Are Trump's Supporters Being Had?

I am not the conspiracy type but something seems to be rotten in the State of Denmark when it comes to the way the Trump Campaign is unfolding now that he is guaranteed to win his Party's Nomination.  

Simply stated, his Campaign has gone from confrontation to One Big Love-in.

Most of his previous opponents now profess to like him and many have actually made it known that they would like nothing better than to be part of his Presidential Team assuming he can beat dear Hillary. 

Remember if you will the slings and arrows Donald Trump cast at them all while they were still active candidates.  He was quite nasty; and now, it's let bygones be bygones?

Not only that, but the Republican Establishment now too appears to be coming onside.  These are the same guys and gals The Trumper vowed to axe should he attain office. And it seems like only yesterday when they vowed to support anyone buy Trump and said some very rude things in so doing.  

Oh Yeah - it was but 'yesterday'.

Even Senator John McCain, whom Trump called a coward for being taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese, is now on record as saying that he too will support the Donald in November's Election.  

It begs the question as to what is going on here.

So let's take a step back for a second or two.

The general consensus is that Trump has done well because voters believe they have been taken for granted by their political masters. Politicians say one thing at election time and then once in office, do the exact opposite. 

So now after watching their guy cut and thrust his way to the Nomination, they see him saddle up to the 'enemy' and make lovey- dovey.

Do they see this to be the tactics of a traditional politician?

Frankly, dear Reader, I do not know - I am not American - nor am I a staunch supporter of his.  But it does cause me to reflect.

In the end, would it not be rich to see Trump fall into line like all those politicians before him.

He'll have some very disappointed supporters but probably ones that will not be all that surprised since that is all they have ever known.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

TARAXACUM ...aka...

THE  DANDELION.

I like these little critters - their pretty yellow tops gently blowing in the wind on a background of green grass - assuming the grass is visible.

My Wife Anne though hates them - as do apparently all of our neighbours and as likely most of you.

In fact, the whole neighbourhood is at war with these harmless yet valuable flowers ...okay weeds if you must.

And speaking of valuable, did you know that in China the Dandelion is used in some of their medicines.

Not only that, all parts of the Dandelion are edible and even can be used in the making of wine.

Bet your tulips can't compete with that.

Not surprisingly then, up until the 1800s, people would actually pull grass out of their lawns to make room for their dandelions.

That of course was then and this is now when everyone seems to be trying all manner of things to rid their yards of these cuties...including our neighbours and of course Anne. 

And now even me, with some gentle(?) shoves from my wife.

And in this ongoing . should I say near hopeless fight, Home Owners are paying $Billions of Dollars a year to rid their lawns of this most resilient flora:

• to lawn treatment companies*; and to,
• ubiquitous lawn treatments available at all local home stores and nurseries.**

*note: last year we hired a lawn maintenance company which promised all manner of things including its ability to deal effectively with the dreaded Lion.  Half way into the season, with no improvement showing, I asked their onsite weeder why the dandelions look healthier than ever - he replied "because we have nothing to kill them with - would hurt the environment ...don't you know."   

**note: this year I attended at a local well respected nursery and asked what if anything they had that would kill off the demon yellow. Their olde time employee just looked sympathetically into my eyes and said "zip...all you can do is dig each and everyone of them up being sure to include the plant's 2 foot root". 

In addition to that, when you check the Internet you will find a number of home remedies which may or may not work for I have not tried them.  They just seem to be so bizarre.

Two for instance- spray them with concentrated vinegar or with a concentrated salt solution.  I just don't see either of those working nor would I be sure how to properly apply them in any case.  If you on the other hand have had first hand experience in either of these home remedies or another other for that matter ... that have worked, please let me know and I will give it a try.

In the meantime, I along with my dedicated and most determined neighbours, are on our knees pulling them out - one dandelion at a time - with hopefully root attached*. 

*I'll let you in on a little secret though - you seldom if ever get much of the root and certainly never 2 feet worth. 

