November 18, 2016


News and Views


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/oakland-teen-overcomes-homelessness-to-become-honor-student/

Oakland teen overcomes homelessness to become honor student
CBS NEWS
November 17, 2016, 3:50 PM

Photograph -- Elexis Webster has been an Honor Roll student throughout high school and plans to go to college, but her story is far from the norm. CBS SF BAY AREA


“As a 17-year-old junior with a 4.1 GPA, many wouldn’t expect me to have such a rough life,” Elexis Webster began her application essay to Students Rising Above. “I grew up on the streets with an abusive drug addict for a mother, along with an older brother who molested me countless times, plus constant sickness. My life wasn’t a life, it was a war zone.”

Webster has been an Honor Roll student throughout high school and plans to go to college -- but Elexis’ story is far from the norm, CBS SF Bay Area reported. Growing up, her family lived on the streets, in a dug-out, a car, a motel and anywhere else they could find shelter.

Elexis suffered constant physical abuse and said there were times when she and her sister were left alone for days with no food. She had developed a highly compromised immune system from her living conditions that left her sick in bed missing school for weeks at a time.

At age nine, Elexis had to be rushed to the hospital because her oxygen levels were so low that she nearly died.

“Just surviving in the household with two monsters, with monsters as a family, surviving in an environment like that and then being able to come out of it,” she said. “I knew I had to make the best of what happened to me.”

Intervention came when Elexis was 14, when police discovered her and her sister in a car during the middle of a school day. They arrested her mother and the two girls were placed in a foster home with a woman Elexis now lovingly calls “Mema.”

Elexis has been living with Mema for almost four years now. It was Elexis’ first and only foster home. Though Elexis said she initially viewed foster care in a negative way, her views soon changed.

“When I started to allow Mema to help me and allow Mema to love me and be there for me, it made it much easier,” she said. “I was, like, okay this is how a family should be. This is how it should be.”

When asked about her relationship with her foster mom, Elexis said, “Mema’s my mom. She’s my mom”.

Through her foster mom’s care and guidance, Elexis went to back to school. She said it was really hard to go to 8th grade after not going to school for three years while homeless. She was concerned she wouldn’t be able to keep up with the students her age. But her Mema was there with words of encouragement.

“I’m telling her, ‘You don’t allow your past to dictate your future,’” said Mema. “What’s happened to you, yes it’s happened, but right now you focus on yourself.”

Elexis did just that. “You have to move on,” she said. “I got to a place where I was able to become motivated to keep going and push for higher than a 4.0 and push to get into a really great college or university.”

Now, she says “life is great” -- so great that “it’s unbelievable to say I went through all of that.”

She now looks toward the future.

“I see success, I see happiness, and I see peace,” she said.



This is not merely heartwarming, it’s deeply encouraging. When we face a daunting situation, we need to put all our mind, hope and strength into conquering it. Unfortunately, most of us don’t learn such things at this girl’s age. I hope she can keep in touch with her foster mother after she becomes an adult, because she obviously loves and trusts her.



FAKE NEWS – TWO ARTICLES

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-election-facebook-fake-news-creator-paul-horner-claims-responsibility/

Facebook fake news creator claims he put Trump in White House
By SHANIKA GUNARATNA CBS NEWS
November 17, 2016, 1:06 PM

Paul Horner — the 38-year-old self-made titan of a fake news empire on Facebook — is claiming responsibility for pushing Donald Trump to the White House, and says he has no plans to stop publishing fake news.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Horner attributed his success to Trumps’ particular base of supporters. He is the man behind such viral headlines as “The Amish in America Commit their Vote to Donald Trump” and “President Obama Signs Executive Order Banning the National Anthem at all Sporting Events Nationwide” — neither of which were true.

“My sites were picked up by Trump supporters all the time. I think Trump is in the White House because of me. His followers don’t fact-check anything — they’ll post everything, believe anything. His campaign manager posted my story about a protester getting paid $3,500 as fact. Like, I made that up. I posted a fake ad on Craigslist,” he told The Washington Post.

Google and Facebook take aim at fake news
Play VIDEO
Google and Facebook take aim at fake news
Horner’s fake news articles — published on sites designed to mimic the look and feel of well-known, legitimate news outlets — had enormous impact this election cycle. Even members of Donald Trump’s inner circle, including Trump’s son Eric and then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, shared links to Horner’s content. Horner’s stories also made their way to Google News, known to feature stories from reputable news sources.

