Let’s Be Honest About ICE

 

How about we stop pretending and be honest about Immigration. And those who are tasked with enforcing immigration law. For the slow folks, or the Liberals who just refuse to face facts, ICE is federal law enforcement. Law Enforcement. They’re not military, they’re not soldiers, and they’re not the White House’s special army. They’re law enforcement. And they are enforcing this country’s laws, whether you agree with those laws or not.

So, let’s be honest. If you are protesting ICE… If you are attacking ICE agents... If you are actively and intentionally interfering with their efforts to do their jobs… Then you are choosing to side with the criminals. You are choosing to support Crime over safety. You are choosing to support Non-citizens over American citizens. And if you believe that you are in the right? Well, you’re not.

Let’s consider the Left’s arguments. They say ICE agents are heavily armed and operate as military. They cover their faces with masks. They raid homes and businesses like SWAT teams. They’re going after innocent people who have lived and worked in the community for years. They’re frightening innocent children.

Let’s be honest. They’re doing the best they can, while judges, and politicians, and paid protesters are actively standing in their way. In a perfect world, things might be very different.

ICE agents could show up in suits and ties and knock on doors. They could politely inform non-citizens that they are in violation of the country’s immigration laws. They could hand out pamphlets and brochures explaining the process of self-deportation and information about how to enter the country legally and how to gain citizenship. They could smile and be friendly and the whole encounter could be very pleasant. In a perfect world.

But again, let’s be honest. Do you really believe that those “innocent, hard-working, undocumented” neighbors of yours don’t know their citizenship status? They know. And they choose to stay despite knowing they don’t have the legal status to remain. And those truly innocent children who may not know or understand? Who put them in that situation? Their parents did. And those murderers and rapists and drug dealers and sex traffickers who entered through the last administration’s wide open borders? Should we politely knock on their doors and ask them nicely to leave? How effective would that be?

So, let’s be honest. ICE agents dress for the job they’re doing. It’s a dangerous one. And that’s without even considering the stupid, liberal American citizens who are throwing things at them, shooting at them, using vehicles to block them in, and setting fire to the federal buildings they work in. And they wear masks to hide their identities from the Liberals who would gleefully dox them in a minute and endanger their families and their children from the crazy Leftists who still daily advocate violence.

I’m a Christian and I do have compassion for people. And I do believe there are some people who are actually legitimately seeking asylum and trying to escape oppression in their home countries. (And there is a legal process for those people that must be followed.) But those non-citizens are not the priority for ICE. And the Libs know that. But let’s be honest. The reality is, it’s an ugly situation created by the policies of the Liberal Left, and it will take an ugly process to fix the problem. And one of the main reasons the process is so ugly, is that law enforcement is under attack by the very citizens they are trying to protect.

Every day, I see videos online of ICE agents in physical confrontations with protesters. Liberals are appalled! Conservatives are laughing hysterically. FAFO. (I’m not really a big fan of that expression, because of the vulgarity, but the concept is sound.) Again, these are law enforcement agents! How many of those same Liberals would attack a police officer who was in the middle of trying to stop a robbery or rape or murder? Or actively get between the officer and the suspect? And if they did, why would anyone be surprised if the officer forcibly got that idiot out of the way as quickly as possible? 

Let’s be honest. Illegal aliens, undocumented, whatever you want to call them. They are violating the laws of the country. And honestly, you can’t have a country without laws or without borders. It just doesn’t work that way.

No Respect

 

As a high school teacher, I was usually called upon at least once every other year or so, to expound upon the concept of respect. Generally, I found students (in the 80’s and 90’s) to be respectful of their teachers, but there were always a few students who were bound and determined to challenge any and all figures of authority, and those were the ones needing that extra instruction.

I believed, then and now, there were two aspects that needed to be explained. The first is the concept of respect for authority. Despite your personal feelings for the individual, a person in a position of authority over you is due at least a minimal degree of respect. As I told many a class of students, my class, my rules. As the teacher, I had been given by the school administration a level of control that was not to be questioned. I was the boss and they had to understand that within limits, I had the authority to tell them what to do. They didn’t have to like it, but they had to deal with it.

The second aspect concerned the difference between respect and disrespect. Many a difficult child heard this lecture from me. Basically, even if you have no respect for me whatsoever, you do not have the right to be disrespectful to me. Think or feel about me any way you like, but don’t act or speak in a way that overtly communicates those thoughts or feelings. In return, I always assured my students that I would always treat them with the respect they deserved as learners and I would never address them in a disrespectful manner.

I say all this to say that in our society today, there are an awful lot of people who need to receive this lecture! And they need to be reminded that, like it or not, Donald Trump is the President and he deserves, at the very least, the level of respect due the position.

Now, before you give me a lecture on the First Amendment and the right to free speech, let me finish. Any individual who wants to show up at a Soros-funded protest and insult the President with profanity-filled hatred most certainly has the right to do so. And members of the media, celebrities, and even elected officials have the same right. But just like those students of mine from years ago, there are consequences when you choose to break or bend the rules of respect.

Let me say up front, I am not a fan of Cancel Culture. But I am a huge fan of accountability and sometimes those natural consequences hurt. People have lost jobs, businesses have lost money, celebrities have lost fanbases. If you choose to act out or speak out publicly and your opinions are not popular or shared by others, there will be consequences. Or in the case of elected officials, there should be. At least, I believe so.

I have written previously about Representation. (A Writer's Life: Who Represents You? Our Government in Action) I truly believe that at every level of government, it is important that we elect people who share our values and actually represent us. I think there are too many politicians (Democrats and Republicans both) who are not really representing the people who elected them. Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

The mainstream media still criticizes the President every chance they get.  (Mainstream Media Bias Against Trump Persists Six Months Into Second Term - VOR News) Celebrities constantly make headlines with their comments about President Trump. (Celebs Who Can't Stand Donald Trump) But most shockingly, to me anyway, are the elected officials who cannot manage to contain their hatred for our President. Most recently, Texas representative Jasmine Crockett. (Far-left Rep. Jasmine Crockett calls Trump a ‘piece of s--t’  in latest rant against the president) Before that Congresswoman Talib. (https://news.yahoo.com/us-congresswoman-tells-crowd-going-impeach-motherf-donald-trump-090925946.html) And those are just two of the most outrageous examples. When will we do something about these people? I know, there are actions that can be taken against elected officials when they commit such blatant and irresponsible actions. Why aren’t we doing anything? At the very least, shouldn’t these people face censure? (https://www.southwestjournal.com/news/what-does-it-mean-to-censure-a-congressman/)

If we refuse to address this stuff, it’s only going to get worse. Consider the recent hearing with RKF Jr. Or any of the confirmation hearings of almost any of Trump’s cabinet members. Democrats scream and call names and basically verbally attack without the slightest bit of shame. It’s embarrassing. When we will learn? And when will the Dems learn to stop fighting against their own country? Abraham Lincoln expressed it well in 1858. “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” I guess we still haven’t figured that one out.

