Filosofa’s Thoughts

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2020, Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

Tonight, I was in an introspective mood, doing some thinking about where this nation appears to be headed and about the people of this nation who seemingly applaud the direction we are taking.  In the midst of my introspection, came the news that the so-called president of this country was once again conducting a rally and that he was, once again, denigrating those of us who speak or have spoken against him or his actions.  The rally was in Minnesota where he said of Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden …

“He was only a good Vice President because he understood how to kiss Barack Obama’s ass.”

This isn’t Dave down at the corner bar talking after a few beers, my friends … this is the ‘man’ who was elected to lead a nation of 330 million people.  At the same rally, he slammed Ilhan Omar, the U.S. House representative from Minnesota, saying …

“How do you have such a person representing you in Minnesota? I’m very angry at you people. She is a disgrace to our country, and she is one of the big reasons that I am going to win, and that the Republican Party is going to win, Minnesota in 13 months.”

But do you know what disgusts me the most, my friends?  At that last malicious statement by Trump, his audience stood and begin chanting “Four more years” and “Send her back”.

That’s right, my friends … a large number of the people of this nation still, despite his rants, his foul language, his illegalities, his anti-humanitarian rhetoric and policies, his self-serving nature, still find something to relate to … something to cling to.  And that is what disturbs me most.  People who I once thought I knew, people I once called “friend”, support the speech and actions of a person who is … a lawbreaking, lowlife bucket of scum.  And they want him to lead this nation … straight over the cliff or into the iceberg, whichever analogy you prefer.  I find that I can no longer respect or even tolerate those who would support a president whom I cannot respect.  And this led me to some thoughts … thoughts which, if you care to listen, I will share with you tonight.

  • I think that when the person who sits at the highest level of our government invites foreign nations to create chaos and promote falsehoods in our elections, as Trump did in 2016 and is doing already for the upcoming 2020 election, we cannot respect that person, for he is breaking the law, undermining the Constitution, and acting out of self-interest, not the interest of the nation.
  • I think that when the person who occupies an office that has been respected for more than 200 years stoops to calling any who don’t agree with him names such as ‘pompous ass’, ‘fat Jerry’, ‘nervous Nancy’, ‘lyin’ Ted’, ‘shifty Schiff’, and more, that person cannot expect and does not deserve the respect of the nation.
  • I think that when the person who was elected to lead a nation of 330 million people turns his back on that nation’s allies, pulls out of crucial previously negotiated treatises, and leaves other allies to certain death, that person loses the respect not only of the people of the nation, but of the people of the globe.
  • I think that when the person who supposedly ‘leads’ a nation disregards environmental threats to not only the nation, but the entire globe, and instead provides incentive to wealthy industry barons to further decimate the planet, that person has earned the scorn and wrath of every person on the planet.
  • I think that when the person elected to the highest office in the nation lies, cheats, steals and then bullies those who would hold him accountable, we cannot possibly have any respect or compassion for this person.
  • I think that any person who has taken an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of a nation, then breaks that oath on a near-daily basis, does not deserve the honour of the position to which he was elected.
  • I think that a person who holds an office that historically has been internationally respected, but yet praises strongman dictators while stabbing that nation’s allies in the back, can only be considered a traitor who deserves no respect.
  • I think that any person who defends a president guilty of the above trespasses, cannot claim to be a good person, a patriot, or a concerned citizen, for he or she is defending a creature who has no concern for the nation and its people.

In the words of writer and friend John Pavlovitz …

“I just want a President with compassion, intelligence, and simple human decency.”

And in the words of Filosofa …

“I just want a president I can respect and trust. I don’t need to like him, but I need to be able to respect him.”

Tonight, as I write this, I sit here with tears in my eyes and a very heavy heart, for we do not have a president that meets either John’s standards or my own.  We have a dishonest, deceitful, bullying ‘person’ in the White House who is leading us quickly down a path to … what?  Destruction, certainly, but … will this nation survive intact?  I once thought I knew this nation, thought I understood our government even with its flaws, and thought I liked the people I called ‘friend’.  If our friends and neighbors who are still wearing their slightly frayed maga hats, who are still playing that somewhat warped “he tells it like it is” record, don’t take off their tinted glasses and find a functional mind and a conscience, if he is allowed a second term, I think this nation will not come out in 2024 only slightly damaged, but completely destroyed.  I shan’t be here to see it.

