03-15T12:56:18.140-06:00POLITICAL PARTIES A THING OF THE PAST
Something very simple and fundamental has gone seriously wrong with our two-party system in the United States. The parties no longer represent the view held by the people. For example, we know we need fossil fuels and we know that our climate is in danger of pollution from burning fossil fuels. Nevertheless, one party tells us to stop using fossil fuels, when we know we must, while and the other tells us climate change is not due to burning fossil fuels, when we know there is a connection. Working men and women know they want and need unions yet the party leaders of one party that many workers belong to tells us that unions should be destroyed and the other party with an equal number of working members is not defending labor’s right to organize. We all want to be individuals but we all want to work in unison.
In our minds, our two parties are based on fundamental principles while members of both parties recognize we need government. One party claim there is too much government while the other party members says the government is there to help the people, yet members of both parties want social security, FDIC, and welfare just as they see the serious problems with private schools and business owned prisons. We find ourselves in the dilemma of claiming to having too much government while we want more government programs that benefit the people, which clearly does not fit the party system.
Isn’t time to reassess how we want our political parties to believe. The parties should represent what the people think and shake off the tired old traditional mantras of party membership that cause us to claim we support things in which we do not believe; climate change is real; the arctic ice cap is melting; we need fossil fuels until we can develop renewables; and we need strong unions to counter management. It is easy to lead the people if the people are united by what they want. Our political parties no longer represent the people. We need to solve problems; we need to tax the people to support government we want. Universal health care is not free. College education for all cost money. No one should starve. This all goes back to the declaration; of the people, by the people, and for the people.
This presidential campaign has pointed this out big time; the political party candidates are campaigning in an unreal world of what the political party leaders want it to be and not what the people want. There is no simplistic party based on hate for groups of people for Donald Trump to fit in just as there is no equally simplistic opposition party in a country of 330 million people based on individualism for Cruz to fit in, nor is there a party of love of all our fellow citizens for Bernie Sanders to fit into. We need two political parties; one for working class people and a party of management. Obviously, this is impossible in a one man one vote democracy because the working class outnumber management by far. So far, we have been working on this problem for thousands upon thousands of years, for the sake of humankind, I hope we can solve it. Two political parties do not seem to be the answer; they are outdated.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-7090536082399663622016-03-09T14:52:00.001-06:002016-03-09T14:52:40.821-06:00TRUMP'S SCAM<a href="http://firetreepub.blogspot.com/2016/03/trumps-scam.html?spref=bl">TRUMP'S SCAM</a>: The charge has been made that Donald Trump is a con artist. The more I think about that charge, the more I think it is true. At first, the i... URL: firetreepub.blogspot.comComments Invited and not moderated<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-59623868695666401772016-03-09T14:51:00.001-06:002016-03-09T14:52:15.398-06:00TRUMP'S SCAMThe charge has been made that Donald Trump is a con artist. The more I think about that charge, the more I think it is true. At first, the idea is overwhelming because of the numbers but also the range of people being scammed. We like to think of a subset of people as being vulnerable to being conned, such as the very old or the very young people. In addition, we usually you think of some individual here or there being conned out of money, but this is something different. He is conning groups of people and conning them out of money. The question is where does the money come in? Now, think about it this way; Trump is “conning” a majority of people in state after state to vote for him as president; where does the money come into his plan. Last night, it became clear. He is selling his wide range of products, which includes vodka, ties and shirts, apartments, golf club memberships, buildings, and steaks, among other things, but most of all he is selling his name.
His “make America great again” is the punch line that allows him to put his foot in your door. Is there any living person content with everything in his or her life? Is there any living citizen who doesn't see something wrong with America? I was shocked to realize how many reasonable people tend to plug whatever they see wrong with America into that simplistic Trump line. You know and I know he is a fraud just as we know that is how he became so rich. He became rich through deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage. Every time he speaks you can hear it; his buildings are the biggest, he is the most wonderful man, his vodka is the best, ad nausea. There is never something to compare them too.
