More reasons to vote against Donald Trump and for Hillary Clinton

Can anybody be absolutely certain that a decision he or she makes will be the best one? Sometimes. We must use our reason and the best information available to make the best decision. The information available should be weighed by sensible people before they make up their minds. In November, the people will decide who will be the next president of the United States and must wade through an avalanche of information that is not always relevant or reliable.

Donald Trump received the endorsement of Alex Jones, whose “InfoWars” conservative radio show has claimed that the 9/11 WTC attacks and the Sandy Hook school massacre were U.S. government actions and that the government is “turning” American children gay by slipping estrogen into juice boxes. Alex Jones was a special guest at the Republican convention in Cleveland and Donald Trump was a telephone guest on Jones’ radio show.

Jones regularly praises Trump and declares that 90 percent of his listeners are Trump supporters. Trump told Jones, “Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down.” Really? Jones is a conspiracy theorist who in out-of-control rants claims that the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 attacks were “false flag” secret operations conducted by the government to increase its power over the people. Is it any surprise that Jones and Trump are kindred spirits?

Trump promoted a “birther” conspiracy theory that President Obama could not be elected president since he was born in Africa. He insisted on the absurd claim despite a birth certificate and a mountain of evidence which reflected that the president was born in Hawaii. Trump claimed that President Obama did not really win the 2016 election and that global warming is merely a strategy created by China to hamstring American industry.

Trump, like his friend Jones, is unconstrained by truth or commonsense. There is a frightening correlation between claims propounded by Jones and issues raised by Trump like false claims that Hillary Clinton’s health is suspect or that our presidential election will be “rigged” by “globalists.” Insiders point out that when Jones makes a claim on the radio, it is usually parroted by Trump nearly word for word as an issue.

Donald Trump Jr., son and adviser to the Republican nominee, tweeted the latest election conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton may have been wearing an earpiece in order to get secret prompts and answers during a candidate forum. The surprising source of the “scoop” was the “InfoWars” website. It is frightening that the Trump campaign considers Alex Jones a legitimate news source.

Trump may not truly believe the things he repeats; perhaps he delights in topping one absurdity with another to keep the fact checkers scrambling. Trump does know that many Americans, especially angry citizens, mistrust mainstream media and the government. However, Trump advocates no plans to change things; he merely shares his feelings and promises the crowd that everything will be great.

He possesses an ability to sense what a crowd wants to hear but the people need truth and practicality, not comic relief. Trump lacks the ability, experience or temperament to represent the United States or serve as the commander in chief of our armed forces.

The Dallas Morning News decided to “recommend Hillary Clinton” as the only “serious candidate on the presidential ballot in November.” It is the paper’s first endorsement of a Democrat for president in more than 75 years. The editors stated, “Our values are more about individual liberty, free markets and a strong national defense … But unlike Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has experience in actual governance, a record of service and a willingness to delve into real policy. Resume vs. resume, judgment vs. judgment, this election is no contest.”

They acknowledged mistakes made, including the handling of e-mails when she was Secretary of State but the “litany of evils” for which conspiracy theorists would like her to be responsible including treason and murder are absurd. The paper recognized that Hillary Clinton has been “cleared of crimes by investigation after investigation (with) no effect on these political hyenas (who) refuse to see anything but conspiracies and cover-ups.”

They astutely labeled Trump as the candidate who “plays on fear, exploiting base instincts of xenophobia, racism and misogyny to bring out the worst in all of us.” In this presidential race, at this time, she deserves the vote of the people of the United States.

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