We CAN BE Better Than That!

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings held on Thursday and Friday, September 27-28, 2018, will perhaps go down in history, not necessarily for what transpired (except for Dr. Christine Ford’s riveting testimony), but for what did not transpire and for what has not yet come to the foreground.  Of course, these were committee hearings meant to determine whether Brett Kavanaugh should receive a lifetime appointment as a Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.  They were also meant to determine if Judge Kavanaugh met the high qualifications necessary for the Senate’s consent to that nomination.  Apparently, what they were not meant to do was to provide enough information to make such a determination.  Let me briefly list some of what they didn’t do.  They did not:

1.      Provide enough factual material to enable members to make anywhere near a substantial case for approval of this man as a Justice of the Supreme Court;

2.      Provide all present, including the TV audience, with the purpose and goals of the sessions in relation to their sworn duty; nor did they provide as preparation for the meeting, a listing of what constitutes the role of the Committee; 

3.      Provide all committee members with written or electronic materials available to the Committee; in fact, certain members of the Committee (Democrats) were denied evidentiary documents they requested and other materials (such as a map of the area where the alleged incident took place);

4.      Follow an agenda that would lead them to anything other than a subjective opinion as to whether or not this man was worthy of their approval; in other words, the chair has so much power that he can determine the agenda as they move along in the hearing, leading to a chaotic situation because there is nothing defined as to what the committee is meant to achieve by its actions; nor are those actions defined by a process, other than the innocuous rule of equal time allotted each Senator for questioning or statements;

5.      Produce any other witnesses to substantiate the claims of the two main witnesses; in other words, the opportunity to confront accusers (part of due process) was not given to either Dr. Ford or Judge Kavanaugh; nor was the probing of witnesses afforded to Committee members for their solemn role as hearing officers charged with the obligation of “advising and consenting” to this nomination.

6.       Provide an opportunity for a non-partisan approach to what is their sworn oath: to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.

It is therefore my contention that what will be remembered from this debacle is what these Senators did not do: they did not define their purpose(s) clearly, and did not carry out their solemn role as fact-finders, advisors or consenters in a non-partisan manner, leading to the following negative outcomes:

• “he said; she said” stalemate that does not bring closure to the question of qualification

•  partisan bickering that leads to partisan voting that leads to confirmation or non-confirmation based on political ideology rather than on objective measures of qualification;
• a vote along party lines makes a sham of the nomination and approval process because the outcome is inevitably a Justice who can not be anything other than a biased judge; in other words: the very partisan process by which justices are chosen and confirmed equates to Justices who are pre-disposed to making decisions that are biased, unequal, partisan, and unjust.  
• a SCOTUS that cannot be other than a divided Court on social, economic and political issues because those issues are already pre-determined by partisan ideologies;
• Loss of the extremely crucial, central and determinative constitutional principle of “checks and balances” between the separate and independent branches of our form of government;

There may be other outcomes involved, but the latter is determinant in my estimation.  Under an authoritarian President -- who I have described as emulating the values, principles and philosophy of despotic rulers (in his case those of fascist ideology) -- we have seen the gradual disintegration of the concept of checks and balances.  In my opinion, Donald Trump has pushed that disintegration at a faster rate than ever before (under right-wing Presidents like Reagan, Nixon and GWB).

We have, for all intents and purposes, a “captured legislature.”  The Republican majority in House and Senate no longer speak or act on their own.  They are instead acting as agents of the President, delivering classified documents from the White House (Nunes), declaring fealty in loyalty oaths to the President (Graham), carrying out his orders on what to say and do in terms of legislation, hearings and processes (McConnell and Ryan).  More and more we hear the word “afraid” of the President and what he can do to their careers.  That is a sad commentary and a frightening prospect for the future of this country.

 

This is pervasive in the Congress and is seen in terms of the mid-term elections, and in the absolute loyalty expressed by member votes and their supportive statements.  Claudia Tenney of NY’s 22^nd congressional district is a prime example.  She not only votes with the President over 89% of the time, she now owes him her complete fealty by having him come to a small city on the Mohawk River to boost her campaign fund-raising and her status (he may have done neither to any great extent).  Any “independence” claim on her part has been compromised, and that’s all it takes to lose one’s ability to act in any substantial way to oppose him.  She is his to command and therefore a contributor to the loss of the independent check on the President’s power held by the Congress. She has helped to unbalance the balance and uncheck the checks. 

Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination by the President and approval by Congress must be seen in this light.  Kavanaugh was chosen for certain reasons, which just happen to coincide with Trump’s philosophy and his needs:

• He is anti-abortion and contraceptive rights andwill vote to overturn Roe v. Wade
• He has writings and decisions in his past that favor Business interests over those of Labor
• He has expressed in no uncertain terms that the president has the authority to pardon himself; to not be charged with crimes while in office, and to do just about anything he wants to do as commander-in-chief; Kavanaugh would grant the presidency more power than the Founding Fathers ever wanted for that office.  
• The Result would be: the final capture of the SCOTUS as a tool of the presidency.  The Court’s separateness and equal power, along with its checks on the presidency and the Legislature would most likely be badly compromised.  Judge Kavanaugh’s approval by the Senate goes far beyond mere overturning of checks on the presidency.  It goes to the final line of demarcation and independence.  Judge Kavanaugh is the tool, the key, the final link in the capture of the Judiciary by the presidency.

SO – HERE IS MY TAKE ON WHAT HAPPENED THURSDAY. 

