By Mano Ratwatte –
Mano Ratwatte
It seems someone in Sri Lanka wasted coconuts engaging in irrational behavior to pray for Hillary’s victory. Logically that action is flawed. The problem is, if such deities exist, and they listen to prayers, they are not American Citizens nor do they have Greencards to influence the US election. It is likely they cannot influence American deities to help a certain candidate to win. So basically precious food was smashed, and wasted to try to seek divine intervention to what really are human thought driven processes. If these Deities can influence elections, it required them to send simultaneous SMS messages and subliminal messages to millions of American voters. Such a waste of a precious commodity.
In a stunning election night, the Republican nominee Trump, secured victory after a string of formerly Democratic states swung his way. Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa all turned red. Nationally, Donald Trump won 47.4% of the vote to Hillary Clinton’s 47.7% – yet this translated into 290 electoral college votes for the Republicans and 228 for the Democrats (BBC)
If President Sirisena’s election was a rainbow coalition of Inclusiveness, Trump’s election was one of clear Exclusionary demographics. White non-Hispanic voters went to Trump by a whopping 58% to 37%. Hillary’s percentage of black votes also fell from Obama’s 93% to 88% and that is massive except when you consider total number of votes cast in the battleground states. The US is racially and economically divided, angry and polarized. Trump neither knows nor cares about Sri Lanka but is likely to defer to advice from the professionals including Keshap. There will be significant changes in the State Department and political appointees of the Obama regime including Samantha Power, and Biswal will no longer get US Tax payer funded trips to Colombo to pressure the regime.
College graduates backed Clinton by a 9-point margin (52%-43%), while those without a college degree backed Trump 52%-44%. In 2012, there was hardly any difference between the two groups: College graduates backed Obama over Romney by 50%-48%, and those without a college degree also supported Obama 51%-47%. White College educated voters also went to Trump by a 4% margin.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) may have helped scuttle Democratic nominee’s aspirations to win the Presidency. However she cannot just try to blame that for a series of missteps and the reality than 60% of Americans did not like either candidate. As this writer said it once predicted, it was a Seismic election. A leaked conversation between Mrs. Clinton and some of her key donors suggests that she blames FBI Director Comey, because he reopened the investigation when they discovered her emails in an unrelated investigation into her close confidante Huma Abedin’s estranged husband ex Democratic Congressman the deviant Anthony Weiner; he was being investigated for sexting with a minor. That incident broke her momentum. She had the momentum after the 3 debates but lost it after FBI director Comey made the announcement. Was he doing that to influence the election or to stem threatened leaks from anti Clinton FBI field agents? He was after all a registered Republican who had donated to Republican candidates.
Even though this writer presented many caveats about how she could lose in two opinion columns before, he thought that she might scrape through until the email shocker broke their momentum. That and WikiLeaks damaged her further as people see her as a person that could not be trusted. Even the famous Nate Silver whose statistics many had come to rely heavily on failed. After the debates and scandalous voice recordings and real facts about a narcissistic man’s behavior, his erratic tweets etc., swung the momentum back in her favor. Yet the “Trust Deficit” this writer spoke about before remained and her campaign Goose was cooked.
“If this were another decent honest democratic candidate; even an outright socialist like Bernie Sanders, Trump would stand no chance” is now brilliant hindsight. It is hard to tell but this anti insider, anti -Washington DC, anti – corruption, pro outsider enthusiasm for Trump was so palable. His supporters were far more enthusiastic than Hillary Clinton’s base. This was the angry right equivalency to the angry left Bernie won during the Primaries.
Recap what this writer said previously
The African American vote is a captive vote for the Democrats; but because the total number of blacks who voted in the states that mattered was lower in number, Kerry lost Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and the Election!
Right now, the African American (black) voter enthusiasm level for the Democrat is definitely at a lower level than for it was for Obama. One main reason is was obviously “ one of ours/අපේ කෙනෙක්” and President Obama was a historic first; he created American history more than 140 years after the civil war ended. Educated millennial Black votes and suburban upper class socially liberal white voters around Philadelphia are critical in Pennsylvania for her to win.
