GOP in 2016

Who will the Grand Old Party give us as a presidential candidate in the next election? Have they got anyone who could win besides Governor Chris Christy of New Jersey?
by Charlie Leck

What Republican, besides Governor Christy of New Jersey, really has much of a chance of being elected to the presidency of the United States? There may be someone out there who is totally unexpected.

The young man from Florida, Senator Rubio, used to be thought of as a serious candidate. He’s shown himself to be frivolous and nearly silly over the last several months. He barks the Tea Party line even when it is completely and obviously silly and untrue stuff. He doesn’t appear to have a serious mind and I don’t think he is at all an independent thinker. He’s a long way from presidential timbre.

Paul Ryan, who was the VP candidate on the Republican ticket in 2012 should probably be considered a possibility. I think the Democrats would love it because he can’t seem to do much more than stutter when you get him outside of talking finances. He suddenly become much more compromising in his approach to legislation and he’s trying to act like a grown-up.

Rand Paul, I would certainly think, is too politically narrow in perspective and way too far on the right. Being far removed from the center of American politics has long proved to be a serious deficiency for a candidate. It was, of course, Michel Bachmann’s problem when she tried to run.

Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, says he’s keeping an open door about joining the race for the Republican endorsement. Huckabee won the Iowa caucus in 2008 and then ran out of money. Republicans wonder where he’ll find enough money to run this time. Huckabee is conservative and religious (former Christian pastor). Beyond that, he’s pretty well unknown and I’d say his chances are like tinker’s. Most political experts don’t think he’ll run.

At the moment it looks like Governor Christy has a clear path to the nomination. He’s a moderate Republican with a good track record as Governor. We’ll just have to wait and see how things might change. He could rob the Dems of states they normally take for granted. On the other hand, he could lose some southern states that the Republicans always count on winning.

The amazing GOP has been so foolish in the last couple of elections, it is liable to be so again in 2016. The party leaders just can’t seem to get a sense of what the electorate really wants in a candidate.

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Pope Francis and Capitalism

I am thoroughly amazed that so many are surprised that the current Pope seems so different than all his papal predecessors of whom we have memories. My goodness, he is different! Begin with the fact that he is Franciscan and we have never had a Pope from that Order before. I am not a Catholic but I really like this Pope.
by Charlie Leck

“We do not live better when we flee, hide, refuse to share, stop giving and lock ourselves up in our own comforts. Such a life is nothing less than slow suicide.”
                   [Pope Francis, in a recently released Apostolic Exhortation]

Pope Francis openly acknowledges and supports capitalism, but he reminds all Christians that certain demands (responsibilities) have been placed on us “to restore to the poor what belongs to them.”

Capitalism cannot be at the expense of the poor and vulnerable. The successes of capitalism should be used to fulfill the commands of the gospel. The Pope says that “private ownership of goods is justified by the need to protect and increase them so that they can better serve the common good.” Do not yield to the temptation that the Pope is talking about communism here because he is not. He clearly supports “private ownership.” He is referring to the demands the gospel places on those who are fortunate and successful -- a demand to share with those who are not.

“Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories, which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.”
                   [Pope Francis, in a recently released Apostolic Exhortation]

What an extraordinary Christmas message has come from Pope Francis!

If you want to read the Pope’s exhortation (in English), it is provided to us in all its glory on the Vatican website at this location: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.html

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Homeless Children

Want something to think about as Christmas rolls nearer? How about this? There are more homeless children in America right now than at any time since the Great Depression.
by Charlie Leck

The current estimates are that 1.6 million children are homeless in America (that is, these are children who go to sleep every night somewhere other than their own home). They are often confused and they often grow up to be angry, feeling that they’ve been cheated somehow by the system. Let’s not quibble about how they got cheated. Let’s concentrate on the fact that they, by and large, become less than perfect and model citizens – unless, of course, there is some serious intervention along the way.

Here, in Minnesota, we’re doing better than many states. The estimate, by people deeply involved in the questions and the problems of homelessness here, is that only 15,000 children will be homeless tonight. We have emergency shelters enough for about ten percent of those children. This is according to estimates provided by homelesschildrenamerica.org. You can go to the organization’s web site and take a peek at how your state is doing. It is sad, of course, to think about the other 90 percent. The temperatures will be significantly below zero tonight throughout our state.

Let’s say the organization is off by a third or so and there are only a million homeless children in America right now! Does that make you feel better? Wow!

We, the United States of America, with a million homeless children! What the? I repeat that: What the? (I learned from a daughter of mine that the common, social media way to communicate the same question is with a simple abbreviation – WTF?

