Category: Uncategorized

Fair and Square

Ohio Senator Rob Portman appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” this morning. Portman, a “moderate Republican” has been a disappointment. I don’t expect a “moderate Republican” to agree with me on many issues. But what I keep waiting for is Portman to act like the decent man he seems to be. Unfortunately, each time Portman has had the chance to show that decency; on the health care vote, on the current tax legislation, and most importantly, on the conduct of the President of the United States; Portman has folded to the pressure of the Trump gang.

Today was no exception. Portman, in trying to dodge the obvious questions about the Russia Investigation and Trump, said the following: “Trump won the election, fair and square.” He stated this as an accepted fact.

Clearly the ultimate issue of the Russia Investigation is that exact question: did Trump win the Presidency “fair and square?” The absolute threat that the Mueller and Senate intelligence committee’s investigations represent is to the legitimacy of the Trump Administration.

In what ways could Trump’s actions have made the election less than “fair and square?” Keeping in mind that the election was not determined by the more than two million more votes that Hillary Clinton earned, but came down to 77,744 Trump votes spread over three states. Wisconsin (22,748) Michigan (10,704) and Pennsylvania (44,292) were narrowly won by Trump, giving him the electoral college margin of victory.

We know that Russian intelligence was targeting social media in these states. We know that they were using “micro-targeting” of Facebook, Twitter, and other media sites to zoom in on the marginal areas within those states, targeting that showed they had an intimate knowledge of American politics. Political experts here in the United States are agreed that it is unlikely the Russians were able to produce those results without American advice. If the Trump campaign is linked to that “advice,” that’s not “fair and square.”

While state election authorities continue to deny it, there are ongoing questions about the security and validity of the actual voting processes, particularly in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida and Michigan. “Unhack the Vote,” a private organization investigating the integrity of the electoral process has found evidence which raises questions about whether Russian incursions went beyond “tests” to see if the data could be breeched. This, combined with the across the board discrepancies between exit polling and voting outcomes increases the concern that the vote count itself might be flawed or manipulated. If Russian Intelligence hacked and changed votes, that’s not “fair and square.”

There are now questions raised regarding Cambridge Analytica, a data company financed and owned by the Mercer Family. The Mercer’s are also the money behind Bretibart, Steve Bannon, Mike Flynn, and ultimately the support of the Trump campaign. Computer code inadvertently posted by a Cambridge employee seems to show a program to hack and manipulate voter registration data. There are also connections between Cambridge and Wikileaks (Cambridge offered to organize the hacked Clinton emails into a searchable database for Wikileaks.) If Cambridge Analytics, representing the Trump campaign, worked with Wikileaks and/or Russian Intelligence, that’s not “fair and square.”

We have accepted the phrase: “all fair in love and war – and politics!” We anticipate that there might be “dirty campaigning,” that candidates will exaggerate and even lie about both their opponents and themselves, and that in this new day of technology; every campaign will try to take advantage of the latest advancements.

What we haven’t, and shouldn’t accept, is that the actual vote counting mechanism might be altered, and that a third party, in this case Russian Intelligence, may play a huge part in the outcome of our elections. And while today this is a Democrat versus Republican issue, Republicans should look a little farther down the road. If Russian Intelligence’s goal is to disrupt the political process, not necessarily support one party or the other, than the 2018 Congressional elections are just at much at risk, and the Republicans have just as much to lose.

So no, Senator Portman, it’s not an “accepted fact.” Not only is the legitimacy of the current President in question, but also the future of American elections. In fact, as a United States Senator, it is incumbent upon you to assure a thorough investigation so that the American electoral process IS “Fair and Square.”

 

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Let It Begin…

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Winston Churchill

Last night the news broke that Special Counsel Mueller has the first sealed grand jury indictment of the Russia investigation. Who was indicted is still unknown (Saturday, October 28), but Trump supporters signaled this was coming by their increased activity.

Here are the headlines:

Trey Gowdy targeting James Comey in new Clinton probe – Washington Examiner,

 Rep. Devin Nunes opens investigation into uranium deal under Obama – ABC News,

 It is now commonly agreed, after many months of COSTLY looking, that there was NO collusion between Russia and Trump. Was collusion with HC! – Trump Tweet.

 As this phase of the Russia Investigation begins the Trump effort to distract, divert and disconcert will continue to grow. The White House firing Robert Mueller is inevitable if he has direct evidence of Trump’s collusion and/or knowledge of collusion. Realistically Trump would have  to fire him, if only to obstruct the investigation.

Dana Boente, US Attorney for Eastern Virginia and temporary Assistant Attorney General has announced his retirement. After his long service to both Democratic and Republican administrations, it doesn’t seem too farfetched to believe that he is getting out of the way.

Procedurally, there are two ways to remove Mueller. The most direct would be for the President to order Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to fire him (Attorney General Sessions is removed from the process due to his recusal.) Should Rosenstein refuse, Trump could fire him, and find an Acting Deputy Attorney General to do the dirty work. Currently that person would likely be Boente, who already has served as Acting Attorney General and Acting Deputy Attorney General this year.

This is similar to the “Saturday Night Massacre” of Watergate, when President Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliott Richardson to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson resigned. Nixon then ordered Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to fire Cox. Ruckelshaus refused, and was fired. Next up (at that time) was Solicitor General William Bork, who complied with the Presidential order, and fired Cox. The result of the “Massacre” was that Congress appointed a new Special Prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, who ultimately forced Nixon to release the tapes that proved his guilt in the Watergate coverup.

Special Counsel Mueller’s office exists because of Department of Justice regulation (rather than by law, as was the case with Cox and Jaworski.) The second way that President Trump could remove Mueller would be to simply re-write the regulation so that the Special Counsel office no longer exists. While Attorney General Sessions would still be recused, and Rosenstein would be unlikely to go along, there would be another option for the President. He could move Sessions from the Attorney General’s office to, say, Secretary of Homeland Security. He could then move another Cabinet officer (already approved by the Senate) into the Attorney General’s seat, and then order that person to either fire Mueller directly, or cancel the regulation.

The question remains, how will the Republicans in the House and Senate react to that action. Would, as the Congress did in 1973, they react by putting an even more protected prosecutor in, or will they, as they have demonstrated so far, go along with the Trump Administration’s continuing effort to divert?

