Turning it all off: Election 2016

Yesterday morning after I got up I made the decision to stop participating in the national argument regarding the Presidential election. 

I have had enough.

When the leadership of the free world is contingent on someone talking dirty over a decade ago this country is fully deservant of what they get one the dust settles on November 9th.  If the decision actually gets made the night before, that is.

To say it's a train wreck is a way too kind understatement.  It's a rare thing when a situation that we the people supposedly have control of is something we dread but that is exactly what is going on.  Neither of the choices are palatable or redeemable in any sense of the word, and the third choice is an idiot.  Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Gary Johnson are those choices and none of them, to this voter, have sufficiently captured my imagination to the point that my sacred vote is theirs with a little less than a month to go.

Yes, I'm on record in this volume and other social media platforms as being someone who would place a third party vote but I'm sorry, you need to know the name of a besieged city in Syria because like it or not, whoever moves into the 1600 gets that problem and a spate of others after the parades and the parties are over in January.

Bit that's then and this is now, and what I've described as a "game night decision" is rapidly becoming a conundrum. I still plan on voting with a regretful attitude that involves holding my nose, closing my eyes and marking my ballot.  Afterward I will utter a nondescript prayer and as a nod to my Catholic christening,  cross myself and utter a hail Mary.  I might even purchase incense and come home to meditate.

Whoever wins on election day is going to place demand on the entire country's inner peace to accept what we've done and speaking personally, I am gonna cover every base.

I'm not a particularly religious person, but God help us when this is all said and done.

Here's a shocker: Rich people like to keep their money!!!

No, really...they do and here's another one...

I hope you're sitting down because it's a doozy.

You ready?

They also want to make more money!!!

Why am I going political all of a sudden?

Mainly to get a blog in for October, (the next one is going to be a real bummer), but once again the election rhetoric has raised the stupidity level to a disturbing level.

Yes, it was already there but records are meant to be broken.

But seriously folks...

Apparently the Clinton campaign wants you to be shocked and outraged that her opponent, Donald Trump, hasn't paid taxes in 20 years because he reported a $900 million and change loss in 1995.

Credit has to go to Hillary for relying on the fact that Joe Lunchpail and Jane Cashier knows beans about tax code, and that they also know that tax code was written by rich people to favor...you guessed it: RICH PEOPLE.

Oh and one other thing too: in trying to keep most of their money, rich people hire individuals for the specific purpose of exploiting the tax code in order for their employers to keep most of their money.

So do the Clintons,  but they don't want you to see that man behind the curtain.

I'm Rich Lohman and I approve this message.

Giving it all up: Election 2016.

A lot of what you are about to read you have read before. 

This time though, I mean it. 

The political process has managed to chew me up and spit me out.

All it took was 48 hours and a speech.

On Monday night Donald Trump's wife Melania spoke at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.  I did not see it, but it turned out that I didn't have to.  Social Media managed to tell me everything I needed to know about it, and like always I didn't ask.

Apparently her speech sounded like the current first ladies speech from 2008. The media made sure it was splashed all over every conceivable platform to cause the country to engage in the feeding frenzy.  Early morning news,  midday and evening news ran it.  Some playing the two speeches side-by-side in order to justify whatever needed to be justified, and of course expert analysis to tell you what was said even though you heard it less than five seconds prior.

It was NONSENSE, my friends.

Petty, juvenile, sophomoric nonsense. If you know your Constitution you know that the first lady has no title of responsibility in the government.  Indeed,  at the time of its drafting all the First Lady had to do was be the President's wife and make babies.

Sure that's sexist but if you can argue that the 18th Century woman was liberated I'm all ears. 

But I'm not here to talk about that.  I'm here to discuss why I have given up on the political process this election cycle and it has little to do with plagiarism and either party.  It has to do with the murder of a police officer.

While this country was in the grand media pivoted plagiarism circle jerk,  Captain Robert Melton of the Kansas City, Kansas was shot and killed in the line of duty.  He joined the five officers murdered in Dallas and three others in Baton Rouge two days before. 

How much play did Captain Melton's murder get?   Barely 15 seconds across the platforms.  They said that he had been shot,  taken to the hospital and later died. Oh, and that an investigation was ongoing.

That's it.

Now you could say to me, "Rich,  you're biased because it is law enforcement and you are supporter...", and you would be 110% correct.   You might also say to me that Melton "swore an oath, knew the risks and giving his life was part of the job", and you would be correct there too.

That's not my point.

My point is that this country is BROKEN.  Broken to the point that the death of police officers, sheriff's deputies, state troopers and other officers of the law is not something important enough compared to a speech given by what might be a First Lady who has no real function in our country's government.

It disgusted me to the point that this election will have to move forward without my vote. 

I've heard it all before: "If you don't vote you can't criticize...", a bullshit statement because it's a free country and I can say what I want.  I have all the authority as someone who voted and there is no one who can tell me any different.

Another is "If you don't vote, that's a vote that could have gone to X or Y!!!".

I have two answers for that beyond not caring. 

