ARE YOU A TRUE REPUBLICAN? (v3.2)
Take the survey below and find out.

Check all items below that YOU AGREE WITH and then total up your score

If you score 28 or over, you are a True Republican. Nobody can change your mind.

If you score 22-27 you are a faithful Republican with strong beliefs

If you score 16-21, you are a Middle-Of-The-Road Republican

If you score 10-15, your allegiance to the Republican Party may be weak

If you score 4-9 you may want to start looking for another Political Party

If your score is under 4, why are you still voting Republican?

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Please Check All The Items You Agree With and Add Up For a Total Score

1. You are against any gun control legislation. YES (  )
2. You favor lower taxes for the very rich.  YES (  )
3. You don’t believe in science. NO I DON’T (  )
4. You believe that Trump would make a good President. YES ( )
5. You favor increased military spending. YES (  )
6. You are opposed to a woman’s right to choose.  YES (  )
7. You believe in lowering taxes for big business.  YES (  )
8. You are opposed to spending money to develop clean, renewable forms of energy (e.g., wind, solar, etc.). YES  (  )
9. You believe that too much money is being spent on protecting the environment.  YES  (  )
10. You believe that people who are mentally disturbed should be allowed to buy guns.  YES (  )
11. You are in favor of Christian prayer in the schools. YES (  )
12. You don’t believe in evolution. NO I DON’T  (  )
13. Before coming to the USA all Muslims should undergo thorough background checks.  YES (  )
14. You don’t believe that human activity contributes to climate change. NO I DON’T (  )
15. You are opposed to gay marriage. YES (  )
16. You believe that Creationism should be taught in the schools. YES  (  )
17. You are against abortion. YES  (  )
18. You believe in deporting illegal immigrants and their families back to Mexico. YES  ( )
19. You don’t believe in science. NO I DON’T  (  )
20. You are against a strong Federal Government. YES (  )
21. You are opposed to Democratic Socialism (as advanced by Bernie Sanders). YES (  )
22. You don’t believe in the separation of Church and State.  NO I DON’T  (  )
23. You believe that the USA should become a theocracy based on Christian Principles. YES  (  )
24. You believe the economy does better under Republican Administrations. YES  (  )
25. You are opposed to welfare for the poor.  YES (  )
26. You believe LGBT people are sick and need help. YES (  )
27. You are opposed to raising the minimum wage. YES  (  )
28. You are opposed to Federal funding for pre-school education.
    YES  (  )
29. You believe in deporting all Muslims from the USA. YES  (  )
30. You are opposed to Obamacare. YES  (  )
31. You are against Federal funding for birth control.  YES (  )
32. You are against Unions. YES  (  )
33. You support the NRA. YES  (  )
34. You go to church every week. YES  (  )
35. Porn is “a public health crisis” and should be outlawed. YES (  )
36. You believe in defunding programs such as medical care (and Veterans’ hospitals) for veterans. YES ( )
37. You are against Federal funding for free school lunches for poor kids. YES (  )

38. You believe in opening up public lands for commercial development. YES (  )

TOTAL SCORE =

V3.2

BLOG (PL): Turkish Violations of Greek Airspace (v2.0)

Recently,  Turkey had the nerve to threaten Russia for violations of Turkish airspace. In fact,  Turkey shot down a Russian plane several months ago for crossing, and remaining in  Turkish airspace for about 45 seconds. Seriously?  In 2015 Turkey violated Greek airspace over 130 times!  Fortunately the Greek response was restrained and did not become violent. Can’t say the same for Turkey!

Now that Russia has violated Turkish airspace on TWO occasions the Turks are outraged that another country would dare do it to them! I say to Turkey,  try respecting other countries’ airspace first and then your complaints might be taken more seriously.

Turkey is unfortunately displaying the mentality of all bullies. They pick on militarily weaker countries, but when a more powerful nation such as Russia dishes it out to them,  they cry foul and whine and gripe. They obviously can’t take it.  Turkey is very fortunate that the Russian response was quite restrained,  this time around.

Sorry Turkey but nobody is coming to the rescue the next time this happens. However,  use this encounter with Russia and learn from it.  If you persist in the current war of words with Russia you may well end up with Russian troops in Ankara,  or you’ll have to deal with devastating Russian missile attacks! My advice, “don’t shoot down any more Russian planes”!

And,  who knows how long Greece and her allies will continue to tolerate violations of her airspace? If you continue to provoke,  like the bullies you are,  you may well give rise to hostilities that you may not be able to extricate yourselves from. And finally,  such provocations aren’t likely to impress the European Union,  and your application for membership. Of course, if Russia decides to intervene militarily,  Turkey may not be able to join the EU because very little will remain of today’s Turkey. If you haven’t learned this already,  learn your lesson now.  Russia is not a country you want to trifle with!

Clearly, Turkey under Erdogan’s fascist Government is continuing to rattle its sabers and engage in provocative acts of aggression. Its latest foray into aggression is the violation of Greek airspace, again! Three days ago (on Friday, September 30th), a Turkish fighter jet, accompanied by two helicopters, violated Greek airspace over the Southeastern Aegean. Including 2015, Turkey has violated Greek airspace over 140 times.   Every time, Greek fighter jets chased the intruders out of Greek airspace without a shot being fired.

