#ASwiftKickForFreedom

I think like most people, we’ve culled the long list of FaceBook “friends” so that our opinions are reflected back to us.  Yes, right now there’s squabbling between Bernie Dems and Hillary Dems in my feed, but I think we all agree that, my FaceBook peeps are going to vote for whichever one gets the head nod.  I HOPE that’s the case. (How's all that hopey-changey stuff working out for ya?  Pretty good actually.  Thanks for asking.)

But, following this lead up to the nominations, I’ve come to some realizations.  I’m getting softer on people who I recently believed I detested.  But, there are a number of staunch Republicans who, if I met them on the street or in a bar, I’d actually want to speak with; people who I believe are intelligent and could carry out a conversation with, and then agree to disagree as we parted ways.  No anger, just difference of opinion.  

Firstly, I never hated John McCain.  I feel that I have too much respect for the POW and how seemingly kind and moderate he is.  Yes, when he ran he towed the party line, offered up the second most important job in the world to someone with the mental capacity of a cockatoo (a mistake I know he still feels to this day; I'm so sorry cockatoos), and, generally, came off as far more conservative than his voting record demonstrated.  I guess he needed to be far more to the right in order to lock up the base vote.  I think it ruined him to most of us Dems, but, I know I’d be happy to have a drink with the man.

More recently than that, I’ve come to similar conclusions about both Paul Ryan and John Boehner.  I don’t like them nearly as much as McCain, but I feel that Ryan’s softer tone as the current Speaker of the House, and Boehner’s willingness to be silly with the President speaks volumes.  I will never agree with either of them, but I recognize their ability as humans with grossly different opinions than my own.  They can rationalize away things like climate change and marriage equality.  They’re flat out wrong, but we can talk about why over drinks, find common ground over the NFL or the weather, and part ways.  Call it a professional courtesy as a citizen whose life they tried, but weren't able, to make considerably more difficult.

I don’t have the same luke-warm feels for Cruz and Trump.  First, I believe that Cruz will eventually wind up in an insane asylum somewhere.  His ideas aren’t just wrong for the US, they’re wrong for modern human society.  If Cruz was to somehow survive the Trump onslaught, I feel that evolution, human evolution, would have started to regress.  One man/one woman marriages would be determined by who could club who over the head first.  Knuckles would be all draggy and everyone would need a gun.

Trump and his cronies, like the #governot, I just want to give a swift kick in the balls.  Based on either of their campaigns to date, “conversation” is made when you’ve become the loudest in the room.  At that point, your opponent isn’t listening anyway, so, to interrupt, you may need to resort to a shot to the nads.  Seriously, imagine #makedonalddrumpfagain screaming about Mexicans or “Obamacare” or anything related to feminism.  He’s not having a conversation.  He’s not listening.  And, I have severe doubts that he’s looking at you.  The man is on a mission to be right.  So, to get your point across, dude needs to feel the pain.  I know there are serious ramifications to assaulting a presidential candidate with a full Secret Service detail, but, in my hypothetical world, where he and I meet at a bar to have a political conversation, there’s probably only one way to get a word in edgewise: a knee to the proverbial “knuts.” 

Again, I'm preaching to the choir.  I get it that you get it.  And, with that, I'm not truly advocating harm to the man.  But, in the right context, in the right situation, I think it may be the only play left in the play-book.  If you're there and can, consider delivering our message to the man.  However, if reality has been echoed in this portrait, it may not do the damage intended.  If anything, maybe it'll stop him from breeding additional supporters and campaign workers.  Here's to hoping that it won't be necessary. 

#6MonthsTillJudgementDay 

#ASwiftKickForFreedom