Dear Senator Schumer,
I am not a constituent of yours, at least not directly. In a broader sense, though, I am. You have taken on a tremendous responsibility as Senate Minority Leader. You now have the duty to conduct yourself as a leader for all Americans and as such I am a constituent of yours, one of tens of millions. I believe that you are an honorable, decent and moral man.
When donald trump assumes the office of President, your job, moving forward, may prove to be one of the most difficult in the history of your position, the Senate, indeed our country. You will be the bulwark, the firewall, the point person for stopping what is now the possibility of our country repeating the mistakes of Germany in the 1930s. I am confident that you know that steve bannon proclaims himself as a Leninist. I am equally as sure that you know that the kkk and the american nazi party are loud vocal supporters of bannon. Of course, these two groups would not endorse bannon and therefore trump unless his philosophies did not align with those of these two groups. This, in and of itself, is reason enough to resist trump and any part of his agenda that your moral compass finds to be unacceptable.
Do not buy any of the effluent that trump espouses to be his agenda. By definition, trump is both a narcissist and a sociopath. trump's only goal is his own aggrandizement. The fact, and it is fact, that he has latched onto the kkk and the american nazi party to, via steve bannon, be his vehicle to that goal Because he is a sociopath and does not know right from wrong, he thinks that fame and infamy are the same thing. trump will be seen by historians, well into the future as being infamous.
Obstruction is the path that you must walk on. except for funding the government, Congress's task must be to block any legislation that is immoral, will lead to immorality or will dismantle agencies whose job it is to protect Americans, in fact in many ways, the people of this planet. Morality is a subjective notion, but I believe that members of Congress, Democrat and Republican alike, can find common ground on its definition and identify trump's moral bankruptcy.
Place your voice in the ears of members of the Republican party in Congress. Repeat over and over again, to them that they must work with you in a bi-partisan way to stop trump and bannon from dismantling OUR
government. Let them know, help them to understand that to take apart our government, to weaken our government, opens the door for a regime that looks a great deal like hitler's. Remind them of the similarities between the 'brown shirts' in hitler's Germany and the thugs that trump vocally endorsed when they committed violent acts at his campaign rallies. his public announcements that he would pay their legal fees if arrested. These incidents were only a glimpse of what can and may happen during a trump Presidency.
Do not let up. Do not acquiesce. Do not appease. We, your constituents want nothing else from you, as long as trump heads the administrative branch of OUR government which is "of the people, by the people, for the people [and] shall not perish from this Earth".
May God bless you. Respectfully,
William R. Sherman
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
A Call to Federal Employees in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. and its surrounding suburbs are what may be labeled a 'company town'. The 'company's' business is the Federal Government. Those that live in the D.C. metropolitan area are the gears, the nuts and bolts of the machine, the moving parts. Just as with a car, or any other machine for that matter, all of the parts need to be in 'tune' with each other for the machine to function at peak efficiency. The moving parts need lubrication so that friction and overheating do not damage the moving parts. I propose that those at the higher and highest levels of government are the lubricant. I'm sad to say that the oil that is about to be placed in the machine is of the lowest grade possible.
I believe that the residents of D.C. and the suburbs on both sides of the Potomac River are overwhelmingly displeased with the incoming administration's leader (trump), as well as those that he has nominated for high ranking positions. I certainly can't see that steve bannon has favor with any moving part in the Federal machine in Washington.
So, what am I getting at? Obstruction, that's what. I am calling for all Federal employees that believe that trump and those he brings with him are dangerous and morally bankrupt, to do whatever they are legally able to do, to slow down the process of government. I am not suggesting that critical services to our country's citizens be affected. What I am suggesting is that, as an example, any employee of the EPA that is tasked with dismantling the agency or is asked to perform work that the employee believes is contrary to the protection of the Earth's environment, takes the time to follow EVERY law and regulation in doing their job. Review your work word by word to make sure that every 'i' is dotted, every 't' is crossed, all punctuation and spacing in a document is correct, and when you think it is all correct, proof read the document again. Continue to make corrections as necessary to make the document 'perfect'. Proof read the document until you find no more mistakes. Do not work overtime. Do not take work home with you. Use all of your personal time, sick time and vacation time. Remember, you, the Federal employee is very difficult to 'fire'. As long as a Federal employee is adhering to laws and regulations, it's practically impossible to be fired. If you are harassed by upper management or have your job threatened, use you union, that's what it is there for. This same behavior can be applied to any and all agency employees. Make sure that all of you are talking to one another. Do not allow yourselves to be isolated from one another. In this way you can coordinate your 'activities'.
