Please Vote, No Matter What

So this website has always been about an educated discussion. PLEASE, educate yourself and then vote on Tuesday if you haven't already.

If, in fact, after studying everything, you truly believe that Donald Trump is who you need to vote for, then do so. But for a variety of reasons, I am fairly certain that it isn't. If you happen to be someone who is inclined already to vote for a Democrat, then feel free to ignore the rest of this article as it is really more directed at conservatives and Republicans who are considering voting for the GOP nominee.

For them, you can start with the letters I published yesterday. In them I outline my issues with Trump's campaign, but it is not exhaustive. In this I hope to raise issues that I ask you to go look into the specifics at your own pace.

First of all, the man simply is a bully. No matter where you look, that is his modus operandi. And while in some ways this might seem simplistic, think it through - while it might feel good to get some anger of your chest, is that really how the President of the United States should act as it leads us in international politics? There is a lot more to this topic, and we will come back to this.

For me, foreign policy is first and foremost of issues, with economic policy second. I believe pretty strongly that if the President and Congress make sure those are secure, the states, courts and individuals can take care of the rest.

And yet, can you see Ronald Reagan ever talking publicly about foreign heads of state the way Trump does? And as frustrated as we might be about President Obama's passivity, this kind of reaction is simply a bridge too far.

Economic policy - this, frankly, is the one that baffles me the most. If he really is the billionaire businessman he claims to be, surely he can rustle up enough economic experts to come up with a coherent plan. And yet his only main point? Renegotiate everything and tariff the rest. Tariffs? Really?

Immigration. I understand the frustration and fear surrounding illegal immigration and refugees from war torn countries, especially ones that have a pattern of terrorism. And yet most Americans recognize that Trump's religion test is patently unAmerican. There are other ways to protect the US without going to such draconian measures.

A lot of people think a Clinton Presidency would threaten the US Supreme Court. It is not entirely unfounded, but it ignores some key points. First, it is the Senate that actually votes on candidates. The President can only nominate, and if Trump hadn't been making it hard for the GOP to keep the Senate, this would be a completely irrelevant argument. Sadly, because of Trump's inability to be professional, he has attacked a number of key Republicans in ways that undermine the confidence in the party, both from within and from the outside. Second, a cursory review of Trump's positions before 2016 will show that he is anything but a conservative or a Republican on a whole variety of issues.

And that brings up other social issues and policy positions. The only thing Trump is truly "conservative" about is conserving power with people who currently have it within parts of the GOP. He has championed abortion, the assault weapons ban, as well as variety of other social issues.

On the other hand, for you Constitutional Conservatives, look at his statements about suing newspapers and other media outlets over libel and slander. Or his positions about using religion as a litmus test for immigration, etc. There is a reason why many groups who usually vote Republican - like Mormons and Jews - are speaking out against Trump in large part because they have seen this before. It is called persecution, and it is something that is as unAmerican as the Soviet Union.

That brings up another topic - foreign dictators. He has constantly praised people the likes of Vladimir Putin, Saddam Hussien, Kim Jon Un - people who rule their countries with an iron fist. Again, bully. And very unAmerican.

And then, the one thing that a number of people picked up on in the first half of this year, and it fits with all of the other things we have discussed here about him being all and only about power - how he treats women. Sure, there are concerns about Clinton and her enabling of her husband in a variety of situations. But even if true, and clearly there is some truth to it, how does that justify voting for Trump? More to the point, look at him and see that is his true self. That is how he acts with anyone not strong enough to protect themselves - predatory.

And call me crazy, but I thought America was a country designed to protect the powerless from the powerful.

So do your research, and please, educate yourself about what you are voting FOR. Please do not just vote against the Democrat, because while for much of the time I would be right there with you, this is one time where the Republican nominee really is off the spectrum of what should even be considered for the position of President of the United States.

