Random Thoughts for March

Random Thoughts for March 2016. By Robert A. Hall

Feel free to post or forward.

If Trump wins the GOP nomination, it means we will have a choice in November between two life-long liberals. Maybe three if Bloomberg gets in. I am starting to hear rumbles that a conservative, no names mentioned yet, will run as a third party candidate to give those of us who will not compromise conservative principles for crude bombast someone to vote for.

If Obama gets his appointment to the supreme Court confirmed, the constitution will now mean whatever Obama wants it to mean. If he goes far enough on guns, abortion or open citizenship, it may mean violence.

To be fair, any Obama nominee to the Supreme Court should get the full "Bork" treatment, pioneered by Democrats.

First thoughts on Iowa: The tie between Hillary and Bernie is good for Republicans. Let the bloodletting begin. As expected, Trump claimed a win, as he'd do if he finished last, but he was soundly beaten by Cruz and barely edged my preferred candidate Rubio, by a point. This is a win for Rubio, given a short while ago he was at 10%. Note that over 60% of Iowa Republicans, in a 91% white state, voted for one of the minority candidates (two Hispanics and a Black guy), while 100% of Democrats voted for an old white person. On the other hand, if you add the Clinton, Sanders and Trump votes, clearly a majority for progressive principles. I think that after New Hampshire there will only be three, maybe four Republicans still in the race.

First thoughts of New Hampshire: In brief, Hillary Clinton only got 38% of the Democrat votes, so lost big. Donald Trump, who is on record as saying that Hillary would be a great president, got 35% of the Republican vote, so won big. Go figure.

First thoughts on South Carolina and Nevada. In NH, Trump won big with 35% of the GOP vote, Hillary lost big with 38% of the Dem vote. Now, once again, Trump wins with 32.5 % of the GOP vote in SC, while Sanders loses with 47% of the Dem vote in NV. This shows why we need run-off elections when no one gets 50%, so the people really get to decide. If we are to have any hope of having a conservative on the ballot in November, we need to unite behind Rubio or Cruz. Otherwise, we will have a choice between the Trotskyite Sanders or the Corrupt Liberal Clinton, versus the bombastic, self-serving, life-ling progressive Trump. With maybe the far left Bloomberg thrown in for fun. In that case, the thin glimmer of hope that we can prevent the Republic from collapsing will vanish entirely. Oh, and once again in SC, a Majority of Republicans voted for a black or Hispanic minority, while in Nevada, 100% of the Democrats voted for an olds, white person. Update: Clinton swept the SC Democrat primary. The Clinton money machine is beginning to tell.

I think it's past time for Carson and Kasich to drop out. Then Rubio and Cruz should flip a coin, with the loser dropping out and endorsing the winner. Otherwise we may get that Faux Conservative Trump.

What happens if President Hillary Clinton gets this call from Iran: "We insist that the US allow Assad to continue to rule; otherwise we will have no choice but to release the classified emails from your server a hacker gave to us"?

Democrats pulling for Crude Trump on the GOP side, and Republicans hoping for Red Bernie on the Democrat side might want to think about what a Trump or a Sanders presidency would mean for the Country. I already have trouble seeing a path to survival for the Republic, but I believe that a Clinton, Sanders or Trump presidency would put us over the tipping point. It may be unavoidable anyway.

"I'm officially suspending my campaign for President." Translation: "It is now clear to everyone I have no more chance at being elected President than I do at being elected Pope."

I assume the initials "HRC" stand for "Her Royal Clintoness."

It doesn't matter who the big-government statists are, Communists, Kings, Nazis, Socialists, Progressives, Democrats, Trump eventually they all resort to coercion, first against speech, then behavior. It doesn't matter if they call it sedition, hate speech, incitement to violence or whatever. But the first right they have to take is freedom of speech. See that great progressive Woodrow Wilson.

If Islam has nothing to do with terror, rape and murder, as Obama and the left says, why does that need to be said. No one feels compelled to say the Amish have nothing to do with terror--it's self-evident. Maybe it is self-evident to most people that every day Muslims claiming they are doing Allah's will, commit such acts.

Americans claim to believe in a classless society. But when you note how they fawn over European, Hollywood, or political royalty (the Clintons, Kennedys, Bushes), you'd be forgiven for not believing it.