1. JUDGE KAVANAUGH PERFORMED AS THE OVAL OFFICE (AND THE CAPTURED LEGISLATORS) WANTED HIM TO (except for the crying!), providing enough cover to approve his nomination (as a sign of their loyalty to Trump).  Some of the words and phrasing in his 'testimony' were so similar to Trump's rally rhetoric, that one has to wonder just how much he wrote and how much was dictated to him.  He actually seemed to be mimicking his mentor!  
2.  The Judicial branch of the Federal Government is about to become another pawn to do the ‘fake’ president’s bidding, while the legislature played its “captured” status to a “T” (rump) (especially Lindsey Graham).  The blindfold on Lady Justice has finally been removed to allow for biased decision-making as the norm in our highest Court.
3. Donald J. Trump walks away with another triumph in terms of non-law enforcement, already claiming:  this 'fine woman' (Dr. Ford) made a fine presentation, but had no evidence, no witnesses, no corroboration; nothing but false assertions for some unknown gain for herself (what he really means, but didn't have to say: 'just like those who have accused him of similar offenses').
4. Trump may have also walked away with an excuse to withdraw the nomination or to stay with it, depending on the outcome of an investigation by a “battered” FBI. He knows a week or less is not enough time for the FBI to follow all the leads, so he is betting on a report with little substantiation of the charges, which will enable him to maintain support of his candidate
5. Whatever way the investigative report turns out, he will say he was the one who called for it, and therefore can claim victory, even if he loses the nominee.  If it vindicates Kavanaugh, he will crow about it forever as a great victory because it will show you can't trust any of "these accusers" (especially his own!).  If the report clearly substantiates Dr. Ford, he will simply call into question the integrity and ability of an agency that he previously denigrated for this very reason -- they can't be trusted!
6. Most of all, in my estimation, it displayed in living color the mess in which we have allowed ourselves to be mired.  The “Swamp” is real; democracy is sinking in quicksand, and the checks and balances that make our system unique are being destroyed by one narcissistic man whose quest for personal victory and power is unquenchable.  The capture of Congress and the Supreme Court are tantamount to a silent coup d'etat.

 And then, there are the Trump followers – the Trump-ets and Trump-ettes. Because they deserve an entire article written about them, I shall merely mention them in passing this time.  Let’s be clear:  the time is fast approaching when they must share the blame and the consequences for allowing themselves to be used by a con-man, a Fascist Despot, a destroyer of our democratic system and our constitutional checks and balances.  Having allowed (and even encouraged) this man to break laws, denounce allies, slander people who cross him, and treat people of other races, nationalities, ethnic groups and religions as second-class or as criminals or as less-than-human, the loyalists who stay with him no matter what unprincipled, unethical or unlawful actions he takes, must share the fate of their own participation in his treasonous, lawless and unethical actions.

They are nothing less than abettors and co-conspirators in the deconstruction of our democracy.  They must also be held to account: voted out of office at every level of government; prevented by common guardrails from ever being enabled to run for public office; boycotted if they operate a business or service that favors or financially supports such activity; and finally, put on trial for aiding a foreign country to hack our election system, for allowing government kidnapping and child abuse at our southern borders, and for permitting the assets of Social Security and Medicare to be stolen to endow the whims and self-aggrandizement of less than 1% of our population.

In conclusion, let us also briefly list some of what must now happen to restore our constitutional democracy (which may also serve as future subjects for this Blog, as they have in the past):

1. Amend the Constitution to establish a method of amendment and ratification that involve the People (voters) but not the Congress and certainly not the President (see posts of 05/26/2014 and 11/13/2015);
2. Amend the Constitution to eliminate the Electoral College and overturn Citizens United decision
3. Pass laws that immediately reform our electoral system: public funding; automatic registration at age 18; multiple ways to vote that accommodate the largest number possible; and much more… (see 12/23/2011)
4. Institute term limits for all public offices, including judgeships; 
5. Disembowel the Committee and leadership system in the federal Congress; it has no relationship to good government
6. Restore the independent nature of our three branches of Government; revive checks and balances and add those checks above that allow the People to do more than vote; the definition of each branch’s role will need to be carefully re-drawn and re-worded;
7. Require the intense training of every new member of Congress in the artful techniques of problem solving, leadership sharing; and the application of appropriate process (or best practices) to policy or purpose statements and to the creation of regulations;
8. Initiate a check by ordinary citizens on the functioning of government by placement within government (probably within Inspector General offices) (see post of July 21, 2014)
9. Reform the legislative processes: 

• every piece of legislation must incorporate its relation to constitutional principles; 
• committee hearings must be structured to advance a problem-solving technique and to achieve a stated purpose.  
• other methods of inquiry should be used when appropriate (such as personal interviews as vaguely suggested by Chief Counsel Mitchell); 
• every member office in the Congress must establish a set of outcomes it will pursue; 
• every member office should have a well-defined process by which constituents will be consulted and have access.  
• Those who have a special interest must register as lobbyists and be required to name the person or group they represent on any legislation or policy that has any input whatsoever from them; likewise, 
• all office budgets must have specific actions tied to line items –no miscellaneous expenditures.  More specifically, 
• any legislation that requires a hearing or input of any sort must include input by other than special interests who stand to benefit monetarily; every piece of legislation must have ordinary citizen input and/or testimony from those affected by the legislation– if not, it should be able to be declared invalid by majority vote, at the behest of any Senator (individual privilege). 
• Establish a realistic recall process for any member of any of the branches who is not measuring up to their written purposes, goals, best practices and oath of office.

It is way past time to set some standards for our government and its branches.  We do not need nor desire to have Committees in Congress or any other functioning office on such miserable display as was evident in those Thursday/Friday hearings.  
The lack of problem-solving technique is abominable.  Partisan bickering, especially over procedure, is tantamount to chaos.  A change is needed, not just in the Party in power, but in the process by which government operates.  
Maybe the change needed is not just party-related, but generation-related as well.  In all cases, what is needed is people with a Vision of what and who we must become. (And we certainly need more representative actions like those of Senators Flake and Coons who listened to each other – and to angry constituents - with the intent of learning and then acting on what must be done!).  

 Let us begin demonstrating that we are not what we saw for those two days last week!

===================**====================

NEWS ALERT:  WHEELING, West Virginia — President Donald Trump on Saturday fully backed his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, said the FBI investigation of him may be a blessing in disguise (emphasis mine) and questioned whether Sen. Dianne Feinstein might have leaked the sexual attack allegation from Christine Blasey Ford.