She lost Pennsylvania too.
She failed to garner the same response from minorities that Obama managed. In a safe blue state like Wisconsin, overall voter participation was low; in the traditionally black Milwaukee area,60,000 fewer people voted. Reality is that she did not get the same number of African American votes she needed to win the Blue Wall states of Wisconsin, and Michigan. And she failed to get the margin of white votes Obama won. Once Wisconsin’s results came out, this writer new it was all over except for the cliché’d fat lady’s singing part. She could not even hold Michigan. Interestingly during the Primaries Bernie Sanders, for whom this writer proudly cast his vote, won both Michigan and Wisconsin.
Yet it was either hubris or stupidity for Mrs. Clinton not to even campaign in the general election in Wisconsin. Trump sensed something was up and swooped into campaign in those two so called blue wall states. Result? He won those states too. Even after Florida and North Carolina, two key battleground states, went to Trump, she could have been able to win if she held her blue states. She failed to even win in Pennsylvania. That was it. Thus it may be interesting again to look at some of the numbers when complete data comes out.
Latino voters again did not show up in significantly higher numbers to swing Florida to her.
The impact of the Latino vote on the presidential race is lessened by the fact that more than half (52%) of all Latino eligible voters live in the non-battleground states of California, Texas and New York.
The mistake of the Democratic National Congress DNC and their party operatives is based on ignorance and condescending white attitudes. They lump all Spanish speakers people in the same group. That was asinine. Cuban Americans rarely vote for Democrats. Puerto Ricans and Mexican immigrants are so different. Other Hispanic groups are also culturally different. Even after relentless insults of Mexicans she couldn’t carry Florida with its sizeable Latino population. Cuban Americans don’t vote for Liberals because they hate communism, and they ran away from Castro’s abysmal Cuba. Even though US born Cuban Americans may be liberal on social issues, they too are not likely to vote for liberals.
The following extract sums things up in clear terms.
Quotes:
In an election so ugly and so close, one is reluctant to proclaim winners. But it’s clear that there’s a loser — the very notion of the United States of America.
Instead we have populations and geographies that barely seem to belong in the same country, if not on the same planet. The electorate is so divided that many states went for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton by lopsided margins. The Northeast was solidly Democratic, with Clinton winning New York, Massachusetts and Vermont with three-fifths of the vote or more. Washington, D.C., heavily black and the seat of the bureaucracy and pundit class, delivered an almost Soviet-style 93% to 4% margin.
On the other side were a series of states where Trump won just as easily, including Tennessee and Kentucky, with three-fifths of the vote, and West Virginia, by a margin of two-to-one – higher than those attained by 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Much of the rest of the map has followed the usual patterns: Democratic domination of Illinois and the West Coast, while Republicans held the South. Where the election was decided was in previous battleground states: Florida, North Carolina and Ohio.
Some Trump’s biggest margins were in energy states where the fracking revolution created a burst of prosperity. Generally speaking, the more carbon-intensive the economy, the better the Republicans did. These states include Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming, Idaho, and especially West Virginia, where he won by a remarkable margin of 68% to 27%. The energy industry could well be the biggest financial winner in the election.
Race, as is often the case, played a major role in the election. For much of the election, commentators, particularly in the dominant Eastern media, seemed to be openly celebrating what CNN heralded as “the decline of the white voter.” The “new America,” they suggested, would be a coalition of minorities, educated workers and millennials.
To be sure, the minority share of the electorate is only going to grow — from less than 30% today to over 40% in 2032 — as more white Americans continue to die than be born. Just between 2012 and 2016, the Latino and Asian electorate grew 17% and 16%, respectively; the white electorate expanded barely 2%.
