This is much more than just an election.

It's a diagnostic test of our body politic which is critically ill and may be terminal.

Many would pretend that Donald Trump is the "problem" this year. That's a profound misunderstanding of the dire illness that threatens the very life of our body politic. Our nation has a malignant cancer that has spread throughout its body politic, with cells attacking other cells within every vital organ. Our immune system is overloaded and can't seem to impede or halt the progression of this disease. It is the people who support and applaud this oozing pustule on the exposed skin of our body politic that are the real problem. This is the disease. Of this there should be no question and no doubt.

As a survivor of necrotizing fasciitis ("flesh-eating bacteria&quot given less than a 20% chance of living upon admission to the ER in 2013, I know something about such diseases. It's an understanding that was gained at the cost of massive scarring and disfigurement after a long recovery upon completion of 4-6 hours in an operating room and 3 days in a medically-induced coma in the ICU. It's an understanding of how an immune system can be compromised by stress and a short term failure to get adequate rest, hydration, and nutrition. Yes, it's as simple as sleeping, eating, drinking, and relaxing but we habitually forego such simple self-care and call it "normal" or "real life." It's not. It's life-threatening.

This disease of our body politic is easily seen in the enthusiastic and devoted support for a Presidential candidate that has openly and blatantly condoned racism, bullying, greed, ethnic bigotry, and sexual assault and has demonstrated a total disregard for honesty, human rights, and civil behavior. It's easily seen by the yard signs cropping up all over this country proudly proclaiming support for a "leader" and an ideology akin to that which is now unlawful in Germany. We are seeing some of the most vile and detestable human failings actually being celebrated! It is a bacteria which has always been present in our body politic but which has been held in check by an immune system of public education, moral leadership, a free press, and celebration of civic virtue. That immune system has been critically weakened and compromised by the corrupting forces of organized greed.

There is no ER in our world community to which we can take our body politic. We have exempted ourselves from any such intervention. Yet there is no doubt that other nations can see that our body politic is diseased and, in its death throes, poses a severe threat to that world community. It's entirely possible that a quarantine may be attempted. Given the extensive infiltration of our economic and military forces throughout the world, such quarantine is unlikely to be possible. It is therefore arguable whether the US or climate change poses the greater threat to the world.

This infection is spreading at least largely due to the example being set for young people. Children whose parents admire the attitudes and value system being promoted by Trump are almost certain to be contaminated. Any child or adolescent attuned to the media exploitation of Trump and the celebration of his expressed values and attitudes is also highly likely to be contaminated by this disease. Antidotes are increasingly hard to find.

The diagnostic on November 8th will tell us how long our body politic may survive. It will solely be based on the number of votes for Trump/Pense. It will not be based on the votes for any other candidate. If Trump/Pense get over 30% of the vote, no matter who "wins," I'm certain that the prognosis for our body politic is terminal within a relatively short time. If they get between 15% and 30% of the vote, the prognosis is grave and I doubt our body politic will survive beyond 8 years without immediate and in-depth recovery of our immune system. If they get between 5% and 15% of the vote, which I regard as unlikely, then our body politic has some chance of a full recovery if the disease is recognized and our immune system is strengthened significantly well within one generation (20 years). While I'd be overjoyed, I don't believe it's at all possible that they'll get less than 5% of the vote without massive and immediate recognition at the highest levels of the disease infecting our body politic.

For me, the highest priority is shining a light on the severity of this disease. This is not a normal election year by any stretch of the imagination. I will encourage every person I can to vote for any of the alternative candidates. This is far more important than any attempt to exploit this disease for the benefit of any single candidate.

It extends to other contests on the ballot as well. We must recognize that the health of our body politic was preconditioned by those who, organized as a political party, have exploited and nurtured this cancer within our nation for the past four decades. The Republican Party has now become a totally diseased organ and must be amputated. To the degree that any of these disease carriers remain in the lymphatic system of our body politic, our ability to rid ourselves of this disease and strengthen our immune system is hindered. Again, it matters far less with whom they're replaced. They must be removed.