PRO-LIFE. Anti-abortion. Anti-illegal immigration. Rule of law. Conservatism. Christian faith and values. Lower taxes. Fiscal responsibility.
These are the core issues close to our hearts as Filipinos in America, making many kababayans lean Republican instead of the pro-choice, more inclusive, more tolerant and progressive Democratic Party.
In the many presidential debates I moderated for The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast “Balitang America,” I heard how these fundamental reasons have compelled Filipinos in America, especially those who have been here for decades, to vote for whoever is the Republican nominee.
For more than a decade, I have witnessed how Fil-Ams of different political affiliations and principles have agreed to disagree and remained respectful of each other’s differing opinions and made a deliberate decision to remain friends despite the political divide.
Those who were in the middle, unaffiliated, and independent had a hard time deciding because almost always, the nominees were all of good character and personal integrity, that the factors they had to consider would just be the platform offered by each nominee and their party.
Sure there were a few “personalan,” digging some dirt against the opposing party and nominee, but the engagement of kababayans with each other was generally civil and courteous…until Donald Trump ran for President in 2016. From then on, the engagement, even among Filipinos in America, became vile, toxic, divisive and destructive.
I do not know which of Trump’s attributes caused these qualities and attracted some kababayans to be blindly loyal to him — the self-professed billionaire reality show star who loved “firing people”; the self-absorbed man who would pretend to be a different person who would personally call reporters from media outlets to reveal juicy stories as “Trump’s publicist”; the white, rich, powerful businessman who is so obsessed with Barack Obama, so much that he would fabricate conspiracy theories that the first African American president of the United States was not really born in America but in Kenya or Indonesia, raising doubts in the hearts and minds of people who, like him, were not ready to accept that Black people can also be president.
Probably the rise of social media also factored in, because for the first time, we have witnessed the immense power of technology in sharing their comments online, hiding behind a different name or alias, posting comments without thinking of the content and the tone of their rhetoric.
We have been taken aback by how different social media platforms could also be used to spread fake news stories by questionable news organizations and paid trolls whose objective was to destroy political opponents no matter what the cost.
Perhaps, this toxicity is spreading like a virus because of the man who takes pride in modeling this kind of behavior and rhetoric. Sadly, not only the people who adore him as his loyal fans emulate him. The party of Lincoln, Reagan and Bush is now likewise hijacked by Trump, and those in the executive and legislative branches who wanted to hold on to power by riding in Trump’s popularity abandoned the very conservative values that used to define the GOP (Grand Old Party).
“The presidency does not change a person but reveals his true character,” paraphrasing Former First Lady Michelle Obama. For three years — issue after issue — we have seen Trump dig deeper into a bottomless pit, and sadly, he is pulling the nation and the American people in his quagmire.
His unbridled, unhinged and irresponsible use of the power Office of the President and the bully pulpit that goes with the office without regard to the truth and facts to destroy people, American institutions, news organizations, businesses and industries critical of him and against his personal agenda; his inhumane treatment of immigrants, especially people of color — both undocumented and documented, including refugees; his betrayal of public trust as revealed by the Mueller report, his pro-rich anti-poor economic policies that have made the leagues of billionaires and millionaires become richer as ordinary hard-working Americans become poorer without decent living wages and social services meant to be the equalizer for them to rise higher; to the way he handled the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing his political agenda over the safety of the American people, denying facts and science, using religion in his reality show presidency — these are but a few examples.
And now this, the heartless killing of another Black man in the hands of the police just ignited the anger of Black people, people of color and their supporters. Individuals around the country are risking their lives amid a pandemic to protest against racism, racial injustice, police brutality and Trump’s fanning the flame of division in response to this crisis.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Donald Trump has betrayed the American people and the oath he took when he was sworn in as president — to defend and protect the Constitution and be the president of ALL Americans.
Do not take my word or opinion for it. Listen to leaders of his own party who are out there in a limb protecting the conservative values of principles of their party. Listen to Constitutional scholars, listen to historians, open your eyes to how his actions betray his promises, and how his rhetoric betrays his own claim.