And in view of yesterday’s tragic news about Charlie Kirk, when will Democrats take responsibility for the results of their rhetoric? The party of “tolerance” has once again chosen violence. We shouldn’t be surprised. The hatred they so openly express on a daily basis, will always lead to action. And it’s time we held someone accountable.

This Week’s Theme is Crazy

 

Just some random thoughts.

Congrats to American Eagle on a fairly creative ad! Love the wordplay, and of course, Sydney Sweeney is gorgeous. To the Libs out there, what the hell is wrong with you people? Do you just have to see Nazis everywhere you look? Does every single thing you see, or hear, or read have to be seen through your crazy eyes? Do you just have to find a reason to hate every white person on the planet?

***

Speaking of crazy, Texas Democrats? It’s bad enough when these so-called Representatives ignore their constituents and spend all their time defending non-citizens, but to just run away and completely refuse to do the job you were elected to do? Sorry, but gerrymandering has been going on for centuries and blue states are just as guilty of the practice (if not more so). Are Democrats the ultimate sore losers? Yes!

***

So, the WNBA is in the news again for all the wrong reasons. Green dildos, huh? As a former girls’ basketball coach, I really do want to see the league succeed, but the players need to be realistic. (Just like crazy Megan Rapinoe and all the money demands from the soccer players a few years back.) The reality is that if your sport (business) doesn’t make money, your players don’t get million dollar contracts. And you can look at the men’s leagues and be jealous, but again, reality, they are bringing in tons of money and you aren’t. The WNBA should be grateful for the NBA for funding their league and be glad to have the opportunity to play professionally at all.

***

Can I just say I love Tulsi Gabbard! She is certainly driving the Libs crazy. When we do at some point elect the first woman President, I would definitely vote for her. She would be great.

***

Circling back to the beginning, American Eagle has supposedly already announced their plans for a whole series of ads featuring models of a variety of races and nationalities. Blue jeans, blue eyes. Made perfect sense to start with a white girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Only the Libtards were crazy enough to immediately jump to Nazis and eugenics. Nothing new with advertisers using pretty women to sell stuff. And just for the record, any red-blooded male can tell you that beautiful women come in all colors.

Is It Time to Cancel Obama?

 

I have Liberal Democrat friends who still love Barack Obama. They consider him to be one of our nation’s greatest, and they love to parrot his claim of having led a scandal-free administration. LOL! I find that hilarious! Check out my list of top ten presidential lies which features several mentions of the former President. (https://rdperryauthor.blogspot.com/2019/03/top-ten-presidential-lies-of-all-time.html) Or read an earlier article about the shady dealings of President Obama and his actions toward Donald Trump. (https://rdperryauthor.blogspot.com/2020/05/obamagate-watergate-on-steroids.html)

Honestly, at this point, I don’t care how much you love the man, if a sitting US President intentionally acts to sabotage an incoming administration, that is just evil. And treasonous.

Let’s be real. According to DNI Tulsi Gabbard, the evidence is clear. And damning. And to answer the question that the Liberals and the Democrats always ask about targeting political opponents, it was you who started all this. Which former US President was the first to be openly targeted by his political opponents? Donald Trump. So, yes, you started this!

Okay, to be fair, suppose we give President Obama the benefit of the doubt. Maybe what he did was not all that bad. That’s what his supporters want you to believe. They want you to think that it is no worse than the kind of shenanigans politicians have been pulling for centuries. There are two big problems with that.

Number One is the issue of timing. If we’re talking about what happened during the election cycle, you can try to say that it was the same old dirty politics and mudslinging that occurs in every election. As much as I dislike Hillary Clinton, that excuse makes sense for her. She was trying to win an election and she accused her opponent of every sin she could imagine, true or not. And she paid good money to have the Steele dossier created. (Now, as President, Obama should not necessarily have been involved in trashing Clinton’s opponent, but I’m sure his supporters will just claim he was helping his Party and the Democratic candidate.)

BUT … Once Trump had won the election, as the President-Elect, he deserved what the Democrats loudly demand for themselves, a “peaceful transfer of power.” Instead, what Trump received was a continuing barrage of accusations from the sitting President! A President who knew without a doubt that the accusations were totally and completely false. And why? To effectively cripple the new administration and hamper their efforts to implement their agenda.

Again, if you carry out a deliberate campaign to sabotage the President-Elect, that is more than just dirty politics. It’s treason.

Problem Number Two is the method and the people involved. This is not something carried out by the Campaign Staff or the Democratic National Committee. This is the President of the United States ordering the FBI, the CIA, and the DOJ, to carry out this attack! Think about that for a moment. The President using the full power of the federal government to cripple, not an opponent, but the next President of the United States! Unbelievable!

And here is the worst part. The evidence is clear that they all knew it wasn’t true. When the intel reports said Trump had no ties to Russia, they threw them out and invented their own reports. And for the next four years, and beyond, they continued to lie to the American public over and over again. And waste $40 million taxpayer dollars on a Special Counsel investigation. And when the man had the nerve to try and run for President again in 2024, they pushed the same old lies yet again.

So, what do we do now? If Presidential Immunity covers treasonous acts, I guess, we can’t do anything to punish him for his alleged crimes. But there needs to be accountability and the lies have to stop. And the biggest lie of all? That Barack Obama is who his supporters say he is. He needs to be out of Washington and out of power and control. The truth is that he is a traitor to his country and that should be his legacy. So, to use the methods of the Liberals and Democrats, yes, it’s time to cancel him!

Attack of the Pop Tart

After 68 years on planet Earth, I finally suffered my first (and hopefully last) Pop Tart injury! I blame myself for being careless, but I also have to share some blame with my wife and HER two cats. Currently, I’m not really claiming either of them as my own.

So, here’s what happened. Because she had to go in for bloodwork, the wife was supposed to be fasting. She forgot and when I came into the kitchen, she had a Pop Tart already in the toaster. Fortunately, her alert husband pointed out her error! When I asked if she had heated it, she said no (or at least that’s what I heard). I pushed it down prepared to help her out, because you know, once you’ve unwrapped a Pop Tart, somebody’s got to eat it. Right?