“Honestly, people are definitely dumber,” Horner told The Post to explain the popularity of his content, which he suggested he sees as satire akin to The Onion. “Nobody fact-checks anything anymore — I mean, that’s how Trump got elected. He just said whatever he wanted, and people believed everything, and when the things he said turned out not to be true, people didn’t care because they’d already accepted it. It’s real scary.”

He said he didn’t do it for ideological reasons. “I hate Trump,” he told The Post. “I thought I was messing with the campaign, maybe I wasn’t messing them up as much as I wanted — but I never thought he’d actually get elected.”

In a new analysis of the last three months of campaign coverage, BuzzFeed News concluded that top fake election news stories generated more engagement on Facebook than top election stories from 19 major news outlets combined, including the New York Times, Fox News and CBS News.

Facebook apologizes for "trending" fake news story
Play VIDEO
Facebook apologizes for "trending" fake news story
According to BuzzFeed, among the top 20 fake election-related articles on Facebook, most had a political bent that favored the Trump campaign; all but three were anti-Clinton or pro-Trump. Facebook users engaged with them more than 8.7 million times.

The news media and several major tech companies, including Facebook and Google, have been grappling with what to do about the rise of fake news for months, but the crisis has come to a head in the wake of the election.

This week, Google announced it will withhold digital ads from appearing on sites that “misrepresent, misstate, or conceal information.” Meanwhile, Facebook released new language for its ad policies that govern third-party mobile apps and sites: “We do not integrate or display ads in apps or sites containing content that is illegal, misleading or deceptive, which includes fake news,” the company said. Fake news was not explicitly spelled out in Facebook’s policies before.

Asked whether the potential crackdown could hurt his business, Horner suggested he will find ways to keep publishing.

“I have at least 10 sites right now. If they crack down on a couple, I’ll just use others. They could shut down advertising on all my sites, and I think I’d be okay,” he told The Post.

On Twitter, several journalists suggested the proliferation of fake news is simply taking advantage of a much larger issue — a challenge to reporters and readers alike.

Follow
David Kushner ✔ @davidkushner
Fake news is just a symptom. The disease is the atrophying of due diligence, skepticism, and critical thinking. https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/799240847707504640 …
8:46 AM - 17 Nov 2016
233 233 Retweets 296 296 likes
17 Nov
David Kushner ✔ @davidkushner
Fake news is just a symptom. The disease is the atrophying of due diligence, skepticism, and critical thinking. https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/799240847707504640 …
Follow
Rob Leathern ✔ @robleathern
@davidkushner @kvox @jaketapper @washingtonpost also people share articles based on headline without reading https://twitter.com/robleathern/status/272011464674525184 …
9:09 AM - 17 Nov 2016



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/college-students-built-a-fix-for-facebooks-fake-news-problem/

These college students built a fix for Facebook's fake news problem
By SHANIKA GUNARATNA CBS NEWS
November 18, 2016, 2:01 PM

Play VIDEO -- Did fake news help put Trump in the White House?
Play VIDEO -- Google and Facebook try to fight "fake news"

As Facebook executives issue statements and tweak their policies to quell frustration over the growth of fake news on its platform, one group of students has taken the problem into their own hands — and came up with a fix for fake news problem in 36 hours flat.

At a hackathon at Princeton University this week, student teams were given the straightforward challenge of developing a technology tool in one and a half days.

Challenge accepted. According to a report in The Washington Post, four undergraduate and grad students — University of Massachusetts-Amherst master’s student Nabanita De, Purdue freshman Anant Goel, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign sophomores Mark Craft and Qinglin Chen — channeled frustration at the difficulty of discerning between real news and made-up conspiracy theories disguised as news on Facebook. The team successfully built an algorithm to distinguish between real and fake news on the social network and label the posts so readers can easily tell the difference.

They call their system “FiB.” The algorithm is open source but temporarily unavailable due to high demand. It powers a Chrome browser extension that tags links in Facebook as either “verified” or “not verified” by considering factors such as a source’s credibility and cross-referencing that content with other news sites, The Post reported. If a Facebook post you’re looking at fails the test, the FiB algorithm searches for and shows you real news on the topic.

The spread of fake news in recent months has corroded political discourse and trust on the world’s most influential social network.

In an analysis of the last three months of campaign coverage, BuzzFeed News concluded that top fake election news stories generated more engagement on Facebook than top election stories from 19 major news outlets combined, including the New York Times, Fox News and CBS News.