Hopefully what goes around comes around and one day soon we will once again follow the wisdom of our ancestors of the 1800s and let the Dandelion Flourish, ...As It Should. 

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

THEY SHOOT HORSES...DON'T THEY?

TITLE FROM THE MOVIE WITH THE SAME NAME.

And yes they do shoot horses as well as taking them to abattoirs to be cut-up for food.

A lucky few are rescued by good Samaritans.

'I take it Galagher that this is leading somewhere?'

Naturally.

I am speaking about the decline in thoroughbred and standardbred horse racing.

Not that long ago, gambling was outlawed in most parts of North America and outside of Las Vegas the notable exception was the placing of $2 bets on the ponies.

Racing thrived along with the breeding of race horses.

In more recent times though, gambling has become a legal activity with governments giddily climbing on-board to take their considerable share right off the top.

Casinos and Lotteries have proliferated which have had two negative affects on horse racing.  First, these new activities have brought in much more cash for cash starved governments, and Second, with the new competition - fewer and fewer patrons are attending the tracks.

And with that, fewer and fewer horses are needed to supply the declining demand.

Known as the Sport of Kings, Horse Racing had become a victim of the times.

But should it have been?

I personally believe gambling is a societal evil since it hurts those who are least able to afford the loss - that is to say the poor and low income workers.

I am especially appalled that our governments have delved into this social vice right up to their collective armpits.

Simply stated, Gambling is one of the greatest addictions there is.

I remember a woman who I worked with tell me about her friend who went daily to a nearby casino - she did not work and her husband made barely minimum wage.  They had two young children.  She had maxed out their family charge card to the tune of $25,000. 

There was no way in HxLL that this poor family would be able to pay off such a sum.

There is though something majestic about horse races.  Certainly they are part of our tradition as evidenced by this past Saturday's running of the Kentucky Derby.

If governments had been less greedy they could have easily incorporated horse racing into the new mix.  For instance, having Casinos co-located with Race Tracks with an equitable revenue sharing. 

So what if receipts are not maximized;  our love affair with horses would be maintained as opposed to seeing these beautiful animals chopped up for dog food.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

A POT FOR ALL OF US .....

TO PEE IN.

As In Unisex Toilets.

Still think the World, as We Once Knew It, Is Not Going To Hell In Hand-basket, if so what do you think about the latest progressive trend to throw Toilets open to Men, Women or Whomever wishes to take a load off in the presence of each other?

This Progressive nonsense is being done to accommodate those who no longer identify with their birth sex.

So to accommodate a small few, we all are subjected to this Politically Correct Madness.

And surprisingly - most of the Progressives speaking out in favour of this stupidity are women.

You would think that this would not be the case since it is women who are most vulnerable to this wacko thinking.

So let's focus on the ladies.

Are women really going to be comfortable using multi-sex potties?

And what about your young children entering such facilities?

What will the Progressive Ladies say when sexual attacks occur as they surely will?

And what's next on the Progressive list - common showers?


And I won't even get into the body noises and smells men make when doing their business.  But you get the drift.

Ladies I truly do not see this working but if you Progressives insist, I am game.  

One of  the leaders in this misadventure are our places of higher learning - our colleges and universities places where we here that rape culture is rampant and when young women students fear unlit pathways and the lace of sufficient strategically placed panic buttons.

But now perverts need not lurk in dark ally-ways since they now can cruise the Cans in the early mornings and late at night.

Progress ... Progressives?

Not.

On a lighter note though - dear women your age old complaint about males and toilets is their failure to put the toilet seat down after use.  Get used to it big time.

And men - our ability to quickly enter the Loo will degenerate into the long line-ups woman have had to put up with ages.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

For Those Of You Who Believe In A Higher Power.

This Note Is For Those Of You Who Believe In God.

It is not intended to diminish in anyway those of you who don't but today's message is not for you.

