Betrayal/Untruth/Corruption Deserve Immediate Censure

Yes, I know that the topic of the day is the Mueller Report and the issue of pursuing or not pursuing impeachment against this fake president.  As often happens here, I have chosen to move to a related subject that has basically received little comment or attention.  It has been pretty much ignored since it came forth. Yet, it also relates at its core to the chaos and the un-presidential behavior of wannabe 'King' Donald J. Trump.  It perhaps goes to the heart of what’s wrong with this man who should never have been elected to this high office. It points up that Republicans who continue to support this man, no matter what he does, are abettors in the destructive dismantling of our form of government and of our mutual responsibility for each other. 

Turncoat – “a person who shifts allegiance from one loyalty or ideal to another, betraying or deserting an original cause by switching to the opposing side or party.”  In political and social history,  this is distinct from being a traitor, as the switch mostly takes place “when the goal that formerly motivated and benefited the person becomes… either no longer feasible or too costly even if success is achieved.”

Synonyms: traitor, renegade, defector, deserter, betrayer

Hypocrite – “a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.”

Following are some of Trump’s worst comments particularly about Mexican (and other Hispanic/Latino) immigrants.  They constitute Trump’s original (and continuing) stance on the threat that so-called “illegal immigrants from Mexico” pose to our people and to our nation:

TRUMP: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending you their best…They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with them. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists….”  Jun. 16, 2015

TRUMP: “Sadly, the overwhelming amount of violent crime in our major cities is committed by blacks and Hispanics-a tough subject-must be discussed.”

TRUMP: “The border is wide open for cartels & terrorists. Secure our border now. Build a massive wall & deduct the costs from Mexican foreign aid!”  4:47 PM - Mar 30, 2015

TRUMP: “love the Mexican people, but Mexico is not our friend. They're killing us at the border and they're killing us on jobs and trade. FIGHT!   8:57 AM - Jun 30, 2015

 TRUMP: “What can be simpler or more accurately stated? The Mexican Government is forcing their most unwanted people into the United States. They are, in many cases, criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc.” July 2015

TRUMP: “Because of “people that should’ve never been allowed to come over the border,” crime is “going through the roof.” (campaign rally in California – Thursday, April 28, 2016).

THE TWIST and TURN OF KING TRUMP: Trump is threatening to deliver these same “murderers, drug-traffickers, people-traffickers, rapists, thieves, job-takers, and ‘bad’ people” into many of our population centers (Sanctuary Cities) to pose direct threats to his own loyal supporters and voters, in spite of his prior remarks.

(Reuters) – “President Donald Trump said on Friday he was considering sending illegal immigrants in the country to so-called sanctuary cities, prompting U.S. mayors to accept such an offer as the battle over border security raged.”

“Frustrated by rising numbers of undocumented immigrants arriving at the southern border, and a failure to get Congress to fully fund a U.S.-Mexico border wall, Trump taunted Democrats by dangling the possibility of an influx of illegal immigrants into their communities.”

TRUMP: "Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only" (Twitter).

TRUMP: (speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, said of sanctuary cities) "We can give them an unlimited supply" of immigrants.”

There you have it.  Trump as Turncoat; Trump as Hypocrite; Trump as deserter and betrayer, because he now wants to send “an unlimited supply” of illegal immigrants into the midst of his non-supporters (Democrats).  However, some of his loyal supporters also live in those same cities.

Thus, his threat becomes not only a threat to Democrats (several mayors have already stepped-up to counter that threat by saying: ‘go ahead, we can support these folks just as we have already aided Syrians and others who have needed our help’).

HERE’S the POINT:  TRUMP HAS THROWN HIS OWN PEOPLE UNDER THE BUS – this is his real unwritten message to them:  They are expendable.  They are tools in his self-aggrandizement.  They are his pawns and his puppets.  He will use them whenever he wants to boost a personal agenda that serves him in all matters.

There’s more:  Trump has perhaps unwittingly raised the question of the veracity of his claims about Mexico, Mexicans, immigrants, and “threats”.  If he is willing to send murderers, thieves, drug cartel members, gangs, and job-takers into communities inhabited by his own supporters, is he thereby jeopardizing the well-being and the lives of his own voters? 

 

OR, is he now demonstrating that his followers don’t have anything to worry about because his claims about the “badness” of immigrants is just propaganda and not real – in fact, very much in doubt?  So, which is it?  Is there a threat from “bad immigrants” or are immigrants little or no threat to our communities and to our nation?  Apparently, Trump wants to have it both ways, but he ends up lying to us no matter how he answers.

