There is no lesser of two evils in presidential race

The rumors started circulating in the last days of Bill Clinton’s administration that his wife Hillary had her sights set on becoming president.
That’s why she became a Senator. That’s why she became Secretary of State. Her upwardly mobile push is to break the nation’s highest glass ceiling and claim the seat once held by her husband – the last President to be impeached, by the way. Even back then in the waning moments of the 20th century, I was repulsed by the thought of her becoming President. It had nothing to do with her gender and everything to do with her politics.
Flashback nearly 20 years before that when Donald Trump’s celebrity was emerging and he was finding fame to go with his fortune on the American social conscience. Even then, as a teenager in rural Colorado, I found him pompous, arrogant and mean. His attitude was the antithesis of my core values. Nothing has changed over time to cause me to change my opinion of him. In fact, watching what little snippets of his campaign that I’ve seen, it has only reinforced my disdain for him.
In just over a month we will go to the polls to select one or the other to become the next President of the United States. Based on what I see on social media and in talking with friends, I am most certainly not alone in my revulsion of the choice we face.
When it comes to choosing between Trump and Clinton, there is no lesser of two evils. Evil is evil and we are doomed to a fourth consecutive abysmal presidency. Honestly, I don’t know if this country can withstand what our next President will do to us.
Before you mention third party voting, let me say that simply is not a viable option. I think the best thing we can do is have Congress begin the process of impeaching the next President. It will save time to getting the paperwork going. They can fill in the name and the offense later. It doesn’t matter who wins. Given their track records, impeachment is inevitable.
(If Trump doesn’t know what the word means let me put it in terms he can understand: You’re fired!)
I hate having such a negative outlook on the candidates and their campaigns. I’d really like to find something positive and encouraging to say. I’ve always believed that you should vote for a candidate, not against one. I can’t in good conscience vote for either one.
When it comes to this election, the best strategy is to focus on the other races on the ballot. Don’t be distracted by the Clinton-Trump mess. Focus on the local races. They’re the real difference makers. They’re the ones you will have access to. They are the ones in the trenches making and passing the legislation that the President will take credit (or blame) for.
While I won’t go into all the numerous races on the ballots on Nov. 8, it is worth mentioning a few. Our Congressman is up for re-election. Rep. Pete Olson (R) is being challenged by Democrat Mark Gibson. On the state level, incumbent representatives Rick Miller (R), Ron Reynolds (D) and John Zerwas (R) are on the ballot with Miller and Reynolds facing opponents. Miller is challenged by Sarah DeMerchant (D) and Reynolds faces Ken Bryant (R). Zerwas is unopposed. State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R) is opposed by Libertarian Kathie Stone.
At the county level, Sheriff Troy Nehls (R) is being challenged by Michael Ellison (D). Pct. 1 County Commissioner Richard Morrison (D) is facing Vincent Morales (R) and Pct. 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers (R) is unopposed.
There are numerous other races on the ballot and I’m not going to take the time or space to list them all here. My point is that we shouldn’t let the big ticket distract us from the smaller races that will have a bigger and more direct impact on our lives. Take the time to research the candidates and become informed about the issues. Don’t make an uninformed opinion or make one based on memes you see on social media.
Seriously, do not trust any social media for legitimate information about a candidate or race. What you see there is purposefully inflammatory and usually inaccurate. The only thing political memes accomplish on Facebook is the loss of friendships. None of us need that.
I’m a conservative and I have a lot of liberal friends. I’d like to think that we could still respect one another the morning after the election. Given the number of people on both sides that I’ve blocked from my Facebook feed because of the meanness of their posts, Nov. 9 just might be a very quiet day.
On a side note, I find it ironic that people will share memes full of lies talking about how dishonest the other candidate is.
When it comes to local races, the State House District 27 race between Reynolds and Bryant is worth noting. Our lead story in this week’s paper is about Reynolds’ mounting legal troubles and his filing for bankruptcy. A common theme throughout the story is how Reynolds blames others for his problems. He never takes responsibility for his own actions.
“Ever since I’ve been thrust into leadership I’ve had a target on my back, partly because I’m African-American and partly because I’m a Democrat and I advocate against special interest,” he said.
He has a history of playing the race card. Perhaps someone should remind him that his race or ethnicity has nothing to do with his legal troubles or the election. It’s just his way of throwing up a smoke screen. As for being a Democrat, he is in a majority Democrat district so that hardly makes him a target.
He blames his attorney for missing a filing deadline in a case against him. Perhaps he should be reminded that he is an attorney and probably should have been on top of that. But if you read further, you will see that he owes $21,000 in unpaid late filing penalties to the Texas Ethics Commission, the majority coming from two campaign finance reports from 2014 and 2015 that were never filed. So apparently the inability to meet filing deadlines do not rest entirely on his attorney’s shoulders.
He also blames the media for sensationalizing stories about him. When I went to journalism school, one of the first thing they teach you is that we are the eyes on government and that it is our job to report on the wrongdoings of government officials. If he sees something ugly in the press he should stop blaming the mirror.
He also said that his personal problems have no bearing on his abilities as a legislator. I disagree. Personal and professional problems are a direct reflection of how a person conducts their public life. If Reynolds is mishandling his own finances – to the tune of $1 million in debt – then how can he be trusted to handle your tax money and the affairs of state?
This is clearly a case where your local vote can have an impact in this election. Whether you get caught up in the presidential race or not, you have the power to make a difference at the polls, locally and nationally. Your vote counts, so don’t waste it.