In Colorado the new minority math was seen, with a strong showing among Latinos, the educated suburbs around Denver and millennials. That may be the future, but now is now. Exit polling nationwide showed Trump won two-to-one among people without a college degree, matched Clinton among college graduates, losing only those with graduate degrees, a group that has voted for the Democrats since 1988. –END QUOTES
Complete data is not out yet to make a comparison to previous elections; yet it was quite clear that she failed to win even a sizeable minority of white votes unlike Obama. It is mistake to think you can cobble together coalition of minorities and a smaller percentage of white votes to win. Obama expended his credibility and lost trying to cobble the coalition he created for his victories. This election was a result of angry white voters, the blue collar typically democratic voters, even college educated voters breaking for Trump. It is change that people wanted like how they wanted change with Obama however this mandate is not as clear as what Obama received in terms of total votes won by the candidates.
Trump has been a bit conciliatory and even said he will keep parts of the Obamacare health insurance policy intact. It is hoped he will not toss out the 20 million people who managed to get health insurance through Obamacare because most of those who will get hurt are those who voted for him. He says his priorities are Healthcare and Border Security (correctly so) and the economy.
Mexico may not pay for the wall but both oddly immediately after Trump won, Canada and Mexico have also expressed a desire to revisit the controversial North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that caused the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the USA. Perhaps he will be the jolt the US needed? Hope the racial bias attacks and insults will dissipate soon, and the hate will not continue into his presidency.
Turns out the Wall will after all be Erected after all; perhaps it will be like India’s longest border wall of death along its border with Bangladesh. The “Hindus for Trump” Indians will be thrilled with that.
ramona therese fernando / November 13, 2016
Great article detailing it all out with much specificity.
Americans like the (rest of the world), are beyond that New World Order concept that continues on with constant immigration and emigration. Those seems to be concepts of an old world order. Those who have emigrated and immigrated now want to work and develop the system where they currently reside in – mass movements of people being unnecessary in the “almost” current global stability with the US-made global money order.
Therefore, progression towards global colonization with the Democrats, so as to maintain the US$ is seen as a long-shot by most (new immigrants to the US included). Nobody wants to be thinking of their grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, but for themselves and possibly their children. Most are looking at the alternative where countries with secure borders will trade in a secure network, whist maintain their own unique county identities. After all, everyone saw what happened to the ME when the idealism of globalization tried to take over, so as to maintain America.
Bush started it seeing the America was fast falling ; Obama carried it on (in a more socialistic way), and Hillary was to finalize it. Nobody could bear it!
Finally Trump came out with it- America for Americans, with a golden door for immigrants who have money and/or skill (of course that might include some of our pretend Lankans patriots coming here with country money stolen from ME workers and others, and acting that they did it for their children, and/or they didn’t like Lankan politicos). Everybody has to speak English with an American accents of course, and follow updated version of White-Christian culture (with an inclusion of 0.1% foreign culture for the sake of diversity). White American will try their best to be inclusive, and fake smiles might actually become real.
Each country will deal with each other with capitalistic undertakings, and the final result will be a socialized system within each secure country. What a difference from previous administrations when they were using capitalism to manufacture bombs and drones and the internet (via Bill Gates), and then trying to colonize the world to install that shining light of the eventual greater socialistic concept.
Well, let’s hope that the newest New World Order (2016 version) via Trump will actually work. All the best to him!!!
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Dr. Gnana Sankaralingam / November 13, 2016
I quite agree that invoking gods like breaking coconuts or shouting Allah will not achieve anything. But one must also be reminded that offering flowers to Buddha by Hilary Clinton did not help her win.
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Mano Ratwatte / November 13, 2016
Agreed. All those are feel good efforts and sort of informal psychiatric help and they work apparently but you cannot pray to inanimate objects and people long gone and ask for favors. It feels good. So I have no disagreement with you on that.
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levi / November 18, 2016
Mano Ratwatte
Remember Mano All Those Co conuts did not go waste at nallur. They were collected and are converted to edible coconut used to fry Wade for distribution to devotees.
