Common sense can't win with some people

It strikes me as amazing that when a thing like Brussels happens, a man says something that is just plain old common sense, and there are people who are ready to pitch a fit.

You got Trump saying just common sense things, like ban the Muslims' invasion, and waterboard them for information that will stop future attacks, and this guy says no, you can't do that.

If you ban the Muslims, then they cannot do this kind of thing in your country.  Isn't that a irrefutable fact?  I ask, yes or no, will this stop the attacks in one's country?  If they aren't here, then how do they make the attacks?

If they do get in anyway, then if you waterboard them, that's how find out how to stop them.  A one two punch will put an end this.  We were doing that once upon a time, but guess who stopped that?

I suppose that all we are allowed to do is just to shut up and let them run things even though they are running everything right into the ground.

By the way, this guy's main concern seems to be with the politics of it, not with the security of the nation.  Obviously, what they are doing isn't working.  I would think in a political season that this is fair game.

AIPAC speeches

Trump and Cruz speeches will be commented upon, as Kasich is not mathematically in the race.

Trump's speech was presidential. 

Cruz's speech was more political.

Cruz does not leave a good feeling.   I cannot put my finger on it, but I am not left with a pleasant feeling when listening and watching him.  Let's just say that Trump looks better, sounds better.  Trump seems more authentic.  Cruz seems to pander to Israel.  Trump seems supportive, like a friend.

So, why the bad reputation for Trump?  It is being engineered in order to stop him from getting the nomination.  A lot of what is happening can characterized as like a food fight.  It is a distraction from the issues.  Speeches like this are more informative about what the policies of the respective candidates will be.  You'd think that you would get that from a debate, but the debates are not conducted that way.  The debates are conducted so as to keep the food fights going.  As a result, you don't really get an accurate reading on the candidates.

Political commentary

There is going to be political commentary here.  Perhaps the American Republic is really dead, but it still seems alive to me.  So, I am going to comment upon it.  Even if it is dead, somebody needs to give it an eulogy.

The current anti Trump fever is annoying to me.  Those who I thought I was in agreement with continue to misrepresent the man, and frankly, I am getting sick and tired of it.

If those of you who are against Trump would talk about his policy proposals instead of why you don't like his personality, I think we could still have a good discussion.

It reminds me of what Gingrich said in the last election cycle:  too many people turn this into a contest of personalities rather than ideas.

Well, one idea that Trump  has is to level the playing field with respect to trade.  Too many on the GOP side seem to think that the trade deficit doesn't matter.  I never agreed with that.  You may recall that at the end of the Bush presidency in 2008, the trade deficit was freakin' huge.  My recollection was that it was getting near 800 billion per year.  Oil was trading at times in 2008 at well over a hundred dollars a barrel.  Pump prices were sky high.  So, this was a good thing?

One thing that I noticed on Trump's website is that he mentioned China.  In the year 2000, China was admitted into the trade system.  Is it just a coincidence that since that time, the US economy has sucked?

Where is the discussion about this?  No, they want to talk about Trump personally.  I think the trade issue is one that needs discussion.  There isn't any discussion about it at all.  Why do you suppose that is so?  Is it because the powers that be do not want to discuss trade?  Why wouldn't they?  Well, is it because their trade policy has been a failure and that is why they don't want to talk about it?

The GOP wants to talk about personalities.  No wonder that they lose all the time.  Democrats want to talk about the economy.  Funny how they want to do that.  They've been in on this ride just as the GOP has been.

Could these be the "good old days"?

There is this persistent belief that once upon a time, all men were virtuous, and by contrast, today's men are knaves at best.

While generally speaking, I hold that the general moral condition of this society has declined in my lifetime, maybe by a whole lot, I only have to consult history to see that our generation is hardly uniquely evil.

If you go back into time to the time when the Founding Fathers were still alive, there were plenty of bad hombres out there in this here country.  One of them, Aaron Burr, killed one of the Founding Fathers in a duel.

From what I read, Aaron Burr was not that nice of a guy.  Yet, he was a mere heartbeat away from the Presidency.

So much for the alleged purity of our ancestors.

In addition, a lot of history in this here state has been whitewashed.  A lot of the Texan revolutionaries were hardly any better than Burr, and there are those who were probably worse.

Not to speak badly of Texan independence.  I am proud of my state.  Just saying to be realistic about human nature.  It is the same as always.  It may ebb and flow in terms of its evil, but we are fundamentally a fallen creature if you really believe in the theology of Christianity.

Otherwise, what the hell would you be talking about when you talk about morality?

In my opinion, we are living in a fortunate time.  Be we could be living in an unfortunate time too.  It may not be clear at the time in which is living as to which one may be the more dominant theme.

Photo shopped, or real?

Why would the KKK Grand Dragon in California endorse Hillary Clinton?  Did Clinton accept his endorsement?

Souce: Knowledge is Power

Brief comparison of Trump and Cruz websites

Generally speaking, they are both conservative.  I challenge anybody to go to the Trump site and select anything there and quote it to the effect that it isn't conservative.  In contrast, Cruz is conservative to the bone, and that is the difference.  He is much more detailed.

I find no fault with either, but realistically, who will win the election?

There are those who claim that Cruz is more electable.  Do those people really want to put forth the proposition that the majority of the people of this country agree with what Cruz has on his website?

Critics will say that Cruz is extreme.  I have not heard anybody yet say that Trump is extreme.

Bottom line:  Cruz is more conservative, sure, but Trump is not liberal on the basis of what is on their websites.

An honest debate would be the one who could be more convincing in terms of electability.

The futility of the Anti Trump GOP'ers

Thanks to Andrew Klavan's  ridicule of the Trump supporters, I decided to go to Trump's official campaign site and actually read what his campaign had to say about the issues.

I haven't read all of it, but what I have read convinces me that the attempts to change the mind of Trump supporters by the use of ridicule will fail miserably.  In my own case, it only encouraged me to find out more about Trump.  The result is that I am favorably impressed with what he has on his website.  Yes, I haven't read it all, so my initial impression could be incorrect.

I will continue reading his website, and will report back later if I find anything objectionable about it.

The point is that a lot of things get said, but that doesn't necessarily make them true.  This is the case no matter the source.

The best one can do is to do your own due diligence and see for yourself.  You can watch the debates, but these are flawed.  You can go to campaign rallies and let the man talk while you listen, and decide on that basis.  I don't have the time for that.  Or you can watch videos of what he says, and let the unfiltered truth come out of his own mouth do the convincing.  In addition, you can go to his website as I have and read what he has to say.  I find that this is the most time efficient way of  finding out where he stands on the issues.

"A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."  It seems that if those who wish to convince others of something, stop insulting their intelligence.  Nobody will be convinced like that.