Everyone has heard of and knows what voter fraud is but do they know what candidate fraud is? They should because to some degree it is common; people run for office for profit and power, some even run for elected office to make the government better. Trump is a person who is a candidate running for office under deceitful pretenses. Clearly he wants to open a store in the White House for what he is selling.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-83964271120045897942016-03-02T10:09:00.001-06:002016-03-02T10:09:09.929-06:00TRUMP IS A REPUBLICAN AT HIS CORE<a href="http://firetreepub.blogspot.com/2016/03/trump-is-republican-at-his-core.html?spref=bl">TRUMP IS A REPUBLICAN AT HIS CORE</a>: As a teacher, I told my students the only stupid question is one to which you already know the answer. When I hear media talking heads ask, ...<br />
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URL: firetreepub.blogspot.comComments Invited and not moderated<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-33484438307194540542016-03-02T10:08:00.000-06:002016-03-02T10:08:36.883-06:00TRUMP IS A REPUBLICAN AT HIS COREAs a teacher, I told my students the only stupid question is one to which you already know the answer. When I hear media talking heads ask, is there a racist component in Republican Party politics is a stupid question. Simple look at a map of red versus blue states. I am acquainted with many diverse societies and have observed one thing, when there is an organized minority the Republican party is at the center of those who shun that minority, whatever it might be. Latino, native American, black, Asian, and Muslims are included as well, which clearly indicates it is not all racism, but is based on someone somehow being different.
This current uproar about Donald J. Trump being a “closet” racist is not a new thing with high profile people in politics. He disavowed the support of white supremacist groups in a way that clear indicated he does not disavow white supremacist groups. We just went through this with Representative Stephen Scalise as Majority Whip in the current United States House of Representatives Majority Whip. He is a member of the Republican Party and the chairman of the 170-member conservative House Republican Study Committee. The point is for those who it matters, he is a known racist like them.
In the case of Trump, he has put a number of marks on his wall related to this: deport Latinos, build a wall between the Unties States and Mexico, prevent Muslims from coming into the United States. It should be noted that he does not disavow Zionists, who just happen to be a minority but one with a powerful lobby group, which clearly indicates his propensity to allow his politics to guide his hate. The tragedy is that he has added to his support from the American people because of this.
When we add this to the problems in our economy caused by the Republican Congresses down through the last thirty years and their recent prevention of President Obama from correcting what they have done with Reaganomics, a tragedy looms, which would be the election of Trump. It seems ironic they campaign on the success of their obstructionism and racism. Donald Trump has been able to garner the votes of enough decent people to make the Republican Party seem irrelevant, but it is not. Strange as it may seem, the Republican Party is now trying to disavow him by claiming he is not one of them. Sorry Reince Priebus, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, and Steve Scalise; he is very much one of yours
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-34191173569586450592016-02-28T10:04:00.001-06:002016-02-28T10:04:10.516-06:00GREAT HILLARY CLINTON MYSTERY<a href="http://firetreepub.blogspot.com/2016/02/great-hillary-clinton-mystery.html?spref=bl">GREAT HILLARY CLINTON MYSTERY</a>: The greatest mystery of our time concerns Hillary Clinton. As close as I can tell, she has been the target of unprecedented attacks since sh... URL: firetreepub.blogspot.comComments Invited and not moderated<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-84851962108963869052016-02-28T10:02:00.000-06:002016-02-28T10:02:18.078-06:00GREAT HILLARY CLINTON MYSTERYThe greatest mystery of our time concerns Hillary Clinton. As close as I can tell, she has been the target of unprecedented attacks since she became a public figure. Nothing in her history would suggest why this would be the case. Yes, she was the wife of a president but even then the media has treated differently from any other first lady. It seems that out of nowhere, Richard Mellon Scaife was an American billionaire, a principal heir to the Mellon banking, oil, and aluminum fortune, and the owner and publisher of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He died in 2014 but it seems his lasting legacy in the media is a deep persistent but unexplained hate for Hillary Clinton. As strange as it was, he did a sudden and total reversal in April 2008, and endorsed her. Mrs. Clinton wrote in her memoir that he helped bankroll “the vast right-wing conspiracy” that was bent on destroying the Clinton presidency. There is no question that this is true. However, his hate went much deeper than that; it was pointed and personal for Hillary.
