Follow YOUR Conscience? Lessons learned from the 2016 RNC

Pinocchio's Conscience: Jiminy Cricket
Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment that assists in distinguishing right from wrong. Moral judgment may derive from values or norms (principles and rules). In psychological terms conscience is often described as leading to feelings of remorse when a human commits actions that go against his/her moral values and to feelings of rectitude or integrity when actions conform to such norms.he extent to which conscience informs moral judgment before an action and whether such moral judgments are or should be based in reason has occasioned debate through much of the history of Western philosophy.

Happy Thursday, July 21st, 2016!
July 21 is the 203rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 163 days remaining until the end of the year.
Today, I am writing about what I feel the Republican Party is all about based on my observations. It has shed a light on our bullying culture and has made it seem acceptable to be this way openly and arrogantly. 
 
The Republican National Convention is almost "over" and I'm frustrated. I've had it with the blatant, unapologetic racism, sexism and homophobia. I'm done with pretending that this is a normal party convention, when there is nothing at all normal about a reality star running an openly authoritarian campaign for the presidency.
I have been riveted this week on the latest in "reality" TV, the Republican National Convention.

I am, however, very dismayed at the hate rhetoric. I see adults setting the lowest standards for their party and our children. Trump's entire platform has set the tone for our present and our future.
When Cruz took the stage last night, the big question was whether or not he would endorse Trump. When he  up yo the podium, and I'm no fan, I was praying that he would not endorse Trump. When he asked America to vote our conscience, he was booed off the stage and his wife had to be escorted out of the convention hall for her safety.
What does this say about what he have become as a nation?
Cruz's speech completely threw the political world into an uproar, with people everywhere taking one side or another, either with with Cruz, or Trump. One group in particular seems to have, for the most part, decided to put themselves firmly in Cruz's corner. Texas delegates said about 80% of the delegation supported Cruz's speech. Read THIS.

Katrina Pierson, Trump's Campaign advisor, said earlier on TV today that this was not about Cruz and/or the things that Trump said about his wife and father; that the focus should be about the party.. I totally disagree. If we check what is not acceptable behavior at the door, we ALL will suffer.
Trump has surrounded himself with people that support him no matter how outrageous the situation.
Pay attention!

Katrina Pierson Defends Melania Plagiarism: ‘English Is Not Her Native Language’

Corey Lewandowski Got Away With Bullying—Until Donald Trump’s Campaign Cratered (He got rewarded by being hired by CNN).

We haven’t seen a personality like his too much in the Midwest. [He’s a] Eastern, privileged, wealthy bully. Our bullies are made of better stuff in Illinois. We’re much more practical and polite.
-Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)

Yesterday, Republican state Rep. Al Baldasaro’s remarked that Hillary Clinton should be “put in the firing line and shot for treason”.  Read HERE. Also, interestingly enough, when he made those comments, the interviewer didn't even flinch!
It is very telling that more emphasis today is being spent on someone not endorsing Trump rather than writing about Pence or anyone else that IS endorsing him.

Trump is a bully. Christie is a bully. Giuliani is a bully. If you disagree with them, rather than a civil discussion, they will tell you to shut up and then go on to belittle you. If Christie is aspiring to be attorney general, his appearance earlier this week proves that he is incapable of being an attorney general. He has barely been able to govern his own state.
Ivanka Trump says she could not support a man who is sexist, but she knows her dad. Those of us who are willing to be honest also knows her dad. Read this article if you need more clarification.
It is also interesting to note who Trump is aligning himself with. Antonio Sabato Jr., who spoke earier this week said,regarding President Obama: "I Don't Believe That The Guy Is A
Christian". What is that based on? And, for the record, should it make a difference if he isn't. Mr. Sabato, what makes you think that your belief system is superior to those who think differently?

When I think of Trump, I am reminded of three guys I went to high school with. Two were on our high school football team. The other was the mayor's son. These three guys walked around with a bravado that most jocks adopt. They demanded that the attention be on them when they walked into a room. These were the guys that if you sat at their table in the cafeteria, some would feel as if by osmosis, they were now "popular". These were the guys that people wanted to be
standing next to on the school grounds during recess.

I have NEVER been a fan of  Ted Cruz. However, I came to respect him a little more last night by following HIS conscience even with intense pressure and scrutiny placed upon him.
Trump, according to himself, saw the speech two hours prior last night. He KNEW that Cruz was not endorsing him. He even knew when to make his entrance. It is all part of that reality TV show mentality. I have heard more talk on how he will make his entrance today than on what he will say.

Shame on those in the party who have supported Trump's behavior by supporting him.If anyone else had done what Trump has done over the course of the last year, they would have been called on the carpet for it. He is getting away with it because he is a celebrity. Leslie Moonves of CBS said, "He may be terrible for the country, but he's great for ratings. CNN has aligned themselves for many from his team with their biggest "coup" being hiring Corey Lewandowsky. 
When the attention was not on them, they would do something outrageous to get that attention, normally at the expense of someone else.
It made them feel more important when they were ridiculing someone else. Sound familiar. Not only is this the Trump way, but it is also being adopted by those that want to be on his "good side."
Earlier this week, there was a brouhaha as to whether or not Melania Trump had plagiarized her speech on the first night of the convention.
Again, what kind of message are "we putting out to the world?
I say "we" because we ALL are responsible.
We have created the world that we are living in on every level. Instead of pointing fingers, we all have to take responsibility with what we put out to the world on a daily basis.
Before she even gave the speech, Melania told Matt Lauer on the Today Show that she wrote it herself with very little help.
She gave the speech to much appreciation and support.
Both sides of the political spectrum sent her kudos.
That was until we saw her speech, both visually and the text, side by side. Rather than owning up to it, we were then told there was a "team of writers" who worked on it. Then, a "writer" named Meredith McIver stepped up to the plate and decided to take the fall for this major faux pas. She even offered her resignation. Trump's response was that publicity was all good and that everyone makes "mistakes".




That coming from a man who has criticized every person that he has disagreed with since day one of declaring his campaign. If these shoes were on Hillary's feet, we never would hear the end of it.
Many in Trump's camp are always pointing fingers saying that Hillary is held to a different standard. The truth is, Trump is held to a different standard.
Rest assured, this campaign has been in the planning stages for many years.  If any other candidate had said or done what Trump has gotten away with, they would have been out of the race. Trump is a celebrity and many are waiting to see what his next move may be. This is not entertaining to me. Our future is in the balance.
I DO have a conscience and I intend to follow that. Shame on those who choose to bully...on EITHER side!

Read The 2016 Republican Platform HERE

With every rising of the sun, think of your life as just begun. -Unknown


We DO have a LOT to be proud of. Let's all agree to celebrate that pride in each other! 
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