 I have absolutely no trust in Donald Trump.  I believe he will do anything to advance himself and his fortune.  I believe he will lie about anything to make himself look good or to cover-up his mistakes.  He has been shown to have a history of using people when it suits his needs.  I believe he is, in this case, willing to throw his own followers under the bus in order to exact revenge upon his political enemies.  His thirst for personal power knows no bounds.

However, in this case, he has stupidly set-up a situation by which we may be able to determine whether a crime wave breaks out in all those sanctuary cities, or to determine whether those transplanted  refugee immigrants will provide more evidence of their usual behavior by working hard, caring for and building their families, contributing to their larger communities; believing in the need to be helpful to others; trying to build their own “American Dream.”  

Trump is not just a turncoat – he could be an abettor of criminal activity against his supporters if he carries out his threat.  Unless, of course, the immigrants are NOT a threat to anyone!  Which is it?

So, here is my call to progressives and conservatives alike:

1.      Support those sanctuary cities in every way possible to aid them in refugee settlement;

2.      Publicize the probable betrayal by Trump of his own supporters by threatening to send the very ‘dangerous criminals’ he describes into their neighborhoods.  Based on his own words and actions, the ‘danger’ he touts is so imminent and pervasive he has actually ordered troops to our southern border to maintain order; and, he continues to search for ways to build a retaining wall because of the great danger he attributes to these immigrants  no matter the expense or the failure quotient;

3.      Publicize the stupidity of Trump logic in providing a proving ground for the very people he denigrates, i.e. if a large crime wave attributable to immigrants does not break out in these cities, it shows that he lied about their character and the threat he says they pose;

4.      Bring forth to those Trumpites known to you that Trump has shown his disdain for all of them by his willingness to see them harmed by the “criminals” he wants to send to their communities; to their neighborhoods

Ask them the question:  how can they support someone who tells them one thing (‘these Mexican immigrants are bad, violent and dangerous and we need to stop them from coming across our borders’) but then turns completely around to send those same “dangerous criminals” to certain cities to spread their supposed harm and hurt to everyone (including Trump loyalists)?

This is ultimately what lying or cover-up or limiting access to facts by a government or its leadership produces.  It results in untenable situations.  It affects those who least expect it.  It poisons the atmosphere in which we live and work.  It grows and spreads like a cancer because it is pervasive, insidious and toxic.  The ancient Hebrew nation knew this well, and it is no accident that it became one of the strongest prohibitions of the Ten Commandments:  THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS.  It wasn’t just individual morality that was involved; it was the health, welfare and mission of a whole community/people/nation that was at stake.   In case you missed it, this is one of the basics of real democracy:  the corporateness – the interdependence -- of our lives and our very existence. 

Those who preach and base their lives and faith upon ego-centricity as their primary motivation for their actions have little or no comprehension of the interdependence and corporal well-being that must be the formative basis of a community.  They do not comprehend, for instance, the harm that can be caused to a society’s health by insisting on an individual’s “right” to reject vaccination of their children against harmful diseases. The effects of such individualization, without regard for the health and welfare of the rest of the community, deserves condemnation.  Such disregard for the community welfare is what leads to health epidemics such as the measles scare currently active and growing.  In other words, when individuals fabricate and invoke questionable freedoms for themselves, they can end up undermining and destroying the rights of others to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness;” in fact, the whole foundation and fabric of society and government can be threatened. 

  

Whenever we ignore the expression of false witness by our leaders -- the Big Lie, obstruction of justice, or the abuse of truth and trust -- we jeopardize our commonweal (community well-being). 

We must always react to – and reject -- untruthfulness (LYING).  The high crime of utilizing and normalizing falsity is what the ancient Hebrews called apostasy (falling away), a crime against both God and His people.  Such falsity breeds corruption, and corruption is the destroyer, not the builder, of democratic institutions and values.  Donald Trump and his followers are not just de-constructionists—they are active destroyers of our democracy, corrupting it from the inside out.

Something I read recently stuck in my mind on this subject.  It came from Hillary Clinton, I believe, who said something to this effect:  if this (Mueller) Report came forth about any other President, impeachment charges would have been started immediately against that person!  

We cannot continue to allow this man to get away with “high crimes and misdemeanors” pursued with the intent of destroying our government and our well-being.  He is not worthy of the office or of the support of people whom he has now betrayed and denigrated by his own words and actions.

Thus, I proposed in a recent tweet that Congress (mainly the Democrats in the House of Representatives) begin the process of impeachment in a unique way. 

