Is Ivanka the best USA ambassador to the UN?

@Northwest

I agree totally about Ivanka's total lack of education or experience in learning how to address international issues, as being an insurmountable obstacle to her being able to perform the job of US ambassador to the UN.

At least, Nikki Haley had served as Governor of South Carolina and had experience in working in politics; Ivanka has had NONE.

And, we have not yet been told whether she is a "stable genius" like her father. Of course, one needs to remember as well that her father is the stable genius - to mention one idiotic statement (tweet) of his -
that believes that you need to present a photo identification before you are permitted to even buy groceries in this country!

This does not bode well.

By the way, another thing that does not bode well is Trump's recent statement that he is considering separating children from their parents at the border again, as he argues that is the only way we can stop immigration. Er, I mean illegal immigration, but does he?


quakertrucker

@Quakertrucker Don't forget to vote

It’s illegal aliens. @Quakertrucker @Northwest

@Northwest

I have only missed one election - Presidential, Gubernatorial, Senatorial, or Representative, Mayoral, etc. - since my first chance to vote in 1972. And, I only missed that one election because I was trying my best to die - or not - from viral meningitis which has about a 90% fatality rate - spending 4 weeks in the hospital incoherent and insensate.

I vote in both the primaries and in the generals.

I taught high school in Costa Rica, and then went to law school - before becoming a mover/truck driver for over 40 years. That is too long of a story!

The reason that I brought up the truck driving is that many, many of the people that I worked with over the years - other drivers, pacers, helpers, etc. - bitched constantly about the government. And, they complained about everything!!!!!

After listening to them kvetch interminably, I would ask them who they had voted for in the most recent election. Almost to a man - as well as to a woman - they would say that they had never voted.

I would then tell them - in these exact words - to "Shut the Fuck Up.". I would tell them that, if they did not vote, they did not have the RIGHT to complain about the government. I would try to explain that the vote is the mechanism set up for people to complain about the government, and, that, if you failed to exercise your right to vote, you relinquished the right to complain.

By the way, in that first opportunity to vote, I helped reelect President Richard Nixon - a vote that I regretted in 1973 with the Congressional Watergate Hearings. I did not regret that I voted, merely who I had voted for. Of course, considering that McGovern only received 17 electoral votes, if I had voted differently, Nixon would still have easily won re-election.

One comment that I made long ago: there were roughly 500,000 people in attendance at Woodstock - and, that number did not include me - but there are 4,000,000 people who claim to have been there. On the other hand, as noted above, President Nixon won re-election by the widest popular AND electoral margins in American history - regardless of the groundless claims by Trump that his was the greatest margin of victory ever - but it is hard to find anyone who will admit to having voted for him!

As an aside, President Trump always has to be the biggest, the best, the baddest, etc. at everything that he does. Thus, his baseless - and easily disprovable - claims to have had the greatest margin of victory EVER; to be the most popular American President (at home and abroad) EVER; to have accomplished more in the less-than two years of his administration than almost any other Presidents in their full administrations EVER - which administrations ranged from 30 days to 12 1/2 years (and including the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt - whose administration worked to save the people and economy of the United States, to save the people's and nations of Europe from the evils of Hitler and Nazism, and to save Asia and the Pacific nations from Japan); to be the most "stable genius" elected President of the United States EVER; ... ; and to have the largest hands (?) EVER - which
claim was even made during a primary debate between Republican candidates.

I believe that his obvious NEED to declare himself the greatest human that has ever lived is, in fact, a factor of one thing in which he is the largest EVER. President Trump has the GREATEST inferiority complex of any human being that has ever walked the Earth!!!!!

Finally, I have NEVER voted a straight ticket - preferring to vote for the candidate and their policies and positions, rather than their party affiliation. In fact, I wish that the states that have a one-box, straight party vote option, would revoke it. I believe that a voter should have to make their choice known in each individual race, rather than having a political party make all of their choices for them.