On Tuesday, Facebook updated its policy language to clarify that it will not display ads on third-party mobile apps and sites that showcase fake news, potentially cutting into their revenue.

“We do not integrate or display ads in apps or sites containing content that is illegal, misleading or deceptive, which includes fake news,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News. “While implied, we have updated the policy to explicitly clarify that this applies to fake news. Our team will continue to closely vet all prospective publishers and monitor existing ones to ensure compliance.”

However, Facebook’s policy clarification does not touch fake news content shared elsewhere on the site — i.e. fake news shared by individuals on their personal News Feeds.

In the immediate aftermath of the election, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg minimized the idea that fake news on his company’s platform had an impact on this campaign season.

“To think it influenced the election in any way is a pretty crazy idea,” Zuckerberg said.

In a statement last week, Adam Mosseri, vice president of product management at Facebook, struck a different tone, and acknowledged that “there’s so much more” the company needs to do to fight the spread of misinformation on its platform.

In the final days of his presidency, President Obama has emerged as perhaps the most visible critic of the rise of misleading information on Facebook and other social media sites.

In a new profile of the president and his legacy published in The New Yorker, Mr. Obama said that today’s media landscape “means everything is true and nothing is true.”

“An explanation of climate change from a Nobel Prize-winning physicist looks exactly the same on your Facebook page as the denial of climate change by somebody on the Koch brothers’ payroll,” he told The New Yorker’s David Remnick. “And the capacity to disseminate misinformation, wild conspiracy theories, to paint the opposition in wildly negative light without any rebuttal—that has accelerated in ways that much more sharply polarize the electorate and make it very difficult to have a common conversation.”



The fake news business isn’t good for our society, since we derive our information from the valid and reliable media sources rather than from the Big Brother reports. When the MSM fail to carry a story just to please the DNC, or worse, DO CARRY a story to please the DNC, I can’t help losing faith in them. If I’m looking for something and can’t find it I go to Mother Jones, Huffington Post, the Daily Beast, etc. I will try to verify what I get there, but I may just include the story with a comment that it is coming from a source with a known liberal bias. I’m afraid I just don’t trust any of them completely.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-family-booed-flight-bringing-home-soldier-killed-afghanistan-dad/

California family booed on flight bringing home soldier killed in Afghanistan, dad says
CBS NEWS
November 18, 2016, 3:43 PM

Photograph -- U.S. Army Sgt. John W. Perry of Stockton, California, is seen in an undated photo provided by the Fort Hood, Texas, Press Center. AP PHOTO/DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE


STOCKTON, Calif. -- The father of a slain Northern California soldier said his family was booed on the flight to bring his son’s body home from Afghanistan, CBS Sacramento station KOVR-TV reports.

Sgt. John Perry was killed on Saturday in Afghanistan by a suicide bomber.

His father, Stewart Perry, mourned the loss of his son at a service on Thursday.

“Most importantly, I want people to know about the heroic thing that my son did,” he said.


His son stumbled on the suicide bomber before he could reach his target, a soldiers’ 5K Veterans Day run.

“He would have killed possibly 100, 200, who knows?” Perry said.

Perry said his son’s death comes comes at a time military service is facing disrespect. He said his family was even booed on the flight to bring his son’s body home over a delay.

“To hear the reaction of the flight being delayed because of a Gold Star family and the first class cabin booing, that was really upsetting, and it made us cry some more,” he said.

Perry said his son’s death also underscores why the American flag is sacred for service members, not just a symbol for protest.

“It’s not for protest - it’s for the death of the people that are saving us. That’s what it’s for,” he said.

He also called out recent presidential campaign rhetoric, including President-elect Donald Trump’s remarks about the Khan family.

“One example would be Donald Trump speaking badly about a Gold Star family, who I now am, and it really bothers me, but it also bothers me that people don’t want to talk about the terrorism that killed my kid,” he said.

A soldier’s death defending his country has left a father defending his son.

“My kid was over there to help put a stop to this garbage, and he died,” he said.



Why would any civilized people boo a family who were in mourning for holding up the flight? They were all in First Class, so they shouldn’t have been poor ignoramuses. This isn’t First Class behavior, and it saddens me. It’s like the radical rightist Baptist Church who boycott the funerals of servicemen because the military now allows gays to serve openly. Go to: http://www.godhatesfags.com/schedule.html.




http://www.wokv.com/news/news/local/jacksonville-loud-music-murder-conviction-appeal-d/ns9PL/
(Dunn appeal Denied)

Jacksonville loud music murder conviction appeal denied
By Rich Jones
Posted: 10:17 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016


Jacksonville, Fl — Nearly four years to the day of Jordan Davis' death, the man convicted of his murder is denied an appeal.

