Please don’t be scared of President Trump: here’s my olive branch.

by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME

Yes, I voted for Trump.

But today I write this as an American.  Specifically, as an American who knows the pain that half of America is feeling right now.  And as an American who wants to help build across the divide.

I wrote a text to some Hillary supporter friends of mine earlier.  Letting them know I still loved them, and that I was grateful for their friendship.  One was surprised that I wasn’t gloating that Trump had won, because all of his friends on Facebook were shoving it in his face.

This is what I wrote in response: “It’s funny you mention that.  Being off Facebook and Twitter [I deleted my accounts last year] has made me a better man.  It forces me to think more before making jerk reactions (Trump will need to learn that too, and I think his victory speech showed that he is becoming a better man too).  But I thought about gloating.  I really did.  But I realized that Hillary’s supporters are hurting and crying so much.  So painful.  I don’t want to add to that.  Their pain alone is already too much to bear.  And they are so scared that Trump is going to destroy this country and their way of life.  I want to be part of the solution and not the problem.  I reached out and offered my condolences and friendship to those I knew might be feeling pretty low, as I did to you.  I want everyone to give him a chance.  The best way to do that is to be restrained, polite, and empathetic.  Because I know that I would like your support and friendship if Trump had lost.  And he could have.  Up to the 11th hour.  I wouldn’t want to be kicked while I was down.  Maybe ten years ago, I would not have acted this way.  But today, it’s the type of person I tried to be.  We are all Americans.  Democrat and Republican and Independent.”

So today, I want to share three reasons why I believe you should give President-Elect Trump a chance.  I offer these as a measure of true friendship, from one countryman to another, with no agenda whatsoever.  And as sincerely as I possibly can.

  1. Please click this link:  https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/   This is a link to his campaign website’s exhaustive list of every policy he intends to implement.  Please, before you spend another day crying, first go here.  Read the truth about the policies he intends to implement–many may pleasantly surprise you.  You may not agree with all of them, but I have a feeling you will be less scared about what the future holds.  Moving forward knowing the FACTS of what he stands for, rather than speculation, will do a lot to calm your nerves  Do not read the newspapers.  Do not watch Fox News or CNN or MSNBC.  Just click that link above and read the facts from the official website.
  2. Please remember that I (and many other conservative Americans) lost in 2008, and again in 2012.  When Barack Obama was elected the first time, we thought our country was doomed.  When he was elected a second time, we despaired more than ever before.  Barack Obama to us was what Donald Trump is to you: SCARY AND UNFATHOMABLE. (I am merely talking about policies).  And yet, 8 years later… the country is still here.  Republicans are still here.  Democrats are still here.  And you are still here.  It sucks.  I know.  And words mean little right now.  But I want you to know that you will survice, and more importantly, America will survive.  Trump is going to build on what Obama started, and continue to fix America’s healthcare system.  Trump is going to build up our military and destroy ISIS to make our nation safer.  And yes, maybe he will deport some people who are here illegally, and yes, maybe he will build a wall, but he has repeatedly said that if these individuals are non-violent, and agree to promote American values, they can return… legally… through our immigration system.  Sure, some of these things may not be politically appealing to you, but I assure you, he will not destroy the world or cause WWIII.  As I have said to many people, you may think he’s crazy, but if so, then so do our enemies.  And we all know how we act around these types of peopoe: YOU DON’T PROVOKE A CRAZY PERSON.  Do you?  I don’t believe he is crazy, but let’s say he is.  If so, he is probably the safest person to have the nuclear codes because the rest of the world has no idea what he will do if they provoke him… so they won’t.  In some ways I jest, but overall, I’m telling the truth.   Mark my words: Just as I survived 8 years under Obama, you too will survive a mere 4 years under Trump.  And if he doesn’t do a good job, that’s why we have elections.  Don’t be angry at this result; instead, start preparing NOW for Election 2020.  Take your frustration and anger… and channel it into productivity towards the next election.  Because the race has already started.  And you do your party no good if you continue to mope around complaining.  What’s done is done.  He is Mr. President.  But if you work hard, you can put up a fight in 2020 and perhaps be consoling me!

  3. Be inspired.   Be inspired by all of the candidates.  I am totally serious.  Keep reading.I was inspired by Hillary Clinton tonight, as she graciously conceded while at the same time, motivated and inspired young women to realize how far she had come, and how far they can go.  We are going to have a female president in the near future, and why?  Because Hillary Clinton has paved the way.  This defeat for Clinton tonight was–to her–I can only imagine–DEBILITATING.  She has spent the last 30 years of her life working towards this.  And it turned at the 11th hour.  And yet, she gave the most amazing speech of her career.  A speech that showed me how to handle myself publicly when faced with a horrible upset of great magnitude.

    I was also inspired by Barack Obama, who shared the story in his speech of his transition into power in 2008, when George W. Bush graciously shook his hand, and showed him the ropes.  Obama went on to offer (and indeed demand of his staff) the same honorable treatment of Trump, once he begins the transition tomorrow.  Thanks to Obama, Trump has been provided legitimacy from day one.  I have learned from Obama that no matter the disappointment, and no matter the disagreements, there are some things greater than personal bones of contention.  In this case: the peaceful and legitimate transfer of power.  If Obama wanted, he could have made things very difficult and awkward for Trump.  But for the nation, he chose to take the upper hand, and I applaud him for it.  Not coincidentally, I too believe this was one of Obama’s best speeches.

    Not to be outdone, I was greatly inspired by Bernie Sanders, who proved to us all that passion, SINCERITY, and a plan can take you so far in life.  I know how much he cares for Americans, for America, and for the agenda he fought so hard for.  His sincerity won over the American people.  And I hate to admit it, but won me over too.  I would never have voted for him, but I respect the man tremendously.  Hats off to you Mr. Sanders.

    And I am inspired by Donald Trump (and all of America should be too).  Why?  Because he showed us that no matter what people say, no matter how bad the reviews, no matter who is turned against you, no matter how much the ridicule, and no matter WHAT the odds… you can still win.  No.  Matter.  What.  I know half of the country doesn’t like the man.  But I urge you all (as I am) to be inspired by him.  As many of you know, I have a part-time life in show business.  The rejection I have experienced over the last 20 years is simply devastating.  But… IN NO WAY AS HORRIBLE AS WHAT TRUMP HAD TO ENDURE FOR THESE LAST 18 ODD MONTHS.  Just think of all the times he should have, could have, would have quit.  HE NEVER QUIT.  No matter how bad it got.  HE NEVER QUIT.  ALL THE POLLS WERE WRONG.  THE MEDIA WAS ALL WRONG. ALL OF MY SHOWBIZ FRIENDS WERE WRONG.  EVERYONE WAS WRONG.  And you know that everyone told him to quit.  From day one.  But.  He.  Did.  Not.  Quit.  The little engine that could.  “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”  And he did.  Thanks to Donald Trump, from this day until the day I die (and maybe not even then), I will make every effort to NEVER ever ever Ever EVER ever EVER again doubt myself.  Remember “Never Trump”?  Now in my mind, it’s the answer to a question.  “Quit?”  “Never. -Trump.”

    ****

    I know the pain is still there.      And as Hillary said, that pain will be there for a while.  But I hope that these words I have shared with you show that we Trumpers aren’t so bad.  And neither is he.  Please give him a chance.  Please visit his website and read his policies.  Please remember that it’s not the end of the world… or the country.  If it’s not the result you wanted, get off you ass now and figure out how to win it next time.  And please remember the most important part of all: be inspired by it all.  By those who won, and yes, even those who lost.  There are valuable life (and patriotic) lessons for us all to learn from it all.

