United States of America?

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

by Dennis Townsend, Contributing Writer

If the whole world is a stage, then the United States of America, and I use the term loosely, is front and center in the eyes of all who are watching this spectacle we are calling Election 2016. The best Hollywood writer could only dream of coming up with a story line so complex. By the time the general election takes place, we will be so close to another civil war that the term “United” may become a thing of the past no matter who becomes president.

Once upon a time when you ran for office as a politician you would talk about issues that were important to your constituents such as  taxes and jobs for the people. But as we have progressed more as a culture, the list of important issues gets a little bit bigger, and as in the case of the current political situation in the country, weirder. If you are a wise politician you give the people what they want, or should I say, promise the people that you will “try” to give them what they want and then you play the right tune on your flute, you know, the song of doom that preys on their fears, and they will mindlessly follow you anywhere. And it doesn’t hurt if you’ve got your own money to burn and can finance your game plan because everybody loves the person who doesn’t ask for money. There is a push in America to stop bullying and countless hours and resources have been put into teaching our young people about the horrors of bullying. Some young people have committed suicide from being bullied and the families of those lost loved ones know all to well that a bully is a long way from a role model. Would you want one to become president of your country?

Fear, that insidious feeling of doom and that feeling of self preservation is so powerful for some that they make irrational decisions. A opportunistic slick talker can turn fear into a handsome ally to gain the confidence of the people. A person who fears Muslims wants everybody to fear Muslims because of the actions of a few. Tell people that there are terrorist coming into your neighborhoods and the next thing you have is an old time lynch mob where you hang the suspect without a trial. What makes Donald J Trump so popular with his followers is that he is saying what they want to hear based on their fears. His suggestion that we do not allow anymore Muslims into the country implies that all Muslims are terrorist. And I can only imagine the outrage as he tries to register the Muslim Americans that are now in the country. By telling the country that Mexico is sending America their worst citizens to rape and rob the country, he planted another seed of discrimination, not to mention his intentions of making Mexico pay for a wall all along the Mexican, American border.

Donald Trump, a man who has done absolutely nothing for the country, and yet with the tongue of the Devil himself, has succeeded in dividing this country to the point that another civil war is not far away. There are those who say they stand for Trump because he will close the borders and we will all be safe. Isn't the solution worse than the threat? Mr. Trump has stated that if he wins, there should be a statue of him in Washington D.C. I agree, the first man in the history of this country to make fools out of so many people including the “beloved” Republican party. For Trump, conning his way into the White House would be his greatest crowning achievement. And we would go down in history as the only country foolish enough to elect a reality show host to run what use to be known as America. If that happens, heaven help us all.

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