The First District Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction of Michael Dunn. His attorneys filed a motion for judgment of acquittal on the ground that the State of Florida failed to present evidence rebutting his self-defense claim.

Dunn was convicted on one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder in February of 2014. He was ordered to serve life in prison.

Authorities say Dunn fired 10 times at the SUV Davis was riding in after the two argued over the loud rap music coming from the 17-year-old's vehicle. Dunn was sentenced to life in prison.

The three judges on the panel said the state presented sufficient evidence to contradict Dunn's account, including witness testimony that there was no visible gun in Davis' car.

The shooting happened in November 2012 at a Gate gas station on Southside and Baymeadows.

He was convicted of the second degree attempted murder charges in February. At that time, the jury hung on the first degree murder charge for Davis’ death. Dunn was tried again and convicted earlier this month.

The State responded that it produced evidence that contradicted Dunn's claim of self-defense and presented sufficient evidence to send the case to the jury. The Court of Appeals agreed and affirmed.



These boys weren’t doing the right things when they didn’t politely turn the Blink Blank Music Down, and their parents should be teaching them better manners. Nonetheless, a violent argument over it which then lead to death is also unacceptable, and in a much worse way. We all need to calm down. There is also a very high likelihood of racism in Dunn’s devolving into a state of fury over the matter.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-warns-donald-trump-on-russia-maintaining-international-commitments/

Obama warns Donald Trump on Russia, maintaining international commitments
By REBECCA SHABAD
CBS NEWS
November 17, 2016, 1:42 PM

25 Photos -- President Obama's final tour of Europe
Play VIDEO -- Trump and Putin loom large over president's meetings abroad


President Obama on Thursday warned Donald Trump that he should be willing to stand up to Russia as president, and he talked about his expectations for the president-elect’s actions concerning key U.S. policies and international commitments.

Speaking from Berlin at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during his final trip abroad as president, Mr. Obama said that while he doesn’t expect Trump to follow his administration’s blueprint, he expects him to act in U.S. interests.

“My hope is that the president-elect, coming in, takes a similarly constructive approach -- finding areas where we can cooperate with Russia, where our values and interests align -- but that the president-elect is also willing to stand up to Russia where they are deviating from our values and international norms,” Mr. Obama said.

The president suggested it would be harmful if Trump takes a “realpolitik approach” where the U.S. cuts deals with Russia “even if it hurts people, or even if it violates international norms or even if it leaves countries vulnerable.”

Mr. Obama reiterated that he was “encouraged” by Trump’s “insistence” he won’t change the U.S. commitment to NATO, which the president said Trump made clear to him during a 90-minute meeting at the White House last week.

“His full commitment to NATO as the foundation for our international security is, I think, very important,” Mr. Obama said.

Mr. Obama is on his last foreign trip, which also includes stops in Greece and Peru. While both leaders met privately, Mr. Obama said they discussed efforts to keep the U.S. and Germany economically competitive, negotiations resulting from Brexit -- the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union, the threat of climate change and implementing the Paris agreement, ensuring Iran continues to abide by its nuclear deal, countering cyber threats and the importance of maintaining sanctions against Russia.

Responding to Trump’s previous remarks about stopping the flow of Syrian refugees to the U.S., Mr. Obama said that the global refugee problem is not an issue any one country should bear, and said he hopes robust support for an international response “continues beyond my administration.”

The president warned that “politics everywhere” will now experience a “bumpy phase.”

“As long as we stay true to our democratic principles, as long as elections have integrity, as along [sic] as we respect freedom of speech, freedom of religion, as long as there are checks and balances in our governments so that the people have the ability to not just make judgments about how well the government is serving them, but changing government if the government is not serving them well, then I have confidence that over the long-term, progress will continue,” the president said during his sixth visit to Germany.

In what appeared to be a reflection of Democrats’ failure to connect with every demographic in the presidential election, Mr. Obama said, “It’s important that we reach out to everybody in our countries -- those who feel disaffected, those who feel left behind by globalization and address their concerns in constructive ways, as opposed to more destructive ways.”

He talked about the danger of presenting stories that aren’t true in the age of social media, as well as the problems of using social networks in politics.

