(#5737) 19 days left of this building optimism tempered with some anxiety

      Truly this election has been difficult to compartmentalize. It is front and center in every aspect of our lives. So dealing with it has found me doing some things that lift my spirit when I start to feel a bit apprehensive about the outcome of it. With 19 days left it is finally going to be coming to an end but more importantly the outcome is the priority. If I knew we were going to prevail I would bask in this time and at times I feel that way. Then the other shoe drops I don't feel so confidant and the nerves start to heighten. In both scenarios I still know that each has its basis in reality so keeping them in perspective is the key to my mental and emotional health.
     I do like the position we democrats have with 19 days to go. Our candidate is fierce and intelligent while theirs is a muddled mess of incongruency. Regardless though there are too many who would vote for him no matter what he said or did. Which makes this election so uncommon. Normally the candidate with the clearest logic on the subjects that matter the most to us has a good edge in the voting. But not with the cult of trump and his republican followers. They are unfazed by reality and instead are enamored with the personality of biases and prejudices they allow into their own lives.
     I am older now and as such must deal with situations and circumstances with less vigor and hubris. Instead I find my emotional center line and straddle that line for the sake of sanity. I know which side I am on but to keep a balance I must not get too excited nor overwrought over the dynamics of this election. I see the wisdom in keeping a straight face when confronted with ridiculousness for the most part. When I am unable to hide my rage or hope I quickly recover to again understand that in 19 days this will come to an end and that end is as I see it right now filled with joy over a Kamala Harris presidency. Feeling good and a bit anxious is doable and that is where I am at right now.

(#5736) 20 days left to make the case for Harris

      All I care about is highlighting Kamala Harris' vision for America and the world in general. I won't be offering anything from her opponent well mainly because he is not offering anything much for me and my colleagues in the working middle poor class. We are what is important to Harris. She wants to help us get into homes, care for our children, have more spending money on important life sustaining activities. She truly is our champion! In 20 days the votes will begin to be counted and the tally will start to show who has won. as it stands now the favorite is Harris but we cannot trust anything to luck, happenstance, or percentage calculation.
     There are many doing the hard work of knocking on doors, calling households, sending postcards, etc... to give Harris a chance to pick up at least one more possible vote. When you realize that there is no certainty in this election you also realize that every vote counts. Every opportunity to talk to someone who may vote for Harris is a most necessary priority. To keep our democracy moving toward its more perfect destiny we must not only protect it but we must advance it. Vice President Harris is the only candidate that is committed to not only protecting the values of our democracy but she is committed to expanding democracy everywhere in the world it may flourish.
     Kamala Harris came from the working middle poor class so she is one of us who has not forgotten the struggle it takes to rise up into positions of responsibility. All of us within the working middle poor class have to struggle to advance which is much different and harder for us than it is for those who are born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Those who are that fortunate should also be democrats willing to help all achieve at least a modicum of what they were born with. But sadly most of the silver spoon crowd do not like to help others. They appear to only want to keep helping themselves regardless of what it does to those who are not fortunate like them. It is sad that the wealthy feel so much greed and lust for all instead of feeling humbled by their own good fortune at birth.

(#5735) 21 days until the election!

      Three weeks until we know if democracy survives in America. I say this matter of factly because it seems that too many in our nation are not aware of the threat. They go about their business like all will be the same in 21 days. I can only scream at the top of my lungs for so long and then I weary of the effort and toll it takes on me. If I were younger I would be very afraid of what republicans are going to do with our democracy. I am not younger though. I am older more toward the end of my life than that long ago time when I was just starting out. I was fortunate like the last 200 years of our society that lived within democracy and its opportunities and guaranteed rights.
     I cannot say the same for us after these next 3 weeks. If the majority of us don't protect our democracy by crushing republicans at the voting booth then the future will see the end of American democracy and the world become more tyrannical. It isn't just in America where democracy will wither and die but it is in the rest of the world where now they are trying to shake off the shackles of tyranny. Their efforts toward democracy will collapse along with America if the republican party wins this election. Not only will democracy decline if republicans win this election but so will knowledge and its enlightened thought. The cruel, ignorant and lazy will be leaders and dictate their desires to the rest of us.
     Our dreams of advancing the human experience into our manifest destiny will stop. The growth of humanity over the millenniums has been to seek out new truths and learn from the past. What republicans want us to become will negate both. They want us to stop learning and to live in the past. They think that it would be much easier to control us in ways they think benefits them the most. The republican party is showing itself as a master who must rule over all. They are not about innovation and creativity for all, instead they are about obedience and servitude for most. If this picture of republicans controlling other human beings reminds you of being herded like cattle then you do understand what it will be like if you allow republicans to destroy our democracy!

(#5734) Kamala Harris and every Democrat on your ballot deserve your vote!

      I am done playing nice with republicans and their piece of shit enablers. They are out to destroy our democracy so that they can have power and control with the benefit of becoming filthy rich. The price we the working middle poor class will pay is more poverty and debt with less opportunity to pursue our dreams. The republican party is full of weasels who would steal what belongs to all of us so that they can have it without sharing. They hate democracy because democracy won't let them dominate and terrorize others for their own pleasure. The republican party is backing sexism, racism, and classism so that people who are now free will become like property.
     If you are voting for republicans you are dead to me. I will not associate with souls who would willingly serve a wannabe tyrant fulfill his dreams of cruel and brutish egoism. We have 22 days left to make sure that trump, the pitiful destroyer of democracy, is defeated so voting for democrats in every contest on your ballot is your answer to republican pillaging. Enough of this being silent and letting the bullies of the world have the public stage. We who are decent human beings should not allow the worst of what humanity spawns to dictate what our future will look and feel like. I will not abide anyone who is unaware of the consequences going forward.
     You are either in for being a democratic principled patriot or you are the enemy of us. Take your side and be prepared to either win with us or lose with republicans because with republicans you will lose both ways. The trump republicans don't care about you they just need your vote on November 5th in order to destroy our democracy. The republicans almost destroyed our democracy on January 6th 2021 but it seems that too many Americans are quick to forget their treachery. Shame on republicans who will not defend our democracy and may they meet a similar fate as other treasonous conspirators of our past. I am not sure this post will get past those that censure truths and facts about republicans but here goes!

(#5733) I am equal parts intelligence and emotion

      I live from my mind and my heart. My mind is all about learning and applying logic to it. I am no real creator type per se but I do love my imagination. It helps inform me about perspective and keeps me on balance. With my mind I live to understand how all we humans can live in a world that is finite. We all are unique in our characters and personalities so imagining a societal structure that allows all of us to pursue our passions and clever innovations within a boundary of acceptable behavior as an imperative. Which brings me to Democracy and its ability to satisfy our society as a whole and we individual humans within it. Being wise to what all of us needs to prosper and grow is a value beyond any other social structural consideration.
     Then there is my emotion. My heart, for me and the people, other life, places, and things I encounter serves to ignite wide ranging sensations. For the most part my heart is sensitive to all manner of love and care, yet some emotions are not happy but instead are reactions to pain and suffering. My reactions to love and care and pain and suffering bring me to the same place however, that being compassion. I may get angry with hurt to myself or others but I want to fix that pain and suffering caused by hurt. As with love and care I want that to be part of my life as a rule. So whether good or bad I want the best from those to conclude in joy and happiness.
     Often it is difficult to square my mind with my emotion but I do find a way to square them. On a continuum of emotion is hardness and softness. My mind tells me an act is cruel and brutish and deserves a hard response. Yet my heart opens up the minutiae of the behavior. My mind in collaboration with my heart will then compromise to come to a conclusion that takes into account more than just the singular act. Those are the tricky compromises. Many are not and are simply what they are. Our environments dictate much of our behavior and informs our knowledge as a duty. We all need a safe haven within Democracy to help us along in making the right choices for not only us but by extension the rest of us as well.

(#5732) 24 days until the most important day in the history of democracy since our revolution

      I am a one issue voter this election. Saving our Democracy from a dictatorship. One the one side there is Kamala Harris fighting to preserve and strengthen our Democracy and on the other side is a wannabe tyrant who is as uneducated as any modern day president in American history. You would think this election would be a landslide for Harris and in some scenarios it may well be, but not according to pollsters. I question these pollsters lately since their models seem to include a large amount of republican affiliated polls. Without those republican partisan polls the outlook would be much rosier given the non partisan polls are favoring Harris.
     Neither here nor there though. Regardless of what the polls say the only way to give your all is to work right up until the election is over and the votes have been all cast. There is no scenario where doing less than all we should do is comfortable. There is no one around me, even at work, who don't at least think I am a democrat. The people I am respectful of and associate with are so varied that there can be no doubt as to my being inclusive and helpful to all. I don't have to advertise my political affiliation although I will when the opportunity is even close to arriving because I live my political aspirations as a way of life.
     I have already voted and our state election officials in my county here in California have an app. that notifies us when our ballots leave the election office to the postal service, then to our homes, then back to the postal service, and finally back to the elections office with a notification that they have our ballots and the envelopes themselves are among the counted as returned. That is how important it is to me and many like me so that we can know our ballots are actually among those that will be part of this historic election. We know that democracy is being threatened and our response is our vote. There are other important issues within our free society that will be addressed with a Harris victory, but overall the imperative is to defend our democracy from republican trump and his ego driven tyranny!

