The Republican Convention

We witnessed for four nights this year’s Republican Convention in Cleveland.

Every single speaker spoke primarily about all the flaws and mishaps of the Obama administration and how Hillary Clinton was an accomplice of Obama in all those mistakes, and many that were falsely created.

It was interesting to watch Mr. Trump’s wife plagiarize part of Michelle Obama’s speech of 2008. Although she said she had written it after 3 days of the Trump team sticking to their guns that there was no plagiary, they finally came out to admit that they used Mrs. Obama’s speech as a base.

We then had The Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, the Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, former mayor of NY Rudy Giuliani, NJ Governor Chris Christie, and many others. All of them inciting the delegates about how Hilary Clinton this, and Hilary Clinton that. Benghazi, Emails, etc. to which the delegates would chant “lock her up”.

Many speakers blamed Obama for bad trade deals when they voted for them such as Alabama Senator Jefferson Sessions. We cannot forget that the Republicans have had the majority in House since 2010, and in the Senate since 2014.

It’s interesting that NJ Governor Christie wanted to judge Mrs. Clinton, while he is still under investigations by the US Attorney in New Jersey for the bridge gate scandal, something that caused the death of a patient that was being transported across the bridge from New Jersey to New York City. For those who do not know what happened Governor Christie during his re-election campaign starting pressuring democratic mayors to endorse him, the mayor of Ft. Lee, the town closest to the George Washington Bridge, the busiest bridge in the world, refused to endorse the governor, so allegedly the governor had two out of the three lanes into NY closed, causing major traffic issues in Ft. Lee.

Going back to the convention what made this convention unusual was the hatred coming from the delegates and the speakers, the booing of Senator Ted Cruz when he refused to endorse Trump for president. Senator Cruz came in second in delegates, but the reason he did not endorse Trump was because Trump insulted the senator’s wife and father during the primary, the fact that the governor of Ohio, the state in which the convention took place, the lack of any of the Bush family members, candidates to president McCain and Romney, and many more members of the Republican establishment. and the fact that the name of the candidate was rarely mentioned.

One has to reach the conclusion that the reason they did not bring up the name of the candidate is because the candidate has no proposals except of hatred, using derogatory vocabulary towards Mexicans, Muslims, and women.

Mr. Trump spoke on Thursday night, he spoke for almost an hour and a half, he gave a list of made up stats, such as saying that crime was going up in the US although 2015 was one of the lowest in a quarter century, the fact that police officers had been killed in higher number than ever, another miss fact.

To end Mr. Trump said that he and he alone could resolve the problems of the country, as if the USA was a kingdom like in the days of Henry VIII, or a banana republic in which the president has been in power for 30 years, with unlimited powers. He gave no specifics on how to resolve the ills he said the country was suffering. In the past Mr. Trump said that the way he would penalize countries such as China by putting a 35% excise tax on Chinese imports, but he did not mention it last night, possibly because he knows that that would hurt the American people, increasing the cost of goods 35%.

Mr. Trump also left out of his speech something he told the NY Times Thursday morning about not defending some of the NATO smaller nations in the event that Russia attacks them. That is another controversial decision because NATO was created to defend the US allies primarily to protect American interests. he also said in the past that women who got an abortion would go to jail.

Mr. Trump made this convention to his image, it was disorganized, full of hatred, and empty.

Mr. Trump spoke about his success as a businessman, something that is not truly accurate. Trump steaks, bankrupt; Trump Airlines, gone; Trump mortgage, bankrupt; Trump University, in a law suit for misleading people; Trump Casinos in Atlantic City, NJ, bankrupt. In most of these bankruptcies he hurt innocent victims, and benefited himself.  In many of his constructions he left unpaid bills with small businesses.

It was obvious that more than enthusiastic about Mr. Trump candidacy they delegates were more behind the idea of hating Hillary Clinton.

Now we will see if the Democratic Party will imitate the Republican lack-of-ideas convention or they will take the high road, and try to tell the country how they want to lower the unemployment to full employment, reduce the deficit, reduce the cost of higher education, and how to make the middle class more prosperous.

