WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? "JUST POLITICS---- "

A nuclear bomb is a very big deal---nobody in their right mind wants to use it, but seems everybody wants one.  It's the ultimate weapon, and in the wrong hands, could spell total disaster, if not crippling and brutal destruction. Iran is the latest country of concern, and in an effort to thwart their efforts, or at least slow down their progress, Obama is attempting to negotiate a deal---one that will not only affect his presidency and his legacy----but us in a very personal way.  And now the hot, burning question:  If it 's such a big deal,  then why did Obama once again go solo, and not
seek congressional approval?  Because he can.  This president does not play well with others, has decided that congress is an unnecessary obstacle,----he has a pen and a phone, and executive privilege.  Is this okay?

 There were 47 Republican Senators who  thought not.  Furious and horrified at the thought of a nuclear agreement being struck without more information as to sanctions, investigative permission on their uranium production, and without their input, they wrote a letter to the Ayatollah Khomeni in protest, and warned that any deal could be struck down once their guys resume power, it was, well---highly irregular, and a power move which incensed Obama. How dare they challenge his mighty will? Because they can.  And because they felt they had no choice but to stage an intervention. Their job, after all, is to curb excessive power, and to exercise the will of the people.  They had been blocked and locked out---no choice but to use the only power they had remaining---a pen. Touche.  Whether the letter could be perceived as a desperate attempt to stop the president from making nice with a country who harbors and spawns terrorists, has no love for us, or whether it was an act of insubordination and/or treason is sill up for debate, but one thing is certain---it served to slow down the negotiating process,.

But here's the kicker---to date, Obama has now taken the deal to Congress, and lo and behold---they bent his way, pending the right for further study. Oh, thank you so much. The Republicans have once again proved that they are pussy cats, not the rabid dogs, as portrayed in the media---push comes to shove, they cave, every time. And the big deal becomes not so big after all. Bombs away---this deal will no doubt close, and we will move ever closer to nuclear hand
holding with the Iranians. Kumbaya---

And then we have the other big deal that is Hillary's to bear---and our minds to boggle--- how can she continue to run for president?---because she can!  And because nobody on the Dem side seem to really care about her many transgressions,  the latest of which is her stunning illegal use of classified emails, and the Benghazi tragedy on her watch---it's simply the way she rolls.  After all, she looks perfectly acceptable, even harmlessly matronly, and at the same time, stately, capable and ambitious---how could she possibly do anything unethical or illegal?  And besides, she's a woman and married to ex-President Bill Clinton, who still holds unbelievable sway over his party and the world in general, despite his uh, quirky ways in the Oval room---and other suspicious activities involving women. No big deal---just Bill being Bill.  He's so likable, right?

Well, yes, there is this one other pesky issue that has come to light lately---the now infamous Clinton Foundation, which purportedly was set up to help poverty stricken countries, like Haiti, has recently been discovered to have been accepting boat loads of money from sources considered not friendly allies to the United States---and keeping lots of it for personal gain. Not a big deal? Only if it results in favors returned which could be called bribery or conflicts of interest. Seems one of those deals resulted in Russia now owning 30% of our uranium supplies---and Hillary, Secretary of State signed off on it---and even if she hadn't, the impropriety she has visited upon herself is dangerously stupid
or devious.  As deals go, this one's big. National security is huge. That's why those who serve in high offices are asked to sign an oath not to engage in conflicts of interest. Hillary signed---talk is cheap.  Lying is easy, and getting away with it is a crime.  President Hillary?  Don't bet against it--power and money can get you there---and the fast train is called "income redistribution", or "I'm fighting for the middle class", or "You didn't build that", and let's not forget relaxed immigration legislation, which results in increased Democrat voters, but sounds so magnanimous.  Will the Republicans have something better to offer?  Only if they can convince the electorate that money doesn't grow on on trees---and that the way forward is a right turn. That's a tough sell---this country has changed, and we are no longer your father's America.  Memo to Republican presidential candidates---lose the heavy hammer on social issues, and instead, hit it big on national security, illegal immigration,  questionable foreign trade deals, still high unemployment,  and the weak economy---that's where it's at for most of us.  Leave sex, marriage, and abortion out of it this time---the people will decide on their own, with or without the politicians.

Getting closer to home, we had anti-police riots in the streets of Baltimore---the issue at first glance seemed cut and dried---a black man was terribly injured while in the custody of
the police.  But now there is evidence that he was injured long before his arrest---the case will be
studied and justice may or not be served. But the black community has come to a verdict, regardless  of evidence.  It's a very big deal to them---payback time for years of injustices served to them by the police. One feels their pain, but burning their own house down with riots and looting, will only inflame and encourage prejudice. The only sustainable way out is through their own windows and doors---the ones called self respect, work, responsible families,  education----and a refusal to be defined by their past.  Racist words? Only if you spin it that way. True racism is based on hatred and prejudice, and yes, unfortunately, it is alive and well--- it is ugly, our eternal national disgrace, and must not be tolerated---but  it won't be stamped out by encouraging violence , excusing bad behavior, all as a cure or compensation for racism.

And finally, perhaps ultimately,  we have terrorism led largely by ISIS, who have now taken over huge swaths of Iraq, including Ramadi, which is very close to Iran.  Their ruthless march on the middle east is alarming, and threatens world peace as never before.  The consequences could be catastrophic for world order---do we care enough to fight back? Obama has just announced that he has no "complete strategy" to manage the ISIS invasion---seriously? Does he really expect us to
believe that the Pentagon,  to whom he has passed the buck, has no complete strategy? No, again
Obama is stalling. Why? Because he can, and because he electorally promised to get out of Iraq, not stay in for the long haul.

We are being shaped and our futures decided daily by events unfolding at record breaking speed, including a foreign trade deal, the Trans Pacific Partnership treaty, that if passed will affect untold numbers of American workers. The public has been told little, but if ever there was a time to pay attention, this is it. "Just Politics" doesn't cut it anymore as an excuse to check out---unless you just don't get it. This is us, and our children's future. The next many months will lead up to the next presidential election.  It will be grueling, boring, and brutal at times---because we have reached perhaps the biggest deal of all---a turning point.  What kind of America do we want? A European throwback, or a return to more conservative/constitutional values?  Bigger government or smaller? Welfare or Capitalistic state?  Fight or bow to our enemies abroad---and among us?  Police or anarchy? A democracy or tyranny?


If you are reading this, mull, research, and consider, then speak your mind, write your representatives, and the next time someone says "It's just politics", try this on--- there's no "just" in politics, because today everything is political. It's how you live, work,  love, speak, travel, the very air you breathe. Engage! Because this is possibly the period that historians will someday mark as the time America either cared, or caved---thrived, or died.  A very big deal.





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