Thoughts on the 2016 post election

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puzzledtoo

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I don’t do facebook nor do I tweet. Therefore this is my way of sharing online how I feel during this post election period in the u.s. Not sure if this thread will belong here or maybe be moved.
There are two quotes I’d like to share that I believe pertain to the radicalized protestors and rioters among the Clinton followers and to the radicalized of the Trump followers. I don’t need to or don’t feel the need to explain what has been happening the past couple of days as it has been all over the news and social media I’m told.
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 "People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." 
                                          Soren Kierkegaard

 "Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile."
                                          Mark 7:15


 There is always talk of coming together, working together, but we are a nation, a society of radicals. For us there is no middle path. It is us versus them, we and they. We will never come together other than in minute trivial matters, not the issues that we really care about because we have all been radicalized in one way or another to believe the other is evil. Fortunately we haven't begun beheading people yet.
 
I think you are right. And this “us v them” thinking is death to any healthy spirituality. If we cannot try to see through the eyes of others, to walk in their shoes, to empathize we will only further deepen our own personal fragmentation. Jesus talked of dying to self not idolizing the self at the expense of all others.
 
Fortunately if we look in the mirror, “…see through the eyes of others…” we can see the other as us or see the Christ in each other. Unfortunately few are willing to do this and of those that try fewer actually succeed. I believe this is probably due to the idolizing of self
you wrote about. We are so self absorbed with our ego and how we fit into the culture we have no energy left for patience, compassion, love. There is only anxiety, fear, and anger as long as we continue to idolize the self. The first step I suppose is admitting we(I) have a problem or am the problem-then we(I) can move forward.
 
Actually, the rioters over the last couple of days and statements by radical rightest do not reflect the ideas and attitudes of the average American. Most people are just plain happy the elections are over so they can get back to the business of earning a living, supporting their families, and getting on with their lives. All the rhetoric is just that–a lot of words on both sides that were fueled by the media and blown way out of proportion. The proof of this is the hot language of the protestors who seem to think that words alone make policy and that everything bad said about a candidate is true merely because they heard it in a political ad or read it online. They’ll find out soon enough that life goes on, and most of what people think will happen won’t and most of what they fear is nothing more than hype intended to whip people into voting for their candidate. In a few days it’ll be history and in a few months we’ll have all but forgotten about it.
 
I agree with Della.
Our local conservative radio host had a good take on the whole situation. He said Trump is smart enough to surround himself with good people, he will rise to the “mantle of the presidency,” and we will realize we have to get along and work together. It was very positive.

Americans are capable of working together when we need to. If Clinton had won, conservatives would be getting on with work as usual. Her supporters need to do the same, and I’m sure they will. It’s only a minority of frustrated people who are making noise in the streets.
She is not a person of integrity, and I’m sure we can find another woman to run for president some day that we can all get behind.

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I agree with what both Della and Viki63 have posted regarding things getting back to normal soon etc… My thoughts were more along the lines of using freedom of speech as an excuse to either bully people online or use it as an excuse to burn garbage and cars in the streets, and vandalize businesses. All of these folks are acting like criminals either because their candidate is now president-elect or not president-elect. They are not using their freedom of thought. They are speaking and acting without thinking clearly. Many of them are protesting or posting things online and are not violent nor bullying. It is the childish malcontents from both sides I’m referring to. The ones that have been radicalized by the far right rhetoric and the far left rhetoric.
 
“Normal” in this country is gridlock but since we have made a deal with the devil (POTUS) and perhaps some alignment in house and senate something will get done. But we have shown that we are willing to accept the ends justifying the means…
 
Michael_Mayo said:
“Normal” in this country is gridlock but since we have made a deal with the devil (POTUS) and perhaps some alignment in house and senate something will get done. But we have shown that we are willing to accept the ends justifying the means…
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After every presidential election the losing side always accuses the winning side of these things. We have to remember that fallible human beings run for political office, not Jesus or Mary. And only people with drive and ambition run at all. We aren’t electing saints for president, and many of them, on both sides of the aisle, have made deals with the devil. That’s politics in a fallen world. We can’t change that, but we can be salt and light for the world no matter who occupies the WH or has the majority in congress. I think that’s what we should be thinking about and acting on instead of castigating anyone for how s/he will/would run the country.
 
