INTRO TO POLITICS
I've never been a political person. God and family have been the driving forces in my life. I love my profession (animal and plant agriculture) and would not change it for any other. Being close to nature and to the "land" brings a singular perspective and greater appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us. I've worked very hard, and aside from a few early rebellious years, always tried to do the right thing once I took on the responsibility of marriage and fatherhood.
We were thrown into political discussion and arguments before the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, trying to figure out why a system that seemed bearable needed to be replaced with a bloody revolution. The era of the "New Man" arrived with a strange political ideology, whose only interpreters were the Marxist Comandantes, spawned by the Cuban Revolution. An overbearing revolutionary political thought permeated every aspect of ordinary life and a common-sense approach to problem solving disappeared. A hasty arrival in the country of thousands of nasty "internationalists" from around the world supporting this new experiment and the organization of the local communities, block-by-block, into CDS (Comites de Defensa Sandinista) to hold meetings and promote Sandinista values, was part of the new system. Not attending these meetings singled one out as a non-sympathizer and subject to harassment. Mob mentality flourished, with the "turbas divinas", organized by Sandinista factions taking over streets, spewing political slogans, destroying property and intimidating regular folks. A carbon copy of the iron-fisted Cuban Model, that never worked in Cuba or anywhere else, produced the Nicaraguan Diaspora and divided the Nicaraguan family at large along political lines. Whoever had the means and opportunity, left the country. Over time, and in retrospect, the cure was a lot worse than the disease.
Fast forward to the early 80's in the US, all we wanted to do was work hard, earn a decent living and establish ourselves. Politics was not pervasive. It seemed to work and solve problems. The debate on issues of national and local importance was civil and part of the american fabric of life, which was good. By George Bush's second term, political discussion picked up steam and ushered in a period of more entrenched positions fueled in part by the wars in Irak and Afghanistan and the economic crisis of 2008. Enter Barack Obama, a well educated, well spoken, young politician who was seen as a unifying figure. Obama, considered the most liberal and progressive politician in the Senate, brought this type of mindset to his administration, adopting very globalist views and sometimes what was perceived to be anti-american positions. The supposedly unifying President, increased divisiveness and brought uneasiness about the direction of the country. By the end of his second term, the racial issue and other very important matters, were handled in ways that pushed people apart instead of uniting them. Obama racked up about 7 trillion dollars of debt in 8 years, placing a very heavy burden on this economy for many years to come. This mess is partially responsible for the rise of Donald Trump. Plus the fact, Hillary Clinton, was a bad candidate, promising a third Obama term. With a lot more cash on hand and an army of political operatives on the ground, her campaign found a way to lose, outsmarted in the end by some shrewd operators. The "Black Swan" win by Trump is still not understood by a lot of elites, and will be a case-study for many years to come. It was unforgivable to lose to Trump. This is the one that got away and it really hurts. Hence the "resist" battle cry, trying to promote chaos and ratcheting-up the political divisions, never seen in our lives here in the US. Many people have lost their rationale and can't seem to get a grip. The losing party is very angry and demands their "pound of flesh" at all cost. Besides, the swamp, is almost impossible to drain and the "swamp creatures" are fighting for survival. Regular folks, like you and me are caught in the middle, trying to find out the "real" truth of what is happening.
Now in retirement, with all the kids away living regular lives, there is time to educate myself in things political at the national and local level. I have a pretty good idea, who is who, and what they stand for. It's good to be a high-information person. There are some real good sources of information, but there's a lot of bad ones too. If you stick to the bad ones, you'll end up with distorted views. A lot of political pundits and talking-heads purvey half-truths that fog a lot of issues. It is very hard to find the whole truth. Groups make a living, creating controversy over such wedge-issues like race, gender, sexual orientation, abortion, income inequality, police brutality, etc. Unless we get all the facts, the truth is elusive. I've turned off all media at times to just get away. Low quality and extreme politics have taken over. Some people live here for the benefits but don't really care about this country and quickly claim their rights but shy away from their responsibilities. The mob we see in the streets shouting slogans, destroying property, confronting law enforcement, promoting chaos and intimidating people remind me of another time and place when that particular society was being steered towards a "revolution". There is an undercurrent of social engineering that is trying to erode our core values and put us on a path to losing the essence of the USA. This country has been a blessing to so many, evolving for better all the time. We must confront those that hate us and encourage good citizens, as The Federalist puts it, to "Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray".
