Hillary Clinton

Racism, Trump and Me

/ Katie Wigington / Leave a comment

Upside-down-US-flag-of-occupation

Perhaps I have angered you lately—with my pro protest posts.

I have listened to rhetoric and propaganda from both sides of the political spectrum. I have seen numerous people say their opinions should be respected. Well, no that’s not how it works. I respect your right to an opinion. There is no doubt about that. But to respect opinions that go against my own ethics would be ludicrous.  Especially if your opinion is not fact-based or based on hate.

I try to keep it real. I try to do my homework before I spout off about anything, but particularly politics. I have numerous friends much more left-wing than myself that I don’t always agree with and will say so. I’m generally not a demonizer, nor, do I put people on pedestals. I have no idols, just a few people I admire. I try not to hate.

The last election drove a huge wedge between me and the people I know, including some of my own family, who voted for Trump. (and perhaps they feel the same about my vote for Clinton.)

For me, it was an easy vote. I didn’t struggle with who was the better candidate. I never gave Bernie with his pointing finger and spittle mouth a second thought. I listened to what the GOP candidates had to say- and rejected them based on my own understanding of right and wrong. I watched every debate, I watched every news channel, (although admit that Fox gives me a migraine). I read every article- even the fake news ones. I researched. I watched 90% of the 11 hour Clinton interrogation in the Senate Hearing. (and frankly, I would have told them to go fuck themselves about hour 4.)

I know about Benghazi; I am a military mom. I don’t know – for the life of me- how you can blame the Secretary of State for those deaths, and not blame Bush/Cheney for the deaths of 5000+ troops in Iraq & Afghanistan based on lies. It makes no sense.

Afghanistan War 2001–present 1,954*
Iraq War 2003–2011 3,836*

*Source Wikipedia

And now… the Trump administration is using private email servers … so much for that issue. The corruption from this administration has put anything the Clinton’s ever did to shame. If you can’t see it… you aren’t looking.

I have watched this president (not capped on purpose) denigrate everyone that disagrees with him about anything. He is petty – like I knew he would be. He is knee jerk, he lacks depth, he seriously lacks empathy, he lacks historical facts, he lacks global knowledge, he lacks etiquette, he lacks vocabulary, he has made a fool of himself to the world with every single meeting he has with heads of states. He forgets their names, their titles, and admires thugs and murderers like Putin and Duterte. He is a global joke. He undermines his own cabinet. He insults women on a regular basis.  He always reminds me of the man that tried to put my head through a window when I wouldn’t serve him any more alcohol. He’s a spoiled, rich white guy that no one dare say no to. I have no doubt he has forced himself on women – I have met men like him.  But still, to me – his worst thing is that he is stupid. And by stupid I mean he lacks intelligence. He is not a reader – despite the pictures of his desk with reams of paper—he has lacked a complete understanding of the law. (Which by the way the rule of law is the backbone of our country.) He is not a successful businessman- he has stiffed so many people that he might as well have held a gun to them and stolen the money he owes. Yet people chose to overlook these character traits and voted for him.

And some people think he hung the moon. Some people have put their own morals aside (or maybe not) and decided that this man would do a good job. But has he?  Not by my standards.

So far he has tried to take medical insurance away from 20+ million people  (including many vets not covered by the VA) and sabotaged the market so that either way the American Health Insurance markets are screwed. Obama care or no Obama care – Health insurance is going to be unaffordable for most. And Medicare – that which those of us 65 and over-rely on – is in jeopardy as well. He would like to raise the taxes on middle class and cut the taxes for the very wealthy (proven to not work theory by top economists.)  He has created travel bans that are race/religion based (illegal) halted by the courts. He has rescinded DACA causing 15 States to sue the administration as well as 4 other lawsuits in a matter of 3 weeks. DACA Lawsuits

He has made legal immigration so difficult that it will probably lead to more illegal immigration.

He has loosened sanctions on EPA and National Monuments. He has pulled out of the Paris Accord- (then like a slippery dick, slid back in.) He has effectively dismantled just about any progress Obama made in his 8 years in office.

The article below by the BBC sums up this administrations successes and failures thus far. It’s not a great report card.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38663043

Trump’s support (as seen by lack of disdain and/or some respect) of White Supremacism/ Nazism was not a surprise to me- but what did surprise me was how many people were silent on the matter. (but some quite vocal about Black Lives Matter.) Afraid to speak out perhaps? Afraid to be political?  Afraid to make enemies of the true enemy of America?  Or was it because they held those same beliefs?

