Trump Rankles People With His Replies to Military Family: OK, some people are not going to like what I have to say here, but it has to be said.
Donald Trump was set up here, he fell for the bait, and now, what should be a tempest in a teapot has been blown way, way out of proportion by the media.
The whole thing started when a Gold Star family, a family that has lost a child who served in the U.S. armed forces, appeared at the Democratic National Convention, and challenged Trump to a comparison of sacrifices that he has made versus the ultimate sacrifice that they made, which was losing their child while he was in combat.
Nobody is minimizing what this family has gone through, but to add to the potent mix that the Democrats came up with, the family is a Muslim family, a Muslim American family to boot.
When the father voiced his views, Trump should have simply shut up.
Rather, he opened up his mouth, and talked about the sacrifices he has made, and, of course, he spoke about business sacrifices, which, again of course, cannot compare to the sacrifices a family makes when they lose a child.
What was Trump supposed to say? He should have said nothing, and let the whole thing pass.
But he opened up his mouth, and further rankled people by saying that the Gold Star mother wasn't allowed to talk, because that is how it is in Muslim families.
Let's put the shoe on the other foot, or even other feet.
What would Hillary Clinton say if the same question were put to her?
She would answer in roughly the same way that Trump replied, talking about the "sacrifices" she has made via her professional career, which again, does not compare with what the Gold Star family has gone through.
And what would you say? Unless you have had a child go through the same circumstances, you would give roughly the same answer based on your background.
Nobody, including Trump, is minimizing the family's loss.
But basically, the family is saying that since they lost a child who was in service, they are better Americans than everyone else, because they made the ultimate sacrifice.
My job is covering military stores, exchanges and commissaries, which are the department stores and supermarkets of the military, and let me tell you, this is the attitude that some military families have, that they are better than other families because of the sacrifices that they make.
This is balderdash, but this is what they believe.
They believe that because they or their son or daughter is in the military, that they deserve more than you or I, who cannot possibly make such a great sacrifice in their time and effort as they have.
This is utter nonsense, and while this has been a well-hidden aspect of military life--only spoken up in the open when these families are talking about losing or lessening their benefits due to legislation in Washington--it is all out in the open now.
And it is wrong, bad thinking, stupid thinking.
We all sacrifice. Hasn't the teacher sacrificed, hasn't the cab driver sacrificed, hasn't the health care worker sacrificed, hasn't the stay at home mom sacrificed, to make things better for our world?
We respect the sacrifices military families make each and every day, but don't shove those sacrifices in our faces.
Are we any less "American" than military families because what we choose to do with our lives has nothing to do with war?
The bottom line is that Trump fell for the bait, and the media is jumping all over him for it.
He should have said nothing. Now the tempest in a teapot is simmering over, fueled by the media.
There should be more important things to focus on than this utter nonsense.
Yankees Wave White Flag: The New York Yankees have won 27 championships during their illustrious history, and have been to the World Series more than any team in Major League Baseball history.
During the years that George Steinbrenner ran the team, while the team was not always a good team, it was an organization that never waved the white flag during the season, never gave up, and with Steinbrenner at the helm, was always a bank check or a good trade away from contending for the championship.
My, how things have changed in 2016.
With penny pinching son Hal Steinbrenner at the helm, the Yankees aren't what they once were. They are a franchise that won't spend a dime to improve itself, even when success is in reach.
This weekend typified that thinking.
They got rid of the best reliever in baseball, Andrew Miller, for a bunch of prospects, basically saying "surrender" for this season, and probably for next season too.
This is just days after getting rid of Aroldis Chapman, he of the 100 mph and faster fastball, for another set of prospects.
They have weakened their once nearly invincible bullpen, weakened the overall team, and weakened the fans' resolve to even care anymore about this season or near future seasons.
Even if the kids they got in return are good, the fruits of these trades probably won't be in Yankee Stadium until 2018 at the earliest.
Yes, the old man is turning in his grave over his son Hal's priorities, and for a team that makes money hand over fist, they sure have become a penny pinching bunch, haven't they?
