A Break

It’s Sunday and I’ll take a day off from the story of my professional life. Maybe I’ll mention my political and religious preferences instead.

I’m a lifelong Democrat. I would have voted for Winthrop Rockefeller had I been home at the time. But since I’ve been in Arkansas, I’ve only pulled an “R” once. That was during a minor conspiracy designed to rid the state of one of the worst disgraces in our political history, second only perhaps to Orval Faubus. There not being major controversies in the Democratic primary once upon a time, many folks switched primaries to rid the state of Arkansas of the further shame of Tommy Robinson. Can’t blame me for that, can you? I sincerely believe I have always voted from conscience and not from hatred.

Because of my personal history and beliefs, I will never vote for a member of the party that allowed the scurrilous attacks upon the patriotism and military service of my brother and shipmate John Kerry, known as “The Swift Boat Attacks.” I apologize for my intractability, but it is a decision both carefully and deliberately made.

I subscribe primarily to progressive ideas. I do share my conservative friends’ apprehension of over-regulation. I think this occurs, to a large degree from the failure of American government to establish a policy and strategy structure that might find bi-lateral agreement. For example, we have no workable transportation policy, much less do we have a compassionate and workable national policy on the criminal justice system.

Consequently, our highways face imminent obsolescence and we incarcerate people at a rate higher than any country should contemplate. We jail people for long periods of time when, for most, a short period would be just as effective. On the regulation side, we have a vast army of bureaucrats who see their job not as one of problem solving but simply one of writing regulations. And when one sees one’s job as that of writing regulations, they … will … write regulations, whether they make sense or not.

The can backfire into a knee-jerk revolt against regulations of any sort, even badly needed ones. I fear that is what we are seeing now.

I do not despise taxes, believing, as did Oliver Wendell Holmes, that they buy us civilization. I do despise the wasting of tax dollars. In this area, let him who is without sin …

To the other point, I’m not a big fan of organized religion. I do, however, vote more in harmony with the Sermon on the Mount and the 25^th Chapter of Matthew than upon the execrable rantings of Ayn Rand.

To those on either the Left or Right that pass falsehoods, personal attacks, mean-spirited postings, racists comments, or outright slander on social media: we must strive to do better.

Here is where I think I differ from many friends on the other side of politics:

Based on my education and analysis, I disagree with the policies, style, personal behavior, statements, and unwillingness to heal America, as exhibited by Donald Trump. It is my personal conclusion that America will suffer for years because of his lack of leadership. I find him shallow, vindictive, slippery, mercurial, and mendacious.

Please form your own opinion and act accordingly. I gave four years of my life to protect that privilege. I believe in the right of all to examine the facts as I have done, come to their own reasonable decisions, and vote. We differ in conclusions, not in brotherhood.

Now for the challenge …

President Trump is supposedly planning a sit-down with Kim Jong-un, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, a country with which America has been at war since the 1950s, and which now has nuclear weapons. The purpose of the talks is to seek a more harmonious relationship between the two countries.

In contrast with many friends of the opposite political party, as per my observations during the presidency of Barrack Obama …

I do sincerely hope the President of the United States is successful in the talks.