To end, unless I die in the next 4 weeks plus one day, or again contract viral meningitis - or another similarly debilitating illnesses - you can be damn sure that I will visit the polling station on the mid-term election day.

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to complain about the present - extremely partisan - state of our national politics!!!!!

Quakertrucker

@Quakertrucker I hope you remain healthy, for a long, long, time to come. Yes, we've become a partisan nation. I, however, for the last 3 elections, have not been able to vote, for the national offices, for a GOP candidate.

I would have voted for McCain, but I could not vote for a ticket that had Sarah Palin on it. At the local level, I vote on the issues. I voted for George Bush, the 43rd, because I did not want to vote for someone, who was Clinton's VP for 8 years.

What really bothers me now, is that I can't find anyone here on SW, who will stand up to Trump's lies. Some justify it, by saying "it's the economy stupid". When did we set aside our values, as a shining beacon for all the nations, in the name of the mighty greenback?

What can one expect from a President, whose first official act, as President, is to order the photo agency in charge of the inaugural photos, to photoshop them, to make the crowd size seem larger.

I'm an atheist, but willing to pray, for the next 4 weeks, if it makes a difference :-)

@Northwest

It is late here and I need to get up early, but I feel like I have to enclose a few quick notes - all positive - in response to your recent posting.

First, my wife and I are both registered as Democrats but neither has ever voted a straight-party ticket. We were both excited about the possibility of voting for John McCain - one of the last, to my mind, GREAT Americans who put the good of the nation over the good of his party - until he chose Palin as his vice-Presidential candidate.

Like you, we felt that was a bridge too far. And, in retrospect, Senator McCain agreed, writing in his recent memoir, that he wished that he had not permitted his advisors to pressure him not to pick Joe Lieberman, an Independent, as his running mate. That ticket - McCain/Lieberman - would have easily won, and, I believe, moved our country back toward the bipartisanship which is required if our nation is to survive!

In the 2016 election, we both were BIG supporters of Bernie Sanders, and had a huge Bernie sign in our yard in Ann Arbor, Michigan - where we lived for 2 1/2 years after my wife was recruited by the University of Michigan. We also spoke to potential voters, and helped staff a booth at the 2016 "Hash Bash". After Bernie lost in the Michigan primary, we took the sign down.

I saw a political cartoon in "Funny Times" that expressed - to my mind - the difference between Bernie and Hillary very succinctly. It had their pictures with the same words underneath both, but with different punctuation. Under Bernie's picture, it said: "I say what I believe. People want to hear.". Under Hillary's picture, it said: "I say what I believe people want to hear."

I believed - and still believe - that Hillary would change her message depending on which group she was talking to. And, I have not been much of a fan of Hillary's since the sex allegations were made against Bill - Jennifer Flowers and Monica Lewinsky, to name just two. Although Hillary presented herself as a feminist and supporter of women, she attacked the victims of Bill's philandering as sluts or worse.

Second, I have always tried to vote based on a candidate and their positions on the issues, rather than on their party affiliation. I believe that President Carter was a wonderful, caring person - as evidenced by his post-President activities such his founding - in conjunction with his wife Rosalynn - of Habitat for Humanity - but I also believed that he was not prepared to run the country.

So, in 1980, I voted for Ronald Reagan. I did not vote for him in 1984 primarily based on the fact that he had run on the promise to eliminate the national debt. In 1980 when, he began his first term, the national debt was approximately 800 billion dollars; when he left office in 1988, it was almost 3.2 trillion dollars - a four-fold increase.

And as a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) - which I still am, I hated his attacks on labor, particularly in breaking the air traffic controllers union.

Third, as to your being an Atheist, I am a Christo-Centric Quaker, while my wife is also an Atheist! She attends Quaker meetings with me to support my beliefs, while I attend Free Thought and Humanist meetings with her to support her beliefs!

Actually, Quakerism is a non-credal religion, and the members, to a large degree, define their own beliefs. They do have testimonies that spell out SPICES - Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. You try to live your life according to those six testimonies.

