November Letters to Jim: Elections, Wars and Halloween Hangovers

Hopefully, this finds you suffering from two disorders; the aftermath of a post Halloween sugar high and the extreme effects of election fatigue. I say hopefully, because if you are not, you are probably brain dead.

A new month has arrived which means it is time to read what the readers have on their minds and what I have to say in response. If you do not like my replies, blame Bug. I am allowing him to hit my keyboard keys and see what auto correct ends up with. My guess is, it will be my best stuff ever.

Dear Jim,
As a retired teacher, how would you explain what has happened in this country with all of the divide? How did we go off the rails? I am deeply saddened by it all and have little hope for our future.
Despair

Dear Despair,
Our nation is much like an old television commercial that I would run again and change the voice over to, “This is your nation. This is your nation on Trump.”

Dear Jim,
How did our nation turn out this way?
Bewildered

Dear Bewildered,
Take a couple of generations of people and constantly barrage them with crap like reality TV and social media, age out civility and respect, and for good measure, eliminate the importance of learning about our history and government, and you end up with an opportunist charlatan who becomes a messiah to anyone who carries hate in their heart.
Then add a wealthy class that has been allowed to hoard more of a nation’s wealth than any group in the history of mankind, allow our leaders to provide service only to the rich, and create a mindset among voters that they can’t bring about change and we end up where we are.
On the bright side, we are about to be inundated with more worthless shit to purchase for the coming holiday season.

Dear Jim,
Who wins this thing?
Wondering

Dear Wondering,
The wealthy and the powerful. Look if you want me to tell you that our national system of governing still works, you are going to be disappointed. At best, it is tolerable and nothing more. When two parties fight over who tosses table scraps to their minions, we cease being anything close to a democracy. When men and women are appointed to cushy government positions and allowed to ride up the ranks for willingly doing the dirty work for the despicable, you get what we have.
Our current system rewards remaining silent and not having the backbone to do the right thing far more than it is built on the leadership of visionaries with a solid foundation of principals, respect, and a desire to continue what our founding fathers designed.
Both parties have allowed themselves to sink to the lowest depths of humanity and I do not see a future generation of leaders who won’t become just as intoxicated when they rise to power.
I hear Finland is a nice place to live.

Dear Jim,
What is the most annoying thing you currently put up with?
Curious

Dear Curious,
Well, I am beyond annoyed with my local healthcare. Postal is a better description in that department.
I am worn down by this election, and the two previous presidential elections, and lack the energy to be annoyed over the results.
My failing body, and mind for that matter, are too much for me to keep up with to just be annoyed. However, there is one small exception and that is with the effing band aid I place on my right Up Yours finger that is resulting in my inability to type a single word without making a spelling error.

Dear Jim,
Is a World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers good for baseball fans or would we be better off with small market teams meeting for the championship?
Baseball Fan

A Yankees vs Dodgers World Series is always a wonderful thing if you are a fan of either team. However, I can’t see any reason why anyone would watch any sporting event if neither team appealed to you.
As for MLB, it’s a good thing because you have two teams from the two largest cities in the nation squaring off. It results in far greater viewership than if the Arizona Diamondbacks were playing the Sacramento A’s.

Dear Jim,
If you were POTUS, how would you deal with Prime Minister Netanyahu over how he fights a war? Isn’t it safe to say you would not be any different than what Biden has, or hasn’t, done?
Calling You Out

My complaint with our government’s response to Netanyahu is in its hypocrisy or lack of consistency in policy. We abhor Putin when he kills innocent children but look the other way when it is done by Israel. While it is true Putin manufactured his war, let’s face it, the Israelis have never been saints in the manner in which they have treated the citizens, not the terrorists, of Gaza. Benny was itching for a fight and was given an excuse to do what he had always wanted to do.
The problem is, Israel knows it is impossible to gain the results they seek fighting a war in the manner we fought two after 9/11. You cannot crush an enemy who hides behind innocent human shields without killing the wrong folks. Americans now see wars as an extension of video games and not as a final resort in which we know lots of good people will die unless we want to drag out a war for decades at a gigantic financial cost.
This is why I do not consider myself a democrat any more than I am a republican. Leadership should be consistent and centered on doing what is right. In the case of Israel, it has never been close to consistent for as long as it has been a nation.
We also know Israel has a government lacking morals and would turn to Russia, China, and any other nation who offers to provide them with arms.
As for what I would do, I like to think I would have pressured Israel from the start for a much less random response. Israel is getting everything they dreamed of; the chance to expand a war against their worst enemies with the military support from a nation whose leaders lack a backbone.
It’s easier to control the behavior of a child if you begin from day one rather than allowing it to grow into an unchecked brat. Israel has become an unchecked brat and we now have a mess, and innocent blood, on our hands.

Dear Jim,
How has Halloween changed since your childhood?
Trick or Treat

Dear ToT,
I don’t see kids trick or treating for UNICEF anymore. My guess is all our spare change is handed over to the homeless. Handmade costumes have been replaced by over the top duds purchased at Halloween specialty stores. Pillowcases filled with candy with razor blades are now their own fashion accessory filled during daylight with God knows what from the back of someone’s car trunk in a church parking lot. Eggs and tomatoes are too expensive to throw at people’s houses and in their place people post hateful messages on social media. Children today are fatter and in less need of candy. When Halloween is over, it’s time to decorate for Christmas rather than waiting for Thanksgiving to come and go. Finally, the scariest Halloween costume contest is now called a typical day in Congress.

Dear Jim,
How much post-election violence do you see happening?
Worried

Dear Worried,
Somewhere between the riots following the Rodney King verdict and the social misunderstanding better known as January 6, 2021.

Dear Jim,
If Trump wins, how much revenge will he put his political enemies through?
Trump Hater

Dear Hater,
For my final prediction on this election, I will go back to something I wrote a year or two ago regarding what might happen if Trump wins. While I may have lost faith in the American voter and their horrific understanding of our nation’s history, I am keeping my faith in our Generals, CIA, Secret Service, FBI, and even ABC, NBC, and CBS. Someone from within the inner circle of power will get to Trump before his inauguration. He will be DOA and we will begin the Vance era.
If someone was on the grassy knoll in Dallas, then surely someone will slip a little poison into one of Trump’s happy meals or diet sodas.

Dear Jim,
Have you any advice to voters who end up feeling disappointed over the election results? It seems no matter who the president is, this nation is in for a rough few years.
In Need of Advice

Dear INOA,
About all I can say is that maybe it is time to stop pouring so much of yourself into the outcome of a presidential election and start placing that energy into your community. Someone once said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Perhaps this nation is better off if we focus on lifting up the people closest to us rather than becoming consumed with what a bunch of ass hats are doing on a national level.
Your local politics affect you more than the drama that plays out on the national scene. Your local city council will pass laws and ordinances that will hit you every day far more than anything any national politician will say or do in most cases.
Rather than looking at our nation from the outside levels (National politics), think in terms of what you have a greater influence on. Local races do matter as do county and state politics. Fix or protect the community you reside in first and then work your way out toward bigger politics.
Like so much of what we end up doing, we focus on the peak more than we do the base. Like it or not, most of us live at the bottom of the mountain. We may not be able to eliminate the occasional avalanche of hate and ineptitude that will slide down from the top, but we can do a better job of protecting ourselves when it happens.

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EDITOR’S NOTE:  The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2024 World Series, defeating the New York Yankees 4 games to 1. Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman was named the World Series MVP, hitting .300 or higher in all five games. In Game 1 Freeman hit the first ever walk-off grand slam in World Series history.