My Family Continues To Be Hit Hard By Electrical Mishaps: I told you last week about our losing power, and the cataclysm it could have been if we didn't act quickly on it.
Well, this weekend, we have the next potential cataclysm to jump over.
It seems to be never ending.
We noticed that our refrigerator wasn't doing its job, and right now, it is barely, if even that, working.
We called in a repairman, but we couldn't get one on Sunday, so supposedly one is coming here today to try to fix the unit, or tell us we need a new one.
Whatever happens, it is going to cost us more money, you can bet on that.
In the meantime, we have parceled out what we had in the refrigerator to my parents' refrigerator downstairs and to a cooler we have filled with ice.
We have had to throw away a whole lot of stuff in the meantime.
Hopefully, this will be fixed today, as ...
I Have to Go to the Dentist For Another Procedure: Yes, my mouth still is not where it should be, and I was told last week that I need another crown.
The procedure will take at least two hours, and just adds to the woe of my shrinking pocketbook.
I have to go to get this done today, so I am leaving work early to attend to this.
I am just hoping they find nothing else wrong with my teeth, because I simply can't take it anymore!
Pray for me, please.
Speak to you tomorrow, with hopefully better news on all fronts.
See, that's the problem, Larry. Hillary would not have disparaged a Gold Star father, she would have acknowledged the terrible loss, would never have compared her own sacrifices to the loss suffered by that family. She would probably have ignored the comments altogether, but if she addressed the comments, it would have been done in a way that would not have attacked the parents. And that would have been true of Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney ... Why do you think his own party is distancing themselves from the remarks? A man who can be baited with a tweet ...
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, he reacted the wrong way, but he felt he was being targeted, was being disparaged, and he was. He should have simply ignored what was said. He fell for the bait hook, line and sinker, no doubt about it.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the problem. At the RNC, there was a woman, a grieving mother. Her son was one of the foreign service members who died in Benghazi. She made it clear that she blames Hillary Clinton personally fo her son's death, you would have thought Hillary put a knife to the guy's throat...the only reaction you heard from Hillary? Nothing at all. And from the Democrats, you heard "The GOP is exploiting a grieving mother." Trump's reaction to Khan was typical of Trump, and that's scaring guys like Ryan and McConnell. You can lose it on Twitter if you're a private citizen, but you can't when you're POTUS. And that's a huge issue for his fellow Republicans, I suspect some of them are kind of hoping he'll lose so they can get a real candidate elected in four years.
ReplyDeleteThey don't like him because he is not part of their "Old Boys" network. He is not a politician like they are, and perhaps, it is time that a non-politician got a chance to run this country. You can't trust these legislators to do anything for their constituents, and if they don't back Trump, they are throwing their own party under the bus due to their own personal agendas, which truly shows where they are coming from. The two-party system has outlived its usefulness. It might just be time for a change.
ReplyDeleteLarry, I think the Republican establishment would rather lose with Trump, and wait until 2020 to regain the presidency. He's become a huge embarrassment to them.
ReplyDeleteI feel safe in saying that were our erstwhile columnist to have someone who could be put in harms way by way by the next Commander in Chief, his vote wouldn't be cast for Trump.
ReplyDeleteMr. Jim Bo, that has nothing to do with anything I said here. I said Trump was wrong, and he should have said nothing. Again, what would Clinton have said? What would YOU have said? Does it make us all any less of a citizen because we don't have anyone in the armed forces or have anyone who lost his or her life as part of a conflict? My father was in the Marines, as was my father in law; my brother in law was in the Navy. I have great respect for each of them, and I have great respect for others like them. What is the problem here, or do you just post to hear yourself talk about nothing?
ReplyDeleteHis behavior here is just one example why he isn't fit to be our Commander in Chief, controlling the lives of our our forces. I'm not even comfortable with him now getting national security briefings.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a tempest in a teapot, such utter nonsense, that really, I have said all I am going to say about the subject, because there is nothing more to say. He shouldn't have replied, he was set up, and that is really about it. If you believe that a party that goes this low to make the opposing candidate look bad is fit for the top slot, so be it.
ReplyDelete