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Ranger Rick: Post-election thoughts on a sunny afternoon

After the eleRanger Rick Art_7_0_0ction season and all the fury surrounding the voting and win for Trump, I just wanted to relax and get my breath back.

As much as I love to watch the convoluted media, acting like a nest of vipers, slithering and striking out at anything that moves, I knew in my gut they were wrong about polling numbers. Remember, they had Hillary Clinton way ahead of Bernie in the Michigan primary and we all know how that turned out. If Mrs. Clinton was only ahead in the presidential race by a few points in decidedly Democrat states (especially Michigan and Wisconsin), I knew that was untrue, she was behind if she didn’t poll at least 7-10 points ahead of Trump in those states.

I said as much to Army Bob, and for him not to let his heart be troubled about the outcome – Trump was going to win. Bill Clinton’s reported insistence that Mrs. Clinton visit the Democrat rust belt states to encourage and secure the Democrat turnout and vote went unheeded – she never visited Wisconsin once. On election night, when she lost Florida, Ohio and then Wisconsin (and later Michigan) – it was over. Trump had run the table on “must win” states.

Why did this happen? Voters were tired of being called “deplorables” and taken for granted.  We were tired of the media telling us how impossible it was for Mrs. Clinton to lose. As the returns came in, the earlier prognosticators were in disbelief – the states were going to Trump instead of what the polls indicated. Polls were finally exposed for what they are – immense lies to control the electorate from voting for their candidate if shown behind in the early polls and returns on election night.

The day after election day, I went to a local sandwich shop for lunch. After getting my lunch I sat in the parking lot eating in the car, I noticed five sparrows sitting on a nearby split rail fence.  People passed by in their vehicles or walked close by, but the birds stayed where they were perched. Nobody paid any attention to these little creatures.

Once the traffic slowed, one by one the birds flew to a nearby pothole filled with water, surrounding the pothole with a sparrow convention – chirping and fluttering their wings. Who would be first into the cold water?

The first brave one jumped in the water and started to flutter his wings and shake tail feathers, splashing water everywhere. The second one jumped in just as the first one was about done and did the same dance in the water. The first one returned to the fence and fluttered his wings and sat in the sun soaking up the warmth and preened his feathers then shaking again. One by one, they traded places in the puddle and all took a pre-winter bath. After a while, they were all on the fence, enjoying the sunshine and their freedom. Not a care in the world.

On days like that I’d like to find a grassy knoll, curl up, and take a nice nap soaking up the sun. The crisp air was being warmed by the sunlight, making it comfortable to be outside. Deer will do that on a sunny afternoon. Being on a knoll they can view danger but still be in direct line with sunshine and warmth. If they see or hear something approaching, they are up and gone before anyone sees them. I sat and watched a buck and two does through a rifle scope one time up north spending the whole sunny afternoon lounging in the sun. They were three to four hundred yards away and I just didn’t have it in my heart to get closer and try to down that six point buck. They were having a good time amid the occasional gunshots downing their deer friends.

As I aged, I quit hunting but miss the days afield because I loved watching the wildlife. If you happened to get lucky and fill your tag, that was just meat in the freezer. But the day in the woods was therapeutic and I always treasured that time. I get the same pleasure fishing – nice sunny day catching fish. And if the fish aren’t jumping in the boat that is just as well, because any day fishing is better than any great day at work.

The moral of this story is to not let your heart be troubled, even if you were for Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Trump hasn’t taken office yet and look at all the hate filled rhetoric coming from the media, the establishment Republican Party not entirely on-board the Trump train, and the jackasses attacking Vice President-Elect Pence at the “Hamilton” Broadway show. Imagine if it were McCain supporters attacking President-Elect Obama in the same way in 2008– the media would still be writing about it.

Soon, the Marxist-in-Chief will be gone and a new leader starts his term in office. Everyone should calm down and let him lead. If after four years he has shown to be a poor leader like whom he replaced, the ballot box is the way to get rid of him. Until then, think good thoughts, breathe in and out deeply three times, relax, and calm down.

I felt exactly like you after Obama was elected twice, and I didn’t riot once. I, like every American, accepted the will of the people with their selection of a leader by voting. The media said and acted the same for both Presidents Reagan and Bush, and Trump about put them over the edge.  Wolf Blitzer has never been the same since that night. A beautiful sight to watch all those pundits falling all over themselves, working up into a saliva lather, trying to explain what was happening.

The adults will be back in charge, the amateur(s) will soon be gone, and we will be a better nation because of it. You just have to calm down, America.

 

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