Connect the Dots.......

Take a step back and try to see the big picture.

Yesterday, we saw the entire US Intelligence Community refute each and every foreign policy status point given by the President.  Everything Trump as been telling us about the status of the threats and the status of our foreign policy is in direct opposition to what we were told yesterday by a united presentation of all branches of our intelligence community.  Can you see that something dreadfully fearsome is happening?

The most chilling fact is that for the past two + years, every meeting that Donald Trump has had with Vladimir Putin in whatever location their paths intersect, there has NEVER been an additional American participant in any of the meetings.  If there was a translator, the translator’s notes were confiscated.  That means there have not been any ‘readouts’ of any of the things they discussed with anyone else in the government.  No one knows what they said to each other, or more to the point, what Putin told or instructed Trump to do.  The only information our intelligence services can glean from any of the meetings is what they can learn by listening in on Russian conversations and information released by the Russian government!  Doesn’t that seem a bit odd to you?

This is an unprecedented occurrence in American foreign policy practice.

That means that our President is having private conversations with our most dangerous adversary, a country that our intelligence community has agreed is responsible for creating havoc in our national elections and is trying to disrupt our democracy.  Our State Department is blind to whatever scheming our President and Putin are collaborating on, and we are completely ignorant about their relationship.

For all we know, Putin could be demanding that Trump follow certain instructions so that future personal ‘deals’ with Russia are possible.  Trump’s view on most of the critical issues in foreign policy seem to mirror those of Putin!

Who in the last 70 years has suggested that we quit our Nato Alliance?  Who wants to unilaterally quit our presence in Syria and Afghanistan against advice for all of our military leaders?  Who has systematically disengaged from most of our global treaties. economic and security agreements?  Who has praised Putin repeatedly as a great leader?  Who repeatedly insults and undermines our European allies?  Who is insisting that we remove sanctions on Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska.  Who thinks shutting down the government is a great idea for getting what you want?   Who is the only one in our government who does not believe that the Russians interfered with our election?  Who is intent on relaxing all economic sanctions on Russia in spite of the illegal and corrupt practices committed by Putin’s directives during the years leading up to the 2016 election?     Trump.

My view is that there is a conspiracy by Trump to benefit himself.  He has always, with amazing consistency, been only interested in his own aggrandizement, both personal and financial.  Given what we have learned about Trump’s efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow and his effort to hide that initiative from the American people, is it so hard to imagine that Trump’s private meetings with Putin are focused on his own agenda?  Given that he has essentially run all his businesses using bankruptcy as a path to exit his obligations, would we be surprised to find he might be in tremendous debt to Russian banks?

As much as we cannot conceive it, I think we have a traitor as a President.  This man is indebted to Putin and is following his directives.  Connect the dots…..

Heading for a Brick Wall--Wear a Helmet!

With all the talk about the President deciding in mid February to either ‘shut down the government again’ or ‘declare a national emergency’ to get what he wants, I wonder what the members of Congress are thinking as they lie in bed and stare at the ceiling at night.

I can imagine that the people of America will have had just about enough if Trump tries either of those tactics.  The idea of enduring the recent 35 days all over again, or the establishment of a state of emergency that will affect literally millions of people is abhorrent.  I have to believe that there are many Republicans who are going to balk at either of those actions.

I wonder if there are any ‘working groups’ in Congress who are spending their time devising and conceiving plans to counter these threatened impending Trumpian moves.  Legislators need to be formulating a law/bill/action that prohibits the executive branch from unilaterally imposing a governmental shutdown.  It needs to be a measure that mandates that both houses of Congress bring approved measures to a vote within a defined time period.  

For example, this would prohibit people like Mitch McConnell from preventing the Senate from voting on a clearly overwhelming measure from the House that would have forced the issue with Trump.  Trump would have had to either veto a joint measure and survive the consequences of an override, or accede to the measure and sign it.  Either way we would not have had to endure the shutdown stalemate as long as we did. 

If McConnell, or any leader, has the kind of power that can stall the government, we are in great jeopardy as a democracy.  Measures to prohibit these kinds of actions are essential to making our government work better.  We need to elect people who will pursue this path.

The other action we need to be conceiving is how to prevent a President from declaring an emergency to be able to sidestep the Congress’ duty under the Constitution. Congress alone decides how our tax money is spent, not the President.  We cannot allow a rogue executive to re-allocate funds to serve his own personal needs or obsessions.  In any business I have ever seen, the board/shareholders can remove an executive or CEO who decides he is going to spend the shareholder’s money for personal reasons.  And make no mistake—Trump’s obsession with a border wall is personal- not supported by a clear majority of Americans and even the Congress.  It is his obsession based on a fallacious campaign promise. 

We all need to remember that Trump’s base is not the majority of the country.  Our democratic republic is based on the concept of majority rule.  We have seen so many nefarious efforts to abort majority rule over the past 240 years that we have arrived at a condition of paralysis because of it.  Results like preventing the Congress from acting on President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland; preventing the Senate from voting on the recent overwhelming House vote on opening the government; mandating 60 votes in the Senate for a majority; stopping the functioning of both houses of the Legislative branch by concentrating obstructive power in the hands of the leader of the Senate or the House—these are anti-democratic conditions that have lead to government by the minority.  That is not what the founders of this country intended.

Our government right now is being run by a coterie of white men who are intent on stuffing our judicial system with conservative judges; advancing voter suppression by gerrymandering state legislatures to insure their retention of power (look at Virginia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan et al.); passing outlandish restrictive voter registration laws, etc.  Our ‘more perfect union’ has been corrupted by the influence of money and special interests.  The only solution is a more aware citizenry, and a populace willing to take control of our voting power and make change happen.