I am not suggesting insubordination and if some administrator or manager claims that this behavior is, that doesn't make it true. If an employee follows all rules, regulations and laws, then that employee is within his rights, in fact is obligated, to do so.
Upon sharing this post, I will be sending it to the The Washington Post, as an Op-Ed & an open letter to all Federal Employees. My fervent hope is that The Post sees this as an important and relevant letter and has the backbone to publish it. I will also be searching for the Facebook pages for various agencies and when found, place this post on each one in its entirety.
I am sincere about this request to all Federal Employees. I am doing everything that I can think of to minimize the damage that will surely occur to our country while trump is in office.
I believe that the residents of D.C. and the suburbs on both sides of the Potomac River are overwhelmingly displeased with the incoming administration's leader (trump), as well as those that he has nominated for high ranking positions. I certainly can't see that steve bannon has favor with any moving part in the Federal machine in Washington.
So, what am I getting at? Obstruction, that's what. I am calling for all Federal employees that believe that trump and those he brings with him are dangerous and morally bankrupt, to do whatever they are legally able to do, to slow down the process of government. I am not suggesting that critical services to our country's citizens be affected. What I am suggesting is that, as an example, any employee of the EPA that is tasked with dismantling the agency or is asked to perform work that the employee believes is contrary to the protection of the Earth's environment, takes the time to follow EVERY law and regulation in doing their job. Review your work word by word to make sure that every 'i' is dotted, every 't' is crossed, all punctuation and spacing in a document is correct, and when you think it is all correct, proof read the document again. Continue to make corrections as necessary to make the document 'perfect'. Proof read the document until you find no more mistakes. Do not work overtime. Do not take work home with you. Use all of your personal time, sick time and vacation time. Remember, you, the Federal employee is very difficult to 'fire'. As long as a Federal employee is adhering to laws and regulations, it's practically impossible to be fired. If you are harassed by upper management or have your job threatened, use you union, that's what it is there for. This same behavior can be applied to any and all agency employees. Make sure that all of you are talking to one another. Do not allow yourselves to be isolated from one another. In this way you can coordinate your 'activities'.
I am not suggesting insubordination and if some administrator or manager claims that this behavior is, that doesn't make it true. If an employee follows all rules, regulations and laws, then that employee is within his rights, in fact is obligated, to do so.
Upon sharing this post, I will be sending it to the The Washington Post, as an Op-Ed & an open letter to all Federal Employees. My fervent hope is that The Post sees this as an important and relevant letter and has the backbone to publish it. I will also be searching for the Facebook pages for various agencies and when found, place this post on each one in its entirety.
I am sincere about this request to all Federal Employees. I am doing everything that I can think of to minimize the damage that will surely occur to our country while trump is in office.
Monday, December 19, 2016
Pride and Sadness
Today was a difficult day. I went to Harrisburg, PA, the state Capitol, to protest the election of trump by the Electoral College. As I noted in a previous post this past Saturday, I fully expected the Electoral College to confirm trump's election as per the Constitution of our country. Of course, the Electors are free to vote as they see fit, but I did not expect any of Pennsylvania's Electors to alter the vote that they were elected to make.
I arrived a 7:30 am. There were a hand full of women and one man that arrived the day before at three in the afternoon. They stood vigil through the night. These were strong and committed Americans. They were threatened with violence twice. My turn came also. People started to trickle in at the Capitol steps. The small, but growing group was having conversations, while holding our signs of protest so passing traffic could see our thoughts written on them. While speaking with a woman, a young man (21 or 22 yrs old, I believe) came and stood with the two of us. When she and I were done speaking, I said hello to the young man. He told me that I'd "better put my sign down". I was taken aback. I wasn't expecting direct confrontation, although in retrospect I should have been aware of the possibility. I said I'm not sure what you said. He repeated himself and told me if I didn't put the sign down, he would call a bunch of his "boys" and they would come over in a truck and "kick my ass". Knowing that this was a peaceful protest and being a pacifist, I put the sign down until this boy was out of sight. Then I again held up my sign. From beginning to end was about five minutes. I understand why the sign stirred up his emotions. I designed it with two purposes; to communicate the danger of trump and to stir up emotions to get the point across. A photo of the sign is below:
[working to correct photo issue]
As the morning wore on, many people arrived to demonstrate against trump's inevitable election by Pennsylvania's twenty Electors. We chanted slogans. We sang patriotic songs. It was very loud. At one point I needed to put more money in the parking kiosk for my car, a block and a half away. It was loud. I believe there were about 150 to 200 people on the steps. You can judge for yourself from this photo:
[working to correct photo issue]