I have been arguing with people for 2 weeks about NFL and taking a knee issue and I am done. People will believe what they want to believe. No amount of logic and /or facts will change the will of some people. They want to be where they want to be. I see that as narrow-minded. Perhaps they see me the same way. Eventually, the facts will prevail.

And from BLM’s and Colin Kaepernick taking a knee- and trumps tweetstorm shit-show about the NFL when Puerto Rico is dying was just about the final straw for me. An insult to the flag and the troops and the anthem– not at all. I know this country is split in half about this – most of the veterans I know personally say they fought for this right (to protest) even if they don’t agree with it. When a silent protest is seen as unpatriotic I have to wonder what kind of protest is okay with you?

You want to know the real insult to the troops? Wars for no reason. The killing of 18–30-year-old people in the name of a war that has only made the issue of terrorism worse. We (the US) have effectively insured the terrorist of the future are the orphaned and homeless of the war-torn countries of today. We have a country full of veterans from wars since Vietnam until today with PTS due in large part to the fact they realized it was all for nothing, that they were killing people that wanted the same things we want- food, shelter, education, good health, and their children to be safe.

Another insult to the flag and patriotism is the heinous racism in our country. I have always been painfully aware of racism but lately it’s so overt I don’t know how anyone can deny it’s happening – and yet they do. Under trumps leadership (for lack of a better word) it has become okay to hate people of color. Newsflash folks – it’s not okay. The so-called “race card” is a misnomer. The “card” is issued by white people to denigrate blacks even further—the card is used by whites when they don’t have the intelligence to have a real conversation about race. The race card – is a term invented by whites who hate blacks.

If you wonder why I am writing about all this now- it’s because these thoughts eat me alive until I spit them out, because I can’t sleep thinking about this—and because I want to make sure that it’s clear that I have not come to these conclusions lightly- but not with great difficulty either. My core values have led the way.

My core values consist of equality, truth, and belief in humanity. The latter isn’t always easy for me–humanity lets me down on a regular basis, yet I continue to hope – and sometimes I see hope prevail. Recently someone asked me if I ever lose hope… I can honestly say that I have- but not for long. I lost hope this last election – for weeks I was depressed, angry, tearful and fearful. It was a blow I was not prepared to handle. I had to vow to myself to make sure that I leave my son and grandson a legacy they can be proud of to restore my positive energy  (hope) so that I am able to fight racism, hatred, fascism and all things intolerable to our Constitution as Americans and humanity in general. I don’t have much to leave anyone, just an abundance of tenacity and some words that tell the story of who I am. Who I hope to be.

I really don’t care if I am alone in the fight- though I know I am not and grateful for that. And I don’t think that everyone I know has to think the way I think – but some basics are a must. I will not tolerate racism—just like I will not tolerate rapists, murderers and child molesters. They are all the same category to me—unacceptable. If your racism is showing I am going to call you on it. I won’t be a coward and look the other way. I won’t worry about hurting feelings or losing a friendship. No one should allow that kind of behavior – as long as we do it will prevail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why I’m Voting for Hillary Clinton