Now, the toaster is set on 2. Always. Why the dial goes all the way up to 11 is beyond me. (It really only goes up to 7, but that one was for all the Spinal Tap fans out there.) Because Cat #1 was camped out in front of the toaster, I failed to notice that the wife had turned the dial to somewhere between 3 or 4. Cat #2 was already strategically staking out a spot directly between my feet, poised to trip me at a moment’s notice.

Now, just a quick safety tip. A Pop Tart that survives two cycles in the toaster will pop up at around 1000 degrees and no matter how close you are holding the plate to the Pop Tart, when you pick it up with your bare fingers, you WILL drop it. Pretty much immediately.

Anyway, back to the story. So, after one bounce on the counter, the evil Pop Tart headed for the floor, where it landed on the tail of Cat #2. (Cat #1, obviously bored out of his mind, moved not an inch.) Foolishly, I used my already burnt fingers to reach for the Pop Tart and rescue the tail of Cat #2 who reacted to my panic by jumping away as fast as possible. The Pop Tart flipped over, cracked open, and spilled a huge glob of the Strawberry filling onto the top of my foot. The filling of course being liquid was about 2000 degrees.

Did I mention, I was barefoot and at this point in great pain and distress? Cat #1, still bored, looked at me like I was nuts, as I tried to reach a napkin, paper towel, dishcloth, or anything else that I could use to wipe the lava off my foot. If any such help was available, it was probably under him, so I used my previously burnt finger while attempting the balance and flexibility test of trying to get my foot into the sink and under some cold water. The wife looked on without comment. Probably a wise decision.

In all seriousness, I ended up with a quarter (okay, maybe a nickel) sized burn that really hurts. Nice blister with deep red edges! And of course, new respect for Pop Tarts and their ability to inflict injury to those who are careless in the kitchen! I’ll live. Anyway, thanks for reading! Be safe and let me know if you’ve ever been attacked by a breakfast food. I’m sure there are some good stories out there.

 

The Ugly Truth About Liberals

 

They hate America. That’s it. That’s all.

Okay, so you want more? Let’s start with the obvious. They absolutely, passionately hate the President. The man who proclaims his greatest desire is to “Make America Great Again” and who makes decisions based on putting “America First.” Of course, they want you to believe that they hate him because of his personality. He’s a rapist. He’s a racist. He’s a felon. He’s a dictator. He’s Hitler! He’s an existential threat to democracy, for God’s sake!

The truth is that it’s not about the man or his character. They hate him because they hate his policies and his politics. Because he loves America, and they don’t. And because they control the mainstream media, they will spend the next four years doing everything they can to tear him down. They will spin every single word or action to make you believe he is horrible. And by extension, every single person who supports him or his policies. The old basket of deplorables.

But again, it's not really about Trump. The best and most current example is the recent press conference with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Conservatives and Republicans were proud to see our President stand up to the man who has taken billions of our taxpayer dollars and apparently thinks he somehow deserves even more. He was supposed to arrive to sign an agreement that had already been negotiated, speak briefly to the press, eat lunch, and go home with a real chance to finally end his war with Russia. Instead, he was disrespectful, confrontational, and left without signing the deal he had previously agreed to endorse. Or at least that’s how Trump supporters saw it.

Liberals and Democrats watched the exact same footage and announced that President Trump and Vice President Vance had bullied and disrespected Zelenskyy! Perfect example of how the Liberals think. Do you support your own country’s President? Or do you side with the foreign leader who comes to the White House expecting more money to continue a war we are trying to help him end? Forget personalities. Which one of these two men is trying to do what is in the best interest of America?

Just yesterday, Republican senators presented a bill that would ban biological men from participating in women’s sports in K-12 schools and colleges that receive federal funding. EVERY SINGLE Democrat voted against the bill! This, despite the fact that a New York Times poll “released in January found a whopping 79% of U.S. adults opposed allowing transgender athletes in female sports, including 67% of Democrats and 64% of independents.” (https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/mar/3/senate-democrats-block-gop-bill-keep-male-born-athletes-female-sports/)

Consider DOGE. (As I did in a previous blog. https://rdperryauthor.blogspot.com/2025/02/in-defense-of-doge.html) Do we cut spending and reduce the size of the federal government? Do we eliminate fraud and wasteful spending? Or do we criticize the people rooting out the abuse and side with the politicians who are making themselves rich off the money taken from average Americans? The Liberals routinely choose to spend billions on foreign aid. These politicians are more than willing to spend taxpayer money on pet projects in other countries rather than on American citizens. And if some of that money ends up in their own accounts, that’s okay with them.

Let’s talk immigration. Who do the Liberals side with? Non-citizens. Every single time. FEMA money? Not enough money to help out American citizens who face tragic storms, because we’ve moved those funds. Liberals have no problem using that money to fly non-citizens around the country. That’s only one specific example. There are hundreds. Sanctuary cities? State and city officials blatantly refusing to enforce federal laws and refusing to cooperate with ICE? How about AOC (and others) working diligently to help “undocumented” immigrants avoid federal officials and stay in the country illegally? And back to the money again. Liberals are perfectly okay with spending millions to provide food, housing, and all kinds of “benefits” to non-citizens, while conveniently ignoring the growing numbers of homeless Americans.

Abortion? Liberals want federal laws to guarantee abortion on demand right up until the moment of birth (or even beyond). They’re willing to pack the Supreme Court if that’s what it takes, and they honestly don’t care what the majority of Americans believe. Climate change? To the Liberals anything “Green” is more important than our country’s energy needs. Look at the amount of damage inflicted on the oil and gas industries by the previous administration. Why? Because the Liberals care more about their agenda than about the country. “America Last” while we curry favor with foreign countries. LBGQT, etc? Liberals want to force their beliefs on the rest of us. Whether it involves “men” in women’s restrooms, or competing against them in athletics, Liberals want their way. DEI? The same. Liberals don’t want you to hire the best. They only care about you hiring the most politically correct.

I could go on, but I would just be repeating myself. Whatever the issue, the Liberals will be on the wrong side. At least, if you’re considering the idea of loyalty to one’s own country. Don’t be fooled by the personal attacks on President Trump. It’s not about him. It’s about America. And the ugly truth about Liberals? They don’t believe in being Americans first. They don’t love their country. If they did, they wouldn’t consistently choose the side that benefits others ahead of the majority of American citizens.