If these cocunuts were smashed down south they would have gone waste as you said.
leaving that aside yours was a great article I enjoyed.
Levi
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Kumar R. / November 18, 2016
Civilized persons never see the need to denigrate, ridicule or even comment on others faith irreverently! Kavung obviously seems to pose a rather effective barrier to that civility.
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Mano Ratwatte / November 14, 2016
If Trump can shed his electioneering demagoguery and do well he might actually do better than anyone else in recent times. I wrote in March. I always said Trump’s supporters were far more enthusiastic. They were like Bernie’s supporters. Bernie was also the outsider until the corrupt DNC did a number on him. My first generation Mexican American student who won a purple heart in Iraq send me a message on FB. Here is what he said to me.
Hi Professor – I’m doing well. How are you? I’m not sure if we will be welcome. We’ll just have to wait and see. I also worry sir. Good luck to you too!
This wave of nationalism is sweeping Europe too. It was inevitable. Educated immigrants are succeeding here but there is always a lot of resentment too. By the way I never use an American accent except in the classroom you have to make your students understand what you are saying and sometimes even though the Sri Lankan accent is not that harsh american students complain and quite fairly too. That is why Universities have a spoken language test that they have to pass; it is mostly for Chinese, Korean and non English speaking faculty but it is important. Sri Lankans and Indians even with Indian regional accents are usually easier for them to understand because we all grew up learning and speaking English.
Ms Fernando: I said the following in March
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/race-in-races/
Why are these mostly White Christians angry? They feel disenfranchised and ignored.
Knowledge based economy has left them behind
Stagnant wages despite amazing improvements from where Bush left off.
They don’t have the skills needed for a 21st century economy
They feel they have lost to the Chinese, Indians and every group they can think of in the post globalization world.
US companies going overseas for manufacturing.
NAFTA cost the US a lot in terms of net job loss.
TPP will do the same; fears are similar to fears in Sri Lanka about ECTA.
They feel China, Mexico, India, and other nations do not play fair in trade.
They feel their constitutional right to bear arms might be under threat.
People are also angry about the massive influx of drugs (because of American addiction to drugs ) through a porous border.
They are angry that Obama cannot seem to cope with ISIS jihadi terrorists.
Obama rather foolishly called ISIS a “JV” team akin to a Second Eleven School Cricket Team)
Hillary, Samantha Power, Susan Rice and other neo liberals bungled big time in the Middle East. They are clueless.
They dismembered Libya even though everyone with an iota of commonsense predicted what would happen. Look at Libya now.
All 3 of Obama’s most recent Secretaries of Defense who were angry and disappointed with his bungling of the fight against terrorists have spoken out.
Libya unraveled just as Yemen, Syria and the entire Arab uprising/spring.
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ramona therese fernando / November 14, 2016
Hmmm, congratulations on your very perceptive speculations, long before the elections too. All those things you mention are indeed bad things for the American masses. They are international deals with long-term projections that will do well at the middle or end of the century. In the mean-time Americans are supposed to suck it all up and see the shining end of it all for the grandkids.
But I won’t go around bashing the Sinhala Buddhists and White Christians too much. As an immigrant I strive to understand and join the hoi-polloi at times. Hence I try to fall in with the accent at times (and hope that no Sri Lankan will ever hear me). Essential too whenever I work with the school-age group.
It’s a bit terrible to see so many struggling Whites (Blacks suffer even more, but they seem more resigned to it). I mean, poor Blacks and Asians and Hispanics are bad enough. But to see a blue-eyed family without work and health-care….i don’t know….they have a sadder look or something. The American masses are struggling – at least 33% of them! The lack of health care for this group amazing. The polarization of classes is unbelievable. Unlike places like Australia and UK that have free basic health services, the suffering and indignity of the US poor is unbelievable!