/ Katie Wigington / Leave a comment

I’m not sure if I can write about the upcoming Presidential Race without offending someone, but I hope I don’t. The mention of Donald Trump sends my hackles up – and maybe the mention of Hillary Clinton sends your hackles up. So – I’m going to try to explain – much like I did when I decided to vote for President Obama in 2012, why. I don’t expect to change one mind- so this is not a debate- this is me- sharing my logic.
The divisiveness is enough for me. It’s not like I can’t see Hillary’s faults. She’s a Pitbull. If you get to close too her face she may bite you. Then say it’s your fault – but, if we are honest here – if you get too close to a Pitbull and it bites you it IS your fault.
She has been investigated for everything under the sun – and yet never indicted for anything. The emails… are a stupid witch hunt. Colin Powell, Condi Rice’s staff used personal severs, and LATER the emails were deemed Secret or Top Secret but not at the time they were received or replied to – exactly the same as Hillary Clinton’s.
After 11 hours of grilling- of which I watched at least 10 hours of – I am convinced beyond a doubt that Hillary Clinton is not lying about Benghazi. If you are not convinced you might want to check your motives and re-watch the tape- if, indeed, you ever watched it. If you’re still not convinced, then nothing I say or do will change your mind – (and that’s fine).  
Republicans have been gunning for her as long as I can recall. When she was the First Lady and proposed a new health care system they came unglued. And she’s been in their sights ever since. (and was before – by simply being married to Bill Clinton)
She’s been called a liar, a murderer, a suicide facilitator. She’s been called a feminist, she’s been called anti-feminist, she’s been called about every name in the book – and honestly 8 years ago I did not vote for her. I was a one issue voter and because I was so afraid that the Democrats did not know how to run a war – I voted for John McCain (and I’m still embarrassed about that) – but the minute President Obama won- I got behind him. I hoped his lack of experience would be made up for with intellect – and the 2ndtime around I got behind him with my vote.
Since 2003, when my son joined the Marine Corps, I have come full circle. I started out a Democrat and here I am again. Because I wanted my son to be safe in a war zone – I wanted to make sure the tax dollars would not be taken away from him- (they were anyway) I wasn’t thinking down the line- I wasn’t thinking about the VA and its hurdles. I wasn’t thinking about other parts of government that could use some tax dollars- I was selfishly focused on my kid—and his buddies- and the sons and daughters of my friends. I went against my own intuition- and my son’s wishes.  
But even at my most “right” thinking – I have always at heart leaned left.  I lean left because I believe in humanity. I believe in helping others. I don’t think helping people hinders them. Otherwise we would call it hindering.  Here, let me hinder you with that door.
For me- still today Foreign Policy is a huge factor. I am convinced beyond a doubt that Donald Trump would lead us into a war bigger than we could handle – just to be able to say his hoo-hoo is bigger.
He is an unfiltered mouth unattached to a lame brain. I’ve heard that a number of military and military families are behind him- he seems to know the hot spots to get people fired up – like today, when he spoke about the VA and our veterans being treated – “worse that illegal immigrants.” (a total lie) I hear, because he speaks their language… but – is their language hate? Is their language more war? I find that hard to believe. Most of the families I know – are still trying to cope with the fallout from the Middle East wars. Most of the people I know would not wish another war on another mother or father. Not to mention all the spouses, and children. And sure the VA is a bit of a mess- it’s been broken since WW1 –it needs to be revamped 100%- but NOT privatized.
I think – the best gift we could give our veterans is no war. Imagine that. And for all the kids that are running to the recruiter’s office ready to go out and have a shootout, or save the world- go to the VA first – and take a look at what war does.
I’m not anti-Military – we need our military because we are the arbiters of peace around the world. Much to the chagrin of many- it’s who we are. We need our military because ISIL and the Taliban are not imaginary enemies. And that nut in North Korea needs constant monitoring.  But we need to be smart about it.  
I have seen, up close and very personal what war does to people; to our veterans, and their families. The invisible wounds are endless and relentless in their ability to decimate life. Some can’t recover. The real fatality numbers from OIF and OEF is much higher if you count the suicides during and after.
I am not an impressionable person- in fact, I have no super heroes. I have my son – who has been my hero since long before he became a Marine—because he saved my life. He’s not perfect either—far from it actually. I don’t expect people to be perfect. I do expect them to be as smart as they can be.
I honestly can’t get a handle on why people like Donald Trump. He’s crass, he’s a braggart, he’s horribly misinformed about history, the Constitution, the Senate, Congress and well, just about everything that involves the United States- not to mention Europe, Asia, the Middle East and outer space. He proposes things that could never happen—and he doesn’t even know why they could not.
He attracts the basest human beings. Anti- everything people. And then a handful of people that are worried about taxes- and I can tell you right now – most of them don’t make enough money to worry about it.  Maybe what he says about keeping Mexicans out, and keeping Muslims out is provocative to some people who have known no other cultures. I don’t know what to say to that since this is a global world in business and economy- and you can learn about any other culture by reading some books.
Hillary is not stupid. She’s had more hands on experience regarding running the United States of America than any other person running (and not running). She defends women’s rights, she is pro health care and will not pull the plug on ACA and turn our country into a laughing stock of the health care world. She’s not too shy to strike if a strike is needed – she’s no knee-jerk though. She won’t be challenging Putin to a “whose is bigger” contest. But she won’t back down from his rhetoric either.
And Bernie… I got nothing for Bernie – He does not have Foreign Policy experience. In my opinion he’s too old – he’s patriarchal—and I find that in itself annoying. Bernie has some good ideas, some not so great – and would never see the light of day.  I don’t think he’s the nominee- but he’ll go back to the Senate with more gravitas and do some good there – which frankly we really need him there.
Anyway –In case you have not guessed, I’m voting for Hillary. I think at 64 I will finally vote for a woman but not just because she’s a woman – but because she’s smart – my #1 requirement these days. She’s a mom and a grandmother, and she has been to every country in the world and she has mixed it up with some real bad asses and lived to tell the story. She knows some stuff and I am not embarrassed to vote for her.