Hi Foxy,

There is a common thread running through despots, the simple message being, YOU and those like YOU are the disadvantaged collective of the powerless common people. YOU have lost out unjustly to those who have taken unfair advantage. The simple message being, follow me and I as one of YOU will sacrifice myself in the struggle to restore justice for YOU so wronged. That was the message conveyed by Hitler to the German people, Mussolini to the Italians, Stalin to the Russians, and now Trump to the Americans...Only through me can we "Make America Great Again". Of course that requires a lot of scapegoating and targeting of those who are guilty of unjustly taking advantage, they must be punished for their crimes. The disadvantage for Trump, unlike the other three, America is far more stable both socially and economically with stronger institutions that can hopefully resists this despot.

Hi Paul,

I hear Trump's voice in our distant land
His supporters here relish his brand
His reach is great across the troubled sea
But please, never - let me ever find
That I have a Trump in me!

Perhaps 're-direct' might be the wrong word to apply to our racist approach?
Supersede could well be better?
If we consider skin colour and accent, they are just two of a person's characteristics.
If we examine other aspects of the person, our view of them can change dramatically.
Emphasis on their different strengths can change our focus completely.
We can come to see that people everywhere in the world are much the same.
Wherever we go, there will be a similar mix of personalities.
But we must bear in mind that we won't feel kindly disposed towards everyone.
There will always be those who raise our hackles.
But reason should prevail, and calmness abound.
On a different note: I do wish newsreaders would cease referring to temperatures as hot or cold.
A temperature is a number on a scale.
It does not itself have a temperature.
So temperatures as referred to might be low or high, increasing or decreasing, and so on, but never hot or cold.
It sounds so silly for then to be described in that way.

That I have a Trump in me!
Foxy,
You come up trumps in the rose-coloured glasses brigade !

Indyvidual,

Not always.

It is getting harder these days.

Especially reading some of the posts on this forum.
They are so depressing.

Hi Foxy,

No need for depression, a good story. About a week ago "Eddy", a homeless man, sleeps in his car, turned up one morning at our charity. Eddy's a regular with us, comes for assistance, once or twice a week. On this morning he hadn't come to receive but to give, Eddy was offering help, told him, we're okay today with volunteers, nothing to do. Well without be asked, Eddy seeing the big heap of mulch in the car park, he got me to open the shed where all the garden tools are kept, and six hours later Eddy had pruned, weeded and spread mulch in the gardens. Gave Eddy $50 from petty cash to help him out. Next time i seen him I asked did you spend the $50? "Nah, gave $30 to a bloke doing it tough, and spent $20 on petrol for the old girl (car)." I thought; "Whose doing it tougher than you?"