Glad I'm not young and single. As I read the fiction titles offered on my free/low price Kindle e-book newsletter, all the best looking young woman are interested in young billionaires or good looking vampires.

Have a friend who calls liberals, "Gender Deniers." But I think "Jihad Deniers" also fits.

A lot of young liberals are for Sanders because they heard he gives out free stuff...and they love fried chicken!

Pacifism is usually a philosophical veneer used by cowards to cover their shame.

Old fairy tale: "Once upon a time." New fairy tale: "Elect me and what you want most will be free."

Bernie promises free college, Trump promises a free border wall.

Hyper-religious people seem to always be pushing their certitude about the one true path to God. Pastors excepted, for whom it is their job, the zealous religious proselytizers seem to me to be trying to convince themselves, rather than the subject of their proselytizing. The same, of course, applies to proselytizing atheists, who, not content to disbelieve in private, are always trying to convince believers to join them, to validate their lack of belief.

What is Kim Jung Un but Nero with Nukes? In a few years, when Obama's nuke deal with Iran turns out to be as worthless as Clinton's nuke deal with North Korea, Iran will be simply Nazis with Nukes. God help us.

If you don't raise your sons to be heroes, there will be no heroes when you need them. And you will need them. Very soon.

Obama and Kerry say the Islamic State, which throws gays off rooftops, is un-Islamic. They do not say that Iran, which hangs gays, is un-Islamic. Apparently there is some theological difference I have missed in the length of the drop.

The Nanny State Gone Wild: I cannot send my nurse transplant coordinator at the VA an email with a question about my health care as it might violate HIPAA. Can I be fined for violating my own HIPAA rights, even if I don't give a tinker's damn about HIPAA?

Some people are "Killer Cooks." That is, the food they prepare is both irresistible and very fattening. And obesity is the second largest killer, right behind tobacco. Especially deadly for people with no ability to delay gratification.

The Fall of the Roman Republic didn't begin with Caesar, it began with Marius and Sulla, when the army was made loyal to their general, not the senate, and when Sulla altered the constitution. I guess it was a "living document."

No one can be perfectly Politically Correct. No matter how hard a progressive tries, there is always someone to his left, ready to bring him down with some here-to-fore unknown offense. The professors and administrators at the universities being brought down by Black Lives Matter and student protests are not conservatives, not Wall Street bankers, but full throated progressive who have worshiped at the alter of the State and preached the gospel of political correctness all their lives.

My next book: "Men are from football, women are from shopping."

Recently heard: "I'm so thankful for Facebook. Otherwise, I'd have to call 645 people every morning to tell them what I had for breakfast."

From my friend Andy: If the believers in what is now called "climate change" were true believers then why did they change the name from "global warming" to the innocuous "climate change"? 

All cultures are equally valid...say the vapid.

The more they degrade our military, the more threatening the operations' names become. I expect out gender and sexual-orientation unified forces will next go to war in "Operation Thundering Multiculturalism." Which we will lose.

If you use gutter language in public, you must expect the public to believe you belong in the gutter.

I asked my friend Jim, a well educated, intelligent guy, what he thought of the NH Primary results. "I'm really not following the political cycle this year," he said. "It seems more like a bad reality TV show than an election." I had no comeback.

If gold is such a great investment, why do they have to pitch it so hard in TV ads?

In America, optimists are learning Spanish. Pessimists are learning Arabic. Optimists are buying gold. Pessimists are buying ammo and canned goods.

Making your property a "Gun Free Zone" does not keep it gun free. It only keeps it free of guns carried by the law-abiding, not the law-breakers. The criminals will appreciate your concern for their safety if they target you for a crime.

All you need to know about Iran is that celebrating Valentines Day is a crime.

I do not see how the Republic can survive. To take a new direction now that might, just might lead us through would be opposed by 90%+ of the people because now it would mean sacrifices beyond when they think we can tolerate. Perhaps those of us who fight on will leave some small sparks of freedom and honor that will fan a flame after the collapse and decades of chaos. Perhaps. But we can do no other.

Socialism leads to the Katyn Forest.

Hat hair has nothing on CPAP hair.

Liberals were happier about the death of Justice Scalia than about the death of bin Laden.

With many people, if you expect the worst, you will seldom be disappointed.

Our pets seem to think they will feel better if they can make it to a carpet before they throw up.