The hate generated by this man seems to have skyrocketed and expanded to the point of being ridiculous. I just read, again for the thousandth time about her guilt in Benghazi. The same article brought up the Whitewater scandal. Of course, Vince Foster’s murder was mentioned. The main subject of the article subject was that she recently transmitted secret State Department memos on her public e-mail account. Every one of these things has been investigated and reinvestigated and no wrongdoing was found on her part or on her husband's account . . . none, zero. We all now the sexual improprieties taken by Bill Clinton, which have somehow has become her crime. Keep in mind that the famous blue dress mysteriously appeared in court after a number of years. It had been carefully preserved. Think about that; why would a young underpaid government intern preserve such an expensive dress unless some sort of anti-Clinton conspiracy was involved.
She is not guilty of any of these things, yet they will not go away. Why? There is something notable about the comments of Republican political operatives bashing Hillary Clinton; they use the same words and phrases and often use them in the same order. When investigating a crime, police will immediately separate conspirators so they cannot exchange lies. When the same words are used in the answers, it usually means two things; one the answers are not truthful and that secondly, the answers were planned and rehearsed. Now these same comments are being mouthed by ordinary common working class people. These are the people she is supporting in government although part of the big lie is that she is representing big banks and monied interests, which happens to be who the Republican are supporting. What is missing is who is planning these answers and why are they being planned. As I said, Richard Mellon Scaife may have started it, but who is perpetuating it. I can understand that Republicans are fearful she will be elected President, but that is only something that came into play the last few years. The hate Hillary campaign has been going on for 25 or 30 years.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-26259462574241557522016-02-27T15:40:00.003-06:002016-02-27T15:40:58.894-06:00CAMPAIGN OF HATE ELECTS TRUMP<a href="http://firetreepub.blogspot.com/2016/02/campaign-of-hate-elects-trump.html?spref=bl">CAMPAIGN OF HATE ELECTS TRUMP</a>: There can be little question about it; the Donald J. Trump phenomenon that the Republican hate so much is a product of their own Parties doi...<br />
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URL: firetreepub.blogspot.comComments Invited and not moderated<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-18777866651263779972016-02-27T15:40:00.001-06:002016-02-27T15:40:30.854-06:00CAMPAIGN OF HATE ELECTS TRUMPThere can be little question about it; the Donald J. Trump phenomenon that the Republican hate so much is a product of their own Parties doing. I have heard nothing but hate politicians and hate the government coming out of their mouths for years. According to them being a politician is to join a dishonest profession. What has happened is that Republicans and some Democrats have caused chaos and shame, in our electoral system. Now they have to pay the price. The people who vote will elect Trump President just as they chose him in every election he has entered so far. The people clearly have a choice on the far left as well as a choice on the far right, so it isn’t their pure political philosophy that will bring them to the polls. They will vote for someone who says he hates government and politicians.
The result of all their preaching hate is a greatly diminished number of people who are concerned about the quality of government and about voting. Young people do not become involved in politics as politicians. When we should have legions of potential candidates for President of the United States, we have only a few and some of those are of questionable character. Some are not running for the job, they are running for the notoriety; Ben Carlson or Carley Fiorina for examples. Does anyone really think the people will elect a politician such as Saunders, Cruz, Rubio, or Clinton? Does anyone really think Trump is running as a politician? Think of how much money he can save as President by bribing himself. How many times have we been told politicians, including being told by Trump, are only in Washington to accept bribes? Some are but there are also many good ones but their numbers are diminishing.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-6849682703778037682016-02-21T09:57:00.001-06:002016-02-21T09:57:06.920-06:00Firetree / Firetree Publishing: UNITED STATES IS PARALLING GERMANY<a href="http://firetreepub.blogspot.com/2016/02/united-states-is-paralling-germany.html?spref=bl">UNITED STATES IS PARALLING GERMANY</a>: I hesitated in publishing this article because comparing something we do not agree with the worst thing we can think of seems like an old tr...<br />
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URL: firetreepub.blogspot.comComments Invited and not moderated<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-50765521679419083972016-02-21T09:55:00.005-06:002016-02-21T10:01:48.821-06:00UNITED STATES IS PARALLING GERMANYI hesitated in publishing this article because comparing something we do not agree with the worst thing we can think of seems like an old trope. The obvious problem is that when the comparison is valid, the logic loses its punch. Still, I felt I must try.
