Political, media elites repudiated

I am devastated by the election. Gary Johnson did not win. OK, that is out of the way.

After the last couple weeks of listening to the left-leaning press and commentators doing a wink wink nod nod about Trump’s chances and insulting anyone who would actually vote for him, I think I have slipped into a different reality. They wrung their hands worried about Republicans not accepting the vote, taking to the streets, rioting, and all the violence they would commit … Well, we know what happened. Trump won.

Now I see these same people blaming the uneducated, unwashed, bigoted, homophobic masses for not being enlightened enough to understand what was best for them. They cannot imagine anyone not following their values. I see them refusing to accept the results, taking to the streets and I see the violence. What I do not see is one of those commentators condemning the violence.

We are a generous nation. But even the most generous have to step back once in a while and look around. These poor souls who did not listen to your condescending “I know what is good for you”: All they have seen for over 20 years is these elites, from both sides, telling them to shut up, sit down, do what we say, believe what we tell you to, oh, and pay for it. I believe they finally had enough of living paycheck to paycheck and watching politicians and their buddies in industry getting rich off their taxes, and laughing at the serfs. Every little value and agenda out there is important and must be listened to, except for theirs. In any country, its citizens must come first or there will be no country left.

Care and concern

On Oct. 17 I had a nasty bicycle accident on the Fall Line Trace. Two bicyclists came to my aid. A few seconds after the crash a lady stopped and asked if I was all right. The answer was "no." Moments after that a man stopped to help as well.

I failed to get the lady's name, but I think that it might have been Susie.

My cell phone died in the wreck. So Susie called 911 and my wife. The man was Byron, part-owner of Ride on Bikes. Susie assured my wife that I did not seem to have any serious injuries, but that I was going to the ER at St. Francis. Byron refused to let me leave my bike beside the trail. He rode his bike home, got his pickup truck and came and retrieved my bicycle. Both stayed with me until I left for the hospital.

My sincerest thanks to these two good Samaritans.

Outpouring of support

On Sept. 4, at approximately 4 p.m., Lee Windham was reported missing. He is a 75-year-old man with Alzheimer’s and heart problems. His wife had been searching for 4 hours when she realized she needed help and called someone. Mr. Windham’s three sons, their families, friends and search and rescue volunteers immediately began searching woods, fields, streams and ponds for him. An infrared-equipped helicopter searched until midnight. Tracking dogs were brought in the next morning.

People came from Macon, Schley, Taylor, Sumter, Houston and Peach counties, and Phenix City. People remained positive and supportive for the family, enabling them to endure the long search. People came by throughout the day delivering food, beverages and encouragement. At approximately 5 p.m., Mr. Windham was found severely hydrated but alive. His physical health is returning.

Mr. Windham’s family is grateful to live in a community that demonstrates the value of life through kindness, generosity and compassion. It is also reassuring to know that neighboring counties respond during times of need without hesitation.

Be afraid

Serious questions were raised during the campaign about Donald Trump's qualifications for the presidency. None of this invalidates the sad fact of his victory.

Nevertheless, even the sycophants in the Republican Party — the worst of whom appear ready to exploit his election for political advantage, even after having publicly acknowledged his unfitness — must realize Trump is not just an embarrassment. He is a national security risk.

As if Trump’s sympathy for Putin’s government (and his admiration for Putin himself) had not been made clear enough; as if it were not obvious that Russian intelligence agents connived in hacking Democratic campaign e-mails, which conveniently played to Republican advantage; now a top Russian diplomat has acknowledged that “there were contacts” between Russian government officials and Trump’s staff during the campaign. How is it that Republicans who claim to be outraged by Hillary Clinton’s e-mail server are more than willing to overlook political sabotage involving a foreign government?

The thought that Trump is now receiving top secret briefings from U.S. intelligence agents should keep us all awake at night. We might as well put those briefings in an envelope and ship them to the Kremlin. How can we as a country accept that we will be led by a man who appears to have these links to a hostile foreign government known to have interfered in our election?

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Political, media elites repudiated."