In Defense of DOGE

 

Yes, in fact, I did vote for that! And so did millions of others! While running for office, President Trump said what he would do if elected, and so far, he has begun doing those very things!

It’s a sad thought that in our society, the concept of a campaign “promise” is an absolute joke. Politics is such a dirty business that the very idea is ludicrous. Was anyone surprised when in the midst of our most recent presidential campaign, Bernie Sanders openly approved of Kamala Harris’ constant flip flopping on the issues, advising her to say whatever it took to get elected? The vast majority of Liberals, Democrats, and the mainstream media agreed wholeheartedly. Who cares if the promises are nothing more than empty lies? Of course, Harris offered few campaign promises herself, preferring to instead tell us over and over what her opponent would supposedly do if he became President. Trump talked more about himself and his plans to “Make America Great Again.”

And what did candidate Trump say he would do? Pretty much exactly what we have seen in the last month! On the campaign trail, he freely offered up plenty of details. He named his choices for federal department heads and cabinet positions, he listed departments and agencies he planned to eliminate, and he repeatedly mentioned the Department of Government Efficiency which Elon Musk would run. So yes, people who voted for Trump knew exactly what they were voting for!

I have written previously about my reluctance to use the word stupid, but sometimes, you just have to speak the truth. Elon Musk and DOGE have very quickly uncovered massive amounts of waste and fraud. With the money WE have paid in taxes! And when Liberals, and Democrats, and MSM are even angrier about the messenger (and his methods) than the message? Well, that’s just stupid!

Hate Trump all you want. Hate Elon for having more money than the rest of us, if that makes you happy. But when billions of taxpayer dollars are being wasted (or stolen by crooked bureaucrats), stop crying and act like you have some sense. We are trillions of dollars in debt! We can’t afford to send money across the globe to fund silly, ridiculous projects advancing wild and crazy left-wing ideologies! And that, of course, assumes that the money actually gets to those people and places. More and more, it seems, a lot of that money ends up in the pockets of politicians (from our country and theirs!)

And then, there are oceans of Liberal tears about layoffs.

Trump openly campaigned on reducing the federal government and draining the swamp. Read your history and you will learn that from the very formation of our country, people have been opposed to a large and powerful federal government. (Maybe we need to revive the Anti-Federalist Party!) How about some common sense? Does anyone seriously think that reducing the size of the federal government wouldn’t involve the loss of jobs by federal employees? And even though Washington DC is overwhelmingly Liberal and Democrat, did anyone think that no Conservatives or Republicans might lose their jobs in the process? As Joe would say, C’mon man!

The sad reality is that fixing a problem as vast as this one will not be easy. And neither will it be easy (or any less painful) to fix the economy, the border, the energy crisis, or the foreign diplomacy issues we face. But to answer the Liberals, yes, we did vote for all that!

The Election is Over. Now What?

 

Here are my thoughts now that the 2024 election is finally over.

The Dems still don’t get it. The blame game is in full swing, but the majority of Democrats are still missing the obvious answer to the question of why they lost. They didn’t lose because:

·         They ran a weak candidate. They ran a weak candidate in 2020 and somehow drug him across the finish line.

·         They were super negative and spent more time trashing their opponent than they did explaining why voters should opt for them. They couldn’t tell enough lies fast enough, but they tried really, really hard.

·         They tried to convince voters that the last four years weren’t as bad as everyone knew they were. Even the mainstream media couldn’t keep the lid on that one.

·         They pushed Identity Politics so far that they alienated many of their own supporters. Consider the effect former President Obama had on African American male voters.

·         They cheated enough to steal some House and Senate seats (maybe), but they couldn’t produce enough mystery ballots to pull off the miracle of 2020.

·         They ran out of celebrities to trot out on stage and support their candidate. And if you contributed money to the Harris campaign, aren’t you glad to hear that it was spent on concerts and special appearances by already wealthy superstars?

Although true, these are only symptoms. The real reason is simple. They are the minority, and they are out of touch with the actual citizens of the country they want to rule. The majority of Americans don’t share their views. And their response to that fact continues to be their biggest problem.

Talk about sore losers! Spend a little time on social media and in a very short time, you will see what I mean. They still think Trump supporters are stupid garbage. They think they are right and the rest of the country is wrong. And now, they’re mad because they still think they are the smart ones and they can’t understand how they could have lost.

Let me help.

Most Americans want a secure border. The majority of Americans favor Trump’s plan for mass deportation. It may be an ugly and painful process, but it’s the only solution to the problem caused by the previous administration’s absolute refusal to enforce the law. The majority of Americans believe in legal immigration and not the wide open border that we’ve seen for the last four years.

Most Americans want a strong economy. They want inflation under control and they are smart enough to see that “Bidenomics” did not work. They remember the first Trump term and they want a return to that pre-Covid economy. They want to be able to afford necessities like gas and groceries.

Most Americans want a president who puts America First. They don’t want billions of taxpayer dollars going to finance foreign wars. They don’t want see huge amounts of money being spent on non-citizens, while tons of Americans are homeless, including veterans who certainly deserve better. They don’t want to hear that there is no money for disaster relief, while there illegal immigrants living in five star hotels with unlimited access to government funds.

And most Americans don’t look at abortion the way they do. The majority of Americans still believe that abortions should not be allowed after the fetal heartbeat begins. Many Christian women (and men) consider abortion to be murder. And many reasonable Americans believe abortion should be limited to specific situations such as rape, incest, or the health of the mother. They do not believe in the extreme views of the Left which include very late term abortions. Most Americans do not want abortion used as a last minute form of birth control.

I could go on, but enough already. Liberal Democrats are out of touch with the views of the majority of Americans and that’s why they lost. Pure and simple.

Reasons to Vote for Kamala Harris

 

In a sane world, the last four years (or even the events of the last few weeks!) should ensure a landslide victory for Donald Trump. Instead the polls say this could be one of the closest races in our history! Sadly, I fear the pollsters may be right. If Democrats could round up 82 million ballots (not votes) for a sleepy old man in his basement, I have no doubt that a Harris win is possible. I just don’t understand why anyone would vote for Harris/Walz. These are the only reasons I could come up with.

1.       You hate Donald Trump more than you love your country.

Don’t doubt me when I say that this is the scary voting block that can create a Harris/Walz victory. Let’s be honest. Donald Trump won the 2016 election because there were huge numbers of people (myself included) who voted not FOR Trump, but AGAINST Hillary Clinton. In 2020, after four years of nonstop attacks by the media, there were tons who voted not FOR Joe Biden, but AGAINST Trump. The Democrats are counting on the same thing happening again. There are many voters who do not like Kamala Harris or her policies, but are perfectly willing to vote for her, because of their rabid hatred of her opponent.