If ultimately the Republicans in Congress are more worried about their reelection than what’s right, it will take an act of the American electorate to gain justice.   That act would be to elect Democratic majorities in 2018, who could then directly pursue impeachment. That puts us into 2019. So this may well be only; “…the end of the beginning.”

On the Right!

Steve Bannon left the White House staff on August 18^th.[1] For liberal/progressive types it was a great victory: Bannon, author of the “new nationalism” and seen as the origin of many of the authoritarian ideas of the Trump Presidency had finally gotten his due.

Two month out it seems the celebration was premature. Bannon himself said that he was leaving not in failure, but to take up a new role as “Trump’s wingman.”[2] At the time it looked more like a face-saving gesture, but over the last sixty days the strategy has become clear.

Bannon is now engaged in a battle to keep Republican Senators in line with the Trump “program,” and more significantly, keep them from any thought of Trump’s removal. The battle plan is simple: should a Republican Senator get out of line, Bannon will attack them through the primary system in their state with a more “suitable” Trump supporter.

It’s math. The Republican party currently represents about 29% of the voting population.[3] The “Trump Wing” of the Republican party represents about 45% of the 29%. In a primary election (in every state but California) ONLY the members of the party get to choose who gets to run for the Senate seat in the general election. That means that less than three out of ten voters will choose who the Republican Senate candidate will be. Less than half of them would be considered Trump supporters, but, as primary elections have lower voter turnouts, it’s the more motivated voters that show up.

Enter Bannon, and the 45%. Bannon has made it his role, along with the strength of Breitbart’s online presence and the fortune of the Mercer family, to make sure the 45% exerts its strength in the voting process. He can “primary” more moderate Republicans, who may be able to easily win a general election, but can’t get past the highly polarized primary process.

Just to be clear, 45% of 29% is 13% of the total voting population. So when Bannon claims that the “Trump Voters” represent America’s views, he speaks of a relatively small group. But that group has tremendous influence over the Republican party.

Here’s a couple of recent examples. In the Alabama Senatorial primary, Luther Strange was the “establishment” party candidate, versus Roy Moore the “Bannon” candidate. While there was a lot of nonsense in this particular race, essentially the scandals of both candidates cancelled each other out. Bannon backed Moore, and the “establishment” of the party (including a very wishy-washy Trump) backed Strange. Both could claim to be “Trumpian,” with Bannon stating that his candidate represented Trump’s ideas even more than Trump’s candidate did. The outcome was clear: Moore won by several points, and Bannon could crow about “protecting” Trump from the “old Republicans.”

This is the same situation that incumbent Arizona Senator Jeff Flake faced. In order to run for re-election in 2018 he would be forced to “run to the right” to fend off a challenge from a Bannon/Brietbart backed opponent. Flake, who is very conservative in overall terms, determined that he was unwilling to change his principles to win election, and withdrew from the campaign. This allowed him to speak his mind about President Trump, but it also placed the Arizona Republican Senate candidacy in the hands of a “Bannonite.”

Flake and Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee have both decided not to run for reelection, and been out-spoken in their criticism of President Trump. Arizona’s other Senator, John McCain is facing terminal brain cancer, and he too is speaking up about the President. But the rest of the Republican Senate remains quiet, afraid of facing the Bannon challenge at home.

Senate and House leadership stick with their “party line:” don’t worry about what the President says or does, let’s pass the “agenda.” Whether it’s the tax reform package (a revamp of Ronald Reagan’s trickle down policies) or immigration “reform” (building a wall) they clearly want to get the most out of Trump before his walls come crashing down. They are willing to risk the Trump’s warmongering “diplomacy” in hopes of getting their legislative package through. In this, Bannon serves them as well.

There is one hope in all of this. “Bannonite” candidates for Senate are extreme, they leave much of the middle political spectrum up for grabs. Extremist candidates put states that should be solidly Republican in play for Democrats (currently in the Alabama Senate race, Republican Moore is only up 6% on Democrat Jones.) But that of course depends on the Democratic Party getting itself together for the challenge, something that it hasn’t shown itself capable of, yet.

A quick note:

New News is No News

While Trump, Bannon and Fox News will make huge noises about it, the fact that GPS Fusion (the Steele Dossier) was paid by Democrats for the later portion of the 2016 election has been known since the Dossier itself surfaced in October of 2016. That a Clinton lawyer actually was the Democrat who paid for it is no surprise, there was no other Democratic candidate interested. It also will NOT be a surprise that a Republican primary candidate began payments for the opposition research on Trump. The “fake news” is that this is “new” news.

The “spin” from Republicans, particularly House Intelligence Chair Nunes and Senate Chair Grassley, will be that since the Democrats paid for it, the Steele Dossier is “tainted” and any information that comes from it should be discarded. This is a mis-application of the legal premise, “the fruit of the poisonous tree.” That doctrine states that should police gain evidence illegally (for example, through an illegal search) that any information gained from that evidence cannot be used in court. This applies to the government in government cases and it doesn’t apply to the Steele Dossier. First, the Dossier was compiled by a private individual, and paid for by private individuals. Second, the Dossier is NOT being used as evidence, though it IS being used as a “roadmap” to find evidence.

Ultimately this is just another “shiny object” to distract from the real issues of the Trump campaign.

 

 

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-decides-to-get-rid-of-white-house-chief-strategist-stephen-bannon/2017/08/18/98cd5c40-8430-11e7-902a-2a9f2d808496_story.html?utm_term=.86e64b0fb9f7

[2] http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/12/politics/steve-bannon-hong-kong-white-house-donald-trump/index.html

[3] http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/how-many-registered-voters-are-in-america-2016-229993

Dash

I lost a friend. My walking companion, my workmate, my backseat driver for the past nine years: I lost Dash. He was a big yellow Labrador, a dog with a smile and a nudge. He was powerful, but most gentle, especially around small children.

Three weeks ago Dash, Buddy (our Collie mix) and I went on a hike at Salt Fork Lake. We “got lost” then “got found,” my favorite kind of walk. Up hills and down, through mud and into brambles, the three of us powering through on a surprisingly hot fall day. Everyone was strong, though when this old man needed a break, Dash and Buddy were happy to wait.