(#5731) I will conquer obstacles to achieve success-My fortune cookie

      I know this little phrase is just some pep talk but I like it this morning. I have no obstacles I am in need of conquering at hand but maybe later in the day something will appear. I wish I could conquer stupidity here in America but that is out of my reach at the moment in the best of hopes. If only an awakening would occur but even mentioning anything to do with woke, wake, or awakening now sets off in a bad way the people in most need of it. I don't know how to rehabilitate the concept of awareness but it is in need of repair. Not with those of us who understand that life is all about learning new things so that we can move past the old things that are no longer true or viable.
     We who are still counted among the woke are keenly aware that we are under attack by those who find learning too difficult to administer in their own lives. They would rather be unaware yet opinionated. Their opinions take the place of facts and make their lives easier because their opinions align with their limited considerations. The axiom that ignorance is bliss comes to mind. Much like those who refuse to know facts and truths, opinions serve them regardless of the rules of logic. Somehow they think that having followed the rules of logic and a modicum amount of common sense to get where we are progressing today toward being an amazing nation, are now not needed to continue.
     How the segue of nonsense to other nonsense works is beyond me because I find it violates the continuum of rationality. We simply cannot piece together incongruent thoughts and present them as not contradictory premises toward a conclusion. We the people of our planet have striven for a form of communication that is acceptable to all of us. We achieve this through logic. Where one set of facts follows from another set of facts. The common sense of this is universal or was until just recently when many in the republican party and those who were historically anti enlightenment sought to defy logic and instead accept irrationality. How they do this is to dismiss truth as fact and instead replace truth with fallacy. That way they can bend whatever thought they are presenting as an alternative fact without needing to be verified.

(#5730) Did the hurricanes and tornadoes give Florida a wake up call?

      The aftermath of both weather phenomenons is now upon us. Those who were affected in Florida are coming out into the day to assess the damage that they have had to endure. Many are traveling back to their possessions with apprehension and hope. What they find will surely be a mess however the size and depth of the mess is yet to be determined. That will be their focus today, to find out what they are facing for the next many weeks and months of cleanup and restoration. But in the back of their minds they must now be questioning if this is not over yet. When is the next major weather phenomenon coming?
     In the past Floridians had understood there were weather related problems that were consistent but manageable. Now they know that the intensity and direction of weather phenomenons are not predictable nor manageable. A new chapter in the weather that affects them is being written and they must be wondering if they will be part of that story or not. Will they think about pulling up roots and moving to less intense weather devastations or will they do something that I hope they will do. Change their outlook on the catastrophes that are inherent within climate change. Floridians elected a governor who has mostly eliminated the phrase climate change from state law. It is rather silly on the face of it because denying an event does nothing to mitigate it.
     It is my hope that the smart people of Florida will finally see out beyond the political rhetoric of their current representatives and make the necessary changes in the next 26 days to rectify how the state of Florida combats the root cause of climate change and its worsening effects. Having just lived through an event like the last two hurricanes and hundreds of tornados I would hope that reality would overrule incorrect political rhetoric. It would seem to me that the last few weeks in Florida, although terrible and with unnecessary loss of life, can serve as a wake up call. Those who have survived may be given the motivation to change their thoughts and actions toward addressing the causes of climate change instead of the denial of said climate change.

(#5729) There is no time for myth and superstition except on Halloween

      I am an enlightened soul. It doesn't mean I am full of knowledge it just means that I know information is logical and aligned with common sense as a value above any myth or superstition. I do not allow myself the safety and comfort of belief systems either. They are well and good for those who need them but my world is the natural real one not some hoped for one after I am no more. I do not use faith as a tool for understanding, instead I use theories, facts and reasoning to analyze my approach in life. How I conclude is based upon factors that I can assimilate within the context of existence.
     My approach is not unique nor is it the most dominant. There are many who use their belief systems to guide them along in life without much adherence to logic and reality. It is almost/or is the fact that reality is not a priority in their calculations. They see the world through their belief and nothing much is ever going to change their view. I won't attribute what I think is their motivation on this posting but I know within me, to be devoid of belief systems, requires me to face reality for whatever it shows itself to be. I am not shy about living in this existence. As long as I am alive I will step into life with a curiosity that demands my behavior to be bold.
     The only safe harbor I have is my will to live with the strengths of my principles and the honor they represent. I know that life for all of us human beings is short and marked by the aging process. As long as I am alive I will continue to learn and acquire knowledge regardless if it benefits me directly. I am comfortable with how I have lived and being myself. There are few actual regrets. We all have wishes and dreams we would like to achieve and experience but setting a goal is not guaranteeing it. I feel privileged that I am able to comprehend that life has been a gift and no amount of me trying to make it into something that is more myth or superstition will change the inevitable that I expect will happen for me.
     

(#5728) We are getting mail in ballots in California

      Ballots are arriving in mail boxes around the state of California. It is an exciting time for those of us who do vote early because it is finally time to put our mark on the vision of our future. For me it is all about saving our democracy but in all of that are good policies and people who need to be our representatives. I have been waiting like most all of us for the first chance to get our hope for our future on record. Once completed the ballots will be stored with our county officials awaiting tabulation. That frees up time for us on election day to volunteer to do election duties.
     In this election the choices are as polar opposite as they could be. Vice President Harris is all in on preserving democracy and helping the working middle poor class. That trump is all in on making himself a king and only working for the wealthy contrasts the two candidates perfectly. Never before in the history of our nation has there been a candidate like trump who is so anti-democracy. He is also not a nice person in that he likes to dominate women and spew explicatives at many different races. He is also a criminal with sentencing coming after this election. A vote for him is a vote for the end of our democracy as he would end the rule of law that is a buffer to keep all of us from harming each other.
    A victory for Harris on the other hand will bolster our democracy, and lift up our struggling working middle poor class. It has been nearly 2 decades of the minimum wage being kept at $7.25 an hour by republican politicians but that will change when enough of us vote for Harris and a democratic Congress. There are so many policies that need to be implemented and Harris is prime to achieve them when she is elected. On a personal note I have been waiting for too long in my life for a woman to actually become president. To me, women are the heartbeat of our species and they know that with logic and common sense their compassion will alter the course of human history to the better.

(#5727) Harris is battling trump at every turn

      Unlike in 2016, Vice President Harris is not giving trump and inch to spread his lies without being right there to counter them. Back 8 years ago unfortunately Hillary Clinton did not shadow trump lies with constant monitoring and he was able to sway just enough to swipe the election from her. Not this time. Harris has learned that lesson and does not give the blubbering buffoon trump any oxygen to himself. We learned in 2016 that the American electorate is not the smartest electorate in the world. Notwithstanding our previous ability to cull out the most egregious candidates in the past, we failed miserably in 2016 by letting a charlatan grifter hold our highest office.
     The price we paid was almost our precious democracy. Even yet our democracy is still in the crosshairs of trump and his republican sharpshooters. But this time Harris is aware of her charge to keep him from ever getting back to our presidency. Harris is relentless in her rebuttals to his never ending streams of invectives full of lies and misrepresentations. She does not let him say what he wants out of whole cloth with impunity. He has to answer for his claims when the unceasing absurdity of his words spill out from his undisciplined mouth. Unlike in 2016 when trump was able to spew to so many without a response from Hillary, he is now monitored and rebutted in a perpetual state.
     The only way to make sure that trump is defeated is to never leave a word he says without giving whoever his audience is a fact check with the more likely truth. You cannot leave trump alone to his own devices because he knows no bounds of civility, respect, nor honor that he won't manipulate for his own advantage, to everyone else's disadvantage. There are 29 days left until the election and the mantra of not sleeping until we are dead is in full swing. There can be no resting on trump when his desperation grows each day. He will work overtime to figure out a way to win because when he loses he knows he will either have to run away from justice or end up in prison where he actually belongs for his numerous adjudicated crimes.

(#5726) Living life should be a celebration every day, not drudgery!

      We know from history that life has been more drudgery than happiness. History is the past not the present nor future though. So what can we do to change the course of drudgery like life to a celebration like life? I know most of our human drudgery revolves around resources. If we all had enough money lets say, most problems would cease to exist. I know other problems would appear but my guess is that far fewer would be the result. Which would help far more than it would hurt. So given that logic it would appear that eliminating our chronic immediate problems would go a long way toward making life a celebration like existence than what we currently have now.
     This is not a surprise since most people are trudging toward resources already to at least try to keep up with responsibilities. But even in that trying we are not getting out ahead of the problems we are more like just hoping to stay even and not lose more ground. The system we currently have in how we allocate and share our resources is not a solution to the problem of eliminating poverty and the drudgery it creates. So what do we do? How can all of us wake up one morning and have the wherewithal to eliminate our bills with more left for quality of life adventures and explorations?
     I know we who have always had to fight to pay our bills have dreamed of waking up one morning and looking into our bank accounts and seeing a million dollars in there from some reputable source. Maybe something like that, I don't know. All I know is that if our daily heavy burdens were lifted from us the happiness that would bring would be astounding. Life would truly be a celebration non stop. Wishful thinking is what I am doing here but it does serve a purpose to remind us that drudgery to just keep ourselves alive is no way to live a life that otherwise should be an amazing experience, not some difficult suffering for the sake of existing!

