Little bit of history here: When Richard Nixon lost to JFK (during my birth year) he had every right to contest the election –>and probably would’ve taken the presidency, BTW!<– BUT HE DIDN’T.

In 1960 Nixon had every right to contest the election results — but he didn’t

History paints Nixon as a jackass for Watergate. How many of you out there look back at Watergate and laugh when you compare it to the shit-show that is going on right before our eyes today? But at that moment in 1960 he was a genuine American hero. He could have caused a ruckus about the election count but he knew what it would hurt the country. He repeated that heroism when he resigned as president in 1974. He put the country and his fellow Americans ahead of his ego — an ego which was considerable, BTW!

Enter Trump 60 years later with nearly the same situation as Nixon and what does he do?

I’m saddened that Trump was too much the narcissist to put his country first. I’m also saddened that the fearful – yes FEARFUL – people that followed him and, feeling disenfranchised, forgot to put their principles FIRST by failing to tell Donald Trump to STFU and STFD. They have every right to fear what is coming with the current far-left agenda that will be shoved down our collective throats. I actually understand the frustration of the disenfranchised but at some point you have to get on with life. I’m a libertarian…I’ve been disenfranchised my entire freakin’ life.

I’ve been disenfranchised my entire life. AT SOME POINT, YOU NEED TO GET OVER IT!

Now…I can’t and won’t agree that Trump intentionally wanted what happened at the capital to happen. There will never be enough hard evidence to support that conclusion and on January 20th, it was rendered moot ANYWAY. But, until the current administration (or their ilk) completely obliterate MY Constitution, there is still an assumption of innocence until guilt is proven IN A COURT OF LAW. — not a court of popular opinion — A F***ING COURT OF LAW. This applies to the president too. Not as president but as a citizen of the United States. I know it isn’t a popular idea to actually care about citizenship. But, unless you seek anarchy, you will care about your “membership” in this dysfunctional family. To prefer popular opinion over the objective truth is to abandon responsibility to yourself and those you love. It is precisely that. Peel the layers off that onion and that is exactly what you’ll find at the center.

The court of popular opinion is mob-rule; the seeds of totalitarianism

I have gone from not giving a damn about this subject to caring a little bit to going back to not caring. In that journey, I’ve come to this conclusion: A good argument can be made that Donald Trump was too stupid or blind to see the consequences of his actions. Another really good argument is that conditions were ripe for anarchists and simple ne’er-do-wells (some of whom were found amongst the crowd) to take advantage of the opportunity.

The unfortunate thing in all of this is that:

• Honest and decent people out protesting that day
• Anyone who doesn’t speak ill of Trump before, during and after
• Anyone that has lived in a city that Trump has visited
• Any person that hasn’t – in their own mind – stripped Trump of all of his rights as a human being

…are all to be stripped of their rights as human beings as well; according to the current doctrine of the glorious and triumphant left. Do I paint a clear and honest picture, or do I exaggerate? And for allowing that to happen, the left can go f*** themselves. Not exactly an intellectual thing to posit but it most definitely feels nice to type that phrase on this keyboard. The threat of stripping you of your right to say or do what your conscience deems necessary is just the left’s way of making sure you tow the line in this new regime or Reich, if you will.

The bottom line, however, is that narcissism is psychopathological. And eliminating insanity, there is such a thing as negligence that doesn’t excuse Trump’s part in what happened before, during and after the events at the capital. If you know your history and give careful thought to the events that unfolded, you must conclude that the events — or something like them — were likely to happen. This is what happens when you put yourself and your ideology first before your fellow citizens (read “family”). People get hurt and people die. There was no excuse for people to get hurt and die. No excuse.

So, my conclusion is to first, put this behind me and get on with my life; as all of you should. Secondly, I want to thank Donald Trump for his service to our country. Finally, it is now time for you, Mr. Trump to STFD and STFU. The torch has passed. Let’s just pray the pendulum doesn’t swing too widely that we can’t recover from it.

B
Always seek the truth. Not YOUR truth, but THE truth. No matter where the truth leads you, that is the only path to freedom.

This article wasn’t easy for me to read because it goes against my grain on many different levels. But is one of the first voices of reason (no pun intended) that I’ve read in a long time.

I am a small “l” libertarian and I reject any idea (libertarian or otherwise) that doesn’t emphasize the US Constitution and the rule of LAW, not MEN. I have observed anecdotally that the issues currently surrounding law enforcement are often instigated by those who consistently resist arrest. However, there are those important and game-changing occasions where the police not only get it wrong but they get it VERY wrong; even criminally wrong. They are magnified by the fact that the police are held to a much higher standard than regular citizens.

But…BUT…even though cops have one of the most impossible jobs on the planet, both arrestees and yes, the police who are arresting them BOTH need to move towards the center of this to avoid inevitable anarchy. I know how some of you just LONG for anarchy. You’re going to want to trust me on this point: Anarchy will lead to totalitarianism…the history of humans on this planet proves that positively. Again, trust me on this: Even if you think you do, you do NOT want a totalitarian state. History also teaches that the people that bring about totalitarian regimes are the first ones to die. Ironic, since they probably thought they’d be part of the ruling class when it came about. The joke is always on those useful idiots.

If the police reform in the ways this article suggests, likewise, those who break the law need to suffer extremely severe JUDICIAL penalties for resisting arrest…at the VERY LEAST. I don’t know if that will be an incentive to stop resisting arrest. Over a great span of time, both sides moving to the center as best they can may begin to ease this growing tension.

I’m not sure I agree with all of the reforms discussed in this article. One thing you can be sure of is that police will vehemently resist the reforms and those protesting the police will not be satisfied. This part of the process is addressed in the article. Give it a read and listen to the voices inside of you, setting aside your hate. That voice is the voice of reason that you have been shaping and honing your entire life. LISTEN TO IT. Also, it will help you if set aside the Black vs. White argument for now. That is a separate but related issue not relevant to the discussion of these “first steps”.

Now all that is left for we, the people – who are supposed to be the anima for change in this country – is to set our hate and emotions aside, roll up our sleeves and do the hard work that has to be done. Nothing worth doing is easy…that sucks but it’s as true as the sun rising in the morning. B

If You Want to Fix Policing, Listen to the Pragmatists

This Sacramento-area school district gets more NRA money than any other in the U.S.

https://search.app.goo.gl/CpWP

Shared from my Google feed

As some of you might know, I lost my beloved wife suddenly and unexpectedly on October 9th, 2016. That has been the primary reason you’ve not seen much of me here or on my other blogs.

If the truth be known, whatever is going on politically, Constitutionally, economically, musically or comically has taken a drastic drop in my list of important things or the things to pay attention to in my life.

While I’m still dealing with the loss of my life-partner and dearest friend in life, I am beginning to pay attention to happenings around the country. Having just spent what would’ve been Laura’s 56th birthday with my children: it was a turning point. The only way, I have come to accept (reluctantly), to climb out of disastrous loss, is to crawl towards the light.

So you’ll now see more activity here and in my other blogs in the future, However, you’ll find well-articulated truths from the conservative/libertarian bent, more than mere opinions here. I am not the same person that started Facebook’s ‘Pushing Back‘ or any of my blogs here at WordPress. So, I guess we’ll find out who I am in the coming months together, OK?

Thank you all for your kind words and good wishes to my family and myself. Thank you for ‘tuning-in’ to this page and my other blogs. You’ll see a more steady flow of facts and arguments from every one of my “outlets”.

Smiles,

Brian