It happened so fast. Dash lost so much muscle, but his belly grew bigger. The diagnosis was nothing but cancer and awfulness, future months of sickness, no recovery possible. Dash had already lost twenty pounds, and was looking at us, wondering why this was happening, snuggling, looking for a reassuring rub and word. We couldn’t put him through all of that, for nothing. Jenn and I did our best for Dash.

It’s our time in the morning now – 6 am, before Jenn and Buddy get up. Dash should wander down the hall, a smile on his face, sleepy eyes, and flop on the floor by my desk. We should have our morning “talk,” about what the day will bring, where we could walk, what else was in store. I vacuumed the carpet yesterday, but there’s still blonde hair around. And there’s a hole where Dash should be.

I’m a sixty-one year old man, and you’d think that hole wouldn’t be so large now. I mean there was Princess, Louie 1, Louie 2, Rory, Paige, and Sierra: lots of friends over the years. But Dash was special.

Jenn and I were just dating when she called and said we were going to go “look at” a dog. Some friends of hers had a farm down in Somerset, a dog had wandered onto their property and settled in with their two Labs. They had searched for the owner with no luck.

I got in Jenn’s car: there was a bowl, a collar, a leash in the back seat. We weren’t looking at a dog; we were getting a dog. When we arrived at the farm, two chocolate Labs came out to greet us – “Poop” and “Stink.” In between them, a skinny yellow Lab, the “Dash” between Poop and Stink. The name stuck, appropriate for a track coach’s dog.

Dash and Sierra went through our courtship, they moved into our house, and they watched two major construction projects and a wedding. Dash even got a “hall walk” at the high school. Dave, our contractor, pegged Dash. Even as a young dog, Dave said Dash had “an old soul.” He was a polite, appropriate dog: unless there was a “new” dog around. Then Dash would quickly become a “humper”. Sierra, a rescue Cockapoo wouldn’t take any crap from Dash: she was the “alpha” in the house. And when Buddy came into our lives, he looked to Dash to teach him right and wrong.

Buddy was a scared little guy. Dash helped Buddy learn that every stranger wasn’t an enemy, and even though Buddy would do all the barking, Dash was the one who went to the front door to see who was there. Buddy waited to see what Dash would do, then would make his move. When Buddy was being treated for lymphoma, Dash gently helped him to recover. Buddy went to Dash’s spot on the couch last night: he knows that his friend is gone. He’s a sad little guy.

So are we.

I know it will get better. And though Jenn says no now, I know we will have more dogs. Buddy is lonely, he needs more than just us as his friends. But it will be a little while, and even then, it still won’t be Dash.

 

Honorable Men, Dishonorable Decisions

Senator Bob Corker is crying out: “the emperor has no clothes!!” He is calling out the President of the United States, questioning his fitness for office, and even going so far as to call the White House, “adult day-care.” Corker, a Republican Senator from Tennessee, has already declared that he is not running for re-election in 2018. He, in his own words, “freed” to say what he is really thinking.

Meanwhile, the drumbeat of events designed to distract from the failures of the Trump Administration continues. Devin Nunes, the Republican Congressman who recused himself from his chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee in regards to the Russian investigation, has now announced an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s actions in 2010 regarding Russian influence in the mining of uranium.[1] This old story, falsely declaring that Russia controls twenty percent of US uranium mining, has been debunked over and over again, but is still a “big hit” in the alt-right media.[2]

President Trump is looking to recall retired Air Force B-52 bomber pilots in order to place the strategic bomber fleet back on “ready alert” for the first time since 1991. “Ready Alert” status would place nuclear armed bombers within minutes of takeoff, an action that was important during the Cold War.[3] While North Korea does not represent the threat to our nuclear weapons that the Soviets did, placing the bombers (most far older than the crew flying them) on alert status raises the tension not just with North Korea, but with Russia and other nuclear powers. And of course, it raises the tension within Americans as well.

For the second week, the President is embroiled in the “condolence call” controversy, a “crisis” created by the President himself with his comments on Monday, October 16^th, comparing his actions to other Presidents. He did this to dodge a much more significant question: what was the goal of the US Special Forces in the African nation of Niger. In the midst of this, White House Chief of Staff Kelly has been forced to re-live the military death of his own son in order to “cover” the President, and forced into more controversy with his attack on a Democratic Congresswoman who was a friend of the bereaved family.

And of course, Trump has ordered the release of the redacted Kennedy assassination files. It’s not that he’s interested in the history of the event, or that Ted Cruz’s father might be involved. He’s found a way to embarrass the intelligence community, even if it’s fifty-five year old information.[4]

Distract, divert, disconcert: the Trump plan is clear. Keep the American politic in turmoil, prevent focus on two issues: the danger his continued Presidency represents, and the illegitimacy that may soon be proved.

The Mueller investigation moves on, reaching higher into the Trump administration, with interviews of Spicer, Preibus, and others. The Senate committee is also continuing, where at least one other Republican (Senator Richard Burr) making a sincere effort towards impartiality.

And in areas that are less well known, there are continued investigations into whether the actual vote itself was tampered with in key states: particularly Wisconsin and Michigan.[5] An independent group “Unhack the Vote,” raises questions about the legitimacy of the voting process itself [6], even though Mike Pompeo, Director of Central Intelligence, still proclaims that “the election outcome was unaffected by Russian interference.”[7]

The Republican leadership, despite the constant barrage of tweeted insults, continuing to try to focus on their “agenda.” Their actions smack of desperation, trying to get something done before the Presidential crisis becomes overwhelming. There should come a time when Republicans start acting as Americans rather than politicians who are so worried about their own next election. Corker, and McCain have freed themselves from the shackles of politics, and are showing that Profile in Courage. There are other honorable Republicans who need to do the same.

 

Two items to keep an eye on:

The Puerto Rican power grid is now in the hands of a three-person company operating out of the Montana hometown of Interior Secretary Zinke.  Does it smell like a corrupt deal?  Maybe..