Every Quaker interprets these testimonies for themselves. Most people believe that Quakers are pacifists, but this is an oversimplification.

During World War II, there were Quakers that took Conscientious Objector (CO) status. There were also Quakers that refused to take CO status, because doing so would free up other soldiers with weapons to kill. But, there were also Quakers that enlisted and fought, because they believed that eliminating Hitler and Nazism was the most peaceful action they could take.

In fact, when John Brown captured the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, hoping to inspire a slave revolt, there were two Quaker brothers with him - with guns. They believed that eliminating slavery was the most peaceful action they could take.

Because each Quaker interprets the testimonies personally, I have always believed that there are as many Quaker beliefs as there are Quakers.

In fact, there are Christi-Centric Quakers like myself, and Non-Christo-Centric Quakers, but there are also Agnostic Quakers, Atheist Quakers, and even Pagan Quakers. And all Quakers accept each other as Quakers - regardless of differences in beliefs.

The Humanist Association was founded by Atheist Quakers, and was originally called the "Humanist Association of Friends" - Friends being another name for Quakers. Actually, Friends was a name adopted by early members, while Quakers was a derogatory name given by those attacking the religion. Rather than fighting the name, the Friends adopted the name Quakers as well.

I have a T-shirt which reads: "Some of my best friends are Friends."

Well, that is enough religion for tonight. But, if you ever wish to attend a Quaker meeting, you will be welcomed - Atheist or not - and will not be proselytized to; you will just be welcomed.

If you do ever wish to check it out, just go to quakerfinder.org and type in a city or zip code, and the site will tell you - concentrically - where the nearest meetings are, as well as the time and dates for meetings.

By the way, Amnesty International and Greenpeace - among several other similar groups - were founded by Quakers.

I need to get some sleep now.

Best wishes to you!

And, be sure to encourage EVERYONE to vote - and not just those you agree with!

I tell people - jokingly- that I choose my username here in case I ever get dementia. I am 67, so that could be a concern. I figure that, no matter how bad my memory gets, I will always remember my religion and my occupation. Now, if I could just figure out why SW won't accept "truckerquaker"!

Quakertrucker

@jackjjackson

No, it is not "Illegal Aliens"!

The Democratic Party lies to their base, and the Republican Party lies to their base.

The parties have become so vested in their own personal interest, that the interests of America are often ignored.

There are many who are Democrats or Republicans first, and Americans second.

One can fight for one's Republican or Democrat beliefs and viewpoints, but still work together for the best interests of our nation, the United States of America.

This nation is not the 'United States of Democrats' or the 'United States of Republicans'; it is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!!

President Ronald Reagan was a staunch, and generally well-respected (at least by me, as I voted for him in 1980) Republican; while Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil was a strong, and generally well-respected Democrat.

They would fight tooth-and-nail all day long - and even into the night - over legislation to advance policies and laws that they felt were in the best interest of America. Though they substantially disagreed about what was best for the country, they believed that each was a good American, albeit an American with whom they disagreed.

It may be apocryphal, but the story is told that these two partisan politicians were also friends who could sit down and enjoy a beer after the battles over the legislation had been argued, and the laws passed.

That is what has been lost - to the great detriment of our nation - over the past 2 or 3 decades: the spirit of bipartisanship, of working together, even while disagreeing, for the good of, and the future, of AMERICA!!!!!

The founding fathers were also of vastly different minds. There were Federalists like Alexander Hamilton, and Republicans like Thomas Jefferson, who differed in their beliefs as much as any Democrats or Republicans of today. There was NO love lost - and much enmity expressed - between Hamilton and Jefferson!

But, by working together, even while working strenuously to advance their differing strategies for the nation, they wrote the Constitution and established the greatest nation that the world has ever seen.

Now, concerned ONLY with their separate viewpoints, beliefs, and ideas, Democrats and Republicans refuse to work together for America; and, instead, are in the process of dividing and destroying my country.