Trump said he has no plans to replace his Supreme Court pick.
"I don't need a backup plan," the president said. "We have to see what happens. I think he's going to be fine. Again, one of the most respected men, and certainly one of the most respected jurists, or judges, in the United States."

Trump said on Saturday that the FBI has "free reign" in its investigation, although NBC News reported exclusively that significant restraints have been put on the agency.


WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that the White House had placed no limitation on the FBI's ability to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

"I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion," Trump tweeted in response to an NBC News report citing multiple people familiar with the process who said the White House was limiting the scope of the reopened background investigation of Kavanaugh.

A White House official had confirmed earlier Saturday that Swetnick's claims would not be pursued as part of the reopened background investigation into Kavanaugh. Trump described that as incorrect in a tweet late Saturday. The Wall Street Journal had also reported that Swetnick's allegations would not be investigated.

Trump said the FBI had "free rein" in the investigation.  "They’re going to do whatever they have to do," he said. "Whatever it is they do, they’ll be doing—things that we never even thought of. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine."
An administration official familiar with the process clarified, after the publication of this story, that while investigators may not be interviewing Swetnick herself, that doesn't preclude them from asking other witnesses about the allegations she has made.

[confirmed to NBC News.] 

by Ken Dilanian, Geoff Bennett and Kristen Welker / Sep.29.2018 / 4:33 PM EDT / Updated Sep.30.2018 / 12:30 AM

Contributors: Frank Thorp V, Hallie Jackson, Leigh Ann Caldwell

MORE BREAKING NEWS (from CNN):  Chad Ludington, a Yale classmate of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, accused him on Sunday of being untruthful in his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee and making a "blatant mischaracterization" of his drinking while in college. Read his full statement below:

I have been contacted by numerous reporters about Brett Kavanaugh and have not wanted to say anything because I had nothing to contribute about what kind of Justice he would be. I knew Brett at Yale because I was a classmate and a varsity basketball player and Brett enjoyed socializing with athletes. Indeed, athletes formed the core of Brett's social circle.
In recent days I have become deeply troubled by what has been a blatant mischaracterization by Brett himself of his drinking at Yale. When I watched Brett and his wife being interviewed on Fox News on Monday, and when I watched Brett deliver his testimony under oath to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, I cringed. For the fact is, at Yale, and I can speak to no other times, Brett was a frequent drinker, and a heavy drinker. I know, because, especially in our first two years of college, I often drank with him. On many occasions I heard Brett slur his words and saw him staggering from alcohol consumption, not all of which was beer. When Brett got drunk, he was often belligerent and aggressive. On one of the last occasions I purposely socialized with Brett, I witnessed him respond to a semi-hostile remark, not by defusing the situation, but by throwing his beer in the man's face and starting a fight that ended with one of our mutual friends in jail.
I do not believe that the heavy drinking or even loutish behavior of an 18 or even 21 year old should condemn a person for the rest of his life. I would be a hypocrite to think so. However, I have direct and repeated knowledge about his drinking and his disposition while drunk. And I do believe that Brett's actions as a 53-year-old federal judge matter. If he lied about his past actions on national television, and more especially while speaking under oath in front of the United States Senate, I believe those lies should have consequences. It is truth that is at stake, and I believe that the ability to speak the truth, even when it does not reflect well upon oneself, is a paramount quality we seek in our nation's most powerful judges.
I can unequivocally say that in denying the possibility that he ever blacked out from drinking, and in downplaying the degree and frequency of his drinking, Brett has not told the truth.
I felt it was my civic duty to tell of my experience while drinking with Brett, and I offer this statement to the press. I have no desire to speak further publicly, and nothing more to say to the press at this time. I will however, take my information to the FBI. 

CHAOS Re-visited

It occurs to me that the mainstream Media outlets have been guilty, not of being the “enemy of the People”, so much as being the purveyors of euphemisms for dangerous times, dangerous people, and dangerous actions in high places.  It is appalling how long it takes for ducks to quack on mainstream Media.  It is upsetting to me when journalists, often the best of the best, look for phrases they can use to hide the true meaning of behaviors and actions engaged in by politicians.

Now that Donald J. Trump has been around, pretending to be President for a year and about 8 months, we need to call upon the Media, and mostly upon the captured Legislature and Judiciary, to come alive to their responsibility to defend the Constitution and to speak out clearly when things are not going well. 

Let me give you a couple of examples of what I term the failure of the Press or Media to call them as we see them!  or to use another metaphor from literature: to yell bloody murder when the emperor has no clothes!  For instance, when Ted Cruz was running to be nominated by the GOP to the office of President, little was said about his religious ‘dominion’ ideology and how that would affect his presidency.  This Blog did not shy from discussing it twice in some depth without hiding behind euphemisms (see posts for 10/13/13 and 4/12/16). 

But more to the point of this day’s blog post, I am disturbed by the fact that it has taken this long for the mainstream media to talk deeply about CHAOS in the White House and in this Trump Administration.  I discussed this before Trump was even nominated by the GOP, and the message was clear.  I spoke out about exactly what would happen if a man like Trump got elected as our next President.  We would not only face CHAOS in many different ways, we would also be losing our democracy to fascism: something everyone shied away from at the time.

So here now is that Blog resurrected, to be read in the context of today’s chaotic situation, where the “fake” president is bearing down on the de-construction he has promised over and over again.  Read it and be filled as I am with the remorse it presages:  the remorse of “I sure didn’t see that coming!”

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2016

VOTING for CHAOS?

“We’re going to make America great again,” according to Donald Trump.
First, we’ll build a wall to keep Mexicans out.  You know those wetback illegals who come across our borders and commit rapes and other crimes – they’re causing a crime wave.  We’re going to keep them out, and Trump will also get the Mexican government to pay for the wall.  We’ll protect jobs and our citizens, and America will be great again!

Second, we’re going to deport all 11,000,000 illegal aliens who are already here.  No, it doesn’t matter that some families will be split up or that many of the children in those families were born here.  They aren’t citizens of the U.S. and they don’t belong here.  We’ll kick them all out and America will be great again!

