A Dangerous Road

This is not so much a pro-democrat blog post as much as it is an anti-Trump post.  Clearly it would be preferable to have nearly anyone in the presidency other than Trump.  The problem lies with the split in the GOP.  Earlier I mentioned Sanders having one of the 7 potential votes.  Lets assume for a second any other third party candidate taking the place of Sanders.  The same catastrophic result would occur.  Any vote against Clinton is a vote FOR Trump.  Let that sink in for a minute.  

I am not a fan of the political process any more than the next guy.  As I see it, we have 3 folks vying for the attention of the nation.  It is a very dangerous game that is being played.  For the sake of visualization, let us assume there are only 7 votes available.  Of those 7, three are republican and 4 are democrat.  In a 2 person race, this would likely be a best case scenario.  In a 3 person race, this is catastrophic.  As I see it right now, Trump has 3 votes, Clinton has 3, and Sanders has 1.  This cannot be allowed to continue.  The possibility of a Trump presidency has me terrified and I am not alone.

Let us take a look at the results of a possible Trump presidency.  In the first place, he has taken a very hard edge on (illegal or Muslim) immigration.  Playing into the worldwide anti-Muslim crusade has made Middle Eastern countries (and even some in Europe) rally against our already strained relations in the world.  (http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/11/politics/donald-trump-world-allies-turn-on-candidate/ )  He has proposed building a wall between the US and Mexico and making Mexico pay for it ( http://www.forbes.com/sites/doliaestevez/2016/05/05/the-possibility-of-donald-trump-becoming-president-alarms-mexico/#3ff569ca38c1 ) and rescinding of NAFTA which could cause monetary inflation worldwide.  Ok so now that more than half the world hates us and money is worth nothing, what else could happen?  The potential for social uprising or unrest is a very real possibility.  Many in the GOP do not like him and have gone so far as to burn their voter registration cards in defiance.  ( http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-36205223 ) 

I am a Dem through and through.  I would vote for Sanders just as readily as Clinton in a general election.  This election is far from being a slam dunk for anyone, but it is clear that if the GOP stays divided, Trump will be President.  If the Dems stay divided, Trump will be President.  If a third party candidate comes out, Trump will be President.  The only way for us to avoid a Trump-tastrophy is getting behind the party candidate of your choice.  Take a stand and be counted.

perspective

Today I read a friend's post which was a petition to stop consumption of dog meat in Yulin, China.  After thinking about it, I decided to challenge the petition, after all, we as Americans consume millions of tons of beef annually and really what is the difference?  Before I go too much further, let me clarify that I do not advocate killing or eating dogs, cats, or any other animal (as I slowly digest that meatloaf I had for supper).  I feel like we have gone too far in judging other cultures based on our own moral compass.
If we look at animals from the viewpoint of the farmer, it is very hard to see any difference.  For centuries, animals have been raised with eating their flesh, in mind.  Cows, Pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, geese, turkeys, etc. are all farmed for their meat, even today.  Why is it so morally reprehensible for dogs and cats to be included in that menagerie?  Where is the line?