I mean, we boast that we are the greatest nation on earth, but we have problems of poverty that are absolutely shocking.

And the conservative political parties in our nation think we are spending too much money on what they like to sneeringly call entitlements. How, in good conscience, can conservatives stand by and not see that that the government needs to have a significant roll in making sure these children do not just get lost in the system and end up in an endless and enduring cycle of homelessness, poverty and crime.

Entitled to what?
These children have certain constitutional entitlements that cannot be denied. And citizens and legislative leaders should make sure these are delivered. To end the cycle, we must provide proper and comfortable shelter, nourishment, and clothing. And, we must then ensure a quality education that will help them become productive citizens in the future.

Such entitlements might sound expensive, but that is only if they are looked at as a cost – as an expense. When seen as an investment in the future, they will then be recognized in the true light of their wisdom; and we shall realize that the nation will benefit from the futures such children will have in our American society.

The New York Times is running a series of stories this week on The Invisible Children. It is a series profiling individual homeless children who are among the more than 22,000 homeless children in New York City. The writing and photographs are extraordinary.

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Gillibrand – U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand – from New York!

If I were a citizen of the United States of America who wanted to find good examples of members of the Congress and someone in that job who is tough, forthright, honest and unimpressed with her seniors, I’d take a careful look at U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. Let me tell you, this is the kind of Senator we need in Washington.
by Charlie Leck

It’s very easy, isn’t it, to just get sick and tired of the kind of representation we have in Washington, D.C. – whether you are a Democrat or a Republican? I mean there are some miserable, weak-kneed, yellow bellied, ignorant legislators serving in both houses of the U.S. Congress.

So, when you discover one who is none of those things, but displays reasonable intelligence, practicality and a spine, you are just, well, damned attracted to her.

So, I give you U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand (junior Senator from New York). I’ve been paying close attention to her for the last couple of years. After reading a very informative story about her in Saturday’s edition of the New York Times, I am completely sold on her and I envy the State of New York for having such a spectacular person representing them in the U.S. Senate. Now this woman just might make a very classy and bright President of the United States.

Keep an eye on her! She’s really cool!

And, unless you know all about her already, be sure to read the story about her in the NY Times.

Then you might want to turn to the Huffington Post and read, on Huff Post Women, this equally as impressive story about her.

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War in the Name of Jesus or Muhammad!

From Bangui, in the Central African Republic, come gruesome stories of horrible atrocities against Christian citizens there. The Associated Press reports that it is “mostly Muslim fighters” who are going door to door, finding and slaughtering Christians. Many Muslims there have declared that Christians are their enemy.

by Charlie Leck

The French government has sent military troops into the nation in an attempt to quell the violence. Reports, however, indicate that the capital city “teetered on the brink of total anarchy.” French armored vehicles have begun to patrol the streets.

The troops and equipment from France have taken some fire, including from a rocket grenade.

The United Nations, which approved the French mission, is scheduled to address the crisis in further meetings next week. The Central African Republic is one of Africa’s poorest nations. A great deal of rape of Christian women has also been reported.

What could be worse than religious wars?
I tremble when I think of religious warfare. It always seems to degenerate into the cruel and most vicious form of war. And, I am not accusing Muslims alone of such methods of war. History has shown that Christians can be just as violent and cruel as well.

Such news makes those of us who don’t consider ourselves very religious to shake our heads in wonder and disgust at the cruelty of man against his brother. There is no religious justification for such warfare. For that matter, there is no civil or social justification for it either.

Thousands upon thousands of more people turn away from religion each time the world reports such incidents as those now reported in Africa. OMG!

I leave you with this poem by F. Spagnoli, called God’s War…

“What God has torn asunder
No man shall join together”.
A lapse? A slip of the tongue
It was most certainly not.
The phrase was purposely swung
to set up God against god,

good against the ‘evil ones.’
The mantra of a union
turned into a cry for guns,
for crimson separation.

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President Nelson Mandela

I can't say more than all the things that are being said about him in today's newspapers -- all around the world! I can only salute him and testify to my own admiration for him.
by Charlie Leck

He was a mere human. A man such as I. He had plenty of imperfections; however, he was brave and tough and recognized injustice and fought to overcome it. Those who love fairness, equality and hope for every man and woman will always salute him. It appears the entire world is doing that today!

Now he is among the stars, "triumphing over death, and chance and thee, O time!"

As Muhammad Ali said of him yesterday…

"His was a spirit born free, destined to soar above the rainbows. Today his spirit is soaring through the heavens. He is now forever free."