    God bless America.

    P.S. – If you’re a Trump supporter, please forward this to those in mourning.
    P.P.S. – I have been awake for over 36 hours straight and I am exhausted.  Gnight America.  Gnight world.

Advertisement

Trump is going to win. Part 2.

by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME

Hey All,

This is a short post, because I’m going to allow some other people do the talking.

First: Michael Moore.  An infamously left-leaning Hollywood filmmaker.  Read his blog post from today explaining why Trump will win: http://michaelmoore.com/trumpwillwin/

Second: CNBC.  An infamously left-leaning news outlet.  Read this column: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/25/stop-it-with-the-clinton-coronation-trump-can-still-win-commentary.html

Third: Reagan.  Reagan was trailing Carter by 8 points in most polls on this day in 1980.  Reagan won in a landslide.  Is Trump Reagan?  Not in a million years.  And yet, that is also potentially (precisely?) why he may win.  http://www.snopes.com/carter-reagan-polls/

Fourth: Trump Masks.  In every election since Nixon ran for office, the sale of Halloween masks has accurately predicted the election.  In other words, whichever candidate’s mask is selling more has always won.  This year, Trump masks are outselling Clinton masks by a considerable margin.  http://www.aol.com/article/news/2016/10/24/sales-of-halloween-masks-predict-donald-trump-will-beat-hillary-clinton/21589531/

Will Trump win?  I don’t know.  But as of right now, I still remain confident that Trump himself is going to be the October surprise that shows itself on November 8th.  This is an election season unlike any other, and from day one, Trump was predicted to lose.  And yet he’s still here.  Still charging.  And truth be told, he may very well take this ‘game show’ all the way to the winner’s circle.  If so, and this time regarding his presidential opponent, we may still yet here him say one more time, “You’re fired!”

A 9/11 Story.

by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA
Bronze star nominated Iraq war veteran

Both Clinton and Trump have suspended their political activity for a day, and so today I similarly write to all of you as simply… an American.

While I am an American who was in NYC on 9/11; whose sister was under the towers in a subway car when the planes hit and the towers came down; who donned his US Army uniform and drove into the city with his WWII vet father passing through police road block after police road block that morning to find her; and who proudly deployed overseas as an US Army intelligence officer three years later to fight those sons of bitches head on–that’s not the American I am writing to you as today.  Today, I am simply writing to you… as an American.

Yesterday, I more or less coincidentally saw two movies about airplanes.  The first was “Flight 93”, showing on television, about the daring acts of the “Let’s Roll!” crew in 2001.  The second was “Sully”, showing in theaters, about the miraculously successful landing on the Hudson in 2009.  How I randomly ended up watching two airplane movies, and with totally different outcomes, is rather curious, but somehow, I don’t believe a coincidence.

This is today’s missive: you don’t choose to be a hero. It’s not something you can plan for. And it’s not something you can chase in hopes of finding. You just have to be ready to choose to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. You don’t have to have a special job. As the heroes of Flight 93 showed us in 2001 and Sully and his team showed us in 2009, “ordinary people” in “ordinary jobs” can end up being America’s greatest heroes.
You don’t have to be a member of SWAT.  Don’t have to  be a NAVY seal. You don’t have to be a police officer or a fireman.  No, you just have to be ready to do what needs to be done and then do it.  Calmly. Coolly. Staying in control.

I realize that none of us should chase heroism. In fact, those that do may never find it.  So if you watch one of these movies and start thinking, “I want to do that!” you may be missing the point.  I did that.  While watching both movies, I thought to myself, “I want to be the hero too!”  But I stopped myself mid-thought.

Why?

It’s simple: I realized last night that heroism is not something people seek and find; it’s rather a life calling already within each of us, waiting for the opportunity to present us with the decision: will we make the brave choice and do what needs to be done?

On this special day, let us remember those who died on 9/11.  Those on Flight 93 who sacrificed their lives to protect ours. The people like Sully and his co-pilot who, instead of following instructions from the tower, bravely chose to “break the rules” and do what they knew was right even if it meant disregarding instructions from the tower.
Some say we all cannot be heroes. In the literal sense, they are right. In fact, most of us will never be a hero in the traditional sense.  But that is not something that should make you sad.  In many ways, I realize that to be a hero means you probably put your life in danger.  And many heroes end up dead in the ‘rescue’.  We should not strive to be heroes in this world.  Like I said, those that pursue a career because they want to be heroic are doing it all for the wrong reasons.  If we do that, we are pursuing vanity and pride and fame; NOT heroism.  Heroism cannot be pursued as a goal.  It can only be recognized in the aftermath.  A key piece of evidence is that most people hailed as heroes… reject the accolades.  Those who are truly heroic… never think of themselves as being heroic.  In their mind, they were simply doing the right thing; doing what needed to be done.
However, that all being said, there is something we all can do if we are inspired to action by watching these two films (and others like them): what we all can do is BE READY to be a hero when and if the hour arrives.  Don’t look for it; just be ready to make the decision to act when it’s against your best interest; when it puts your life in danger; when it is not your responsibility.  A huge part of this is realizing that we don’t need to be in a special “high speed” and “dangerous” profession to find ourselves in circumstances requiring a heroic act. Neither the “Let’s Roll” passengers on Flight 93 nor Sully, his crew, and the NY Waterways boat captains were “seeking heroism”. No, they were just living their lives. But when the time came to make a heroic decision, they did.  And as we all know, none of them ever considered themselves “heroes”. Why? Because they were just doing what they knew was right.
So how can you commemorate those who didn’t make it?  As I have urged in previous years’ 9/11 stories: “Do it for those who can’t.”
What do I mean?
Let’s be honest: we don’t have to pursue our dreams. None of us do.  We also don’t have to be grateful for this life.  We don’t have to be happy and positive people.  We don’t have to be helpful people.  Nor do we even have to be… heroic people.
But… (and it’s a big but) I believe those who died on 9/11 and those on that flight in the Hudson would all agree that if you are somehow still alive on this planet, you should at the very least take advantage of what those who died cannot: life.
I know they are all rooting for you. They all want you to succeed. They wouldn’t want you to live in sadness.  In depression.  In self-pity.  In a sea of loneliness.  In an ocean of regret.  No!
They would want you to live the life that they were not able to live. (9/11).
They want you to take advantage of the life that you have that they nearly lost. (Sully and the 154 others on board).
I remember when I saw the movie Saving Private Ryan.  It was the reason I joined the US Military.  I didn’t do it because I wanted to be a hero and save another “Private Ryan”.  I joined the US Army to say thank you to all of those men who died on the beaches of Normandy.
“By the end of the first day, none of the assault forces had secured their first-day objectives.  Allied casualties on June 6 have been estimated at 10,000 killed, wounded, and missing in action: 6,603 Americans, 2,700 British, and 946 Canadians.
…
The cost of the Normandy campaign was high on both sides.  From D-day through August 21, the Allies landed more than two million men in northern France and suffered more than 226,386 casualties: 72,911 killed/missing and 153,475 wounded.”
Can you imagine the terror and fright as those troops saw the entire boat of men in front of them get slaughtered within seconds?  I can’t.  The closest I have come to that are the daily convoys I went on Iraq, always wondering if today was the day I got shot or blown up.  The tension was there.  Every day.  And I still suffer from the PTSD.  Every time a glass breaks at a restaurant, or I hear fireworks, or a car backfires… I jump.  So scared.  Thinking that I am being attacked by a mortar or a rocket.  The booms in Iraq were incessant.  All throughout the day and night.  Sometimes being woken up in the middle of the night by an explosion so loud you jump out of your bead, sweating, heart beating a mile a minute, reaching for your rifle.  Once, the window next to my bed broke.  While driving here in NY, even today, ten years later, I somehow pick up the scent of gunpowder (from where, I don’t know) and I feel like I’m back in those humvees, looking at every car that passes, wondering if it’s going to blow up and me with it.  And wherever I go, I am always watching my back, looking for snipers on rooftops, and looking for anything that could be a bomb.  Rationally, I know the likelihood is so slim, and yet, I can’t stop.
And yet… all this that I experienced in Iraq was nothing compared to what those men experience on D-Day.  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
And guess what?  They all had hopes and dreams too.  Most were young kids in their teens.  Shot dead within minutes.  Shot dead within hours.  Could any of them come home and pursue those dreams?   Their dreams of going to college?  Their dreams of starting a business?  Their dreams of finding a wife?  Their dreams of… becoming an actor?
The answer, we all know, is no.  Because they died fighting for us.  It makes me cry when I saw that movie.  And it made me cry so much back in 1999 that I decided I had no choice: I had to join the military. I had to say thank you to all those who died on the beaches of Normandy so that I could pursue my “stupid” career as an actor.  That’s not a criticism of actors.  It is, rather, a testament to the sacrifice those men made for all of us to pursue our dreams and live in peace.
So yes, I implore you: do it for those who can’t.  If you truly want to memorialize those who died in the revolutionary war, the war of 1812, the civil war, vietnam, korea, iraq, afghanistan, and every other conflict… DO IT FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T.
If you truly want to memorialize those who died on 9/11… DO IT FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T.
If you truly want to memorialize what happened on the Hudson… DO IT FOR THOSE WHO NEARLY LOST EVERYTHING.
Be inspired by the fact that you are still breathing.  If you are still breathing, things can still change.  Your life is not worthless.  You have the capability of helping tens, hundreds, thousands, and millions of people—IF… you get off your ass and take advantage of the life and freedom that you have.  To ignore what I am telling you is an insult to those who didn’t make it.  Because it’s precisely what they would have wanted you to do.  Because it’s precisely what they would have tried to do had they made it home.
So please, figure out what you are meant to do with your life.  And don’t you stop until you get there… or die trying.