(#5725) Harris needs to be bold and futuristic in her vision of our country

      As this election has tightened with trump, Harris needs to hurdle past him in the polls and the minds and hearts of the electorate. She has already outlined some domestic policies that give us glimpses of her vision but in broader terms we are still waiting to hear her more generalized policies toward health care for all, climate change and foreign policy around the globe, expansion of the Supreme Court and for Puerto Rico and Washington District of Columbia statehood. These are major issues when given context for all will enlighten us as to how Harris will approach democracy and the necessary legislation for it in America.
     In other words, Harris needs to now step out of the shadow of President Biden and tell us her full vision going forward with the confidence and assuredness we know she feels. She needs to know we trust her so that she can trust us to have her back and lay out her vision with an honorable contentment. It is her time now to show us who she is, with 31 days left until the election, as to what she wants for us. It has been a safe haven for her with Joe Biden in the background that initially catapulted her into a slight lead that has stabilized for her until now. But that momentum is spent. It is time for her to open up a new front against the corruptible republican trump by not only staring him down with steely eyed conviction but to offer America her most profound courage in regard to policies going forward.
     She knows what is fair and just in our society and she needs to trust her instinct on that, her handlers notwithstanding. Being real as a person is her best attribute so her drawing her line in the sand is what we are waiting for. She is a remarkable person with an objective mind that draws from humanity and logical reality. She needs to lean into that and know that she is one of us and what she believes in her heart is what we believe as well. Being bold with policies for the future that make sense to the working middle poor class is her best option to maximize voter turnout in her favor. We need her to show herself as herself without the cloak of Biden leaving her in the shadow of it.

(#5724) The soul of America is either still pure or rotten in its core

      I don't know how to otherwise understand what is happening. We democrats are doing all we can to live and exemplify what is best about our human species and the republicans are kicking dirt into the faces of all who are not like them. Yet the pollsters say this election is close. I disagree of course because I am a decent human being who believes the vast majority of us are decent human beings. Yet we still see a consistency over time telling us that too many would elect the scoundrel as our leader than the honest forthright woman who is exceptional in most every way imaginable.
     For me to understand how this can be is for me to suspend common sense and look at this election as if it were some deep rooted problem with democracy. The republicans would destroy democracy and that is not much of a question any longer. It has been buried in the republican agenda for at least 7 decades but is now finally being touted by them as a policy desire. What is so bad about democracy that nearly half the country, according to pollsters, would have it dismantled in favor of tyranny? Is it merely democracy getting a bad rap from the wealthy and their propaganda machinery? Or is there some inherent problem with equality, fairness, liberty, justice that too many feel is unobliging?
     My sense is that democracy is not uncooperative but rather more work than too many want to invest. Which to me seems very odd because I have always known that anything worth having is worth fighting to preserve, or earning through the hard work, and or talent, for success. Is it that those who oppose democracy are willing to sacrifice their freedoms so that they can have others decide their fate for them because of a perceived ease? Are they so enraptured of being led by anyone as long as they don't have to think about it? I have never known the human species to be so recalcitrant toward their own rights to be who they are within what they desire without causing harm. Yet I see too many now who not only wish to be led with their blinders on, much like cattle, but these too many also disregard the ideal of causing no harm by it.

(#5723) Like Harris says, "Our unity is our strength, and our diversity is our power"

      When we as a society are united it is a thing to behold. I know when I am all in on something there is a specialness to my behavior and actions that I can feel as strength. In my youth when I was in high school I was fortunate to have been bussed to a high school with full diversity. If I hadn't been bussed I was scheduled to go to a primarily white school with practically no diversity. I was in one of those in junior high school so I had already experienced that dynamic and was comfortable with that association. So when I was in high school I had to open myself up to new experiences that diversity exposed to me.
     Like all at first there was a feeling out process where uncertainty eventually was replaced with a new confidence that I could be a human being in and amongst other human beings. My perception was changed from the unknown to the not only known but not different from my own experiences. I found that the diversity I was in alliance with was broadened by my new experiences. The foundation was the same as with my all white associations but now included different races I now knew with an equal footing. For me the diversity present within our school became such a force due to tensions during that time that a melding of togetherness overruled any apprehension about cultural differences.
     All these years later I still embrace that diversity I was inculcated with to the point of knowing my life was forever changed for the better because of it. When it comes to the races of the world I know for a fact that there is only one race, the human race, and our diversity truly is our power. This election is personal to me. I see Harris as a culmination of the decision to bus me and others like me all those decades ago to change the unknown to the known. She is like all of us in that she understands that unity is strength and diversity is power.. For those who didn't get the gift of bussing in order to assimilate with other races believe me when I tell you that it was powerful growth with a mindful awareness toward knowledge building for the better.

(#5722) America's promise to the world

      I know this much, the promise of America is to inspire and protect those who desire the fulfillment of democracy and individual rights. Our American promise is to all in the world to strive forward to a better existence. Without the chains of the past that shackled us to demands and service not within our scope of freedom, liberty, justice, and equality. We human beings are not property any longer in this enlightened reality yet there are still some who would not go forward into freedom without prejudice. There are some who see the world as their opportunity to control and manipulate to their desires devoid of any others' concern.
     Those who would destroy the intent of democracy are not without the ability to try with forces that are at times formidable. Which is why we who love the concept of democracy and its ever hopeful process of improvement must never relax in the face of the democracy destroyers. They are easily identifiable. They are tyrants, those who support tyrants, and those who have little emotion about anything that is positively indelible to the best of our human natures. We have such examples now in our American politics with republicans and their standard bearer trump. We also have other world examples like putin in Russia and maduro in Venezuela. Tyrants who would only protect themselves at all costs.
     Yet the tyrants are not much in the face of the rest of America and the world. We who are the majority in America will overcome the forces of tyranny displayed by republicans much like the world will eventually bring to a close the destruction by Russia and the deranged madness in Venezuela. Time is our ally in bringing America's promise to the world and even to ourselves. But we cannot lose the vigilance it takes to overcome the forces that are eager to take from all of us so that they can feel some unnatural sense of fulfillment. We are civilized in our societies and as such must act and react with bravery and courage to oust those who threaten us despite our fear of their perceived outlandish claims!

(#5721) October is finally here

      One more full month before the 5th of November. I am sick and tired of the anti democracy, anti women, anti everyone not white, welching trump and his sycophants! Give me Kamala Harris every day of the week and twice on Sundays! This election is a farce if we don't elect Harris. She is not only a nice person but she genuinely cares for everyone who needs help. Unlike trump who is the ultimate selfish personna. Not only is he selfish he is also cruel and brutish. He doesn't mind at all causing pain and suffering whether it helps him or not. He is incapable of care and compassion unless it is a strategy to help himself.
     What is even worse than his individual bad habits and behaviors is that he is more than willing to demolish our democracy in order to turn our nation into a cash machine for himself and his acolytes. He will do whatever he wants if he is elected. Not what we Americans need, no, what he wants. That is our future if this traitor to democracy is allowed anywhere near the seal of our presidency. Brave human beings all over the world will be compromised to the tyrants of the world because trump aligns with tyranny not freedom for all. The failings of the republican party are so deep and wide that the majority of republicans are all in for letting trump destroy our democracy.
     What must happen instead is all those of us who believe that equality, liberty, justice, fairness, opportunity, and freedom are first and foremost as priorities for governing must vote for Harris. That the welfare of our citizenry is the highest priority for any and all elected officials and that no elected official is to be regarded as above the law. Our democracy, even in its imperfect state, is still head and shoulders above any other form of government. So there will be no equivalent replacement for our democracy once it is gone. That is the choice in this election. On the one hand Harris will continue the perfection of our union while on the other hand trump will rip our democracy from us and replace it with his self aggrandizing form of self enriching chaos and force a servant status on the rest of us.
     

(#5720) September is finally ending and October will set the stage for our election

      As of today, there are 36 days left until our election. 31 days in October and the 5th day of November. It is quickly approaching after what seems like several years of campaigning. We here in the States need to do something about shortening our elections to a couple of months instead of a couple of years. It all gets so tiring and redundant. I can understand why some would just tune out the elections because our elections bore us to no end. Yet despite that we are faced with consequences that are not to be dismissed! My whole lifetime of supporting democrats has been because they are closer in ideology and policy to humane treatment and respect of our citizenry that republicans ever have been.
     The republican party is not about all of us just the wealthy for the most part. They do not adhere to the principle of free will as a rule. They would rather tell others what to do and then punish them if they don't do it. That is not democracy that is authoritarianism. Throughout history tyranny has been measured against democracy and has always come up short. There is no enthusiasm for feeling like cattle. There is enthusiasm for having the reigns over your own life. It really is that simple. Either be told what to think and do or learn how to do that for yourself. It seems that thinking for yourself is popular among the majority of us but unfortunately there are too many who would be happy being cattle.
     I will never understand those who feel the need to be led around by some person who claims domination over the free will of others. It is a malady that escapes my experience. The logic that exists in my mind will never allow me to not think for myself. I guess I am selfish in that respect. I want to live life as me and not in abeyance to someone who tells me who I am and what I can or can't do. For the next 31 days in October and the five more in November before our election we will get to know who wants us to think for ourselves and who wants to think for us. That is on the ballot. You know who is whom in this scenario so vote accordingly and then know you are either your own or someone else's.