It is shameful to see how the upper-class tight knit White communities behave, and towards their own people too. Trouble is many created a culture to discriminate against their Black people. Now it’s in their genes and they are doing it to themselves! For example, they realized at some point that they could use massive amounts of White rhetoric to speak, thus alienating Blacks and immigrants. Now their own people can’t understand each other anymore. School teaching has become a jumble!
Yes, we immigrants are doing well, but many of our Lankans, many of which took the brains and money of Mother Lanka to this place, sit reveling at their own importance. No wonder some working-class Whites can’t bear to see us as they feel we got the money from here! Same lot like to go back to Sri Lanka and show of their success story making the locals feel very miserable indeed. Truth is, it is only a few recent immigrants who have some money from oil-rich countries. The average professional American pays high taxes and lives a very moderate lifestyle (very much like the working class and/or professionals of Sri Lanka that does not indulge in shady-deals).
I hope that Trump will bring back their much needed jobs, and America will become more normal and not go the opposite way it has been gradually and inadvertently doing so far.
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arancha / November 13, 2016
Sabba Bicycle Kadde,
The wall won’t be constructed your way but cast on site- 40ft high and 5 ft below..(Bill constructed fence of 700 miles of the 2000 miles)
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/us-elections-will-it-lead-to-a-wall-erection/
Knowing others is intelligence; You wrote natak about Hillary (in turn CBK your cousin) on CT
Why don’t ` Psyches win the lottery?
The desire of power in excess caused angels to fall.
What makes us exceptional is that we are a nation of laws, and that we are all equal under those laws – Hillary’s corruption shreds the principle on which our nation was founded- he said.
(island of plantation workers will never abide by law)
What you and ethnics are ignoring is contributions such as constitutional democracy, free press, rule of law and the English language.
Lanka cannot survive without Brexit-Trump export economy.
63% of America are still white and non Hispanic. The Unswayables- The Block of 40% whites wanted American way of life once more. 31% of Florida are Cubans and they voted Trump along with Rubio while the Mexicans went with Jeb Bush.
The whites were out in full force to vote because they have dwindled from In 1980, they made up 80%.In 2000, whites were 69% of the population. 2016 whites are 63%. Trump would give them a stimulus to stop the slide-`quality of life`
That is how Brexit was won too- out in full force.
Negroids nor socialist (except stupid France which is changing) won’t have their way to populate capture power to rule and spoil life in the west.
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Mano Ratwatte / November 14, 2016
Really enjoy your comments.
I agree with you about the law. I said this in so many different op-eds. A nation must be a nation of laws. No one should be above the law and that is the difference between a third world nation and the USA or even Israel. Remember Nixon was about to be impeached and quit. So many corrupt Senators and even Congressmen have been convicted. Hillary’s hubris with her email thing cost a lot of confidence and caused a lot of suspicion. This election to be about who is less untrustworthy. There are 2 economies. The knowledge based economy that has led to success and growth, albeit slow growth but there are still more jobs out there than graduating seniors in IT and Healthcare for instance or Accounting and Finance. What is not happening is the jobs that left with NAFTA are not coming back. And with stifling regulations, local energy production while being at a record high can even go higher. This can help us reduce dependency on Saudi Oil. Saudis are where Wahabi Islamic ideology stems from. We sell the tens of billions of dollars of weapons and still buy 11% of our oil from them. If we can break that, we do not have to be in infinite wars sacrificing our young men and women in god forsaken places. Thanks for your observations. Here is what I said in March.
Why are these mostly White Christians angry? They feel disenfranchised and ignored.
Knowledge based economy has left them behind
Stagnant wages despite amazing improvements from where Bush left off.
They don’t have the skills needed for a 21st century economy
They feel they have lost to the Chinese, Indians and every group they can think of in the post globalization world.
US companies going overseas for manufacturing.
NAFTA cost the US a lot in terms of net job loss.
TPP will do the same; fears are similar to fears in Sri Lanka about ECTA.
They feel China, Mexico, India, and other nations do not play fair in trade.
They feel their constitutional right to bear arms might be under threat.
