@Finn dAbuzz,
Finn dAbuzz wrote:
Hope you had a very Merry Christmas.
I've been trying hard to keep the schadenfreude under wraps so as not to upset my progressive family and friends, I don't really remember them trying to disguise their glee over Obama's victories in 2008 and 2012, but they're all so compassionate and big-hearted that they must have. Never-the-less peace has reigned in the absence of political discussion.
The festivities have come to an end, the guests have all left and the family's all gone to bed, so now I get to visit this place where there's no reason at all to avoid politics, and some reason to indulge in a bit of nose rubbing, and point out to anyone who may be listening, that a whole lot of us in this country have been enjoying this Christmas season a good deal more than a whole lot of our fellow citizens, and we can thank Donald J Trump for that, surely temporary, resetting of the scales.
I did indeed. It was a wonderful time, with family, grandkids, great weather and good times at home, with friends and at restaurants. Thanks for the good wishes.
I doubted Trump would win and didn't see any possibilities until it was announced he carried Ohio. His actions, words and appointments since the election and the people he has selected to head the various departments of government give me added confidence that this is likely to be a major positive event for our country. Indeed, in retrospect, the logic and pattern of his ascent is quite clear.
There is still a great deal of opposition, but my strong impression is that support for him is growing daily. Meanwhile his opponents appear to be in a permanent state of denial and anger that has so far prevented any rational self-examination and rethinking on their parts, making them look a bit more ridiculous every day. My initial schadenfreude has turned to pity
We live in a very secular age that is quickly discarding old values and religion, but which so far offered nothing but vague notions of what is politically correct (i.e. that everything is equal and of the same value) as a substitute. It is indeed a poor, banal substitute, devoid of color, spiritual meaning , and even logic.
History has not ended, and in many ways I believe the world is fast headed back to the 19th century, but doing so without any memory of the lessons learned in the 20th century . Putin strikes me as a modern version of Nicholas I, and some current issues in the EU are reminiscent of those that faced Austria Hungary in the late 19th century. Erdogan in Turkey appears to seek a recreation of the Ottoman Empire.
Meanwhile the western world faces a resurgence of Islam, this time led by fanatics who represent the worst elements of its long-term history. We need to see it for what it is , and act accordingly. I suspect that the USA will soon restrict immigration from many Moslem countries – a good thing in my view, and something that might blunt the achievements of fanatics and motivate others in the Moslem world to themselves exhibit some of the tolerance they seek in and demand the West. The awful event in the Berlin Christmas Market a few days ago was but one in a continuing chain of such events. The Western World has every right, not for revenge, but to cut off the sources of such events. Let's hope it finds the will to do so.
