My name is Michael Donald Trump. I am eleven years old today. It is the year 2100 YOL. My father is getting ready for church services. We are going to have a birthday party for me after church today. My father, sister and I go to church every week from 7 AM until 12 PM. My mother must get there early as she helps with the baking for the lunch after church and also sings in the choir. Every Wednesday night, I go to Bible school for three hours. My older sister is 13 but on Wednesday nights she goes to homemakers’ school where she learns things like cooking, cleaning and how to take care of a baby. She has reached the age where the District Executive will select a husband for her and in the next year she will be married and leave home.
My school is run by the Evangelical Church of Trump. Our Evangelical Church Leader is a Senior Executive in the Local Republican Party. At school, we learn a great deal about Trump History, taxes, Republicanism, Americanism and other subjects. The teachers are very strict and any messing around will get you a night in the stocks. After school, I am bused to the local mining operation to help the workers with some of their chores. Every student in the UST (United States of Trump) must contribute back to the community. If the local Work Commander thinks we have done a good job, we are allowed to play sports on the weekend. We can choose from baseball, football, hockey or golf. No other sports are allowed.
My father works at the mines. He went to the same school and church that we now go to. Every community is allowed only one church and one school. My mother stays home. She is a good mom, but the Local Work Commander says that she is not pulling her weight in the community. He says that she has only had two children and it is expected that every mother will have at least five children. My mom says that she is trying but it is not her fault. One of my siblings died at childbirth or so I was told. There is a rumor that she was sent to the Default Clinic because she was born with a genetic birth defect. My mom has been warned to keep trying and that there are penalties for non-compliance.
I have a grandfather and grandmother on my Father’s side who are local representatives for the Republican Party. There is only one party in the UST. Our Supreme Chief Executive Officer abolished all other parties many years ago. He argued that it is too confusing for people to have more than one party and that all we really need is one party to see that people keep order and do what they are supposed to do.
I am not allowed to talk to my grandfather or grandmother on my mother’s side because they have been labeled as descendants of heretics and state enemies. The story I have been told is that many years ago when then President D. J. Trump was in the process of becoming Supreme Chief Executive Officer, my great grandfather on my mother’s side joined an opposition group of liars and cheats who were called Democrats. They did everything they could to block President Trump from becoming Supreme Chief Executive Officer for life. But President Trump labeled the Democrats as terrorists and they were ruthlessly sought out and either executed or deported to Siberia.
Our Evangelical Church Leader has taught us that things really started to become great in the United States of Trump once the Trump family was installed for life. In order to become a Supreme CEO, you must belong to the Trump family by birth. Leadership in our country is based on a strict sequence of hereditary seniority.
Once President Trump became Supreme Leader, he started to remove all the rapists and criminals from our country. First, all people of African descent were exported back to Africa. Then he sent all Asian people back to their homes in China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. After he finished the Great Border Wall, he sent all the rapists and thieves back to Mexico. During this time, he also had to deal with the radical terrorists who were called Democrats. With the help of the Army and Marines he was finally able to eliminate this terrorist group.
President Trump then had his title changed to Supreme CEO. In his honor, the Republican Party changed the name of the United States of America to the United States of Trump. His birthday is now a national holiday. He eliminated several other holidays like Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day and Washington’s Birthday. We have had many other changes in the country.
The Equal Rights Amendment was abolished, and women were able to regain their rightful place in the home as mothers and home makers. Abortion was banned and all women were to be married to a man. Every woman was expected to contribute at least five children to the UST. Some women were against this, but they were deported to Siberia and eventually the opposition fell in line. Gays and other sexual deviants were outlawed and any lascivious behavior on the part of sexual deviants was deemed a crime against the state and subject to strict prison sentences and public whippings.
All libraries, radio stations, tv stations, and schools underwent what Supreme CEO Trump called a radical reorganization. Millions of books were eliminated. Now all book authors must be approved by the Republican Party to ensure that they will comply with the facts and truth as known. PBS, SNL and NPR were closed down. The Washington Post and Time Magazine were sold to the Central Republican Party. All local schools were taken over by Republican Evangelicals who oversaw a major revision of curriculum and textbooks. We were told that all false facts and lies would be eliminated from the school system and that we would be educated only in the truth.
All non-Christian religions were banned, and an Executive Order was issued that stated all religions must teach strict Evangelical Republicanism as defined by the central Party headquarters. The Ten Commandments were installed in every court in the UST and the calendar was changed from CE or Common Era to YOL which stands for in the Year of Our Lord. Only men could be ministers and churches must adhere to the truth as defined by the Central Republican Party. A minister or church leader must also be ordained by the Local Republican Party.