The problem is that electing Harris/Walz could be very bad for our country. This is NOT a popularity contest. Voters from both parties generally agree that the key issues involved in this election are the economy, immigration, foreign policy, and abortion. If you hate Trump so much that you are willing to endure four more years of rampant inflation (higher prices on everything!), a wide open border (including a flood of criminals and drugs), wars around the globe (paid for by your tax dollars), and the continued slaughter of our most innocent, then you would have a hard time convincing me that you love America.

2.       You really do believe that she will fix the economy, the border, and our foreign policy.

If this is your position, I question your grasp on the facts. Harris has a clear track record. Both Biden and Harris have repeatedly asserted that she has been actively involved and in agreement with ALL of the “accomplishments” of the previous administration. She recently said she could not think of anything she would have done differently! As a candidate, she can continue to insist that all of the problems of the last four years are Trump’s fault, and she can keep on insisting that things are better now than they were four years ago, but the numbers don’t lie.

Inflation skyrocketed while they joyfully proclaimed that Bidenomics was working! Illegal immigration is at an all-time high, and recent reports from ICE reveal that massive numbers of illegal immigrants with criminal records (including more than 13K murderers and 15K rapists) have been released into our country by this administration. Human trafficking and drugs are out of control due to the Biden/Harris open border policies. Meanwhile, countless American citizens are suffering while we continue to send billions to support other countries’ wars. Do you really believe that Harris can fix these problems? She talks a lot about what she will do on Day 1, but the reality is that she has been in office for almost four years already with little evidence to show that she cares about fixing any of these issues.

3.       You believe in abortion, even late term abortions, as a right that should be federally protected.

Harris (and Walz) insist that Trump plans to institute a federal ban on all abortions, despite the fact that he has never said this and has repeatedly denied it. Harris and the Democrats are willing to revise Congressional rules (eliminating the filibuster) and completely change the Supreme Court if necessary to get their way. Based on current California and Minnesota law, their way is clear. Those are two of the fourteen states that place no restrictions on abortions all the way up to the moment of birth!

If you believe that abortion is healthcare (and that the mother’s rights count more than the baby’s right to life), then go ahead and vote for her, but understand that you are also condoning not just the killing of innocent children, but you are also ignoring the problems previously mentioned. More than just one issue is at stake.

4.       You don’t care about the first amendment, or the second. Or the Constitution in general.

Harris is already openly calling for increased censorship of social media. Liberals love to label any opposition as disinformation, misinformation, malinformation, or whatever new terms they can invent to avoid having any civil discussion with those who do not agree with them. I’m sorry, but our country was founded on the belief that all citizens should have the right to speak freely and voice their honest opinions. Giving government the power to control speech is a really bad idea.

As far as the second amendment goes, I believe in reasonable regulations and laws, but I am decidedly against the banning of weapons by the politicians who invariably surround themselves with armed guards. Hypocrisy much? And leave the Supreme Court and the rest of the constitution alone. It works. Stop messing with it!

5.       You are impressed and/or influenced by all the celebrity endorsements.

Do you really think all the millionaire actors, singers, and athletes care about the cost of gas or groceries? Or houses? Or electric cars? Or the problems of the average U.S. citizen? Do you think any of these people ever buy their own gas or go to the grocery store for themselves? Not likely. Funny how all these rich people love the party that continues to say that the wealthy are the problem.

Maybe you’re just hyped about electing the first woman of color. Again, is it worth it considering everything else that would come with a Harris/Walz win?

6.       You don’t care about election integrity.

Forget COVID and all the mail-in ballots from God knows where. Let people go to the polls (and show some ID) and elect our leaders in a fair and open way. Non-citizens should not be voting in elections. If you want to vote and have a voice in our government, then become a legal US citizen. There actually is a process of legal immigration in America.

7.       You really love a good word salad!

Honestly, when choosing someone to represent our entire country on the world stage, who is the most embarrassing figure? Bad orange man? Bumbling, stumbling, cognitively impaired old man? Or the woman babbling incoherently interspersed with cackling, inappropriate laughter? I know which one makes me cringe. Can you imagine four years of President Harris?

8.       You honestly, believe she is the best person for the job.

I respectfully disagree, but at least you would be voting for a truly valid reason. I don’t know what the future holds, but I pray that whoever wins, the media will dial back the hateful rhetoric.

Don’t Be a Foolish Voter

 

The last time I wrote about voting, despite my best efforts, I managed to offend some readers. Now, don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t lose any sleep over the fear of offending anyone. I can honestly say that I’ve never intentionally set out to offend, but simply to state my opinions clearly and openly which I have every right to do. I cannot control the reactions of others, and although I respect the right of others to disagree with me at times, I have little (or no) respect for those individuals who cannot hear a contrary thought without getting hurt or offended.

My previous thoughts on voting haven’t changed, even though the candidates have. Here’s what I had to say about the last election. A Writer's Life: Are Today’s Voters Stupid? Or Just Ignorant? (rdperryauthor.blogspot.com)

I’ll try not to repeat myself, but let’s talk about November. The Presidential candidates and their positions could not be more different and the decision should be an easy one. (IMHO) I really believe this, because of the candidates and their relevant experience. This is a rare and unique situation. Why listen to the candidates talk about what they will do if elected, or what the other candidate will do? We have actual data! Trump has been the president before! We know exactly what a Trump presidency will look like! And we can say the same for Harris. She has been the Vice President for the last three and a half years and claims to have been included in every major policy decision of the Biden administration. (You also have her voting record as a Senator, as well as a long history of positions on issues going back to her days as a California prosecutor.) We’ve seen a Trump administration and we’ve seen a Biden/Harris administration. And in the words of Dr. Phil, “the best predictor of future behavior is… past behavior.”

To put it simply, if you want to know what a Trump presidency will be like, look to 2016-20. If you want to know what a Harris presidency will look like, think about 2020-24. Consider the biggest issues on the minds of voters. The economy? Immigration and the border? Foreign wars? Then ask yourself the famous question posed to voters by Ronald Reagan in his 1980 debate with Jimmy Carter. “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” That answer alone should make the decision easy.

The problem is two-fold. Ignorant, uninformed voters and flat-out stupid, foolish voters.

