FUNDAMENTALISM AND POLITICS

Hi Humans,
You humans have this concept of fundamentalism which means a strict interpretation of an original document. It usually refers to religion, but the same idea can be applied to politics. In religion it can be the Bible, Koran, or any holy scripture. In American politics it usually refers to the constitution. Actually in practice most fundamentalists have their own self serving interpretation of the original document. Moslem terrorists use some passages in the Koran to justify terrorism and murder. Some extreme Christian fundamentalists as well as ISIS Moslems pull out some passage in the Bible that refers to an Armageddon (a huge world war) which is supposed to precede the coming of the Messiah to justify doing things that in their minds will hasten the Armageddon and therefore the Messianic time. In American politics, radical Right Wingers will pull out some passage in the constitution which they interpret in a self serving way. The worst example of this is the claim of the gun anarchists that they are defending the Second Amendment of the constitution in opposing any kind of gun control or gun safety even though that opposition results in the unnecessary death of thousands of American humans (not to mention us other creatures). Actually the Second Amendment does not say that individuals can keep any kind of weapon. It says  "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." In other words each state can have its own militia which we now know as the National Guard. Assault rifles with cartridges that carry many bullets did not exist at the time when the constitution was written. The massive number of gun killings that we see today were not happening at the time the Constitution was written. Our US gangsters were not selling US guns to Mexican narcotics cartels in exchange for Mexican narcotics to poison American humans. 
I am for Hillary Clinton because she is a realist and not a fundamentalist. She wants evolution in which you humans continue to push to improve things in a pragmatic way which allows for adjustment according to how things turn out. The revolution of Bernie Sanders is a kind of fundamentalist approach to politics which does not allow for wiggle room although heading in a general similar direction as Hillary. Ted Cruz is the worst fundamentalist of all the candidates both in politics and religion. Donnie Trump panders to the fundamentalists although it is not clear where he stands on various matters (maybe not clear to him either).
Chloe

GUNS AND NARCOTICS

Hi Humans,
Donald Trump, one of the front runners in the Republican Primaries, recently gave building a wall on the border with Mexico as the solution to the terrible narcotics problem in the USA. It will not work. The drug traffickers will get around it. There are better solutions, but the real solutions do not fit into the mantra of humans like Cruz and Trump. They put all the blame on Mexicans and other foreigners because their constituents refuse to accept any responsibility here at home. There are two things that need to be fixed which Cruz and Trump will not acknowledge.
1. There is a huge trade in which guns that are purchased in the USA (legally in our gun anarchy) and smuggled into Mexico are traded to the Mexican Drug Cartels for narcotics that are smuggled into the USA. Tightening the gun laws in the USA will disrupt one part of that trade. But that goes against the NRA. Cruz and Trump would not do that.
2. Lack of legal access to narcotics in the USA makes them more lucrative to the criminals and removes legal competition. I would not advocate just legalizing narcotics as has been done with marijuana in Colorado and what the NRA wants with guns throughout the USA. President Obama has recently promoted spending more money on treatment programs for drug abuse. This is a key part of combatting the problem. But I would go a step further. I would decriminalize the use of narcotics. I would suggest continuing to make selling narcotics by private entities and individuals illegal, but the US government should set up facilities that sell narcotics legally at a price that undercuts the cartel prices. All money collected from those facilities would go to fighting the drug problem in treatment centers and law enforcement. Make the narcotics dealers pay for their own demise.
But what do I know? I'm just a dog. What do you think?
Chloe

GUN BAN AT REPUBLICAN CONVENTION IN CLEVELAND

Hi Humans,
The state of Ohio allows open carrying of guns (dumb). I wonder if Kasich has something to do with that law or lack of law? And he represents himself to be the rational one?
However, Ohio at least allows private entities to ban guns on their own premises, and the Quicken Loans Arena where the Republican Convention will be held this year does not allow guns on its premises (smart).
A bunch of gun anarchists called The petition on Change.org, egged on by the NRA, are putting together a petition to force gun anarchy at the Convention (crazy).
Anyway, the Secret Service which has the job of providing protection, especially for the candidates, will not allow the humans in attendance other than Secret service and Law Enforcement to carry guns (of course). The RNC has deferred to the Secret Service (but mumbling about their devotion to the "Second Amendment"). Actually the ban on guns is a blessing for the RNC. They don't have to worry about hot headed Republicans with guns without taking responsibility for the decision.
Such complexities are unique to you humans. We dogs live simpler lives. We are not plagued with unnecessary ideology.
Chloe