For Those Of You Who Believe...Including Myself.

I have written several times about how the Western World is transforming into Secularism despite the fact that Religion has been the foundation upon which our Democracies have been built.

Today we find ourselves under attack here in our home countries; where we are ridiculed and dismissed as irrelevant...politically non-correct.

We can live with that but throughout many parts of the world those who believe in a Higher Power are being slaughtered for their belief as the world stands mute in the face of this religious genocide.

Unlike our detractors though we can take comfort in the fact that there is a better place awaiting us after death.

To reinforce this with you, I give you the Holy Gospel according to Saint John - 15:18-21 -

Jesus said to his disciples: If the world hates you, realize it hated me first.  

If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.

Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No slave is greater that his master',  If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.

That does not mean that those who believe in God should roll over and accept their fate willingly.  Rather it provides the reason why things are going south in a ever growing secular world.

Indeed, it has always been, and continues to be our job to set an example for those who do not believe - in the hope that they too will realize the true value of life here on earth is to prepare for life ever lasting ...before it is too late for them. 

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

CAN DONALD TRUMP CLINTON ?

OR IS HE OUT OF TRUMP?

I have laid off the Trump saga for some time - as promised, but the time has come to once again spill some ink on this very fascinating topic.

Why so, you may rightfully ask.

Because dear Mr. Trump and Ms. Hillary have now both wrapped up their respective leadership campaigns. 

This despite the apparent fact that Donald's main contender, Ted Cruz, still believes he can cut Trump off at this summer's Republican Convention.

He can't.

And he can't primarily because if Cruz were to be successful it would be thanks to the shenanigans of the Republican Hierarchy, and the Grand Olde Party would simply blow-up.

And an exploding Elephant is not a pretty sight.

No one would be stupid enough to set that in motion.

So Trump has got it as does Hillary and her nemesis too - Bernie Sanders, will hang on in the hope that Hillary's future is as a resident of the Big House and not the White House. And I would put the chances of that occurring at even money.

Simply stated the dear lady broke the law when, as Sec State, she installed her internet server in her laundry room. 

But for argument sake, say Hillary is protected by her cronies in high places and she skates on being charged for gross negligence - what is the likely outcome of a Trump / Clinton match-up?

Why a Clinton victory of course...let me count the ways:

• Blacks won't vote for him;
• Hispanics won't either;
• Neither will immigrants generally;
• Muslims fear him;
• Youth ridicule him;
• Women don't like him; and the 
• Educated believe him to be a dunce.

So that leaves only lower class white males in the Trump camp.

And Trump has the highest negative popularity of any main candidate for the White House in history - some 67%.  That is not to say that Hillary's is much better at 55 % but it is better and of course she has all of the above voting blocks on-side.

So it is Hillary Clinton in a walk as the Pundits are quick to point out.  The same pundits who predicted 6 months ago that Trump would be dead in the water within days or at the most, weeks of his announcing his candidacy late last year.

Or is he?

Trump is beginning to mellow - he really lost me when he crowed that NATO was not pulling its weight and the US should pull out of it.

In my Blogs I have always said that NATO is needed now more than ever - bearing in mind the state of the world and the fact that there are only 20 full fledged Democracies in the World.

I have also said that NATO members need to start paying their fair share and it can no longer expect the US to pay the lion share of the Organization's expenses.  NATO expects member countries to expend 2% of their GDP on Defence.  Only 4 countries do so - which includes the US and the 3 others do not even come close to America's 3.6% expenditure.

And now Trump is starting to focus - finally realizing the value of NATO and putting his finger on the real issue - the lack of commitment of most of NATO's Membership.

About time but at least he has sensibly come around.

If he continues to mellow I might very well change my mind and if I was an American - might just vote for the guy.

He is a voice for the silent majority - against the special interest groups, the elites, the politically correct.

After 8 years of decline where the US enemies no longer fear it and its allies no longer trust it - Trump brings hope that America will regain its superior position in the world.

