by Steve Dunford

In my time on this earth, which is approaching a half a century, I have never witnessed a more divided country.

I have always had said that politics is worth not losing friends over.  I lost a few during this last election cycle.  I made amends with one, but there are some that will not speak to me since I am a conservative.

Because I am a conservative, my ballot over the years had more R’s colored in or in the past punched than D’s, but I have never voted a straight ticket.  Even though I had to hold my nose to vote for John McCain, and was not wild about Mitt Romney, but I have never voted for a Democrat in a presidential race.

I am going to share my path into becoming a never Trumper to casting my vote without reservation for Donald Trump.   If he got the GOP nomination, I was hoping for a third party candidate that had a chance in the general election.  I thought he was rude, crude, and obnoxious.

I feel Megyn Kelly is an outstanding journalist. She asked then candidate Donald Trump a fair question.  When he responded after the debate to the question that she was probably having her period in some very crude terms, I was thinking to myself this man is nuts.

I was lock, stock, and barrel behind Mike Huckabee for president.  He dropped out a few days before the Illinois Primary.  There were some that felt I should go to the polls like a good Southern Baptist and support Ted Cruz.  I felt the SBC threw Huckabee under the bus and was pushing Cruz.  It was between Ben Carson and Marco Rubio for me, so I ended up voting for Rubio.

When it was pointing heavily that Donald Trump was going to get the Republican nomination, I saw a difference in him and told a few when talking politics with others.  My friends who were wearing Make America Great hats already, welcomed me into the fold.

It came out a few weeks later, he accepted Jesus Christ as his savior and Lord of his life.  Tele-evangelist Paula White led him to the Lord, and met with Focus on the Family president Dr James Dobson a few days later.  Here is a statement that Dobson issued to several publications.  This is from Charisma magazine in June of 2016:

“Only the Lord knows the condition of a person’s heart. I can only tell you what I’ve heard. First, Trump appears to be tender to things of the Spirit. I also hear that Paula White has known Trump for years and that she personally led him to Christ.

“Do I know that for sure? No. Do I know the details of that alleged conversion? I can’t say that I do.

“But there are many Christian leaders who are serving on a faith advisory committee for Trump in the future. I am among them. There are about 45 of us that includes Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress, Jack Graham, Ben Carson, James Robison, Jerry Johnson, and many others whom you would probably know.”

Deeper in the campaign, I began to change.  I saw a difference in Donald Trump.  It was because what the bible calls “A New Creature in Chirst.”   In fact the last time I was this comfortable in voting for a presidential candidate was when George W. Bush was running for re-election in 2004.

I was mesmerized when the returns came in on election night.  Honestly, I was expecting a Hillary Clinton landslide.

I have said this several times.  The Sunday before the election, God’s people were gathered around the altars of America on their knees.  It was not an organized effort, but most churches had their bibles open quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

I am going to be brutally honest I was in fear of a Hillary Clinton presidency, which most conservative evangelicals were.

Fox News was gloating.  The liberal networks, and Time and Newsweek already printed President Clinton issues.  The words a nation in “crisis” was first used by house minority leader Nancy Pelosi.  Others have followed.

So far President Trump has tried to accomplish what Candidate Trump said he would do.  Moderates in his own party has tried to run from him.  It shows how tight the beltway boys and girls are in both parties in my opinion.

What started as crisis turned to activism, the activism has turned to down right hatred.

We have had three celebrities in the Hollywood crowd that has made what are blatant assassination attempts on the life of the president.  First it was Madonna, second it was the beheading image of Kathy Griffin, and recently it was Johnny Depp on foreign soil.

When it comes to movies, I am more of a spectator than an analyst.  I don’t know much about cinematography, but I know enough to know Johnny Depp can act.  He is versatile enough to play Jack Sparrow, and turn around and play Willy Wonka, my untrained eye can say he can flat out act.  I have watched my last movie of his.

In all three cases, the words I was joking was used.  It is no joke to assume assassination attempts on a sitting president.  There is a time to joke.  In fact anyone that knows me at all, knows that I am “full of it.”  There are some things that you don’t joke about, and this is one.  You are also not protected by free speech, by the proverbial yelling fire in a theater either.

This is fresh off of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise being gunned down by James Hodgkinson from Belleville, as well as Joseph Pickett, from Edwardsville, making death threats to President Trump on social media.  I don’t know if this is coincidence, but I feel the Secret Service should keep a close eye on the Metro East.

Anyone making any type of threat to President Trump should be investigated heavily by the secret service.  Some celebrities as well as some politicians from the left have talked about overthrowing the US government, that is borderline treason in my book.

The lack of respect for the office of President that some of the press that leans to the left bothers me.  I would understand this after referring to him the first time, but when someone refers to him as Trump over and over bothers me.  Address him with respect, It is President Trump.

Thank you for spending a few minutes with me.