THIS DOG LIKES HILLARY

Hi Humans,
Since dogs can not run or even vote in your human elections, I would like to remind you that of all the humans running in the Primaries, my favorite is Hillary Clinton. The two Republican front runners, besides being looney tunes crazy, have no good ideas. That is why they concentrate on goofy stuff like the size of their parts and the appearance of their wives. They both promote fear and xenophobia. Trump has brought to the surface an unfortunately large subset of unhappy humans who seek scapegoats on whom to blame their unhappiness. Cruz is a Trump with a smiley face. And those who call themselves "Conservatives" just allow themselves to be dragged along by the demagogues. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders promises more than he probably can deliver, and what he wants to deliver appeals to young humans who are looking for exciting new ideas without concern for how to get there. Hillary might  be boring, but a boring leader with pragmatic progressive goals is what the US needs. And since a little diabetic blogging dog like me can't be president, Hillary is the best you have. Politics is serious business. Go to the movies for excitement.
Chloe

DIABETES

Hi Humans,
I don't remember if I mentioned in any of my previous blog entries that some years ago I was diagnosed with diabetes. Dad noticed that I was drinking and peeing more then usual. So he took me to the veterinarian, and sure enough the problem was diabetes. Since then I have been on a strict diet of one cup of special diabetic dog food 2 times a day, and each meal followed by an injection of 6 units of insulin administered by Dad. I have gotten used to the routine. It usually doesn't hurt that much, and it is an opportunity for Dad and me to bond. He rubs my back and sings me a little song after each injection, so I kind of look forward to it. Anyway, that's what life is. You take what you get and make the most of it. And here I am, a middle age dog, still cute and frisky, blogging out what I (and Dad) believe.
Chloe

WHO IS THE SCARIEST?

Hi Humans,
The present Republican Primary Elections have brought out some scary humans. First there is Mr. Trump. He says some rather blatantly scary bigoted things. Whatever scary thought happens to fall into his head at the moment falls out of his mouth (like a person with Tourette Syndrome).  But since he doesn't tell the truth, you don't know if he really believes the stuff he says. There is a small chance that once elected he would abandon the garbage he has said (but then you never know). Then there is Mr. Cruz. In a way he is scarier. He puts on a nicer front, but he says many of the same scary things, and he seems to really believe them. But the scariest of all are those many humans who eat up those scary thoughts and actually believe them. We can only hope that they will be the minority at the polls. Otherwise this nation (and the world) are in deep doodoo.
Chloe

ANOTHER GUN TRAGEDY

Hi Humans,
Another hostage event involving a hostage taker with a gun unfolded today in Redlands, California. An idiot took his ex-girlfriend hostage threatening her with a gun. In the end he shot and wounded her. At that point the police shot and killed him. Guns should only be kept by the police and military who are trained to use them appropriately, not by every screwball with the money to buy them. But the gun anarchists don't care. More guns mean more money for the gun sellers.
Chloe

TERRORISTS WILL ULTIMATELY FAIL BECAUSE THEY ARE STUPID

Hi Humans,
There are among your species, humans called terrorists. Terrorists have been around for millennia, but nowadays the most prominent group are the radical Islamic terrorists. The various groups among them seem to compete with each other as to which can be the most evil. Individual humans among them blow themselves up with the aim of killing as many innocent humans as possible. All that any of us creatures have is life. And these terrorists want to steal life from others as well as throwing away their own. The terrorists who killed and maimed recently in Brussels did it in the name of their religion. But that is not religion! That is not belief in God! The purpose of belief in God is to give meaning to life, to consciousness. But those humans who blew themselves up in order to kill others along with themselves were stupid pawns sent out by villains who send others to kill and die in order to promote their political goals.
Reason will ultimately prevail because reason is the ultimate belief in God. The nonsense promoted by the terrorists will cause discomfort and tragedy to individuals, but in the grand scheme of history their nonsense will fail because it is nonsense. Even  a little dog like me can see that.
Chloe

CANDIDATES AND GUN ANARCHY

Hi Humans,
If you google the names of the 5 candidates running for president along with the word guns you can see where they stand on making sane gun laws in the USA. On the Republican side, Trump and Cruz are complete knee jerk gun anarchists parroting the Radical Right interpretation of the Second Amendment. Kasich is almost as bad (although to his credit he did vote at one time for a Federal ban on assault rifles). When he was asked for his opinion on Gun Control during his appearance on the View, Kasich changed the subject. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both favor better gun control laws. However Sanders does not pursue it with the same passion with which he opposes Wall Street. Hillary is the strongest on the issue. Sanders is a senator in a largely rural state where many of his constituents keep guns. If he is not elected president, he might want to go back to Vermont as a senator.
This little dog is for Hillary.
Chloe

EASY ANSWERS TO COMPLEX PROBLEMS

Hi Humans,

You know we dogs with our little brains like simple answers to our problems, but you humans with your big brains should be able to understand the complex problems which you create. However, many of you will only accept simple answers to your problems. I think the reason is not stupidity but rather laziness. After all you guys are endowed with such big brains. But your complex problems don’t necessarily have simple answers. In the current primary elections, you see young smart ideological people who like quick easy answers, swarm to Bernie Sanders, and say replace the big corporations and insurance companies to solve the problems. Then there are the Donnie Trump followers. They are similar in wanting quick easy answers, but differ in being older, more depressed, more angry, scary, and embracing bigotry. On the other hand the supporters of Hillary Clinton seek ideals that are not so different than those of the Bernie Sanders people, but accept reality with all its barnacles and move step by step forward giving themselves wiggle room to correct mistakes along the way. In a way this is how nature has progressed for billions of years ultimately producing you humans. There are some moderate Republicans who think similarly (like maybe Kasich) with a little twist to the right, but the Radical Right and the Trump worshippers have eaten most of them, leaving behind only a few morsels.