.https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/small-montana-firm-lands-puerto-ricos-biggest-contract-to-get-the-power-back-on/2017/10/23/31cccc3e-b4d6-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html?utm_term=.99cca5f7c326

After John McCain’s comment about President Trump’s draft avoidance do to “bone spurs” this was good for a laugh:

 

 

 

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-leaders-launch-new-probe-into-obama-era-uranium-deal/2017/10/24/2d7e0c5c-b8d6-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html?utm_term=.208beafec3c0

[2] http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/10/23/7-uranium-one-facts-every-american-should-know/

[3] http://www.newsweek.com/nuclear-bombers-poised-return-24-hour-alert-after-trump-recalls-retired-pilots-690403

[4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trump-plans-to-release-of-jfk-assassination-documents-despite-concerns-from-federal-agencies/2017/10/21/d036cf36-b65d-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html?tid=pm_pop&utm_term=.a1c9fb3299eb

[5] http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/10/did-russia-hack-the-2016-vote-tally-this-senator-says-we-dont-know-for-sure/

[6] https://www.unhackthevote.com/tag/wi/

[7] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-director-distorts-intelligence-communitys-findings-on-russian-interference/2017/10/19/d7f8e05e-b4ed-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html?utm_term=.5e11bffe563a

Take Increased Devotion

There are, or should be, actions and symbols in America that are beyond the crassness of politics. The sacrifice of those who died in battle, the loss felt by their loved ones, the suffering of captivity and of injury: all are too important to make part of the common rhetoric. Yes, politicians have “waved the bloody shirt” (thus the phrase), but they have usually done so in a way which maintained the honor of those lost. Until this recent campaign cycle, when we met Donald Trump.

It started when then-candidate Trump decided that he “didn’t like” pilots who got captured, he wanted his heroes to be those who didn’t get captured. He was specifically talking about Senator John McCain, who spent many years as a captive of the North Vietnamese.   McCain, his aircraft shot down, captured, tortured; offered early release (a gesture by the enemy to his father the commander of the US Pacific fleet.) He refused, waiting his turn to be released as the prisoners slowly began their flights home. He is the DEFINITION of a hero.

But Trump, a man who gained five draft deferments to avoid Vietnam, the last for heel spurs; needed to somehow put McCain down in order to raise his own candidacy. It wasn’t about Trump’s service or lack of it, it was about lack of respect for those who did serve. He attacked McCain’s heroism, and he got away with it.

Thus emboldened, Trump went farther. When Khzir Khan, the father of Army Captain Humayun Khan killed in Iraq, dared to criticize Trump in a speech at the Democratic convention, Trump attacked both Khan and his family. Up until then, “gold star” families had been sacred, their loss and grief insuring their protection: no longer.

As President, Trump now has the obligation of representing our nation to those families. Over the past couple of weeks, he has failed to publically acknowledge the loss of four Green Berets in the African nation of Niger. He tried to claim that he did more than President Obama, and that he would eventually make the calls, dragging General Kelly’s personal loss (his son was killed in Afghanistan) into the discussion. When he finally did call, the families received cold comfort from Trump’s phrase, “he knew what he signed up for.” They know.

Or is it more likely that the White House staff didn’t want the President to talk about Niger (pronounced Nee-jeer) because they were afraid he would mispronounce it, making the obvious error that every seventh grader in geography giggled about. He’s already proven that he’s not familiar with Africa; ask the leaders of “Naam-bia” (that’s Na-mi-bia.)

And he now goes after McCain again, even as the Senator faces a malignant brain tumor. McCain, receiving the Liberty Medal, “dared” to criticize the brand of nationalism that Trump represents. “At some point I’ll fight back, and it won’t be pretty,” threatened the President. McCain responded that he only reacts to the President’s actions not words, and besides, he had faced far tougher opponents in his life

Trump is a President who has wrapped himself in the American Flag. He demands that the protests of NFL players against police discrimination stop. They are “taking a knee” during the National Anthem, and, according to him, they are dishonoring American veterans in doing so. Trump claims that the Flag and the Anthem represent those that defend America who fought and died for those symbols.

It’s hard to imagine a man who could be more disrespectful to veterans than the President. But past that, he is co-opting the flag for his own political uses. Much as the Confederate Battle Flag, once representing the armies of the South, was taken over and used by the purveyors of fear and racism; so President Trump is trying to define the Stars and Stripes for his own uses. To him the Flag doesn’t represent freedom of speech, it doesn’t represent equality in America. He has taken it for his own nationalistic cause.

The “cause” Trump refers to, is the narrow, nationalist, exclusive ideal of the United States proclaimed by Steve Bannon and the alt-right. It is difficult to imagine that this is the same “cause” that Abraham Lincoln referred to in the Gettysburg Address:

“…that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion…”

“…that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

It is not about whether the NFL players are right or wrong to kneel, it is about their right to do so. It is not about paying lip service to veterans and their families. It is about truly respecting their service and their sacrifice. They, and the flag, should not be pawns in this political game.

This Ain’t our First Rodeo

There are times I revert back to the history teacher I used to be!!!!

It was a tumultuous time. The United States, after years of struggle, finally made huge advances in the rights of minorities. When it seemed like that struggle was finally won, the President of the United States seemed to undo all of the victories. That President, whose legitimacy in office was questioned, was in a death struggle with the Congress for the power to govern the country. In the middle was the military; the Generals who were the only figures that the nation could trust.

It sounds like Trump, the Congressional Committees, and Mattis-Kelly-McMasters. It sounds like the kind of struggle we are fighting, a struggle seeming to threaten the very core of our Republic. It sounds like the loss of rights for minorities, women, immigrants, the LGBTQ. It sounds like today.

It was 1866. That violent struggle was America’s Civil War, where one out of thirty Americans was killed. The minorities were not only the freed slaves, but also native Americans and women. After all of the bloodletting culminating with the murder of Abraham Lincoln, the war was finally over, the nation re-united. The “Freedmen” looked to become full citizens, and the 13^th and 14^th Amendments to the Constitution seemed to guarantee that outcome.

Andrew Johnson was the Vice President who replaced Lincoln. In school we were taught that Johnson was a failure; showed up to his inauguration drunk, and was suitably impeached by the Congress. In reality, Johnson was a self-made man, who took minimal education and turned in into a successful political career. He courageously was the only US Senator from a Confederate state to remain with the Union, he became the military governor of recaptured Tennessee, and he joined the “unity” ticket with Lincoln in the election of 1864.

With Congress in recess, Johnson was the sole power in the months after the end of the Civil War. His view, like Lincoln’s, was that the rebellious states should return as soon as possible. But as a Southerner he believed that the freed slaves represented a danger that needed to be controlled. As the former Confederate states began to enact the infamous “black codes” to keep Freedmen “in their place, ” Johnson encouraged their return to the nation.