Read this piece written and signed by 89 former defense officials, published by the Washington Post on June 5, 2020:
President Trump continues to use inflammatory language as many Americans protest the unlawful death of George Floyd and the unjust treatment of black Americans by our justice system. As the protests have grown, so has the intensity of the president’s rhetoric. He has gone so far as to make a shocking promise: to send active-duty members of the U.S. military to “dominate” protesters in cities throughout the country — with or without the consent of local mayors or state governors.
On Monday, the president previewed his approach on the streets of Washington. He had 1,600 troops from around the country transported to the D.C. area, and placed them on alert, as an unnamed Pentagon official put it, “to ensure faster employment if necessary.” As part of the show of force that Trump demanded, military helicopters made low-level passes over peaceful protesters — a military tactic sometimes used to disperse enemy combatants — scattering debris and broken glass among the crowd. He also had a force, including members of the National Guard and federal officers, that used flash-bang grenades, pepper spray and, according to eyewitness accounts, rubber bullets to drive lawful protesters, as well as members of the media and clergy, away from the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church. All so he could hold a politically motivated photo op there with members of his team, including, inappropriately, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Looting and violence are unacceptable acts, and perpetrators should be arrested and duly tried under the law. But as Monday’s actions near the White House demonstrated, those committing such acts are largely on the margins of the vast majority of predominantly peaceful protests. While several past presidents have called on our armed services to provide additional aid to law enforcement in times of national crisis — among them Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson — these presidents used the military to protect the rights of Americans, not to violate them.
As former leaders in the Defense Department — civilian and military, Republican, Democrat and independent — we all took an oath upon assuming office “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” as did the president and all members of the military, a fact that Gen. Milley pointed out in a recent memorandum to members of the armed forces. We are alarmed at how the president is betraying this oath by threatening to order members of the U.S. military to violate the rights of their fellow Americans.
President Trump has given governors a stark choice: either end the protests that continue to demand equal justice under our laws, or expect that he will send active-duty military units into their states. While the Insurrection Act gives the president the legal authority to do so, this authority has been invoked only in the most extreme conditions when state or local authorities were overwhelmed and were unable to safeguard the rule of law. Historically, as Secretary Esper has pointed out, it has rightly been seen as a tool of last resort.
Beyond being unnecessary, using our military to quell protests across the country would also be unwise. This is not the mission our armed forces signed up for: They signed up to fight our nation’s enemies and to secure — not infringe upon — the rights and freedoms of their fellow Americans. In addition, putting our servicemen and women in the middle of politically charged domestic unrest risks undermining the apolitical nature of the military that is so essential to our democracy. It also risks diminishing Americans’ trust in our military — and thus America’s security — for years to come.
As defense leaders who share a deep commitment to the Constitution, to freedom and justice for all Americans, and to the extraordinary men and women who volunteer to serve and protect our nation, we call on the president to immediately end his plans to send active-duty military personnel into cities as agents of law enforcement, or to employ them or any another military or police forces in ways that undermine the constitutional rights of Americans. The members of our military are always ready to serve in our nation’s defense. But they must never be used to violate the rights of those they are sworn to protect.
* * *
Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at [email protected], or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.
Ms. RELOS, do you usually write op-ed pieces WITHOUT facts and/or statistics? You’ve obviously been brainwashed by the Left — you know, the party of abortionists, open borders, atheism, defund police, GLOBALISTS. The principles you said Filipinos reject.
FYI, what happened to George Floyd was a city-level incident. It involved the local city PD. What does this have to do with the federal government, and more specifically, Pres. Trump? Why do you Lefties blame him for a local problem? So first you tell him to stay out of your sanctuary cities, and then when a local cop does a bad thing, you pivot and say it’s Trump’s fault. Whaaat? YOU CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. That behavior is called called hypocritical and spoiled. Make up your mind: Do you want the federal government involved in local city politics or not.
If anyone here is betraying the US Constitution, it’s definitely not Trump. It’s you and people like you who are. You don’t even understand the Constitution — i.e., responsibilities of each level of government.
And you quote from The Washington Post — REALLY??? I’m shocked you didn’t quote from the other usual suspects: CNN, MSNBC, NYT, LAT. Or just go to the horse’s mouth: the DNC. You might as well have.