It is time to panic and not wait until 2017 after it is too late. I watched an old movie last night, Judgement at Nuremberg (1961). The synopsis of the trial said it was a trial about 4 Nazi judges who used their offices to conduct Nazi sterilization and cleansing policies; however, it was something much greater than that. Anyone with even the slightest interest in history knows the story and has seen the pictures and felt the horror of it. Although this move was supposedly about 4 judges who used their offices to conduct Nazi sterilization and cleansing policies; however, it went much deeper than that. It was about the guilt of the German people, “the man on the street,” which is the same question that the world has been asking millions of time. The truth is that we know the answer but refuse to accept it as if the question has never been asked. The Military Tribunal found the German judges guilty and sentenced them to prison for life, but in a beautifully written way, the script writers made it clear who were actually responsible for the excesses committed by the Hitler regime; it was the German people.
The script writer posed the question concerning how an educated population people, just like you and me, could allow this to happen. We all know the political unrest between the left wing and right wing political forces at work during this period of post-war stress. It is my contention that they are exactly the same forces at work in the modern world; thus, I treat these political feelings as being something deeply innate in our being. I believe our political alignment is instinctually related to who we are. It is evolutionary psychology; thus, political operatives using clever argument are able to manipulate these feelings but only to a point unless we allow them to corrupt our human decency. As with the Germans on trial, they did not have good judgement in protecting their country. They were guilty of violating their human values. This election cycle in the United States scares me because I see a clear parallel.
Hitler did this by telling the German people something they were instinctually prone to believe. He told them they were different in a special way, just as members of your family are special, and members of your city, state, and country are special. The color of our skin, our way of doing business, our religion, our love for other people as long as they are one of us. We learn this in church; you can go to heaven if you believe to our church but everyone else will go to hell. He would make Germany great again by building walls in the form of geography barriers, which is instinctual; it is theirs and not one else’s country. It is instinctual; we see this in all animals, but in dogs especially because we are close to them. We know that they will fiercely protect their territory, which is why many of us have them in our houses. Hitler would restore Germany to greatness by stopping the mixing of non-Germans with Germans and protect it by buying a big dog, one that can outfight every other dog, which is necessary even if we don’t have the room and cannot afford it.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-37766657805394571102016-02-20T21:48:00.001-06:002016-02-20T21:48:33.038-06:00REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN IS IN HIGH GEAR<a href="http://firetreepub.blogspot.com/2016/02/republican-campaign-is-in-high-gear.html?spref=bl">REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN IS IN HIGH GEAR</a>: Finally, the presidential campaigning is taking shape. Every one of the Republican candidates have the same tired old unrealistic campaign r... URL: firetreepub.blogspot.comComments Invited and not moderated<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-23382731890949706982016-02-20T21:47:00.000-06:002016-02-20T21:47:54.379-06:00REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN IS IN HIGH GEARFinally, the presidential campaigning is taking shape. Every one of the Republican candidates have the same tired old unrealistic campaign rhetoric, after all, they are conservatives and have not changeD for 250 years. Cut taxes which will solve everything. Cut taxes but make America great again by deporting 11,000,000 workers. Build a $12,000,000,000 wall to keep our country safe . . . it has to be high enough so planes cannot fly over it if someone ever invents planes. Block all trade agreements but lower the cost of living. Create jobs by keeping the money in the hands of job creators, who create jobs in China. Save money by letting the Nations’ infrastructure deteriorate. Cut taxes but build a huge, huge military; after all, we are already ten times stronger than eight of the most powerful countries put together. Cut taxes but destroy ISIS. Restore respect for America by making all nations fear us and killing those who don’t. Send huge sums of foreign aid money to Israel and protect them from aggression so they can dominate the Middle East. Protect individual rights by telling women they have no right to choose or by telling same-sex couples they cannot marry. Make everyone follow religious beliefs as long as they are Christian beliefs. Did mention, we have to ban burkas!!! Of course, police do not have to follow the law.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-8924945672976487962016-02-16T09:47:00.001-06:002016-02-16T09:47:10.613-06:00WHITE SUPREMACIST GO MAINLINE<a href="http://firetreepub.blogspot.com/2016/02/white-supremacist-go-mainline.html?spref=bl">WHITE SUPREMACIST GO MAINLINE</a>: For liberals such as I am, it is difficult to understand how anyone can vote for a Republican. At one time in our history it was an honorabl...<br />
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URL: firetreepub.blogspot.comComments Invited and not moderated<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-10608368488645346162016-02-16T09:45:00.002-06:002016-02-16T09:46:09.333-06:00WHITE SUPREMACIST GO MAINLINEFor liberals such as I am, it is difficult to understand how anyone can vote for a Republican. At one time in our history it was an honorable thing to be a Republican; now, it is not. In fact, what the name Republican has come to mean is something that seems impossible to rationalize. Of course I know all the bunk the Republicans of old preach about smaller government, austere budgets, and individual rights. However, I am also aware of how they are less than forthright about what they believe to attract one issue voters to their party such as is the case with antiabortion, same sex marriage, and all the keep rhetoric about “keeping our country safe”. These are the kinds of thing put them on the road to where they are now.
