An analysis of the 2016 USA presidential election

 What is going on this Presidential Election period? Rather than writing a blog on my analysis, today I will simply copy the following essay which summarizes the situation far better than I ever could.

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"Who is Donald Trump?"  The better question may be, "What is Donald Trump?"
From The New Yorker Magazine on Trump  Submitted by Esther Goodday AUGUST 13, 2016
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The answer: a giant middle finger from average Americans to the political and media establishment.

Some Trump supporters are like the 60's white girls who dated black guys just to annoy their parents.  But most Trump supporters have simply had it with the Demo-socialists and the "Republicans In Name Only."  They know there isn't a dime's worth of difference between Hillary Rodham and Jeb Bush, and only a few cents worth between Rodham and the other GOP candidates.

Ben Carson is not an "establishment" candidate, but the Clinton machine would pulverize Carson ; and the somewhat rebellious Ted Cruz will (justifiably so) be tied up with natural born citizen lawsuits (as might Marco Rubio).

The Trump supporters figure they might as well have some fun tossing Molotov cocktails at Wall Street and Georgetown while they watch the nation collapse.  Besides - lightning might strike, Trump might get elected, and he might actually fix a few things.  Stranger things have happened (the nation elected an Islamo-Marxist in 2008 and Bruce Jenner now wears designer dresses.)

Millions of conservatives are justifiably furious.  They gave the Republicans control of the House in 2010 and control of the Senate in 2014, and have seen them govern no differently than Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.  Yet those same voters are supposed to trust the GOP in 2016?  Why?

Trump did not come from out of nowhere.  His candidacy was created by the last six years of Republican failures.

No reasonable person can believe that any of the establishment candidates [dems or reps] will slash federal spending, rein in the Federal Reserve, cut burdensome business regulations, reform the tax code, or eliminate useless federal departments (the Departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, etc.).

Even Ronald Reagan was unable to eliminate the Department of Education.  (Of course, getting shot at tends to make a person less of a risk-taker.)  No reasonable person can believe that any of the nation's major problems will be solved by Rodham, Bush, and the other dishers of donkey fazoo now eagerly eating corn in Iowa and pancakes in New Hampshire.

Many Americans, and especially Trump supporters, have had it with:
·    Anyone named Bush
·    Anyone named Clinton
·    Anyone who's held political office
·    Political correctness
·    Illegal immigration
·    Massive unemployment
·    Phony "official" unemployment and inflation figures
·    Welfare waste and fraud
·    People faking disabilities to go on the dole
·    VA waiting lists
·    TSA airport groping
·    ObamaCare
·    The Federal Reserve's money-printing schemes
·    Wall Street crooks like Jon Corzine
·    Michelle Obama's vacations
·    Michelle Obama's food police
·    Barack Obama's golf
·    Barack Obama's arrogant and condescending lectures
·    Barack Obama's criticism/hatred of America
·    Valerie Jarrett
·    " Holiday trees"
·    Hollywood hypocrites
·    Global warming nonsense
·    Cop killers
·    Gun confiscation threats
·    Stagnant wages
·    Boys in girls' bathrooms
·    Whiny, spoiled college students who can't even place the Civil War in the correct century... and that's just the short list.

Trump supporters believe that no Democrat wants to address these issues, and that few Republicans have the courage to address these issues.  They certainly know that none of the establishment candidates are better than barely listening to them.

Trump is their way of saying, "Screw you, Hillary Rodham Rove Bush!"

The more the talking head political pundits insult the Trump supporters, the more supporters he gains.  (The only pundits who seem to understand what is going on are Democrats Doug Schoen and Pat Caddell and Republican John LeBoutillier.  All the others argue that the voters will eventually "come to their senses" and support an establishment candidate.)

But America does not need a tune-up at the same old garage.  It needs a new engine installed by experts - and neither Rodham nor Bush are mechanics with the skills or experience to install it.  Hillary Rodham is not a mechanic; she merely manages a garage her philandering husband abandoned.  Jeb Bush is not a mechanic; he merely inherited a garage.  Granted, Trump is also not a mechanic, but he knows where to find the best ones to work in his garage.  He won't hire his brother-in-law or someone to whom he owes a favor; he will hire someone who lives and breathes cars.

