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

A Book Recommendation

Hi Humans,

I would like to recommend an interesting book, The Genius of Dogs, written by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods. Mr. Hare and Ms. Woods are husband and wife and both are at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University. The book discusses how dogs might be smarter than you humans think, the evolution of the relationship between humans and dogs as well as other domesticated animals, and how this might add to understanding the evolution of you humans. The book was first printed in 2013, but Dad just by chance found it in a used book store last week.

Some aspects of the book are particularly interesting in the light of recent world events and how some of the candidates in the present election primaries in the USA respond to those events. Essentially the books says that domesticated dogs evolved from wolves who were friendly toward humans, hung around humans, and thrived because of that friendship. On the other hand our cousins the wild wolves who have remained physically stronger than dogs are not thriving because of their fear and enmity toward non-wolves, particularly humans. There is a chapter in the book called “Survival of the Friendliest.” The domesticated species of animals (dogs, cats, etc.) and you humans yourselves have evolved into species that are smaller (even smaller heads), less physically strong, but nonetheless better at survival because of their ability to socialize and cooperate both within their species and with other species that can help them survive.

So what bearing does this have on world events and the candidates for president of the USA? Some candidates express the need for toughness, bellicosity, and xenophobia. They preach fear of the outside world. On the other hand other candidates prefer tempering toughness with cooperation, negotiation, and optimism. Following the logic of the Genius of Dogs, I would say that the latter are the most fit and best equipped to lead your species (and ours along with it) to ultimate survival.

Chloe