Third, we’ll put people in the Executive Branch who know what they are doing because the people who are there now don’t have a clue, says Trump. Trump claims to know how to run a business, so he will be able to make this government work for you by hiring the best people he can find.  So he starts by choosing Chris Christie to stand behind him at every possible moment and Sarah Palin as worthy of an Executive position in his administration.  Look for some more failed governors to make the list, and remember the Donald’s words: “You won’t believe how great it will be” - - government will work like it should, and America will be great again.

Fourth, we’re going to put law-breakers - like young mothers who have abortions – in private for-profit jails because we aren’t going to allow law-breaking to go unpunished, and we are going to run the prisons like businesses so they can profit from increased incarceration of people of color. 

And here are several additional important things we are going to do to make America great again: 

• Encourage people to fight back against those holding different ideas, especially the “liberal press,” women, minorities, government welfare abusers, gays, and ‘foreigners.’
•  Treat protesters like vermin and forcibly reject them; they’re nothing but free-loading hippies anyway – why don’t they just get a job! 
• Bomb enclaves of terrorists and not worry about damage and death to innocents; kill them all with atom bombs 
• Encourage the rich and their businesses to pay as little in taxes as they can arrange under current laws; use the tax system to pay as little in taxes as possible.  Be the first presidential candidate not to share tax documents. 
• Oppose the establishment in every way possible – forget about the fact that they have some experience in legislating and politicking that might be useful – government is rotten and wants to take everything we have especially our guns and our money 
• Attack groups – like Muslims, women, illegal-status immigrants and individuals when necessary-- when those attacks help your cause with other groups, without any regrets 
• Cut the taxes of the rich but oppose the raising of the minimum wage for workers 
• Never reveal anything concrete to be done; act only when it looks good for you 
• Obliterate with words and deeds every SoB that crosses Trump or doesn’t agree with him, or the Donald simply doesn’t like

It’s time to rip this phony, self-aggrandizing businessman apart.  He epitomizes the medicine man of days gone by who offered remedies that cured nothing because they never contained healing substances in the first place.  Donald Trump is a liar and a faker, and a menace to America, not the one who can or will make America great! 

Someone whom I respect a great deal, Senator Elizabeth Warren, had a few choice things to say about the BIG-MOUTH EMPTY-MINDED TRUMP in a recent speech at the annual gala for the liberal nonprofit Center for Popular Democracy, as reported by Mother Jones:

"Let's face it: Donald Trump cares about exactly one thing—Donald Trump," said the senator from Massachusetts, according to her prepared remarks. "It's time for some accountability because these statements disqualify Donald Trump from ever becoming president. The free ride is over." 

During her first tweet-storm after he secured the nomination, she said he had "built his campaign on racism, sexism, and xenophobia." During her speech Tuesday (5/24), she began by reflecting on the human toll from the foreclosure crisis and then tied it to an NBC report this week that quoted Trump, shortly before the housing market crash, saying he was "excited" for the bubble to burst since he'd make money off the misfortune it caused. 

"Donald Trump was drooling over the idea of a housing meltdown," Warren said, "because it meant he could buy up a bunch more property on the cheap."

She also zeroed in on a topic that has been growing because of frustration for Democrats (as well as for some Republicans): Trump's refusal to release his tax returns, as major presidential candidates have long done. "Maybe he's just a lousy businessman who doesn't want you to find out that he's worth a lot less money than he claims," Warren speculated. Echoing a video from her 2012 Senate campaign, Warren emphasized that "Donald Trump didn't get rich on his own." He inherited a fortune from his father, she said, and "his businesses rely on the roads and bridges the rest of us paid for. His businesses rely on workers the rest of us paid to educate and on police forces and firefighters who protect all of us and the rest of us pay to support."

Warren quoted a recent statement from Trump attacking the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, passed by Democrats to try to rein in Wall Street, for imposing too many restrictions on bankers. Trump pledged to roll back the law should he win the White House. "Donald Trump is worried about helping poor little Wall Street?" Warren said. "Let me find the world's smallest violin to play a sad, sad song.
Can Donald Trump even name three things that Dodd-Frank does? Seriously, someone ask him."

The common belief is that people with a business background are apt to be effective managers in governments.  However, it is my contention that business men or women are actually at a disadvantage in government.  They are used to operating a business by Executive order, expecting underlings to carry out their every wish.  If managers or workers don’t perform their duties as ordered, they can be fired.  In business, that usually works without a problem (given the facts of lower union membership and loss of collective bargaining rights in some states).  In a government - especially federal government – firing anybody is not an easy process. 

More important, perhaps, is the tendency of departments, offices, commissions, agencies of all kinds to have their own loyalties, their own rules, their own norms and standards, and their own milieu.  Often there is a perceived need to ‘protect’ or ‘enhance’ their unit, which leads to resistance and delay in implementing orders from POTUS.  It is the nature of the beast and is not necessarily confined to public agencies.  A business background (rather than experience with politics) can often be a disadvantage in such a situation that is loaded with political and other-than-business-like operational issues, like having to represent others fairly.

Of course, there is that labor union thing that the Donald does not take to with great enjoyment.  He doesn’t like bargaining with underlings.  Unfortunately for the Donald (and other big businessmen who have worked in the White House or in the federal bureaucracy) powerful unions exist, in addition to Civil Service rules and laws which also lay down a good number of job protections for all to obey.  One large union is the National Federation of Federal Employees considered "a key player in backing collective bargaining and appeal rights of [federal] employees." As of 2007, NFFE represented about 100,000 federal workers (Wikipedia). 

But other unions exist on the federal level meaning that different unions represent workers in different departments.  The American Federation of Government, the International Association of Machinists,  the National Treasury Employees Union  and the National Association of Government Employees (a division of the Service Employees International Union) also represent federal employees.

