Earl R. Smith II's Blog, page 28

The Power of the Boycott

We learned it in the 60s. And we didn’t have the power of social media. Very wealthy owners and investors tend to adopt political views which are abhorrent to the customers of the companies that they lead. And consumers have the right, and ability, to decide whether to do business with those companies or take […]

The Great Trump Political Strategy – Crucify Your Supporters

In the United States, when ideology drives policy idiocy generally follows. No politician in US political history demonstrates that more clearly than the current occupant of the Oval Office. He seems absolutely determined to punish every constituency that supported him in the pursuit of a simple-minded ideology advanced by extremists in his administration. His latest […]

For Sale, One National Government Heavily Used – Payments in Rubles Accepted

It’s time to consider requiring the Republican Party to register as an agent of a foreign government. Party leadership is increasingly financed by Russian oligarchs; who represent a major source of their campaign funding. These oligarchs seem determined to deliver to the Kremlin the best US government that money can buy. Remember the days when […]

The Republican’s Say – “The video game made them do it!”

In the wake of two mass shootings and the deaths of over two dozen of our fellow countrymen, the response by the Republican leadership has given us a clear indication of what the party is all about and what their priorities are. It also shows clearly their tendency to attempt to distract in order to […]

When you sow hatred and division, you reap despair and murder

It’s gradually becoming clear to some of his supporters that the only people who really benefit from Trump’s presidency are Trump and his wealthy friends. You can only go to so many of these “reality show” political rallies and shout “lock her up” or “send her back” before they begin to realize that it’s all […]

Guitars, Murals and Liberty

There are generally two broad definitions of “liberty”. The first, which is commonly referred to as the pre-Liberalism definition, focuses on self-governance and self-control. Communities traditionally taught the younger generations that, in order to fit in, they would have to achieve mastery over their own appetites, avarice and anti-social tendencies. The objective was to free […]

One, Two or Three – Which Will It Be?

When I first meet someone, I try to get a handle on how their mind works. As a political and social theorist, I am interested as much is what they can think clearly about as what they are saying at the time. I recommend the approach. It has proven its worth on many occasions. Here […]

Three questions that, when answered, will determine if Trump gets a second term

Are the Democrats capable of acting? A friend is fond of observing that Republicans play to win, and Democrats play to whine. One of the reasons that Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election was that voters increasingly believed that she was so busy being a citizen of the world that their problems and challenges were […]

Sunrise or Sunset?

Americans will soon realize what kind of country they live in. Forget the myths, the nostalgic references to the Founders, talking heads and ex-federal prosecutors waxing eloquent about the rule of law. Forget about daddy, in the form of Robert Mueller, stepping in to set it all right. The next 18 months will demonstrate to […]

Un-American Americans

A poll conducted by Yahoo Finance/SurveyMonkey (https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/poll...) has yielded some startling results. The poll found that almost 40% of Republicans said that they would be fine with Russian interference in an election if it helped their party keep control of the White House and Senate. The same study revealed that 11% of those identifying themselves […]