I’M A FILIPINO and a naturalized US Citizen. I’ve lived in the US for 36 years now, AND I LOVE THIS COUNTRY. I’m 63 and lived thru Martial Law in the Philippines. Did you? Hmm. Didn’t think so. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LIVE IN A COUNTRY WITH ZERO FREEDOMS. Like the freedom you had to write this politically biased, superficial, virtue-signalling, pseudo-intellectual, elitist, bunch of baloney. YOU DON’T SPEAK FOR ALL US FILIPINOS HERE IN THE US. NOT EVEN CLOSE. Trump is the only one protecting us from fascists like YOU, who seek to control the way we think, act and speak. Otherwise, you’ll riot and loot and steal and burn. That’s what fascists do — CONTROL. Just like Marcos did.
Because you’re already brainwashed, nothing of what I wrote will mean anything to you. I write this for other Filipinos — those that are newly arrived, those still sitting on a fence. You know, those Filipinos who are
“PRO-LIFE. Anti-abortion. Anti-illegal immigration. Rule of law. Conservatism. Christian faith and values. Lower taxes. Fiscal responsibility.”
What Stella M. Benitez said.
Brainwashed ka talaga.
The author of this piece is completely part of the fake news and what is wrong with with the media. Democrats are the violent group just looking at how they do not protect babies but in fact contributing to their destruction. It is appointed unto man then the judgement and those who push abortion and lies will have to account for their actions before the creator.
Here we go , another Talking Head from a country 8000 miles away from the United States , offering up opinions that’s unsubstantiated and without merit . You’re bully pulpit has no place here in the United States, you don’t live here. You don’t see Talking Heads from the United States telling people in the Philippines not to Vote for Duterte. Your purview in this country is zero. There’s a lot of things going on in the Philippines, my place of birth, that needs your attention, focus on that!
“His unbridled, unhinged and irresponsible use of the power Office of the President and the bully pulpit that goes with the office without regard to the truth and facts to destroy people, American institutions, news organizations, businesses and industries critical of him and against his personal agenda; his inhumane treatment of immigrants, especially people of color — both undocumented and documented, including refugees; his betrayal of public trust as revealed by the Mueller report, his pro-rich anti-poor economic policies that have made the leagues of billionaires and millionaires become richer as ordinary hard-working Americans become poorer without decent living wages and social services meant to be the equalizer for them to rise higher; to the way he handled the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing his political agenda over the safety of the American people, denying facts and science, using religion in his reality show presidency — these are but a few examples.”
MS. RELOS, FACTS PLEASE. PLEASE PROVIDE THE FACTS TO SUPPORT YOUR INFLAMMATORY ASSERTIONS.
IF YOU CAN’T, BY ANSWERING ME HERE, THEN THE FILIPINO READERS WILL MAKE THEIR OWN JUDGMENT OF YOU. AND it probably won’t be what you
Gel “Santa Santita” Relos is beyond hope. In one article alone that she wrote in 2018 and I fact-checked, I found 30, yes THIRTY, fake news in it!!! You don’t believe me? Read for your self: https://www.facebook.com/groups/735183013349784/permalink/888221124712638/
It may be true our President may have strong unilateral stances and one sided opinions, but he still runs the nation with it’s best interest in mind- a strong economy. And he has great insight on issues that prevent America from getting taken advantage of by other nations. He doesn’t accept corruption the way our Congress & President back home do in trying to hold off in reinstating abs-cbn’s permit while waiting for their conditions to be met. He doesn’t put minors in cages overnight to teach them a lesson in following curfew. You’re in the land of the free! There are rules and repercussions here even when Donald Trump is President (even if you don’t think so). Until you truly experience the actual inequality (which if you fought for it back home, you would come to realize) and really value what it is to be living in America in all of it’s diversity, you will always be easily swayed by trending politics & popular belief and you may never find the authentic voice you so desperately crave to have.
