The Future of Jews in America

Historically, when a country has economic issues the leadership frequently blames the Jewish population. It is a convenient scape goat that is usually a small part of the total population.

‘Hail Trump’: That’s how a group of white nationalists saluted the November 8 victory of the president-elect this weekend at the annual conference of the National Policy Institute, as seen in an exclusive video filmed by The Atlantic. The disturbing scene came during an after-dinner speech by alt-right leader Richard Spencer, who among other anti-Semitic and racist statements described America as “a white country designed for ourselves and our posterity.” His audience cheered, and many raised their arms in Nazi salutes. Trump has not endorsed these statements, of course, nor has he asked white nationalist groups for their support. But the sentiment is alarming.

Meanwhile Congressman Keith Ellison is the leading candidate to head Democratic National Committee. A growing number of pro-Israel activists and Jewish community figures are expressing concern that Minnesota’s U.S. Rep. Ellison will turn the Democratic Party away from Israel if he is elected party chairman.

While I am not a Zionist I do appreciate the fact that Israel is the only majority Jewish nation in the world. “Hail Trump” frightens me and so does a congressman who has a history of relations with Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam movement. The Jewish News Service reports on Ellison’s relationship with Farrakhan in detail.

My family thinks I am too involved with politics and my fears are unfounded. Sadly history seems to support my fears.

A Sad Decline for America

I am not happy as I did support Hillary Clinton. However I did not support her because she had anything worthwhile to offer. She was “the lesser of two evils” in my opinion. Trump won because he promised change. That was the Obama promise too. We all know how that turned out. Millions of people believed that Mrs. Clinton was just a continuation of the same gridlock that has kept the same bunch of elected people in office (and that includes Republicans and Democrats). It’s unlikely Trump will be successful but the public keeps hoping.

Charles Krauthammer in his November 11, 2016 column mostly wrote about how a Republican congress can now cancel Obamacare, end Dodd Frank consumer protection, and impose their solutions for illegal immigration. One point he made does make sense: “Trump spoke to and for a working class squeezed and ruined by rapid technological and economic transformation.” While Krauthammer was correct in that analysis his solutions make no sense.

The greater question for me is what will Donald Trump actually do as president? His history of remarks and promises is full of contradictions. Many of those contradictory statements have been played on CNN and elsewhere. A good example is in 1999, when Trump forcefully argued for universal health care, telling CNN’s Larry King, “If you can’t take care of your sick in the country, forget it, it’s all over. I mean, it’s no good. So I’m very liberal when it comes to health care. I believe in universal health care. I believe in whatever it takes to make people well and better.”

The world has changed dramatically over the last two decades. Donald Trump cannot roll back the impact of globalization. Our congress is filled with people with an average age of Members of the House at the beginning of the 114th Congress of 57.0 years; of Senators, 61.0 years. These are a bunch of older people many of whom do not understand the changing world. This is not the group likely to lead this nation in a rapidly changing technology world.

Sadly, we are likely to see an America in decline. Tell me I am wrong and why.

California Secession #Calexit and #Caleavefornia

The above map shows the national results of the November 8 2016 election by county. It is obvious that the most populace parts of California voted for Hillary Clinton. 54% of the voters chose Mrs. Clinton. 30% Chose Donald Trump.

California holds significantly different views of the world from most of the United States. Immigration and the environment are the two really big differences. Donald Trump by his own words does not believe there is any climate change and he intends to deport millions of “illegal aliens.” He says immigrants will be subject to ‘extreme vetting.‘ Trump intends to end Obama Care. All of these views are diametrically opposite of those held by most Californians.

“If Trump wins,” venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar wrote, “I am announcing and funding a legitimate campaign for California to become its own nation.” That was reported in the Los Angeles Daily News.

California is approximately 38% Latino and 38% White. The rest of the state is a mix of Black, Asian, and other groups. Clearly this is not a White state.

California has more millionaires with over $1million to invest than any other state.

Compared to countries California’s economy ranks 6^th in the world.

40% of America’s imports arrive through the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach.

http://www.yescalifornia.org/ In the Spring of 2019, Californians will go to the polls in a historic vote to decide by referendum if California should exit the Union, a #Calexit vote.

You will have this historic opportunity because the Yes California Independence Campaign will qualify a citizen’s initiative for the 2018 ballot that if passed would call for a special election for Californians to vote for or against the independence of California from the United States.

Yes California is the nonviolent campaign to establish the country of California using any and all legal and constitutional means to do so. We advocate for peaceful secession from the United States by use of an independence referendum to establish a mandate, followed by a nationwide campaign to advocate in support of a constitutional exit from the Union.

This would be a VERY BIG step. It is worth thinking about.

Donald Trump and Hate

The United States democratically elects its president and the majority has spoken through the ballot box. The losers must accept the will of the majority.

I am deeply disappointed with the results. Donald Trump is the poster child for hate, misogyny, and discrimination. His election tells me more about America than about him.

I fear for the fate of minorities and the handicapped in this nation under a Trump presidency. I have personally experienced discrimination and sympathize with all who have had to live in a world of hate.

I see Adolph Hitler in the words of Donald Trump. Asians, Jews, Latinos and Muslims are the likely targets of a President Trump.

A rebellion is unlikely. A massive emigration of minorities from the United States is a possible outcome. Certainly the entry of minority peoples to America will be significantly smaller than in previous years.

My likely new home will be Canada – if they will take me.

America’s Free Enterprise System Is Coming to an End!