A Letter To My Representative - Hillary Clinton

I am voting today. Based on decisions made by you and others, I am writing to make sure you understand my vote in detail. Specifically, as a lifelong Republican, I am incredibly disappointed in the fact that the Republican Party has allowed Donald Trump to not only become the nominee, but to behave in such a way to be an affront to everything I thought the GOP stood for.

By way of background, I became politically aware early in the first Reagan administration and have consistently supported Republicans ever since. But what I see from the GOP nominee makes me question everything that I thought the party represented. This letter only touches on some of the top level issues, but know that all of the criticisms of Donald Trump, of which I am sure you are well aware, apply.

Individual rights, especially as they are detailed in the First Amendment? Your nominee has time and again taken public positions that are antithetical to its basic tenants.

Small government? Your nominee has often discussed programs that would expand an already gluttonous federal government.

Strong foreign policy? Your nominee has made statements that across the board are considered isolationist at best, and kowtowing to Moscow at worst. Ronald Reagan would be spinning in his grave.

Forward thinking on economic policy? Your nominee is in favor of policies that are more at home in the 1920s.

His taxes. As someone who has as checkered past as Donald Trump, but also as someone who has never served in public office, this is a basic necessity, and yet you allowed him to proceed without sharing what the American public deserve to know. When this election is reviewed, I am certain that a percentage of the American people will have not voted for Trump in part because of a lack of confidence that he is who he said he was, and not releasing his taxes is a big part of that.

Christianity has often been at least an important inspiration to the Republican platform, and yet your nominee might as well be the poster child for the Seven Deadly Sins. And those who try to dismiss this as all men are imperfect, and give examples like Paul, ignore the fact that Paul and others were incredibly repentant, while your nominee seems to revel in his lust, sloth, gluttony, pride, greed, envy and wrath.

But let’s go back to the Constitution for a moment. The United States of America was founded in large part by people fleeing religious persecution, hence why the First Amendment contains specific language about Freedom of Religion. Yet your nominee – who is as unChristian as they come – seems to want to protect a white, evangelical perspective at all costs. That seems hypocritical at best.

So while I have never voted for anyone other than the Republican candidate for President in my 24 years of voting, I am forced to not vote for your nominee, Donald Trump, for President.

That leaves me with a choice that is distasteful at best, and awful at worst. So know that what I have finally decided is not something I embrace with any joy.

In addition to Trump, I also consider Gary Johnson and Jill Stein to be totally unacceptable choices.

My options are Evan McMullin, who is clearly the candidate that truly reflects actual Republican positions, or write in someone else who will also not garner enough votes to win, and Hillary Clinton, who I disagree with on so many issues, and who also has her own ethical issues.

My concern about voting for McMullin is that not enough people in my state know him well enough to make an impact, although I am very glad to see that he is having success in Utah. It is my fervent hope that he wins that state.

My concern about voting for Clinton should be obvious. I do not consider this option lightly, or flippantly. I am well aware of the fact that on many policy issues, she is diametrically opposed to the party platform. I am also well aware of the fact that she has a questionable past when it comes to her actions and transparency.

So I have to decide between sending a clear, but incredibly distasteful message, or voting for someone who represents my positions, but who will not garner enough critical mass to make an impact in my state.

After months of reflection on this issue, I have decided that I have to send the clearest message that the steps that allowed Donald Trump to become the GOP nominee are totally and completely unacceptable, so I will be voting for Hillary Clinton for President. Again, I take no joy in doing this, but the issues with your nominee, and the absolute need to stop him, leave me no choice.

It should give you pause to know that knowing all of the issues about Clinton I mention above, and after careful consideration for at least six months, I consider Donald Trump to be significantly worse, with the difference being enough to justify voting for the other party. In this, I do not think I am different than a number of moderate Republicans like the two former Republican presidents.

I will, though, for the most part be voting for Republicans on the rest of the ballot. I say “for the most part” because I will look at each Republican individually and judge them based on their position on your nominee. I note that some have taken Paul Ryan’s position of, “He is the nominee,” while not actively supporting him, which is something I can understand and respect.