We were thrown into political discussion and arguments before the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, trying to figure out why a system that seemed bearable needed to be replaced with a bloody revolution. The era of the "New Man" arrived with a strange political ideology, whose only interpreters were the Marxist Comandantes, spawned by the Cuban Revolution. An overbearing revolutionary political thought permeated every aspect of ordinary life and a common-sense approach to problem solving disappeared. A hasty arrival in the country of thousands of nasty "internationalists" from around the world supporting this new experiment and the organization of the local communities, block-by-block, into CDS (Comites de Defensa Sandinista) to hold meetings and promote Sandinista values, was part of the new system. Not attending these meetings singled one out as a non-sympathizer and subject to harassment. Mob mentality flourished, with the "turbas divinas", organized by Sandinista factions taking over streets, spewing political slogans, destroying property and intimidating regular folks. A carbon copy of the iron-fisted Cuban Model, that never worked in Cuba or anywhere else, produced the Nicaraguan Diaspora and divided the Nicaraguan family at large along political lines. Whoever had the means and opportunity, left the country. Over time, and in retrospect, the cure was a lot worse than the disease.
Fast forward to the early 80's in the US, all we wanted to do was work hard, earn a decent living and establish ourselves. Politics was not pervasive. It seemed to work and solve problems. The debate on issues of national and local importance was civil and part of the american fabric of life, which was good. By George Bush's second term, political discussion picked up steam and ushered in a period of more entrenched positions fueled in part by the wars in Irak and Afghanistan and the economic crisis of 2008. Enter Barack Obama, a well educated, well spoken, young politician who was seen as a unifying figure. Obama, considered the most liberal and progressive politician in the Senate, brought this type of mindset to his administration, adopting very globalist views and sometimes what was perceived to be anti-american positions. The supposedly unifying President, increased divisiveness and brought uneasiness about the direction of the country. By the end of his second term, the racial issue and other very important matters, were handled in ways that pushed people apart instead of uniting them. Obama racked up about 7 trillion dollars of debt in 8 years, placing a very heavy burden on this economy for many years to come. This mess is partially responsible for the rise of Donald Trump. Plus the fact, Hillary Clinton, was a bad candidate, promising a third Obama term. With a lot more cash on hand and an army of political operatives on the ground, her campaign found a way to lose, outsmarted in the end by some shrewd operators. The "Black Swan" win by Trump is still not understood by a lot of elites, and will be a case-study for many years to come. It was unforgivable to lose to Trump. This is the one that got away and it really hurts. Hence the "resist" battle cry, trying to promote chaos and ratcheting-up the political divisions, never seen in our lives here in the US. Many people have lost their rationale and can't seem to get a grip. The losing party is very angry and demands their "pound of flesh" at all cost. Besides, the swamp, is almost impossible to drain and the "swamp creatures" are fighting for survival. Regular folks, like you and me are caught in the middle, trying to find out the "real" truth of what is happening.
Now in retirement, with all the kids away living regular lives, there is time to educate myself in things political at the national and local level. I have a pretty good idea, who is who, and what they stand for. It's good to be a high-information person. There are some real good sources of information, but there's a lot of bad ones too. If you stick to the bad ones, you'll end up with distorted views. A lot of political pundits and talking-heads purvey half-truths that fog a lot of issues. It is very hard to find the whole truth. Groups make a living, creating controversy over such wedge-issues like race, gender, sexual orientation, abortion, income inequality, police brutality, etc. Unless we get all the facts, the truth is elusive. I've turned off all media at times to just get away. Low quality and extreme politics have taken over. Some people live here for the benefits but don't really care about this country and quickly claim their rights but shy away from their responsibilities. The mob we see in the streets shouting slogans, destroying property, confronting law enforcement, promoting chaos and intimidating people remind me of another time and place when that particular society was being steered towards a "revolution". There is an undercurrent of social engineering that is trying to erode our core values and put us on a path to losing the essence of the USA. This country has been a blessing to so many, evolving for better all the time. We must confront those that hate us and encourage good citizens, as The Federalist puts it, to "Be lovers of freedom and anxious for the fray".
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