I arrived a 7:30 am. There were a hand full of women and one man that arrived the day before at three in the afternoon. They stood vigil through the night. These were strong and committed Americans. They were threatened with violence twice. My turn came also. People started to trickle in at the Capitol steps. The small, but growing group was having conversations, while holding our signs of protest so passing traffic could see our thoughts written on them. While speaking with a woman, a young man (21 or 22 yrs old, I believe) came and stood with the two of us. When she and I were done speaking, I said hello to the young man. He told me that I'd "better put my sign down". I was taken aback. I wasn't expecting direct confrontation, although in retrospect I should have been aware of the possibility. I said I'm not sure what you said. He repeated himself and told me if I didn't put the sign down, he would call a bunch of his "boys" and they would come over in a truck and "kick my ass". Knowing that this was a peaceful protest and being a pacifist, I put the sign down until this boy was out of sight. Then I again held up my sign. From beginning to end was about five minutes. I understand why the sign stirred up his emotions. I designed it with two purposes; to communicate the danger of trump and to stir up emotions to get the point across. A photo of the sign is below:
As the morning wore on, many people arrived to demonstrate against trump's inevitable election by Pennsylvania's twenty Electors. We chanted slogans. We sang patriotic songs. It was very loud. At one point I needed to put more money in the parking kiosk for my car, a block and a half away. It was loud. I believe there were about 150 to 200 people on the steps. You can judge for yourself from this photo:
[working to correct photo issue]
At Eleven am, an announcement was made that if we wanted to witness the vote we could go to the House Chamber's Gallery. I wanted to observe these women and men. I wanted to see them vote with clear consciences. The gallery held about 75 to 100. It was on the fourth floor looking down on the floor of The House. When those of us who would observe the vote arrived, the cast of characters were going through a rehearsal. The actual proceedings began a noon.
While we were waiting, another young man, sitting next to me asked me what my purpose for being in the Gallery was. I calmly and clearly noted that I did not believe that the vote would turn out any other way than what is expected. I further asked him if he knew who steve bannon is, noting that he is trumps nominee for chief white house strategist. He answered yes. I went on to reinforce that bannon is vocally and loudly supported by the kkk & the american nazi party and that I am concerned that what hitler and his crew did to Germany in the 1930's may very well happen in our country with trump as president. I finished by telling him that I consider this action to be one of a continuous series of protests that must occur as long as trump is president in order to limit the damage that he will do. This person was approximately thirty years old and it became apparent that his sentiments were otherwise. I had a reasonable conversation with him, but let him know when he became unreasonable, and that I was willing to have civil discourse, but to not put words in my mouth that he did not hear me say (which he repeatedly did by throwing out rhetoric that he obviously picked up from hearing it somewhere else instead of thinking for himself).
When noon came and the ritual began, we all listened respectfully. At a certain point, those of us in the room who were protesting trump started to hum softly the song "America the Beautiful" over and over again. May be three or four times around, and then we stopped. It spontaneously started again when the actual paper ballots were being filled out by The Electors. Again as they placed their ballots in a wooden box (as though it was anonymous). Again as the votes were being counted.
The organizing group had obtained a permit to be in The Capitol Rotunda during the vote. All through the activities on The House Floor, those protesting in The Rotunda sang The National Anthem many times; America the Beautiful; This Land is Your Land; If I Had a Hammer, and roared very loudly at critical moments during the proceedings (I suspect someone in The Gallery was giving them cues from there cell phone). It was extremely loud. It drowned out the speakers in the chamber. I saw some of the Electors turn to hear where the sound was coming from at first. They obviously took notice.
Between the protesting on the steps, in The Rotunda and our presence in The Gallery, I could not have been prouder to be an American. When the expected results were read on The House Floor, loud calls of derision erupted from those of us in The Gallery, and mixed with my pride in being an American came an extreme sadness to be an American as well. We all walked out.
As I walked out of The Capitol Building I was now in the stark brightness of the sunlit, cold afternoon; into the light of this, our, reality until trump is no longer president. trump's reality must be to endure our protests every day, whether in the White House, at Camp David, gallivanting about or at trump tower. Every Day!
Sunday, December 18, 2016
America and Peaceful Transfer of Power
As of this post, donald trump is a private citizen. he hasn't even been truly elected as president of our country per the U.S. Constitution. Sadly, that will happen tomorrow. I have made a point of not reacting to news with this blog. I have taken time to think events through and respond, not react. This morning is half and half. I have already written a post regarding trump's illegal actions around communicating with foreign leaders and making foreign policy declarations. The law that he has broken is long standing, since 1799; known as The Logan Act.