I also should add that I was incredibly disappointed that John Kasich – someone who has actual executive branch experience, who is someone who knows how to govern, yet is at the same time clearly committed to Republican ideals – was given so little support. He was clearly the best chance to have a center-right national leader that knew that there is a time for compromise, a time to lead. I understand some of that is the candidates responsibility, and that some of that is the responsibility of the voters, but at the same time, I think it is safe to say we are seeing that we have allowed extreme positions to dominate the dialogue within the party.

I voted for Governor Kasich in the primary in the hope that his voice would continue to carry some weight as the party worked towards its ultimate nominee. I also believed, as I state above, that he was the best choice. Frankly, I found some of the rhetoric coming from other major  candidates to be too confrontational and not reflective of what the position of the President requires. Specifically, the leadership that was shown by Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. And I found criticism of Senator Rubio, especially as it related to his efforts to find a solution to certain issues, including immigration, to be not in the country’s best interest.

But I was absolutely sure, for a myriad of reasons, that Donald Trump would not be allowed to actually become the nominee based on a ragged plurality. Certainly, at some point, the adults in the room would sit down with the other three major candidates and figure out how to put a consensus candidate forward that would defeat Donald Trump while giving some voice to the legitimate anger and frustration that comes from parts of his voting block. All of the signs of trouble that came to be true were apparent to me back in 2015, let alone in March. Again, this letter is long enough already that we do not need to list what you already know here, but it is quite a list.

So surely, this embarrassment of an American, let alone a “conservative” “Republican,” would not be allowed to stand as the GOP nominee for President. Right?

Much to my surprise, this never happened. I do not know if it was ego on the part of the other candidates, or a lack of vision from leadership, or some other issue I may not be aware of. But for a party that has been a champion of Constitutional Conservatism, individual rights and the power of the rugged individual, let alone the party of Ronald Reagan, to embrace Donald J. Trump as its nominee? And especially the WAY it happened at the convention, stomping out dissent rather than allowing the voices of opposition to have their say. It was incredibly disappointing and disheartening to see.

I look forward to a vigorous debate in the party after the election, and it is my deepest hope that the party of Lincoln and Reagan can return to the ideals those men fought so hard to establish and maintain, and away from the, frankly, un-American positions of your nominee.

In that debate, I hope that citizens like me will be heard and our positions considered. For the sake of the Republican Party, I think you do not have a choice. Ignoring the lessons learned from 2012 has been disastrous enough. If the GOP ignores the lessons of 2016 and continues on this path, I am pretty certain that it will not exist as a national party in 2020.

A Letter To My Representatives - Evan McMullin

I am voting today. Based on decisions made by you and others, I am writing to make sure you understand my vote in detail. Specifically, as a lifelong Republican, I am incredibly disappointed in the fact that the Republican Party has allowed Donald Trump to not only become the nominee, but to behave in such a way to be an affront to everything I thought the GOP stood for.

By way of background, I became politically aware early in the first Reagan administration and have consistently supported Republicans ever since. But what I see from the GOP nominee makes me question everything that I thought the party represented. This letter only touches on some of the top level issues, but know that all of the criticisms of Donald Trump, of which I am sure you are well aware, apply.

Individual rights, especially as they are detailed in the First Amendment? Your nominee has time and again taken public positions that are antithetical to its basic tenants.

Small government? Your nominee has often discussed programs that would expand an already gluttonous federal government.

Strong foreign policy? Your nominee has made statements that across the board are considered isolationist at best, and kowtowing to Moscow at worst. Ronald Reagan would be spinning in his grave.

Forward thinking on economic policy? Your nominee is in favor of policies that are more at home in the 1920s.