Progressives complained that the Doritos Super Bowl Ad "humanized" human fetuses. Too bad Doritos can't humanize Hillary for them.

Obama knows that the Republican base hates him. He also knows that Trump would be crushed by Hillary. Thus he tries to help Trump win the GOP nomination by saying, "Trump will not be president." If you can't see that, I'd like to talk to you about a great waterfront property deal in Florida. Liberals saying they will leave the country if Trump is nominated/elected, the Pope, who lives behind a wall, complaining about Trump's plan for a border wall, and the English signing a petition to ban Trump from the UK all help Trump. But give them the benefit of the doubt. Unlike Obama, they may be too stupid to know they are helping Trump with the GOP base.

Fainted-hearted and effete college students, who wish to remove any vestiges of slavery or any tributes to slave owners, least their feeble feelings be hurt, may want to remember that Mohammed was a slave owner, and the Qur'an has rules for sex with slaves and slaves as booty.

A grievance-mongers work is never done. Once you remove the statues of Confederate leaders, there are Army bases, like Fort Bragg, Fort Stewart, and Fort Hood named for them. There is Washington DC, The Washington Post, and Washington State, plus any number of Jackson and Jefferson Cities, all named for slave owners. There is Oklahoma, which means "Red Man" in Choctaw, thus surely as offensive as "The Redskins," as both the Washington NFL franchise and the Red Mesa Navaho High School teams are called. There is Michigan State whose mascot is The Spartans. If Indian Names demean native Americans, surely this demeans Greeks. Not to mention that the historical Spartans held slaves, called "helots," in a far greater percentage than the old Confederacy. And of course The NFL Vikings are named after the Nazi's of their time. They used to go on "hostings," raiding, pillaging, burning, murdering, and raping for the pure joy of it. Not to mention that they held "thrall," as their slaves were called. The term slavery came into use much later, as it is generally believed to come from the word "Slav," because so many of that people were captured and held as slaves during the Middle Ages. And of course, the Native Americans, south and north, held other Indians as slaves, raped captured women, and tortured captives, often just for entertainment, their Internet being down all the time. So Indian names of rivers, cities, states and places must go. Time to get to work, students! Don't forget your safe spaces.

Foreign Aid is a bribe to the corrupt and powerful in the Third World to convince the poor folks under their heels not to hate us. That's like trying to bribe the tide not to come in.

Some things never change. I read that during the Civil war, an officer in Sherman's Army had broken the Confederate signal flag code, so they were reading the Rebel's mail. Unfortunately, a reporter for a NY paper published the information, and the Rebels changed the code. Sherman said if he had hanged the reporter, 10,000 lives would have been saved.

Our country has been in a long period of technical and material advance and spiritual and moral decline.

There was a time when Hollywood stars, professional athletes and even politicians had class. Now if you want class, you must look to our military, police, firefighters and other average people. The wealthy elites think class is below them. Certainly the word has never been associated with Donald Trump.

If you have to say, "That's funny, I don't care who you are," it's probably not that funny.

Rather than being the "post racial" president Obama promised, race is everything to him. This has brought not only the racists out from under their rocks, but has made a majority, black and white, hyper-sensitive about race, both sides feeling they are the victims of racism. Good job.

Taxes are not about "fairness," there is no such universal concept, regardless of what politicians says. They are about power, for every tax scheme, including our current one, has winners and losers. The winners view that particular plan as fair. The losers not so much.

I have friends, left and right, who never met a conspiracy theory they didn't love--as long as they could believe the conspiracy was directed at their side by the other side.

The bad thing about my Kindle Book Reader is that when I finish a book on it, I can't put it out in our Little Free Library.

Socialists are builders of sand castles, forever saying, "This time the tide won't come in."

In America you can become rich and famous making a career of being a jerk. For example, Kayne West, Michael Moore and Donald Trump. Though that's not fair to Trump in that he inherited his money, which made him a jerk before his career.