(#5719) Trying to keep our democracy

      What is our democracy? Simply it is our right to be part of how we are governed. Our vote is the result of who we are and what we want. We all get to cast a vote if we are registered. If you are 18 years old or older you can vote in most cases. Some criminals may not be allowed to vote and some who are mentally challenged as well. Otherwise if you are a citizen of the United States of America you may vote. It isn't required for you to vote but it is a duty if you want to be part of deciding your own future. There is an obligation to being registered to vote and that being added to the pool of citizens who may be called for jury duty.
     That obligation is a part of how our judicial system works in America so that the pool of folks is wide ranging and reflects the cultural diversity of perspectives our nation is comprised. That said, the part about voting is the one that is the prize. Participating in our elections is the foundation of who we are and what we hope to become. We vote for the policies within our democracy that help to pave a path to the future and at the same time fill in the gaps of the present. Logic dictates that cooperation among our citizenry is the best path forward to accomplishing goals, for making our society more perfect through a formula instead of through chaos.
     No other nation on Earth can boast of citizen participation like we started here in America. Our foreparents fought with amazing clarity and strength to give us our democracy over the demands of monarchy and tyranny. There will always be the carpetbaggers who come along and try to wrest our democracy away from us so that they can lust after the bounty we have created. However our national treasure is our ability to work together for common goals and this inspiring paradigm will never be stolen from us as it is our character, not some object. The ideal of democracy is not some physical structure that can be dismantled, it is a hope for the better and best of who we humans may become.

(#5718) Harris and Ukraine are intertwined to victory

     Ukraine needs Harris much more than Harris needs Ukraine in a political sense but that isn't how Harris rolls. Surely we know that trump, if victorious in November, will immediately betray Ukraine for favors from Russia's putin. We know this because trump has said so numerous times. With a Harris victory the Ukraine defense and subsequent counterattack offensive will occur with a mighty force. Although Harris doesn't need Ukraine in order to win in November, her soul and spirit is with democracy and democracy is what Ukraine is fighting to preserve. Harris is a patriot of the highest order. You can tell by her policy positions on most everything that has anything to do with protecting ideals that enhance democracy and promote democracy where it previously didn't exist.
     Ukraine knows that without Harris the effort to mount a solid defense and empower a counter offensive is impossible. The trump doctrine is to cede Ukraine to putin, period! It has to be difficult for the president of Ukraine to have to be in such a position which doesn't give him an opportunity to help decide our election but that is why he is an honorable man. He is siding with Americans to protect their own democracy and then help him protect his. The outcome of this election is enormous to Ukraine and anything less than a Harris presidency will certainly mean a death knell on the heads of Ukrainians. Which is why all of us who are for protecting our democracy have a necessary need with siding with Ukraine to help rid the world of a tyrannical murderer who hates democracy!
     Dr. Martin Luther King spoke this, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”. This simple statement is so powerful and inspiring in that I can feel the weight of its truth. Which in this coming election gives me great hope that not only will Harris win the presidency, but Ukraine will defeat putin by ousting Russia from its land. I am not just being predictive, I am feeling this in my bones. All with the caution of knowing what happened in 2016 when I went into that election night with confidence that Hillary would win. This is not like that. I have not felt certain about a lot of this but in my gut I know Harris and Ukraine are on the right side of history and no one is being caught unawares like the many of were from 2016.

(#5717) Illinois is early voting!

      With over 44 million early mail in voting ballots requested for this election the time is coming for a lot of them to start coming back in from the states that have already sent them out. As to early in person voting nearly 200 thousand have already come in to their polling precincts or county seats to cast their ballots. It is extremely early days but the flow is beginning to come back in and over the next several weeks we should see a majority of those 44 million early mail in ballots collected. We are there into the election time now and every vote cast early is one more assured of being counted. Procrastinating voting is not anything we should do. We all need to get our voices heard as quickly as we can to make sure that we are not later impossibly inconvenienced to vote.
     For me there are two possible outcomes for this election. One, which is most likely is that it will be a close race for reasons that still boggle my mind without a clear direction as to why. The second is that the race will not be close. Either way we who are fighting for our democracy are not to be confused about the priority of our vote. Our very vote could be the one that gets us across the finish line or just be another in a long line of blue wave comfort. We don't know and the not knowing is why we cannot stop from doing anything we can to help secure this win for democrats up and down the ballot. Democracy is at stake and no amount of assurance from anyone can foretell the outcome.
     Many will guess what the outcome will be but no one knows, not even the pundits and experts. They are using whatever stats they can amass and yet it is still unknown how all of our votes will end up being counted for wins or losses. All any of us can do is vote. With early voting we get that great duty and high responsibility done. Then we can wait for November 5th and know that our vote is one of them waiting to be counted. The future of democracy is depending on all of us to do our best to keep it alive in America and that is down to each of us. Vote early like it is the first time you get that privilege. You young people, you need to find it within yourself to get your vote in and feel the pride of your belonging to the family of America in your soul.

(#5716) America is going through an IQ test with this election

      It is an IQ test but the two participants who we are testing against couldn't be any more different. One is a woman who is intelligent and accomplished, while the other is a silver spooned business failure who is more dumb than a rock than not. Yet the media would have us believe that the contest for the presidency is close and too hard to call. This is where the IQ test is needed. First many national media outlets have a narrative that assumes our electorate are low IQ. They give us "news" that shows a close race to test us as to cause us to reevaluate our own senses about we we can see and hear on our own. That reevaluating is our electorates first test. Do we dismiss our own knowledge over the narrative the national media wants us to believe? Or do we trust our own intelligence and common sense? We will see won't we?
     The candidates themselves are the next test for us to pass. We have one candidate that is speaking to her policy vision for the working middle poor class, which by the way is more than 90% of voting citizens. She is focused and clear about how she will activate her plan that includes all Americans. The other candidate is all over the place. he makes statements about the end result he will give us but does not explain how he is going to make that happen. Although he does tell us to trust him because he knows how business works. With 6 bankruptcies in his past and already 4 years he spent as president the only thing he accomplished legislatively was to give the wealthy a tax break. Again, we the electorate are being given an IQ test. Do we believe the policies that are explained to us or do we believe the words of the other who says he will do it without telling us how? We will see?
     Finally we the American electorate are being given a civics lesson about our own country. Do we know what democracy is and if so do we understand that it is the greatest form of self government ever formed into a working model? This IQ test is probably the most significant. Because if we the American electorate pass this test then the future of our democracy will be intact. If we don't pass this test then the present of our democracy will cease to exist. Instead a form of monarchy/autocracy/oligarchy will replace it. I know this sounds so unbelievable but if you listen to the one candidates words you hear him often speak about how he would never have to have another election because he would never have to give up his presidency. One person one vote will cease to exist. We will see the results of this IQ test beginning on Tuesday evening November 5, 2024.

(#5715) Keep doing something to get Harris elected

      The rally cry of keep doing something is ever more important. Not any poll or sense of what may come but the action of doing something positive to get folks to understand the importance of democracy and the necessity to vote. Every soul who turns out to vote for Harris may well be the one vote that Harris needs to win on November 5th. The Harris campaign has the correct approach. See this election as if Harris is behind and needs every vote they can get to have a chance. The truth of it may be less dramatic but when an election is so important to keeping our democracy working from the assumption of "from behind" is smart and persistent.
     This is our only chance to end the cartoonish criminal trump from our lives and our politics and that is to get Harris elected in 41 days. Once trump is done with this wretched campaign he is using to stall his many trials for criminality, his time will come for the answering for his selfish greedy actions of law breaking. In the meantime every new voter who commits to voting for Harris is one step closer to getting her elected and saving our democracy from the wannabe tyrant trump. I know I and many like me will finally be glad for the end of his never ending lies and falsehoods. Our American psyche has taken many hits since trump came onto our political stage. It is time for our American psyche to heal with a Harris victory and a trump defeat.
     41 days left until the election so 41 days of doing something is left to make sure we have done what we could to effect a Harris victory. We must have a Harris victory if our society is going to survive as a one person one vote democracy. So whatever it is that you can do to help. Whether boots on the ground knocking on doors, or using phones, or postcards, would be helpful. Getting your friends, young and old, to vote early to get their votes cast without procrastinating is also very important. The bottom line is we need all our like minded democracy defenders to step up. To participate so that our children grow up in our society free from dictators who are bent toward their own selfish needs at the expense of those who are left with no freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness without harming others to hope for.