Trump’s modus operandi is related to his particular business background.  In some circles it would be described as a ‘cutthroat’ approach, where allies are used and enemies are abused and often obliterated.  In real estate and development, it is important to operate in such a manner – to rise to the top of the heap – because the one who grabs power gets the deals, controls circumstances and produces profit.  The latter operating principles are not necessarily the most helpful in the implementation of non-profit programs, policies and guidelines.  Nor are they helpful in terms of relationships to other countries and peoples – often described as ‘diplomacy’ which for a developer, is useful only so long as the person being ‘wooed’ is not aware of the sham and is not resistant to ‘charm.’  Otherwise, they are written off as undesirables and are abandoned by the wayside.

Trump’s background in the real estate business, and his political campaign so far, provide us with clues as to what it will be like to have him in the Oval Office.  Moreover, the experience of him so far provides clues as to what he will be doing (or NOT doing) for YOU, the voter-citizen.

Trump says that CHAOS will happen under a Clinton administration, but that is a stretch when Clinton has political savvy, legislative experience, diplomacy and executive functioning in her background while Trump has only the dictatorial model of business administration in his.  Where will that chaos show itself under Trump?

1)  Conflict with either a majority or larger plurality of Democrats in the Senate.  Trump will alienate and abuse this group if they don’t act as he directs. If any moderate non-Trump-supporter Republicans remain in the Senate, they may give him some trouble as well.  If the Speaker of the House remains a non-supporter of Trump, expect some delay on most Trump proposals in that House.

RESULTS for YOU: continued deadlock and delay in any major legislation that affects your life, among these items: minimum wage, public transportation, infrastructure, public education, health care coverage including Medicare & Medicaid.  

All of this is going to catch up with your daily life, and you will have losses and increased costs that you did not expect, mostly resulting from inattention to your needs.  However, there will be some actions and changes that become law, and thus make it into your supposedly isolated life. 

One example:  Trump wants all states to be able to pass gun carry laws that apply to all public places.  How safe will your children be in school once the Donald signs legislation for a countrywide carry bill?  Whether teachers carry or children carry or both, your children will be in danger of being shot in their classrooms and school environs. 

Example #2:  watch out for Trump trying to please Evangelicals by signing legislation that allows religious objections to health care provisions – birth control specifically – you won’t be covered in many cases.  Or, if you are a member of the LGBT community, watch out for new laws that allow discrimination against you by using religious exemptions. That particular ploy could become rather routine, so watch out for religion becoming a pawn in the attempt to curb certain actions that are now legal (like abortion) but won’t last for longer than 50 days in a new Trump administration.

Example 3: Do you like the stability of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid?  Well forget it.  No matter what you have heard, none of these systems is in serious funding trouble now, but the chaotic approach of Republicans will reduce each of them to a state of total vulnerability by means of SS personal accounts, Medicare vouchers and contraction of benefits when Medicaid is administered by states that can’t afford current administrative support levels.  Add to that the repeal of Obamacare and you are in the worst bind ever in terms of health care coverage.  You won’t be able to afford anything but the very basic coverage replete with co-pays, limits to overall coverage, no coverage for your young adult children, and lots of minimums and maximums that will have you in limbo financially before you know it. 

2)  A vote for Trump for President means even more Chaos in our lives.  How about war?  Don’t care much for it? But those in the appropriate age group will for certain end up in the Middle East or Asia and Africa fighting people that Donald Trump decides need a lesson in American greatness and might.  Given what he has said already about Muslims, eliminating radical Islamist groups, threatening to use atomic weapons, and standing up to China and Iran and Syria and the Caliphate, we will be at war within a year of Trump assuming control. Many will not only be asked to volunteer to risk their young lives, but I believe a draft will be restored to show that America means business because it is so great.  Then recall that war spreads its chaos at home as well as overseas.  Prices rise, shortages occur, families lose members, over-spending becomes a necessity and as a nation we become more vulnerable to the hate and disgust of other nations.  Given the belligerent attitude of Donald Trump, the chaos of War is inevitable.

3)  Another inevitable proposition: Donald Trump, if elected President, will savor the moment(s) he gets to nominate a Supreme Court Justice! He has already indicated that he will be looking for someone opposed to abortion, in favor of protecting our borders, and pro-business.  Need we say more? His first appointment will restore the conservative majority on the Court and from that base will emanate the chaos of decision after decision that will undo civil rights, long-term voter and consumer protections, equal justice for rich and poor alike, and the separation between church and state. Trump’s first appointment would come right after his inauguration (assuming that President Obama’s nomination is never considered), and then we would experience a series of decisions unseen in the history of the Court.

4)   Let us be sure to mention the chaos that will be created when this man of the Big Deal makes decisions based first on what he considers convenient, next on what is provocative, and finally on what is powerful.  In other words, Trump changes his mind on policy, principles and actions based on what is right for his image and status at the moment.  He can change from pro-life back again to pro-choice, back again to pro-life; or from punishing mothers who have abortions to punishing only doctors who perform them, back to punishing mothers again.  And, just to remind you one more time -- one more chaotic action based on a false premise of religious freedom: Abortion will be made illegal, and many people will suffer because of that, not just doctors.

5)      But finally, let us not forget the CHAOS that inevitably results from the misuse of power by those who hold government offices, especially the Presidency.  Recall, if you will, the enormous chaos caused by Nixon’s use of staff, his Attorney General, White House lawyers, his Watergate “plumbers,” surveillance by government agents, and the accusations of use of the FBI to embarrass and perhaps charge enemies with crimes.  Nixon misused the powers of his office to protect himself and to damage his enemies.  This is what we shall face if a pathological liar, a narcissist, a man who prefers to obliterate and destroy enemies, and a media-hater who favors muzzling of the press when they seek accountability from him.  If Trump gets elected this year, look out for the all-encompassing CHAOS just waiting to devour us.  

Again, the Donald can say one thing one day and something else the next day, and still think he’s being consistent and not chaotic.  Creating chaos by changing one’s policies from day-to-day simply to always be able to conclude a deal, is not how you run a government.  Certain steady principles are needed in the public sector simply because people’s lives are affected, and so is governmental functioning; no one can depend upon or determine how they stand when CHAOS reigns. 