Standing in the way was another figure maligned by history. Ulysses S. Grant was the commanding general of the US Army, then in occupation of the rebellious states. Grant, described by our school history as a drunk who was willing to “waste” his men in battle, was actually neither. As he rose in rank during the war, he also matured in attitude. He recognized the value of the Freedmen through their valor on the battlefield. He understood the world altering results of the Civil War, and he was unwilling to allow those gains to be lost. He saw himself as the protector of the sacrifice.

But Grant also understood the American tradition of civilian control of the military. He tread a thin line as the General in Chief, ordering his occupying generals to protect the Freedmen, while staying within the orders of his Commander in Chief.

To the nation, Grant was a hero behind only Washington and Lincoln. As the Johnson Administration slowly dissolved, surviving removal from office by a single vote in the Senate, Grant became the obvious choice for President. Here was the General, who would try to stand up for the Freedmen and the Native Americans as well as the poor “dirt farmer,” where Grant himself began.

And he did, or at least he tried. As President, Grant used the power of the Federal government to put down the powerful Ku Klux Klan and he reorganized the reservation system with the goal of bringing the tribes into the mainstream culture. And while his Administration ultimately became bogged down in financial scandal, Grant remained clear of the stain.

This story does not really have a happy ending. When Grant left office, the Hayes/Tilden deal was struck, ending reconstruction and beginning the “Jim Crow Era” of segregation. The “Gilded Age” of America of the late 1800’s was the age of industrialism and “robber barons,” when millions of dollars were made by the Carnegie’s and Mellon’s and Morgan’s; and the working class struggled in our newly crowded cities. It would be another sixty years before workers rights were recognized, and eighty years before the civil rights that Grant hoped for would start to become real.

But America survived.   As the Constitution set forth, we continued to become “more perfect.” In our present: with a President who has no understanding of compassion, where we face crisis throughout the world with a gaping hole in place of strong leadership, where we are faced with the ugly twins of racism and nationalism; we need to understand that we have been in crisis before. We have been through the crucible of disaster, and we have emerged stronger. This ain’t our first rodeo.

Guns and Sadness

I live in Pataskala.  It’s twenty miles east of Columbus, Ohio, and when I moved here forty years ago it was a little farming community, with a grain elevator and two small restaurants “downtown.”  Today, it’s a suburb; the grain elevator is left to equipment storage and rodents, and the restaurants downtown have been replaced by McDonalds, Wendys, Taco Bell and Subway, all lined up on the main highway.  Oh, and there’s a new “coffee house” trying to make it “downtown.”

And while rural Pataskala went away many years ago, there still remains the political views of folks who actually knew the difference between a John Deere and a Massey-Ferguson (for my “city” friends, those are two brands of tractors, like Chevy and Ford.)  The NRA (National Rifle Association) doesn’t publish statistics by community, but I’d bet Pataskala has a large group of card-carrying members.  Our friends and neighbors enjoy hunting and shooting, and don’t have far to go to get to the nearest gun shop (downtown) or shooting range (up the street.)

So I live in “gun country.”  And while I am often uncomfortable with the truly “open carry” guys with pistols on their hips, I don’t criticize their desire to go have “some fun” shooting.  They are responsible, and they are more aware than most about the dangers their guns represent.

I also believe in the Second Amendment.  That will surprise many, but my rationale stems from my hardcore belief in the First, Fourth, Fifth and Eighth Amendments (and the others.)  How can I demand respect for those, when I discount and disdain the Second?  It might be different if someday we reached a point where the Second itself was in question, but we aren’t there, and you ignore it at the peril of the rest.

I write this two days after the carnage in Las Vegas, where a man with multiple firearms was able to kill and maim hundreds at a concert.  This wasn’t Al Qaeda or Isis, it doesn’t even seem to be politically inspired, a Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma City) moment.  No, this was truly the crazy guy with a gun.

Or more exactly, the crazy guy on the 32^nd floor, with twenty-three weapons, including two modified semi-automatic rifles.[1]  They were modified, legally, for rapid fire, so that each time the trigger was pulled the “kick” of the bullet leaving the gun would trigger the next pull.  This “bump stock” is a perfectly legal modification, even though fully automatic rifles (machine guns) have been outlawed to the public for many years.

He also had “high capacity” magazines, to reduce the number of times he would have to stop and reload.[2]  And he was firing bullets with an effective range of over 1000 yards, so the 500 to 600 yards to the stage with easy.  So at least fifty-nine were killed, and hundreds injured.  Undoubtedly some were trampled, but the crazy guy on the 32^nd floor was able to maintain a rain of fire for over ten minutes.  From the stories told by survivors, he was aiming at those who got up and ran.

And, for those who say how did a guy walk through the lobby of the Mandalay Bay hotel with that many firearms, keep in mind that there is a gun show is Las Vegas every week, and all of these firearms were legal.

So while I respect the Second Amendment, and I respect my friends and neighbors, can’t we draw some conclusions from what happened?  I know the excuses; “no one can stop a madman,” and “it takes a human to pull the trigger,” but can’t we do better than this?

Can’t we say, without infringing on the Second Amendment, that folks shouldn’t be able to go to the local store and buy a gun that can be converted to an automatic weapon?  Can’t we say that other than “it’s fun to do,” we don’t really have a use for high capacity magazines?  Can’t we look at what kind of bullets are being sold, and say that ones that resemble what the Army fires from their rifles shouldn’t be for public use?  Can’t we do these things, without threatening the deer hunter, and the target shooter, or the gun collector?

And can’t we say that a gun, like a car, should require licensing?  While my car can be a lethal weapon, that isn’t what it was designed for, and we still regulate every aspect of it. I can’t drive a race car on the streets.  We control who can, and who can’t drive.  Why can’t we do that for guns, assuming that we respect that it remains a Constitutional right?

Just raising these questions is a dangerous business.  In politics (at least in Ohio) stating what seems to be obvious will lose the state in a heartbeat.  But, unless you need assault weapons for when the “black helicopters” come to take away your freedom, is there any other use for these weapons of war? (And I need to point out, the “black helicopter” people are going be so outgunned if that really happens, they don’t stand a chance.)