(#5714) I still feel the blue wave election coming!

      It is a gut thing. All my instincts are telling me that people are not amused nor enamored of trump enough to let him back into the oval office. He is a threat to not only our working middle poor class but to our democracy. Which is why it makes no sense what the media is trying to tell us that this race is close. It isn't close. But that is my intuition which I cannot say is absolute. However I trust my gut. Regardless of suspect media and their mouthpieces, I keep focused on what is important. Getting the vote out for our democratic candidates and echoing our policies that are actually helpful to our working middle poor class.
     What the cruel republican party offers is help for the wealthy so that their trickle down economic theory can be proven once again to be a sham. The republicans don't care about the truth of that they only care about the funding from the wealthy to keep the dishonest narrative of trickle down alive. I cannot get past the absurdity of the republican position which goes a long way toward fueling my gut instinct. Mostly though the attack on our democracy by republicans who would have us elect a criminal and insurrectionist as president who wants to be a king, and a blueprint for our future, project 2025, that is despised by almost everyone who is aware of it.
     What we democrats want is equal representation for all Americans. We want to help the working middle poor class catch up with opportunities the wealthy have hogged for generations. We want the ideal of the pursuit of happiness while doing no harm to be a real goal for all not just for some. We democrats believe that all who are American citizens of all races and creeds need to have ease of access to the ballot box, to the autonomy of their own bodies, and the freedom to choose who they love without fear of reprisal. Honoring democratic values is the hallmark of a thriving healthy society that is enviable to all the other people on this planet. Helping them achieve what we are striving to achieve is the manifest destiny of humanity and should be the highest priority for all who would honor the sacrifice our foreparents fought and died to attain!

(#5713) Russia's demise before our eyes

      No matter what putin does to hide from the Russian people the hideous losses his invasion of Ukraine has caused Russia, the rest of the world is seeing in real time the devastation to a young generation of Russian society. To the mind of the tyrant putin it is okay because he thinks like this. The ones being sacrificed are not what he would consider the elite of his privileged society. His form of genocide within Russia is aimed at the ones he would, like trump, call the others. The ones who are not like him. That kind of sickness of mind is visual to the rest of us and it sickens me that the Russian society is so closed off to the information it needs to stop their tyrant from destroying the Russian people through racism, poverty, and creed.
     We here in America are in a current fight to protect our democracy from the evil of tyranny that is so prevalent in Russia. Our American creed is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness coupled with individual rights. Those of us who believe in democracy understand the stakes we face here in America in 43 days. What cannot be understood in Russia is objectivity. There is no fair and just system of reporting that can penetrate the propaganda putin is spewing non stop. The Russian people are not informed and keep sending their sons to the slaughter that the demented putin claims through his butchering narrative is some incomprehensible glorious necessity for the honor of Russia.
     Sadly this narrative of putin has no alternative thought that is allowed to be known so the Russian people keep supporting putin right up until they are eventually no more. It is a sad state we all find ourselves in that want to see the end of tyranny and the awakening of enlightenment. Where everyone gets to realize the truth of things without barriers to that learning. Where friendships and inclusion are the normal. A world where the best of what humanity is gets to reveal itself from everywhere on our planet. A world where the problems of hunger and being uneducated is not forced on anyone from birth to death. Our world, in the vision of democracy, is a place where everyone who wants to have a better life is free to earn it. That is what democracy is fighting for, all of us and all of our hopes and dreams.

(#5712) Illinois begins early voting in 4 days.

      5 early voting states have begun and in 4 days Illinois will make it 6. The early voting time for me is like a really special Christmas. The days counting down to the actual election day is so much fun for me. Each day either adds another state(s) to the early voting list or brings us another day closer to adding more states. For me it is win/win. I guess I feel this way because the momentum of this election is favoring democracy and that is the side I will fight to either live or die on. Democracy is the greatest governmental system for individual rights and freedoms the world has ever known and will always will be.
     So protecting democracy is without a doubt my main issue. I happen to agree with democrats on many policies issues, certainly not all but given that republicans want to erode democracy to give trump a kings crown and their policies such as they are only benefitting the ultra wealthy, I will pass on their agenda. More than pass actually I will fight with all my might to protect against their agenda. Which further adds to my passion for the early voting time. We, who are like me, are getting our votes collected so that when the counting time comes on November 5th we will already have our votes cast. The more of us who find time to vote the better the outcome will be for democracy.
     We democrats, independents, and some republicans know that protecting our democracy is greater than any loyalty to a political party. When the vast majority of us vote the forces for tyranny will be left with no chance at victory. That is what we democracy loving voters must do! Crush the forces of insurrection and sedition with an overwhelming vote in favor of democracy, led by Vice President Harris, all the way down the ballot. Some may feel anxious about this voting time but I say the feeling I have is powerful and determined. I actually feel good about this time because in my heart and soul I know that Americans are stronger than the weaklings who keep putting our country down!

(#5711) Mississippi, Vermont and Virginia have started their early voting

      We now have 5 states, Minnesota, Mississippi, South Dakota, Vermont, and Virginia where those who live there can get their votes locked in. Those who have made up their minds and are able to cast their ballots and have them compiled ready for counting on election day, feel a sense of accomplishment. The beauty of the early voting system is that those who are working or away on election day are able to have an alternative way to make sure their valuable vote is cast. Making voting easier for our electorate should be the normal and with early voting it is becoming easier. There are some states like Alabama and New Hampshire who offer no early voting, while some counties in Utah, and some counties in Pennsylvania, that do not offer early voting.
     These 4 states that do not offer early voting, wholly or partly, need to upgrade their voting options to account for difficulties the voting electorate may have in order to vote only on a specific day. If we have learned anything from how our nation votes in national general elections it is that making the voting process easier and more convenient for our citizens gives all of us the most open democracy in the world. When all of us participate we all feel part of what our present and future holds for us. I actually love this early voting time because there is so much opportunity for all of us to share what we think is the best leadership and policies for us through our vote. Our vote is our promise to the future that we are all in for evolving our nation toward that more perfect union and for that I am proud to say I am privileged to be part of our great democracy.
    When my state activates its early voting options I will be using that as my way of casting my ballot. I am just one person but I do have a voice and I will gladly add my vote to all of the others and then on election day, after the voting hours are officially over, I will watch the votes that are beginning to be counted start to come in. For me election day, on the first Tuesday of November which this year falls on November 5th, should always be a holiday. The anticipation of how our national elections are performed is a civics lesson all should be able to learn from. Taking time off from our busy schedules to focus on how our democracy works is a value to every citizen and gives them the satisfaction of knowing how our democracy functions in real time.

(#5710) Minnesota and South Dakota will have official election ballots today

      It is 46 days until the election and many absentee voters in Minnesota and South Dakota will be officially filling out their ballots. The early voting season has begun. Tomorrow many absentee voters in Mississippi, Vermont, and Virginia likewise will be officially filling out their early ballots. For these folks the casting of their votes on their ballots represents their choices about these two candidates. There is not much the same between the two as they are at polar ends of desires. Like as a priority, between Harris, who is trying to save democracy, and trump, who is trying to turn our democracy into a kingdom for himself. Everything else is important but nowhere near as this one difference between these two.
     When Harris is elected the same foundation from which we all view our futures will remain and although not perfect our view will include all of us as to working on better solutions. It will not be the same with trump. He will take the right of all of us to be part of our government and instead install himself as the sole arbiter of what is right and wrong. He wants to be a king and his goal is to do just that. 248 years of being a democracy will end in America and the rule of a tyrant trump will begin. I and others have been saying this for as long as we have had trump on the political stage but the time for it to actually happen is if this time you give your vote to trump, essentially saying democracy is over.
      With a Harris vote democracy continues. It is that simple. Now you may think this is still embellishment or hyperbole but I say you are being naive. The words of trump are not in a vacuum. They are out there for all to research and understand. I am only going off what trump has said and you would be wise to do the same. Democracy is the greatest form of government ever devised by humankind so anything different like trump wanting to be a king for life and the tyranny that brings, is a step back from enlightenment and into the dark ages. We humans are capable of so much more than restricting ourselves through biases like color, gender, and illogic. Harris will bring out the best in us while trump will shame us and deter us from our true manifest destiny to be the best humans we can be.

(#5709) Snap out of it! The threat of trump is real!

