What is a Terrorist? Donald Trump?

I probably got your attention really quickly there, didn't I? And I'm not out to slander or libel the President of the United States. Furthermore, while I disagree with President Trump's politics 95% of the time, he is still the President of the United States. The office alone commands my respect, if not the man holding the office.

This was something that I realized when President Obama was elected to office 10 years ago. The country was indelibly divided by the election and shouts of "Not my President!" rebounded through the internet. As an American, I find that single statement un-American and un-Patriotic. You are definitely entitled to disagree with me, however, my studies of the United States government over the years, ethics and sociology, as well as world historical studies have shown me that the President is still your President, even if you didn't vote for him. As the duly elected and sworn in President, he is the President of the country that you are a citizen of. Therefore, whether you like it or not, in this case I really, really don't, the person in charge is in fact your President.

Convoluted, but I think you get my point. We didn't have to vote for him, don't have to agree with him, but Trump is el Presidente. More's the pity.

In the last decade, I have watched as our nation has become more and more divided over politics. Awful and derogatory things have been bandied about and negative campaigning is the norm. It is incredibly sad that we have stooped so low.

So now to that wonderful post title: What is a Terrorist? Donald Trump? It certainly got your attention. I'm not saying Donald Trump is a Terrorist. I truly am not going to outright say that. But I will lay out some simple facts and then let you decide from there how you feel about it.

Let's start with a definition. (Definitions from dictionary.com) Terrorist is a noun, a.k.a. a person, place or thing, in this case a person. It is defined as a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism. So we have to look at the definition of terrorism, which again is a noun, in this case a thing, intangible as it may be. It is defined as the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes.

So what is the state of our nation? So many are scared. Scared of deportation. Scared of illegal aliens and what their presence means for our jobs, our security, our safety. Scared of what foreign policy means for us within our nation's borders. Scared of what a wall between America and Mexico means, for us, for illegals, for legal immigration, or if it will curb the drug trade from Mexico and through Mexico.

All the while, President Trump continually opens his mouth to say whatever he wants to say in the moment, with no filter, no apology, and no regard for who he hurts or bullies. So what was terrorism again? The use of violence or threats to intimidate, usually for political purposes. President Trump has an agenda, all politicians do, and he consistently reminds us of the threat of other's actions. He routinely reminds us what he believes is the result of doing nothing and tells us that his way is the only way. Millions have jumped on board to his ideology out of fear and anger, without a willingness to see the other perspective.

I has gotten so bad that we are in the midst of yet another government shutdown. How long will this last? And what exactly is it regarding? How can we get them to put differences aside and pass a budget that allocates funds where they are most needed?

There is an article at ThoughtCo.com that gleans facts from the Congressional Research Service and gives a run down of governmental shutdown and information about all 21 shutdowns in U.S. history. Take a read and use the definitions I shared with you and your own perceptions of our President to make up your own mind. Think for yourself. Does our government really have our best interests at heart right now? Or are they too busy keeping us off balance in our fear to see what they are really up to? You decide.

And if you are reading this blog post during the current shutdown, pop over to this article about President George Washington's Farewell Address here: https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=15

Take note of the internal pop-up: It reads: 

Due to the shutdown of the Federal Government, National Archives facilities are closed, websites and social media are not being updated or monitored, and activities are canceled, with some exceptions. Check Archives.gov for details.

How's that for efficiency? Non-essential personnel are let go without pay with no end in sight for as long as the President and Congress refuse to agree. Hmmm. Your disagreement causes people to go without money for food and shelter? If the shutdown goes too long, what will happen to those workers? Or for that matter, what will happen to the people who rely on the government for money due to disability or retirement? Those funds and people are non-essential to the status of national security so they are just out of luck? Think about what our President and our Congress are doing to our nation.

Like I said. You need to use what you know, learn what you don't know, and then think for yourself. Decide for yourself what you believe and what you think should, could, or would happen. Don't just repeat what you hear or read verbatim. We the People are better than that.

MY Body, MY 'Child', MY Choice

My 'friend' Danny, (I put it in quotes and will explain in the next paragraph,) put together a blog recently and sent the link through an email group I'm in. BTW, Danny, I think it's your fault I've started opening my big trap in blogs. Thanks for unleashing me on the world! LOL

Anyway, I put the term friend in quotes above because I haven't as yet met Danny. We live in the same city. We're part of some of the same religious organizations. We both are even on the Yahoo Group and avid readers of the same local GLBT magazine. And still we have not met though we read emails from each other all the time. Funny how that happens.

When I read his August 19 2004 post (from The Fight For Women's Lives), I was overwhelmed. He had forwarded it through one of the pagan lists. I responded with the following:
I want to thank you for forwarding this. I've been trying to find the words to say these exact same things for years, ever since I realized there was more than Christianity, even though the tenements of the faith still speak to me.

