Republicans: The Zombies are Coming and We're All Going to Die!

 Last week during the CNN Republican debate, I saw no peacemakers on that stage.  No doubt, our country has one of the most serious situations we’ve ever had to deal with.  I wanted to hear the candidates express a new, realistic approach, and one that would minimize the loss of innocent lives. Not a single candidate presented an idea that did not include, bigotry, hate and kill, kill, kill.   

Donald Trump doubled down on his plan to kill the families of Islamic terrorists.  He also wants to close down the Internet in certain parts of the world.  Ted Cruz calls for carpet-bombing ISIS terrorists.  Chris Christie insisted that he would engage in shooting down Russian aircraft in spite of the fact that it may cause nuclear war.  Carly Fiorina wants the private sector to help NSA with monitoring communications.  Excuse me!  Remember Eric Snowden, the treasonous so-in-so that did more to harm our nation’s security than any traitor before? He WAS in the private sector, supposedly helping NSA.  And Ben Carson keeps talking about opening up a child’s head.  Rubio will make your teeth chatter.  He paints a very bleak picture of our future.  Kinda like, “The Zombies are coming after us and we’re all going to die!”

Those candidates who express their plan to deal with Syria and Iraq say nothing different than what President Obama is already doing.  It’s just they are yelling louder and sounding tougher.

The Republicans spent two hours at the debate demonizing President Obama and Democrat Hillary Clinton.  Their mantra is “Obama has not kept us safe!”  I contend that President Obama has kept us as safe, or safer than anyone else could have under the same circumstances.  They seem to forget that the attack on the Twin Towers was under a Republican President.  No, Obama doesn’t talk in a tough, harsh manner.  Obama doesn’t bully.  He maintains a calm, thoughtful demeanor.  He doesn’t evoke fear and dread of war in the pit of our stomach as people like Trump, Cruz, and Rubio do.

At this most wonderful time of the year, you are fortunate if you didn’t watch the GOP debate.  I could feel the Christmas spirit being sucked right out of me.  Much like the Grinch, the Republican presidential candidates are using fear-mongering to steal our Christmas.  Christmas is a state of mind.  We feel happy.  We feel joy.  We feel thankful.  We feel love.  Unfortunately, some feel sad.  But we should never feel afraid as we do this year.

If you regularly read my column, you were not surprised to hear Valdimir Putin endorsed Donald Trump last week.  They have much in common.  I told you a few weeks ago how Putin and Trump “love them some communist women.”  Trump’s former wife and current wife are both immigrants from communist bloc countries.  In the recent past, an endorsement by a highly trained, KGB agent, now President of Russia, would have been the kiss of death for a candidate.  However, Donald Trump embraced that endorsement with gracious praise, blushing like a schoolgirl, and America only yawned. 

No matter how much you hate President Obama and for whatever reason, you should not condone a romance between Putin and Trump.  Further, surely you don’t believe that Putin is sucking up to Trump for the love of peace and betterment of the United States.

Christmas is a time to make memories and share memories.  When I was a child, I was only allowed to ask Santa for one item.  After careful consideration, I asked Santa for something I had never owned, a brand new coat.  That same year, I heard from school friends something about Santa that I did not believe.  To prove them wrong, I feigned sleep and watched as my mother lifted something dark out of her steamer trunk.  The next morning I was awakened with the words, “Look what Santa brought you!”  I saw the most magnificent coat I’d ever seen.  It was black with silver threads throughout.  This time I had to feign joy.  It wasn’t because I didn’t like the coat.  It was because that coat represented the truth that I didn’t want to know.  Later that day, I overheard my mother say she sold two of our pigs at market to pay for the coat.  That cinched it.  I officially hated that coat.  My life lesson learned that day was, make sure you don’t hate for the wrong reasons.  And, some things just aren’t worth the price you have to pay.

Merry Christmas and I hope you make a memory.