In the first category, I consider the voters who believe everything they see and hear. Kamala Harris says quite a lot. She is a politician, in every sense of the word. With very little research, you can find her taking multiple positions on several key issues. Even Bernie Sanders has basically said that she will say whatever she needs to say to get elected. And sadly, she will say it in whatever accent appeals to the particular crowd she is addressing. Whether you agree with him or not, Trump tends to be more consistent, despite the fact that the mainstream media (and Biden and Harris) continue to call him a liar daily.

In contrast, the second group knows the facts, but chooses to ignore them. (Or acts as if they aren’t that important!) It is truly sad. There are hardcore conservatives who will vote for anyone with an R next to their name. There are liberals on the left who will support any candidate with a D by their name. (Honestly, I do believe the Democrat side has many more of these kind of voters!)  But the real problem is the vast number of voters who are perfectly willing to vote for their favorite candidate even when that candidate clearly promotes things they claim to be against. These are the foolish voters who are destroying our country.

I want to scream at them to wake up and realize what they are doing! This isn’t some high school prom queen election where popularity determines the winner. This is real life. Voting for either candidate just because you like them more than the other one is foolish, if that person has an entirely different set of values and beliefs than you do. When did our elections become so insane?

Unbelievably, there are several prominent conservative Republican politicians who have declared their intention to vote for Kamala Harris. Really? You hate Trump so much that you are going to help elect the most liberal candidate we’ve ever seen? Seriously? You’re willing to throw out your entire value system and support a candidate who holds an extreme opposite position on every issue you’ve ever fought for? Crazy!

But forget, the newsworthy fools. What about the average voter? Or the foolish one? If you can barely afford gas or groceries, how can you vote for the ones responsible for the rampant inflation in the first place? If you believe that every country should have a secure border in order to protect its own citizens, how can you vote for those who have allowed the border to remain wide open and done nothing to prevent the illegal immigration of millions over the last three and a half years? (Not to mention the problems of human trafficking, and drugs, and criminals from countries around the world who have walked across our southern border.) If you believe abortion is morally wrong, how can you vote for candidates who believe so strongly in abortion on demand (even late term abortions)? If you believe in the second amendment and the right of citizens to bear arms, how can you vote for candidates who advocate forced confiscation of guns and appealing that amendment?

Time to be blunt. When you vote for these people, you are ultimately responsible for the things they do. Bottom line. Do you want a rude, sometimes crude, sometime embarrassing president who puts America first? Or do you want a nice person who will stand by while our country crumbles? Don’t be foolish. Or stupid.

The Real Threat to the Democracy

 

How many times in the last year (or more) have you heard the expression an existential threat to our democracy? And how many times was it directed toward one specific person and his followers? Just for the sake of clarity, let’s define our terms here. An existential threat can be defined as “a threat that could conceivably risk the extinction or widespread destruction of humanity.” (Bryan Walsh, Vox Media Editorial Director) Makes a lot of what we’ve heard seem a bit over-exaggerated, doesn’t it? But these are the same people who are trying to convince you that a couple of thousand (mostly unarmed) protestors who stormed the capital one January were a serious threat to overthrow our entire government.

Candidates running for office will often make outrageous claims about their opponents in order to bolster their own chances, but this particular one is downright laughable. Biden, Harris, and tons of other Democratic leaders want you to believe that Donald Trump is a tyrant (another Hitler), and if he wins in November, he will throw out the Constitution, declare himself King, and refuse to ever leave the White House again! Maybe not the end of humanity, but at least the end of America as we know it.

Do you believe them?

I don’t. I do believe however that there is a real threat to our democracy, our form of government (constitutional republic), and our country as we know it. And that threat comes from the very ones who are making the accusations.

Have you ever noticed that many people tend to project their own faults onto others? Liars tend to believe that everyone lies. Thieves think everybody steals. And so on. And then, because they believe it, they are often quick to accuse others of the very things they are prone to do. (My theory anyway.)

If you know much about the founding fathers, you know they spent a lot of time on the Constitution. They developed a unique system that has worked pretty well for the last few centuries. To avoid tyranny, they established three separate, but equal branches of government, with lots of checks and balances. Then, they added the Bill of Rights soon after it was ratified, adding those amendments to ensure that certain rights and freedoms would always be protected. (That is to say that citizens would be protected from the government. There were many Americans who did not want a federal government at all, but that’s a story for another day.)

So, is our democracy being threatened? And by whom? Ask yourself the following questions.

• Which party is using the executive branch to prosecute (and persecute) a political opponent?
• Which party wants to change the rules of the legislative branch so that a simple majority will allow substantial changes to laws?
• Which party is attacking the credibility of the judicial branch and seeking to restructure the Supreme Court?
• Which party is actively trying to censor (and/or criminalize) your first amendment rights to free speech?
• Which party would love to completely abolish the second amendment, or at the very least greatly limit that freedom?
• Which party is intent on turning millions of illegal immigrants into voting citizens?

In 2008, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke about “fundamentally transforming” the United States of America. Maybe we should have listened to him. He was serious. His party still is, and they are still working to achieve that goal.

So yes, there is a real threat to our democracy.

A New Start

 

I have been encouraged to restart my blog and against my better judgment, I think I will give it a try. When I first began this blog, I was retired and devoted a great deal of time to my writing. Currently, I am only working part-time, and aside from procrastination and laziness, my biggest problem is not so much finding time, as it is fighting the boredom of saying the same things over and over. Allow me to explain.

For a long time, I was writing mostly about politics. Maybe it is the nature of politics to run in cycles, but I discovered at a certain point that everything I wanted to say, had already been said in a previous blog. Even as I sit here today, is there really anything new to say? Or does it feel like 2020 all over again. Trump can’t seem to stay out of his own way and his opponent is doing everything she can to avoid the media. Biden hid in the basement, and Harris stages photo ops and refuses to answer questions. Like Biden, Harris is trying to convince the voters that she is a moderate and not the most radical leftist to ever seek the office.

The recent debate was worthless. Like always both sides claim to have won. And like always, the candidates only occasionally responded to the actual question that was asked. Mostly, they argued and gave mini speeches. And as always, the moderators were extremely biased, as is most of the mainstream media these days. Regardless, the thought of writing about the upcoming election simply depresses me.