For examples, their love of God spews out of their mouths every stump speech along with a call to build our military. Really it is a call to rebuild our military, as a way of accusing Democrats for making our country only 10 times stronger than any other country on earth, which is reminiscent of the old cold war rhetoric when they wanted a kill ratio of one hundred to one; just to make sure. It goes on and on; however, the truth is that all they really want is to hold the nation in their hands much as a slave owner held slaves. That is what voter suppression is all about. That is what the Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” decision is all about. These things are not wild exaggerations. Just think of what they mean when they say they want to take “their” country back or that although President Obama was born in the United States he is not a citizen of the United States. Slaves were not citizens by birth. How can a black man be president? The only conclusion possible is that the core of the modern Republican Party are blatant racists; what they mean is that they want to take back “their” country. What they mean America is no longer a nation ruled by white people of European ancestry, which is how they see themselves. Of course, America is a nation of all the people. I never see this thought openly expressed in the media or even expressed in private conversations. It is just not appropriate to be a raciest but clearly that is what they are.
Of course, those who will object to this line of thinking have the classic wiggle room; they can say some maybe racist but they themselves are not racists. I am here to say if they call themselves Christians but are not, they depend on the same wiggle room as well. I read posts on Facebook made by people who are clearly Christians pretending to be Republicans or are clearly Republicans pretending to be Christians but are neither. If you do not believe this, then read their posts. Christians are based on the love of their fellow man without conditions. Show me a Republican who does not put conditions on the U.S. citizenship; a black man who wants to be president, a gay man who want to marry another man, or a woman who wants an abortion. Or as Donald Trump point out Muslims do not have the “right of citizenship” any more than Obama has the right to be president, what Trump wants is to “GET WHITE AMERICA BACK”.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965388961728764200.post-33740726277001424312016-02-14T10:18:00.004-06:002016-02-14T10:19:11.692-06:00SCALIA, OBAMA, AND THE SUPREME COURTThe media is filled with stories about what a wonderful justice Scalia was. I am here to tell you he was not a wonderful justice. He was the epitome of what is wrong with the Supreme Court of the United States. I do not have to point out a series of cases to make my point because everyone knows what I am saying. He was a radical politician and not a fair justice. He was not there to decide what Congress wanted any more than this current Congress is there to decide what the people in this country want. Like the Congress he was bought and paid for by the plutocrats. I look at him as an employee of the Koch brothers. We all know who they are and what they want. I am here to tell you it is not want “we the people” want. We knew what he was, just like we knew what Alito was before he was appointed and approved for the court. The people who are responsible are all of those who were responsible for putting him on the court, including political operatives. And now we have the liberals, including me, asking President Obama to name a radical left winger to the Supreme Court, which makes my point; the system is broken. What is worse, I am part of it and I have no idea of how to fix it.
My mother drilled it not my head not to say anything about someone if you cannot say something nice. In addition, she always told me not to criticize something unless I had an idea of how to do it better. I feel as if I am a double failure this morning because I think Scalia, the justice that gave us George W. Bush, should rot in hell and our system for naming justices is broken.
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Firetreepub Blogspot.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08470444056299143466noreply@blogger.com0