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What Really Happened in Benghazi!

The terrible incident in Benghazi was a nightmare for those who had to live through it. We owe it to them to tell the truth about what happened at that diplomatic facility in Libya. The radicals in the Republican Party wanted nothing to do with the truth.
by Charlie Leck

 David Brock and Ari Rabin-Hart, The Benghazi Hoax. (Amazon is selling it as an e-book for 99 cents.)

Benghazi is a major city in the nation of Libya. It’s in the northeastern portion of the nation, right on the Gulf of Sirte, where “police were only as honest as their next bribe.”

The description of Benghazi by Burton and Rabin-Hart is remarkable. I can’t wait to get my hands on their book. In the meantime, I recommend this Huffington Post summary of the story by the author himself, David Brock.

Can you remember the setting for The Benghazi incident?
I mean, do you remember what was going on in the U.S. at the time it happened. David Brock, author of a new e-book about Benghazi seems to think it is important to remember; and I agree with him.

It was September 11, 2012 (9/11) and the campaign for the presidency of the United States between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama was going strong. Romney trailed by a significant amount. The two candidates agreed that all negative campaigning should be set aside on this anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Romney was going to speak to the National Guard Association in Reno; however, he vowed to keep any attack against the president out of his speech.

At 3:00 P.M. (U.S. Eastern Time), in Benghazi, a U.S. compound was under attack. The siege would be deadly, killing the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and three other Americans. Stevens, age 52, was a former Peace Corp worker who had been raised in Northern California. He was considered remarkable by everyone who knew him and he could have entered the private sector and been extremely successful financially. He earned his B.A. in history from the University of California at Berkeley and at a Masters Degree from the National War College. Stevens spoke Arabic and French fluently. With the Peace Corps in Morocco (1983-1985) he taught English. In 1989 he earned his law degree from the University of California. He joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1991. He quickly became a highly regarded and respected diplomat. He died on September 12, 2012. The cause of death was listed as smoke inhalation. He was buried near his childhood home in California.

It should not be forgotten that two other Americans died in the Benghazi attack. They were Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, both former Navy Seals who were working as private security and intelligence contractors.

In America, it took no time at all to politicize the event. The right-wing of the Republican Party was hungry – starving – for food and this was shark bait! There was no concern about the truth. There was a presiding President who needed to be defeated. The sharks began to circle. Brock calls them “a hungry right-wing leviathan of savage punditry and pseudo-journalism.”

The truth was the key and most significant target of the sharks. It got devoured and was replaced by a nearly total disregard of anything that might resemble the facts.

The army of right-wingers, who were desperate to elect Mitt Romney, finally had their issue and they would ride this huge, black horse as hard as they could.

“Had the Benghazi attack not occurred at this unique moment -- on a day when the Republican candidate for the presidency and his promoters in the conservative media were desperate for a new storyline, especially one that would undercut the popular effect of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden the year before -- this tragedy might not have been converted into a political scandal. After all, Benghazi was just one of at least 157 attacks on our diplomatic facilities over a 15-year period, 9 of which resulted in U.S. fatalities. That Benghazi would remain at the forefront of the contentious American political conversation for the next year, and likely beyond, speaks less to any special circumstances of the September 11, 2012, attack, and more to the insidious nature of a Republican noise machine that has grown in size -- as well as decibels -- over the last four decades.”

Disregard your conscience, if you have one, for here is our chance to bring down the President of the United States. Romney and his advisors sprung into action even before the day of no political attacks was up. Without any concrete information from the scene of the attack, the Republican presidential candidate and his supporters began to blame the Benghazi attack on the President. John Sununu, a former big-wig in the Party and a member of President George W. Bush’s staff, even went so far as to say that President Obama had “to learn how to be an American.”

The attacks were lies and they were disgraceful. The evidence presented by the political attack sharks was created totally in their heads. The facts show that American security forces sprang into action promptly after the surprise and totally unpredicted attack. They saved many American officials and office staff in another diplomatic building within the city. And, information gathered since the attack shows that there was no sufficient warning to protect the embassy against the attack. It happened quickly and unexpectedly.

The truth wasn’t good enough for Rush Limbaugh and the Romney machine. They invented the story they hoped would be true. It included fictional information about constant and regular pleas for help. This invented story wasn’t true. Brock’s careful and attentive book documents the truth about Benghazi and it shows there is no truth to the Republican accounts of this terrible night.

But then, who among us really thought there was any truth to the constant attack machine that is the new Republican Party?

I urge you to get and read the small book by Brock and Rabin-Hart. It will set the record straight.

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