Hillary bashing: What others will say and do

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Before I get mislabeled by Hillary fans, let me point some things out. First off, I can hate a person named Hillary Clinton and still be someone who does not hate women. Hillary Clinton is not all women so take the M word and use it on someone else.

Now, for those who will argue the 22 emails in question were not classified as top secret until after she received them, it doesn’t matter. Clinton, and all others in the State Department, are not supposed to use a private server for their government work. It’s in the paper work they sign off on when they take the job as well as when they leave it. Doing so is violating the law. At her level, she should have assumed anything she sent or opened had the potential of becoming classified top secret.

Ignorance is not an excuse. I find it hard that someone who is as intelligent and well read on the law as Hillary is relies on ignorance as an excuse. It doesn’t work when I tell a cop I did not know I was driving 22 miles over the speed limit and it should not work when she tells the American public she did not know there were 22 emails that are now classified top secret.

Convenience is also not an excuse. I’m sorry, but it is not expecting too much of our Secretary of State to 1) follow the law, and 2) to put our security before her convenience. It is already generally assumed the Russians, Chinese, and probably North Koreans have hacked her server, but that’s okay, just so long as she was not put out and made to follow protocol.

So now the question is, can Hillary Clinton be trusted to follow the law if she becomes POTUS? Based on her shady past prior to becoming Secretary of State, it was already a major issue for her. Now that she has worked so hard to not come clean about her email scandal, one would think she cannot be trusted at all. Add in her and Bill’s questionable dealings with their foundation, her acceptance of six figure speaking fees from foreign heads of state, corporations, and major universities, I cannot help but think her actions speak much louder than her promises to the voter.

But then, I am the first to admit, I have never liked Hillary Clinton the person, let alone the politician. She has spent the last quarter of a century only thinking, saying, and doing everything she has done based on one goal: becoming POTUS. Her ambition has created a person blind to her own contradictions, paranoid to no end, and all too quick to blame others (the media, the far right, men, to name just a few) for actions she really believes were not only well within her right, but ones she should never be held accountable for.

So where does all of this leave us? Chances are, right back to square one. You see, one thing we all know about Hillary Clinton, whether you like her or loathe her: she is a polarizing figure. The recent news about her emails will do nothing to change this. There are no more political make overs that will make the voter see her as a more likable or trustworthy candidate. The only thing she has going for her is the hope enough see her as less despicable than either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. Being the lesser of three evils is not exactly what this nation needs from its next leader. In fact, voters should insist on better than this.

However, this is a new America; one where there is no simple app that will solve our nation’s ills. It is a nation where far too many complain without possessing the real inner strength or work ethic required to bring about real change. Imagine if our Founding Fathers and rebels had the same qualities.There never would have been a Boston Tea Party let alone a revolution.

If we really want real change and if we are really tired of the privileges afforded the one percenters like the Clintons, we would take to the streets and protest. We would demand Hillary be held accountable for her screw ups. Instead, we have more important matters like finding the right beer and appetizers for Sunday’s Super Bowl.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Since this was written, it has been revealed former Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as staffers for former Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice, kept State Department emails on private, non-government servers. Powell called this issue “absurd.”

Top photo: Hillary Clinton from the MSNBC New Hampshire Debate Thursday Evening. (YouTube)

James Moore

Jim is a life long resident of California and retired school teacher with 30 years in public education. Jim earned his BA in History from CSU Chico in 1981 and his MA in Education from Azusa Pacific University in 1994. He is also the author of Teaching The Teacher: Lessons Learned From Teaching. Jim considers himself an equal opportunity pain in the ass to any political party, group, or individual who looks to profit off of hypocrisy. When he is not pointing out the conflicting words and actions of our leaders, the NFL commissioner, or humans in general, he can be found riding his bike for hours on end while pondering his next article. Jim recently moved to Camarillo, CA after being convinced to join the witness protection program.