People are also angry about the massive influx of drugs (because of American addiction to drugs ) through a porous border.
They are angry that Obama cannot seem to cope with ISIS jihadi terrorists.
Obama rather foolishly called ISIS a “JV” team akin to a Second Eleven School Cricket Team)
Hillary, Samantha Power, Susan Rice and other neo liberals bungled big time in the Middle East. They are clueless.
They dismembered Libya even though everyone with an iota of commonsense predicted what would happen. Look at Libya now.
All 3 of Obama’s most recent Secretaries of Defense who were angry and disappointed with his bungling of the fight against terrorists have spoken out.
Libya unraveled just as Yemen, Syria and the entire Arab uprising/spring.
White Evangelical Christians who are inflamed by the Supreme Court decision to legitimize gay marriage;
Conservatives wanting a woman’s right to choose an abortion banned even if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.
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retsel / November 13, 2016
“”It seems someone in Sri Lanka wasted coconuts engaging in irrational behavior to pray for Hillary’s victory.””
the foundation connection is there.
Surely your cousin CBK?
You can be assured SL defense sphere would be neglected.
IMF’s support too would be lax.
Lanka would be at the mercy of regional powers- this is great because its like sending a bad student to boys town to reform.
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jim softy / November 13, 2016
Even though Tamils broke coconuts in order to good luck for Hilary, they had given funds to both candidates.
I have lot of respect to Hilary as she has some belief in Lord Buddha.
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retsel / November 13, 2016
Trump spent almost all his cash. the party was lax in collecting.
No strings attached to lobbyist.
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Spring Koha / November 13, 2016
Thank You Mr Ratwatte for your take. We must be careful about giving the Americans ideas that we are interested in their business. Then we will look better telling them to lay off when they come to Colombo to advise us.
Here Ampitiya Sumana, a scoundrel masquerading as a Buddhist monk gave us another taste of the problem we are facing in a tirade against a government officer in Batticaloa. The police officer present ‘shaped’ everything up.Rest assured people, nothing will be done.
Egregious trouble makers roam our land spreading the cancer that once upon a time engulfed us. Then we shrugged, said “what to do?” and we left it. Then the cancer affected all of us. Looks like it will deja vu all over again!
One day a wall will have to built.HERE in the Miracle of Asia.
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retsel / November 14, 2016
“”We must be careful about giving the Americans ideas that we are interested in their business. “”
As it is the Media has run with fire on their hair.
You can’t ask America to part then you are sunk.
KEEP THAT INTELLECT MOUTH SHUT BECAUSE THE IDIOTS HAVE TAKEN OVER – BREXIT-TRUMP.
Exports – commodities:
textiles and apparel, tea and spices; rubber manufactures; precious stones; coconut products, fish
Exports – partners:
US 26%, UK 9%, India 7.2%, Germany 4.3% (2015)
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Kumar R. / November 14, 2016
Mano,
You could not be more wrong in “Trump’s election was one of clear Exclusionary demographics.” No – the election of Trump was a rejection of status quo; It was a loud and clear message for change.
Do you doubt that if Bernie had been on the ticket (especially with Warren as running mate!)rather than Hillary, the selection would not have been Trump, by a huge sweep? What does that say about calling this an “exclusionary” vote?
Please read the article in the link below:
https://hbr.org/2016/11/what-so-many-people-dont-get-about-the-u-s-working-class
The authour aptly observes:
“Avoid the Temptation to Write Off Blue-Collar Resentment as Racism – Economic resentment has fueled racial anxiety that, in some Trump supporters (and Trump himself), bleeds into open racism. But to write off WWC anger as nothing more than racism is intellectual comfort food, and it is dangerous.”
It is no different from what happened in this country where racism was introduced as a political tool for a block vote of the economically-anxious majority – and you know how dangerous that turned out to be, not just in the near-term, but in the longer term, if not in permanence!