So the wealthy have the power to do as they wish. These are oligarchs. They are only interested in accumulating unbelievable wealth that will provide their family generations of luxurious living without ever having to work a day in their lives. As our society evolves into a nation controlled by those very wealthy, the vast majority of Americans are becoming ever poorer. Donald Trump talks about the shrinking middle class and the 45 million people either in poverty or near poverty. He is correct in pointing out the discrepancy but he really doesn’t have a solution. He is one of those oligarchs. Those oligarch just don’t care no matter what they say.

Thus we see AT&T buying Time Warner. In what way will this benefit society? It won’t. What it will do is put more power in the hands of a few. It will be a more controlled society.

Wells Fargo may pay a fine but its power remains. The rest of the banking industry is just happy they have not been caught in some other manipulation. The former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf “retires” with a $100 Million plus retirement package.

This is a sad collapse of the free enterprise system where individuals can open small businesses and make a living. Privately owned drug stores, food markets, and hardware stores were part of the American well of life. Now its Walgreens, Walmart, Kroger, and Home Depot that control the price we pay and the jobs we have.

How Rich do you have to be?

Wells Fargo CEO Stumpf retires but won’t receive severance pay. That headline reads nicely but it does not reveal all the facts. He will receive more than $100 Million in vested stock and a 401(k) exceeding $24 Million. Forbes magazine reports that “Even though he left on a low, John Stumpf, former CEO of Wells Fargo, will take about $133.1 million into retirement. ’’

What does a man do with $100 Million? I understand that as CEO of Wells Fargo he headed the second largest banking company in the United States but does that entitle him to earn so much money that his family will live in luxury for generations?

Take a look at the board of Directors of Wells Fargo or any other giant corporation and you will see that those directors are almost always part of a very wealthy economic club that sustains their way of life and works to keep their average employees at the same low pay that is 1/20 to 1/30 of theirs.

Stock holders don’t care as long as their shares continue to appreciate and they receive their dividend checks.

Our free enterprise society was built on the right to earn as much money as you can regardless of who remains in poverty and who does not have the money to provide their children with a good college education.

Forbes Billionaires: Full List Of The 500 Richest People In The World 2016 tells me that we have a world where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton will change that reality.

What does love mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds , ‘What does love mean?’

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.

See what you think:

‘When my grandmother got arthritis , she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.. So my grandfather does it for her all the time , even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.’

Rebecca- age 8

‘When someone loves you , the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’

Billy – age 4

‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’

Karl – age 5

‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.’

Chrissy – age 6

‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’

Terri – age 4

‘Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him , to make sure the taste is OK.’

Danny – age 7

‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing , you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.’

Emily – age 8

‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.’

Bobby – age 7

‘If you want to learn to love better , you should start with a friend who you hate. ‘

Nikka – age 6

‘Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.’

Noelle – age 7

‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.’

Tommy – age 6

‘During my piano recital , I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.’

Cindy – age 8

‘My mommy loves me more than anybody You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.’

Clare – age 6

‘Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’

Elaine-age 5

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.’

Chris – age 7

‘Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.’

Mary Ann – age 4

‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.’

Lauren – age 4

‘When you love somebody , your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.’

Karen – age 7

‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.’

Jessica – age 8

And the final one:

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry , the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard , climbed onto his lap , and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor , the little boy said , ‘Nothing , I just helped him cry.’

A War Hero Condemns Donald Trump

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. listens during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 28, 2012, to discuss a Congressional resolution condemning the government of Syria for crimes against humanity and supporting the right of the people of Syria to be safe and to defend themselves. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

John McCain on the Khan family controversy:

“While our Party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump’s statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates. I’d like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: thank you for immigrating to America. We’re a better country because of you. And you are certainly right; your son was the best of America, and the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation — and he will never be forgotten.”

“My sons serve today, and I’m proud of them. My youngest served in the war that claimed Captain Khan’s life as well as in Afghanistan. I want them to be proud of me. I want to do the right thing by them and their comrades,”

“Humayun Khan did exactly that — and he did it for all the right reasons. This accomplished young man was not driven to service as a United States Army officer because he was compelled to by any material need. He was inspired as a young man by his reading of Thomas Jefferson — and he wanted to give back to the country that had taken him and his parents in as immigrants when he was only two years old.”

“Captain Khan’s death in Iraq, on June 8th, 2004, was a shining example of the valor and bravery inculcated into our military. When a suicide bomber accelerated his vehicle toward a facility with hundreds of American soldiers, Captain Khan ordered his subordinates away from the danger.”

“Then he ran toward it.”

Donald Trump: What sacrifices have you made?

Khizr Khan, whose son Army Capt. Humayun Khan died in Baghdad in 2004, delivered one of the most powerful speeches of the Democratic National Convention. With his wife Ghazala at his side, Khan repeatedly blasted Trump’s immigration proposals — specifically those aimed at barring Muslims — and said the billionaire businessman has “sacrificed nothing and no one.”

Trump to Khizr Khan: ‘I’ve made a lot of sacrifices.’

Donald Trump, in an ABC interview, said in response, “I’ve created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I’ve had tremendous success. I think I’ve done a lot.”

Other than the 9-11 hijackers the only immigrant terrorists were the couple in San Bernardino California. All the others were born in the United States. So how would Mr. Trump monitor their behavior? Trump is going down the path of the Nazi concentration camps and America’s Japanese internment camps. Is that the path a majority of Americans want?

If that is the choice of the United States, I will not be a party to that action!