1.      Use the Mueller Report as a guide to further investigation by the appropriate House committees especially regarding Obstruction of Justice

2.      Following-up on the results of each hearing, take what is learned about each charge investigated, and produce a series of “censure resolutions” that essentially encompass the conclusions of the hearings as to Trump culpability in terms of possible impeachable offenses. 

3.    This series of censure resolutions could serve as steps in the all-important task of educating the public, and perhaps as the basis of building toward eventual impeachment charges and proceedings

Above all, Democrats must not be complacent or afraid to carry out their constitutional duty.  We cannot ignore the damage of doing nothing in the face of a lying obstructionist/de-constructionist/destroyer who is using his powerful position as head of our government to enrich himself, his family and others of his ilk who are content to use every means at their disposal to gain all the power, control and profit that will enhance them at the expense of the rest of society. 

After all, any leader who would turn on his own followers and threaten their well-being by threatening to send into their neighborhoods in ‘Sanctuary Cities’ those he himself has characterized as criminals, thieves, rapists, drug-traffickers, murderers and terrorists ('bad’ people), is the epitome of a man that no one should trust, support, tolerate or vote into any elective office.

 

In conclusion, I leave you with a slight variation of what Trump himself has said: “KICK HIM OUT” and then LOCK HIM UP!” 

WE OWN that REPORT

I must apologize to my readers -- and thank you at the same time for coming back to this Blog that has been idle for about a month now.  Here is an offering of musings of this elder mind on a current issue that has lasting significance at its core.  I hope something catches your interest and stimulates your own questioning, and maybe your activist spirit.

No Collusion! No Conspiracy! No Obstruction!  How does Donald Trump know for sure that the Mueller report says any such thing unless he has seen it?  Both Attorney General (AG) Barr and Trump say he has not seen it, so he cannot know for sure that it says what his AG says it says.

·      We have nothing available to any of us as to the actual content of the Special Counsel (SC) Report. We don’t even know for certain the number of pages or number of words it contains;

·      We have nothing before us except a summary letter from Attorney General Barr (https://www.scribd.com/document/402973432/AG-March-24-2019-Letter-to-House-and-Senate-Judiciary-Committees#from_embed ) to the Congress indicating that he and his assistant, Rob Rosenstein, came to their summary conclusions based on their review:  “The Special Counsel’s investigation did not find that anyone on the Trump campaign, or anyone connected  with it, conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.”

·      One thing we do know is that the AG who interpreted and summarized the Mueller Report is the same person who “applied for” the AG position when it was being researched in June of 2018.  Barr pushed himself forward in the middle of this process with a letter that criticized the Mueller probe and indicated how it could be handled.  Thus, when nominated for the position, Barr was a known advocate for an outcome that would be of great value to Trump.

·      While the content of the Mueller Report matters, so does the context.  Just what was Mueller’s original charge from the acting Attorney General, Rob Rosenstein, at the time?

·       Of particular interest is the scope statement in the order. Mueller was given broad latitude to take the investigation to any matters that “may arise from the investigation.”

The Special Counsel is authorized to conduct the investigation confined by then-FBI Director James 8. Comey in testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on March 20, 2017, including:

(I) any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump;

(ii) any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation;

(iii) any other matters within the scope of 28 C.F.R. § 600.4

The U.S. Code reference in item iii refers to the jurisdiction of special counsel. According to 28 C.F.R. § 600.4, the special counsel has three jurisdictions to consider.

(a) Original jurisdiction. The jurisdiction of a Special Counsel shall be established by the Attorney General. The Special Counsel will be provided with a specific factual statement of the matter to be investigated. The jurisdiction of a Special Counsel shall also include the authority to investigate and prosecute federal crimes committed in the course of, and with intent to interfere with, the Special Counsel’s investigation, such as perjury, obstruction of justice, destruction of evidence, and intimidation of witnesses; and to conduct appeals arising out of the matter being investigated and/or prosecuted.

(b) Additional jurisdiction. If in the course of his or her investigation the Special Counsel concludes that additional jurisdiction beyond that specified in his or her original jurisdiction is necessary in order to fully investigate and resolve the matters assigned, or to investigate new matters that come to light in the course of his or her investigation, he or she shall consult with the Attorney General, who will determine whether to include the additional matters within the Special Counsel’s jurisdiction or assign them elsewhere.

(c) Civil and administrative jurisdiction. If in the course of his or her investigation the Special Counsel determines that administrative remedies, civil sanctions or other governmental action outside the criminal justice system might be appropriate, he or she shall consult with the Attorney General with respect to the appropriate component to take any necessary action. A Special Counsel shall not have civil or administrative authority unless specifically granted such jurisdiction by the Attorney General.