“His unbridled, unhinged and irresponsible use of the power Office of the President and the bully pulpit that goes with the office without regard to the truth and facts to destroy people, American institutions, news organizations, businesses and industries critical of him and against his personal agenda; his inhumane treatment of immigrants, especially people of color — both undocumented and documented, including refugees; his betrayal of public trust as revealed by the Mueller report, his pro-rich anti-poor economic policies that have made the leagues of billionaires and millionaires become richer as ordinary hard-working Americans become poorer without decent living wages and social services meant to be the equalizer for them to rise higher; to the way he handled the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing his political agenda over the safety of the American people, denying facts and science, using religion in his reality show presidency — these are but a few examples.”
MS. RELOS, FACTS PLEASE. PLEASE PROVIDE THE FACTS TO SUPPORT YOUR INFLAMMATORY ASSERTIONS.
IF YOU CAN’T, BY ANSWERING ME HERE, THEN THE FILIPINO READERS WILL MAKE THEIR OWN JUDGMENT OF YOU. AND it probably won’t be what you expected.
Ms. Relos, I don’t know who you are or what your educational background is, BUT from what you wrote, I can deduce that politics and history ARE NOT YOUR FORTE. Am I right?
I majored in History-Political Science. Magna cum laude. So I am a tad more knowledgeable than you when it comes to politics. A BIG TAD. Wouldn’t you agree? And I am telling you YOU ARE WRONG. You have NO CLUE what is going on here. Trump subverting the US Constitution?? PLEASE POINT OUT WHAT IN THE CONSTITUTION TRUMP IS SUBVERTING. Riiight. You can’t come up with anything.
Meanwhile, I can point out to you MANY instances where the DNC has subverted the Constitution. Protecting our borders is one. Sanctuary cities is another. And how about showing an ID to vote??
YOU DO NOT HAVE AN EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND IN POLITICS. Do yourself a favor and STOP OPINING ON SUBJECTS YOU HAVE LITTLE TO NO EXPERTISE ON. Moreover, STOP TRYING TO VIRTUE-SIGNAL FILIPINOS. We’re not stupid, and we certainly don’t need an uneducated liberal-progressive, thought-police, Social Democrat like you to guilt-trip us to CONFORM to your fascist ideology. There are lots of countries out there that would love to have you as a comrade. Unfortunately, they are all 3rd World, despotic sh*tholes. But hey, as long as Trump isn’t their president that should be no problem to you, right?
Ms Relos shut your mouth since you are completely clueless on US politics and our government system. As a journalist you should fact check before you write about this. Shame on you! Most of us here who have commented agree. STOP OPINING ON SUBJECTS YOU HAVE LITTLE TO NO EXPERTISE ON. You landed a so-called glamour job and think you know it all. President Trump is defending the US Constitution and we respect our president.
Miss Relos, I don’t know if you’ve ever lived and worked in the USA but it seems to me you are more concerned with words, tone and emotions.
Whatever you might think of the person, why don’t you instead look at the actions of the man? The Trump economy is one of the strongest ever and has benefited women and minorities. Trump passed the The First Prison reform bill that benefits blacks who have been jailed for nonviolent crimes. He has stopped illegal immigration which is the right of every sovereign nation.
Internationally, he has strengthened NATO by ensuring member countries abide by their agreement for funding. ISIS is decimated. The refugee flight from the Middle East has diminished. Russia has not made any new incursions into Ukraine unlike during Obama’s term. North Korea has stopped lobbing missiles. China has been exposed as the bully it is.
Now, 2 aircraft carriers are near the West Philippines Sea and will be a counterforce to Chinese aggression. Ms. Relos, you must learn to expand your news sources away from your echo chamber if you will just embarrass yourself with this Op-Ed.
Finally, if you are Christian, you should be an advocate for the Unborn instead of murdering 16 million babies a year, most of the female and minority.
Miss Relos, stop embarrassing yourself and poisoning the minds of those still on the fence regarding all the issues you’ve brought up without proper facts to back up your accusations and claims. I’ve lived in America for 40 years. I know which President made my life better. I cringe to hear and see the news that the socialist left puts out there. You want to know about the pitiful George Floyd? Hear it from a black person yourself, Candace Owens on YouTube. And just so you know, I am a big fan of a black leader named Ret. Ltc. Allen West. Look him up on FB.
I noticed that your article is full of unsubstantiated generalizations and personal assertions. You would have convinced me if your statements are backed up by facts.