      This is not your ordinary presidential election. An insurrection was attempted the last time trump was defeated and he was serious then about overthrowing our democracy. He has not changed despite all the normalizing the press gives him to hide his abhorrent behavior. He is a deranged individual who has no regard for anything other than himself. He is a conman who will tell you anything you want to hear either in agreement or as a promise and then forget all about you once you commit to him. He hasn't changed one iota from the guy who fomented the insurrection and then watched it for hours while our Capitol Police were attacked and maimed. His followers were directed to disrupt the transfer of power going on in Congress that shocking day on January 6th, 2020.
     He has now since then been able to dodge his responsibilities for the insurrection through court delays and favorable supreme court decisions from his personally selected justices. So now the last hurdle for him to destroy our democracy comes down to the election on November 5th. We the people will decide if he gets to sit on a thrown from which he will not leave until his demise or we elect a true representative for all of us who will honor democratic values and the rule of law. This isn't that hard to figure out folks. One is a wannabe gangster who would be a king of America, and the other is a humble, whip smart, joyous soul who would tirelessly make people like trump answer for their actions.
     If you believe at all in democracy then you have one choice, Harris If you believe in tyranny then you have one choice, trump. My personal opinion is that my foreparents fought and died for democracy and I won't sully their reputation by voting for a man who would dismiss their sacrifice so that he can become a king. I won't do that! I expect that a large majority of we Americans will stand on the side of democracy and denounce the wannabe king trump. Tearing down our governmental institutions, that have served the majority of us well, especially for the working middle poor class to improve ourselves for a better future is nonsensical and self defeating. Which is why a vote for Harris is the only logical and commonsensical thing to do!

(#5708) No let up against trump

      47 days and some hours until the election. tomorrow Minnesota and South Dakota begin their early voting and the day after tomorrow Mississippi, Vermont, and Virginia begin their early voting. We are at the cusp of casting votes so there is no time for lollygagging about when so much is at stake. I cannot reiterate this enough just how important it is to our collective futures the jeopardy that democracy is in. With a trump victory the history of our nation will change. We will no longer be a nation of one person one vote. We have already been told by trump that we will never have to vote again because there will be no need. He wants to be our dictator as he has plainly made clear.
     If elected he will become like his personal heroes, a tyrant with unlimited power to demand others obey him with force when needed. He is a deranged individual with a narcissistic complex that towers over all his other traits. He is also unrestrained in his personal behavior so much so that the rules of decency and honor are only for fools, not for him and his privileged bootlickers. Which is why we must be vigilant in our countdown to the election. He will do or say anything that gives him an edge wherever he can see an opportunity. So us being on top of his every action is critical to calling it out or stamping it out as we are able.
     Our democratic candidate is a solid forward looking candidate who is all in to save our democracy. There is enough there to kindle a resurgence toward enthusiasm for her that is welcome at this moment in time. This enthusiasm is needed as all of us have to get on the same page and not only elect our candidate but to elect our down ballot candidates as well. We need to get things done from the get go so giving soon to be President Harris a Congress of democratic majorities and state legislatures is crucial to shoring up our democracy while giving all of us citizens the opportunity to pursue our own dreams without doing harm. The fact that trump is such a threat though should be on our minds constantly as we approach our voting day.
     

(#5707) Even though trump can distract, he can't change who he is

      We know the trump playbook. When the news cycle is not in his favor he manufactures an event to change the news cycle in hopes of gaining a positive advantage. He is not catching anyone unawares with his ploys. We know who he is and that in itself is enough to keep us centered about anything the news cycle creates. He is still the worst of what a human can be and nothing yet has changed that. He is so enamored of himself that there is little room for anything else in his head. He lives in a fantasy world where he is always the star and everyone else is a second rate actor. Occasionally he is reminded by his master putin that he is beholden to him but that still doesn't dissuade trump from dreaming of his own crown someday soon.
     So let the news cycle change as the media is like a puppet, easily maneuvered by pulling their strings. But those of us who are not amused nor happy about the media we know who trump is and no amount of change of narrative will ever change that. He is not our choice for president, Kamala Harris is. She fights for us not against us. She fights for our democracy and he doesn't. She wants all of us to pursue our dreams while doing no harm and he is the exact opposite. The fundamentals of life are being protected with Harris while the fundamentals of life are being disintegrated by trump. There really is very little overlap in policies with these two candidates so being confused by anything trump tries to manufacture in disrupting the news cycle is fruitless.
     With 48 days left until the general election for all states to vote, there is no surprise big enough to sway us from our mission to elect as the 47th president of the United States, Kamala Harris. We know the media has failed us in that they do not call out trump's insurrection less than 4 years ago. They do not call out his agenda to make himself king of America, while disposing of our democracy and our one person one vote. They have utterly failed to tell the truth of what a trump presidency would do to the working middle poor class. So regardless of what happens in the news cycle the rest of us thinking Americans are just biding our time until we can fill out our ballots and have our votes counted for Kamala Harris.

(#5706) The dictators who back trump are all in to make him win the presidency

      Me even writing this seems flabbergasting. That a candidate for the American presidency is relying on and beholden to the worst dictators in the world is heretofore unheard of. This is beyond surreal it is a blatant attempt by an American citizen to overthrow democracy and install a puppet government backed by putin and his cohorts. That this race is even happening with trump as a candidate is mind blowing to me because he is such a vile decrepit individual. Yet the republican party has overlooked all his nefarious motives so that they can hope to share power with him. What the republican party does not understand is that they are just a vessel for him to attain what he wants, tyranny.
     The dictators around the world from putin to xi to un to maduro, they know that trump is their best bet at surviving and increasing their ambitions. Without trump, these dictators know that Harris will make them slither away and crawl back under their rocks. If they are lucky enough to survive the actions of democracy that will be coming their way. With trump, he will halt the forces of democracy and withdraw attempts to stop the tyrants from moving forward with their conquering ambitions. With 49 days left in this election the effort by these dictators to help trump win will increase to a level that is beyond desperation for them. They know that if trump fails to win in November they will likely find that they also will fail in the months and years ahead.
     With a Harris victory, trump and his dictator allies will again be forced to face the overpowering destiny of democracy. Our world is in need of democracy wherever tyranny is currently oppressing people. We who stand on the footing of democracy are not going to sit back and watch dictators manipulate our votes nor our will to succeed. We already have all the information we need for deciding what to do when our ballots come available and the effort by trump and his dictator backers to maneuver us to change our position is folly. The die has been cast in this election and although we democrats will not quit working to gain even more voters to protect democracy our resolve to keep it is beyond their ability to rip it from our even more greater clutching grip!

(#5705) Keep chipping away at trump's base

      I know it will not be a real successful attempt trying to get trump's base away from him but the edges of his base are worth fighting for. There is no way to get at the core of his base because trump cannot do anything wrong. They are so ingrained into how he thinks and acts that no logic, nor common sense will ever work to pry them away from voting for him. So the edges of his core where those who are not so woven into the fabric of his storytelling bubble are vulnerable to attempts at convincing otherwise. I feel like anyone who actually uses logic will be easier to convince about the foolishness of supporting him so the outer edges of his bubble are prime for aiming at.
     He seems consistently at around 45% of the voting electorate and chipping that down toward 40% would make a huge difference in the voting for not only the presidency but for control of Congress and state legislatures. There are 52 days left to attract the independent voters who lean right with arguments that hit them where they live. Pocketbook issues have always been an incentive to attract as well as social issues that balance law and order with protecting rights. The full gamut of ideas posed to attract the edges of trump's leaning voters is what we must analyze if we are to give democrats the best outcome in this coming election. We are hammering home trump's inability to be rational about all things and that helps with those edge voters but we need to do more.
     I would appeal to saving our democracy but it seems that the trump edge voters don't see that as an issue. Somehow giving away democracy is not as fearful to them. Which gives us an indication of the mindset they are presenting. They are more concerned about themselves and that has to be our focus for them if we are to sway them off the edges of voting for trump and onto the edges of voting for Harris. I know that Harris is working to attract them as her campaign has been all in for all Americans. But finding the trigger that gets them to move from the edges of trump to the edges of Harris is still not as clear as we need it to be if we are going to get trump down to or near 40%. 50 days left until the election so minds need to coalesce around whatever attractive solutions we can have for them.

(#5704) Fighting against democracy is a fight against freedom

      There is no room in our democracy for inequality. None! We are in a battle right now to eliminate the last vestiges of inequality and that is our good fight. We hold to the principle that our union is in a constant state of perfecting itself. Moving toward the time when there is protected equality for all. There are other forces out there that do not believe in equality. They would rather divide our democracy and then replace it with some form of forced rule that demands a hierarchy that gives some more than others because of some biased point of view. These are the ones we are fighting against. They do not believe we are all born equal. They think they deserve more than others based upon some kind of gender/race privilege.
     So those who support the current republican party and plan to vote for their nominee are the ones we are fighting against. Many within the republican party are not our enemy but instead are misplaced and misguided by illogic. The forces that control narratives that support republicans are strong and convincing. So those we need to show care for in our attempts to express the importance of maintaining democracy. However there is a subset of republican voters who have decided to wear the crown of hatred and cruelty. They are the ones who need less mercy when we confront them. They have within themselves lost their humanity and instead have replaced it with a brutishness that is vile and dangerous. For those we need to be especially wary of and act appropriately when in their presence.
     We who fight for the equality and freedom that democracy demands, are left with the challenge of protecting and inspiring democracy everywhere it seeks to establish itself. Whether domestically such as what we are going through in this current election or overseas where others are also striving to attain such a magnificent form of government. We the people is more than a slogan, it is who we are. We determine our futures together and unite to protect that right to govern ourselves. We are not beholden to the whims of tyrants and strongmen who are more psychotic than human. Our democracy is precious and trying to take it from us is a mistake for those who would try. The values of equality, freedom, justice, and fairness are what makes our democracy so strong so beware those who cannot find it within themselves to help us protect it.
     