Another favorite topic of mine was movies and TV. Similar to my comments about politics, my opinions on current entertainment also feel repetitious. Honestly, I watch very little in the way of new programming. Wokeness and political correctness has ruined it for me. I used to love the sitcoms, but comedies aren’t funny anymore, because we can no longer make fun of anyone or anything. Someone is sure to be offended, so we sit through boring shows that are more interested in promoting an agenda than actually entertaining us. Every show features a diverse cast (which is great) that is wasted (which is a shame) on poor quality programs that viewers quickly grow tired of. And as a conservative Christian, I am often offended by the agenda being pushed. (Instead of crying about it, I just choose to turn it off and go on with my life. You know, because I’m an adult.)

I like to write about sports, but once again, I was writing the same old things. I still hate the Dallas Cowboys, LeBron James, and Taylor Swift. And the general wokeness and political correctness that has taken over even this aspect of our society. If ever there was a place where true meritocracy reigned, you would think it would be in sports, but not these days. Biological men are winning in women’s events, and we’re not supposed to notice, because that would be intolerant of us. In the NFL and NBA, announcers often talk more about race than ability. We can’t even decide on the proper pregame protocols and what anthems to play or not play. Again, I choose not to watch at all.

Anyway, look for something new in the next few days, and then, my plan is to write a blog post at least once a month. Maybe someone will even read it.

Being Thankful

 

I love Christmas, but seriously, can we not be in such a hurry to skip past the most important holiday of the year? Now, more than ever, we need a time of Thanksgiving. A time to turn our focus away from the barrage of the daily news of doom and gloom. A time to count our blessings.

I don’t know about you, but I am so tired of hearing about how awful the past few years have been. Even the memes aren’t funny anymore. I’m just tired of the negativity. In reality, it’s just another year on good old planet Earth (which is not our true home!) So, let’s stop spending all our time thinking about the bad news, and instead, start turning our thoughts to the more positive things around us. I love the way Paul says it in the book of Philippians - Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (4:8 NIV)

Several years ago, along the very same lines, I shared the following message for Thanksgiving. Still sounds pretty relevant to me!

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here already! Or will be this week anyway. Such a wonderful time of year! The cooler weather, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year. Just a string of big events that come one after another in rapid succession. No wonder people get so stressed.

So, how do we deal with all this extra anxiety? I suggest we try and focus on the positives in our lives and not the negative. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18a (NIV), Paul says “give thanks in all circumstances.” What a great statement! Like most people, there are times when I find it easy to be thankful. But like most people, there are also many times when I find it extremely difficult to be thankful. Or to be more honest, I forget to be thankful.

Thanksgiving is a good time to be conscious and conscientious about recognizing our blessings. (A little off the subject, but as much as I love contemporary Christian music, I often long for the old hymns like Count Your Blessings.) This month alone, I could easily rattle off a list of my trials and troubles, some of those circumstances that make me want to scream and complain. And when I get bogged down in worrying about my problems, I do forget to be thankful.

So, let me focus on the good and not the bad for now. I am thankful for family and friends. I am thankful for my health. I am thankful for a long and somewhat successful career. I am thankful to live in a free country. And I am thankful for a God who watches over me and mine.

I won’t bore you with a long list of family and friends, but I will say that I am truly thankful most for the people in my life. Many of them have passed, but I still treasure their memories and value the lessons they imparted and the legacies they left behind. I am thankful for my wife and children and I pray that I can always be a good husband and father. For the many friends, former colleagues, and others, I have probably not said enough how much I appreciate the love and support and encouragement! If you want to reduce your stress over the next few months, enjoy the people around you. Time invested in people is rarely wasted.

I’ll be honest and say that I wish I had the body of my twenty-year-old self! Lord knows I don’t want to be twenty again, but I often miss the energy and vitality of that age. Nevertheless, I am thankful for the generally good health I enjoy. I often jokingly say that I wish I had taken better care of myself when I was younger, but honestly, many people my age are much less fortunate when it comes to health issues. I’m no spring chicken, but I’ll gladly accept the aches and pains that come with my age. And I will do my best to stay in shape in the years ahead.

One of the joys of Facebook (there are some to go along with all the frustrations!) is the ability to connect with former students! I am thankful for the years spent with young students and athletes whom I will never forget. I thank God for allowing me to be a teacher, coach and principal and I pray that my impact on the lives of my students was positive. There are few pleasures in life greater than watching your kids grow up and become successful, even if they aren’t really your kids! I am so incredibly proud of the fine adults you have become, even though you will forever be teens in my mind! If not younger!

If you are a frequent reader, you know I have fairly strong political views. Despite the recent election ugliness, and the ongoing negativity of the mainstream media, I am proud of my country and thankful to live in a free society. Obviously, we live in an imperfect world, but when you consider the living conditions in much of the world, we should be thankful to live in the USA. I am.

Finally, and most importantly, I thank God for all the many blessings in my life. Everything above I credit to a good God who loves His people and watches over us. I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who not only promises an eternity with Him, but also provides for us while we await that final blessing!

So, whatever your circumstances today, count your many blessings and give thanks!

 

Today is Veteran’s Day, a federal holiday observed annually to honor U.S. military veterans. For a more complete look at the history and significance of the holiday, check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day.

My father was a veteran. He served in WWII and although he seldom talked about it, I know he was proud of his military service. I thought I would share a poem from my collection https://books2read.com/randomthoughts that I wrote in his honor.

War Story

          

My father served in World War 2,

But he never talked about it.

I find that very strange even now.

He was quite the storyteller,

And he loved to entertain

And repeat the tales he told

To all who’d listen.

But in all the years that passed,

I never heard one story

About the war.

So, today, take a moment to think about the men and women from your family (and all the other families as well) who answered the call to serve their country. Whether in times of war and conflict or times of peace, it is a sacrifice all too often unacknowledged and underappreciated.

The Truth about Dylan Mulvaney

This may be an unpopular opinion in some circles, but here goes. The truth about Dylan Mulvaney is that he is a man. Plain and simple. And not a particularly interesting one, in the view of many of us. He’s an adult, in terms of age anyway, so he can dress or act however he chooses, and surgically alter himself any way he likes, but the truth is he is not a woman. He can prance around doing his ugly caricature of a woman (which should highly offend actual women everywhere), but he is nothing more than a poor imitation of the real thing.

Honestly, to believe in this farce requires the strange and bizarre mindset promoted by the Liberal Left. The entire transgenderism movement is based on denying the reality of God, while accepting the reality of Frankenstein. According to the Left, God either doesn’t exist or he is prone to mistakes making all these humans with bodies and brains that don’t match. (You know, that mental illness we used to call gender dysphoria, until we were taught by the Liberals that gender is nothing more than a social construct. In other words, meaningless) And creating a woman? Nothing to it. Turn the surgeons loose and they will make you a woman out of spare parts.