First, I live in Oklahoma.  My state has already voted for Trump. Anyone with a brain can make that prediction without a vote cast. 

Secondly... and this goes along with the first point... By my not voting my vote goes to both candidates and since the popular vote doesn't elect the President, it doesn't matter.

There is one thing that might be a caveat: One of the candidates fronts a comprehensive plan to strengthen law enforcement.  Don't just give it lip service.  Give law enforcement the right to FIGHT BACK without having to worry about how the department or agency they work for is going to be investigated based on race, or any other factor designed to weaken them.

I'm not optimistic that it is going to happen, but until one comes forward I plan on cracking a cold one and watching the world burn in November.

May the odds be ever in your favor,  America.

That was plagiarized. 

Open letter to the 2016 Presidential Candidates. ..

To the Candidates:

I'm not happy.

You read that right.  Not happy.

All of you represent the worst lineup of potential presidential hopefuls that I have ever seen.  Yet one of you has to win in November and be our representative on the world stage for the next 4-8 years.

So I have to choose from a woman with a shady past and questionable morals, a rich man with a loud mouth and no political experience and option three, from a party who hasn't pulled better than 1% of the vote in any election. Ever.

So congratulations for riding to the top of the bottom of the barrel. 

In the next few months after two pointless conventions you will try and woo me to vote for you, and promise me a better life if I color in the box next to your name at the polls in November.

Truth be told, you'll forget about me and the rest of this country about 45 seconds after you say "so help me God" and shake Chief Justice Roberts' hand.

Don't lie to me and tell me you won't because at least two of you are trying to choose the guest list at the inaugural balls you'll be attending. 

Mrs. Clinton,  I don't like you.   Being the first female presidential nominee does not impress me and neither do your qualifications.  You are just another rich woman trying to bullshit people into thinking you care about them. 

Mr. Trump, I don't like you either.  I don't care about a wall, I don't care about how you'll "make America great again" and finally your vast wealth doesn't impress me either.

Third party candidates,  this might be your year. 

You aren't off the hook though.

It's time to shelve the wacky ideas and listen to your future employer.

Yes, unlike the sheep who orgasm at your every whim I am taking the bold step of holding you to your words.  Each of you have to convince me that I'm voting for my future.

That means I'm not voting for you because you're a woman, or because you're the loudest voice in the room.

Make your presidency worth my while.

Yes, I said MY while. 

The days of the "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" are over for this voter.  Half a century has passed since John Kennedy said that.  Time for Uncle Sam to pay the check.

If you make history in the trade off,  that's fine but it had better damned well be while you are serving the people who elect you.  I know you are expecting an obedient minion to blindly follow you, but you don't have that in this disgruntled voter.

Now impress me.  Go on...

Election 2016: Just when you thought it couldn't get any DUMBER...

Two months ago, I attended a rally for one of the candidates running for President of the United States, billionaire Donald Trump.

Under the guise of it being an excuse to "spread my journalistic wings" away from the area of sports writing I ventured forth to the Oral Roberts University Mabee Center to stand in the same room with someone who might become the 45th POTUS.  

Yup.  I sure did.

You can read about it in Tulsa Today, in a piece co-written by my publisher and I, and it is a fair stab at political writing but the entire experience rang hollow with me.  Indeed, I was not moved to support Trump but I wasn't compelled to condemn him either.

To be 100% honest, I was there to see the dog and pony flea circus.

I wasn't disappointed. 

As I said earlier, this rally was in January and since then several primaries have taken place.  Unless there is a serious meltdown on the part of Mr. Trump he will be the GOP nominee.  

Seeing that this is abhorrent to many...including the very media machine I hope to be part of one day...there is a major effort to torpedo Trump on the way to the nomination.

Forgive my naivete,  but to me it's a wee bit staggering to imagine that anyone, especially a journalist or a group of journalists would suspend any commitment to truth they may have to undermine a candidate for an elected office.  Of course, I should also keep in mind that the average American is an idiot when it comes to voting and typically they are not consciously choosing someone when they vote...they are being told who to vote for.

For myself, I am not a huge fan of Trump.  I don't like him, but I don't hate him necessarily.   That alone lands you in a unique position, especially in the social media circles. 

Since mob rule is the norm on any social media outlet if you are not moving with "the herd" the predators try and pick you off like cheetahs and antelopes we saw on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.  The mere fact that I am not on the balls to the wall "hate train" attached to Donald Trump, that automatically makes me a supporter.

Just like I was told that I was a "closeted Republican" last time around when I was considering changing parties to Libertarian,  which was just plain stupid.  Now it is true that I don't like the presumed nominee (Hillary Clinton) on the Democrat side either and the same effect applies but with a twist.  If you say you don't like her "the herd" not only labels you a supporter of Trump but then adds misogyny and sexist to the mix to apply the obligatory shame and ridicule that comes from that side.

All of this rot makes for a much more entertaining election cycle in 2016 than anyone could have hoped for.  With the exception of the 2000 election  of course.  At the end of the day I am glad that I listened in school when I was told that elections were IMPORTANT and not to be taken lightly.

The problem us...no one else did.