As for coconuts and religious believes that seem to amuse you, I wonder how much of your own past commentaries addressed incidences such as “donation of MR’s weight in ghee” for pooja at Guruwayur, or the very many expensive trips Ranil, JR, CBK and even Sirima made for special pooja’s when facing political uncertainties. Have you been to Kataragama and seen how many coconuts got broken there! You think the Sri Lankan deities are helping out every Sri Lankan who breaks coconuts, and look the other way at non-coconut breakers?
Educated ones need to be less boorish and more respectful of other’s religious believes – else, every thorana ever put up would diminish to being nothing more than utter waste of resources, human and otherwise!
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Mano Ratwatte / November 14, 2016
It was not meant to be anything other than some joviality. I agree with you. Beliefs are beliefs but Sri lankans cannot influence elections in the USA with such. Even if a Buddhist does that it makes no difference. If I go after those politicians in Sri lanka I will be a hypocrite because I do not live there plus we know how vindictive some people can be. So hope you do not take umbrage. I teach kids in the knowledge based sector and we have seen steady growth in the job market for skilled graduates. Think of the shit bucket Obama inherited. DJIA crashed, housing market and global finance sector collapsed. Some say yet that the Obama administration did not go after the crooked bankers enough. Hillary was in-bed with them figuratively speaking. I wrote about this last time. Please go read it. Yes as a kid I also followed the religious rituals but I do not do that anymore. That is because we can grow up, think for ourselves and listen to rational arguments. This is NOT to say people cannot engage in behavior that gives them comfort. If I came across as being boorish that was not my intent. As one person said offering flowers to a statue for salvation or favors does not work either in real Buddhism.
Not sure if you ever read this teaching from the Buddha. I am pretty sure the thugs who masquerade as Buddhist monks and spew hate, nor the ISIS types ever represent real religion. But if you have not ever read the following I share this with you now.
I may also hasten to ADD before proceeding that some say this was not an exact quote from the Buddha but that he said something similar to it.
Do not believe in anything (simply) because you have heard it ; Do not believe in traditions, because they been handed down for many generations ; Do not believe in anything, because it is spoken and rumoured by many ; Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books ; But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
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Kumar R. / November 15, 2016
Mano,
just two quick points.
You characterize “Trump’s election was one of clear Exclusionary demographics,” implying of course it was a racism based vote. Ironically, n another comment elsewhere (Kumar David’s article) you yourself note that there was a massive (13%) swing voters, who swung the Trump way at the last minute? Did these swing voters become “exclusionary” (or racists) at the last minute? Rushed rash judgments without appreciation of the full information available to you is not just wrong, but could be dangerous.
As for your joviality, I am not entirely sure how an academic, especially one living in the best of democracy in the world could not see the inappropriateness of that. That aside however, your excuse/explanation “If I go after those politicians in Sri Lanka… we know how vindictive some people can be.” is truly disgusting. I will tell you why. Your concession implies that you were aware of what you consider are “irrational” religious practices by Sri Lankan Politicians, but refrained from making any commentary (jovial or otherwise) because of fear of the Politicians. However, in the case of Tamils/Hindu’s practicing what you consider were irrational practices, you had the “guts” to joke about – because you didn’t have to fear the Hindus, who couldn’t do anything vindictive! Right? How is that different, in principal, from that of Trump who felt entitled to walk into teenage-girl’s dressing rooms unannounced or grab what ever he said he could grab – just because he felt entitled? And that he need not fear? Just because he could?!
Oh these academics – first Dayans and Rajivas, then Rajasinghams, the Hooles, and now another one. Yikes!
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Mano Ratwatte / November 14, 2016
Please read this article as well.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/13/politics/donald-trump-lessons/index.html
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Justin / November 14, 2016
This article is incomplete, because it does not speak of the following which made people to reject Hilary Clinton and her Democratic Party;
1. High level corruption by Clinton Foundation. The former president of Haiti said that only 2% of the funds received by Clinton Foundation for Haiti was used for and in Haiti. Trump will appoint a commission to inquire the matter5.