While driving to work this morning, I was listening to National Public radio (NPR) and heard that China has seized a U.S. underwater drone off the coast of the Philippines. The given reason was that China is keeping shipping channels safe. I am a firm believer in differentiating cause and effect from contiguity (events occurring close together in time and space, but not related to one another). So, in fairness, it is unclear if this event is directly related to trump's phone call with Taiwan's president, his subsequent denouncement of the "One China Policy" and his criticism of the man made island air bases that China has been building in the South China Sea, or if it is just many events that seem to be related, but are not. Me, I'm choosing cause and effect. This drone (and it is fair to assume that there are others) did not just appear in the South China Sea. I feel like I'm on solid ground when i write that China has been aware of these drones way before trump opened his mouth. So the question becomes, 'why now'?
One of the great things about our system of government is the peaceful transition of power. It has been clear, since The Logan Act, that no private citizen may speak for the United States without proper authorization. In my life time of sixty one years, I have been aware of the news since approximately nine years of age. I have no recollection of a President Elect interfering in foreign affairs. What we are now seeing is exactly why this standard has always been observed. Tensions between our current administration and the planet's other large power now exist. This should not and would not be an issue that our current government would need to address if it were not for trump's illegal interference. The reasons for impeachment continue to grow.
Fortunately, we have competent diplomats, and the issue has already been resolved. The only thing that remains is for the U.S. and China to work out the logistics of how, where and when the transfer of this drone, back into U.S. 'hands', will take place.
trump simply can't keep his mouth shut. he so much wants the adulation and adoration of large groups of people that he spews crap out of his mouth with the obvious intent (consciously or sub-consciously) of hearing his supporters scream approval. he knows which 'buttons' to push to obtain these results. I have to tell you, I think he is not conscious of this drive, which is even more frightening then if he was aware of it. I don't know about you, but I don't want someone leading our country who is not in touch with his motivations for the actions she or he takes.
To cause havoc in international affairs prior to taking office, trump has found a way to challenge the peaceful transfer of power. he is attempting to take control, to wield power that he does not legally have, prior to becoming President. Tensions between a foreign power and the U.S. are not peaceful. Peaceful transfer of power has broader ramifications than risking domestic tranquility. If the world becomes a more unstable place due to a private citizen's actions who will be President, but is not yet President, then that citizen is attempting to manipulate events so that the transfer of power becomes contentious and dangerous. All in the name of self aggrandizement!
P.S - I was just about to press the 'publish' button, when by chance I saw the following 'tweet'. I have copied it exactly as I found it. AGAIN.....A DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE LOGAN ACT AND POSSIBLY TREASONABLE!!!!!! Also, adolescent. How many trump's does it take to screw in a light bulb? None, 'I'll just sit here in the dark'.
While driving to work this morning, I was listening to National Public radio (NPR) and heard that China has seized a U.S. underwater drone off the coast of the Philippines. The given reason was that China is keeping shipping channels safe. I am a firm believer in differentiating cause and effect from contiguity (events occurring close together in time and space, but not related to one another). So, in fairness, it is unclear if this event is directly related to trump's phone call with Taiwan's president, his subsequent denouncement of the "One China Policy" and his criticism of the man made island air bases that China has been building in the South China Sea, or if it is just many events that seem to be related, but are not. Me, I'm choosing cause and effect. This drone (and it is fair to assume that there are others) did not just appear in the South China Sea. I feel like I'm on solid ground when i write that China has been aware of these drones way before trump opened his mouth. So the question becomes, 'why now'?
One of the great things about our system of government is the peaceful transition of power. It has been clear, since The Logan Act, that no private citizen may speak for the United States without proper authorization. In my life time of sixty one years, I have been aware of the news since approximately nine years of age. I have no recollection of a President Elect interfering in foreign affairs. What we are now seeing is exactly why this standard has always been observed. Tensions between our current administration and the planet's other large power now exist. This should not and would not be an issue that our current government would need to address if it were not for trump's illegal interference. The reasons for impeachment continue to grow.
Fortunately, we have competent diplomats, and the issue has already been resolved. The only thing that remains is for the U.S. and China to work out the logistics of how, where and when the transfer of this drone, back into U.S. 'hands', will take place.
trump simply can't keep his mouth shut. he so much wants the adulation and adoration of large groups of people that he spews crap out of his mouth with the obvious intent (consciously or sub-consciously) of hearing his supporters scream approval. he knows which 'buttons' to push to obtain these results. I have to tell you, I think he is not conscious of this drive, which is even more frightening then if he was aware of it. I don't know about you, but I don't want someone leading our country who is not in touch with his motivations for the actions she or he takes.