"How dare they revolt!" the "elites" are bellowing.  Well, the citizens are daring to revolt, and the RINOs had better get used to it.

"But Trump will hand the election to Clinton!"  That is what the Karl Rove-types want people to believe, just as the leftist media eagerly shoved "Maverick" McCain down GOP throats in 2008 - knowing he would lose to Obama.

But even if Trump loses and Rodham wins, she would not be dramatically different than Bush or most of his fellow candidates.  They would be nothing more than caretakers, not working to restore America 's greatness but merely presiding over the collapse of a massively in-debt nation.  A nation can perhaps survive open borders; a nation can perhaps survive a generous welfare system.  But no nation can survive both - and there is little evidence that the establishment candidates of either party understand that.  The United States cannot forever continue on the path it is on.  At some point it will be destroyed by its debt.

Yes, Trump speaks like a bull wandering through a china shop, but the truth is that the borders do need to be sealed; we cannot afford to feed, house, and clothe 200,000 Syrian immigrants for decades (even if we get inordinately lucky and none of them are ISIS infiltrators or Syed Farook wannabes); the world is at war with radical Islamists; all the world's glaciers are not melting; and Rosie O'Donnell is a fat pig.

Is Trump the perfect candidate?  Of course not.  Neither was Ronald Reagan.  But unless we close our borders and restrict immigration, all the other issues are irrelevant.  One terrorist blowing up a bridge or a tunnel could kill thousands.  One jihadist poisoning a city's water supply could kill tens of thousands.  One electromagnetic pulse attack from a single Iranian nuclear device could kill tens of millions.

Faced with those possibilities, most Americans probably don't care that Trump relied on eminent domain to grab up a final quarter acre of property for a hotel, or that he boils the blood of the Muslim Brotherhood thugs running the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

While Attorney General Loretta Lynch's greatest fear is someone giving a Muslim a dirty look, most Americans are more worried about being gunned down at a shopping mall by a crazed [Islamic] lunatic who treats his prayer mat better than his four wives and who thinks 72 virgins are waiting for him in paradise.

The establishment is frightened to death that Trump will win, but not because they believe he will harm the nation.  They are afraid he will upset their taxpayer-subsidized apple carts.  While Obama threatens to veto legislation that spends too little, they worry that Trump will veto legislation that spends too much.

You can be certain that if an establishment candidate wins in November 2016 … [their] cabinet positions will be filled with the same people we've seen before.  The washed-up has-beens of the Clinton and Bush administrations will be back in charge.  The hacks from Goldman Sachs will continue to call the shots.  Whether it is Bush's Karl Rove or Clinton's John Podesta, who makes the decisions in the White House will matter little.

If the establishment wins, America loses.

No longer a melting pot.

In a melting pot anything added becomes infused into the bulk contents and changes it's properties, usually for the better. For example, by adding a small amount of carbon, iron becomes steel, which is harder with better properties for use. It should be noted that adding too much can have the opposite case, and more than 2% carbon makes it pig iron, which is more brittle and weaker. Now, if we add some chromium to the steel it becomes stainless steel, which is even harder and resistant to rusting as well. Likewise, adding different cultures into the culture established in the United States has improved and strengthened us as they became infused into our national culture. Unfortunately, during the twentieth century, particularly since 1950, we have increasingly cooled and become more resistant to incorporation of different cultures. Likewise, immigrant cultures have increasingly been resistant to infusion into the U.S. culture. It is increasingly more comparable to pouring oil into water. In the example above, if the steel has cooled too much before chromium is added they will not mix properly and, instead of becoming stronger, their different chemical and physical characteristics result in "conflict" and weakening of the whole. This is the situation we are in now. Our capacity to accept immigrants is being exceeded and those arriving too often want to maintain their culture in the new environments. We are no longer a melting pot, having become a mixture of conflicting cultures. This is progressively weakening us and creating conflict. A sad situation, although certain other countries view it gleefully.