Do you remember one of the last scenes of Saving Private Ryan?  Tom Hanks and his men died in the process of saving Ryan.  Just before Hanks’ character dies, Private Ryan (Matt Damon) asks, “What can I ever do to thank you for saving my life?”  The response?  “Earn it.”  Earn the life that we can no longer live. (9/11) Earn the life that we sacrificed for yours. (Military/Flight 93)  Recognize the value of the life you have. (Sully)

God bless the families of those who lost loved ones.
God bless America.
God bless each of you reading this today, wherever you may be in the world.
your friend,
-Monroe Mann

The 10 Reasons Why Donald Trump Will Win The Presidential Election.

Contrary to all the naysayers, here are the top ten reasons why I believe Donald Trump is going to win the election (from least important to most important):

10) VOTING IS ANONYMOUS; POLLS TYPICALLY ARE NOT.  Most polling is done via telephone or in person.  Well, a new app just came out that has anonymous polling.  Trump wins in a landslide.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/08/13/app-maker—trump-win-election/88640044/
http://redalertpolitics.com/2016/08/15/tech-entrepreneur-app-shows-trump-going-win-polls-wrong/

This one poll cannot be deemed a total game changer, but it did encourage me to ask “why”?  Why were these poll results so dramatically different?  It suddenly hit me like a thunder bolt: the poll was anonymous, unlike virtually every poll conducted by the media and regular pollsters.  And guess what else is anonymous?  VOTING.

In other words, any poll that is not anonymous should probably be suspect.  Why?  People who have their name attached to something do not speak completely freely.  We all know this from personal experience.

What does this mean?  It seems to point to the very real possibility that most people support Trump… but are afraid to say it publicly.  I think there is a silent majority, and unlike any we have seen before, and I truly believe that they are going to determine this election.