I know it must be fun to fire a machine gun.  But is my ability to “have fun” enough to keep these weapons out there?  And for those who say: “it’s too late, there’s too many;” you have to begin.  Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or next year, but ten or twenty years from now we would have a safer country. It worked in Australia.[3] Crazy guys on the 32^nd floor could still get pistols, and knives, and axes.  And all of that is a hell of a lot better than what they can get now.

Listening to Tom Petty as I write.  His words are a part of many great memories in my life.  RIP

 

[1] http://www.tmz.com/2017/10/03/las-vegas-massacre-shooter-stephen-paddock-hotel-room-bullets-guns/

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/10/02/video-from-las-vegas-suggests-automatic-gunfire-heres-what-makes-machine-guns-different/?utm_term=.0e9ab6f867e4

[3] https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/10/australia-gun-control/541710/

Outrage in the Sun

While happily tweeting from his golf club in New Jersey this morning, President Trump decided to attack the Carmen Yulin Cruz, Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Just like Kim Jong Un, John McCain and the NFL; she has run afoul of the President’s little fingers because she has called out the Federal response to the Puerto Rican disaster.

The United States military: poised to invade North Korea, helicoptering thousands from the flood waters of Houston, is unable to respond to the incredible disaster that Hurricane Maria made of Puerto Rico. “Because, you know, it’s an island, surrounded by water, big water, ocean water.”

I don’t believe that for a second. Our military, arguably the finest in world history, can’t launch an “invasion” of one of our islands in the Caribbean? Didn’t we do that to Granada in the 1980’s? Can’t we airborne in the 82^nd and the 101^st, can’t we land on the beaches with the 1^st Marines? We obviously can. It’s not a question of capability, it’s a question of will.

And not even the will of the military. It’s been interesting to listen to the interviews with the lower level officers. In one, the communications director of the Naval Hospital Ship Comfort, tried to explain why they didn’t even leave for Puerto Rico until ten days after the hurricane struck. “It takes five days to mobilize,” he explained, as they draw the crew of the ship from land based medical facilities. And it takes four days to get to the island (you know, surrounded by water, big water, ocean water.) But the question that was left unanswered, over and over, was why wasn’t the order to mobilize given as soon as the destruction was clear. Why the four day wait?

It’s a question of will. And not the will of the “generals” who we have depended upon to make the “adult” decisions in our country: not the will of Mattis, and Kelly and McMasters. This was a failure of the will of the civilians in Washington. The acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Elaine Duke, said the Puerto Rican effort was a “good news” story. Her agency, including FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) was “in charge” of rescue and recovery efforts.  And she serves at the “pleasure” of the President.

Yesterday, Mayor Cruz responded to the “good news.” She presented the thousands of pages of “red tape” she was struggling with to get needed supplies out to the people of San Juan and the rest of the island. She made the very clear case that this was about “life and death,” not paperwork. And she also made it clear that the US citizens of Puerto Rico were being left to die.

Trump, meanwhile, is arguing about the Puerto Rican debt, beginning the case for NOT rebuilding their infrastructure. He is trying to lay blame back onto the territorial government. But there is a more insidious reason for Trump’s lack of compassion and action.

Puerto Ricans are US citizens, but they don’t vote for President. The only non-state with that privilege is the District of Columbia. And even if they did, Puerto Rico is a heavily Democratic territory. And they are Hispanic.

But, you might say, Trump responded to Houston, a city with large minorities. He responded even more so to Texas, that big Republican state that gave him great margins. And what about Florida? Look at the vote totals, and besides, Mara Lago is there!!

So Trump was slow to respond to what he considered to be “some other part” of the world, not the United States. Now, as the references to Bush’s debacle in New Orleans with Katrina grow louder, Trump is beginning to move. While he can tweet all he wants about Mayor Cruz, he’s finally given the orders to make rescuing Puerto Rico a military mission. In an era where we grow more and more dependent on the military to solve our problems, there should be a nagging worry there. But in the meantime, invade Puerto Rico and save as many as we can. It’s already too late.

 

 

 

 

 

Who’s Afraid of a Snow Flake?

What is a Snow Flake? It is a multi-sided crystalline of frozen water, falling from the sky when temperatures are below freezing. No snowflake is the same, they are diverse, by definition.

In “Trump World,” Snow Flake is used to describe a “liberal”: someone who “melts” at the first sign of trouble, who cannot stand up for what they believe. They are “bleeding hearts”, “lovers of strays”: ones who cannot turn away from the problems of others. Snow Flakes are defined as scared, bullied, unable to deal with differences “like a man,” (often because they are in fact, women); unable to take care of themselves without the “nanny” state.

And yet in our current society, who is most “scared?” Snow Flakes aren’t the ones claiming they need guns to “protect their homes.” Snow Flakes aren’t frightened of the challenges of diversity, of the “browning” of America, of the reality that gender identity is gray, not black and white. Snow Flakes are willing to accept differences, and work to learn how others live, not demanding that “the different” hide themselves.  And Snow Flakes aren’t scared of the economic challenges of a changing world, they don’t need to build walls of steel, or tariffs, to protect America.

Snow Flakes aren’t challenged by young African American men, kneeling in solidarity with their brothers at an NFL football game. Snow Flakes recognize that there are grays in our society: it isn’t a binary choice between supporting “the thin blue line” or “Black Lives Matter.”

Snow Flakes see the American flag as a symbol for what makes America great, and that the ability to speak out, even for an unpopular cause, is one of the hallmarks of American greatness. As the French philosopher Voltaire is misquoted as saying; “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” (It was his biographer, Evelyn Beatrice Hall, a woman!!)

And Snow Flakes aren’t indifferent to Americans in crisis, even though they may be Hispanic Americans living in Puerto Rico (they know Puerto Ricans are US Citizens.)   They aren’t willing to accept a government that won’t take care of the less fortunate, and they aren’t interested in tax cuts for the wealthy.

In fact, Snow Flakes are pretty hardy, willing to stand up for those who cannot: not melting down at the first challenge to their preconceived notions. They aren’t afraid of Muslims, gays, the city, or immigrants. And Snow Flakes aren’t afraid to get to the facts of what happened in the 2016 Presidential election. In fact, when you really get down to it, who IS melting down in our current political situation? It doesn’t seem to be the Snow Flakes.