What will your final words be?

The discussion came up the other day of what we want our last words on earth to be.
“Yee-haw!” was my immediate answer.
That was good for some laughs, but in a way I hope it’s true. That means I went out having fun.
It’s interesting how much or how little importance we place on our final utterances. It’s almost as if we’ll be remembered for that, than the lifetime of things we said or did. Not all of us will get the chance to plan what our last words will be. Even if we do, there is no guarantee that we will say them or that anyone will remember them.
Sometimes it is fun to look back at some of the last words of the famous (or should that be famous last words?).
“Now comes the mystery.” – Henry Ward Beecher, evangelist, March 8, 1887
“Friends applaud, the comedy is finished.” – Ludwig van Beethoven, composer, March 26, 1827
“Now I shall go to sleep. Goodnight.” – Lord George Byron, writer, 1824
“I’m bored with it all.” – Winston Churchill, statesman, Jan. 24, 1965, Before slipping into a coma. He died nine days later.
“That was the best ice-cream soda I ever tasted.” – Lou Costello, comedian, March 3, 1959
“KHAQQ calling Itasca. We must be on you, but cannot see you. Gas is running low.” – Amelia Earhart, 1937, Last radio communiqué before her disappearance.
“All my possessions for a moment of time.” – Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1603
“I’ve never felt better.” Douglas Fairbanks Sr., actor, Dec. 12, 1939
“I’ve had a hell of a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.” – Errol Flynn, actor, Oct. 14, 1959
“Go on, get out – last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.” – Karl Marx, revolutionary, 1883, to his housekeeper, who urged him to tell her his last words so she could write them down for posterity.
“I owe much; I have nothing; the rest I leave to the poor.” – François Rabelais, writer, 1553
“I have a terrific headache.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt, U.S. President, 1945, He died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
“Put out the light.” – Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. President, 1919
“They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist…” – Gen. John Sedgwick, Union Commander, 1864, killed in battle during U.S. Civil War.
“I’ve had 18 straight whiskies, I think that’s the record …” – Dylan Thomas, poet, 1953
“I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.” – Leonardo da Vinci, 1519
Of course, a lot of people who die in accidents often utter words that cannot be printed in a family-friendly newspaper. But as Bill Cosby once said, “First you say it, then you do it.”
I don’t like to dwell on death, but the thought does often cross my mind. I make sure as I leave for work each day that I kiss each member of my family and tell them I love them. If anything were to happen to me (or to any of them), I want them to remember my last words and deeds as that of love and affection. Plus it just seems to help brighten everyone’s day.
As I think about what I want my last words to be, I guess it all really depends on the time and conditions of my departure. If I am fortunate enough to die an old man in my bed surrounded by my family, I would hope my last words are, “I love you.”
Should I be lucky enough to be alive at the time of the rapture, I like to think my final words in this fleshy body would be, “Take me Lord Jesus, I am yours.”
Come to think of it, those aren’t bad last words under any circumstances. So let it be known, dear family and friends, no matter what my actual last words are, I want them to be remembered as a commitment of my soul to God, just as Jesus did on the cross as recorded in Luke 23:46: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
(Editor’s note: This column first appeared in The Waller County News Citizen in March 2010.)