 AG Barr’s statement must be read in the context of several items:  

·      After AG Barr received the Report, it took just 48 hours (no count given of hours spent on actual review or inspection) for the AG and AAG to come up with their summary interpretation and conclusion of a two-year study that required an elaborate array of resources as listed by AG Barr

·      Barr appears to have substituted his judgment for that of the SC, so that “exoneration” cannot be taken seriously until the entire report is open to the public and its scrutiny; 

·      Barr and Rosenstein are appointees of the President.  Both are beholden to him for their jobs.  Despite their supposed independence (in order to carry out their jobs), they could be described as ‘captives’ of the Oval Office and Trump Administration;

·      Barr quoted very little of the multi-page Report, and, in fact, could be said to have “cherry-picked” the four partial quotes he did choose in order to accommodate the views of his “boss.”  After all, this is the same man who wrote that long-winded letter to the Department of Justice last June setting forth his opinions about the ‘witch-hunt’ being conducted by the SC

·      It must be asked, in all fairness:  who ‘owns’ this report and who therefore has the right’ to see it in its entirety?  In other words, who paid for all those resources that went into producing the SC investigation and the final Report? 

Some would say the Executive Branch’s (DOJ) budget, having been duly authorized and appropriated by the Congress.  Because appropriation of funds begins in the House, some would argue that the House ‘owns’ the Report and has the ‘right’ to see it.

I maintain -- when government claims ownership and the ‘right’ to say who will have access and disposition of certain reports or products -- true ownership and full product access belongs primarily to the taxpayers of this nation!  I own the Mueller Report – YOU own the Mueller Report – WE own the Mueller Report!  Despite what any government agent or agency tries to claim, we taxpayers have the right to see it in its entirety (minus any and all redactions) without further delay!  (Therein lies another whole Blog topic which we must soon explore – denials of, and undue restrictions placed upon, broad citizen access to all the actions of our government).  

In the end, this isn’t just about Robert Mueller and the Special Counsel Report.   This is all about abuse of power – by the Congress, by the Judiciary, by the DOJ; by the Republican Party, by politicians who have become agents of the President, by legislators who have failed to attend to their constitutional duties of checks, balances and oversight.  This is the result of people and their representatives not speaking out or acting to correct the inequities, injustices and inequalities that they know exist. This is about Party loyalty or sponsor loyalty overriding what is right in favor of what is expedient and what may well be enriching for one group above another.

So, let’s get back to what Congress is formed to do – to legislate and to oversee the execution of that legislation.  Yes, Congress should hold all the hearings necessary to explore this abuse of power, but in the context of putting together legislation that will change and reform our system.

Trump’s political “victory” provided by Attorney General Barr must be the target of finding out details of legislation and regulations that will make sure that an Attorney General can never again interpret reports of a Special Counsel in a way that virtually obstructs the intent of those reports.

Perhaps, by not coming to a firm conclusion on presidential charges, or at the very least, not to consult with the AG on those results with a set of recommendations for appropriate actions (see the second and third ‘jurisdictions’ above), Mueller has perhaps contributed unwittingly to the abuse of power, because he may have thereby lessened the importance of future Special Counsels, and enabled more politically appointed  AGs to put forth summary conclusions that are not theirs to deliver. 

Such conduct on the part of an AG, and the missed opportunity by a SC, should never again be allowed. The question of independence from the Executive, particularly from the President, has been violated, and Mueller should perhaps have found a way to prevent that circumstance.  Public testimony in front of a House Committee may help to ameliorate that situation.

What this ‘summary judgment,’ this exoneration, this opinion on “no collusion” and “no obstruction” comes down to is a pre-determined opinion given by an obsequious applicant for the AG job he now holds, reaching the same decision he reached months ago.  We are all being bamboozled by William Barr, and by Donald Trump, as usual.

Moreover, we must understand that this is another portion of the Trump coup d’état.  He has captured the Senate (and Republican parts of the House).  He has turned the Supreme Court into a Right-wing Judiciary just waiting to rule in Trump’s favor on presidential indictment; healthcare coverage, immigration restrictions, gun background checks, as well as on the Mueller probe and on the right of the Head of State to shut-down the government – whatever Trump desires, he will likely get...

Trump has one goal and one goal only – control of all the power he can muster.  He is not just a white nationalist – which brand he uses because it sounds so bland.  He is a Fascist/Nazi/Despot sympathizer who is bent on control of our government for his own selfish ends: the aggrandizement of himself, his company and his family in that order.  Every speech and every action of his must be seen in that light or one misses the meaning of the moment.    

