Which way to go?

History informs us that when a nation or ideal or mass movement begins a downhill slide, it reach a point where it has to bottom out before the people rise up to change it.  This basic premise has been repeated over and over.  The Roman Empire had to reach it's nadir before the Renaissance could begin, for example.  The British Empire had to reach the height of arrogance and abusiveness before the colonies would rise up against it, beginning with the American Revolution. 

Each of those falls took a couple hundred years to fully materialize. The much more recent Filipino "peaceful revolution" that derailed the corrupt regime of President Ferdinand Marcos was something of an anomaly in that it took place, not after centuries, but a couple decades. But now we're in the Information Age, fueled by the Internet and the global economy.  Awareness of events in one part of the world moves quickly to nearly every corner of the Earth.  People everywhere can now see what's happening almost as it occurs. 

And here in the USA, the Industrial Age gave way to the Information Age, not by natural progression, but by political manipulation that saw our manufacturing base moved to other countries as part of a power agenda to break trade unions and dumb down education so that the people would not be aware en masse that they were being shafted by the very people who employed them as well as the ones who were supposed to represent them in the halls of government.

With the rapid movement of knowledge of events now taking place, peaceful revolution becomes more possible in some places.  And with more and more people awakening to progressive possibilities, we might yet avoid the long rebuilding that occurs after mass violent rebellions.  Much depends on how many people wake up and participate in the peaceful revolution, and what positions they assume during the rebuilding. 

But one thing seems inevitable.  That is that before this peaceful revolution can be successful, more people must be forced to accept that change is not only necessary, but inevitable.  The means of that force could very well need to be, here in America, the election of a right-wing megalomaniac such a Donald Trump or Ted Cruz.  It's a frightening, unpalatable concept, I know; but it may and probably will have the effect of convincing people that we must come together in order to create the change necessary to the furtherance of our nation toward the uplifting of human existence instead of the seeking after power and wealth for it's own sake or for our own selfish satisfaction.

Should such a person become President, it is likely that it will be for only one term, or less, should the person be impeached.  And the people will be the force behind that change, as they see the need to progress rather than regress.  

© 2016 Donald C. Rice Jr.

Trump This!

I read a rather humorous rumor today that Donald Trump wants to have some entertainment at the Republican National Convention, where he hopes (probably accurately) to be crowned that Party's nominee for President.  One person commented the idea of a bear riding a bicycle.  Another thought it should be juggling because of Trump's alleged "small hands".  Those are small-time circus acts, and Trump is anything but small time.  At least in his own bloated-ego mind anyway.

I think he'd have a reality-show theme, since he has experience in that realm.  I visualize a couple professional mimicking his rivals for the Presidency.  You know, Rubio, Clinton, Cruz, Sanders and Kasich.

It'll be billed as "Presidential Apprentice".

He's seated at the head of a conference table.  They're all standing before And he looks at each one and yells, "You're fired!"

Yeah, that's what I think The Donnie will do if that rumor is true.

 © 2016 Donald C. Rice Jr.