To cause havoc in international affairs prior to taking office, trump has found a way to challenge the peaceful transfer of power. he is attempting to take control, to wield power that he does not legally have, prior to becoming President. Tensions between a foreign power and the U.S. are not peaceful. Peaceful transfer of power has broader ramifications than risking domestic tranquility. If the world becomes a more unstable place due to a private citizen's actions who will be President, but is not yet President, then that citizen is attempting to manipulate events so that the transfer of power becomes contentious and dangerous. All in the name of self aggrandizement!
P.S - I was just about to press the 'publish' button, when by chance I saw the following 'tweet'. I have copied it exactly as I found it. AGAIN.....A DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE LOGAN ACT AND POSSIBLY TREASONABLE!!!!!! Also, adolescent. How many trump's does it take to screw in a light bulb? None, 'I'll just sit here in the dark'.
Donald J. Trump
We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!
Saturday, December 17, 2016
December 19, 2016 ...... A Momentous Day in America
On Monday, two days from today, December 19, 2016, the Electors of the Electoral College will gather in each state's capitol to vote for The President of the United States. The Electors are bound by no law to vote for any particular candidate. They are free to vote their conscience.
As much as I would like to hope that these people will envision the obvious results of electing trump as our next President; the moral bankruptcy of trump and his mouth piece steve bannon who is vocally and loudly supported by the kkk and the american nazi party; I believe that the result of The Electoral College will be a rubber stamp for trump. This last sentence was very difficult to write. I and millions of other Americans do not want this to be the outcome. In fact (and it is simply that, a fact), the majority of Americans do not want this outcome. We, as a nation, voted for Hilary Clinton, when looked at through the lens of 'one person, one vote'.
I support our Constitution. Our constitution was deigned to be a living document, that can be changed through the process of amendment. The outcome of Monday's Electoral College vote may be the impetus we need, as moral and thoughtful Americans, to push for the dissolution of the Electoral College, in order to have a truly representative Democracy. The states are not voting for the President of the United States, 'We The People' are.
On Monday, at every state capitol in the country, there are events, gatherings, planned to coincide with when the Electors will be meeting to vote. I, unfortunately just found about all of these events, this morning. I immediately re-arranged my schedule, and will be attending the event in Harrisburg, PA. I say unfortunately, because, had I known earlier, I would have alerted all those that read this blog in a more timely way. I am providing a link, below, that when clicked on will show a list of links for the events in each state. If you can find a way to attend, please do so.
https://www.facebook.com/events/219210221855920/
The stated purpose of these events is to attempt to have The Electors not vote for trump. If bringing this pressure to bear achieves this goal, it would be one of the, if not the, most magnificent events in my life time. BUT, if this goal is not achieved, the gatherings at each state capitol will still be the continued voices of protest that must continue in a consistent, vocal, non-violent way, until trump is no longer President. Whether that be by the four year term running its course, impeachment by The House of Representatives followed by his resignation or being found guilty of criminal activity by the Senate, or by some other means, protest must continue. Our country cannot afford to allow trump's sociopathic mindset be translated into law. We are the only firewall that we can count on. The Congress certainly has the ability to be a firewall, and The Supreme Court in a more limited way, but when it comes down to 'brass tacks', We The People, need to fight for the Democracy that we have inherited.
As much as I would like to hope that these people will envision the obvious results of electing trump as our next President; the moral bankruptcy of trump and his mouth piece steve bannon who is vocally and loudly supported by the kkk and the american nazi party; I believe that the result of The Electoral College will be a rubber stamp for trump. This last sentence was very difficult to write. I and millions of other Americans do not want this to be the outcome. In fact (and it is simply that, a fact), the majority of Americans do not want this outcome. We, as a nation, voted for Hilary Clinton, when looked at through the lens of 'one person, one vote'.
I support our Constitution. Our constitution was deigned to be a living document, that can be changed through the process of amendment. The outcome of Monday's Electoral College vote may be the impetus we need, as moral and thoughtful Americans, to push for the dissolution of the Electoral College, in order to have a truly representative Democracy. The states are not voting for the President of the United States, 'We The People' are.
On Monday, at every state capitol in the country, there are events, gatherings, planned to coincide with when the Electors will be meeting to vote. I, unfortunately just found about all of these events, this morning. I immediately re-arranged my schedule, and will be attending the event in Harrisburg, PA. I say unfortunately, because, had I known earlier, I would have alerted all those that read this blog in a more timely way. I am providing a link, below, that when clicked on will show a list of links for the events in each state. If you can find a way to attend, please do so.
https://www.facebook.com/events/219210221855920/
The stated purpose of these events is to attempt to have The Electors not vote for trump. If bringing this pressure to bear achieves this goal, it would be one of the, if not the, most magnificent events in my life time. BUT, if this goal is not achieved, the gatherings at each state capitol will still be the continued voices of protest that must continue in a consistent, vocal, non-violent way, until trump is no longer President. Whether that be by the four year term running its course, impeachment by The House of Representatives followed by his resignation or being found guilty of criminal activity by the Senate, or by some other means, protest must continue. Our country cannot afford to allow trump's sociopathic mindset be translated into law. We are the only firewall that we can count on. The Congress certainly has the ability to be a firewall, and The Supreme Court in a more limited way, but when it comes down to 'brass tacks', We The People, need to fight for the Democracy that we have inherited.
