I’d like to get my cards out on the table before I begin this essay. There is nothing that I admire about Roger Stone. In several months, I’d be willing to bet that Special Counsel Robert Mueller will essentially say the same thing when he indicts him as a part of the Russian probe.

Having said that, there is one thing that Stone and I shares, which determines who we are as people. Roger Jason Stone Jr. was born a decade after I was born. He is a big political infighter and the source of all sorts of conspiracy theories. For example, Stone wrote a book claiming that LBJ was responsible for having JFK assassinated. He asserted that Hillary Clinton’s aide, Huma Abedin, had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

In addition, he viewed Nixon as a great president and feels the same way regarding Trump. A decade ago, Stone had a picture of Nixon tattooed on his back and commented recently that it reminds him that “when you get knocked down, when things don`t go your way, when you`re defeated, you got to get up and fight again.”

His mentor….

Over his long life in the political arena, he had many less than reputable allies like Roy Cohn, Lee Atwater, Paul Manafort, and Donald the Dumb. It is interesting how like minds tend to gravitate to each other. Nixon and Trump are ethical clones of each other or more precisely, unethical clones of each other.

What is interesting in life is that we determine the type of person we become based upon who our mentors are. In juxtaposition to Stone’s mentors, these are mine: Brooks Oakford, Louie Palmer, Teddy Roosevelt, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Bobby Kennedy, T. E. Lawrence, Carl Sagan, Steve Biko, Don Quixote, William Forrester, Anne Perry, Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, Aung San Suu Kyi, Randy Pausch, and Elizabeth Warren. These are what I call my mentors. In addition, there have been dozens of other people that have helped me along the way.

Then there is Ginger. Ginger is a 75-pound Irish Setter that is nearly two-years-old. It is an extremely deep and meaningful reciprocal relationship between us. While I have had other Irish Setters years ago, Ginger is different. She is loving, which isn’t tied to anything other than that she loves me. And that feeling is mutual.

Now, compare that relationship between Ginger and me as opposed to the behavior of Stone, Nixon, and Trump. Ginger can be trusted. Ginger doesn’t hate. Ginger doesn’t lie. Ginger doesn’t cheat. Ginger is more human than anyone in the unholy trinity of Stone, Nixon, and Trump.

This is the tattoo that is on my arm. It is a reminder of how I should live my life…a lesson taught to me by Ginger. The world would be a far better place if we had more Gingers and less of the dishonest trinity.

Thus Ginger Spoke

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Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does."

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Donald the Dumb

Visit the Donald the Dumb page to read more about this topic.

08/08/18