| Guest opinion
My mother taught me not to believe everything on TV. This advice from simpler times is still relevant and extends to today’s technology. There are voices misleading voters with scandalous claims that are intended to divert our attention from political issues and decisions important for our state and nation. When a candidate for office relies on “they” or “people say” or “television reported” sources, then we really have to ask ourselves whether his claims are accurate or just convenient lies.
Does a candidate for North Carolina governor really believe that a woman who is pregnant as a result of rape should be denied health care because she can’t keep her skirt down?
Can we entrust our children’s education to a candidate who claims that Hollywood stars drink children’s blood and that our schools are “indoctrination centers”?
Should we respect a candidate who claims that the award he gives to his donors is better than the Medal of Honor given to “soldiers… hit so many times by bullets or dead?”
Should we trust candidates who claim that Haitian immigrants are eating our animals when local authorities say this is nonsense? Can we support a vice presidential candidate who says it’s okay to lie about this to get attention? Do millions of rapists, thieves and murderers released from foreign prisons choose to walk hundreds of miles to commit crimes here rather than take the easy route back to crime where they are? Are street gangs, as agents of the Venezuelan government, taking over cities in Ohio and Colorado, and are their “massive machine gun-like equipment… beyond even military range?”
Are Jewish space lasers starting fires and is Helene causing destruction because “they” control the weather? Trump claimed that most of FEMA’s aid to Helene was directed to undocumented immigrants, that redistricting in Republican areas was limited as a result of the relief, that their governors were ignored, and that North Carolina had no helicopter or other rescue efforts, but Georgia Gov. Kemp describes a “wonderful relations,” Biden called a day earlier, and South Carolina Gov. McMaster said the federal response had been “wonderful.” We can all hear the drone of helicopters overhead, helping to rescue hundreds of people, from heavy equipment to mule trains in 53 search and rescue teams, including 1,600 personnel.
Steve Bannon said that to thwart rational discussion of issues, he would “flood the zone (with feces).” He believes he can hide conscious decisions by forcing us to sift through madness. Our population can think with enough clarity to avoid his manipulation. So even as our adversaries revel in the chaos, we have the opportunity to right the ship.
Despite Bannon’s bloated approach, there are voices worthy of our respect and attention. These voices have nothing to gain except the health of our country. Some speak directly; others write books or join collective letters to the American public. These include retired general officers and admirals, former members of the Trump White House staff, respected conservative Republican judges and senators, a Republican vice president, a former GOP presidential candidate, ambassadors, former secretaries of state, defense and homeland security, former secretaries of the Air Force, Army and Navy, retired CIA and DIA directors, and many others.
Literally hundreds of well-informed voices directly involved in our government and security community have delivered a consistent message that Donald Trump has no place in office. Even the only living former Republican president won’t support him.
Let’s ignore Bannon’s “flood” and look at the record. What about the Republican-led, bipartisan immigration reform bill that Trump killed simply because of his ambition, or Trump’s budgets that cut taxes on the wealthy while increasing our national debt by 25%; increasing interest payments to an amount exceeding the defense budget. Consider the first brutal attack on our capital since 1812, defense secrets kept in a bathroom and used as a conversation starter, or death as a result of Trump’s botched response to Covid-19 and the resulting financial hardships.
As North Carolinians vote for our next governor, congressional and state House representatives, superintendent of public education and president of the United States, let’s hear from hundreds of well-informed voices. Let’s defeat candidates who talk about being crazy or brag about groping women, have six corporate bankruptcies, hide sex with porn stars, call soldiers “suckers” and “losers”, have been convicted of crimes, indicted on multiple counts and liable in civil cases
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Robert Taylor is retiring from Weaverville after 42 years as an engineer and program manager in the defense industry.
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