9) TRUMP IS TURNING AROUND.  PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO FIND A REASON TO VOTE FOR HIM BECAUSE THEY DISLIKE HILLARY SOOOO MUCH.
Trump is not the most amazing candidate in the history of politics by a long shot, but… neither is Hillary.  Polls continually show that they don’t trust Hillary, and Trump is undeniably in the midst of a turn-around.  For a guy who has never run for public office, he is doing incredibly well.  His message is reaching more people and his gawkiness is starting to fade: he is absolutely becoming presidential.  While the turnaround won’t be easy, it is starting, and I think it’s going to start picking up speed in the next few weeks.
8) WIKILEAKS IS GOING TO RELEASE MORE DAMAGING DIRT ON HILLARY CLINTON
There is no question that there are more damaging hacked documents to be dumped soon, and probably right before the election.  The NSA has already been hacked and the DNC has been hacked (you have been reading the news, right?) and soon, there’s more coming down the pike.  Read these articles:
7) THE MEDIA HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE BIASED THAN IT IS TODAY.
The mass media, though they would like to believe they represent the common man’s belief, do not in any way represent the common man’s belief.
Why this unprecedented bias?  Simple: the mass media (which is the media of the left) just doesn’t like Trump and is so scared because they know he may win.
And yet… even the leftie media groups are now changing their tune and starting to cover negative stories about Hillary Clinton (see below).  Why?  Because they are starting to realize that their covering up of Hillary’s parade of scandals is starting to look bad and threatening to forever tarnish the reputation they spent so long building.
6) I STILL BELIEVE MOST AMERICANS ARE NOT COMPLETELY STUPID OR TOTALLY AMORAL AND DEEP DOWN, THEY KNOW TRUMP IS NOT A RACIST.
A friend of mine noted this fact the other day: many people call Trump racist and then say they are moving to Canada if Trump wins.  That’s curious.  Why not Mexico?  Is Mexico not good enough for them?  Too much crime?  Too much drugs?  Too many Mexicans?  Seems a little racist to immediately say Canada and not consider Mexico, does it not?
Here’s a better fact: just two weeks ago, a historically black church down south decided to dump Hillary and endorse Trump.  Go ahead and watch the CNN clip, and then watch the video from the endorsement from The Historic Antioch Road to Glory International Ministries:
I admit Trump says things that are unvarnished truth, but that doesn’t make him a racist.  He never said all mexicans are racists and murderers and it’s upsetting to me that people are so stupid or lazy as to continually misquote him.  He said that Mexico (and other Latin American countries) is sending their rapists and murderers over the border.  And guess what: they are.  How so?  By not keeping them in jail, by not policing their border, and by not making it lucrative to stay in Mexico.
I worked as a public defender in New York for two years.  At least 1/4 of my clients were illegals, and 95% were from Latin America.  Many of them have snuck over the border more than THREE TIMES.  How, I asked them.  “I just walk over the border”.  Whaaaatttt???!!!!!  Yeah, we need the wall.  No question.
Now, these clients of mine were accused of what?   Identity theft?  Not usually.  Check fraud?  Nope.  Violent crimes: murder, attempted murder, rape, armed robbery, and the list goes on.  Do you really want these people in your country?  I don’t.  Call me a racist if you want, but all I want to do is keep people who have no legal right to be in this country… out.  Same for Trump.
A large portion of crime in our country is committed by illegal hispanics.  Is that racist?  No, it’s fact.  Accept it and let’s enact the solution: keep illegals out.  It’s the law.  And voila: crime in America drops.
As for Muslims (men, women, children)?  I was in Iraq as a soldier.  Guess who was trying to kill me?  Muslim men.  Muslim women.  And even Muslim children.  The majority of terrorist acts today are committed by Muslims.  Again, is that racist?  No, it’s fact.  Accept it and let’s enact the solution: vet any Muslim coming into this country.  Is that profiling?  YES!  Yes it is!  And I embrace it fully, because it works.  And when Christians start committing inordinate amounts of terrorist acts too, profile me as much as you wish.
My honest hope for anyone who disagrees is that an illegal or a Muslim terrorist does NOT kill one of your loved ones.  As soon as it happens, you will change your tune.  Sadly, by then it will be too late.
5) CLINTON WILL BE DESTROYED AT THE DEBATES.
The media continues to portray Clinton as an amazing debate performer, and Trump as a rambling buffoon, but I think the proof will be in the pudding.  Trump does press conference after press conference, while Hillary hasn’t done one in–what is it now?  256 days?  Oh, no, here’s a report from the Washington Post: 263 days!
Hillary Clinton is good at scripted and controlled environments; Trump thrives off of extemporaneous and impromptu remarks.  I truly believe he will destroy her.  Hard to believe, since the newspaper doesn’t report any bad stories about Clinton, but her scandals outshine any of Trump’s by a landslide.
For example, did you know when Bill left office, the Clintons took tens of thousands of dollars of White House furniture as their own, and then were forced to return it all:
4) THERE ARE GOING TO BE DEEPER CONSEQUENCES OF THE PAY-TO-PLAY AT THE CLINTON FOUNDATION AND STATE DEPARTMENT.
Many continue to defend her actions, even after seeing her dishonesty with the emails and “recklessness” (Comey’s words) with classified data.  But now there’s more: Latest revelations from Washington Post & Fox make it clear that she is not going to put the country’s interests before her own:
Big problems for Hillary, from Fox News:
3) OBAMACARE IS FAILING ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
Millions of those who voted for Obama in order to enact Obamacare have now lost their coverage, lost their doctor, or lost their “low cost” premiums.  They, like millions of others across the country, are furious with where this country is headed and want a repeal.
From Slate:
From NPR/Harvard, via Powerline Blog:
2) THE PEOPLE REALLY DO WANT CHANGE.  
But sorry, they don’t want socialistic change.  They want change to actually bring America back on track as the world leader its people want it to be.  On top of that, it seems clear that America is sick of politicians.  I know that I am.
Yes, America wants change, but not the change that Hillary Clinton is fighting for.  I find it hard to believe that most Americans want our country to become even more socialist, particularly since the recent failures of Obamacare show that it doesn’t work.
President Obama was an interesting experiment that didn’t work.  It’s now time for a new experiment.  Its name is Trump.
1) THE MEDIA HAVE BEEN WRONG FROM DAY ONE.
This last reason is truly the strongest.  Why?  The entire media all think he’s gonna lose. Don’t you therefore see?  This means he’s gonna win.
Why?  Becauuuuuuuuuuuuuuse… they have been wrong about him from day one.
Over a year ago, they were laughing at him, predicting he would meet his demise before the first debates.  Alas, he made it to the debates.
During the debates, they were laughing at him, predicting his demise long before the final debates.  Alas, he was the last man standing.
Before the convention, they predicted he would be supplanted by the ‘Never Trump’ campaign.  Alas, he became the nominee.
‘Gaffe’ after ‘gaffe’, they predicted he would never be able to recover.  Alas, he is still in the game, and the Clinton campaign is–despite their appearances–petrified of what the future holds.
So what do we have?  Over 14 months of TOTAL AND COMPLETE INACCURACY, and yet… they continue to make predictions.  Why are they still making predictions?  More concerning, why are the American people still believing them?  Don’t you all realize that the media has lost all its credibility?
The mainstream media continues to try to paint the picture of Trump as a born loser, but as I just pointed out: anything they predict… is wrong.
Critics of my theory state, “Yeah, but look at the polls!”  First, I don’t trust them (see # 10 above) and second, polls have only been accurate in NORMAL presidential elections.  What we have here is an election that no one from the mainstream media has been right about from the day Trump entered the arena.
Conclusion
Trump will win.
No, I can’t predict the future, but the telltale signs seem to make it clear that there is a very high likelihood that nothing in this election is truly as it seems.
People keep saying that Trump has lost his window to turn the tides in this election with only about 85 days left until the election.  Here’s some history: The Boston Tea party turned the tides against the British in just one day.  Normandy turned the tides in favor of the allies in but one day.  And Trump can win this election in just one day too.
As those in combat know, “Never underestimate your enemy.”  Too many are underestimating Trump, thinking he’s an idiot, when truly, you don’t turn a million dollars into billions by being an idiot, and anyone who disputes this is… an idiot who doesn’t understand money, doesn’t understand real estate, and doesn’t understand how difficult it is to do what Trump has done.
Sure, I may be proven wrong.  If so, I will sadly have to accept the fact that America is no longer what it once was; that its people are greatly uneducated and don’t know history; that its people have become lazy and expecting of socialistic handouts from the government; that honesty means nothing anymore; and that government corruption is acceptable.
I may, however, be proven right.  And particularly so if Trump wins in a landslide.  And then my faith in the human race will be restored!  Never more than now: God bless America.  Please God!  Please!
Bottom line, the future of our nation is at stake.  While I love Europe with all my heart, I don’t want the USA to be Europe.  While I love China with all my heart, I don’t want the USA to be China.  I want my country to return to its position as the beacon of hope and dreams for the world.  I don’t want the USA to become like every other country.  We are an exceptional nation.  We need to start acting like one.

The UK declares its independence: what’s next?

by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, ME, LLM, EMT

I’m pleased to report that my prediction came true: the EU just lost a member and the UK is now a free and independent nation once again!  If you haven’t read what I wrote two days ago, I suggest you read that one first, about why Brexit came to be, to provide some context.  Read it here.

While most of the world is clamoring about how horrible Brexit is, and predicting that the British pound will never recover, blah blah, I continue to remind everyone that:

a) this was inevitable
b) this is good for the world
c) this is ultimately good for the UK, and
d) this is a harbinger of things to come, so if you didn’t like THIS, you may not like what comes next.

What comes next?  The UK regains its importance as world leader, side by side with the USA; a re-emergence of the pound as a world currency of great importance (being a part of the EU diminished its caché in the world); and yes, further erosion of the EU.

Granted, the UK has an easier time getting out of the EU simply because they don’t have to ‘recreate their currency’, but aside from that, there is no doubt that even countries within the eurozone are going to start having their own discussions about what is best for their unique PEOPLE, their unique LANGUAGES, their unique CULTURES, and their unique HISTORIES.  The EU just lost one of its two most powerful economies (the other, of course, being Germany, which is still a part of the EU and EMU… but for how long?).

Now, of course, there is a big difference between the UK and continental Europe.  I have, in fact, always believed that the UK has far more in common with the USA than it does with continental Europe.  The UK is an island.  The USA, while not an island, is only bordered on the northern and southern sides, and far away from all other continents to its east and west.  The UK and the USA share the same language and… in many ways, the same history too: former colonial relationship; major allies in World War II; and now, they have both declared independence from a great power.