Friday, December 16, 2016
December 15, 2016 ..... A Non-Momentous & Complex Day
Whew, we got through it ........ the non-press conference. I had been looking forward to December 15th with great anticipation. donald trump had scheduled a press conference, along with his adult children, to announce how he was going to resolve the obvious conflicts of interest he would have between his business interests and the interests of The United States of America. I just couldn't wait to hear what kind of horse sh~t would come out of his mouth this time. Alas, it did not take place. But why? Here he is, and always has been, 'the man with the plan', so what prevented him from following through on his public pronouncement to do so? On November 30th, in a series of four tweets, trump wrote:
"[i] will be holding a major news conference in New York City with my children on December 15 to discuss the fact that [i] will be leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! While [i]'m not mandated to do this under the law, [i] feel it is visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses. Hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task!"
Before I continue to explore what may have caused the cancellation of such an important announcement (even though the above, sent signals that it was pure bull), I want to expose the crap in this statement.
In the first long winded sentence (with a lack of punctuation, I might add), trump notes that it is a "fact" that he will be "leaving [his] ..... business in total....". In the third sentence, he goes on to say that "legal documents" were being drawn up that would "take [him] completely out of business operations". Now he may think that a large number of Americans are stupid and don't understand the English language and logic, but I'm here to tell you that these two pronouncements do not agree with each other. Not being involved in "business operations" still leaves the door open for maintaining financial interests in his businesses. Maintaining financial interests means he is not "leaving" his businesses. (By the way, here is a person who claims to be smart, has multiple businesses which are each separate legal entities and he labels them incorrectly as "business" rather than businesses).
his next error is that he maintains that America needs to be "great again". As I pointed out in my post, yesterday, 'America is Already Great'. You can't make something "great again" that is already great. That's like saying you're going to make chartreuse, chartreuse again, or an existing table into a table again. In fact you can make an existing table into a table again, but you would have to dismantle the table and put it back together again. Our country is already great and does not need to be dismantled and put back together again.
A third problem is that he claims it is "visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest with [his] various businesses". No, it is flat out important that the path to conflict of interest between any President's personal business dealings and the business of our country be completely severed, period! To have something "visually" appear a certain way is an attempt at manipulation. It is clear that manipulation is an attempt to 'have your cake and eat it too'. Appearing like he has no interest in his businesses is not the same as having no interest in his businesses.
Lastly, it is important that the President of our country is in office to take on an extremely hard job. Most people feel the Presidency is the hardest job in our country and on this planet. The "Presidency" is not a "task". Even putting the word "important" in front of the word "task" and ending the statement with an exclamation mark, does not communicate the gravity of the President's job. This guy has revealed himself. he feels like the presidency is a "task".
So, why did this momentous press conference not take place. Press conferences are unpredictable. Just because the opening statements by the person holding the press conference are about a certain subject, doesn't obligate the members of the press to ask questions only about that subject. Here are some questions that trump most likely wants to avoid:
- Why do your children need any security clearance, much less the highest level of security clearances?
- a follow up question would be, 'if your children will be running your businesses, do you not see the conflict of interest that will still exist?'
- Even if ivanca trump takes a leave of absence from trump's businesses,, why should she have security clearance, she will not be a Federal employee?
- If you do not divest yourself of all financial interest in all of your businesses, or even if you do, and hand operational control over to your children, how will you provide transparency regarding any and all conversations you have with your children?
- Given what the CIA has determined about Russia's role in this past election and the fact that many high ranking republicans in Congress are calling for investigative hearings into those findings, why are you claiming that you do not believe the CIA's determination?
- (NOTE - I believe that this question is the real reason the press conference was cancelled. Electors in the Electoral College are not bound to vote in any other way than to vote their conscience. Not that trump won't be elected President on December 19, 2016, it's just that trump doesn't want the vote to be anything other than what he expects).
These are just questions I would wanted to have asked, if there were a press conference yesterday. Ahhhhh, but alas, it did not come to pass.
"[i] will be holding a major news conference in New York City with my children on December 15 to discuss the fact that [i] will be leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! While [i]'m not mandated to do this under the law, [i] feel it is visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses. Hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task!"