What is one to make of all this? Are Turkish pilots so incompetent that they can’t figure out what their on-board instruments are telling them? Or, is Turkey testing the waters to determine how far they can push Greece? The latter is a more likely scenario, and such behavior raises to higher levels the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Why is Erdogan’s Government playing this dangerous game? One possible reason may be a dissatisfaction by the Turks of the terms of the Lausanne Treaty of 1923. The treaty basically divided up the Eastern Mediterranean into Greek and Turkish sectors with clearly prescribed boundaries. Boundaries which Turkey appears to be challenging under Erdogan’s hawkish politics by continually violating Greek airspace. Is it possible that Turkey wants war with Greece in order to win back the territory Erdogan thinks Turkey lost under the Treaty of Lausanne?

Clearly, Erdogan has lost a sense of perspective. With all that’s happening in Syria and Iraq is this a good time to increase tensions in the region even more? Or, is he perhaps hoping that while the allies are concentrating on the war with ISIS they may not be ready, or willing, to intervene in hostilities between Turkey and Greece?

It is hard to read the mind of a dictator like Erdogan, but what has been clear with most dictators in the past, they all seem to need more power, and conquest seems to be a preferred strategy. Their strategy is to whip up nationalistic feelings in the nation, obtain the support of right wing fascists in the country, establish total control over the military, and then start to flex their military muscle (most likely against Greece). Given the state of disarray that Greece finds itself in at this time, I would predict that if I were Erdogan I would see this time as a good opportunity to strike.

I say to Greece and her allies, “remain vigilant because Erdogan may be another Hitler on the rise”! Constant violations of Greek airspace by Turkey may just be that, or they be a harbinger of something more ominous…..

BLOG #17b: What is True Patriotism?

The term “patriotism” may well mean different things to different people.  I get that.   But at the heart of this term is the notion that patriots love their country,  and through ACTIONS and DEEDS help make it a safer and better place for all of us.

While many associate patriotism with displaying the flag and talking about how great the country is,  they in fact do very little by way of actions or deeds to make the USA a better place for all. Their rhetoric tends to be divisive,  and they often engage in a lot of fear mongering and hate. This is not true patriotism because fear and hate polarize Americans,  contribute to the rise of hate groups and make us view with suspicion Americans of different skin, color, or faith. Such behavior weakens the fabric of American society and undermines our ability to work together to make the nation a safer, and better place.

True patriotism,  on the other hand,  involves ACTIONS and DEEDS that help us see our differences as valuable assets and strengths that can be used for the betterment of our nation. Hillary Clinton is correct on this point.  We are “Stronger Together!”

Patriotism can take many forms so long as our actions contribute to the security and defense of the nation, and help make the country a better place to live. More specifically,  true patriotism is more than just words,  posturing, or the worship of symbols such as the flag. True Patriotism requires ACTIONS and DEEDs that:

1. Contribute to the protection and security of a nation.

2. Help move the country forward, and to a better place,  politically,  socially,  educationally, economically,  environmentally and scientifically.

Those patriots who contribute to the protection and security of a nation typically serve in our military;  they serve as police officers;  they work for our intelligence agencies,  and so on. An important aspect of their work is the fact that often they are called upon to put their lives on the line. This is one way of demonstrating true patriotism.

Other types of patriots that help make our country a better place work in education as teachers;  they help enhance the health of the nation by working as nurses,  paramedics,  firefighters and health professionals; they work in politics to make just laws that help all our citizens;  they work helping the needy and downtrodden,  trying to make their lives better;  they work with children and single mothers to empower them to take care of themselves; economically,  they contribute to the wealth of the nation by creating economic opportunities so that all Americans can achieve the American Dream, and contribute in productive ways;  they pay their taxes! Others help protect our environment and help make America a better place to live;  and,  scientifically,  they contribute through research and technological innovation that make our lives better,  and keep our country on the cutting edge of discovery and new product development.

The point is that all activities that help the security and defense of our nation, and help make the country a better place to live, reflect different forms of patriotism. Those who put their lives on the line for our country do, of course, deserve special praise and support, including the best medical care.

Patriotism is about ACTIONS and DEEDS and not about wrapping oneself in the flag and spouting forth slogans and extremist rhetoric.  It is about actions and deeds that help bring us together;  it is about actions and deeds that make us stronger by utilizing the strengths of our diversity; it is about actions and deeds that help us look more kindly on our fellow citizens;  it is about actions and deeds that unite us in continuing to keep our country great,  and,  it is about actions and deeds that help protect our country and make it a safer place for all Americans.  This is what true patriotism is about!

The fact is we are “stronger together” and those who would create division,  intolerance and fear in our nation are the most unpatriotic of all.  And a nation divided is a weak nation.

So,  ask these people who equate patriotism with militarism, the flag, and intolerance of our differences in terms of beliefs and skin color: “by what actions or deeds are you making America a safer and better place”?

My best guess is that the hypocrites and bigots,  who tend to be the biggest loudmouths in professing their patriotism,  will fail this test of true patriotism.

In conclusion,  any American can demonstrate his or her patriotism by engaging in ACTIONS and DEEDS that:

(1) Help protect America and make it a safer place for all.

(2). Help move the country forward,  and to a better place,  by contributing socially,  politically,  economically,  educationally, environmentally and scientifically,  among other areas.

Andrew Yiannakis,  Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
University of Connecticut (ret.)
Research Professor
University of New Mexico (USA)
8th Dan,  Traditional Jujutsu
6th Dan,  Traditional Kodokan Judo