Therefore, the EU will continue.  However, I believe its power has reached its zenith, unless the countries are willing to relinquish some political, military, and economic power in favor of a more traditional federal type of system.  As I mentioned in my earlier post however, this is highly unlikely to happen, due to the reasons of differing cultures, languages, and histories.  France has French pride in a way that New York does not have New York pride.  We New Yorkers are proud to be New Yorkers, but we are FAR more proud to be Americans, and again, therein lies the big difference.

Moving forward, the next question is: which country is going to start grumbling about the EU next?  Might it be one of the Scandinavian countries, so far north?  Might it be Germany itself, recognizing that the rest of the EU is dragging down their economy?  Or might it be one of the weaker economics of Spain, Portugal, Italy, or Greece, believing that their economic plight might actually improve if they could make their own decisions?

When the EU began, there was some merit to it, and it was a small bloc of countries.  Now, it seems every country and its cousin wants to join.  The very fact that the EU is even considering bringing Turkey into the EU is shocking.  It has nothing to do with the fact that Turkey is primarily a muslim nation.  It has to do with the fact that Turkey is not a part of Europe!  Sure, Istanbul is an amazingly beautiful city, and one that unlike any other in the world uniquely melds both the east and the west (and you NEED to go see it), but… Istanbul is but a sliver of the country.  It’s a gorgeous city on the FAR WESTERN EDGE of the country.  As soon as you leave Istanbul towards the east, you are most certainly in the middle east.  Guess what countries border Turkey to the east?  Maybe you’ve heard of them: Syria.  Iraq.  Um… Iran.  Take a look at a map.  If Turkey is admitted, what of those middle eastern countries is next?

Now, if Istanbul wanted to secede from Turkey (which is likely to never happen), that might be another story entirely, because there are indeed western influences in Istanbul that in many ways outweigh the eastern ones.  But to even consider bringing Turkey into the EU shows just how crazy things have gotten.

The original 1958 countries were: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.  Five countries.  How many members are there today?  28.  Oh, scratch that: 27 once we remove the UK.   TWENTY SEVEN.

And guess who is on deck to become a member: Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Former Macedonia, and yes, Turkey.  But that’s not all.  There’s also Bosnia and Herzegovina, plus Kosovo.  It’s a mad house of countries who want the benefit of a unified currency, but refuse to unify the politics, the military, the languages, or the cultures.  Yet they want to grow bigger, and bigger, and bigger (but in a super strange and off-kilter sort of way that makes no sense whatsoever).

Why has the EU grown so big in the last 50+ years?  Precisely because the countries don’t really have to give up much of anything.  It’s a chimera.  They think they can get something for nothing.  They want to have their cake and eat it too (which is an expression I have never understood because it is illogical.  If I have a cake, what’s wrong with me eating it, huh?  I guess the point is that after you eat it, you will no longer have it, but it’s still stupid.  And yet, I used it nonetheless, so I’m a hypocrite!)  My point is that if becoming a part of the EU required the abandoning of a national language, and abandoning certain traditions, and unifying behind the culture of EUROPE rather than the culture of your country… no one would join.  Think about that for a moment: none of these countries wants to become “European”; they want to join the “European Union”.  Therein lies a huge difference.

A better (but never going to happen) solution would be to create smaller unifications, i.e. Germany and Austria join together into one TRUE country.  France and Spain.  Italy and Switzerland.  Let’s call them Germanria; Frain; and Italiland.  Ha ha.  Sounds pretty horrible, and guess what: that’s exactly why what is happening in Europe is just ultimately unworkable on a greater scale than it already is.  There can and never will be a unification of Europe.  That is, until and unless they rally behind a single president, which again, will not happen except by some miracle.

So what does this mean?  It means the EU needs to stop accepting new members.  It needs to establish VERY strict economic guidelines and if you don’t meet them, you get kicked out.  There can be no bailouts.  It needs to start focusing on creating a European identity that is greater than the national identities.  All of this is extremely difficult… if not impossible.

There is only one certainty regarding the future of the EU: if it continues to grow simply as an economic union, with no measures to unify in other ways—while it may not be destined for failure, it will certainly never be destined for greatness.  And that’s good.  As I’ve mentioned before, the greatness of Europe is not in its unification, but rather, in the individual awesomeness of every distinct country, language, culture, and history.  THAT is Europe.  Not some arbitrary and largely fake collection of countries who claim they are unified but in fact are anything but.

When I go to Europe, I’m not going to Europe: I’m going to France.  I’m going to Germany.  I’m going to Norway.  I’m going to Spain.  I’m going to Italy.  That’s the way it’s always been, and in all great likelihood, the way it’s always going to remain.

The Brief Science Behind Laughter Yoga

by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT

Guess what?  In 5 weeks, I am taking a two-day course teaching me how to lead laughter yoga sessions.

Laughter yoga?  What?!

You read it correctly.  I’m going to learn how to encourage people to laugh for 30 minutes, nonstop, for no reason whatsoever.

Why?

Because it works.

Works?  Works doing what?

It makes you happy.

For many years, psychologists have known that real happiness led to real laughter, but very few pursued the strange idea that fake laughter could magically transform into real laughter and that this real laughter would lead to real boosts in mood.

Well guess what: it does.  It works.

I used to live in China.  While there, I looked around for a training center, but couldn’t find one.  I decided I was going to head to Mumbai, India to train with the guy who started the whole movement.  Alas, I had more important things to do: study Chinese.

But now that I’m home, and now that I’m about to relaunch my new venture, Break Diving, I realized that becoming a laughter yoga teacher would fit right in with my new company’s mission, and allow me to integrate my PhD in psychology with this proven psychological tool.  So, I found a trainer in New Jersey (huh, there ARE some cool things in Jersey after all!) and come August 1, I am going to be starting to teach others how to laugh for no reason.

Basically, for the first 5 minutes, it’s totally awkward.  But suddenly, the switch flips, and the fake belly laughter starts to become real belly laughter, as you watch your fellow laughers doing the same crazy thing you are doing!  By the end of the session, you feel great!   You also are out of breath and feeling like you just did a crazy ab work out–and you did!

So anyway, I just thought I’d let you guys know about that.  Pretty cool, eh?   As a comedian my hope was to make you laugh on purpose for a good reason.  Now my mission will be to make you laugh randomly for no reason at all.  In many ways, I sort think the latter is far more romantic and spiritual, doncha think?

Ommmmm…

Oh wait, I mean: HA HA HA HA HA BWU HA HA HA BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA OH MY GOSH IT HURTS HA HA HA HA

“Brexit” is just the beginning, and I predicted this over 15 years ago.

by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT

In 1997, two years before EMU (European Monetary Union), I was a Washington semester student at American University, in DC.

I was on the verge of transferring from Furman University in Greenville, SC to Franklin College, in Lugano, Switzerland (what is now Franklin University, a joint Swiss/American University).  I was an international economics major.

For my research paper during this Washington semester program, I decided to research the European Monetary Union on Maastricht’s terms and timetable.  For my research, and with the assistance of the various embassies I contacted, I met–in person–with the economic or political attachés of over ten European countries.  I recorded each 60+ minute interview and transcribed every word.  The primary question: what do you think of the EU, the EMU, and will it all work?

My survey results?  It ain’t gonna work.

And tomorrow, we have one of the most historical events in the history of the modern world: A UK referendum to determine if the entire UK will forever leave the EU.