Oh, you may wonder if I am related to the Trump family, but genetically the answer is no. However, several years ago, an executive order was released that all families would carry the last name of Trump and all male children must have the middle name of Donald. My father could pick any first name for his male children, but the middle and last names were to be in honor of the Greatest Leader in the History of the United States of Trump.
There is more to this story so come back next week and find out what happens to young Michael Donald Trump.
“The one indisputable reality of dictatorship is that dissent, insult, and malevolent language do not go unpunished if it is allowed at all.” — Ferdinand Marcos
Over the past few months, the vitriol between Hillary supporters and Bernie supporters has increased in both intensity and animosity. I have had numerous arguments with Bernie supporters. I suspect many of them were once my friends and are now no longer so. This is interesting since you would think that we would have more in common than not. It would not surprise me if you were a Republican or Trump supporter and banished me from your Facebook, Twitter or any other list of friends that you maintained. However, it seems sad that so much rancor has been generated by the Hillary/Bernie battle as to result in lost friendships when we have so much in common. I must take some of the responsibility though since I am not and never will be one to shy away from a fight. If a fight is what you want, I will give it to you and no holds barred. I support my candidate and I will explain my reasons but when you get personal or insulting that is the end of the line. It would seem to be a line that is easily crossed and that reasons and emotions are two very different things.
Once upon a time, I thought debates were the answer to the question of “how do we discover the truth?” I thought that if you put two intelligent people together and each took opposing positions on an issue, that through the interplay of ideas the truth would emerge. If you think about this a bit, it is the basis for our judicial system in America. One side argues for the defendant, the other side argues for the prosecution or against the defendant. It is also the basis for an academic exercise called Dialectical Research or Dialectical Inquiry.
A dialectical investigation is a form of qualitative research which utilizes the method of dialectic, aiming to discover truth through examining and interrogating competing ideas, perspectives or arguments. This latter method is often applied through the use of case studies in which students or investigators discuss real world examples of complex situations. The purpose of a case study is to provide a more thorough analysis of a situation or “case” which will reveal interesting information to the reader. As I use them in my classrooms, my goal for my students is to help them understand how to better form strategies for success in business.
Unfortunately, in the real world the strategy of debate does not work. Debates are a waste of time when honest discussion takes second place to winning or looking good. Dialectical Inquiry is also often useless since the complexity of the subject can be beyond the ability of many students to grasp. Real world situations are froth with uncertainty, volatility, complexity and ambiguity or as some have called it VUCA. VUCA is an acronym used by the military to describe or reflect on the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of general conditions and situations. Many complex situations are seldom able to be accurately modeled leading in most instances to weak images or portrayals of the actual situation. This is why debaters opt for simple explanations rather than complex explanations. Another example of this watering down of reality is a Hollywood movie depiction of a supposed “true” story. Recent movies that come to mind include the following:
I have watched several of the debates now and I see no evidence that truth is being discovered. The debates have become hyperbolic spectacles of insults, half-truths, reality distortions, innuendos and petty personal attacks. I doubt if anyone has found much truth in these debates never mind elucidations of complex policy positions for any of the candidates. Trump 
will build a giant wall. Cruz will fix Syria. Rubio will fix health care. Sanders will fix inequality in America. Hillary will fix Obamacare. Do you know how any of the candidates will accomplish these lofty goals? Of course not, since they know that the “debates” are no place for such a complex discussion. Trump perhaps realizes this fact better than anyone and has kept his discussion and clarification of his policy positions to less than fifteen second descriptions. The general consensus seems to be that if a candidate cannot explain their position on any subject in less than fifteen seconds, they are doomed, i.e., they lose.
On a more personal level, I have a problem with debates. I have a few friends who love to debate. I have noted as a result of recent discussions with them concerning the Presidential elections that do not want to understand or clarify any issues, they just want to argue or perhaps debate. I say that they want to argue, because their main agenda seems to be looking good or advancing their points and not understanding my points. They often enter into these contests (Since that is what a debate means to them. It seems to be a contest between winning their points and looking good or losing their points and looking bad.) with a pretense of trying to understand why I think or feel a certain way. Sometimes, they start the “debate” with a flat out rejection of my position or with a declaration such as “you are dead wrong” or “you don’t know what you are talking about.” I confess that such latter utterances often preclude my disposition to have a rational discussion with them. I see no point in it.
Aging Capriciously 