54 thoughts on “Filosofa’s Thoughts”

  2. Hello Jill. I think the people who support him, his cult, do so because they want to be like him. They want to spout off with no consequences. They want to vent their racial or bigoted feelings with out criticism. They want to be able to do what they want to women and not have to deal with the woman being a person. They want to be able to flaunt rules, laws, and polite society and act like the king of the hill with no one able to stop them or correct them. They want to have the power to be an ass that tRump has. tRump is a poor man’s idea of a rich man, and a weak man’s idea of a strong man. The love all tRump’s faults because they have the same faults. That is why they are devoted to him, and why they support him so deeply. Hugs

    Liked by 1 person

    • I’m sure that is part of it. He has given them a license for bigotry in all of its ugly formats. Just today, I briefly engaged in conversation through one of Nan’s posts with an ardent fan of Trump’s and finally after two attempts to talk about facts, and to try to get answers to how she felt about certain things, such as kids in cages who will likely never again see their parents, all she could do was spout quotes that had nothing to do with what I had asked, and tell me that I didn’t have facts, but was basically a nincompoop, so I dropped it. As I said about Dylan, I don’t have the time nor energy for the bullshit. Sigh. Hugs!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Hello Jill. I agree. Thanks for trying but you can not reason with cult members. To me that is what these people are. They love being part of what they see as a movement, one with power. So they buy into it with all they have. Later they will claim to never heard of any of it and deny the Dear Leader entirely. Hugs

        Liked by 1 person

        • I’ve learned that so many times, and yet some stubborn streak in me keeps trying. Sigh. I, who have never been a violent person (though I don’t shy away from a fight, either) am not thinking that I’d like to attempt to do murder on some people! My temper is short, and my tolerance for ignorance is long since gone. Sigh. Hugs.

          Liked by 1 person

  3. Remember three years ago when Hillary Clinton was excoriated by Repubs for calling Trump supporters a “basket of deplorables?” How right she was (and that was mild compared to what Trump calls non-supporters every day).

    Liked by 2 people

    • Oh how could I forget? Yes, and they made such a huge deal out of it, but as you say … look what Trump calls any who don’t fawn over him and bow to his wishes. Sigh. When she called them deplorables, I groaned, for I knew what would ensue, but at the same time, I agreed with her assessment. Still do.

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  4. I truly hope you find a way to set this all aside for a bit because the pain it’s causing you just isn’t healthy. I caught a glimpse of his recent rally and had to switch channels because I just couldn’t tolerate the grinning, nodding faces behind him. I’m disgusted by it all. Hugs.

    Liked by 2 people

    • I’ve tried to take a day or two off, but I find that it just isn’t possible … I have a NEED, I think, to know what is happening, to remain involved and connected. I do refuse to watch him in clips, or to look at his ugly mug, for it sickens and disgusts me. Hugs!!!

      Liked by 2 people

  5. This is why we must stand behind, and vote for, the Democratic Candidate, whoever that is, because four more years of THIS is the alternative. I share your thoughts and your fears. I think a lot of us have heavy hearts tonight.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Absolutely … I have said that I would vote for Attila the Hun before I would vote for Trump. You are right … there isn’t much joy for those of us who read, who understand, and who care about what is happening to this nation.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Regarding your friends who are ardent Trump supporters, try not to take them too seriously or personally. Like Jesus said, forgive them for they know not what they do.
    Honestly I do have conservative friends who wear Maga hats and attend the rallies, I try to be respectful and use reason to convince them to see the truth. But it’s like they’re under a spell and cannot shake it. They would admit that Trump is an embarrassment and fool but “he tells it like it is”. I respond, according to whom?? The man has an agenda, and it’s not to help we the ppl.
    It is exasperating but in the long run ppl will see for themselves. We need patience and understanding for our fellow human beings, no matter how hard-headed or blind. Sigh, believe me I understand what ur goling thru Jill.
    Keep fighting the good fight!

    Liked by 3 people

    • I guess lying and telling it like it is, is the same thing for them.

      And what kind of people are ok with children in cages and asylum seekers being detained indefinitely in very poor living conditions.

      What kind of people are ok with with rigging the voting system against minorities.

      What kind of people do not want to do anything about climate change on the off chance (to them) it might be true, because they think it’s fake news.

      What kind of people think it’s OK to force their religious beliefs on everyone else and into law.

      What kind of people care and want to legally deny who someone loves as long as it doesn’t hurt or abuse someone.

      What kind of people wear confederate and Nazi flags, chant lock her or him up and chant any hateful thing trump spews.

      And what kind of people join local militia groups and would literally kill for trump, if asked.

      These are not normal or moral people.

      Liked by 3 people

      • Like i said, it’s not logical but seems like Trump supporters fell under his spell. Same could be said for Nixon, Castro, Hitler, Stalin hypnotizing the masses. My conservative friends understand all the talking points, they just feel choosing the lesser of two evils, regarding the Democratic party as the worst possible outcome. Crooked Hillary etc.
        Well i ask them HRC is NOT running in 2020, so what’s ur excuse now??? Sigh, there’s no talking sense, so ur right most are not normal or moral, but these are the sign of the times we’re living in.