Note that there’s a difference between the EU and the EMU.  The UK is part of the EU, but not the EMU.  What does this mean?  It means that the UK (and some other countries within Europe) are part of the POLITICAL union (the EU), but are not part of the MONETARY union (the EMU, i.e. the Eurozone).  The UK is not part of the eurozone.  If you’ve ever been to England, or read the news, you know that the British Pound is still very much a transactional currency.  You can also find the Swiss Franc (and note that Switzerland isn’t even part of the EU, but it’s citizens can work elsewhere in Europe–see, it’s so damn complicated).

Well, tomorrow, the UK is gonna let its people decide in a UK-wide vote: DO WE LEAVE THE EU ENTIRELY, AND TOTALLY BREAK FREE FROM ANY CONNECTION WHATSOEVER WITH CONTINENTAL EUROPE.

I am so excited for tomorrow!!!!!!

Have you heard of Boris Johnson?  Probably not.  He’s the leading dude pushing for the UK’s exit from the EU–the European Union.  He has an interesting way of framing the issue, using history as an example:

“Napoleon, Hitler, various other people tried this out, and it ends tragically.  The EU is an attempt to do this [unify Europe] by different methods.  But fundamentally what is lacking is the eternal problem, which is that there is no underlying loyalty to the idea of Europe.  There is no single authority that anybody respects or understands.  That is causing this massive democratic void.”

I agree with Boris Johnson, and I knew this was the case back in 1997!

Why?

Europe is not the United States.  I remember so many people back in 1997 arguing that the reason for the EU was to follow the example of the United States.

But (and it’s a huge “but”), the individual countries of Europe are the exact opposite of the individual states here in the USA.  You see, the big issues that I knew Europe would NEVER overcome are fourfold:
a) the differing languages (over 20)–the USA had one, and maybe a few second languages
b) the differing cultures (and each FAR more different than we have here in the different states)
c) the differing histories (while some may argue our states have different histories, their histories are in no way as colorful as the varied histories of the different European states)
d) the lack of unity (unlike Europe, we have forever been unified by our hatred for the Crown and that’s what we find in our declaration and in our constitution; Europe is unified by… nothing.  Atheism maybe, haha).

While I was a student at Franklin College in Switzerland, I often debated these issues with my professors and fellow students.  Most of the Europeans argued that none of this mattered.  And yet, then, as now, whenever I meet a European tourist in New York City, and ask, “Where are you from?”, what is the first answer?

Is it Europe?  Nope.

Their first answer, with a huge smile on their face, and a twinkle in their eyes, is–ta da–THEIR COUNTRY.

Never (not once in over 17 years, and note too that I’m a licensed NYC tour guide) has even one of these tourists said, “I’m European” or “I’m from Europe”.

Why?

Because “Europe” doesn’t exist.  It’s a geographical descriptor: there is no unifying language, culture, history, or beliefs.  To this very day, Germans are Germans, Italians are Italians, Norwegians are Norwegians, and French are French.  And none of them would consider themselves “Europeans” first.  Never.  Never.  I’ll say it again: Never.

And why?

Because each of these country’s citizens is proud (and rightly so) of their language, culture, heritage, history, and beliefs.  Let’s leave the holocaust and the Nazis out of this for a moment.  Actually, let’s not: many Germans like the EU.  Why?  It’s a check and balance on what happened under Hitler and the 3rd Reich.  But hey, it’s been more than 70 years since then, and Germans too (just like the Japanese in Asia) are itching to regain control of their countries.  I don’t blame them.

Here’s the bottom line: Yes, my belief is that tomorrow, the UK will no longer be a part of the EU.  I believe that that tomorrow will mark the beginning of the further disintegration of the EU, with a return to individual sovereignty.  Heck, it’s already begun with the near disintegration of the Schengen zone: the passport free zone created by the EU.  Well, since the Syrian and Iraqi crisis of refugee overrun, those borders have gone BACK UP.  The Europe today looks in so many ways like the Europe of not only 17 years ago, but 700 years ago.  It’s a mess.

Back in 1997, I knew (as did most of the embassy attachés with whom I spoke) that only if the Europeans were willing to unify under one true federal banner (like the United States did) would there ever be a lasting success in Europe.  That was never the case because Europeans were and are (and rightly so) too proud of their national heritage.  So there exists a strange quasi political banner waving in Brussels (the head of the EU) that really has no power whatsoever over the different countries.  It’s like another United Nations, where everyone assembles to complain and protest, but nothing ever gets done.

However–and this is the key: by refusing to unifying under one military; by refusing to unify under one president; and ultimately, by the sheer variety of languages, cultures, and histories… true European unity is likely to never ever happen.

But what about China?

China’s a whole different story.  Many say, “But look at China: they have over 100 different Chinese languages and so many varied cultural traditions, and yet, they have come together successfully!”  Wrong: China has one ‘president’.  China teaches all students in school one language (Mandarin).  China has one solitary and unified foreign policy.  And one single military.  And one set of laws.  And therein lies the big difference.

So yeah, I think tomorrow is the day continental Europe bids farewell to the EU.  If I’m wrong (and it’s possible, because the polls have been fluctuating around 50 % for / 50% against for weeks), it doesn’t mean I’m wrong: the very fact that this referendum has come this far shows that the EU is in biiiiig trouble.

Do you realize how absolutely wild tomorrow’s referendum is?  Consider an American simile: it would sort of be like if the citizens of my state of New York joined together to vote on whether to leave the United States and return to their colonial state, albeit without British rule.  Granted, it’s not an exact match, but I’m just trying to help you understand the seriousness of what is about to happen tomorrow.  IT IS HUGE.  The UK may soon be totally and completely separate from the EU!  Her Majesty’s Navy may soon be simply that!  HER MAJESTY’S!  

Mark my words: if the UK leaves, I guarantee before the year is over, there will be other referendums in the works.  And if the UK stays, it will be by the slimmest of margins, and I guarantee it won’t be the last country to vote whether the EU is worth the hassle.

Up above, I quoted Boris Johnson, and his comparison of what is happening to Napoleon and Hitler.  Don’t misunderstand: he’s not talking about world domination.  He’s simply noting that both Napolean and Hitler tried to unite Europe and great a European superstate.  They both failed.  The EU is round three.  Maybe round four, since the Roman Empire tried to do the same thing.

But what happens when an empire grows too big?  It collapses, because it can’t control the outskirt towns and villages.  It just becomes too unwieldy.

Many argue that the USA is on the brink of following in the footsteps of the Roman Empire.  I agree it’s possible: the reach of the federal government has grown so much farther than the founders ever intended thanks to the damn interstate commerce clause: I blame the commerce clause for the downfall of states’ rights and the rise of the federal superstate that we now have in America.  Yeah, you heard me commerce clause: SCREW YOU!

In fact, if the UK leaves the EU, I wouldn’t be surprised if it rekindles the states’ right movement here in the US.  If the UK can kick out their big brother EU, then so can we back here in the US.  We can learn a lot from our former colonizers, just as it seems they have learned from the 1776 lesson we gave them: FIGHT BACK AND DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE.

So on Thursday, June 23, 2016, WATCH THE NEWS.  It’s one of the world’s most exciting events in a really long time, and the result will shape the political face of the planet for years to come.

And don’t listen to the naysayers.  The UK’s leaving the EU will not destroy the British economy, or the world economy.  It might shake it up a bit for a while, but the world will stabilize once it realizes that a strong and independent UK is perhaps exactly what this world needs right now.  We need a strong and independent ally to help us destroy radical islamic terrorism.  Right now, it’s the wild west, and no one is willing to do anything about it.