“It’s easier to make negative attacks and simplistic slogans than it is to communications complex policies,” he said.

In the end, he said he’s “cautiously optimistic” about his successor.

“There something about the solemn responsibilities of that office, the extraordinary demands that are placed on the U.S., not just by its own people, but by people around the world that forces you to focus, that demands seriousness,” he said.

“If you’re not serious about the job, then you probably won’t be there very long because it will expose problems even when you’re doing a good job.”



Don’t know what Realpolitik means? This Wikipedia article gives varying, but related, definitions. It presents a valuable history lesson in defining this term. I believe Obama’s comment in this CBS article refers to ruthless international moves that hurt people to meet some international gain. This discussion explains to me why the US has so often, in the mid-1900s to today, followed a path of backing a leader with obvious dictatorial characteristics in order to “stabilize” a nation, usually a “Third World” nation, so that our military and economic interests are allowed to operate there. Such policies have sometimes gone so far as to prove destructive of the environment and have even been genocidal situations. The world is treading on particularly dangerous political ground worldwide these days, so I hope to see no more NeoNazi signs after this 2016 election.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik

Realpolitik
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Realpolitik (from German: real "realistic", "practical", or "actual"; and Politik "politics", German pronunciation: [ʁeˈaːlpoliˌtɪk]) is politics or diplomacy based primarily on considerations of given circumstances and factors, rather than explicit ideological notions or moral and ethical premises. In this respect, it shares aspects of its philosophical approach with those of realism and pragmatism. It is often simply referred to as pragmatism in politics, e.g. "pursuing pragmatic policies" (Singapore). The term Realpolitik is sometimes used pejoratively to imply politics that are coercive, amoral, or Machiavellian.

Realpolitik is often confused with the philosophy of political realism. Political realism is a particular modern, descriptive paradigm, or theoretical and methodological framework, aimed at describing, explaining and, eventually, predicting events in the international relations domains. Both are often believed to suggest working from the hypothesis that it is chiefly based on the pursuit, possession, and application of power. (See also power politics) However, some International Relations Realists, such as Kenneth Waltz and Hans Morgenthau, have viewed states as pursuing immediate survival or security, rather than the pursuit of power.

. . . .

In the U.S. the term is often analogous to power politics, while in Germany Realpolitik has a somewhat less negative connotation, referring to realistic politics in opposition to idealistic (unrealistic) politics. It is particularly associated with the era of 19th century nationalism. Realpolitik policies were employed in response to the failed revolutions of 1848, as means to strengthen states and tighten social order. . . . .

Such policies are characteristic of Bismarck, demonstrating a pragmatic view of the "real" political world. Another example was his willingness to adopt some social policies of the socialists such as employee insurance and pensions; in doing so, he used small changes from the top down to avoid the possibility of major change from the bottom up. Likewise, Prussia's seemingly illogical move of not demanding territory from a defeated Austria, a move that later led to the unification of Germany, is an oft-cited example of Realpolitik.[citation needed]

Adolf Hitler's attempt to annex the predominantly German region of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland in 1938 may also be described as Realpolitik.[citation needed] At first, Hitler unsuccessfully demanded that Czech president Edvard Beneš hand over that region of the country. However, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain subsequently gave the Sudetenland to Hitler in the (ultimately unsuccessful) hope of preventing a war, as codified in the Munich Agreement. With Britain a guarantor of Czech independence, Hitler knew that Beneš' opinion on the matter was immaterial if Chamberlain was prepared to give Hitler what he desired.

E. H. Carr (Edward Hallett Carr) was a liberal realist and later left-wing British historian and international relations theorist who argued for realistic international policies versus utopian ones. Carr described realism as the acceptance that what exists is right, and the belief that there is no reality or force outside history such as God. He argued that in realism there is no moral dimension, and that what is successful is right, and what is unsuccessful is wrong. Carr was convinced that the Bolsheviks were destined to win the Russian Civil War, and approved of the Prime Minister David Lloyd George's opposition to the anti-Bolshevik ideas of the War Secretary Winston Churchill under the grounds of Realpolitik.[4] In Carr's opinion, Churchill's support of the White Russian movement was folly, as Russia was likely to be a great power once more under the leadership of the Bolsheviks.