God will have His way, and He loves His creation, all of His creation. He will take what is regarded as something, and make it nothing, and what is regarded as nothing, and make it something, so that when it happens we will know it’s the work of God. and not the work of man.
Can man make America great again, and what is regarded as great? Can man make America whole again, and what is it to be whole? Man proposes, and God disposes, there is only one Savior of mankind in every regard. The Blessed Mother’s Magnificat holds true in every generation, they are prophetical, it is enlightening to contemplate them.
 
On one of the talky nets, people were offering to be protesters at $15 an hour. That is nothing to a wealthy dissatisfied person.
 
On KVI, our conservative radio station, they noted that only 8% of people in Seattle voted for Trump, yet hundreds of people took to the streets in protest to his election. They had quite a laugh over wondering who they were protesting to, since everyone around them agreed with their protests.
Some neighborhoods went 100% for Clinton. Hard to understand. It’s pretty much of a bubble.

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Michael_Mayo said:
Why do you suppose they are inspired by a Trump presidency?
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Because they’re clueless as to reality? That’d be my guess. Most of America voted for Trump, me included. You want to lump us all together because of a few radicals like this? Most Americans are not stewing over such actions from either the left or right. As if the rioters against Trump who have destroyed property, blocked roads, and beaten people aren’t just as bad/just as ridiculous if not worse. :rolleyes:
 
Did most voters vote for Trump. I’ve read and heard that Clinton got more of the “popular” vote., meaning more in actual numbers. Am I mistaken in this? Did more Americans vote than not or did more Americans not vote than did?
 
puzzledtoo said:
Did most voters vote for Trump. I’ve read and heard that Clinton got more of the “popular” vote., meaning more in actual numbers. Am I mistaken in this? Did more Americans vote than not or did more Americans not vote than did?
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As I understand it, the popular vote depends on which state you wish to tally. In some he won the popular vote and in others HIllary did. In any case, the Electoral College vote sums it up for the whole country.

Most Americans don’t vote, sadly. It’s ironic that majority of the protesters didn’t vote or didn’t vote in the state in which they are protesting. As I see it, if one doesn’t vote one doesn’t have the moral right to object to the results. 😉
 
Yes the electoral college is the final say. In my view if someone pays taxes they have the right to complain whether they vote in the elections or not. There are different ways to vote (in a sense) and after all as Trump has said over and over the system is rigged and if it is a corrupt system it is we who vote in the elections that are throwing away our votes not those who don’t vote. Having said this we still do have the best system worldwide in my view-corrupt or not.
 
puzzledtoo said:
Yes the electoral college is the final say. In my view if someone pays taxes they have the right to complain whether they vote in the elections or not. There are different ways to vote (in a sense) and after all as Trump has said over and over the system is rigged and if it is a corrupt system it is we who vote in the elections that are throwing away our votes not those who don’t vote. Having said this we still do have the best system worldwide in my view-corrupt or not.
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Well, paying taxes is a duty not a right, so I still think anyone who doesn’t vote shouldn’t be up in arms over the decision made by the voters. And no doubt there is some corruption and some elections are rigged, but over all, as you say, the system works better than any other devised by man to govern other men. 🙂
 
Della said:
Because they’re clueless as to reality? That’d be my guess. Most of America voted for Trump, me included. You want to lump us all together because of a few radicals like this? Most Americans are not stewing over such actions from either the left or right. As if the rioters against Trump who have destroyed property, blocked roads, and beaten people aren’t just as bad/just as ridiculous if not worse. :rolleyes:
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They see him as their champion. You do not? The rioters are not relevant though also disturbing.
 
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