72 Virgins??

Muslim men (and others) are baited to become ISIS fighters by the promise of 72 virgins if they are killed while fighting for Allah. I don’t know whether this promise is from the Koran or not, but let’s think about it for a moment. What do men take away from this promise? I am sure the thought is in terms of physical activity for eternity. The problem is that his physical presence is still on earth – it is not suddenly gone with his spirit into the afterlife. So, how will he be able to conduct any physical activity? 

First of all, where do all these virgins come from? Think about it – if 1000 fighters lose their life in battle, 72,000 virgins would immediately be required. The number quickly becomes astronomical in terms of possible reality. I have seen a comic containing a newly arrived fighter surrounded by 72 nuns – humorous, but hardly probable. 

Returning to the concept of eternal physical activity; in response to a marriage question, Jesus said (Mark 12:25): “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.” In other words, there will be no physical relationships in the afterlife; all indications are that there is no sexual differentiation among angels. This seems logical. If our physical being remains on earth, then it is only our intellect, or soul, that goes on to the afterlife. Indeed, Steve Hawking implied this when he claimed that no knowledge is lost, even if physical components disappear into a black hole. 

What aspect of our being, then, does go on to the afterlife? Have you dreamed? Scientists claim this is brain activity that continues during sleep. Perhaps, but my dreams frequently have nothing to do with experiences. Yet they seem real. (At least they do until I awaken.) Are dreams really a preview of existence in the afterlife? It is said that any question you may have in the afterlife is immediately answered. This is certainly similar to dream experiences, although the answers often don’t seem logical once I awaken! 

Back to the 72 virgins – is it possible that they will be dreams, to be seen but not touchable? Even worse, will they be demons teasing for eternity? Perhaps young men should consider these things before they commit themselves to ISIS.

Our six senses -- what do they tell us?

Who has not heard the old question, "If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?" The average person will probably say, "Of course it does." Others, however, may say, "No, it does not." Who is correct? Perhaps both are! It all depends on how one views what might be considered a sound event.

What has happened? Sound is caused by a difference in air pressure. When the tree drops to the ground it displaces some air molecules and a pressure wave travels through the air in the same way that, when something drops into water, a wave is developed and travels outward in the water body. When the air pressure wave reaches an ear it creates a vibration within the ear, and nerve endings detect this vibration. The nerve then transmits the information to the brain, and the brain interprets the vibration as a sound. Therefore, technically, if there is no brain in the area to interpret the event, there is no sound - only a air pressure wave. However, the pressure wave itself is usually referred to as a "sound wave," so of course it makes a sound whether or not someone is near enough to hear it.

The detection of sound waves is one of the five senses - hearing, taste, sight, feeling, and touch - used by humans to interpret their surroundings. The presence of a "sixth sense" is often mentioned, and is a bit controversial. However, have you ever felt strongly that you need to depart your current location - and quickly? Have you ever felt that you should not pursue a particular action? Has anyone ever come up quietly behind you, and you knew the person had done so even though none of your five senses confirmed the knowledge? If any thing similar to this has happened to you, mark it up to your "sixth sense." It is not really explainable, but it is strong in some people and weak or non-existent in others. 

The combination of these senses creates a "back up" safety protection system. A blind person cannot see danger, but can hear, feel, or sense danger. A deaf-blind person can still sense danger. I can think of only one environmental aspect that has no personal backup, that being color - the function of which is pleasure only. One who has been blind from birth can feel and smell a tree trunk, branches, and leaves, and even hear the wind blowing through the branches. In this way, a concept a tree's nature can be developed - but there is no way to conceive of a tree's beauty. Others may explain and describe color, but while someone having become blind later in life can enjoy a mind picture, the person blind from birth has no way to understand. So far as they are concerned, color does not exist.

Similarly, at a larger scale, we are trapped in a three dimensional space and unidirectional, irreversible time world. That is our reality. We can envision nothing else, so no other reality exists. But does it? Let's travel back to the event scientist currently call "The Big Bang." Dr. Steven Hawking has calculated this to occur is nothingness - no space, no time - simply nothing. What would that have been like? A complete vacuum? No. A vacuum implies an empty space, and he says there was no space. We simply cannot conceive of such a reality. We are like the blind-from-birth person considering color: we reject or ignore the possibility. Yet, his calculations say it is true.

