Miffed.

You’ll never have a chance to deliver a message to Hillary Clinton face to face. In due course, Trump will have that chance on the debate stage. You and millions of other ordinary Joes fantasize about having such a meeting. What might you say?

“Hillary, just thought you might like to know that America is an incomparable asset. Let me explain what an asset is. In simple terms, an asset is a beneficial belonging. In simpler terms, it is wealth. It can be money, a home, a power plant, a skyscraper, a person. The cities, hamlets, roadways, byways, bridges, businesses, power plants, stadiums — the entire infrastructure of this country, including millions of back yards with barbecue grills and outdoor furniture of ordinary people — is one colossal asset. Since before July 4, 1776, and especially after that day, individual Americans have toiled, fought, bled and died to create these assets. They paid taxes to finance construction of roads, bridges, schools and other public works. The free enterprise system, in their hands, invented untold miracles in medicine, energy, transportation, communication, farming and thousands of ingenious products and services that produced the highest standard of living in the history of mankind. Job by job, individual Americans built this country from the ground up. You see, Madam, the point is this — the Government did not and does not move the American needle. The Government did not create America’s wealth and does not own America’s wealth. The people own it. The Government has two critical responsibilities — to make and enforce laws and to safeguard our national security from enemies, foreign and domestic. But you seem to think it’s the government’s job to tell people how to live, how to work and even how to think. Yet, Madam, in your career, you are one of the very few people I know who has not accomplished one job to move the American needle — to create one asset. You haven’t worked at one practical job that makes, builds or provides anything to anyone that enhances their quality of life. In a lifetime political career, you were paid by taxpayers to ostensibly look out for the public interest. The most important of those jobs was Secretary of State — and the crux of that job was to protect and defend America’s national interest. A mega responsibility. Incomprehensibly, however, you in fact risked your country’s national security and the lives of America’s most precious assets. You broke the law and lied about it. Why would you do that? What possible reason could you have to risk  operating your own private computer server? Let’s make a stab at your motive. Let’s ask a 5th grader. He or she might suspect you had a ton of secrets, that you had something to hide from your employer — the people. That supposition seems reasonable enough when you look deeper. Consider that your annual salary as SOS was only $186,000. You operated no business; it appears you weren’t moonlighting as a hedge fund manager or professional athlete; yet quite suddenly, your estimated net worth in a few short years is over $30 million. How does someone accumulate a fortune without working? The smart money says you needed a private server to arrange hefty payments to the Clinton Foundation from foreign sources in exchange for — what?  You deny it. Then, by all means, tell the American people how you managed to acquire that wealth — how you can afford to own three sprawling estates. Presumably, large corporations and other organizations did pay you well for giving speeches. Tell the American people why your speeches were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Tell them what you said or what you did or what you promised to earn that money. You see, Madam, you want to be President. Some people want to be able to trust a President. You’ve blasted me for having poor character and for being a dangerous person, unfit for public office. I admit I’m a little miffed at that criticism. I don’t mind being criticized by my peers, by people in the offices, at  the factories and on the farms, working like crazy to get ahead to take care of their families and build a good life. I love those people. I love to know those people and hire those people. They are free to cut me down anytime. They earned that right. I’m miffed because someone like you hasn’t earned the right to judge anyone. Many years back, when I was a corporate crony, I said publicly you were a good person. Sucking up was a big mistake, proving that politics is a dirty business. If a get the chance, I want to wash away my sin. I want to start by cleaning house. The first one that needs cleaning is the White House.”

Dangerous.

You keep waiting for the creative arm of the Trump campaign to show some muscle. Pundits keep saying the campaign is early — don’t get impatient. You don’t buy it. The Clinton campaign is hammering Trump with effective TV ads aimed at ignorant, gullible people — the same kind of propaganda used by every dictator since the beginning of civilization. The ads work. One ad shows innocent children with sad eyes while Trump says something audacious. The theme of the ad campaign is “Trump’s too dangerous, too unpredictable to be President.” With these ads, Hillary is throwing Trump a giant softball to hit out of the park, but nobody’s even standing at the plate with a bat. What you hear from Trump are seemingly off-the-cuff “comments” — comments the media gleefully attacks, “proving” that he’s impulsive, mean spirited and unhinged. The pattern is eerily familiar. You remember the inept campaign of one Mitt Romney — a campaign so dreadful that you and millions of other dumb Americans knew it would implode. You understand politicians don’t want or need advice from the rank and file. They don’t want your opinion. They have your name because you get mail. Your name is on the envelope and in your inbox. They communicate with you for one reason only — they want your money. They invite you to events for one reason only — they want your money. If you pony up enough money, some local bundler will put your name on the A mailing list. Not wanting to be ungenerous, in lieu of hard cash, you graciously decide to give Mr. Trump six figures worth of advice:

1. The Media is not your friend; therefore if you say something, it can’t be ambiguous. Speak factually. Jettison personal insults. You can be tough and presidential.