Many Republicans today are Republicans first and Americans second; just as many Democrats today are Democrats first and Americans second! The parties routinely lie to their members - and to the nation as a whole - to advance the parties! This will DESTROY "My Country, 'Tis of Thee'!!!!!

As President Abraham Lincoln said: "A House Divided Cannot Stand!"

As popular as President Reagan was with Republicans in the 80's, and for all of the legislation that he was able to get passed supporting Conservative beliefs, he would be totally unelectable in America today. He would be derided as a RINO for even talking to members of the opposite party.

Just as the Republicans have their so-called RINO's that they deride and attack, the Democrats have so-called DINO's (actually, I believe that I coined that term, as I don't recall reading it anywhere) that they attack.

These Democrats who refuse to work with Republicans for the good of our country, and the Republicans who refuse to work with Democrats for the good of our country represent the worst possible acronym: AINO's - Americans In Name Only!!!!!

Quakertrucker

I agree that the profession of being a politician is wrong. @Quakertrucker

@Quakertrucker I respect your belief system. In my view of the world, just about anything we do, is often about a compromise. There are no straightforward decisions.

In 2016, I caucused for Bernie, but when it was all done, it was a choice between a somewhat flawed candidate, and the Orange Beast, so I picked Hillary.

Pandering to crowds is what politicians do. No exception. It's about whether or not they take it all the way, compromising their core values. Hillary is a flawed politician, but she was running on a core set of issues, that I believed in, specifically: environmentally friendly policies, universal healthcare, universal education and a fair foreign policy. The latter was the result of Bernie insisting on making it part of the DNC platform.

We really have no more than 20 years, to do something that would effect a "softer" landing, permitting our kids and grandkids to survive, otherwise, it's going to be a very hard landing that our planet will not surprise. This is NOT about politics.

Yes, Hillary should have kicked Bill's ass to the curb, and Bill should have resigned, rather than fight impeachment. The last time I saw Bill address this issue, he apologized to Monica Lewinsky, and took the blame. Something he should have done at the time.

I however do not want to judge, and their marriage is their own. At the same time though, when I get the chance to talk to my daughter about it, I advise her not to give a man, who cheats on her, a second chance, but I understand that each case is unique, and I would not judge anyone, prior to walking a mile in their shoes. It's never straightforward!

There used to be a columnist, Brian Dickerson, for the "Detroit Free Press" newspaper. Since the newspaper cost increased from 35 cents to 2 dollars in the past 2 decades, I now get my news from the 30 plus magazines to which my wife and I subscribe - having gotten rid of our TV about 5 years ago - and from the internet.

There was nothing on TV but garbage like reality shows, and the political shows - like Fox or MSNBC - were nothing but echo chambers for people on one side or the other of the political divide.

I remember one column that Mr. Dickerson wrote about what he strived to impress on his 3 daughters. His message referred to physical abuse and was that, unlike in baseball, in a relationship "You get one strike and you're out!

I, too, try not to judge, as the Bible reminds us "Judge not that ye be not judged.

However, in making decisions in politics, one must, to a certain degree, use the candidate's behavior as one factor in whether to vote for someone or not.

In the recent case of Brett Kavanaugh, I did not feel it was right to try to keep him off the Supreme Court based on an alleged sexual assault - even if it were proven to be true - when he was 17 and that was 36 years ago. We all make mistakes in our hormone-fueled youth!

However, his behavior during the confirmation process - attacking the Senators questioning him; giving a rambling, anger-filled tirade in front of the Congress; denying that he even knew a couple of his accusers or had ever been drunk and had been a virgin until after graduating from college (all of which was denied by multiple friends and witnesses); and ending his speech before Congress by promising to use his position on the Court to punish his accusers, stating that they should "Remember that what goes round, comes round."

I did not want him kept off the Court because of the alleged long-ago attacks, but I felt that his behavior - nay, his misbehavior - during the entire confirmation process proved that he did not have the judicial temperament one would expect of a judge in the highest court in our nation.

It is always good to hear from you.

Quakertrucker