So who is Dylan Mulvaney? According to Dylan Mulvaney - Wikipedia, he is an American actress, comedian, and TikTok personality. Frequently, he is simply referred to as a transgender influencer with 10 million followers on TikTok. I don’t know if I believe that or not. (What I usually call famous for being famous - Like the Kardashians)

Do 10 million people actually “follow” Dylan Mulvaney on social media platforms? I seriously doubt it. I mean I can believe the number, but not that there are 10 million people who love or support this person, or care in the least what he thinks, or ever even visit his website. I do believe that tons of Liberals “follow” all kinds of people so that they can “virtue signal” that they are wonderful, loving, and tolerant individuals. (Unless we’re talking about Christians, or conservatives, or white people, or any of the groups they “hate” with a passion and see no reason to tolerate in the least.)

And do we really believe these so-called “influencers” have any real influence on anybody? Do his followers care what products he pushes? Are they running out to buy Bud Light or switching brands of alcohol because of his endorsement? I doubt it. And how many women are flocking to Nike to buy sports bras just because they look so good on Dylan? Gag!

Anyway, I guess I’ve probably offended enough people today already, so I’ll stop. Hopefully, he will soon fade away like the many talentless celebrities that we are forced to endure these days. Let me know what you think and have a great day!

Liberals and Democrats Have No Shame

Well, it’s finally happened. We’ve become a third world country. We’ve become one of those banana republics where political rivals are pursued, criminalized, and hounded by their own government, while those in power smirk and laugh. That’s what the Liberals and Democrats are doing. They think it is funny and they’re celebrating while our once great democracy falls.

Meanwhile, they act as if their side has never made a questionable move. The current regime gets a free pass. The mainstream media brush aside inconvenient facts and pretend that we won’t notice, while the press secretary lies to us on a daily basis. (The laptop is fake and the border is secure.) The same is true of previous administrations. The Obama fans love to proclaim that his administration was completely free of any and all scandals. Of course, they are ignoring a ton of things that happened during his time in the oval office, including his vice president and secretary of state both taking huge amounts of money from foreign powers. (And his attempts to influence the 2016 election A Writer's Life: Obamagate – Watergate on Steroids (rdperryauthor.blogspot.com)

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I believe Donald Trump was an excellent president. Judge him by his record, not his personality or his sometimes admittedly ill-advised comments/social media. Now, he is just a regular citizen (and future candidate.) Did he commit actual crimes? I don’t know. But do I believe the attempts to prosecute him for the huge variety of charges levelled against him in the past year are about as valid as the two attempts to impeach him while he was in office. In either case, the motivation was (and is) political.

And do we really want to go down that path? Do we really want to see our elected officials dedicating time and resources to political witch hunts such as this? All the while ignoring the ongoing scandals of the present administration?

I suppose the answer is obvious. The Trump obsessed Liberals are more concerned with taking out the 2024 opposition than they are with the real possibility that our President may be compromised by foreign powers. Or that he is mentally unfit for the office in the first place.

Meanwhile, I still wish that Trump would step aside and allow others to lead the party. (A Writer's Life: Why Trump Shouldn’t Run for President in 2024 (rdperryauthor.blogspot.com) Regardless of what happens in New York, the attacks against Trump will continue, and his opponents will never stop until they no longer view him as a political threat. In my opinion, it’s time to move forward, and our country needs to find some leadership (on both sides of the aisle) before it’s too late to correct our current course.

Reflections on the GOAT

 Now that LeBron James has become the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, his supporters have once again begun to loudly proclaim him to be the Greatest Of All Time. I’ve written on this topic before (A Writer's Life: The Greatest of All Time (rdperryauthor.blogspot.com)) and I am still not convinced. If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, you also know that I am not a fan of LeBron James for many reasons. (A Writer's Life: How LeBron James Ruined the NBA - Update (rdperryauthor.blogspot.com))

Let me say up front that I believe LBJ is an incredible athlete and his accomplishments are beyond amazing. However, I see a clear distinction between Longevity records and the GOAT debate. Every sport has at least one superb athlete who played at a high level for a very long time and racked up tons of statistical achievements. That particular player (in most sports) is rarely considered the GOAT, because most fans recognize that Longevity (nor stats) alone does not necessarily equate with greatness.

To put it another way, if the scoring record now makes LBJ the Greatest, then why was Kareem not considered the GOAT while he was the leader? Perhaps because most fans understand that there is more to basketball than just scoring. And by the way, if we’re going to celebrate Longevity records, let’s not be so picky. Where was the big game-stopping celebration when LBJ became the all-time leader in turnovers in NBA history? (And he has a huge ever-increasing margin over the second place guy!) Or what about missed field goals. Or missed free throws. He is the leader among active players already in both of those categories. Reality check, if LBJ continues playing long enough, he will eventually be the leader in every statistic the NBA tracks. Good and bad.

So, if we can’t base our decision on just stats or rings or awards or whatever, what do we use? How about a combination of all these things and what some call the eye test. Here’s my take. Kind of like the old playground days. If you lined up every NBA player who had ever played at his absolute prime and drafted a team, who would you pick? I guarantee you, in my opinion, if Michael Jordan and LeBron James are both available, when it comes my time to choose, I select MJ, no question, no hesitation, no doubt. (And honestly, if MJ is gone and LBJ is still standing on the line? There are many guys I would pick before I considered choosing him. Okay, really honest this time. I would never pick LBJ for my team!)

Why not? I think he is a poor team player. Here are my reasons. If I was going to be the coach, he would eventually get me fired. A teammate? Sooner or later, he would try and get me traded for someone else. The team owner? How long would I have him, before he decided to become a free agent and leave for what he considered a better situation? And in the meantime, how many times would he embarrass me by flopping, whining, or begging for the refs to help him out? Or happily celebrating one of his individual achievements while our team was losing the game? All things considered? Not someone I would want on my team.

How about another test? If you were the coach, and you had MJ and LBJ both on your team, down a basket with only seconds to play, who do you want taking the last shot? I know which play I’m drawing up. LBJ can set a screen or pick up an assist to pad his stats, but I want MJ taking the clutch shot. Again, no question, no hesitation, no doubt.

Anyway, LeBron is a great player. Seriously. But all things considered, I really don’t believe he is the greatest NBA player of all time. I just don’t. And records and stats aside, there are current players that are just as good (or better) in my opinion. Will they have a career that matches LBJ? Most probably won’t come close, but again, there’s more to the game than just longevity.