Before I continue to explore what may have caused the cancellation of such an important announcement (even though the above, sent signals that it was pure bull), I want to expose the crap in this statement.
In the first long winded sentence (with a lack of punctuation, I might add), trump notes that it is a "fact" that he will be "leaving [his] ..... business in total....". In the third sentence, he goes on to say that "legal documents" were being drawn up that would "take [him] completely out of business operations". Now he may think that a large number of Americans are stupid and don't understand the English language and logic, but I'm here to tell you that these two pronouncements do not agree with each other. Not being involved in "business operations" still leaves the door open for maintaining financial interests in his businesses. Maintaining financial interests means he is not "leaving" his businesses. (By the way, here is a person who claims to be smart, has multiple businesses which are each separate legal entities and he labels them incorrectly as "business" rather than businesses).
his next error is that he maintains that America needs to be "great again". As I pointed out in my post, yesterday, 'America is Already Great'. You can't make something "great again" that is already great. That's like saying you're going to make chartreuse, chartreuse again, or an existing table into a table again. In fact you can make an existing table into a table again, but you would have to dismantle the table and put it back together again. Our country is already great and does not need to be dismantled and put back together again.
A third problem is that he claims it is "visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest with [his] various businesses". No, it is flat out important that the path to conflict of interest between any President's personal business dealings and the business of our country be completely severed, period! To have something "visually" appear a certain way is an attempt at manipulation. It is clear that manipulation is an attempt to 'have your cake and eat it too'. Appearing like he has no interest in his businesses is not the same as having no interest in his businesses.
Lastly, it is important that the President of our country is in office to take on an extremely hard job. Most people feel the Presidency is the hardest job in our country and on this planet. The "Presidency" is not a "task". Even putting the word "important" in front of the word "task" and ending the statement with an exclamation mark, does not communicate the gravity of the President's job. This guy has revealed himself. he feels like the presidency is a "task".
So, why did this momentous press conference not take place. Press conferences are unpredictable. Just because the opening statements by the person holding the press conference are about a certain subject, doesn't obligate the members of the press to ask questions only about that subject. Here are some questions that trump most likely wants to avoid:
- Why do your children need any security clearance, much less the highest level of security clearances?
- a follow up question would be, 'if your children will be running your businesses, do you not see the conflict of interest that will still exist?'
- Even if ivanca trump takes a leave of absence from trump's businesses,, why should she have security clearance, she will not be a Federal employee?
- If you do not divest yourself of all financial interest in all of your businesses, or even if you do, and hand operational control over to your children, how will you provide transparency regarding any and all conversations you have with your children?
- Given what the CIA has determined about Russia's role in this past election and the fact that many high ranking republicans in Congress are calling for investigative hearings into those findings, why are you claiming that you do not believe the CIA's determination?
- (NOTE - I believe that this question is the real reason the press conference was cancelled. Electors in the Electoral College are not bound to vote in any other way than to vote their conscience. Not that trump won't be elected President on December 19, 2016, it's just that trump doesn't want the vote to be anything other than what he expects).
These are just questions I would wanted to have asked, if there were a press conference yesterday. Ahhhhh, but alas, it did not come to pass.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
America is Already Great
This past election cycle saw the slogan "make America great again", as though our country wasn't great. I take offense at that. America is great in so many ways, it's almost hard to count all the ways.
First and foremost in my mind is that America is the beacon of hope and opportunity on our planet. When I speak of opportunity, I am not only referring to financial possibilities. I'm also referring to the ability to speak freely, to self actualize, to protest, to become educated, to travel freely, to practice religion as you please or to not practice religion if that is your choice. You, the reader can add your thoughts. Freedom is the key component for hope and opportunity, and freedom is what we have and must preserve in order for America to remain great.
I have been fortunate enough to travel to other counties during my life. I have been to Dublin, Toronto, Tokyo and Taiwan. I have also traveled across our country a few times, by car, giving me the pleasure of being in many cities and towns. From this writers perspective, I found the general standard of living in other countries to be just a few notches below ours. It's hard to explain. It's subjective. Little things like elevators, signage on highways, lavatories (in 1976 I was at a television station in Tokyo, and in the men's room had to squat over a hole in the floor, lol).
America is the world's great financial and industrial engine.
America is a diverse country that has, throughout its history, made room for new comers. It hasn't always been pretty when waves of new people have come from foreign countries, but the final result has always been positive and even today is moving in a positive direction. It may not seem that way, but we humans tend to have a short sited view of time and we are only seeing the tumult around the current wave of new comers.