2. Dishonesty with 350,000 e mails
3. Obama Care made to benefit insurance companies.
4. Abortion of unborn babies, even 9 month old, which is murder.
5. Corporate tax of 35%, chasing away investors, that created unemployment, which Trump will reduce to 15%.
6. Individual taxation burden to be greatly reduced by Trump.
7. Lost Christian values. Lost because of Liberalism. Even Clinton and Hilary prayed to inanimate idols of Buddha They do not trust God though they say in their currency.
8. Gun Control policy. And many other matters the people were unhappy and disgusted with.
We need to wait at least 12 months to see the turn around.
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Kumar R. / November 15, 2016
Justin,
Some observations on your contentions:
1. High level corruption by Clinton Foundation.
Yes, if the allegations seem legitimate, especially with such direct and credible witnesses, then indeed it should be investigated – more from the point of view of the intended benefactors, Haiti as you suggest. Why not get UN to spearhead this, and avoid the issue getting labeled as vindictiveness by Trump
2. Dishonesty with 350,000 e mails.
FBI clearly declared this otherwise – judged as serious degree of indiscipline and carelessness, and not dishonesty. Now, if your claim is that FBI is in cahoots with the Clintons on this (or any other) then that is a very much more serious issue, and that certainly needs investigation. Just beating a dead horse is plain pathetic.
3. Obama Care made to benefit insurance companies.
Obama care did nothing of that sort by design. The fact that businesses found a work-around to enrich themselves, even on a long-needed fundamental basic human-right protection of health of the most vulnerable population, says more about American business culture and ethics of business-school Capitalism that has gone obscene, than it tells about Obama. The recent Wells Fargo exposure, Trump’s long-hidden revelation about how he gamed the tax loophole for two decades, while racking up billions of dollars on the backs on American citizen (even desperate students seeking education as in the case of Trump University) aren’t ample evidence for you on this?
4. Abortion of unborn babies, even 9 month old, which is murder. This is a case of “gonnibilla” fear mongering to neutralize many legitimate issues related to birth control, protection, safety, health and issues related to the rights of women that you cannot defend otherwise.
5. Corporate tax of 35%, chasing away investors, that created unemployment, which Trump will reduce to 15%.
Corporate profits are the highest in the US, and the growth trend the most robust. That would be fine, if only it did not come at the cost of squeezing wages of 95% of the population. How did US profits sky rocket, year-after-year, if the 35% was actually an impediment in any way?
6. Individual taxation burden to be greatly reduced by Trump. Don’t hold your breath. The businesses know how exactly to skim any little extras quite niftily out of your pockets. Do you think the $400 toys, $700 phones and $500 utility bills are priced cost-based?!
7. Lost Christian values. Lost because of Liberalism. Even Clinton and Hilary prayed to inanimate idols of Buddha They do not trust God though they say in their currency.
So, are you suggesting, first, that they pray only to “animate” idols? What does that even mean — Sai Babas and Swamis?
Second, do you truly want to be the one who decides how and to whom others should pray? Really? Why exactly is idol worship “unacceptable” to you? Shouldn’t one have the freedom to pray at the Bo tree as symbolic of the religion he adores and to seek solace, and not because he expects the Bo-tree to help solve his domestic problems?
Who exactly do Christians pray to? How is Jesus different from Buddha?
Liberalism helps you have the freedom to choose and hold your own values – prevents the State from dictating what values you “must” hold. Learn your values from your parents – don’t await dictation from the State.
8. Gun Control policy. And many other matters the people were unhappy and disgusted with.
Ask yourself, which country has the most guns per adult? Which country is seeing the highest incidence of gun-violence? Gun violence grow the fastest?
I am not entirely sure what your grouse is with Democrats or Clinton (especially following up on a rather impolite joviality of an academic, Mano) but you seem rather irrationally one sided going by your comments – so thought I’d provide the other side in case that may help broaden the view.
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