CNN paid operative Stay local and focus on Philippine affairs. We don’t need your biased opinion here in the U.S. We already have enough cockroaches here. Focus on China. Maybe you are also in the pocket of President Ji
What a juvenile analysis of the American Constitution. I don’t know anything about you. For all I know you have exceptional IVY League credentials as an American Constitutional scholar – which I don’t. All I have are my college degrees (BSBA, MBA, JD, LLM), 66 yrs experience as an AmCit, & 30+ yrs working for Uncle Sam. I suppose I should also add my family & my religion.
But more relevant are my 26 yrs in the USAF (Lt Col, ret), 5+ yrs in diplomatic svc w/ the US Foreign Svc, 17+yrs svc overseas, both mil & civ, incl. assignments in Taiwan, England, Iceland, Spain, Sicily, Saudi Arabia, Communist China, & the Philippines twice. For all those yrs I was subject to the same oath as our Prez.
My military svc was in various capacities. My 1st life was spent on B-52(G) nuclear armed aircraft, constantly prepared to launch within 5 mins to destroy my crew’s share of the USSR. Having to physically crawl over nukes in preflight gives one great perspective. I had very dark thoughts every time I was draped over a live nuke (yes I’d have been vapor). Fortunately for my family my 2nd life was spent as a USAF attorney overseas, across Europe, the Mid-East, & Asia. And of course after mil retirement & a law practice I returned overseas as a civ diplomat.
But 2 specific factors, I think, support my opinion over yours. First, this is well within my area of expertise, having an LLM in Public Intl Law from UVA & considerable relative experience. Second, I was the US Embassy Legal Advisor during 1991-93. Yes, it’s no secret that I was military attached to the State Dept specifically to advise Ambassador Wisner & his negotiating team during the base negotiations. I had mixed feelings about your Senate’s decision. My over-riding feeling was sadness for the 70k+ Filipinos who would lose their jobs when we left. Most of my closest Filipino friends & colleagues were, obviously, well off & unaffected. But I had a few friends affected, & with blue collar roots I empathized. Yet I admired the Senators who voted no. Sad short term call, but great foresight! As I remarked to Amb Wisner, “50 yrs from now they’ll be included with Aguinaldo & Bonifacio as their Country’s Forefathers in Philippine history books.”
Far from leaving the RP with any negative feelings, I have a Filipina-AmCit wife & 2 AmFil sons, & Manila was the 1st Post I requested as a Foreign Svc Officer. And every vacation I took from Shanghai & in retirement has been to the Fils. Between the San Miguel I’ve consumed & dollars I’ve spent there, if there’s ever an unofficial honorary Filipino visa, I’d better qualify!
So I didn’t come on here to attack you. I just don’t think you have a clue about American Constitutional Law, let alone Prez Trump’s official acts. Five days after I arrived in Manila in 1991, the Ambassador dragged me along with him to visit Vice Prez Laurel & his older brother, who I think was a former House Speaker & I’m pretty sure had a graduate law degree from Yale (just like VP Laurel). The subject? International & Constitutional Law of course. I can’t remember whether the Ambassador said it was to be US Constitutional Law or the Constitutional Law of the Philippines. What I do recall is I kept my mouth shut & my legal education benefited greatly. Those 2 guys knew their stuff regardless of which country’s law was being discussed!
Who does this filipino fake wannabe babe news anchor think she is? Cause she aint all that! Where is she getting her informations from to only regurgitate false information. I’m a Filipino and am ambarrassed by her spewing things she has no knowledge of. This is our adopted country as well as other Filipinos like me and were weighing the facts and truths here on all sides. Were on the side of freedom with law and order. First of all this country is not a racist country. There are racist people here and all over the world including Philippines, but that doesnt make a country racist. George Floyd was another excuse to riot and try to desperately portray US a racist country. A second video from a body cam was released and showed the police trying to work with Floyd, but he was not cooperating. It still was still no excuse for him to die, but it wasn’t racially motivated as the democrats and liberals along with antifa and blm want people to believe.This current president has done more for the American people the past 3 years than a lot of these career politicians combined. He is doing what he said he was going to do.He has and already is helping the black communities, started funding the their colleges , reformed the prison, helped minorities. There are just as much facts and truth out there than lies and misleading informations. He’s no saint by any means. Most of us don’t know him personally except by what news media try to portray him too be, but facts are out there! This woman needs to find another career cause she will not make it if she keeps talking writing through her butt!