And don’t worry: the EU was forever doomed to fail.  It may not happen today, or tomorrow, but I believe its zenith has come and gone.  Truly, I look SO forward to the return of independent countries in Europe.  The euro destroyed so much of Europe’s charm: traveling around with money from six different countries in your pocket.  Many called it cumbersome; I called it… adventure.

Oh, since we’re on the subject of independence, on the 24th (Friday) go check out Independence Day 2 in theaters!  I’m so excited!  (though I’m not looking forward to the Hillary Clinton doppelganger who looks and sounds just like her as president.  Clearly, the director and producer are making a statement that Hillary can take on aliens.  Let’s be honest: she can’t even take on terrorists; there’s no way I’d trust her trying to take on aliens.  As usual, she’d try the failed diplomatic approach and we’d all end up dead.  Just like with terrorists, Hillary thinks they are here to be our friend.  THEY ARE NOT HILLARY!  THEY ARE EVIL ALIENS AND THEY WANT TO KILL US!  DIDN’T YOU WATCH THE FIRST INDEPENDENCE DAY!  ALIENS ARE NOT OUR FRIEND!

How did we go from the economics of Brexit to talking about Hillary Clinton taking on aliens?  I have no idea.  I think I’m going to stop typing now.

 

Why a National Minimum Wage is Stupid

by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT

Quick and dirty economics lesson.  Ready?

FIRST, A MINIMUM WAGE IN GENERAL:
a) The government cannot force private companies to hire employees.
b) A private company will not hire employees if it does not have the money.
c) The higher the minimum wage, the less employees a company will hire.
[Are you with me?  This is simple logic.]
d) The vast majority of companies in the USA are small businesses with less than 50 employees and NOT huge multinationals like McDonald’s.
e) The vast majority of these companies do not have hugely overpaid executives, so any minimum wage hikes necessarily will result in the letting go of current employees and the reduction in future hires.

If anyone would like to dispute this with economic logic, I’m all ears.

SECOND, A NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE:
a) Different states have different economics, i.e. it’s more expensive to live in metropolitan New York City than in rural Idaho.
b) Therefore, to have a $15 national minimum wage is absurd, because it means those living in Idaho will essentially be receiving more dollar purchasing power per hour than those in Manhattan.
c) Therefore, a national minimum wage, contrary to creating income equality, effectively serves to further it.
d) Those people who use a national minimum wage in other countries as an example often use small countries with tiny populations and tiny economies as compared with the USA.  However, a national minimum wage ANYWHERE is foolish, for precisely the reasons I stated in (b).
e) The solution is to allow states to continue creating their own minimum wages, so that there is competition between the states to draw talent.

Again, if anyone would like to dispute this with economic logic, I’m all ears.

Thanks for reading.  I’m going to go to bed now.

Get Your Priorities Straight: Drunk Driving & Depression Worse Than Guns.

by Dr. Monroe Mann, PhD, Esq, MBA, LLM, ME, EMT

Get ready, cause things are about to get saucy, replete with facts, citations, and more facts and citations.  You’re gonna be blown away by what you’re about to discover.  And yup, we’re actually gonna be doing some old fashioned math and see if the numbers actually say what the media says they say.  Guess what?  They don’t.

Here are the statistics of American gun deaths in 2015 spouted by the mass media: http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/03/us/gun-deaths-united-states/

That very CNN article quotes a CDC (Center for Disease Control) statistic that states firearm deaths are just a very close second to motor vehicle deaths.  But those statistics are SO misleading.

That includes ALL deaths by firearm, including the justifiable returning of fire by police on a suspect AND such deaths as black on black and gang death–most of which is due to illegal gun sales.  But are you ready for the real kicker?  You’re not gonna believe this (and NO ONE tells you this):

The cause of the majority of gun deaths per year?  

SUICIDES.  More than 64% according to–TA DA–the CDC.

https://everytownresearch.org/gun-violence-by-the-numbers/

Want the actual CDC stats by state on gun violence on that?   Yeah, I found those too. Here:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm.htm

Want the actual CDC suicide stats, and particularly by gun?  Voila:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/suicide.htm

Only 33% of gun deaths each year are due to homicide.  And only 3% due to accident!  Less than 3% are due to accidents.  READ THAT AGAIN: less than 3%.

I now urge you to pay close attention to how many of those deaths each year are from gun-inflicted suicide.  What’s the number I’m seeing?  I’m seeing 41,000 suicide deaths each year.  How many by gun?  21,000!  TWENTY ONE THOUSAND!   Over half the suicides each year in the USA are by gun, and that magic (actually tragic) number is 21,000.

Now wait.  According to the CDC, how many TOTAL gun deaths are there each year?  Just go back to that very same CNN study I mention above at the beginning of this article.  The magic number?  33,636.

Let’s now do some simple math:
Total gun deaths per year MINUS
Total gun suicides each year =
Total accidental deaths or murders by gun each year.

Using the numbers we arrived at above (straight from the CDC), that is:
33,636 – 21,000 = 12,636.

So no we know that each year, 12,636 people die from either accidental discharge or intention murder by gun.  That’s a lot less than the media wants you to know.

But wait, there’s even more to the story.  Go here:

http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/nfirates2001.html

It’s the part of the entire searchable CDC database.  Scroll down and select “Firearm”.  Request the report.  It will show you the yearly number of firearm injuries for the year 2014.  What did you get?  I got this number: 81,034.

But… (see statistics are always misleading if you’re not careful) if you use an additional filter to remove ALL instances of self-harm (i.e. suicide attempts), the number drops to (wait for it) a mind blowingly LOW number.  What’s the number? 3,320.  That’s IT.  The number of yearly non-suicide related gun injuries each year by firearm is just 3,320.  (Note: Even 3,320 is too many, so I say “just” with tragedy written all over it.)

Well, now we finally have some accurate data to work with, all of which we have already calculated above:
a) the number of people who die from accidental discharge OR murder by gun per year in the USA is about 12,636 people
b) the number of non-fatal injuries by gun discharge, not including those caused by suicide is about 3,320 people.

These numbers are a lot less scary now, aren’t they?  Suddenly, you’re not so scared for your children to end up dead because of gun deaths.  Suddenly, you realize that all this talk about how guns are the scourge of the earth and the cause of most of our lack of safety… is debunked.

But guess what folks?  We’re not even close to done.  Now let’s turn our head to drunk driving.

Check out this article in Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2015/08/26/americas-gun-violence-problem-in-three-charts/#137008c458b7

This author cites further statistics that today, in the USA, gun deaths outweigh motor vehicle deaths.  But again, so misleading, because when used properly, a car doesn’t kill someone; when used properly, a gun does kill someone.  That’s what it’s used for.  These statistics also–like most of these stories–leave out the suicides and suicide attempts.  The truth is, most of these motor vehicle deaths are caused not by INTENTIONAL murder attempts, but by sheer negligence caused by people being stupid, driving dangerously, or very very commonly (see below), driving DRUNK.  Remember, above, however that the number of accidental gun deaths each year (according to the CDC) is less than 3%.  Yet the MAJORITY of accidental motor vehicle deaths each year are accidental.  Do you see the difference?

Before I go on, let’s first look at some other statistics, this time from MADD and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at http://www.madd.org/drunk-driving/about/drunk-driving-statistics.html

EVERY TWO MINUTES, A PERSON IS INJURED IN A DRUNK DRIVING CRASH
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2014, DOT HS 812 013. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812013.pdf.