     

(#5703) trump still has no answer for Harris

      President Joe Biden was magnificent in his timing to have himself replaced on the Democratic ticket. He waited until the republicans had their earlier convention, then without a doubt heralded Vice President Kamala Harris as his unequivocal replacement. What this did was coalesce Democratic support for Harris almost immediately and the momentum has been reinforcing and growing ever since. As such trump was caught with his metaphorical pants down. What trump thought was that Biden was going to be the nominee and trump strategists had a battle plan to disparage Biden all the way to the election of himself as the president. But instead, trump and his allies have yet to figure out a battle plan against Harris who is evidently without any faults for trump to capitalize on.
     Furthermore Harris is not silent on trump. As trump had used Biden as a bit of a punching bag, he is unable to do the same to Harris. She actually gives more than trump can take so his attacks on her hurt him in ways he is unfamiliar with in how to defend against. She reminds me of ex President Barack Obama in how he was able to chastise trump while being dignified about it. Make no mistake about the way Harris, who speaks directly and thoroughly with facts and truths about him, is to the point and pulls no punches. She understands the necessity of forcing facts and truths to the forefront otherwise those facts and truths are left unexpressed and unaddressed.
     Some early mail in voting ballots have already been received by our electorate so as trump remains clueless in how to defend himself against Harris, votes are being cast. The time is almost over for trump and while he is still technically in this race it is not because he has any momentum. In fact Harris has the momentum and in all likelihood is better positioned to overwhelm trump in this election unless he can find some way to turn the tide coming in at him back at Harris. With 53 days left until election day, the time is short while trump is still floundering. All this adds up to is an advantage for Harris to keep applying pressure with get out the vote organizing and unending rallies to keep her faithful fully engaged. As trump is stupefied at this juncture, the moment keeps slipping further and further away from him.

(#5702) The day is brighter

      Since the debate on Tuesday evening I have had a refreshing of my soul. I am no longer in any doubt as to who will win our presidency on November 5th. Vice President Harris is the clear leader and with only 8 days until the first states start their early voting the time for anything of any consequence to happen has narrowed down to little. The monthly jobs report came in at the beginning of the month and it was steady. The debate took place and it was a Harris triumph so that is behind us now. The inflation rate is at 2.5% which is a victory for the Biden/Harris economic agenda. All told the factors that could have swayed this race for president into less certainty did not happen.
     The comfort I am feeling over the health of our democracy is increasing. That in itself is enough to make me see the world as a desire and not a drudgery. But what will happen for Ukraine is now a positive in my mind since the torch of protecting Ukraine is passing from current President Biden to his successor Kamala Harris. It is not a certainty for sure but it is more likely than not especially since none of us Harris supporters are taking anything for granted. We are steadfast in our focus over these last 54 days until the general election for all 50 states commences. But knowing that we have passed some major hurdles in this race gives us pause enough to catch our breath and feel good even if for just a moment.
     I see what the aftermath of the debate did to cretin republican candidate and it is something to behold. He has gone from his arrogant boastful self to a quivering shell of a demented soul. He makes little sense as it seems Vice President Harris has ripped from him the last vestiges of his confidence. She cleaned his clock so to speak at the debate and he no longer commands the attention with any wisdom or insight. He is exposed as a charlatan of confusion and self importance with no further pathway to fool anyone beyond his base. His only chance was to win the debate and he perfectly squandered that. As the days wind down until the election my soul is well and so is my attitude toward our American experiment continuing with no further terrifying interruptions from a crumbling desolate soul.

(#5701) Democracy triumphed at the debate last night

      I must admit, we who love democracy to our cores were feeling a bit anxious about the outcome of the debate last night. The reason being so much was at stake for just one debate in the moment. I have always perceived democracy as the greatest form of species rule to have ever been imagined and implemented. So for a 90 minute debate between our defender of democracy and a cretin who would be king, not knowing the outcome was at least uneasy for me. I was confident in our defender but not sure how the cretin wanna be king would undermine logic and common sense to spoil things.
     But our defender, Vice President Harris, was head and shoulders above the cretin so much so that she made him uneasy and anxious from the very first moment. Any tricks or bad manners on his part were nullified by her attention to detail and the thrust of her comments about him. The debate was maneuvered by Harris toward policy and not toward his lies and bullying. On policy we Democrats are on the correct side of history. So as she tallied the tasks ahead of us with resolve to change for the better, he got lost in the weeds of defending himself with absurdity. It was a unique outcome that few thought Harris could transform but transform she did with almost flawless technique.
     I slept well last night knowing that for at least another day our democracy is thriving instead of in the throes of dying. That was the point last night. Harris is about bringing even more to our democracy and the cretin is about ending our democracy. Democracy won last night! With 55 days left until election day and 9 days until Minnesota and South Dakota start their early voting, the outcome of this debate was crucial within this time frame. As an added bonus, last night Taylor Swift announced her endorsement of Vice President Harris and this morning Caitlin Clark did the same. Two very strong powerful young women celebrities who will bring with them their followers by the droves. Democracy won last night and is still winning today!

(#5700) Big moment this evening

      This time in space for me is surreal. We are actually talking about an election with a criminal and a prosecutor. With the outcome still in doubt by many. It is insane to me that this is even happening, much like a nightmare, yet it is. The republican party is to blame for this since they have protected their criminal from more serious harm by manipulating and ignoring reality. For some demented reason they felt that their criminal was a better candidate than any other they had. Which for me is not surreal in that I have always felt that the republican party could only attract the worst types of human beings into its ideology.
     The republican party is more attuned to those who have no empathy, no ability to accept fault, nor the capacity to change when presented with logical facts. They tend toward psychopathy instead of compassion. They don't see everyone as equal, which is the evidence for their inherent racism by proxy. They can explain away their disregard for equality with a formula of bias and prejudice wrapped around a cross and a flag. There is no changing of their minds since they have no other way of thinking. So tonight when logic is used to define policies there won't be many republicans who will be able to follow. They have their talking points and that is all they need. We democrats are not like that and will nuance all manner of changes in analysis into our calculations.
     What I suspect the debate will hinge on is behavior. The republican will showcase his bully aspects and attempt to make the democrat cower to him. That is his goal for the evening and if he gets it he may well put his stamp on this election. If he doesn't then the democrat will have a free run to the end with the republican unable to prove he is king making material. The logic of policy will be on display but the reactions of the candidates will likely dictate the outcome, not their intellectual conclusions. It is a sad state that we find ourselves in where the hunger games is the test not the best interests of all Americans.

(#5699) We need a public forum twitter/facebook type communication option

      The idea that capitalism is the end all for everything is ridiculous. Free speech is more important than the platform's ability to control and monetize our words to each other. In a public forum where we are free from the subjectivity of private ownerships who wish to alienate anything that isn't of their personal point of view we can discuss and evaluate our ideas without incoherent censorship. I blame most of this on the owners of the platforms twitter and facebook because they are trying in their way to sway people to their point of view through blocking free speech in the guise of some algorithm that they say protects free speech. I call bullshit in that obstructing differing opinions on subjects is not protecting free speech!
     The ideal of free interchange of ideas and opinions is what makes up the essence of our democracy. We the people can only best guide our nation forward when we have that free interchange with each other that is not maneuvered and manipulated by those who would restrict we the people to favor their own misguided approach of them knowing better than we the people. Democracy will survive but only if we keep the tyrannical from denying our right to speak to each other. Internet platforms of speech for communication of ideas is a national right that should be left out of the hands of the private industry. We need a public only platform that is not guided by individuals who have other designs on our speech.
     I would rather we use the Internet much like we used public libraries in the past. A place where we can go to have discourse and enlightenment to our betterment. The laws that govern free speech would still be in effect but what we would be freed from are the constant illogical arbitrary decisions by the private platform owners who deem themselves the filter through which our free speech may travel. I wouldn't trust any one or more billionaire(s) to define my rights with their uneven grasp of reality. Most of us are not billionaires thus our perspectives are much more earthy than their privileged bubble. We need a public Internet speech platform that enhances dialogue instead of trying to control it!
     

(#5698) Quit blaming the poor for how the wealthy make them poor!