Chaos is not an effective strategy or operational paradigm.  Chaos costs money, chaos affects lives adversely and chaos takes stability and tears it to shreds.

WE MUST SPREAD the WORD:  DO NOT VOTE FOR TRUMP!   Why vote to fill your life with the chaos of a right-wing government built on the all-too-prevalent dictatorial management style of corporate America?  It will not be to our benefit or honor, as a just and generous People who constitute and revere this freedom-loving Nation, to have it ravaged by the likes of one man placed in an office for which he is eminently unqualified. 

Remind everyone you know that "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts (men like Trump) absolutely" (with apologies to Lord Acton).

CONFRONTING HURT, HARM and HATE

CONFRONTING HURT, HARM and HATE

 

On August 25, 2018, my wife and I participated in perhaps the largest political protest rally ever seen in Utica, NY, all because the pretend president, Donald Trump, came to town on behalf of Congresswoman Claudia Tenney.    Estimates ranged from 1,700 to 2,000 people present at various times between 4-7 p.m. to protest the hurtful and harmful policies of the Trump administration.  A block or so down the main street, some Trump & Tenney supporters were present, in much smaller numbers, to support their duo. A high-end ticket for the invitation-only dinner and roundtable with the so-called President amounted to $15,000!

 

Since estimating crowd size is the Don’s favorite exercise in futility, I will proceed to my main point.  After the rally was over and my wife and I arrived home from a fund-raiser party for Anthony Brindisi, our Democratic candidate for Tenney’s congressional seat, we saw some news coverage of the event.  One reporter from a local station interviewed a mature woman and Trump/Tenney supporter who expressed a strange reaction to the anti-Trump/Tenney crowd.  She said, in so many words, that “they seemed so full of hatred.  They seem to hate everything.”

Now, that is a definite ‘shocker’ coming from a person who supports a man who endorses the KKK, the Fascist right, white supremacy organizations and white nationalism, to say nothing about ignoring the violence perpetrated on peaceful demonstrators by white supremacists in Charlottesville a year ago.  This came from the mouth of someone who is supporting a man who has touted all Muslims as terrorists, Mexicans as criminals, and characterized some nations of Africa as ‘shithole countries”.  This person supports a man who has said in public discourse that he “could murder someone in Times Square and it wouldn’t matter – his base would still vote for him.”  We could mention the violence called for by this man during rallies against persons who protested his lies.  We could mention the violence of sexual harassment against women time after time (especially during beauty pageants that he was sponsoring).  Or we could mention the hateful vulgarity of this man in admitting (and essentially advocating) the grabbing of women’s private parts with malicious intent, or the vulgar and demeaning display of characterization of a person with a disability from a public podium.  And that’s not all, but space is limited…

So, enough of this rumbling across the landscape of Donald Trump’s past and present atrocities.  He is the most despicable, debauched, debased man ever to hold the presidency – even beyond the deviousness and the hatreds of a Richard Nixon.  Yet, here is this woman on the local News who was projecting that kind of hatred and ill will upon peaceful demonstrators who were there to protest the very real offences perpetrated by this Fake president.  It is a favorite technique of the Fascist crowd:  to project upon others what they themselves profess and act out to place blame and the onus for immoral acts upon someone else. Far from being filled with hatred, the anti-Trump/Tenney supporters were most interested in ridding us of the immense burden of spewed hatred by an entire party of supporters from the Right.  The protesters were simply carrying out their constitutional right and responsibility to bring forth grievances that must be addressed.  It has nothing to do with hate.  It has everything to do with confronting hate-filled, deceitful policies and actions harmful to our nation and to the world. 

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 CONFRONTING the MISUSE of POWER

 “William H. McRaven, a retired Navy admiral, was commander of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014. He oversaw the 2011 Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.”

From the Washington Post of August 16, 2018

By William H. McRaven

 “Dear Mr. President:

Former CIA director John Brennan, whose security clearance you revoked on Wednesday, is one of the finest public servants I have ever known. Few Americans have done more to protect this country than John. He is a man of unparalleled integrity, whose honesty and character have never been in question, except by those who don’t know him.

Therefore, I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.”

Thank you, Admiral McRaven.  Thank you for taking a stand to put personal integrity and loyalty to your countrymen above loyalty to a political party or political ideology or an authoritarian ‘Fuhrer’.  Thank you for being willing to sacrifice something of personal value and meaning to make a point, to draw a line and to embolden others to do the same. 

Thank you Admiral McRaven for putting yourself on the line where you are in danger of being vilified, denigrated, and subject to the rantings of a madman; where you can also be subjected to the “de-construction” of your status, your career, and your outstanding life of service to this country by the madman who happens to occupy the title of “Commander-in-Chief.”  Yours is not just a symbolic act; it is the stuff of real opposition: the act of a patriot who knows that defending one’s country is not only necessary on the battlefields of war, but is imperative on the battlefield of value determination, of ethical rightness, and of constitutional integrity.

You have decided to stand at a crossroads and to make it clear that you will not proceed down a path meant to obliterate our constitutional democracy, our fundamental inalienable rights and guaranteed freedoms.  You are standing where other patriots have stood, beckoning fellow citizens to realize that oaths of office must not be abused, that intolerance and vindictiveness are not the essence of leadership, and that personal avarice, personal aggrandizement, and the manipulation of human beings and the levers of power must not be tolerated by citizens of a democracy, or of any nation “yearning to be free.”    Thank you, Admiral. 

 

Admiral McRaven referenced in his article that Trump’s actions are “McCarthy-era tactics.”  I agree.  However, there are other parallels in history that are as frightening, if not more so.  I have, in past blog posts, emphasized that Trump’s behaviors, actions and values are akin to a Fascist philosophy and to the elements of governmental takeover espoused by both aspiring Fascist authoritarians and actual Fascist despots.  Since there are already numerous posts on this Blog on these matters, I will avoid repeating what I have already advanced (see posts for 5/14/2010; 11/17/, 11/21 and 11/30/2015; 1/22/2016; 2/22/2016; 7/22/2016; 11/23/2016; 8/6 and 8/14/2017; 2/5/2018; 6/11/2018).  I hope I have demonstrated in those past Blogs, in some detail, a similar pattern in the rise to power of Trump as compared to the rise of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco and Fujimori of Peru.