Tribute to Waldron Scott

I am here to say to goodbye to Waldron Scott.

Waldron was a husband, father, teacher, leader, an inspiration to many, and someone that I called my friend.

I met Waldron & Georgia 30 years ago at Wilma Knoll’s house at one of the lunches that Wilma used to organize to bring people together.

They had recently married and were living in Paterson just a few blocks away from where my wife Emma and I used to live.

Waldron & I served at the same time in the council of Madison Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Waldron was an elder, and I was a deacon.

Coming from another country, and of Scottish descent, this latter like him, and also being a travel enthusiast; and Waldron having lived in many places around the world, and been to almost every country on the face of the planet, this gave us the opportunity of  talking about different countries, ethnicities, religions, and poverty around the world.

Waldron was a feverous book reader, and he enjoyed his New York Times newspaper. This was one of the major sources of his world news.

I had the luxury of being a regular in his bible studies. He would challenge us, by analyzing the books of the bible, and then trying to find how those verses of the bible had meaning and purpose in today’s busy life.

When my son Ian was diagnosed with Autism my world collapsed, and with it my faith.

I would often stop by the Scott’s house and I remember telling him that I had put my faith and God in a drawer, and that sometime in the future I would go back to that drawer.

My struggles continued , until one day Waldron told me that I could no longer go on like that, that the weight of the burden that I was trying to carry on my shoulders was too much for me, and that I needed to share that burden with the only one who could help, Jesus. I said him that I would think about it.

I then rejoined a bible study that he was leading, came back to church, and although the weight is not ever completely gone, it makes it easier to live with it, knowing that you are not alone.

I would often remind Waldron that due to having my parents 5,000 miles away he had become my adoptive father, and when in 2009 Georgia and Waldron decided that it was time to retire, and that meant moving to Lynchburg, where Georgia had grown up I was pretty miserable.

Being their realtor I had mixed feelings, I wanted to help them sell their house, but I didn’t want to see them moving away. When the time of moving came I felt like a piece of me went with them.

We kept in contact through facebook and phone calls, although Waldron didn’t like talking much on the phone, so when I got news that he had suffered a stroke, the first of two, I decided to make the journey and come and stay with them over a weekend.

Lynchburg is an 8 hour ride for me, but I felt it was worth it. Seeing them, where they lived, and being in their presence again, something I value tremendously, was worth every minute of my stay and trip.

I made several of those 3 day trips, sometimes every three months, sometimes every six.

One day Georgia told me that he had fallen, broken his elbow, and suffered a second, and severe stroke. Now his left side, and his speech were limited.

After the therapy and the nurses help was over I came back for another of my short stays, and also see if they needed any help.

I never met Waldron’s first wife, and mother of his kids, but when I came then, I witnessed a devoted wife. Georgia by now was not able to drive, because her license had been revoked, and was not in the greatest health either, but she did everything for Waldron, from bathe him, help him get on and off of his wheelchair, even carry him in her arms. Waldron was very limited as he could only move his right arm and right leg, he could not lie down, or sit up on the sofa. He needed constant help.

She was fulfilling her vow that said “In sickness and in health”.

Waldron was a fortunate man, and had chosen well his wife in Georgia.

I am a person who is all in favor in paying respects to somebody who has parted from this world, but I cherish friendships and relationships, and I believe that we get much more out of visiting loved ones where they are alive, we can talk to them, make eye contact, feel their warmth. And, even though, in many of my visits Waldron was tired, he would show his appreciation by trying to put all the energy he could muster, as he knew that those visits were far in between.

When I called Georgia Thursday afternoon to see how Waldron was doing and I got the news of his passing I felt sadness, and comfort. Sadness because I will miss him, but comfort because I know that he is no longer suffering, and is finally in peace.

I am very thankful to God that I had the chance of knowing him, that our paths crossed, and primarily because I believe I got more out of our relationship than what I gave.

Where I come from we have a song that says “That when a friend departs there is an empty space, that cannot be filled with the arrival of a new friend”.

Waldron, you will be greatly missed.

Waldron, The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Until we meet again, my friend.