July 7, 2018 – Charles Krauthammer – 1950 – 2018

         “You’re betraying your whole life if you don’t say what you think – and you don’t say it honestly and bluntly.”

         - Charles Krauthammer – said during his interview in 2013 of his Best Seller book, Things That Matter.

         I shall miss Charles Krauthammer.  Spinning my wheels in trying to make a living and living my life, I paid less attention to the news in my earlier years. However, from Carter years on, I started to pay increasingly more and more attention to the news and became more discerning of whom I listened to.

         My first presidential election was a choice between Carter or Ford in 1976, with an outcome of 297 to 240 electoral votes. Carter won.¹ [Side note – the electoral votes of California went to Ford – a Republican – recently those electoral votes of California went to Hillary Clinton, who lost against Trump in 2016.²]  The one issue that prompted me into action was Carter indicating he wanted registration of women for military service. 

Women registering for the military service even in times of peace were of serious interest to me as I was in my early 20s and unmarried at the time. [I suggest you look at two items ^{3 and 4} that discuss Israel women in their Defense Service.] I telephoned all my friends and urged them to get out to vote on that one issue alone.  But, Carter took office, 1977-1981.

[See Proclamation 4771-Registration Under the Military Selective Service Act, July 2, 1980.⁵]  This one item mentioned in the run for president cemented my closer attention to elections and politics.

Fast forward, 35 – 40 years and I am now retired and have ample time to pay attention to politics and research.

I suggest those that haven’t had the time to pay attention start to pay attention now.  There are things in the wind that everyone needs to understand deeply in order to combat or follow – whichever he/or she chooses.

Suddenly on the scene is “socialism” – not just Bernie Sander’s version – a younger candidate – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez seems to have an expanded view .  I learned about socialism in high school along with communism – did you?  What version - the 1970s version or the 2016s version?  Much of history is being watered down and rewritten to make it more palatable.  

Now that there is a vacancy on the Supreme Court to be filled, everyone is howling about Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) being overturned.  I suggest everyone research this topic before speaking.  Start at Wikipedia ⁶.  Please pay particular attention to the section entitled: Activities of Normal McCorvey, who was Jane Roe.  Even though she was an original party to Roe v. Wade, and sought to reopen the case, she failed at overturning this case in 2005. The Supreme Court refused to grant a writ of certiorari.

Before you debate the topic – whatever the topic is – be sure you know what the history is and/or the facts.

Another topic of interest in the news these long months since the election of President Trump in 2016 is the constant clamor for his impeachment.⁷ Several resolutions have already been introduced . . . and I imagine many more will be introduced.  It is interesting reading for either side of the Trump camp.

Again, I will miss Krauthammer.  Many evenings cooking dinner I’d often say to my husband, “Turn up the volume – Krauthammer is on.”  Charles’ eloquent discourse on all topics taught you how to debate rationally and fairly.  You need to know both sides and be able to talk about both sides in a civilized manner.

I refuse to be shouted down by someone else because they think MY VIEWS ARE NOT IMPORTANT.  They only want one side - their side with no debate.  I will not be quiet. I will use the phrase au contraire more often meaning a “polite way of saying I have an opposite point of view”.  Many may think it is a four letter word or consider it humorous, ironic or simply dramatic.  It will be my basis for civil discourse.  And, when all else fails and I am being shouted at or told that “you must be drunk” when I am dead sober I will use my proverbial shelf-method which is announcing  “We obviously disagree on this and will always disagree on this subject.  Let us say no more until after the election or after the current President it out of office.”  That will be my polite shut down. 

However, I will not abandon my view. I will vote my view – behind curtains in the voting booth and making sure I only entice similarly minded friends to go out to vote and never advise those that disagree to get out and vote. And, dancing in my head will be ‘I told you so’ when the pending crisis or conflict works out in the real world, not in the fanatical world of bullying loud mouths.

 It is time for conservatives to arm themselves and speak up and in the end vote for conservatism.

I will leave my “hot topic list” with Krauthammer’s quote because he has given me the inspiration and impetus to speak honestly and bluntly about anything.

“You’re betraying your whole life

if you don’t say what you think

– and you don’t say it honestly and bluntly.”

- Charles Krauthammer

The Weekly Standard – Issue July 9/July 16, 2018 has a wonderful editorial about Charles Krauthammer. 

See https://www.weeklystandard.com/issue/23-42

Research Notes:

        

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1976

(2) https://www.270towin.com/maps/2016-actual-electoral-map

(3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_Israel_Defense_Forces

(4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_Israel

(5) http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=44697

(6)https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roe_v._Wade&oldid=848464215

(7) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efforts_to_impeach_Donald_Trump