Could there have been some kind of intelligent force in that nothingness - a force that created the entire universe and everything in it? Some say, "Absolutely not! It all happened by chance!" Others say, "Yes!" and that force is called the Holy Spirit, or God Almighty. What do you say? Do you reject anything you cannot feel and understand? Or do your senses detect something beyond the reasoning of the reality in which we live? 

Be curious my friend!

To paraphrase a TV commercial, "Be curious my friend." There is no better advice that one can give. Children are born curious. Did you ever think about the reason most children are always asking, "Why?" Adults, particularly parents and teachers, have a very effective way of killing the question. They tend to be irritated by the constant question - often because they don't know why, or because they can't be bothered to stopping what they are doing to explain. I am guilty of this charge! (Fortunately, I did not kill all curiosity.)

Children who survive the rejection of their questions may well grow up to be doctors and scientists, both professions which require constantly asking "why." In school I was often accused of being "nosy." Maybe I was, but I have always been curious about everything around me. I can remember my first "research projects." Dad had thrown several old wrist watches into a drawer. At age of around 11 or 12 I asked whether I could take they apart to see how they worked, and he granted my request. I was fascinated at what I found under the covers, and it quickly became apparent that an engineering career was not in my future . . . I could never figure out how to put them back together!

I did grow up to be a scientist. A person of this profession cannot continue to ask "why" about everything, and must focus attention on one area of "whys." I became a Soil Scientist, more specifically a Soil Chemist, and ended up with a 30 year career as Professor of Soil Chemistry. That type of career requires associated research activity which usually is even more focused. My research was primarily in the area of reactions at soil-solution interfaces. I like to believe I made a contribution to the understanding of chemical reactions in soils, but that is for others to evaluate. I have no illusion that I will be remembered long, though. As King Solomon wrote,
"No one remembers the former generations,
    and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
    by those who follow them." ~ Ecclesiastes 1:11 (NIV)
Rarely, today, are remembered the writings of such men as Justus von Liebig, considered the "father" of both modern Chemistry and Soil Chemistry. My writings are certainly not in their class, and are destined to be soon forgotten, if not already forgotten.

Have you ever heard someone say, "I am busier in retirement than I ever was when working!" It's true! But why? Simply because the person is now free to pursue all the "whys" that appeared in their mind prior to retirement. They are now free to pursue whatever they wish, and are no longer restricted by expectations. One must always remember, though, that energy level has decreased so it takes longer to reach results. (And one must factor in an afternoon nap.) Life becomes more interesting than ever before.

In my case, questions have migrated to such as: "Who are my ancestors?" "Could I run a business?" "Was the beginning really a Big Bang, and, if so, how did that really happen?" "Could I be a successful photographer?" And so on and so on. Of course, there are also those remaining Soil Chemistry questions that I never managed to address. To this is added: "Sure, I can write you something on that subject." "Sure, I can help you get that on the internet." and a variety of other "Sure, I can . . .") Retirement life is interesting, and I am beginning to become tired -- not ready to give up, though! I still have too many who, why, where, when, how questions to ask. My mind still go on non-stop, but my body is saying it is time to embrace the fact that you will soon be 80 years old, and I am wearing out. I don't wanna embrace that!

Choosing the correct path . . . or not!

In 1967 I was living in New Haven, Connecticut. A group of us decided to spend a weekend hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Our goal was to climb at least one “4000 footer,” and we chose to climb Mount Madison on Saturday. Our decision was to park along US-2, north of the mountain, ascend via Kings Ravine and descend via ridge trails. The head wall of Kings Ravine is very steep, and at some places one could touch hand to trail by leaning slightly forward. Any steeper would have required roping in for safety. At the time I was pretty close to peak condition. A couple of weeks earlier I had taken a back pack trip over the last 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail, followed by climbing Mountain Katahdin. I was hiking with an equally fit partner. When we reached the ravine head we looked back and noted the rest of the group just entering the ravine, at least an hour behind us.