ON AVERAGE, TWO IN THREE PEOPLE WILL BE INVOLVED IN A DRUNK DRIVING CRASH IN THEIR LIFETIME.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2014, DOT HS 812 013. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812013.pdf.

IN 2013, 28.7 MILLION PEOPLE ADMITTED TO DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL – THAT’S MORE THAN THE POPULATION OF TEXAS.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014. http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUHresultsPDFWHTML2013/Web/NSDUHresults2013.pdf

EVERY DAY IN AMERICA, ANOTHER 27 PEOPLE DIE AS A RESULT OF DRUNK DRIVING CRASHES
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2014: Alcohol-Impaired Driving.” Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2016. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812231.pdf

ADULTS DRANK TOO MUCH AND DROVE ABOUT 121 MILLION TIMES PER YEAR – OVER 300,000 INCIDENTS OF DRINKING AND DRIVING A DAY.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among Adults — United States, 2012.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. August 7, 2015 / 64(30);814-817. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6430a2.htm

IN 2014, 9,967 PEOPLE DIED IN DRUNK DRIVING CRASHES – ONE EVERY 53 MINUTES – AND 290,000 WERE INJURED IN DRUNK DRIVING CRASHES.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2014: Alcohol-Impaired Driving.” Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2016. http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812231.pdf

Did you get that last statistic?  In 2014–the same year of the CDC statistics I cited above–there were 12,636 people killed due to accidental discharge OR murder by gun per year in the USA and 3,320 people injured by gun discharge, again excluding suicide attempts butttttt–in that very same year, 9,967 people were killed by drunk drivers and (are you ready) 290,000 were injured by drunk drivers.  TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY THOUSAND PEOPLE PER YEAR.

Let me present this in a nice little comparison chart:

2014 DEATHS BY GUN DISCHARGE (non-suicide): 12,636
2014 DEATHS BY DRUNK DRIVING: 9,967

2014 INJURIES BY GUN DISCHARGE (non-suicide): 3,320
2014 INJURIES BY DRUNK DRIVING: 290,000

And yet, everyone is worried about gun violence, the majority of deaths of which are caused by suicide?  (Note: suicide is horrible and I’m going to address that below).

But do you see my point?  There is a far FAR greater likelihood of you or a friend dying from a drunk driving incident or from self-inflicted suicide than from gun violence.  Why?   With drunk driving, the ‘weapons’ are ALL AROUND YOU.  However, you are probably not often in an environment every day that puts you in the presence of someone with a loaded gun (unless you’re in law enforcement or have a gun in the home).  And yet, every week when you drive, the odds are that you are driving on the road with someone who is drinking and driving, or just as bad, texting and driving.  And if you decide to let your depression or that of a friend go unchecked, guess what: there is a higher likelihood of you ending up dead due to that than gun violence.

DON’T YOU REALIZE THIS?  Doesn’t America realize this?

Why is everyone fighting so hard to destroy the second amendment when guns cause SO MANY FEWER INJURIES THAN DRUNK DRIVING?  And why, when the number of deaths by drunk drivers per year is nearly exactly the same as intentional/accidental gun deaths, does the media and it seems everyone on the left decry gun deaths, but say nothing of suicide (which causes most of those gun deaths) or drunk driving (which causes nearly as many non-suicide related deaths as guns)?

Why aren’t we fighting to stop drunk driving?  Why aren’t we putting these people behind bars and keeping them there?  As a public defender, I represented SO MANY drunk drivers.  It disgusted me.  Not so much that they were arrested in the first place for drunk driving, but because they were REPEAT OFFENDERS.  Three, four, five times.  Why are these people even allowed on the streets?  They have fired a loaded weapon (the moving car while under the influence) three, four, five times and yet we keep giving them probation which has no effect.  We keep suspending their license, but most of them don’t care, and decide that driving is their fundamental right, so they drive again, and drunk, and again ended up as my client.  We keep putting them in jail for 1 year, or 2, and they get out and guess what?  Do it again, because they’re still drunks.

Worse: so many of these people arrested for drunk driving… are NOT drunks.  They are ‘normal’ ‘good’ people.  But you know what?   &*(^ that argument.  They are NOT good people.  They are irresponsible people who should never again be able to drive.  If you get arrested (and convicted) even ONCE of drunk driving, you should lose your license for live.  If you are ever again caught driving, life imprisonment.

People balk when I say this, yet, the gun laws (which cause fewer injuries than drunk driving) are more strict than the current drunk driving laws.  Why?  Answer me this: why is someone immediately convicted of a felony (usually with imprisonment for at least three years) for illegally carrying a loaded gun in New York City without even firing it, but if you get pulled over for drunk driving in New York City (essentially firing a loaded weapon) you probably just get probation and at worst a temporary suspension?  ARE THESE LAWMAKERS AND POLITICIANS IDIOTS?  Answer: yes.   On any given day in the United States, you are infinitely more likely to be hit by a drunk driver than you are shot by someone with a gun, and yet, the gun laws are ten times more strict than the drunk driving laws.  Why, why, WHY?!

It all makes me so angry.  If you combine deaths and injuries, there is no dispute that drunk driving is ultimately far more dangerous than guns.

And yet, the fight on the forefront of politics is to destroy the guns and the law abiding gun owners instead of targeting the pieces of s*** who think it’s okay to drive drunk; that it’s okay to drive buzzed.  If you can’t control yourself, DO NOT DRINK AT ALL.  That is called responsible.  But no, let’s not focus on the over 200,000 injuries per year caused by drunk driving.  Let’s instead focus on the guns that cause about 3000 injuries per year.  Let’s focus on the guns that cause about 12,000 deaths per year, but let’s basically ignore the 9,000 deaths caused each year by drunk driving.  What is wrong with everyone?   Are they mad?  No, I think a) they are stupid and simply like to believe what their idiot friend “the media” tells them, b) they are lazy and refuse to do their own research outside of their ‘go to’ sources, and c) they are power hungry and realize that by perpetuating the lies by hiding the truth, they can amass votes from the useful idiots who vote based on heart, not on facts.

As for suicide (I didn’t forget)–why are the anti-gun people not railing against suicide?  Why don’t they even CARE that most of the gun deaths are due to suicide?  Why do most Americans not know this?  Why isn’t THIS plastered across CNN & FOXNews?  Why don’t we know this?  Why?  Because it’s all political.  They don’t care about the facts.  They care about politics.

Me?  I care about the average of 22 fellow service members who kill themselves every day.  Visit http://www.22kill.com for more info.   I assure you: the gun is not the cause of their suicide.  It’s merely the tool, and if not a gun, there are many other ways of making it happen that are just as quick and effective.  Guns don’t cause suicide: DEPRESSION DOES.  And yet, who do you hear in politics railing against depression?  No one, because it’s not political.

Well wake up people and stop being so stupid as to believe everything your idiot friend tells you.  Do some research.  It took me a mere three hours of research to get to the bottom of this controversy, and I’ve proven—beyond a reasonable doubt—that the argument against guns is so misleading.  Do I think gun deaths and injuries are horrible?  Absolutely, without question.  Is it something to focus on?  Of course.  But why focus on the small potato when we could focus on the far bigger one:

If we simply stop drunk driving and stop depression, we will save more lives and reduce injuries exponentially more than if we stop gun sales.  

What I have proven is that guns are not the problem; politics is.

So for all your anti-gun friend: send them the link to this post.  Let them see for themselves the DIVISIVE TRUTH of the matter.