Multiculturalists on the left view the Jihadist problem as a criminal matter, where a tiny minority of extremists who commit crimes must be apprehended, evidence gathered against them, they must be put on trial, and released if found not guilty or sent to prison if guilty. The problem is the Jihadists are treating it as a war. In war, you identify your enemies and go and kill them. If there is collateral damage, well, they shouldn't have been around or helping your enemy. Estimates of Muslims who want to impose Shari'a Law on everyone, with the loss of rights and freedom, ranges from 10% in the west to 90% in Afghanistan. If ten percent word wide are radicals who want Shari'a imposed by force, we would have to arrest 160 million Muslims. We are trying to use the law to stop them. They are trying to kill us. Who do you think is going to win?

Your race, religion, age, gender, ethnic heritage or sexual orientation does not exempt you from the norms of decent, civilized behavior. Thinking so makes you despised, plus a hardship on the decent members of your group.

There was a time when blacks, eager to take their place in the general society, attempted to be more respectable and better behaved than other people. Yet another dignity they were robbed of by the dependency state. Of course, there are millions of black folks who still try, but they are undermined by the thugocracy that has grown up as a black subculture.

The Pope, who is surrounded by armed guards wherever he goes, and lives in his own tiny country surrounded by a wall, says people who make guns and people who build walls are not Christian.

Socialism is like a pass-fail course in college, rewarding the industrious and the lazy, the intelligent and the mediocre, the talented and the talentless all equally.

When I was in school, they taught the seven recognized propaganda techniques. Now the schools just practice them.

President Bernie Sanders will be able to fly around without Air Force One. If he can ignore the laws of economics, why not the law of gravity?

When I read the paper, I think some people should be put down like rabid dogs. I'm heartless? Have a heart for the sociopaths' and thugs next victims.

Spread misery and misery will return to you. Spread joy and joy will return to you.

We are not fighting a war against ISIS. We are pretending to fight a war against ISIS.

"Scotch Tape" is an ethnic slur and should come with a trigger warning. #ScotsLivesMatter.

Heard at a dinner: "Madison, where the hippies didn't disappear--they got tenure.

When you meet an adult who habitually lies and steals, seeing the only problem is if they get caught, you can bet it started in their teens or earlier, stealing from Mom's wallet. With some folks, decency doesn't take.

From my friend Tom: "Russ Feingold. Went to Washington to do good. Stayed to do very, very well."

Democrats seem to think that because their hearts are pure, they are exempt from the Iron Laws of economics. And if they turn out not to be exempt, it's an unfair Tea Party plot.

When people say, "Only a fraction," it really means nothing. E.G. "I kept only a fraction of the profits for myself," or "At only a fraction of the cost." 99/100s is a fraction.

Trump's supporters remind me of Obama's supporters--complete unmoved by facts. Reasoning with either one is impossible. At least Bernie supporters know what they want: free stuff paid for be future generations. Trump supporters hate most of his past policy positions and support for leftist politicians, but it doesn't matter, they want Trump. Because he tells it like they want to hear.

An anti-gun letter in the Wisconsin State Journal said, "The NRA has been writing Wisconsin gun laws...every thing is backward and out of sink." The writer needs to get his words in synch... 

Time is not money, time is life.

Bread and prayers are best homemade.

Get the collection! My “Random Thoughts” from 2008 through July, 2013 are collected in this book: The Old Jarhead's Journal: Random Thoughts on Life, Liberty, and Leadership by Robert A. Hall

http://www.amazon.com/Old-Jarheads-Journal-Thoughts-Leadership/dp/1490500162/ref=sr_1_1?s=booksandie=UTF8andqid=1373907206andsr=1-1andkeywords=Old+Jarhead%27s+Journal

The Old Jarhead’s Journal is a collection of Random Thoughts on politics and life and Conservative Political Essays, mostly published on the author’s blog, including the essay “I’m Tired” which went viral on the Internet in 2009, “The Hall Platform,” “This I Believe,” and “Why I’m a Republican.” While they will be of interest to conservative thinkers, they are collected here in book form as a service to readers who wish to give a copy to favorite liberals and watch their heads explode. All royalties are donated to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.

*****

Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam Veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate. He is the author of The Coming Collapse of the American Republic. http://www.amazon.com/Coming-Collapse-American-Republic-prevent/dp/1461122538/ref=sr_1_5?s=booksandie=UTF8andqid=1304815980andsr=1-5 For a free PDF of Collapse, e-mail him at tartanmarine(at)gmail.com. Hall’s eleven books are listed here: http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-book-published.html. His blog of political news and conservative comment is www.tartanmarine.blogspot.com.