My partner said, ”Why don’t you pick up Mount Adams while you are here. I have already climbed that mountain, so I will let the group know where you are.” The day was overcast, but comfortable above timberline, so I headed toward Mt. Adams. It was around noon by the time I got there, so sat down and ate my lunch while enjoying the view of my next objective, Mount Madison.

I didn’t dare sit there too long, though, so soon headed across to catch up with my friends. When I reached the peak of Mt. Madison I saw a small group just disappearing into the timber. Assuming this was my friends, I quickly followed them – a VERY bad decision! When I caught up with them I discovered it was a group of Boy Scouts heading east down the Daniel Webster Trail into Dolly Cop Campground.  At this point, I had no choice but to continue downward. I knew I did not have enough remaining energy to climb back up the mountain in order to descend the agreed upon trails.

I had no excuse! Earlier in the day I had purchased a White Mountain Trail Guide, and it was in my day pack. I did not consult the book maps to be certain of the trail I should follow. I did not even look at the trail markers to be certain of name and direction. My mind was closed: it "said" my friends were disappearing into the timber, so I must follow them. As my college roommate would sometimes say, “Don’t confuse me with the facts. My mind is made up.”

Have you ever had similar experiences? Have you started out with a specific goal in mind, along with a route to meet that goal, only to be distracted by something that led you off your path?  Our lives are like that. I am convinced that we each have an ideal life path, and if we stay on that path we will arrive, content and happy, at the end of our days. However, our path is not always easy and we so often become distracted by side roads. Too often we arrive carrying a “bucket list” of unfulfilled wishes. These wishes are probably the result of either wanting something not on our intended path, or taking a side trip just when that wish would have been fulfilled . . . or perhaps a simple assumption that this is the correct path to take. Sometimes we can even be so intent on reaching a goal that we bypass things along our path. For example, at one point my path took our family to Europe for a year. One day we were on the Autobahn, probably no more than 15 to 30 minutes from the East German border. I was so intent on reaching a goal that I by-passed a teaching opportunity to take our children to the fence separating East and West Germany.

One of the best books ever written on this subject is John Bunyon’s  A Pilgrim’s Progress. He presents one ideal path of life, but it is not always an easy path. Pilgrim is always being lured off the path for one thing or another and must search his way back to his life’s path. If we really examine our life, every one of us is Pilgrim. We are always coming to an intersection in the path. Instead of evaluating the pros and cons of each intersection as it is encountered, we tend to take what appears to be the easiest or more attractive path. Once there we tend to lose our way back and must ether bushwhack through unknown area, or just follow the new path wherever it takes us. There are rarely situations in which we can retrace our life tracks, but we must find that side road that returns us to our correct life path.

To complete my story, I did continue to Dolly Cop Campground. It was deserted except for a few hiker cars, so I had to hike out to the road I knew my friends would be using to return to our cabin. Once there I encountered a driver who took me the several miles to our parking spot. As I got out of the car the first of my friends emerged from the woods. They hadn’t even had time to miss me, and all was well . . . except that I began to shake with hypothermia. My resources had been completely exhausted.

We have choices, and not all choices are wise or even comfortable. We are prone to explore things as we go through life, and we often loose our way in the process. We can easily become exhausted, discouraged, and depressed. No matter how far off our life path we may wander, however, God is always available, ready and able to rescue us and get us back onto the correct path. Our task is simply to accept His help and direction.

Has science confirmed the Bible?

This video is fascinating! My position is that Scientists may differ and argue with Christians, but at bottom line, Science and the Bible must agree. The problem always comes in interpretation. I have heard of a "planet X" having been discovered, but have seen little description of what it is. This video is an "eye opener" on the subject. Some of the assumptions related to geology and time may be questionable, but if there is such a heavenly body as here described, the earthly repercussions explained are likely right on. This may also explain some of the very strange stories in the Bible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6ftTm34xfk&feature=youtu.be