Brad Meltzer is an author on a mission

There have been some very geeky moments in my life but the one Thursday night at the Murder by the Book bookstore in Houston was a real killer.
I am a huge fan of author Brad Meltzer, whom I consider a friend, and although we have spoken on the phone, emailed several times and are friends on Facebook, we have never met in person until he came to town for the book-signing. I got a short, 10-minute interview with him before the event and then hung out with him for several hours as scores of people had him sign their books and pose for photos. Once the line cleared, I took my turn.
For those who don’t remember, Thursday was Sept. 8, the 50th anniversary of the television debut of “Star Trek.” Commemorating that special event, Meltzer and I held up Vulcan hand signs for the picture. It was one of the coolest moments in my career. (Pathetic, yes, I know.) Unfortunately, as the picture was taken, I was caught licking my lips, so my expression is a little goofy, but that just ads to the nerdiness of it all.

To be sure, I wasn’t the only one embracing his inner geek at the event. Meltzer, though exhausted, was on an adrenaline high following a huge event in his life. He came to Houston straight from New York where he attended the unveiling of the Ground Zero flag at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. It was through his television show, “Brad Meltzer’s Lost History,” that the flag was found after vanishing from history for 13 years.
“Two years ago I told the story of the missing flag that the firefighters raised at Ground Zero on 9/11,” he said. “At the end of the show I come on the air and say ‘listen, if you see it, please return it. We’ll give you a reward of $10,000 but please return it and do what’s right.’ And what no one knew is four days later a former Marine walked into a fire station in Washington state and said ‘I watched this show Lost History and I want to return this flag.’
“And we knew because we got the call very quickly but for the past two years we’ve had to keep this secret because we’ve been slowly authenticating it and working with the Everett (Wash.) Police Department and working with our own investigation and we announced yesterday that we identified and this was indeed the flag the firefighters raised at Ground Zero. This morning I came back from the ceremony at the 9/11 Museum where we unveiled the flag in its permanent exhibit and it was unbelievable. And to see on the exhibit itself it says ‘Brad Meltzer’s Lost History’ and the Everett Police Department, and our team and there it was, it was incredible,” he said.
A special edition of “Brad Meltzer’s Lost History” aired Sunday, detailing the search and verification of the flag. Meltzer later recounted that the Marine, whose identity has now been lost to history, refused to accept the reward.
During his talk, Meltzer told the audience that flags are symbols of hope, strength and power.
“This flag is also a mirror. It’s a mirror, and when you look at it you see what you need. When these firefighters raised it, we saw what we needed as a country. We needed their strength, we needed that defiance, we needed that proof that no matter how far you knock us down that we will get back up,” he said.
On top of the excitement over the flag, Meltzer is on a book tour promoting his two newest books in his children’s “I Am” series, “I Am George Washington” and “I Am Jane Goodall.” He also announced that the next person to be featured in the popular series is Muppet creator Jim Henson.
“That’s one of those ones when I was growing up, that was my hero,” he told me. “So, I love Abraham Lincoln, I love George Washington, I love that we do Amelia Earhart and Jane Goodall but Jim Henson’s who I grew up looking up to. Let’s be very clear, there’s nothing like Sesame Street and the Muppets.”