His taxes. As someone who has as checkered past as Donald Trump, but also as someone who has never served in public office, this is a basic necessity, and yet you allowed him to proceed without sharing what the American public deserve to know. When this election is reviewed, I am certain that a percentage of the American people will have not voted for Trump in part because of a lack of confidence that he is who he said he was, and not releasing his taxes is a big part of that.

Christianity has often been at least an important inspiration to the Republican platform, and yet your nominee might as well be the poster child for the Seven Deadly Sins. And those who try to dismiss this as all men are imperfect, and give examples like Paul, ignore the fact that Paul and others were incredibly repentant, while your nominee seems to revel in his lust, sloth, gluttony, pride, greed, envy and wrath.

But let’s go back to the Constitution for a moment. The United States of America was founded in large part by people fleeing religious persecution, hence why the First Amendment contains specific language about Freedom of Religion. Yet your nominee – who is as unChristian as they come – seems to want to protect a white, evangelical perspective at all costs. That seems hypocritical at best.

So while I have never voted for anyone other than the Republican candidate for President in my 24 years of voting, I am forced to not vote for your nominee, Donald Trump, for President.

That leaves me with a choice that is distasteful at best, and awful at worst. So know that what I have finally decided is not something I embrace with any joy.

In addition to Trump, I also consider Gary Johnson and Jill Stein to be totally unacceptable choices.

My options are Evan McMullin, who is clearly the candidate that truly reflects actual Republican positions, or write in someone else who will also not garner enough votes to win, and Hillary Clinton, who I disagree with on so many issues, and who also has her own ethical issues.

My concern about voting for McMullin is that not enough people in my state know him well enough to make an impact, although I am very glad to see that he is having success in Utah. It is my fervent hope that he wins that state.

My concern about voting for Clinton should be obvious. I do not consider this option lightly, or flippantly. I am well aware of the fact that on many policy issues, she is diametrically opposed to the party platform. I am also well aware of the fact that she has a questionable past when it comes to her actions and transparency.

So I have to decide between sending a clear, but incredibly distasteful message, or voting for someone who represents my positions, but who will not garner enough critical mass to make an impact in my state.

After months of reflection on this issue, I have decided to vote FOR someone, not against someone, so I will be voting for Evan McMullin for President, even though I worry whether this sends the clearest message that the steps that allowed Donald Trump to become the GOP nominee are totally and completely unacceptable. Hence, this letter. Make no mistake, voting for Clinton – as nauseating as that idea might be – was on the table and had this been a swing state, my decision might be different.

I will, though, for the most part be voting for Republicans on the rest of the ballot. I say “for the most part” because I will look at each Republican individually and judge them based on their position on your nominee. I note that some have taken Paul Ryan’s position of, “He is the nominee,” while not actively supporting him, which is something I can understand and respect.

I also should add that I was incredibly disappointed that John Kasich – someone who has actual executive branch experience, who is someone who knows how to govern, yet is at the same time clearly committed to Republican ideals – was given so little support. He was clearly the best chance to have a center-right national leader that knew that there is a time for compromise, a time to lead. I understand some of that is the candidates responsibility, and that some of that is the responsibility of the voters, but at the same time, I think it is safe to say we are seeing that we have allowed extreme positions to dominate the dialogue within the party.

I voted for Governor Kasich in the primary in the hope that his voice would continue to carry some weight as the party worked towards its ultimate nominee. I also believed, as I state above, that he was the best choice. Frankly, I found some of the rhetoric coming from other major  candidates to be too confrontational and not reflective of what the position of the President requires. Specifically, the leadership that was shown by Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. And I found criticism of Senator Rubio, especially as it related to his efforts to find a solution to certain issues, including immigration, to be not in the country’s best interest.

But I was absolutely sure, for a myriad of reasons, that Donald Trump would not be allowed to actually become the nominee based on a ragged plurality. Certainly, at some point, the adults in the room would sit down with the other three major candidates and figure out how to put a consensus candidate forward that would defeat Donald Trump while giving some voice to the legitimate anger and frustration that comes from parts of his voting block. All of the signs of trouble that came to be true were apparent to me back in 2015, let alone in March. Again, this letter is long enough already that we do not need to list what you already know here, but it is quite a list.