2. You should prepare specific messages aimed directly at specific audiences — African American, Hispanic, Women, etc. Do not assume Hillary has them locked up.

2. Produce a series of TV ads with you as the talent. Just you. Sober. Friendly. Behind your desk. Outdoors. Maybe in front of the Washington Monument or Lincoln Memorial. Deliver statements on foreign policy, domestic policy, etc.

3. The first message:

My fellow Americans, you’ve seen and heard political ads that essentially accuse me of being a bad guy. Hillary Clinton says I have no leadership ability — that I can’t be trusted — that I’m dangerous. I respectfully ask you to consider this:

I was not in power and responsible for the rise of ISIS and international terrorism —  for the beheadings, mutilations, for the torturing and killing of thousands. Hillary Clinton was.

I was not in power and not in charge when our embassy in Benghazi burned and four Americans were abandoned to die needlessly by our State Department. Hillary was.

I was not in power to illegally set up a personal computer server, risking national security and the lives of US agents at home and abroad; and I didn’t lie to the FBI and Congress. Hilary was and did.

I was not in power to receive tens of millions of dollars from foreign governments seeking my favor. Hillary was.

I was not in power to get $250,000 per speech before major wall street corporations and then refuse to let the media have those speeches. Hillary was.

Very often guilty people accuse others to distract attention from themselves. Well, I agree we do live in dangerous times. That’s precisely the only reason I’m running for President. The people who were in charge brought us to this dangerous time. Hillary Clinton was one of those people. We can —  we must — do much, much better. We can be great again. God bless America.

Freedom’s Gift.

It’s called human fetal material. Or fetal matter. It’s tissue that contains the unique structure of an individual life. You haven’t seen this tissue in person. Few people have, outside of those employed at medical facilities. In the days of Innocence, “tissue” was called “baby.” Those days are over, given way to scientific terminology that dehumanizes Conception, that essentially renders Conception as nothing of any real consequence. Tissue has no Choice, no say in its future; or to be more explicit, in its life or death. That Choice is left to its protector, its guardian, its Trustee. The “owner” of the tissue has sole authority, like Roman Emperors, who gave thumbs up or down at the Coliseum. Tissue has no advocate, no surrogate to plead its case. Since tissue doesn’t think, since tissue has no personality, since tissue has no established gender and no countenance, disposing of it amounts to scraping dinner plate residue into the disposal and flipping the switch, or packaging it for sale. Tissue has no Choice. But tissue isn’t alone. A three-month-old fetus has no Choice. A two-year-old boy doesn’t have Choice. An elderly dementia patient decides nothing. A prisoner kneeling before the ISIS  sword is at the mercy of  the executioner’s Choice. Millions of people the world over, totally dependent, do not choose. And millions, billions, of others have only limited Choice — limited by station, education, economics and physiology. In America, for the great majority, Choice is Freedom’s Immaculate Gift, made implicit in the declaration of “truths to be self evident.” Americans have the right to live, to be free and to pursue happiness. Unlike fetal tissue, living Americans have Choice. And make no mistake — where you stand is your Choice. You choose to work, or not. Learn, or not. Eat, or not. Exercise, or not. Cheat, or not. Contribute, or not. Drug yourself, or not. Steal, or not. Sacrifice, or not. Travel, or not. Kill, or not. To borrow from Don McLean’s Crossroads — “. . . all roads lead to where (you) stand . . .” In a few months, America’s people exercise their Choice, or not. They will choose between two candidates who have left clear trails to where they stand. You wonder how many people will look at those trails, find the facts and weigh the substance. How many will ignore the candidates’ words and, instead, examine the candidates’ body of work. How many will measure documented examples of honesty and integrity. You wonder how many will allow blind prejudice or peer pressure to flip the switch. Freedom’s Gift has always been bought and paid for with American blood. You will think of that before you make your Choice, as you make it and after you make it. It’s the very least you can do to honor those that gave and continue to give everything they have.

The ranting and raving of critical Dick.