America's economy has stagnated - manufacturing jobs have been lost in the millions - wages have seen little or no growth all the while the Obama White House worries itself sick about Climate Change and job destroying Obama Care. 

And if that is not enough - the Courts - right up to the Supreme Court are making laws not interpreting them which have the affect of radically changing the Social Fabric of the Unite States.

Trump has the refreshing ability to cut through the BS and tell it like it is.  If someone calls him fat - he counters by calling them stupid.  He always seems to one up them and in that regard I cannot wait to see how he deals with Sleazy Hillary.

The world is a much more dangerous place thanks to Hillary and Obama's reign of ineptitude. 

She takes millions of $ from despots around the world for the Clinton Foundation and expects the unwashed believe this money is given without strings attached. 

She fiddles while the US Ambassador and 3 colleagues in Libya burn.  Then she blames everyone rather than herself for this tragedy save for the Islamic Terrorists who did the dastardly deed.

I could go on and on but believe I have made my point.

Bottom-line is - Hillary should win in a walk but by the same token Trump should not even still be in the race.

So would I count The Donald out - not in a minute.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'

IS PTSD ....

THE NEW LOWER BACK PAIN?

I, for one, am suspicious.  Anybody, whose Anybody seems to be claiming and receiving disability pensions based on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

There is the Military of course - but now Fire Fighters, Police, Para Meds, Nurses and others are getting in on the action.

And don't doubt that there is real money to be had.

The US Military is paying out $3,000 per month tax free for PTSD Sufferers.  And the diagnosis is usually based solely upon the claimant's assertion that he or she suffers from it.

Like yesterday, when the lower back pain scam was so prominent.

But more and more reports suggest that fraud is a big part of the surge in cases.

And boy have they surged.

In 1990, the US Military had but 34,000 PTSD cases.  In 2013 that number had climbed to 650,000 ... or by 20 times.

And by this time of course their big wars were well behind them - WWI, WWII and Vietnam.

I don't for one moment think that all or even the majority of these cases are bogus but it does cause you to reflect on why the numbers have risen so high so fast over the last decade or two.

There can be three reasons for this amazing growth:

a) ptsd is a disease of epidemic proportions; or

b) there is $ to be had and it is very difficult to prove fraud; or

c) we in the West are becoming nations of wimps.

I discount choice a) out of hand, re b) there certainly has to be a large amount of fraud involved, and with c) sadly there is also lots of evidence that more and more of us have become or are becoming Wussies. 

That said, I am not suggesting that we go back to the days during World War One when PTSD Suffers - called Shell Shock then - were simply put up against a wall and shot. 

But it does appear something - albeit much less drastic - should be done to stem the tide.

And now, like I say - others are climbing on board.  All have something in common re these newbies - they are all government employees and have the best salaries, benefits and working conditions to boot.  But another 3 grand - tax free $, no doubt comes in handy.

I remember once a veteran coming to me to say he had just been awarded a pension for something or other - and I said good for you...until - 

He told me he had entered the hearing room with a cane and bent over - but I said to him I did not know you needed a cane - I did know that he walked straight and tall - and he replied he did not but he thought it was guaranteed to get him sympathy from the panel.  

And it looks like it did.

But then there was my father who served in Italy and Holland in tanks - he was the gunner and in post war life he was hard of hearing - surprise.

I told dad why don't you apply for a hearing pension and he responded saying there is nothing wrong with my hearing.  I was shouting at him at the time.

A hearing specialist concluded dad did indeed have hearing loss caused by Loud Noise and since he worked all his civilian life at a desk - it did not seem likely the loud noise damage was caused by his typewriter.

He got his small pension.

So I am in favour of the truly disabled qualifying for legitimate pensions - even for fire fighters, cops and nurses but for heavens sake, let's be more vigilante in weeding out the chaff from the wheat.

At the very least - tax these PTSD Pensions.

As I see it...

'K.D. Galagher'