So surely, this embarrassment of an American, let alone a “conservative” “Republican,” would not be allowed to stand as the GOP nominee for President. Right?

Much to my surprise, this never happened. I do not know if it was ego on the part of the other candidates, or a lack of vision from leadership, or some other issue I may not be aware of. But for a party that has been a champion of Constitutional Conservatism, individual rights and the power of the rugged individual, let alone the party of Ronald Reagan, to embrace Donald J. Trump as its nominee? And especially the WAY it happened at the convention, stomping out dissent rather than allowing the voices of opposition to have their say. It was incredibly disappointing and disheartening to see.

I look forward to a vigorous debate in the party after the election, and it is my deepest hope that the party of Lincoln and Reagan can return to the ideals those men fought so hard to establish and maintain, and away from the, frankly, un-American positions of your nominee.

In that debate, I hope that citizens like me will be heard and our positions considered. For the sake of the Republican Party, I think you do not have a choice. Ignoring the lessons learned from 2012 has been disastrous enough. If the GOP ignores the lessons of 2016 and continues on this path, I am pretty certain that it will not exist as a national party in 2020.

A Letter To My Representatives - Write In

I am voting today. Based on decisions made by you and others, I am writing to make sure you understand my vote in detail. Specifically, as a lifelong Republican, I am incredibly disappointed in the fact that the Republican Party has allowed Donald Trump to not only become the nominee, but to behave in such a way to be an affront to everything I thought the GOP stood for.

By way of background, I became politically aware early in the first Reagan administration and have consistently supported Republicans ever since. But what I see from the GOP nominee makes me question everything that I thought the party represented. This letter only touches on some of the top level issues, but know that all of the criticisms of Donald Trump, of which I am sure you are well aware, apply.

Individual rights, especially as they are detailed in the First Amendment? Your nominee has time and again taken public positions that are antithetical to its basic tenants.

Small government? Your nominee has often discussed programs that would expand an already gluttonous federal government.

Strong foreign policy? Your nominee has made statements that across the board are considered isolationist at best, and kowtowing to Moscow at worst. Ronald Reagan would be spinning in his grave.

Forward thinking on economic policy? Your nominee is in favor of policies that are more at home in the 1920s.

His taxes. As someone who has as checkered past as Donald Trump, but also as someone who has never served in public office, this is a basic necessity, and yet you allowed him to proceed without sharing what the American public deserve to know. When this election is reviewed, I am certain that a percentage of the American people will have not voted for Trump in part because of a lack of confidence that he is who he said he was, and not releasing his taxes is a big part of that.

Christianity has often been at least an important inspiration to the Republican platform, and yet your nominee might as well be the poster child for the Seven Deadly Sins. And those who try to dismiss this as all men are imperfect, and give examples like Paul, ignore the fact that Paul and others were incredibly repentant, while your nominee seems to revel in his lust, sloth, gluttony, pride, greed, envy and wrath.

But let’s go back to the Constitution for a moment. The United States of America was founded in large part by people fleeing religious persecution, hence why the First Amendment contains specific language about Freedom of Religion. Yet your nominee – who is as unChristian as they come – seems to want to protect a white, evangelical perspective at all costs. That seems hypocritical at best.

So while I have never voted for anyone other than the Republican candidate for President in my 24 years of voting, I am forced to not vote for your nominee, Donald Trump, for President.

That leaves me with a choice that is distasteful at best, and awful at worst. So know that what I have finally decided is not something I embrace with any joy.

In addition to Trump, I also consider Gary Johnson and Jill Stein to be totally unacceptable choices.

My options are Evan McMullin, who is clearly the candidate that truly reflects actual Republican positions, or write in someone else who will also not garner enough votes to win, and Hillary Clinton, who I disagree with on so many issues, and who also has her own ethical issues.