The reason why so many Filipinos support Trump is because he is pretty much a mirror image of the government officials that are often elected here in the Philippines. We have yet to understand that time and again, we have chosen the path of history when various countries from Spain, to Japan to the US came and tried to take over. For over 300 years we were told we do not deserve to have a place in society and were often discriminated for being native to this land. Time and time again the Philippines elects mostly corrupt and dishonest officials, many who come from show business and run for office with nothing but their entertainment career behind them as “experience”. So really, it’s not surprising why many support the man who is not only the image of many in government here, but who emulates the original suppressors of our country, our land and our freedom. If you are a Filipino choosing Trump, you are pretty much for the same kind of culture of government here at home. Whether or not he is not a decent human being is not high on your list of attributes in a chosen leader.
I am a Filipino and i’m so embarrassed with the stupidity and MAGAT mentality spewed in the comments.
@Stella Benitez. Nobody cares if you majored politics magna cumlaude from an unknown diploma mill University. Your right to opine is the same as anyone else like Ms Relos. You can’t tell anyone to stop giving opinion while you keep on providing yours. Stating your educational background just shows how insecure and insignificant you are.
The problem in this world is when stupid people think they are the smartest in the room.
@ Barry Keith Simmons
Is this a bio or what? Are you applying for a job? Why are you posting your resume? My point is nobody cares. Again, another symptom of insecure person. Your “opinion” despite all your irrelevant education (from low tier schools) and background will not hold up when scrutinized by another lawyer. So stop harassing Ms. Relos. Just learn from some lawyers who are 1000X better than you, more objective and have better credentials e.g. Filipino-American George Conway III (Harvard-Yale).
In the Philippines, there is a popular term “abogado de campanilla” and i am certain you don’t belong in that group.
—
“JO VASQUEZ SAYS:
JUNE 12, 2020 AT 11:26 AM
Miss Relos, stop embarrassing yourself and poisoning the minds of those still on the fence regarding all the issues you’ve brought up without proper facts to back up your accusations and claims. I’ve lived in America for 40 years. I know which President made my life better. I cringe to hear and see the news that the socialist left puts out there. You want to know about the pitiful George Floyd? Hear it from a black person yourself, Candace Owens on YouTube. And just so you know, I am a big fan of a black leader named Ret. Ltc. Allen West. Look him up on FB.”
@Jo Vasquez,
Jesus! Here we go again and another embarrassing Filipino. A graduate of Facebook School of Medicine and Youtube School of Law and maybe Trump University. If Candace Owens is your standard of an intellectual then i have nothing to say to you. I suggest go to your nearest Barnes&Noble, buy some good books and educate yourself non stop. Stop watching Youtube and sign off from Facebook forever. Not good for your small brain.
——–
Interestingly, the people who always ask for Facts/Statistics (or uses the phrase Fake News all the time when it does not fit their narrative) are those that are severely afflicted by confirmation bias. I doubt that they have the slightest ability to understand how statistics works or read a simple elementary level graph. So really, there is no point presenting objective facts and stats. Don’t ask for it or your head will explode once you see the complex numbers.
Well, Dunning-Kruger effect also explains this Trumpism phenomenon among filipinos here in the US
Robin, thank you for being the only non-zombie commenting!
These comments are appalling! So many pinoys with zero self-awareness. Very much like their demigod trump. I guess the fruits really don’t fall too far from the orange tree.
I just came across your article today and all I can say is FINALLY!! THANK YOU for speaking to what most rational people feel about that POS who vacated the WH. I’ve scratched my head in disbelief trying to comprehend why Filipinos supported someone who contradicted the very values they believe in. I wonder how different their opinions would be if t**** zeroed in on Filipinos, blocking immigration from the Philippines, separating their children from them, encouraging racism by blaming Filipinos for COVID and referring to it as the Filipino virus? Would they still celebrate that Draft Dodger? I’m not a “leftist” or “rightist”- just someone who can see past the bullsh*t. Come on People wake up!