What is important here is the process (along with some common personality characteristics).  I am concerned with the similarities of the process by which Fascist dictators emerge, develop, and follow a common route to total power.  That is, there are patterns that cannot be ignored because they recur in almost every instance where Fascist dictators evolve to full control; to a status where they make the laws to suit themselves, punish those who oppose them, and kill those who threaten them. Comparing a Hitler, for instance, to Trump at different times and circumstances does not always fit actuality.  But demonstrating that certain behaviors, beliefs, actions and atrocities fit a similar pattern in the rise to total control of dictators and dictator wannabe’s is a useful exercise and a tool for awakening us all to a very dark future.

Carmela Chavez, a former Lawyer, warns us of the danger posed by the followers of such men.

Updated Sep 15, 2017

“The personality and politics of Hitler or Trump would have little power without the humiliated population they so easily manipulate. The financialization and inequality of the economy, together with the artificially constructed social hierarchies that demonize religious and ethnic groups make Hitler and Trump powerful symbols.

They both represent redemption from the sense of personal failure that condemns those who do not achieve financial security. They both symbolize domination over those perceived outsiders whose lives present a challenge and threat to an angry, vulnerable subset of humanity. Hitler and Trump are nothing without their supporters, who felt then and feel now utterly compelled to place monsters in positions of authority.”

And here is the irony involved:   people who are obsessed with outward shows of nationalism in the form of idolatrous worship of patriotic symbols, or of slogans like “America Above All,” “Make America Great Again,” and “America First” – and who are, perhaps, obsessed most of all with rigid conformity to what and how such patriotism is displayed (as in severe opposition to NFL players kneeling during the national anthem or salute to the flag).  Such nationalistic conformists are most apt to be those targeted by Nazi or authoritarian leaders and groups because they know that turning them to fanatic followers of an authoritarian leader is but a step or two removed from where they are right now!     

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 Confronting Harm, Hurt, Hate and MISUSE of POWER with a Lifetime of Public Service  

 

I was struck with sorrow Saturday as the news broke that John McCain had passed on at age 81. As I am very near that age, I experienced that sorrow as a bit of a reminder of my own vulnerability to a terminal illness known as Parkinson’s Disease.  Age and terminal disease are not inspiring.  What is inspiring to me is that John McCain had moments of statesmanship where he put country and/or people at the top of his priorities, and never backed down.  As much as I may have disagreed with a good number of his political opinions, actions and policies, I admired his ability to honor his country, to put democratic and fundamental principles ahead of Party and partisan ideology and to stand as a maverick when his Party or its platform went in what he considered a mistaken direction.  He earned the title of ‘maverick’ because he would occasionally express and follow an independent path.  He worked with Democrats to make sure important legislation got passed and funded.  John McCain also made sure that his last years of life were devoted to those same qualities. 

When others would not, he criticized Donald Trump.  He even stood up to vote against Trump when he found it necessary.  When Trump belittled McCain’s capture in Vietnam where he spent years as a prisoner of war, McCain did not attempt to retaliate in-kind, but merely responded: "I have faced tougher adversaries."   In spite of flawed decisions at times, he was an upright and valiant man; and we shall miss him especially in these treacherous and dark times when men and woman have succumbed to what is known as authoritarian leadership and governance under which the rule of law, fundamental guidance of constitutional principles, and the willing service of fellow citizens are debased.  John McCain stood up at memorable moments for the positive attributes and principles of our nation, and he will be remembered for those stands.  Writers are recalling some of those moments as they eulogize his life and legacy, like The Guardian:

Refusing early release while a Vietnam prisoner of war

McCain defends Obama: ‘No ma’am’

“No ma’am, no ma’am,” McCain said as the conservative crowd booed the Republican nominee. “He’s a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. That’s what this campaign is all about. He’s not [an Arab].”

McCain concedes to Obama

In his speech, McCain congratulated Obama on his victory and called on the country to rally behind their newly elected leader. But he went further – acknowledging the historical importance of Obama’s election in a nation built on slavery and riven by racial divisions.

“This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight. I’ve always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too. But we both recognize that though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation’s reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound. Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country.”

Defense of the release of the torture report

McCain aggressively defended the controversial decision to release the 2014 Senate report on torture, which detailed interrogation techniques used by the CIA after the 9/11 attacks. The report disclosed major revelations about the agency’s torture practices, including that they were more brutal than previously known.

Thumbs down on the healthcare vote

The hour was late. The vote was tied. America’s healthcare system hung in the balance, when McCain, rebuffing an 11th-hour appeal from the president, turned his thumb down, killing his own party’s years-long effort to repeal Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

“Merely preventing your political opponents from doing what they want isn’t the most inspiring work. There’s greater satisfaction in respecting our differences, but not letting them prevent agreements that don’t require abandonment of core principles, agreements made in good faith that help improve lives and protect the American people.”

McCain condemns “half-baked spurious nationalism”

As one of the leading Republican antagonists of the Trump presidency, McCain has watched in dismay as Trump steers the party towards his “America First” policies while disparaging allies and embracing adversaries, including Russian president Vladimir Putin, a longtime foe of the senator. He has clashed with the president on immigration, refugee policy and torture.

In a speech to accept the 2017 Liberty Medal Award, McCain defended the values that he has long championed and which he believes are threatened by Trump’s populist rise.

“To fear the world we have organized and led the three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain ‘the last best hope of earth’ for the sake of some half-baked spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems, is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history.

“We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil. We are the custodians of those ideals at home, and their champion abroad. We’ve done great good in the world. That leadership has had its costs, but we have become incomparably powerful and wealthy as we did.