In the meantime, let’s all pray that there are some smart legislators somewhere deep in the bowels of the Capitol who are coming up with some innovative ideas to put a roadblock in front of this mad runaway train called the Trump Express before it crashes into the wall, or steel slats, or other kinds of barriers!

A Reasonable Man.....

Several days ago, we heard from Senator Michael Bennett of Colorado in a video clip from his more lengthy speech given on the Senate floor  that day.  He was incensed by the support of Senator Ted Cruz for the President’s border wall and rose to speak after Cruz blamed the Democrats for not supporting border security.  It is quite revealing and refreshing to hear someone actually expressing rage at this whole farce.

I happened to search for Senator Bennett on Google because I didn’t remember his first name, and I was drawn to a link from the Colorado Independent Newspaper with the full video of his speech.

This is something you MUST watch!  Here is the link:

https://www.csindy.com/TheWire/archives/2019/01/24/sen-bennet-is-mad-as-hell-and-you-should-watch-the-video

This man gives those, who will take the time to watch the 24 minute video, a clear history of what has led us to this point.  I urge all my Republican readers, who scream ‘bullshit’ every time they read what I write, to open their minds to listen to this sincere man who has been in the Senate for the past 10 years.  Perhaps it will give you a little more perspective on how the majority of Americans feel about where we find ourselves now in 2019 America.

Because the truth is, that the majority of Americans do not support what is going on. 

There is a powerful minority that has seized power in America and has bent the path of the country in their direction.

This speech by Bennett should be a call to action; a history lesson mandated in Civics classes around the country.  It is a clarion call that speaks to the failure of our country to answer the foreign challenges that we face in a turbulent world today.  It is a look at the emotional and intellectual spiraling whirlpool sucking us down into the abyss.

Whether you are a Republican or Democrat or Independent, to finally hear Bennett’s cry for intelligent action is hopeful because he finally vocalizes the angst that the country’s majority is feeling.  How we deal with it, is the most critical challenge we face as a country and society.  Bennett’s perception of what the mission of today’s  dominant political party is, is terribly concerning, and I advise all of you to think about what needs to be done by you, a single citizen, toward the salvation of our country.

Even if you are a die-hard, Fox mesmerized, hard-core, Democratic hating, devotee of Donald Trump, you need to watch this speech and actually listen to Senator Bennett’s plea for understanding and consideration of our present plight.

Not So Fast....

A couple of things—first, let’s not be too hasty with respect to the Special Counsel’s statement on Saturday regarding the Buzzfeed news story concerning whether Michael Cohen was instructed by Donald Trump to lie to Congress.  The statement they made was vague, even in its precedent setting delivery by Mueller’s office.  

What the SCO’s office said was :

“BuzzFeed's description of specific statements to the Special Counsel's Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen's Congressional testimony are not accurate."

The statement says that Buzzfeed’s description and characterizations were ‘not accurate’.  Let me hasten to remind everyone that ‘not accurate’ does not mean ‘false’. 

I listened to Chuck Rosenberg’s (Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Counsel to the Director of the FBI, Counselor to the Attorney General, and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General) analysis of this statement and the position that Mueller is taking.  I agree with Rosenberg’s analysis that Mueller may be setting up Cohen as a predicate (or pre-existing proven fact) with regard to the future revelation that Trump did in fact direct him to lie to Congress.  Rosenberg’s hypothesis is based on Mueller’s recommendation at Cohen’s sentencing hearing that the sentence not stress his felonies for campaign violations re: Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.  Rosenberg points out that the government’s sentencing memorandum said the following: “The information provided by Cohen about the Moscow Project in these proffer sessions is consistent with and corroborated by other information obtained in the course of the SCO’s investigation.”

To me, that means that what Cohen is claiming with regard to what happened with the Trump Tower Moscow Project, and who told him to lie to Congress, is supported by other investigation and corroboration that the SCO already has.  So the comment that Buzzfeed’s article is ‘not accurate’ may be true, but it does not say definitively that it is false, which the SCEO’s statement could have easily done.  The true story is not yet told…..

Second, I want to comment on this shutdown standoff.

There is all this talk about who is responsible for the government shutdown.  What is lost in all this jabber is the fact that when you examine all the individuals who are being hurt by this government shutdown, it turns out that WE are the people being hurt; which means that we are the government!  Clearly all the politicians are just not aware that ‘we the people’ are the ones who are being shutdown.

Our businesses, our lives, our hopes and dreams….are the things that are suffering.  The government is ALL OF US—everyone from those with direct checks from the government to all the supporting businesses, restaurants and other organizations being supported by federal employees!  Why should all of us not get paid because our representatives are giving each other the finger while they still get paid! 

And here is the realization that becomes clear as I hear story after story about the hardships and drastic measures that person after person is enduring.  The middle class in America is just about dead!  If all these people who have jobs and should be defined as middle class can not even have security enough for more than one week’s expenses, then the claim that Americans are well off is just a pure illusion!  Trump’s claim that our economy is in fabulous condition is just another lie!  Millions of people with full time jobs who can’t pay a mortgage or rent if they miss one paycheck does not describe a country where the American Dream is alive and well.  This is another indicator of the wide divide between the haves and have-nots in this nation.

Enough of this!  As a citizen that sent these people to Congress to represent me, I simply say, “Pull your heads out of your asses and get to work!”  You are all wasting my money because you all think so much of yourselves that you have lost your understanding of why you are in Washington!  Open the ‘f------- government and get to work!---Or we will fire you all!”  Be warned!