menopausebarbees
... the tales of two sisters

Dana lives in Seattle, and Tracie lives in Germany. We are businesswomen, writers and humorists. We write about life, dating, and today's modern women.

Don’t Fence Me In . . . Or Out

 

There are so many things that are so very deeply disturbing about Donald Trump that I don’t know where to begin.

I could start with his sick and insulting impression of The New York Times’ reporter Serge Kovaleski, who has arthrogryposis, a condition that affects his joint movements. Or for that matter, any of the other insults he has hurled at “the Mexicans” or “the Jews” or his fellow candidates, or women or “the blacks”, or, or, or. Apropos “the blacks”. I’ll share this bit of information in case you hadn’t heard:

When Trump was serving as the president of his family’s real estate company, the Trump Management Corporation, in 1973, the Justice Department sued the company for alleged racial discrimination against black people looking to rent apartments in Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens. The lawsuit charged that the company gave different rental terms and conditions to black rental candidates than it did to white candidates, and that the company lied to black applicants about apartments not being available.

Without admitting wrongdoing, the Trump Management Corporation settled the original lawsuit two years later and PROMISED not to discriminate against black people, Puerto Ricans or other minorities.

Ah yes. PROMISES to keep . . . and miles to go before he sleeps . . .

Or I could begin my narrative with his promising to pay the legal fees of his supporters who sucker punch people. “There may be somebody with tomatoes in the audience,” Trump warned people at a rally in Iowa. “If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously. OK? Just knock the hell — I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees.”

At yet another event Trump called for the mass arrest of protestors, noting that arrest records would leave an “arrest mark” and “ruin the rest of their lives.”

Why promote violence and why on earth would you want to ruin the rest of somebody’s life?? How miserable do you have to be?

Good grief! Character and compassion far outweighs money. They’ll win every time.

Or maybe I could just cut to the chase and talk about his plan to destroy ISIS by killing terrorist family members.

But then again, I could begin with his failing to disavow the Klu Klux Klan, or his urging people at his rallies to raise their right hand and promise to vote for him, so very reminiscent of the Adolf Hitler salute adopted in the 1930s by the Nazi party as a sign of obedience to their leader. This is exactly what sprang into my mind last week while I was in Berlin.

I was riding a ‘Hop On-Hop Off’ city tour bus. These tours are a terrific way to see the major highlights when visiting a city, especially when you’re short on time. My fellow passengers and I had been observing the sights for about an hour, when the bus began to slow down and the voice in my headset said that we were approaching a remnant of The Berlin Wall, a barrier that separated the former East Germany from the West. The wall was erected in 1961. In East Germany a communist system was established and people suffered under the repressions of that regime. Over 100,000 citizens tried to escape across the Wall between 1961 and 1988. More than 600 of them were shot and killed by border guards or died in other ways during their escape attempt: they drowned, suffered fatal accidents, or killed themselves when they were caught. These numbers do not include the people who died of grief and despair over the Wall’s impact on their personal lives. Difficult to imagine, isn’t it?

I stared at the Wall and could only think, “And Donald Trump wants to recreate this, build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Surely he’s been here. Surely he’s seen this. Surely he knows the devastation it wracked on so many people’s lives. Surely he’s seen how very abominable this thing is. And it’s a funny thing his wanting to keep out immigrants when two of his three wives themselves are.

You know, my sister and co-blogger Dana wrote yesterday about Joel Olsteen’s new book, ‘The Power of I Am’. She gave examples stating that if we go through our day saying for example, “I am blessed”… blessings pursue you.

“I am talented.”…talent follows you.

“I am healthy”…health heads your way.

“I am strong”… strength tracks you down.

Do you hear this Don?

How about, “I am peaceful” . . . harmony and serenity will encompass you.

“I am tolerant” . . . acceptance for and from others will come to you.

“I am honest” . . . integrity will follow you.

“I don’t support violence” . . . peace will surround you.

“I do not fuel the fire of hate groups” . . . peace will surround you.

“I do not support atmospheres of hatred and negativity” . . . peace will surround you.

“I am concretely and adequately informed about world issues” . . . wishy-washiness will abandon you.

The Power of I Am. You Could Be if you wanted to Donald.

And maybe then, you can forget about the wall and tell everyone that they can put their arms down.

 

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