 

 

Highs and Lows

Today the “ other shoe” dropped on the Graham-Cassidy “Health Care Plan.” Susan Collins, Republican Senator from Maine has determined that she cannot vote for a bill that wipes out insurance for millions. This, along with John McCain’s and Rand Paul’s ‘no’ vote, means that the Republicans cannot pass the legislation through the Senate.

Most bills in the Senate require a majority fifty-one votes for passage (or fifty with the tie-breaking vote of the Vice President.) But before a bill gets a final vote, Senate rules allow unlimited debate. To oppose a bill, unlimited debate can expand to a full-blown filibuster, and prevent the Senate from continuing any business. The Senate has found a “civilized” way out of this work stoppage. It takes sixty votes to stop the debate, so they take a vote at the beginning of debate to see if there are enough to stop it. If there is, then debate limits are set, and a vote is scheduled. If there aren’t, then that piece of legislation fails there, without filibuster and the “Mr. Smith goes to Washington” drama.

There are a couple of exceptions to the “sixty vote” (cloture) rule. Nominations to the US Supreme Court, and certain bills relating to taxes are a straight majority vote. This is how Justice Neil Gorsuch received his appointment, and, for the next four days, it is how that Graham-Cassidy  (as a “tax” bill) could pass. That bill’s status as a “fifty vote” bill expires on September 30^th. If there’s not fifty votes, then the issue is dead. Likely Graham-Cassidy will never be called to the floor for a vote.

It’s a good day for the Affordable Care Act, and for America. When the dust settles, it will be up to the Senate Democrats and Republicans to return to the table, to negotiate a way to fix, improve and make the ACA work. I hope our legislators can hammer their swords into plowshares for at least this important American question.

On a much more personal note it’s also been a day of highs and lows. On the low side, a friend got sick last week, went to the hospital, and is now home with a terminal diagnosis. There is little to do but be a friend and help. When we get so upset, depressed, and angry with what is going on from Russia, to the NFL, to healthcare, to the arrogance of the Trump Administration; it is important to remember that change can happen fast, and life can be altered.

To end on a high note, a different friend officially adopted his son today, and honored us by an invitation to the Courtroom for the final adjudication. He has been the boy’s father for three and a half of his four-year life, and the father/son bond between them is clear to all. Now it is official, and the joy in the face of the father (and the pride of the young son in his “official” last name) shines out.

Hug the ones you love.

Watching the NFL

I am a Bengals fan and I have been since 1968. That’s what you get for growing up in Cincinnati. As a Bengals fan I am aware that there will be many seasons when I will be “freed” from my obligation to watch the weekly game. Some years they are just that bad.  But today I am watching the NFL, and not just the two loss Bengals versus the two loss Packers. No, today I am even watching the two loss Colts versus the two loss, dare I say it, Browns.

1968 was not just the beginning of the Bengals. It was also the year of the Mexico City Olympics, the year when two of my track heroes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, made a stand against racism in the United States. After scoring the gold and silver medals in the 200 meter dash (my favorite race) they raised gloved left fists as the Star Spangled Banner was played.

1968 was the year of the death of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, the year of race riots in many cities in America, and the year when our nation was torn apart about Vietnam. Tommie Smith and John Carlos represented the best of American track athletes, and they knew the price they would pay for their actions. The American Olympic Committee, led by the infamous Avery Brundage, dismissed them from the team, with the 4×100 and 4×400 relays to go.

Smith and Carlos raised their fists and American and world awareness of the lack of civil rights in America, and ended their careers in track and field. Colin Kaepernick did the same. He took up the challenge of an America whose President cannot distinguish between legitimate protest and white supremacy and who is willing to use the latent racism of our nation to advance his own political cause. Kaepernick figured this out last year, sooner than most, and is paying the ultimate price of NFL exile for his action.

I was not a believer in the Colin Kaepernick, taking a knee during the National Anthem. I reflected that here was a man making millions, using the Anthem as a stage for his protest. I looked for a more “appropriate” way. But Kapernick knew early what we all have found out later: that racism is still an inherent part of America, whether we recognize it or not. Kaepernick was right – though it may be uncomfortable for the rest of America to see it.

And while Avery Brundage used his authority to “put down” the revolt of protest, the NFL (amazingly) has recognized another American value: the right to your own opinion, and the right to express it. Today the NFL (and many other professional sports) are showing solidarity with Kaepernick, whether they are taking a knee at the Anthem or not. Today I watched the Browns link arms, kneeling or standing, to demonstrate that they are one as a team, black or white. So did the Colts, and the Ravens in London as well.

And the President, rather than recognizing that America is still flawed and that the First Amendment allows and encourages this respectful action, instead uses his “bully pulpit” to call them “son of bitches” and demand their firing. He has raised the level of their protest, a protest that recognized early the internal racism that has become more and more evident in our nation.

Trump has called on Americans to “boycott” the NFL until the protests stop. So I will watch my Bengals – bad or good. I’ll even watch the Browns – and if I must, the Steelers. I will stand for what is good in America, even if it means kneeling.

God Speed John McCain!!

John McCain is the Senator of Arizona, hero of Vietnam, and the Presidential candidate who showed what grace in loss is all about. John McCain was the Senator who at the midnight hour, dramatically returned from brain surgery and turned his thumb down to defeat the Republican Senate’s last attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Today John McCain announced that in good conscience he cannot vote for friend Senator Lindsey Graham’s newest attempt to repeal Affordable Care Act.

McCain’s vote, combined with Kentucky’s Rand Paul (who believes that the Graham/Cassidy Bill doesn’t repeal enough), and one more Republican Senator will defeat the bill, and finally, put the Republican attempt to end the Affordable Care Act to rest.

Graham/Cassidy takes the amount of money currently spent for the Affordable Care Act, and sends it to the states in “block grants” where the states can use it to either continue what they are doing now, or alter it. The problem, over the next ten years the dollars are continually reduced, and then finally eliminated.

Graham/Cassidy ends the individual mandate, the centerpiece of the Affordable Care Act that hoped to keep it affordable. It calls for insuring those with pre-existing conditions, but it allows for separate pricing, so that most of those folks would be priced out of the market. And finally, its reduction in funding would end both Medicaid expansion and even rollback some of those who had Medicaid before the Affordable Care Act. While the Congressional Budget Office will be unable to “score” the bill before a September 30^th vote, it is likely that twenty million or more people will lose insurance.

