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The Intrepid Explorer: Picking the President

Living – Life – Large

By Dan Abernathy
Posted 10/31/24

The president of the United States, our Commander in Chief, is the person who holds unchecked power and who has their finger on the button. This is the highest executive officer of a modern republic. …

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Column

The Intrepid Explorer: Picking the President

Living – Life – Large

Posted

The president of the United States, our Commander in Chief, is the person who holds unchecked power and who has their finger on the button. This is the highest executive officer of a modern republic. This person must be, above all things, presidential.

“Presidential” means having a demeanor (outward behavior or bearing,) befitting (appropriate to the occasion or purpose). A president is dignified (having or showing a composed or serious manner that is worthy of respect). America wants a president who looks and acts presidential, but with this interval of choosing, we dont have a choice.

We have reached the time once again that we are supposed to vote. We have been hypnotized into a belief system that is unbelievable, corrupt and has nothing to do with the care of the people. What we need are better leaders or stronger incentives for individual leaders to actually change things. What we have is no one that should be voted for.

We the American people have become lost in the crazed chaos of our supposed leaders. Ego-infused frontrunners care little for the people, yet blindly, these people are cheering them on. People are infected with mob mentality as they encourage and endorse without regret the opinions and beliefs of anyone else. This stubborn, toxic attitude is splitting the country as manipulated sides make a stand.

It’s abundantly clear that what America is doing to heal itself is not working. We are more divided than in recent memory despite the best talking efforts of all levels of government. The government sits in meetings, lobbies, argues and votes, but nothing is changing except for the worse.

Our un-meaningful leaders are not actually bridging our divides. Whether it’s the diversity initiatives,” designed to address discrimination, biases to create a culture of respect, or progressives who express difficulty being in the same room as the conservatives they find offensive. Americans on both sides appear unwilling to sign on the dotted line for real change.

Humans are tribal and we cherish the things that make us different from others. This does not mean we are not hypocritical. We routinely make harmful judgments about strangers. Our brains are working against us and our increasingly digital society is tilting the scales towards dangerous polarization.
The American Civil War, 1861-1865, was fought over slavery and to a lesser extent, statesrights and the future of the economy. In the run-up to the 2024 U.S. elections, there is now mumbling of another civil war brewing over this countrys future.

While there is seemingly no imminent threat of armies clashing on the battlefield, there is an increasing radical sentiment of a growing realization that the US is now more divided than at any time since the 1850s.

Because ignorance is their power, with increased manipulation, the United States has become Balkanized. We have become preoccupied with internal divisions over immigration, race, inequality, and sexual and gender identity issues. Such self-absorption is already manifesting itself in isolationism at the expense of what truly is benefitting our country.  

Strong Republicans in America think it is somewhat likely that there will be a US civil war within the next decade. The strong Democrats agree and some Americans will also support their state seceding from the Union.

The outcome of the 2024 U.S. election is unlikely to resolve any differences. If anything, it may intensify them. Just as some Southerners never fully accepted the outcome of the Civil War, Trump supporters who believe the 2020 election was stolen are unlikely to gracefully accept a loss in 2024. If Trump wins, Harris supporters may attribute it to Republican election subversion, further alienating Democrats from their fellow Americans.

The American people need to understand that the United States has become the Disunited States. Americans are fighting over social, political and constitutional issues. The 2024 election is another Gettysburg. 

As in all wars, the doors of public corruption swing wide open to expose uncluttered greed. Public corruption is a breach of the publics trust by government officials who use their office to obtain personal gain. It is a violation of federal law for any government official to ask for or receive anything of value in exchange for, or because of, any official act.

Now as we watch the billionaires waltzing in the ballroom, that has not yet been reserved, we hear the melody being orchestrated to buy votes and the interchange of promises to pay back the orchestra.

Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, who saw his wealth grow by an astonishing $34 billion in a single day and the fuel behind America PAC, is buying votes for Trump.

The petition encourages voters in six swing states - Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina, to sign a "petition in favor of free speech and the right to bear arms".

Those who refer another voter who signs up are promised a sum of $47 each. Higher sums of $100 for signing or referring are offered in Pennsylvania, the battleground that both the Trump and Harris campaigns believe could potentially decide the race's eventual victor.

Each day, until polling day on Nov. 5, a $ 1 million prize will be randomly awarded to any signatory in one of the seven swing states. The first lottery-style jumbo check was handed out to a surprised attendee at a town hall event in Pennsylvania on Oct 19.

“I believe Musk’s offer is likely illegal,” said Paul Schiff Berman, the Walter S. Cox professor of law at George Washington University. He pointed to the U.S. Code on electoral law, which states that anyone who “pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting,” faces a potential $10,000 fine or a five-year prison sentence.

A loophole may cover and protect this unethical strategy of buying votes. Because no one is being directly paid to register or vote, a former chairman of the Federal Election Committee,  (FEC) suggested. Brad Smith believes this giveaway was something of a grey area.”

Hes not paying them to register to vote. Hes paying them to sign a petition and he wants only people who are registered to vote to sign the petition,” Smith added.

Michael Kang, an election law professor at Northwestern University said that the context is whats important. "I understand some analysts believe that its not illegal, but I think here combined with the context its clearly designed to induce people to register to vote in a way that is legally problematic.”

Adav Noti of the non-partisan Campaign Legal Center said Musk’s conspiracy “violates federal law and is subject to civil or criminal enforcement by the Department of Justice. It is illegal to give out money on the condition that recipients register as voters.”

The principle of direct reciprocity, paying back those who have helped you, is so dominant in everyday life that it’s often permeated with moral status. In many societies, including the U.S., failure to return a favor can be considered a great offense.

To reciprocate Trump said he would create a government efficiency commission to audit the entire federal government and billionaire Musk would lead it. This was another billionaire idea among the attention-grabbing alliance suggested by Musk.

If you think in any way that Im supporting Harris and bashing Trump, I am not. Trump is just so bold that his every action can be seen. Harris on the other hand is so vague and transparent that she is easily overlooked.

I stopped explaining myself when I realized people only understand from their level of perception. This could just be the fading eyesight that accompanies age, but all the things I dont want to see and be part of, look a bit out of focus. For this reason, all these things I dont want to see and be part of, seem to be easily overlooked.

It all boils down to the fact I would not support either candidate for the 2024 presidential election. Harris or Trump cannot be deemed presidential. Picking the Commander in Chief of our great nation is like choosing a babysitter for your children. What would you choose, a convicted felon who strays from the truth, or someone who wants to arrest the parents when their child does not behave and laughs when they dont know whats being asked, or would you just stay home in the comfort of your own domicile and clean your assault rifle? -dbA

You can find more of the unfiltered insight and the Art of Dan Abernathy at www.contributechaos.com.