He told the audience that the Henson book inspires us to never stop dreaming.
“We should always, all of us, keep believing, keep pretending and keep being good,” he said.
The book will be the 11th in the series (not including his “Heroes for My Son” and “Heroes for My Daughter” books) and he just signed to do six more. He revealed that one of the six will be about Fred Rogers. He noted that even though the people featured in the books are famous, he chose them because they are true heroes.
“It’s not book publishing, it’s a mission. It’s a mission to bring back a morality that’s lacking in this country right now,” he said. “This started because I was tired of my own kids looking at reality TV show stars and thinking that’s a hero. My goal was to give my kids better heroes than that. What happened was there are so many parents and grandparents out there who had that exact same mission. We’re a country right now that’s starving for heroes.”
When it comes to heroes, Meltzer is well known for his fictional heroes in his political thrillers. His 11th thriller, “The House of Secrets,” was released this summer. The three books before it make up his Culper Ring trilogy featuring Beecher White, an archivist with the National Archives.
“House of Secrets just came out about a month and a half, two months ago,” he said. “For those who love Beecher the archivist, there is something in there that I can’t say because I don’t want to spoil it, but we made very clear that Beecher’s coming back. The next book will not be a Beecher book; the next one will actually be a brand new character in a brand new government world that I found that just blew my mind. And I’ve been obsessed with it for a couple years now.”
Meltzer told me he intentionally changes book topics to avoid burnout.
“I never want to be that author who writes the same character so much that they start hating their favorite character,” he said. “There was a very famous author, who everyone knows, who said to me privately once that ‘if I have to write this character again I’m going to want to put a gun in my mouth.’ And I just said I never want to be that guy. And this is a beloved character, but you do it so much and so often I guess that you start to resent it. I love my characters. I love the books I put out because I get to put out a variety of them. I have the benefit of not getting sick of anybody.”
Meltzer, who is America’s nooks and crannies historian, has also written books on famous historical mysteries and conspiracy theories.

“Trust me, I have plenty of mysteries that I really do want to do,” he said. “Real life ones.”
I asked him if he hides secret codes and messages in his books. He gave a wide grin.
“No one has caught all of the secrets we have put in the books,” he said. “In ‘The Inner Circle’ we’ve hidden an actual treasure. It took years, I think it took four years, I forget how long it had been, but I hid a secret treasure and one person finally found it. Only one person cracked it and contacted me correctly and we decided to put it back out there, so it’s still out there, the treasure is still out there to be found. But we hide things in our kids’ books, we hide things in the thrillers, I love hiding things for people who are willing to look. Who doesn’t love a good mystery?”
Getting back to his “I Am” books, he said each one has an underlying theme related to positive character traits. The Washington book is about leadership.
“Being famous is very different than being a hero,” he said.
He said when children today look at politicians they see something very different than what we had with the founding fathers.
“All they see are politicians, they don’t see leaders,” he said. “There’s a difference and I teach my kids that there’s a difference between a politician and a leader. And we need less politicians and more leaders. Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge. Leaders look out for other people and I want my kids to know that.”