Chloe

WHO ARE THE TERRORISTS?

Hi Humans,
This guy Trump is inconsistent. He says we should not allow Moslem immigrants because he is afraid some of them might be terrorists. He claims he wants to fight ISIS, but he puts the American military at greater risk by insulting our allies in the places where our military are in harms way. Also, the number of Americans killed by Moslem terrorists in the USA pales compared to the number of Americans killed regularly by gun violence. Most of the killers in our gun epidemic have been Christians. If everyone who belongs to a religion that has spawned a killer needs to be thrown out, there wouldn't be many humans left. Maybe then we dogs could take over.
Chloe

WHO ARE THE REPUBLICANS AND WHO ARE THE DEMOCRATS?

Hi Humans,

So the front runners in the Primary elections so far are Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. If they turn out to be the nominees, America will have a clear choice between Hillary who brings maturity, pragmatism, sanity, civility, honesty, and fairness, a candidate who will build on the economic progress that has been growing over the past 7 years since President Obama saved capitalism from the financial disaster brought on by the Republicans. On the other hand, we have Donald Trump who has no concern for the truth and has tapped into a group of fearful, malcontented, angry bigots who have followed the Republican Party because of their hatred for President Obama, an intellectual African American with a foreign sounding name. Now they realize that the Republican Party has been using them without giving them anything in return. So now they are giving themselves to be used by a demagogue like Trump who plays to their bigotry and hatred without the Conservative crap. It says something about who are the Democrats and who are the Republicans. The bulk of the Democrats when given to choosing between a mature pragmatist and a well meaning Bernie with pie in the sky ideas, are choosing pragmatism. The Republicans are choosing demagoguery and throwing reason to the wind. Kasich, the one rational Republican candidate, has been left in the dust.

And you Humans think you are so smart!

Chloe

CRUZ OR TRUMP: IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

Hi Humans,
Cruz was interviewed on CNN today. He tried to paint President Obama as being like Trump, which is exactly the opposite of the truth. Some of you human politicians will say anything to get elected. Actually Cruz is a sugar coated Trump. Cruz is worse than Trump because he actually believes the stuff that falls out of his mouth. The only moderate Republican is Kasich, and you see how he is faring with the humans who vote Republican.
Chloe

Trump's Gullible Followers

Hi Humans,
Trump's words incite the worst behavior in his followers, and then complains when it is returned by others. His followers must be the most gullible of your species.
Chloe

I Am for Hillary

Hi Humans,
I can not vote because I am a dog, but if I were a human American and I could vote, I would vote for Hillary Clinton. The Republican candidates are either looney tunes crazy or pander to the crazies. Their debates make for fun television entertainment, but there is no substance there. Even a dog like me can see that.
Hillary and Bernie both have basically the same goals. Hillary wants to build on the progress that President Obama has accomplished in the past 7 years. The USA is not broken. It is better than ever. Bernie says he wants a "revolution." That implies that things are so bad that we need to start from scratch. Bernie's excitement can fire up his base. Hillary's pragmatism might seem boring to some, but boring is not so bad. The USA needs a leader who can make things work, as boring as that might seem. For excitement, let's leave that to soap operas and reality T.V.
Anyway, that's what this dog says, but what do I know. I'm just a dog.
Chloe

POLITICAL PRIMARIES

Hi Humans,

So what do you think of the primaries? You humans have this thing called politics. And at those primaries you can see the best and worst in human political behavior. The contrast is striking. The best is in the Democratic Party debates. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have different positions, and they debate those differing positions vigorously. But they don’t attack each other’s character. Whichever one wins the nomination will need the followers of the other to win the election, and they both know it. Now, it looks like Hillary will probably become the nominee, but Bernie’s strong showing has put a spotlight on his ideas and has demonstrated that many Americans agree with him.

On the other hand, the worst can be found in the Republican race. Their debates have centered on name calling and character assassinations. One gets the feeling that they really have nothing constructive to say. The one candidate who has stayed above the fray is Kasich, the guy from Ohio, and of the remaining candidates he has collected the least number of votes.

Like so many human endeavors, at your best you guys can really be the greatest of all the species, but at your worst you’re not nearly as sensible as us dogs.

Chloe