Examples of U.S. Realpolitik[edit]

The policy of Realpolitik was formally introduced to the Richard Nixon White House by Henry Kissinger.[5] In this context, the policy meant dealing with other powerful nations in a practical manner rather than on the basis of political doctrine or ethics—for instance, Nixon's diplomacy with the People's Republic of China, despite U.S. opposition to communism and the previous doctrine of containment. Another example is Kissinger's use of shuttle diplomacy after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, where he persuaded the Israelis to withdraw partially from the Sinai in deference to the political realities created by the oil crisis.

Henry Kissinger generally receives credit for introducing Realpolitik to American foreign policy. However, it should be noted that Kissinger himself said that he had never used the term and has said that it is used by both liberal and realist foreign policy thinkers to label, criticize and facilitate a choosing of sides.[6] Kissinger had looked at what he implemented while serving as Secretary of State and United States Security Advisor not in the confines of making Realpolitik a standard policy but within in the terms of being a statesman. This political mindset can be seen in Kissinger’s book A World Restored and is pointed out by historian John Bew in his book Realpolitik, where Kissinger goes on to say that the role of the statesman is, “the ability to recognize the real relationship of forces and to make this knowledge serve his ends.”[7][8]

In this context one can see how Realpolitik principles can influence American policy but not as standard policy. The reach and influence of Realpolitik is found instead in pragmatic and flexible policy that changes to the needs of the situation. This type of policy making can be seen in the current American administration led by President Barack Obama. Historian John Bew makes note of this direction in the Obama administration when President Obama’s former chief of staff remarks in an article in the New York Times. The former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel says that everyone wants to break it down into contrasts of idealist and realist, however “if you had to put him in a category, he’s probably more realpolitik, like Bush 41…. You’ve got to be cold-blooded about the self-interests of your nation.”[9]



CBS EXCERPT – “The president suggested it would be harmful if Trump takes a “realpolitik approach” where the U.S. cuts deals with Russia “even if it hurts people, or even if it violates international norms or even if it leaves countries vulnerable.”

WIKIPEDIA EXCERPT – “Such policies are characteristic of Bismarck, demonstrating a pragmatic view of the "real" political world. Another example was his willingness to adopt some social policies of the socialists such as employee insurance and pensions; in doing so, he used small changes from the top down to avoid the possibility of major change from the bottom up. Likewise, Prussia's seemingly illogical move of not demanding territory from a defeated Austria, a move that later led to the unification of Germany, is an oft-cited example of Realpolitik.[citation needed] …. Carr described realism as the acceptance that what exists is right, and the belief that there is no reality or force outside history such as God. He argued that in realism there is no moral dimension, and that what is successful is right, and what is unsuccessful is wrong.”


Both of those examples, Bismarck and Carr, are described as being examples of Realpolitik policy, but in the case of Bismarck, he has concern for the lives of the people or at any rate an ability to listen to their complaints. Carr, on the other hand, takes a much harder and colder view on what the term means. “What exists is right” is one of those old doctrines that churches hand in hand with kings sometimes put forth to keep their parishioners OBEDIENT. Good people don’t make waves, in other words. Nothing stymies human progress like that doctrine. I assume Obama was talking about Carr’s hardline voice to that effect, in his advice to Trump, above.

I often like my side trips into related or explanatory subjects more than I do the original news article, and this is one such case. I had heard the term Realpolitik, but knew nothing about it except that the term is more or less self-explanatory from its’ spelling. Wikipedia clued me in on a history lesson on the subject, however, and as usual I found it fascinating.

In this most recent Presidential election, Bernie Sanders the visionary was criticized for being less realistic than the DNC and others claim themselves to be, but in my opinion his philosophy is more like the pragmatic thinking as described above, than as being purely idealistic. Though he does call himself a “socialist,” and he is one who wants laws changed to keep a greater stream of the national wealth flowing toward the lives of the people and the poor in particular; he is far from advocating literally robbing the wealthy in the process. Besides, our billionaires are so far from suffering any real harm that the whole argument is ridiculous. In my opinion that is the ultimate in rational decision-making. The needs of all are addressed.

Sanders’ goals represent instead an emphasis on maintaining for our citizens a good living environment, good physical and mental health, a good education, the promotion of good interpersonal relations, and a true path leading upward, economically and socially. It does prevent the wealthy from endlessly becoming MORE WEALTHY rather than giving back a realistic amount to the nation as a whole, and most Republicans don't like that. Some of the very wealthy are so greedy that they cry out for relief from the government when that happens. We already have many “corporate welfare” recipients, and I for one want to see that stopped, at least until no jobless people “fall through the cracks” of the social safety net and end up living on the street.