      I still run across folks who seem to think the poor are trying too hard to live above their means. In essence they are saying to the poor live within your means. I look at that and shake my head. Generally the poor are good people who live in a world where their efforts bring them little while the cost of things are much. So they are in a constant state of struggle to not only provide basic necessities, of which they can never provide even that sufficiently, while trying to give their children more opportunity through getting them enough technology or in style clothing to hopefully allow them to advance beyond poverty. Those who look at the poor and say why do you have a nice thing when you have no food?
     Mostly because if we didn't do something nice for ourselves once in a while our minds would go deeper into depression like attitudes. The poor are mainly poor because the wealthy prefer to hoard the wealth to themselves. I say it must be easy to pick on the poor for wanting something nice in their lives than to pick on the wealthy who are causing the poor to remain poor. I see that dishonesty in approach and it disgusts me. There is no logical purpose for the wealthy to keep greedily yearning for more wealth when the majority of people on our planet are poor. How the wealthy can disconnect from this fact and do little to nothing to change it is really outside my ability to reconcile logically or ethically.
     In a more perfect world we all would be focusing on people and how people need to exist instead of on ourselves and how we lust for more than we need. I say lust because it seems there is an insatiable desire for more wealth by the wealthy. Look at the ones who support the republican party. They are the wealthy who are looking for more tax breaks even though they could never spend their wealth now in their lifetimes. What kind of allure other than lust could do that to a human being? All the while the poor are in a day to day struggle to have basic necessities and an occasional trinket of happiness. This existence where the wealthy hoard and the majority of poor suffer is bad enough without someone saying that the poor should live within their means and then scoff at them when they step outside their means for a moment of not feeling the shame of not having enough!

(#5697) It is wonderful being around people who do good things

      This is what life is all about for me now anyway. Being around good people accomplishing things we will always be proud of. Not just for ourselves either. When things can be done for ourselves that overlap into things that positively affect others then it is doubly satisfying. I am no extrovert, because I am well satisfied being in the background where I can be at ease but also ready to join in when the need arises. Kind of like a reserve who is prepared for many things. So when my day has all kinds of activities that are getting taken care of then is when I know my life is good and those around me get to share in that good.
     I have some selfish bones in my body and if they are recognized for any guilt, then I make sure that the selfish within me does not get to produce an outcome. Instead I stifle that selfishness and figure a different way to make that selfish feeling into a selfless one. I am only a human being so evolving from the antiquity of our formative survival instincts toward being a modern wise man takes a process that needs to be streamlined and efficient. In no universe am I perfect but I am working on myself to be as perfect in my thoughts and actions as I am able to be honorable, ethical, and logical. Being around good people who are like minded in being selfless and giving is an antidote I covet in traveling that journey of always working on being more perfect, than imperfect and disappointing.
     We used to call the beginning of our work journey's the rat race. Not a nice definition but often it seemed just that. Scurrying along in a maze trying to get ahead and losing ourselves in that endeavor. I haven't had that desire nor will I ever. I was one who was comfortable being just me and surviving to help others when possible. I had no desire for accolade or ambition at all costs. I wanted to take care of myself and when able give help to others. My life has followed that form and as I am now in the last year of my sixties I feel grateful for my approach. I am not burdened by whatever it would have took to achieve a lesser goal in my mind. I am content with a happiness that keeps finding my face when that smile of mine appears. :)

(#5696) Who is better than democrats at the economy? No one!

      During the four years trump was our appointed president he lost around 2.7 million jobs total over his four years. The Biden/Harris administration so far in less than 4 years has already created around 16 million jobs. The unemployment rate has been down for the last 2 years at about 4%. To think that the media is not slamming trump for claiming he had the best economy during his time as president as a bald faced lie. Yet the media is unable to fact check him on his claims. Well here are my fact check links: https://www.factcheck.org/2021/10/trumps-final-numbers/; https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/09/06/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-august-jobs-report/.
     The trump claim that he is an economic wizard is belied by the fact that he himself had filed for bankruptcy 6 times previously. It doesn't take a genius to realize that trump is a boastful man about things that are not true if it makes him look good. We have seen it over and over. His propensity to brag about things that others do as his own is also well documented. Why the national media continues to give him a pass on his absurd lies and claims is telling and does more than suggest that they are all in for him to win the presidency even if they must cover up his disingenuous statements and outright lies.
     But the national media saide for now, let us focus on the actual economic policies trump has enacted. Oh wait, there is only one and that was tax cuts for the wealthy. The old failed trickle down concept that for the last more than forty years has proven to be a failed policy. Very little trickles down from the wealthy as they hoard more wealth than they will ever need while the rest of us are getting poorer and poorer. We democrats believe that the economy will expand from the center out and the bottom up, Not from the top down! The more we hammer home this point the less the propaganda of republican talking points, about their false narrative of them being good at the economy, will survive.

(#5695) This could well be a blue wave election of enormous size

      After the cautionary tale of the 2016 election it is absurd to think that anyone knows what is coming in this election. Yet the tide has turned toward Vice President Harris in a remarkable way. Independents and even republicans are heralding her as the best choice. I don't hear any democrats doing the same for trump. Kamala Harris has already reinvigorated the entire democratic base and is now adding to it with independents and republicans who wish to see the end of trump from our politics. Those who are not democrats realize the danger of trump, inserting himself with a win, as a dictator. This is not an embellished opinion. It is based upon his own words.
     So instead of following along party lines, a lot of republicans are either going to not vote or to vote for Harris. With independents it is the same. They want some sanity in our politics and they are seeing first hand that trump is not that option. Everytime trump has some kind of press conference or rally the words are always similar in tone and effect. He hates that Harris is now more favored to win the presidency than he is and his ad hominems aimed at her are getting more vicious. He does not offer policies with details only generalized statements that are subject to reversal given his mood and the nature of the political moment. he is a wavering candidate who has little to offer but bombast and accusation.
     All the above factors play into the narrative that voters are really getting or are already tired of his act. His moment has passed and yet he hangs on with a desperation that is coming full circle. His run for the presidency is a way for him to delay his coming sentencing for his guilt in crimes he was adjudicated and found to be committed by a jury of his peers. With Harris there is no corruptible past to consider. She is a model of respect for the process of law and order. With trump there is the opposite. A model for what corruption and disregard for the rule of law looks like. The end of this campaign for president is nearing and the votes will begin to come in shortly. What we may well find is an avalanche of a blue wave for Harris and a reckoning awaiting trump for his self serving choices.

(#5694) If you defend republicans you lose me

      I have one simple rule. If you even try to defend republican politics to me I will leave. I have zero time for arguing with anyone the depravity that is republican politics. First most all of it divides us. From the those people, women aren't equal to men, or the illegals, to the blacks, and so on I have no time for any conversation with those clauses in it. We are all in this together, yes even those who are seeking asylum. Our broken immigration system could have had a real good start at a fix but trump convinced the republican Senate that they needed to vote against the border bill they co-authored so trump could have a broken immigration system to blame on democrats for an election wedge issue.
     Think about that for a moment. Much like nixon keeping the Vietnam War going so he could have an issue to campaign on against the democrats in 1968. The same strategy for trump now. Keep the border as an issue and blame democrats for not fixing it. The worst of this is trump and his nefarious motive, but not far behind are the people who vote for him who do not see his subversive acts. They seem oblivious to reality and those are his base. I am an American yet I feel out of place when I use knowledge, facts, and truths, to conclude what is going on. It is like I need to just go along with the loudest most dishonest person to fit in. Well I am not that guy and neither should anyone else be.
    As a person I value who I have evolved into. Yes, my earlier self was not as well informed as I am now. But I have always been able to spot the bafflement of bullshit that republicans attempt to pass off as persuasive. Which has kept me secure as a democratic voter. Sure we democrats are not pitch perfect nor will we ever be. But our differences or wrongdoings are infinitesimal compared to the hourly conjuring of lies and absurdities that the republican party is trying to fill our minds with. My gut tells me that republicans as a political party are irredeemable. They are incapable of being honest and will continue to be corruptible. Which I imagine that others who are like me discern as well. So don't tell me that republicans are on the correct side of history because you will lose me for for that illogical lie.

(#5693) Democracy vs tyranny

      The world is on fire right now with tyranny trying to hold onto its last hope of world domination. It is in the throes of death and wants to take all who are weak with it. For the world leader of tyranny, vladimir putin of Russia, this is his last stand. He needs to make it to the American election on November 5th to see if he will get a reprieve from his awaiting fate. We see the attempt by putin to ignore democracy, the rule of law, and how we in the world cordially interact. Yesterday he went to Mongolia, which is a signatory to a International Criminal Court pact that should have arrested putin. But it was ignored. Mongolia thus becomes another player in the tyranny playpen that is defying the rule of law.
     This is putin's plan. Ignore the rule of law and make up his own rules. sound familiar? Much like his servant trump in America who is trying with all his corrupted might to retake the presidency. Meanwhile in Venezuela the incumbent president maduro has defied his country's demand that he produce the election results that show his claim that he won. Instead he is not, in the face of overwhelming evidence he lost in a landslide. He too is hoping to defy law and order and is thus another player in the tyranny playpen that would upset the rule of law and displace democracy with autocracy.
     If putin can hang on and somehow get trump elected he knows that the international community will begin to fracture without America to ally with. That trump will cut ties with NATO and European allies is a given so putin is betting that trump, his servant, will come to his rescue just in time to save him from utter defeat to Ukraine and the wrath of his own Russian people. This coming election is truly about the future of America and the world at large. This election is about our reality to be free from tyrants like putin who would give other budding tyrants around the world the lust of domination over their people like putin has over his. This is also the dream of trump, to crown himself king and rule like he is the master and the rest of us are peasants. Make sure you understand what is at stake in this coming election and vote for your democracy that your foreparents fought so valiantly to procure!