VOICE OF REASON

THIS IS WHAT THE REAL AMERICA LOOKS LIKE.

The word ‘woke’ has several meanings. The most common meaning implies an understanding of issues involving race. I’m using the term in a broader sense to focus on social and political problems and not just race. Overall, ‘woke’ simply means being aware of and understanding your surroundings and environment.

Most of the people I talk to admit they have tuned out the news and don’t talk about race or politics. The problem with that strategy is simple, if you don’t look both ways before you cross the street, you’re gonna eventually get hit by a car. You are admitting that you don’t care about your life or anyone else’s. The things happening around us have consequences , and if we ignore them, eventually something bad is going to happen. Another mistake is to think there is nothing we can do about it. The Constitution of the United States gives us the pathway to do something. We have two choices. We can use our power to vote for change, or we can actually physically overthrow the government if our government strays from its Constitutional obligation. Of course, overthrowing the government is problematic, and it’s definitely not my first choice. Voting makes more sense. And these days, there is less chance of bodily injury or death. It’s a win, win for democracy. Recognizing  our Constitutional power is the first step in being ‘woke’.

Being aware of, and recognizing issues that are problematic to democracy is the next step of being ‘woke’. All politicians tell half truths and seem to be interested in financial gains and maintaining political power. Since the 60’s, the rule of law began to mean something. Civil rights, voting rights, and women’s rights are now guaranteed in the Constitution. LGBT rights and some women’s issues are a work in progress because Republicans are fighting against them. Ironic because Republicans lobby for smaller government, but try to legislate who you can love and what women should do with their own bodies. In the current Trump era, the rule of law has been adulterated. What good is a booming economy if we believe certain things that Donald Trump suggest: Don’t believe any news unless it comes from FOX news or his lips. The Justice Department is rigged and overseeing a witch hunt against him. The FBI is corrupt and acting like storm troopers. Immigrants are at the root of our criminal problems. These Trump statements are seeds that form the foundation of a dictatorship. Our Constitution mandated 3 branches of government, and no single branch has absolute power, but all three are necessary to have a healthy democracy. The Legislative Department (House, Senate) writes the laws.  The Judicial Department (Supreme Court) interprets and rules on laws. The Executive Department (President and Department of Justice; FBI CIA, NSA) appoints personnel to run departments in all branches of Government, signs legislation into law, and oversees law enforcement. News agencies operating under the 1st Amendment report on all branches of Governments. They report what they see and hear, then give their opinion on the impact on society. Of course sometimes their opinion is wrong, but a good news outlet will announce and correct the error. Even so, we are obligated to seek out the truth on our own, that is, be ‘woke’.

Now, let’s all get ‘woke’. First of all Martin Luther King, Jr. had it right. We are to judge people “not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character”. When dealing with your neighbor, a prospective business associate, or someone  who wanted to date your son or daughter, you want to know some common sense basic things. Are they honest, dependable, liars, or dangerous (mentally or physically). Of course there are other litmus tests, but if you can check all these, you basically have a decent human being. If anyone fails all four character test, most people would definitely avoid them in all phases of their lives. If  a President fails all four character test, we must recognize how dangerous this is for democracy.

Let’s see how Donald Trump fails all four of these character test:

1. Honesty- It’s no secret even before becoming President, Trump stiffed people he owed money to. He didn’t want to reveal his IRS tax forms. His opinions conform to however the current news cycle is trending and he will say whatever makes him look and sound good. He has a disturbing pattern of describing and attacking women based on looks, and although adultery is dishonest, it’s so common, it almost doesn’t qualify. What is disturbing is that he is so rich, adultery is part of his normal routine and he pays people to keep it quiet. If  Senator Franken can resign because of a picture taken of him when he was a comedian, making a gesture of touching the breast of a woman. If that is the standard, then we shouldn’t have a President that bragged on video, “I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything….you can grab them by the p#@@y.”  That’s not locker room talk. That’s assault, and men have been fired and gone to jail for less. Trump was rewarded with the Presidency. See what you did Trump voters!!!! Finally, since Trump has chosen Twitter to inform the public because everything is Fake News, we have to examine his claims on Twitter.
2. Dependable- Trump in action on DACA. This link shows Trump not being able to focus. He obviously is not ready for prime time. In general, Trump was not consistent in paying his bills. It got to the point that most U.S. Banks would not lend him money. Trump had to borrow money from China, buy property via Russia and certain Arab nations. This creates a conflict of interest which may compromise his decisions on behalf of the United States. He did not truly divest himself of his businesses as he promised. Rates to stay at Trump properties were raised. Will he make decisions based on the needs of the American people or his wallet.
3. Liar- If lying was an Olympic event, Trump would win the GOLD!!!! How can you tell if Donald Trump is lying? Answer, his lips are moving!!!! His very first lie as President, “he had the biggest Inauguration crowd ever”. This was followed closely by “Hilary won the popular vote by 3 million votes because of voter fraud”. This doesn’t even make sense because if 3 million people could illegally vote, the officials that made that happen could  easily have canceled out the approximately 70,000 votes that won Trump the Electoral College. If the election was rigged as he was stating during the primaries, HE IS NOT THE PRESIDENT!!!! Trump is such a prolific and pathologic liar, I decided to provide a link to his many WHOPPERS!!!!
4. Dangerous (mentally and physically)- Donald Trump likely has a Personality Disorder. More specifically, as seen in this link, Borderline Personality Disorder. Trump shows signs of several Personality Disorders. When reading the above link, you will immediately recognize which disorders describe Trump. Personality disorders are actually common. About 1 in 20 people have some type of Personality Disorder. These disorders don’t matter unless it interferes with your daily life, the lives of the  people you come in contact with on a daily basis, or you can’t control the behavior. It’s all about how severe the disorder is. Trump’s disorder must be severe because we are still waiting for Trump to pivot and become more Presidential, but he just can’t control his behavior. While his antics seem comical on a daily basis, as President, things can get real bad real quick. That’s when the poor and middle class citizens have rights and benefits reduced or taken away, not to mention, sending our Armed Service personnel into harm’s way in an unnecessary war. By the way, we don’t know if Trump is physically fit either. Remember when he was slurring his speech? His doctor, Admiral Jackson, did not mention anything about doing an EEG, MRI or CT scan of the brain. I’m a doctor, and for someone who slurs their speech but doesn’t have dentures, doesn’t drink, and has perfect blood tests, not evaluating the brain comes close to malpractice. 

Are you ‘woke’ yet? It’s not about Republican or Democrat, it’s not about political ideology, and it’s not about the haves and have nots. It’s about a severely flawed President, preserving democracy, and avoiding the clear and present danger Donald Trump poses to the world because he is a pathological liar, is narcissistic, is undisciplined, and has no empathy.  If you don’t want to deal with anybody that fails my brief character test, why would you want to keep Trump around. Remember, you can do something. You’ll be up to bat in November 2018, and you can hit a homerun in 2020 if Trump can run for reelection. The goal is to elect any Democrat or Republican that is not Trump or Trump like. I’ve got to tell you, I’m leaning toward voting Democratic. Not because they are far better than the Republicans, but because except for slavery, The Democrats have championed the cause of women, minorities, poor people, and  the LBGT community. Join me and be ‘woke’ in the voting booth. What’s it gonna be, money or people?