Evangelical Christian Voters

I read on CNN that evangelical Christians are warming up to Trump and will be voting for him in large numbers. I don't know how ANY Christian could vote for Donald Trump. I can't think of any of Jesus' lessons that Trump exemplifies in his own life.

Jesus taught us not to judge others. Trump criticizes everyone.

Jesus fed the hungry. Trump isn't charitable, and his so-called charity serves his own interests.

Jesus taught us to "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's." Trump refuses to pay taxes.

Jesus welcomes anyone who accepts Him. Trump refused to provide housing to minorities and wants to expel workers in massive deportations.

Jesus taught us not to confuse the kindgom of heaven with earthly constructs. Trump says that we have to treat people harshly "or you don't have a country."

Jesus taught us not to bear false witness against others. For years, Trump publicly accused President Obama of not being a US citizen.

Jesus criticized the "money changers" for unfair financial practices. Trump built his business empire by stiffing investors and suppliers.

Jesus went out of his way to heal the sick. Trump opposes universal healthcare.

Jesus honored the women in his life. Trump had two divorces and refers to women as "pigs" or sex objects.

Trump has criticized the Pope, and although I can't look into the man's heart, I would be shocked to learn that he has any relationship whatsoever with Christ. And Christians are lining up to vote for the guy? Why? It doesn't make any sense to me.

Copyright © 2016 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved 

Trump is Right - About Some Things

I do agree with Trump on two issues. First, the US has lost a lot of prestige in the world. He's right about our airports being inferior to the best that the world (mostly Asia) has to offer. I just saw a ranking of the world's top ten airlines. None of them are US carriers.

I agree partially with Trump on the causes of this decline - outsourced jobs, expatriated wealth, and deficit spending. When the US was riding high above everyone else, those practices might have seemed harmless. But over time, the expenses have piled up.

I don't agree with Trump's solution to these problems. The President can't levy tariffs on companies that mover offshore, for instance. And the US shouldn't be running a global protection racket where we protect only the countries who are willing to pay a fee. Trump and his supporters are correct in highlighting where our country has fallen short in finance and business (but not the military, where we are the undisputed world leaders). I hope that the next president will have the political will to address these issues even if it means waging serious battles with Congress.

Copyright © 2016 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved 

Thank You Arnold Palmer

Thank you, Arnold Palmer, for being the definitive sports legend role model. You lived your life with such class and elegance.

Media Bias

One (sadly effective) approach to political discourse is to demonize those who disagree with you or don't support your positions. Remember when Bush/Cheney wanted to invade Iraq and there was some pushback from France and from the U.N? Suddenly, Bush supporters mocked France ("freedom fries") and declared that they U.N. was useless and obsolete. The most frightening part of this is that the propaganda becomes reality for some people. 

I suspect that the anti-media bias in the United States bias started in the same manner. It is less rational than the demonization of the U.N., because it's blindly selective. Are all media bad, including Fox News, including the AM radio pundits who feed paranoid fantasies about "big government" and the "biased" media? Anyone with the desire to think rationally recognizes this as a fallacy. But others choose to buy into whatever misinformation supports their worldview.

Copyright © 2016 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved 

The NFL Protests and Social Change

If you don't understand the NFL protests, try to understand this. A White guy can walk through a mall with an assault rifle strapped to his body, and the police don't harass him. But an unarmed Black guy can be shot by police despite complying calmly with their instructions. This disparity flies in the face of the stated value system of our country. Change is needed, and brave, conscientious Americans are demonstrating in an attempt to ensure that this issue is being taken seriously.

Copyright © 2016 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved 

Good

There is an email application called Good. If you use it to exchange mutually-pleasurable erotic messages with someone, is that Good Sex?

Bad Day In Manhattan

Bad day in Manhattan! Police shot a guy who attacked them with a meat cleaver just a few blocks from my office! And a construction worker fell to his death from a midtown building where I used to go for meetings at a prior job.

The Health Of A President

Let us remember that the greatest president in this country's history, the one who defeated the Nazis and the Japanese, pulled us out of the Great Depression and got America working again, that president was confined to a wheelchair for most of his life.

Remembering Richard Fifteen Years Later

My thoughts today are with the family of my former colleague, Richard Rosenthal. Rich was kind and soft-spoken. I never heard him say a bad thing about anyone, and I never heard anyone ever say anything negative toward him. He was a capable, reliable professional. He never let anyone in the office down.

I worked with Rich for about five years until he pursued an opportunity at Cantor Fitzgerald. Cantor's World Trade Center offices were located on the highest floors. No one up there survived.

It's been fifteen years, but my heart is still heavy, and I'm fighting back tears as I write this. I miss you, Rich. I think of you often. As long as I am here, you will be remembered. You will be remembered.

Copyright © 2016 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved 

Friday

Maybe that's why they call it Friday. Because you're fried.

New York Minute 36 - Asshole In A Fancy Car

A guy jumps out of his $170,000 mid-engine Audi sports car while stopped at a red light and starts cursing at the driver of a cab that's directly behind him. 

"Hey, you f-ing a-hole! That's why you're just a f-ing cab driver, because you're an f-ing idiot! You made me miss the light."

As the irate driver, a forty-something guy with long, dark hair and a scruffy beard, stomped back over to his precious German toy, a thought came to mind.

How small is THAT penis?

Copyright © 2016 Daniel R. South 

All Rights Reserved 

Twitter Wants Me To Follow A Kardashian

Why does Twitter think that I should be following Kourtney Kardashian? Is that the conclusion of all of those fancy machine learning algorithms? If so, we have little to fear from artificial intelligence. It's not very intelligent.

Disappointment

I experienced an overwhelming moment of clarity over the weekend. All at once, memories of all of the times that I have disappointed someone came racing back into my mind like a cold and fast-rising tide, an earthquake of emotion driven by decades of neglected internal tension. 

I thought of Shakespeare, of Hamlet's hopeless request to Ophelia, the object of his desire: "Nymph, in thy orisons, be all my sins remembered." Unfortunately, knowing the passage didn't make me feel any better.