You can't be both
Last edited Mon Aug 1, 2016, 11:00 PM - Edit history (4)
As I have watched the rise of Donald J. Trump over the last year, my opinion of him went from mild amusement to concern and finally to disgust and fear. This man has proven over and over again to be a shallow, intellectually hollow, morally bankrupt, cowardly, hateful, fear mongering racist yet there are still many people in this county who support him. Unlike Trump, I am not convinced of my own superiority over others or believe my ideas alone are correct but I simply ask anyone who supports him to consider the following.
If you are a Christian, the lessons in the bible are clear. The words of Christ teach his followers to be loving, humble, meek, gracious, giving, to serve the poorest among us and to seek forgiveness. I would suggest those who support Mr. Trump crack open their bibles and read the eight Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 3-12) and tell me which of the qualities Jesus urged his followers to adopt are exhibited by Trump. Donald Trump cockily embraces the opposite. He has never in his life been part of a religious community or organized group. He has stated he has never asked forgiveness because he has never done anything he is sorry for. He is hateful, boastful, rude, a taker, worships money above all, stingy, and has never served anyone he considers below him (and he clearly considers himself above most, if not all of humanity). He has no respect for the institution of marriage and casts off old wives like car fanciers trade in last years model. He has five children by three different woman. He panders to Christians (badly) like they are too dumb to know the difference between a charlatan and a believer. Yet many conservative Christians still back him. Why?
You can be a Trump supporter or a follower of Christ, but you can't be both.
Our country was founded on the ideals of liberty, justice, freedom of speech, religion and association but most importantly the idea that all men are created equal and have the same rights and responsibilities in this great country. Mr. Trump has stated opinions and suggested policies that violate the very principles on which this country was founded. He stifles speech, suggests religious tests for citizenship or even entry into our country. He praises dictators and tyrants like Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Un, and Vladimir Putin. He longs to use torture and nuclear weapons. He speaks of abandoning decades old treaties and alliances. He wants to get rid of Constitutional protections that he finds inconvenient. He speaks glowingly of times past when you could "knock the hell" out of someone you disagreed with or when protestors were "carried out in a stretcher." He pays little or no taxes on millions in income.
You can be a patriot or a Trump supporter, but you can't be both.
I was in the United States Army National Guard. I never served in a time of war, although I did spend some time in war torn Iraq as a civilian. I have nothing but respect and honor for my brothers and sisters who take the oath of enlistment and put on that uniform to serve something greater than themselves. I especially support and revere those who have been wounded or died in the service of their country. That attitude is something that has been shared by all decent Americans on all sides of the political spectrum. Donald Trump sneers at that concept. I have never in my life heard a candidate for any office, let alone President of the United States, speak with such offhand disdain for those who have served. At least four generations of Trumps have never joined the military (his grandfather, Frederick immigrated to America to dodge the draft and avoid paying taxes in Germany).This is a man who never served in the military himself (heel spurs got him out of Vietnam) but considers himself better trained than most military men and women because he went to an upscale military style boarding school (paid for by his rich daddy). He says he knows more about ISIS than serving military generals. He mocked Vietnam Veteran and P.O.W. John McCain and said, "He is not a war hero. He is a war hero because he was captured? I like people who weren't captured." He has criticized retired four star Marine General John Allen by saying, “They had a general named John Allen, and he — I never met him. And he got up and he started talking about Trump, Trump, Trump. Never met him. And you know who he is? He’s a failed general.” And most shocking of all, he trashed a Gold Star family, whose Muslim son, Army Captain Humayan Khan died in Iraq defending those under his command who had the audacity to speak out against his cruel and racist statements against Muslims and proposal of a ban and internment camps. He questioned this hero's mother's integrity, he questioned his father's ability to give his own speech, he mocked their religion and he keeps on doing it.
You can support the troops or support Trump, but you can't do both.
Women make up over half the population of this country. It has been a 97 years since women fought for and gained the right to vote. Hillary Clinton is the first woman in the history of our country to be nominated by a major party to run for President. Donald Trump gleefully insults women on a daily basis. He has called women he disagreed with; pigs, dogs, fat, disgusting animals. He has mocked a mother for needing to pump breast milk, calling her "disgusting." He criticized his political opponent Carly Fiorina's looks, "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?" He mocked and attacked Fox News Megyn Kelly after she had the nerve to question his history of misogynistic statements in a Republican Debate. He retweeted a follower who called her a "bimbo" and told a reporter, "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." He has repeatedly stated an attraction to his own daughter saying, "I’ve said if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her," and “Yeah, she’s really something, and what a beauty, that one. If I weren’t happily married and, ya know, her father?.?.?.?”
You can be a Trump supporter or you can be a person who believes woman are equal and should be treated with respect, but you can't be both.
Donald Trump represents the worst qualities of humanity. He is greedy and selfish. He is cruel and abusive. He thinks only of himself and how things affect him. He is childish and impulsive. He is out of touch and elitist. He is boastful and arrogant. He is an unrepentant liar. He has physically mocked a reporter with a disability. He prides himself on ripping people off. He questions an American judge's ability to be fair because of his race. He categorizes most of the Mexican people in this country as "rapists" and "drug dealers." He commits these transgressions on an almost daily basis, unapologetically. He is as brutish and uncouth a person I have ever seen in American politics. He has no qualities I would tolerate in a child, let alone my president.
Basically, this election comes down to this; you can be a decent human being or you can be a Trump supporter, but you can't be both.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Great post. 
Well said! 
