Aside from endorsing independent redistricting and Hillary Clinton, Larry Pressler has done little to mobilize the 17% of voters who supported his independent bid for Senate in 2014. It’s not that Pressler is too old and tired to barnstorm; he’s just too busy traveling the world. This month Pressler is with the Rising Star Outreach Foundation in India visiting leper colonies:
Our group of about 20 visited several leper-related colonies near Singaperumalkoil, India, just south of Chennai. Chennai has a population center of about 15 million people — and that’s not anywhere near India’s biggest city.
…I thought leprosy had been eradicated due to a new drug in the 1980s. There are pockets of poverty in southern India and in the northern poor state of Bihar along the Nepalese border. What happens is that one person in a village contracts leprosy. Then the disease spreads to one or two others. Once this happens, the leper’s whole village is isolated and quarantined. No one will marry or hire someone from such a leprosy-related village. Leprosy-related children are kept out of schools. Once a person is diagnosed with leprosy, their whole family is isolated just as they were in Christ’s time. And just as they were in the 19th century in Molokai, Hawaii, under Father Damien.
What did we see in these leprosy-related villages? Rising Star volunteers were bathing some lepers, helping others to cut down their leprosy sores and giving some compassion. The foundation has a school to get young people training so they can get out of the villages into mainstream vocational schools and even into colleges. Mostly, as Christ said, we must pay attention to lepers and try to help them and to bring them to the front of our banquet table.
Once leprosy really gets started in a person and that person has leper sores, it becomes very serious and is irreversible. Lepers make up the lowest caste in India, even under the traditional “untouchables” [Larry Pressler, “An India Feeling Trapped and Insecure,” Deseret News, 2018.10.06].
Pressler does get the impression that Donald Trump is more popular than lepers in India:
Also while here, I had the opportunity to address about 100 lawyers in the Cobra legal company. I enjoy being a professor so much that I love talking to these bright young Indian citizens. They were interested in President Trump’s trade relations with various countries. President Trump is very well-regarded here, which may come as a surprise to some of our critical newspapers. These wonderful young lawyers peppered me with questions about what is going on in America. They are more interested in public affairs than some of our own citizens are [Pressler, 2018.10.06].
If Pressler’s anecdotal on-the-ground observation is accurate, India is one of the few countries where opinion of the United States and the President thereof remains favorable. The Pew Research Center finds 70% of respondents in its 25-nation survey have no confidence in Trump, and another 70% say the U.S. takes little to no account of the interests of other countries:
Worldwide, Trumpistan has seen its favorability plunge from the relatively strong levels of the Obama Administration to the low levels of the Bush II Administration.
Pew did not include India in its survey. While they might have found strong support for Trump among Indians looking to cash in on business deals with the Trump family during Donald Jr.’s tour of corruption in India last winter, as well as among the Hindu fascists, Trump may be jilting his Indian lovers (as he seems to do with all of his lovers), Trump praised India in his recent United Nations speech, but that appears to be to coax India into giving up its major oil purchases from Iran. Trump has caused more U.S.-India friction, including this week’s threat to hit India with sanctions for buying an air defense missile system from Russia.
But hey, when Donald succeeds in turning Trumpistan into the world’s leper colony, maybe Larry Pressler will come back to relieve us.
“70% say the U.S. takes little to account of the interests of other countries”
Trump keeps winning Cory. Trump was elected to put America first for US Citizens.
Thank you for finding the evidence it worked.
Once a person is diagnosed with leprosy, their whole family is isolated just as they were in Christ’s time. And just as they were in the 19th century in Molokai, Hawaii, under Father Damien.
Sounds like what is happening to formerly great America under Drumpf and his twin Northern Mississippi trolls- Jason and OldSnarfbucket. Ostracized,demonized, segregated and hated.
Jason, you continue to misuse words. Even Trump said that America First didn’t mean American Alone, but those many foreign observers saying Trump takes no account of the interests of other nations are getting a very different impression. That’s not a win for an America seeking to maintain global leadership and cooperation.
Cory, Jason is right. Trump is very popular, as a matter of fact significantly more popular than Obama at the same point in their respective presidencies. I would agree that Trump may not be popular in the EU, Canada and China, after his efforts to have free and equitable trade and fixing some of the worst trade agreements in existence. Countries such as Mexico are very optimistic that Trump can bring them some relief and security. People in Venezuela are praying Trump can return their freedom. Poland is asking for our military to establish a permanent installation in their country. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are all working very well with the Trump administration to, once again, secure the far east from China’s aggression. Under Trump we are under less war and fewer military being deployed around the world than under Bush or Obama. That means more peace for the world. Our economy, being the linchpin of investment for the world, remains as the safest place for countries around the world, along with their people to invest and secure their own money. At some point you will either have to agree that Trump’s efforts and successes have been helpful to our Nation and world or you will find yourself look like the town fool. I think this may be the greatest error of those on the left; The constant negativity in light of the obvious successes of Trumps administration are making the left look more like radical harpies than a serious political movement. There “win” for America in electing someone that is not controlled by the world corporations has served our Nation well. Make a decision Cory: Are you in support of our Nation and world or is it your wish to see the Nation and world fail? Which is it?
“obvious successes” “greatest error” “town fool”? How about Putin’s Puppet? The world IS laughing at America’s court jester. The UN is not laughing WITH Donald? Are these “alternate truths” for you of his base? Talk about softballs. No wonder BCB hits homeruns of of you. Quit wasting our time. Get a job or go back to school. You are as word challenged as Pressler calling people lepers. Ugh.
Leprosy has a modern name, Hansen’s Disease, and it’s now treatable and curable, as someone else mentioned. The fact that they’re not treating and curing one of the most horrific diseases is unconscionable.
“Trump is very popular”
That statement is demonstrably false.
While “very popular” is a subjective term, I would suggest very requires something significantly greater than 50% approval. Per Gallup, Trump’s approval rating in the White House has not yet surpassed 45%. Barack Obama’s approval rating did not dip to 45% and below until June 2010. His popularity remained in that doldrumy 40s range until fall 2012, surging back to majority just in time to beat Mitt Romney, then sank back into the 40s through most of his second term. I would not characterize Obama’s approval ratings in the 40s as “very popular.”
No data show that Donald Trump is significantly more popular, domestically or abroad, than Obama at the comparable point in his Presidency.
Donald Trump could make himself more popular by doing something to help treat and prevent elprosy in India. But Trump proposed cutting U.S. global health spending and humanitarian assistance by $4.6 billion.
Oh c’mon Cory. Have a sense of humor. “Trump is very popular” is just a joke. OS is clever and witty and smart enough to not say something so stupid as that and really mean it. Let’s not forget to have a little fun folks.
Bad-faith lies sap my sense of humor, Debbo.