        Liked by 1 person

    • I don’t even call them friends any longer. I forgive many things, but … lately I find that I have very little tolerance for ignorance, and it is only the ignorant … the willfully ignorant … who continue to support Trump. I think that if by now they have not awakened, have not looked at the ‘man’ they support and seen the evil that lies just under the surface, they will never see. I’ve given up trying to even meet them halfway, for they make it clear that they are not listening to any reasoned discussions. Sigh. We will die under a dictatorship. Ultimately, the world will quash him and his children who come after him, but meanwhile …

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  7. Thanks for sharing!.. as I have said in the past, Trump is an arrogant bully on a ego trip… an element of society has voted him into power for their own closed minded reasons and know they can get Trump to do what they want simply by fueling his ego… Trump’s power lies in the supporters, without them he is powerless…

    There are many ways in the system to curtail and stop Trump, but one must work with others and concentrate on those who support him for real change… 🙂

    “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do…” Pope John XXIII

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thanks Dutch! I agree, and it amazes me that so many … some 41% – 42% … still think he’s great, despite everything. You are also right that engagement … civil discourse … with his supporters is key, but … they don’t seem to listen, don’t seem interested in facts, for they have been told that those who don’t support him are just a bunch of haters, of socialists who will take away their rights and freedoms, and GASP … their guns! Inspiring quote … thanks!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Well, that 41-42% are thinking of no one but themselves and as long as Trump gives them what they want, they will support him, and of course he will give them what they want for that support… 🙂
        Will just have to continue to let the fingers do the walking (typing) and the heart do the talking, work with others and hopefully make this world a better place, if not for us, those that follow… 🙂
        “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” (Mother Teresa)

        Liked by 2 people

  8. Yes…good post and profoundly sad. It’s exactly the way I feel and most of my feelings are about his supporters , not trump himself, as there are always a few horrific people in power over the centuries.

    It saddens me to know people, who otherwise, I would have liked or been friends with, that can morally support this monster of corruption.

    I have friends like me and I really don’t associate with any trump suppo. On the rare occasion they are present, I’m civil, but that’s it. I feel it would, not only hypocritically, but a degrading of my own standards. I can be civil, but I don’t have to associate with them….ever.

    Liked by 4 people

    • I was feeling profoundly sad as I wrote that, Mary. Happens a lot these days. Yes, that 20-30 thousand people showed up for his rally in Minnesota and cheered him. Heck, I didn’t know there were that many people in all of Minnesota. And the fact that his approval rating stays consistently in the 41% – 42% range is … beyond belief. Sigh. I’m like you … I will be civil, but I won’t go out of my way to spend time with any who can still like this ‘man’.

      Liked by 2 people

  10. I find your post profoundly sad, Jill. I cannot imagine your angst. Our own federal election on the 21st of this month is a toss-up – I’m voting early today.

    Liked by 4 people

    • I was feeling profoundly sad when I wrote it, John. I was trying to work on an environmental post, but it just wasn’t happening, for this kept weighing on my mind and needed to be released. I’m thinking to re-blog Wolf Boy’s post about your elections this evening … my fingers are crossed for you guys!

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  11. Jill, I wholeheartedly agree. Two comments. A key attribute of a narcissist is to call people names or labels that are actually attributes of their own character. It is a defense mechanism. He will hear someone allude to corruption, so he will call others corrupt as a defense, eg. So, if you want to know what The Donald frets over, listen to what he calls others.

    The other is I want a boringly competent President, who is compassionate, collaborarive and cares about doing things the right way. Someone who won’t make seemingly every issue contentious. Someone who will say, I could have done that better and whose word honors America and our relationships. Keith

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    • Totally, who would have thought that we’d long for the day when Jimmy Carter was President! He did his job quietly, competently, without drama, was a great unifier of nations improved relations with China, was a peace advocate, there were no wars during his term.
      Sadly there are no candidates like him these days, only lyin cheatin power hungry manipulative sleaze bags occupying Washington. If the DNC does the right thing and allow Bernie Sanders to run unimpeded he has a great chance of defeating Trump. Otherwise it pains me to say…. 4 more years for the swamp thing. 😦

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      • Well, we need to galvanize support behind whomever the candidate is. Yet, this thing with Trump is going to get increasingly worse. More of his corrupt behavior is coming out. We spoke a month ago, he will start throwing people like Guiliani under the bus.