My concern about voting for McMullin is that not enough people in my state know him well enough to make an impact, although I am very glad to see that he is having success in Utah. It is my fervent hope that he wins that state.

My concern about voting for Clinton should be obvious.

So I have to decide between sending a clear, but incredibly distasteful message, or voting for someone who represents my positions, but who will not garner enough critical mass to make an impact in my state.

After months of reflection on this issue, I have decided to vote FOR someone, not against someone, so I will be writing in John Kasich for President, even though I worry whether this sends the clearest message that the steps that allowed Donald Trump to become the GOP nominee are totally and completely unacceptable. Hence, this letter. Make no mistake, voting for Clinton – as nauseating as that idea might be – was on the table and had this been a swing state, my decision might be different.

I will, though, for the most part be voting for Republicans on the rest of the ballot. I say “for the most part” because I will look at each Republican individually and judge them based on their position on your nominee. I note that some have taken Paul Ryan’s position of, “He is the nominee,” while not actively supporting him, which is something I can understand and respect.

I also should add that I was incredibly disappointed that John Kasich – someone who has actual executive branch experience, who is someone who knows how to govern, yet is at the same time clearly committed to Republican ideals – was given so little support. He was clearly the best chance to have a center-right national leader that knew that there is a time for compromise, a time to lead. I understand some of that is the candidates responsibility, and that some of that is the responsibility of the voters, but at the same time, I think it is safe to say we are seeing that we have allowed extreme positions to dominate the dialogue within the party.

I voted for Governor Kasich in the primary in the hope that his voice would continue to carry some weight as the party worked towards its ultimate nominee. I also believed, as I state above, that he was the best choice. Frankly, I found some of the rhetoric coming from other major  candidates to be too confrontational and not reflective of what the position of the President requires. Specifically, the leadership that was shown by Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. And I found criticism of Senator Rubio, especially as it related to his efforts to find a solution to certain issues, including immigration, to be not in the country’s best interest.

But I was absolutely sure, for a myriad of reasons, that Donald Trump would not be allowed to actually become the nominee based on a ragged plurality. Certainly, at some point, the adults in the room would sit down with the other three major candidates and figure out how to put a consensus candidate forward that would defeat Donald Trump while giving some voice to the legitimate anger and frustration that comes from parts of his voting block. All of the signs of trouble that came to be true were apparent to me back in 2015, let alone in March. Again, this letter is long enough already that we do not need to list what you already know here, but it is quite a list.

So surely, this embarrassment of an American, let alone a “conservative” “Republican,” would not be allowed to stand as the GOP nominee for President. Right?

Much to my surprise, this never happened. I do not know if it was ego on the part of the other candidates, or a lack of vision from leadership, or some other issue I may not be aware of. But for a party that has been a champion of Constitutional Conservatism, individual rights and the power of the rugged individual, let alone the party of Ronald Reagan, to embrace Donald J. Trump as its nominee? And especially the WAY it happened at the convention, stomping out dissent rather than allowing the voices of opposition to have their say. It was incredibly disappointing and disheartening to see.

I look forward to a vigorous debate in the party after the election, and it is my deepest hope that the party of Lincoln and Reagan can return to the ideals those men fought so hard to establish and maintain, and away from the, frankly, un-American positions of your nominee.

In that debate, I hope that citizens like me will be heard and our positions considered. For the sake of the Republican Party, I think you do not have a choice. Ignoring the lessons learned from 2012 has been disastrous enough. If the GOP ignores the lessons of 2016 and continues on this path, I am pretty certain that it will not exist as a national party in 2020.

More than just a vote

I will be voting later today. As you should be able to tell from my previous post, but most certainly if you follow us on Twitter, you know that I will not be voting for Donald Trump.