From the very moment I realized what sex and childbirth was, I thought I was pro-life. That is what my parents and my church were, so wasn't I the same? (Then again they're also conservative Christian Republicans and would probably have heart attacks if they knew the truth of all the events in my life the past 6 years.) But then I was faced with being a mother myself. And for all my Christian upbringing and for all my respect of life and unborn children's right to live... I thought about abortion. And then spent months hating myself.

4 years later and I still don't know where I stand, even though I have 2 beautiful girls and another child due for an appearance the first weekend of November. When I realized I was pregnant with my second daughter, I once again thought about abortion. And honestly, before my first trimester was over this year, I thought about abortion again because of personal issues in my life and with my former partner. I'm still not sure having this baby is a good thing, but it's too late to change my mind, now isn't it?

But this Patriot Gal says everything so succinctly, and she does have a 'pagan' attitude towards her own Christianity, and in my mind she is a truly spiritual and patriotic person.

Maybe I'm an idiot, but I have become more pro-choice this past year. Growing up I thought that 'pro-choice' meant 'pro-abortion'. Boy was I wrong. I also thought that 'pro-life' was strictly 'anti-abortion'. It's not. Patriot Gal's statements brought that naivete into utter clarity for me. If I was pro-life, that meant I also couldn't be for the death penalty in certain circumstances. Well, I am. Mass murderers, serial killers, serial rapists, and the rest of them... While I believe that death is too good for them (my vengeance streak being a mile long), I also believe that our society, our children, are safer without them in this world.

My ex had a t-shirt that displayed a skeleton head with a turban on it that read, 'Kill 'em all, Let Allah sort 'em out!" I thought the shirt, the sentiment, and him for wearing/believing it were all very bigoted and racist, but it does make a point. When it comes to these criminals, they have to meet their maker someday. Shouldn't we be able to keep our families safe, even if it speeds that up?

While I'm not a fan of Dubya, I'm not a huge fan of Kerry either, so voting this year might be a bit difficult. (Maybe I can get away with the excuse that I'm due to give BIRTH that week. lol) In any event, I still don't like the idea of abortion, though it's only for one reason. I can see the medical reasons for mother and baby. I can see the victim reasons for victims of rape and sexual abuse. But I cannot and will not ever be able to see the reasons behind, "Oh no! I had sex and wasn't being careful and got knocked up! Guess I'll just go get rid of it." I hate that reason. Hey, girlie: If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. Or at least don't get 'caught'! Use some protection and some common sense. (And condoms aren't enough protection, btw. Please see the September 2004 F6 Article posted in Guest Submissions on my Mask of Laughter website for reasons why!) (now defunct website)

So therefore, I'm pro-choice. I've decided to have my children. Even the one who was fathered by that ex of mine. Not everyone would. And I can't fault them for doing what they feel is right in their hearts.

One of the various pictures Danny has posted on his blog portal is of Dubya as Uncle Sam in one of those 'I Want You' posters. The fine print reads: "I Want You... to look the other way... while I take away your power to make decisions about your body. My friends in congress and I won't stop at anti-choice judges. We want to deny you access to birth control. And we'll keep going until we take away a woman's right to choose." This has gone too far!

At the point of reading various places on the web, in various newspapers and magazines, and hearing on the news of the Bush administration's attempts to take away birth control, I became livid. I've never been on a strict regimen of birth control though I have taken it before. After I have my son, I want to start taking it regularly. I'm extremely fertile, and my body needs a rest from having kids every two years. How dare he take that right away from me.

I have plenty of female friends who are on birth control for medical reasons, and not as an anti-pregnancy tool. That is a secondary side effect. These women need the birth control to tone down their menstrual cramps so they can function in every day life. These women need the birth control to regulate their cycles; some were having cycles every other week!

Our bodies are our domain; we do not belong to the government and their desires to have more people to screw over, lie to, brainwash, and control.

Politicians for the most part have gotten out of control. They think they rule us. They forget that we voted them to their positions so that they could work for us. We are not to submit to their will; they are to submit to ours.

If people of the gay community want to get married, adopt and have families, that is their right. They are Americans too.

If women want to prevent pregnancy or end one, that is their right. They are Americans too.

If people want to have a different religion other than Christianity, that is their right. They are Americans too.

This is NOT a Christian Theocracy like Bush wants it to be. Our constitution gives us rights. These rights allow us freedoms that don't exist in other countries. These freedoms are a privilege and they are being slowly stripped away.

Women: It is your body, your choice. You are not property of any man. No boyfriend, fiance, husband, father, brother, uncle, or ugly looking monkey in an oval office can tell you when you can and cannot have children. Fight for your rights to control your own body and your own destiny. We earned that right after years of fighting for it. Let's exercise it. Even if it's a write-in vote for Homer Simpson or Mickey Mouse! We need to let this male dominated government know that they cannot and will not control us.

Besides, if it weren't for a woman, they wouldn't be alive, now would they?