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        • Absolutely … we simply must have better voter turnout next year than we had in 2016, and the DNC needs to get their act together, too. I think him throwing Giuliani under the bus is likely to happen fairly soon, if I’m reading the signs right.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Jill, the NYT reported this morning that Guiliani is under criminal investigation. Yesterday, when Trump was asked if Guiliani was still his attorney, he gave a very unclear answer. Keith

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            • I heard that late last night … also heard he said he didn’t know if Giuliani was still his attorney … and thus lays the groundwork for Trump to throw Giuliani under the bus, yes? What a great guy to work for. What makes me sad about that is that Giuliani really was, once upon a time, a good guy who cared about people. What changed him, I wonder? Trump? He had a good reputation, and he’s thrown it all away on a ‘man’ who would throw him to the wolves in a heartbeat.

              Like

      • Carter was a good guy. A lot of people didn’t like him, I think mostly because they thought of him as rather a country bumpkin, and he did often come across that way. But he was intelligent and his heart was in the right place … still is … at age 95 the man is still out there building houses for poor people!!! Can you picture Trump doing such a thing? I hate to say it, but I think Bernie’s campaign is likely dead in the water. I believe it will come down to Biden and Warren, and based on current indicators, I think Warren will be the likely nominee. I like Warren, and I think she could do a good job. I’m just not sure that a woman can win against Trump at this time. But, a lot can happen in 13 months.

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    • You’re quite right about the trait of a narcissist. We can see it in nearly every tweet, every rant he makes. Yes, I would love a boringly competent president! I would like to go to bed at night feeling that the nation is in good hands. We didn’t know, until these past three years, how good we had it, how lucky we were. I do hope we can get back there soon, but I have my doubts.

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  12. Your thinking is in complete step with my own, albeit you state it with an eloquence that I lack. These days I often think that many humans are no longer morally evolving but regressing, a sad commentary on our times indeed. When people can listen to the vitriol that spews from Trump’s mouth and cheer, there is something sorely missing in them…a moral compass. “Without a moral compass the human mind will justify anything. ” – Mehrnaz Bassari. We must take our tears and our heavy hearts and transform them into a firm resolve to end the reign of Trump! Thank-you!

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    • Thank you, Ellen! I’m amazed by how many people still think Trump is great, is a saviour of some sort. You’re right … I believe we are regressing and I think humanity has sold its moral compass for … toys, money, more, more, and more ‘stuff’. Much of the human species has forgotten or lost sight of what really matters. Excellent quote, and so true!

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    • Hello Ellen. I understand your feeling about humans society regressing. But please take heart in the knowledge that it is only about 32 to 36 % of the population of the US that is such die hard in love with tRump cultist. If the other 60+ % could learn to work together the deplorables wouldn’t have such effect on our country and no effect on our lives. All polling results based on ideas with out party affiliation show the people want progressive polices and ideas. Yes wording can change how people vote on a survey but if asked do they want such and such, the progressive ideas come out on top. If we can get tRump out of office his spineless Republican helpers will fall fast and once gerrymandering / voter suppression is dealt with by Democratic majorities at the state and federal level regressive evangelical Republicans will hold few offices. Hugs

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  14. The events unfolding along the Turkish / Syrian border and the eviction of 70,000 Syrian refugees, civilian deaths and Kurdish betrayal is all down to the tweeting dolt. The withdrawal of Peacekeeping trroops, by Trump, is the most unconscionable act yet. Trump has signed the death warrant of innocents and he doesn’t care. A former US military adviser, when asked on radio this morning, “What actions will Trump take now?” answered, “Trump doesn’t listen to advisers or understand historical events, he has surrounded himself with an echo chamber. I cannot tell you what he will do. I am completely mystified.” That was the diplomatic version of “we have an idiot running the Whitehouse.”

    If anyone supports Trump at this stage, they too, should be branded an ‘idiot!’

    Liked by 5 people

    • Colette, the issue with the Kurds in Syria is really complex and there’s no easy solution. There’s a lot of history between the Kurds and Turks, and no one is innocent in this conflict (eerily similar to Jews and Palestinians). Here’s a comprehensive video which explains the whole mess very well:

      Liked by 1 person

      • Hello 1EarthUnited. Still if tRump had not bowed to pressure from Erdogan to remove our troops then the slaughter and atrocities happening right now to the Kurd’s wouldn’t be happening. One US officers described what was happening as atrocities. I have yet to see much coverage of Turkey’s accidental bombing of US military. Hugs

        Liked by 1 person

    • It’s amazing to me the number of people who actually DO still support Trump! Yesterday’s rally, for instance, was reported to have drawn 20-30 thousand! And, his approval rating hovers between 41% and 42.5% … not great, but I would have thought it would be in the 20% range by now. Must be a whole lot of idiots in this world today. Sigh.

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