“We have a moral obligation to continue in our just cause, and we would bring more than shame on ourselves if we don’t. We will not thrive in a world where our leadership and ideals are absent. We wouldn’t deserve to.”

THE SENATE

McCain became his party's leading voice on matters of war, national security and veterans - and eventually became chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He worked with a Democrat to rewrite the nation's campaign finance laws. He voted for the Iraq War and supported the 2007 surge of forces there even as his own sons served or prepared to serve. But there was one thing that wasn't as widely known about him: McCain, owner of a ranch in Arizona that is in the flight path of 500 species of migratory birds, became concerned about the environment.

LAST WORDS

Even brain cancer didn't seem to scare McCain so much as it sobered and saddened him.

"The world is a fine place and worth fighting for and I hate very much to leave it," McCain wrote in his memoir, referencing a line from his favorite book, the Ernest Hemingway war novel "For Whom the Bell Tolls." ''I hate to leave."

It is on that note that we end this piece.  Despite his human and political failings, John McCain stood as perhaps one of the last Lions of the Senate.  He left us not only with a sense of duty, but with the sense of obligation that we must fight for that which is worthwhile about our planet and our lives. He also left us with an implication that may be much my own interpretation.  I think within those parameters of duty and obligation lies the phrase: “the world is a fine place ” and “I hate to leave it.”  Is there not implied here another attribute of thanks and gratitude?  I sense that John McCain, like many of us, may have seen with some clarity as he looked back upon his life, that duty and obligation are of great import and significance, but there is more.

 

There is that heart-felt sense that one must act on one’s responsibilities out of gratefulness and thanksgiving that this was a fine place, and a moment in time when John, and all the rest of us have a chance to contribute, to give back, to enjoy, to pursue the fineness, the beauty, the mystery and even the ups-and-downs of a life cycle.  Our obligation, if I interpret him correctly, is to make some contribution to that fineness; to act on the premise that we have a duty to ‘fight for it’ – not out of anger – but out of gratitude for what we have been given, and what we will have experienced in our short span of life.  It is like “paying it forward” and “giving back” all at once.  Could one go so far to say, perhaps, that the world and life are so fine all by themselves that it is worth the ‘fight’ to enhance them for someone else through services performed, duties fulfilled, obligations met, friendships formed and honored, and by love given freely without thought of recompense?  In some sense, might this constitute the basis of a universal life-pledge or oath of life for all of us, but especially for representative office-holders elected by the people? 

Is it too much to ask all office-holders at their swearing-in to recite the following:

“I do solemnly swear (or ‘affirm’) that I will faithfully execute the office of __________, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Out of gratitude for life, liberty and the honor of this office, I pledge to labor unceasingly to respect and enhance the lives and welfare of the People of these United States, and to extend benefits of that endeavor to citizens of the world, without any discrimination based on human dissimilarity.

 

Is it not time to include the reality of public service and leadership in our oaths of office?  I believe it is way past time to hold public servants accountable for not taking their oath of office seriously and failing to carry it out as a solemn obligation and civic responsibility to all without the divisive and disrupting influences of discrimination and prejudice.

Charlottesville Re-visited

It is only fitting that I dedicate this space this week to one who gave her life for the rights of others, and for the common bonds that tie us to each other as human beings.  I speak, of course, of Heather Heyer, who was killed during that horrendous display of racism and fascism in Charlottesville,VA a year ago from this coming Saturday.

Instead of writing something new today, I want to invite you to do two things:

1. Please read my Blog that was posted on 8/16/2017 and titled: "Charlottesville: Ugly American Fascism Revealed", and
2. Please read the material offered by the Southern Poverty Law Center by clicking on the link shared in the following letter from the president of that organization. (You may have to hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on the link).

Thank you.


Comments from SPLC President Richard Cohen

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A year ago this coming Saturday, hundreds of racists marched through the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, leaving death in their wake and a stunned nation seeking answers and leadership.

Tragically, Heather Heyer, a young woman who stood up to racism, was killed by a white supremacist. Two law enforcement officers also died while trying to keep the peace that day.
President Trump equivocated – unable to see the difference between white supremacists and people like Heather who opposed them. In his view, some “very fine people” were among the torch-bearing racists chanting slogans like “Jews will not replace us.”

This past weekend, we once again saw the face of hate – this time in Portland, Oregon, where multiple people were injured in street fighting provoked by far-right extremists. Next weekend, white supremacists are planning a rally in our nation’s capital.

No one should be surprised. This is Donald Trump’s America. These are the forces he has unleashed.
Rather than try to pull the country together after Charlottesville – rather than examine the impact of his own rhetoric and actions – Trump has doubled down on the toxic xenophobia and fearmongering that have fueled his political life.

Like calling African nations “shithole countries.”
Like sowing fear by repeatedly conjuring images of violent Latino gangs.
Like closing the doors to asylum seekers and putting their children in cages.
Like saying immigrants “infest” our country.
Like labeling our free press as the “enemy of the people.”

 It’s all part of the ugly, destructive ethno-nationalism Trump is advancing both at home and abroad. White supremacists and anti-democratic extremists everywhere are cheering their friend in the White House. His words nourish and energize them.

Apathy is not an option.
We all have a responsibility – not simply to speak out but to act.
Over the past year, we’ve had the honor of representing Susan Bro, Heather Heyer’s mother. I’d like to share her words from Heather’s memorial service:

If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention. … Find what’s wrong; don’t ignore it; don’t look the other way. Make it a point to look at it and say to yourself: “What can I do to make a difference?” That’s how you’re going to make my child’s death worthwhile. I’d rather have my child but, by golly, if I got to give her up, then we’re going to make it count.

This week, as we remember Charlottesville, I’m asking each of you to commit to making Heather’s life count. If you’re looking for a place to start, please watch this brief video, Ten Ways to Fight Hate, and share it widely on social media.
Thank you for standing with us and Heather’s mother against hate and injustice.

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Read and download our community response guide on 10 Ways to Fight Hate.