What a week. A week leading up to the Election, the week of “closing arguments.” The Lions won big and U of M won the U of M / MSU game. There were many thoughts going through my mind this week as I contemplate this week’s essay and they sort of came together in the end…
Madison Square Garden Sunday night, a sold out crowd, crowds outside. Even if you are not a Trump voter you have to find it all interesting. The Guy who built much of the skyline, who was the talk to NY, the toast of the town, who Hollywood gave a show why was admired for the line, “Your Fired!” Who took the opportunities his father gave him and made a real estate, resort and hotel empire into billions. He was a friend of Barbara Walter’s and the ladies of The View and all the who’s who of NYC and then was basically ‘run out of town’ the moment he took the escalator down at Trump Tower. He is reported to have said to his sons, “Now we see who our friends are,” that day. Since then ‘they’ have tried to impeach him, accuse him of numerous charges, court cases filed, searches, lawsuits, assassination attempts, who would have thought he could have survived any of this, all of that. A good question is “why” the tables turned? Why are they after him and why do they not want him to be President again? Could it be because should he win, information could be exposed, potential government agencies could be eliminated or investigated, and numerous stand to loose their jobs? There are not just Americans who are hoping for a Trump loss but bad actors/leaders from around the world who have been “on the take” stand to loose funding may be cut off.
At one time, Donald Trump was the toast of New York…Oprah even touted him as a good candidate for President.
How does someone go from the toast of the town and the celebrity kingdom to being He left NYC and to come back to Manhattan to that venue was very interesting. It was an interesting program of his “team” minus the comedian who insulted Puerto Ricans. I didn’t see the comedian’s performance, but isn’t that what comedians do? Don’t you miss the days of real comedy, think Johnny Carson or Saturday Night Live in the late seventies and early eighties, where comedians laughed at politicians sports figures and celebrities of the day. Anyone was fair game and everyone laughed it off. The speakers Sunday evening I heard gave a message of optimism (again, I did not hear the comedian and the Puerto Rican comments…
Kamala Harris’s closing argument, amid the backdrop of Washington D.C where she has been part of the current administration. Probably a good setting to select, makes her look Presidential, flags surrounding her. Kamala, gets points for that… Question for the Democrat party. How does someone get appointed to run for President who didn’t participate in a primary? Is this legal? Also, did Vice-President Harris notice any shortcomings or problems with her superior, President Biden, leading up to the debate? Did the Vice-President adequately do her job as the border Czar? What was the purpose of allowing unvetted immigrants to be transported, settled and funded around the country, given food, shelter, phones, credit cards and education, taking supplies from American citizens. Does this benefit American citizens or does it over burden our own system? Is Vice-President the most qualified for the job? Does she possess the characteristics and has she had the experiences necessary to take on the role as President of the United States and leader of the free world? The American people deserve honest answers to these questions.
In the past it was Deplorables and smelly Walmart shoppers. Of recent, it’s “Nazis” and “Garbage” this week, in referring to those who support Donald Trump. Although these are not favorable descriptions, these are part of the soundbites and snapshots of a competitive hard fought election. As long as I remember following Presidential or really any other political campaigns, there has been mudslinging, name calling and hurling of insults. That’s just the way it is. Lying in political ads or commercial is also “de rigueur du jour,” (meaning that it has come to be expected, almost daily, as a campaign get close to nearing the end). How about talking about accomplishments and plan rather than tearing down and lying about your opponent? Where’s the “Joy”? Just a thought, that’s just how competitive any campaign can go. Their is lots at stake, power, jobs and money.
Last week it was Donald Trump’s McDonald’s appearance, this week it’s the neon garbage collection vest. Trump gets the significance of snapshots and soundbites in an election. The appearance at McDonald’s was to bring to light Vice-President Kamala Harris’s claim that she worked at McDonald’s. Her team has not shown proof of her employment at the fast food chain. McDonald’s has come out saying they have no record of her employment. When Joe Biden took office, I clearly heard him say that he planned to be the President for all Americans. Referring to a portion of the American population as “garbage” sure does not sound like someone who has good feelings about all of his constituents, yet like mentioned above, these campaigns can get down and dirty. If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen, s everyone on both sides is fair game for insults. Who ever it is who wins the election, let’s hope it is someone who goes to bat for all Americans; men, women, black, white, Christian, Jews, Muslims, non-believers regardless of who they love and who they support.