We, as Americans, often do not recognize the beauty of our country, our government, our Constitution, our society, our culture, each other. My niece lived in China for a couple of years. When she cam home, she had a renewed appreciation for our country. As the old saying goes, "you don't miss your water, 'til your well runs dry".
I could certainly continue to list ways that America is great. This is not to say that growth and improvement cannot continue. We're humans and therefore not perfect. Not being perfect means there is always 'room for improvement'. But we do not need to play the victim, by thinking that we are no longer great and need to be "great again"
Now, yesterday, I was listening to a series on the BBC show "World Update" and an interview about the 25th anniversary of the dissolution of the USSR. The person being interviewed was a Russionn journalist. Dan Damon, the host of the show, asked why Russia had become involved in Syria. The journalist noted two reasons. The first was because Putin wanted to "thumb his nose at the west". but the other reason really caught my attention. The Russian journalist noted that for domestic consumption, Russia became involved in Syria to prove the popular saying currently used in Russia; "Russia is great again". Sound familiar?
This gave me pause to think. I'm not a purveyor of conspiracy theories, but I'm starting to notice a pattern. I'm serious. trump's loans with Russian banks, trump's mutual admiration club with putin. The CIA's determination that Russia manipulated hacked email information with the goal of getting trump elected. rex tillerson, Exxon CEO and Secretary of State nominee, has close ties with putin (word is, they're 'buddies'). And now the same rhetoric that was used by trump is exposed as a popular phrase in Russia. Russia, Russia, Russia. Russia keeps coming up in relation to trump.
Here's the 'deal'. Russians may feel the need to 'prove' that Russia is "great again", but America is great. America does not need to be "great again". We never stopped being great. Anyone who has a different view of our country, no matter what their circumstances, is not viewing the world and our standing in it, clearly.
First and foremost in my mind is that America is the beacon of hope and opportunity on our planet. When I speak of opportunity, I am not only referring to financial possibilities. I'm also referring to the ability to speak freely, to self actualize, to protest, to become educated, to travel freely, to practice religion as you please or to not practice religion if that is your choice. You, the reader can add your thoughts. Freedom is the key component for hope and opportunity, and freedom is what we have and must preserve in order for America to remain great.
I have been fortunate enough to travel to other counties during my life. I have been to Dublin, Toronto, Tokyo and Taiwan. I have also traveled across our country a few times, by car, giving me the pleasure of being in many cities and towns. From this writers perspective, I found the general standard of living in other countries to be just a few notches below ours. It's hard to explain. It's subjective. Little things like elevators, signage on highways, lavatories (in 1976 I was at a television station in Tokyo, and in the men's room had to squat over a hole in the floor, lol).
America is the world's great financial and industrial engine.
America is a diverse country that has, throughout its history, made room for new comers. It hasn't always been pretty when waves of new people have come from foreign countries, but the final result has always been positive and even today is moving in a positive direction. It may not seem that way, but we humans tend to have a short sited view of time and we are only seeing the tumult around the current wave of new comers.
We, as Americans, often do not recognize the beauty of our country, our government, our Constitution, our society, our culture, each other. My niece lived in China for a couple of years. When she cam home, she had a renewed appreciation for our country. As the old saying goes, "you don't miss your water, 'til your well runs dry".
I could certainly continue to list ways that America is great. This is not to say that growth and improvement cannot continue. We're humans and therefore not perfect. Not being perfect means there is always 'room for improvement'. But we do not need to play the victim, by thinking that we are no longer great and need to be "great again"
Now, yesterday, I was listening to a series on the BBC show "World Update" and an interview about the 25th anniversary of the dissolution of the USSR. The person being interviewed was a Russionn journalist. Dan Damon, the host of the show, asked why Russia had become involved in Syria. The journalist noted two reasons. The first was because Putin wanted to "thumb his nose at the west". but the other reason really caught my attention. The Russian journalist noted that for domestic consumption, Russia became involved in Syria to prove the popular saying currently used in Russia; "Russia is great again". Sound familiar?
This gave me pause to think. I'm not a purveyor of conspiracy theories, but I'm starting to notice a pattern. I'm serious. trump's loans with Russian banks, trump's mutual admiration club with putin. The CIA's determination that Russia manipulated hacked email information with the goal of getting trump elected. rex tillerson, Exxon CEO and Secretary of State nominee, has close ties with putin (word is, they're 'buddies'). And now the same rhetoric that was used by trump is exposed as a popular phrase in Russia. Russia, Russia, Russia. Russia keeps coming up in relation to trump.
Here's the 'deal'. Russians may feel the need to 'prove' that Russia is "great again", but America is great. America does not need to be "great again". We never stopped being great. Anyone who has a different view of our country, no matter what their circumstances, is not viewing the world and our standing in it, clearly.
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