Kaepernick’s place is on the bench

Colin Kaepernick should probably get used to sitting on the bench.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback, whose lackluster play could soon cost him his starting position on the team or even his spot on the roster, has created a firestorm by refusing to stand while the National Anthem is played before games this fall.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick was quoted as saying to NFL Media. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
Before I launch into my tirade about Kaepernick’s decision, let me say up front that I fully support his right to speak and act in accordance with his beliefs. There are no rules, regulations or laws that require an athlete or anyone else in this country to pay respect when the colors are presented and the anthem is played as it is before nearly every sporting event in the United States. The U.S. Constitution guarantees him the right to make his statement. It also guarantees him the right to live with the consequences of everything he says and does.
I respect that he feels strongly about certain events that have been widely reported in the press of late. I respect that in his own way he is doing something about what he perceives to be a grave injustice. Given the enormous tide of negative publicity he is generating I have to respect his courage to do what he did.
That’s where my respect for him comes to a very hard, cold, bitter end.
First of all, let’s explore his assertion that the United States is a country that “oppresses black people and people of color.” Seriously!? Try asking Olympic champions Simone Manuel or Simone Biles how oppressed they feel by their country right now. Super Bowl MVP and former Aggie Von Miller was awarded a record $114.5 million contract extension with the Denver Broncos. He’s black and I bet he’s really feeling oppressed. Even Kaepernick, who is biracial, will make $11.9 million in base salary this year and he won’t even have to take a single snap. I guess as a privileged white guy I’ll never understand oppression like that.
Outside the sports arena, the President of the United States – and arguably the most powerful man in the world – is black. One of his likely successors, although white, is a woman. Yeah, this country is really oppressing minorities.
It appears that Kaepernick is caught up in the hype of the Black Lives Matter movement and all of the protests over the handful of white cops who have shot and killed black suspects and “gotten away with murder.” To listen to Kaepernick and others in the movement, one would have to conclude that the police go around randomly killing black people for no reason at all and just leave “bodies in the streets.” They would have you believe it’s epidemic.
I submit to you that the opposite is true. If you don’t believe me, just ask the families of Darren Goforth of Houston and Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Krol, Lorne Ahrens and Michael Smith of Dallas, all law enforcement officers gunned down by “oppressed” blacks for no other reason than the color of their skin and the uniform on their backs.
One of the things Kaepernick’s protest doesn’t consider are the individual motivations behind each of the killings he is upset about. To be sure there are bad apples in uniform who need to be weeded out and punished. They are very few, however, compared to the many who put their lives on the line every day that they pull on their uniform and go to work protecting the lives, liberty and property of everyone, including those who would deprive them of the same.
If a cop kills a suspect because he reasonably believes his or another life is in imminent danger – even if it later turns out that the suspect is unarmed – I would call that an act of safety and self-preservation, not racism. Unfortunately, if the cop happens to be white and the suspect black, it’s looked upon as racism, the facts not withstanding.
While there is no denying that racism and police brutality do exist and are problems that need to be dealt with, I think Kaepernick and company could find a better way to express themselves than by taking dump on the entire country. Make no mistake that by disrespecting the flag and the National Anthem that is exactly what Kaepernick has done. He has disrespected the hundreds of thousands of men and women of all creeds and colors who sacrificed their lives to defend the “oppressive” country that gave him the right to sit on the bench. He has taken a dump on the men and women in uniform who guard and protect him in the stadium where he sits, in the streets he drives on to get there and in the home where I’m sure he struggles so mightily to get by.
You know, it’s ironic that here in Texas this spring and in Louisiana this summer we suffered horrible flooding that affected many people of color – all colors. Yet I do not recall seeing him or anyone else in the Black Lives Matter movement coming to give aid or help people in need. I doubt he even wrote a check to support any of the relief organizations. I bet he was content to leave the rescue and recovery efforts to the members of law enforcement, fire, EMS and the National Guard. We know they responded to help no matter what color the victims were.
Getting back to Kaepernick’s assertion that America is a country that oppresses blacks and people of color, if that is true, why are there so many people crossing the border with Mexico to get here? Are they coming for oppression or opportunity? If America is so oppressive, maybe he would like to try living in China, North Korea, anywhere in the Middle East or most any country in South and Central America. I’m sure he would find great freedom and equality in any of those places.
But what do I know? I’m just another privileged white guy who goes around oppressing minorities every chance I get. No, I’ve never been a cop and I’ve never been in the military. I am an Eagle Scout and have spent countless hours learning about, saluting and respecting the flag. I have many close friends and relatives in law enforcement. My dad was Air Force, my brother Navy, my cousin a Marine and my brother-in-law is Army. Kaepernick has taken a dump on all of us. Maybe it’s time for the 49ers and the NFL to dump him.
Just one last thought to leave this on a lighter note, if Tim Tebow kneeling to pray is called Tebowing, is Kaepernick sitting on the bench now called Kaepernicking?