Trump v Obama, Clinton, Bush et al

Because that's what the media are doing to Donald Trump. I don't think its the time for such comparisons try again in four years and see what fits. 

For now Trump is untried he should be given time to achieve or fail. I think America has been held captive by a political elite since George Bush senior was elected, maybe Ted Kennedy tried to break their hold when he supported Barack Obama instead of Hillary Clinton but if he did he failed to defeat anyone but Hillary Clinton because Obama might as well have been a Clinton, only the names changed.

In America live some of the poorest people in the world, certainly the poorest in the western part of the world, but we rarely see that poverty. We're shown street gangs not the homes they come from. We're told about food stamps not how important they are, and we're told about ghettos but not the reason for ghettos or that ghetto is just another word and that people in detached shacks in the Appalachians are just as badly if not worse off than the people in the ghetto.  No Bush, Clinton or even the sainted Obama did anything for anyone in a shack in the Appalachians or a ghetto in Detroit except to grow the numbers.

I honestly can't see a reason to condemn Donald Trump in advance because he may not do what no Bush, Clinton or Obama did, and when what they did was play with the laws without really meaning what they were doing. How can Obama be all in favour of LGBTQ rights and equality for women when he continually praises and supports the Islamic religion which is dangerous to both LGBTQ people and women. How does that make sense? 

What Donald Trump has done is reveal Americas deep dislike of the political establishment, politicians would do well to remember Democrats have been losing for years and for all of those years Democrats have refused to recognise the reason for their losses. Its time they stopped lying to themselves and their airy, fairy friends in Hollywood. they lost because they love glitter and all they sold was glitter.  Its nothing to do with the colour of someones skin, its far more to do with not recognising problems and solving them and frankly if Barack Obama couldn't do it with the stroke of a pen he couldn't do it.

I'm glad Donald Trump won I wish him well in his presidency and I hope he delivers what he promised. He's a salesman he better know how to do more than sell a line because any politician can do that.

Martin McGuinness 23/05/1950 - 21/03/2017

Has died He will be missed by everyone in the north, even loyalists and unionists though they may deny even the idea of it. 

His death casts a shadow over the struggling peace process and perhaps over the most senior of his colleagues. From now on Gerry Adams is isolated. I hope Thomas Murphy is either free or will be released. Now is not a time for the remaining peacemakers to be incarcerated.

Below is a short post I wrote when Martin McGuinness retired I meant it then and now. 

The people of Derry/LondonDerry have lost someone who loved them most. 

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Martin McGuinness Has retired. He will not stand in the forthcoming Stormont election. He will no longer lead Sinn Fein in the north of Ireland. Whatever people think of Martin McGuinness I for example am not a supporter his leadership in Stormont has been helpful, discreet and as far as I know more bipartisan than DUP and Unionists.

Make no mistake Martin McGuinness, Gerry Adams and to his often unacknowledged credit Tom Murphy took considerable risks to bring peace to the north, and in spite of some dissidents that peace has held. John Hume is greatly respected for his part in the peace process McGuinness, Adams and Murphy not so much, but those three brought the IRA with them and no one else could have done that.

Have the three big names changed? I doubt it they are as republican now as they have always been but they learned and then taught others to represent it better they paved the way for a successful all Ireland Sinn Fein. 

I should say I remember a much younger McGuinness, bright, cold, stubborn and sharp but never defensive he was not and is not ashamed of his past or the past of the IRA and that too applies to Gerry Adams and Tom Murphy.  

I like so many absolutely hate the violence of their past, the intimidation of local people, the punishment beatings and the eviction of people from their homes and families but all of us have to come to terms with what was and if we want peace accept the willingness of others to be peaceful. 

I can't think of anyone else who could have reached out to and been on friendly terms with Ian Paisley. 

I wish Martin McGuinness a long, happy and healthy retirement. Now is not the time to discuss successors.

Blame Game?

No, not a game at least not to me I was and still am one against the rest I just didn't know the 'rest' was more than one and then more than six or seven. I didn't know some of 'them' were so local and I didn't know ordinary people could be cruel, so don't try the blame game on me.

I blame all of you in much the same way and for much the same reason so many of you blame yourselves. Except I'm the one who was wounded and naturally wounds heal and equally naturally some wounds are too deep, too damaging to heal. Look upon illegal filming as an inoperable wound and I blame you because you stalked me, you made an illegal film and you shared the film.

I don't know what gave any of you the idea you could do such terrible things with impunity, but I look at the ever increasing news about bloggers and web sites and I see a glimmer of a reason. Some bloggers and websites appear to have convinced themselves they are above the law, that in some mysterious way real life and consequences don't apply to them.

A couple of rich and famous people have proven the stupidity of that lie but those who hide behind others apparently still think they are protected. Really? One, six or seven, a hundred, two thousand and a famous blogging company and you think you are safe?

Their hypocrisy and deceit may not come from the top of the journalistic tree it hangs from its branches, and drips off the finger nails of teachers who only ever wanted to be writers, it glistens like spittle on the lips of those who want and need to believe but who can't believe unless they dress up like children and play.

Hurting people is not a game invading the privacy of anyone let alone the most ordinary of people is not a joke.

Did I mention more has been deleted overnight. Nothing to fear?

The Drifting Triumph of Dread

The drift is slow, quiet, not unpleasant, soft like a cloud, swift like a dream.

What to hold onto, what to care about?

Those who care about you, of course,

Those who don't, of course,

One is made of memories the other of nightmares

They are not important to long, slow days adrift.

Memories are wonderful long gone days full of laughter, love and work.

Nightmares are of a time since they have no end only dull accustom.

Fear there is, fresh and growing

Fear of falling and not rising,

Fear of sleeping and not waking.

Fear of animals bewildered, afraid, crying.

Fear can't go it can only grow until one day it is real

The Drifting Triumph of Dread