He has told us (and so have his rabid followers) that he is intent on de-constructing (destroying) the “deep state of liberalism” that he claims to be in existence.  He has told us that the “administrative state” must be de-constructed; he has demonstrated an uncanny ability to project upon others the failings and flaws of his own character and administration. 

Everything he says or does is calculated to convince his followers that he acts on their behalf, which is farthest from the truth.  He acts only for his own benefit, and that one benefit is power.  He is obsessed with it; he is motivated by it; he is under the spell of it; he is in awe of it.  Which is why, of course that he practically worships Putin, Un, the Saudi royal family, Venezuela’s current President, and other tin-horn dictators throughout the world.  They demonstrate what he wants, and he can’t resist.

So, let us return to the subject at hand:  Trump capture of power; complete control of government by nearly legitimate means.  He has so far managed to capture control of the Senate (and thus of practically all forms of legislation).  He has completely captured the Republican Party to the extent that many so-called Republicans are fearful of even saying one word that might disturb him.  He has successfully captured the offices of the Executive Branch, appointing heads and assistants that pledge loyalty to him and who promise to obey his orders.  He has captured the Judiciary by making appointments of Justices to the Supreme Court and lower courts who will express their loyalty to him in their decision-making geared to promote his policies and his future control of all government (and institutional) functions. 

In his latest proposed budget, he is demonstrating his belief that he is free to do anything he wishes, especially to enrich the wealthiest among us (and himself thereby).  He uses his budget to display his current belief that this nation must not become a socialist nation (even though he praises the government-run Veterans Administration and its government-run services, including its own health care system).  He uses the presidential budget to attack groups of people who depend upon government for services they need, but can’t afford or can’t get access to in the private sector: like health care, affordable housing, a complete and thorough public education; child care; pre-kindergarten; Head Start; nutritious meals; long-term healthcare; affordable medications, etc.  His budget is devastating for all areas of daily life that require government services and a modicum of compassion for people with special needs or challenges. 

What is not clearly seen too often by modern mass media is that the stories of the day or the hour are not simply separate “News Breaks” – they fit this pattern and purpose.  They are woven together into a patchwork quilt that covers one topic in all its aspects – the seizure of control, the use and abuse of power.

Through the Mueller Report and its treatment, we are approaching not just a constitutional crisis, but a denouement of our entire system of government.  We are on-the-brink of having one man in power determining what laws will be obeyed and which can be ignored.  We are facing presidential obstruction of justice that could be upheld as inconsequential by our Department of Justice, and by a radical Right-wing Supreme Court under the control of that Executive.  We are facing the possibility that our next general election in 2020 will be so controlled, manipulated and “fixed” that the will of the people will be again distorted and undermined by the power held by one man and his minions (with maybe again a little help from his communist comrades).

As long as leaders don’t speak out about abuses of power; as long as 40% of voters ignore the pattern of control being foisted upon them to the extent they can ignore the consequences and approve the unjust methods of such control; as long as the People do not join groups dedicated to the health and well-being of others with special needs; as long as we allow false narratives to occupy our minds and to bend them in favor of power, punishment, discrimination against people of difference or in unequal laws and processes of justice-seeking; as long as we give-up our resources and our standing as equal citizens to a power-hungry bunch of capitalist profit-mongers who use and abuse customers and consumers – we shall not be ready when all of this falls upon our lives and robs us of all the rights and freedoms we have long-endeavored to make available to all. 

That future is on our doorsteps.  The elections of 2020 may determine our future and our fate.  Ignoring the meaning of clear signs and omens is like ignoring the signs of global warming and environmental devastation that is prevalent in our day, despite dire warnings from scientists all around this temporary globe.

Just waiting to see what will happen is not enough.  Give support to leaders and representatives who understand what is happening and reject those who do not.  Abandon those who seek special privilege; those who want violent revenge for political action; those who cannot envision a peaceful world, and those who refuse to construct government and its processes on the foundation of fairness, accessibility and openness. Begin to withdraw support and fealty to those who refuse to contribute their fair share to the well-being of our society and to the diverse individuals who inhabit our communities.  Those who work hard to make it from paycheck to paycheck -- legally mandated to contribute to the successes of the privileged few through pricing manipulations and government taxes -- must oppose their mandated subsidizing of the rich and their wealthy corporations.

This is not a game of politics; this is living of life and conducting government that must be dedicated to the well-being of all its citizens, not just a chosen few.  The handling of the Mueller Report is a sign of capitulation to the dark side of absolute control and the wanton abuse of power.  The despotic liar, Donald Trump, is at the core of this deceit.  He is not worthy of the office that he holds and must not be re-elected.