Being an American is a pretty cool thing. My Dad and countless other immigrants came to this country to be part of the American Dream. They didn’t come for a handout, a cell phone, credit card, free living, they came for the opportunity to do it themselves. Most immigrants come from countries where there are not the opportunities available to the average citizen. If you are willing to come here legally, wait your turn, work here, put the time in, follow the law you can make a good life here. The last few years with covid and the years following, with increased gas prices, resulting in higher prices across the board from groceries to housing, increased crime and unvetted, illegals swarming the boarder and strategically funneled around the country and everything else, America has lost a little of it’s sparkle. This is NOT the same America our parents and ancestors yearned to get to. The problems Americans are facing, all all solvable. It doesn’t take much to discover that if the border is closed, only to allow fully vetted immigrants in, you allow for full oil production to not only lower OUR gas prices but to sell on the world market, it takes the power away from the limited providers of oil and allows for more of the world to have access to oil/gas, bringing THEIR prices down as well. Selling our oil around the world is profitable for OUR country helping bring down our debt. Putting America first allows us to be a good example and a strong force for the entire world. The rest of the world looks to America for innovation and stability. Israel and the Middle East looks to the US for support and backing against evil terrorist. Every American gets a chance to support their candidate and vote for the person who they feel will do the best job for our country, without being called out or insulted.
We went to the University of Michigan, Michigan State University game on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. It was a tough fought game, either team could have won, MSU looked good, probably stronger going in and it actually looked like MSU might win. The home turf advantage could have come into play and the crowd factor. U of M won. The most remarkable thing going out of the stadium and walking the several blocks to where our car was parked was very pleasant. The game finished late into the night, people walked, Spartan & Wolverine fans peacefully departed the stadium to head to their cars and home. On our walk we saw not problems, no obnoxious ‘rub it in your face’ behavior. There had been a brief encounter on the field, nothing requiring chargers or penalties. It’s a heated competition each side looks forward to every year. If you live in Michigan you understand the divide and several states do have common rivalries. A little less friendly competition is the Ohio State University / University of Michigan game that takes place at the end of the season. It’s all in fun and the winning team gets the bragging rights for a year…
Following the U of M/ MSU rivalry the next day, Michiganders got to see the Detroit Lions on fire. I just watched it on television but I could feel the excitement for the fans both there in the stadium at Ford Field and those across the state. Every win for the Lions this year, for me, says that, that winning season last year that nearly got them to the Super Bowl, wasn’t a fluke. For the head coach, his staff, the players and every loyal fan who stuck by them through all the losing seasons, I am very happy for them. Detroit deserves a winning team…
So much of sports mimics life. As your kids grow up, if they play a sport, they learn a few life lessons that they might not learn otherwise, like how to be part of a team, how to respect the authority of a coach, how to be tough and play beyond an obstacle like lack of confidence, playing a better opponent at times and beating someone you shouldn’t or losing to someone who didn’t have as good of a record, getting over a bad call or learning to be a good winner or good looser.
Regardless of who wins Tuesday’s election, WE’RE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM, citizens of the same country as well as the team of people who live on this planet at this time. If one of us hurts, it does affect us all. I have voted for Presidents who lost and although I might have been bummed for a while afterwards, I got over it, gave them their due and moved on. Each one of us has different views on different issues, but we are all part of the human race. Each one of us has a right to think and feel they way they do. The way we each feel and think is based on our life experiences and influences. We don’t have to agree on every issue to be friend or neighbors.
My feeling is that God is manning this ship. We do what we can do, read up on and educate ourself, sift through the lies, to do what we feel as citizens we are guided to do, say our prayers and put it in God’s hands. When it’s over, we move forward with our friendships and relationships intact doing our best to make each day…A Great Day ❤️ 🇺🇸