Not only will I not be voting for the GOP nominee, I have drafted a letter that I will be sending today to each of my representatives individually. That includes the head of the RNC, my Senators, my House Representative, as well as my state representatives, making it abundantly clear that the embrace of Trump by the GOP is abhorrent to me.

I think a letter is necessary considering how far from basic Republican - and frankly, American - principles Trump has taken his campaign.

I will be sharing three versions of this letter on this website, in part in case any of you care of use the language to begin a similar communication. The reason for the three versions is in part because I was really torn which direction was the right one. Which sent the most direct message. But also in part because different circumstances apply. If you live in safely blue or red state, maybe you don't have to consider the more nuclear of options. But if you live in a swing state, you might have to make the hard choice of considering something almost as abhorrent as voting for Trump.

Note that I did not write a version for people who live in states like Utah where Evan McMullin has a legitimate chance to beat at least one, if not both, major party nominees because I believe a letter from them is not as necessary, but also that such a letter would be so drastically different that something I wrote would not be helpful.

Rather, I am writing something for the following situations: vote for Evan despite the fact that he is not likely to garner significant votes in that state, write in for someone else (such as John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz) or even vote for Hillary Clinton. While that last option seems nuclear, consider that a number of experienced Republicans - including the last two Republican presidents - will be doing just that. And from my perspective, there is a good argument to be made that the only thing that really would get the GOP's attention is as many votes for the person they despise as possible.

Either way, again, this election is too important to just vote. The GOP has allowed someone who is antithetical to so many basic tenants of simply, basic American civics to become the nominee. It has to stop. It just has to.

And either it will, or the GOP will learn that national parties can in fact die. I hope not, but I will not stand next to someone who is bigoted, racist, sexist, or as unAmerican as Donald J. Trump.

And then 2016 Happened

So if you read the previous posts on this blog, you will see that the intent was to start a conversation. A constructive one. And one that I had hoped would be moderate, yet passionate. Let's tackle important issues, and do it with gusto, but also do it with the goal of coming up with solutions, working together.

And yet, life pulled me away from this blog and it has obviously been quite some time since I wrote for it.

And in that time, the things that I had hoped to address not only weren't addressed, but they got massively worse. I mean, again, I wanted this to be a place for discussion. Donald Trump is the exact opposite of that. Diametrically opposed to any sort of grounded conversation about real ideas.

One of the other things I had hoped to do - and may still do it if we can pull it off - is find other writers and come up with a Federalist Papers type dialogue with voices from across the political spectrum.

Sadly, we are confronted with a candidate that literally is the enemy of that kind of conversation. And so I have thrown away that neutrality to be a vocal advocate against the candidacy of Donald Trump. It started with his disdain for John McCain over a year ago, and it has been nothing but bile, hate and idiocracy ever since.

What is most disturbing about all this, though, is in my heart, I am a moderate Republican. I agree very strongly with Barry Goldwater's statements in 1994 about social conservatism, but even I had no idea that it would go so far as those same "Christians" rallying at the feet of someone who personifies the Seven Deadly Sins. Sorry, but how hypocritical, and anything but Christ-like.

So this isn't someone who hates all things Republican attacking Donald Trump, but rather I stand here as a person without a party, for all intents and purposes. And it forces me to set aside my intended neutrality to take an active position against the party that I have supported for three decades.

"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." Alexander Hamilton

Nothing could be more appropriate for this election, and yet Republicans - who are supposedly the ones most likely to call themselves "Constitutional Conservatives" - are flocking to defend and argue for him.

So we will have to see how things play out, but for now, I cannot maintain the neutrality I had hoped to use to create a safe place for a marketplace of ideas. Disappointing, but our country is worth it.

New Tool that is Twitter

It has been a few years but the point of this blog remains. Recent experiences such as Ferguson have only reinforced the reasons why this blog began - we are seriously in need of better dialogue.

So in order to find some fellow citizens and engage them in dialogue, The Dormouse has joined Twitter as @DorMouseSez. And look for some more posts here.