So, after the debacle of “skinny repeal” last month, why would the Republicans come to this again?

Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, answered the question for the Des Moines Register:

“You know, I could maybe give you 10 reasons why this bill shouldn’t be considered,” Grassley said. “But Republicans campaigned on this so often that you have a responsibility to carry out what you said in the campaign. That’s pretty much as much of a reason as the substance of the bill.”[1]

It’s not about what’s good for “the people,” it’s about Republicans campaigning for eight years to end “Obamacare, ” They have to try do it. The fact that it may well fail again isn’t the point. The major Republican donors have made it a “must do” priority. Going into the 2018 election, Senators must show they have used every opportunity to try to end Obama’s signature achievement.[2]

And it’s an integral part of the overall Republican strategy on taxes. If they can find a way to pass repeal, they well then have over $300 Billion to use for their expected tax cuts.[3]

The clock is ticking. The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled that after September 30^th, the special rule that allows for a fifty-one vote passage (or fifty with the Vice Presidential tiebreaker) will expire, returning the Senate to normal rules, where sixty votes are required for passage.

What will Senator Murkowski of Alaska, or Senator Susan Collins of Maine do? Both voted against the “skinny repeal,” and neither have committed either way on the current legislation. If either or both announce that they will not support, then Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won’t bring the bill to the floor for a vote. The pressure on these two must be incredible. I’m sure they are waiting on the Presidential tweet!

If this bill fails, it will allow a bipartisan attempt to revamp and improve the Affordable Care Act to continue. Senate Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander and Democratic Senator Patty Murray were working on this process before the introduction of Graham/Cassidy (and the presentation of a single payer proposal by Senator Bernie Sanders.) Ten governors, five Republicans and five Democrats, have endorsed this attempt and oppose Graham/Cassidy.

And, as far as insurance companies and medical providers are concerned, they need a stable environment to establish pricing and policies. After nine years it is time for the Affordable Care Act to become established law, with the Congress working to fix and improve, rather than destroy. Thank God for the courage of some Republican Senators, like McCain, who have determined to put country ahead of party.

 

 

[1] http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2017/09/20/chuck-grassley-regardless-substance-republicans-must-support-health-bill/685674001/

[2] https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/9/21/1700305/-Voters-hate-Republican-healthcare-bills-but-the-donors-who-matter-demand-repeal

[3] https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/like-other-aca-repeal-bills-cassidy-graham-plan-would-add-millions-to-uninsured

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

As President Trump (Madman Across the Water) and Supreme Leader Kim (Rocketman) engage in a battle of old Elton Jon songs, I am tremendously concerned. After reading about Trump’s speech to the United Nations this morning, it seems like KIM may be the more stable of the two leaders.

Trump seems more than willing to “think the unthinkable.” He is openly threatening not just the lives of the North Korean people, but the lives of hundreds of thousands of South Koreans, thousands of Japanese, and hundreds of thousands of US military and civilians in South Korea. It is a struggle to rationalize how the “leader of the free world” is so willing to engage in such reckless talk.

In the Cold War days it was called Nuclear Brinksmanship. The “hope” is that the US has determined a strategy of “carrot and stick,” where Trump and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley represent the stick of nuclear war, and Secretary of State Tillerson represents the carrot of peaceful resolution. And the grim reaper, General Mattis, remains poised to fulfill his duty to annihilate the nuclear capability of North Korea.

This is the “hope.” The world is aghast at our actions, as we stoop to the lowest denominator, acting as if we too were a petty dictatorship. And the “hope” is based on the premise that Kim is in the end a reasonable actor, who will value self-preservation over annihilation. From the North Korean standpoint staying alive makes perfect sense.

But that’s only if they calculate the decision in the same terms. What if the North Koreans don’t believe the “Madman Across the Water,” and instead think it really is all a bluff. What if they decide that the odds are right to call the bluff, just as Sadaam Hussein did in Iraq, claiming he had weapons of mass destruction when he did not.

Then what will the United States do? Will we engage in a war with North Korea, likely the biggest since World War II? And will this be because of North Korea’s miscalculation, or ours? And in the meantime, is this what Trump needs to distract from the looming Russia crisis?

Or will world peace, and the people of South Korea, be “like a candle in the wind?”

A.D.D.

On this the 240^th day of the Trump Administration, it’s a wonder that he can concentrate to get anything done. What’s on the menu today?

North Korea

The North Koreans launched another missile over flight of Japan, triggering air raid warnings across the northern island of Hokkaido. South Korea responded by firing short range missiles into the Sea of Japan demonstrating their ability to target North Korean missile sites. All of this brings us one step closer to a war, possibly nuclear, that would go beyond the Korean peninsula.  And US Ambassador Nikki Haley states: “if diplomacy fails to rein in North Korea, (Defense) Secretary Mattis will take care of it.”*

United Nations

President Trump is scheduled to address the United Nations Tuesday. His topics: North Korea, Iran, and World Terrorism. Let’s see if he can handle that without saying something that sounds racist. In the meantime, he is having multiple bilateral talks with world leaders. Who is not at the United Nations for this summit? Putin and Xi aren’t attending (not that Russia and China could help with North Korea.) However, Sunday night Secretary of State Tillerson did meet with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. This time we hope they aren’t joking about who got fired!!

Hurricanes and Fires

The Virgin Islands are devastated. Millions in Florida still don’t have power. Everglades City hasn’t seen an emergency worker. Texas is just starting to recover. Fires in Montana have been dampened by a freak early snowstorm, four days before Fall begins. Hurricane Maria is strengthening to possibly Category 3 before it hits the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, then heads northwest towards the US coast. Meanwhile no one seems to be clear about what Hurricane Jose will do. But Climate Change: since we don’t cause it there’s not much we can do. And by the way, there are billions of tons of coal in land now designated as National Monuments and the Interior Department’s Zinke recommends that we reduce restrictions and go get it[1]!!

Healthcare

Mitch McConnell is rumored to want to try “one more time” to kill the Affordable Care Act. Bernie Sanders is further dividing Democrats as he pushes the “Medicare for All Plan” (my opinion: good idea, bad timing) and helps intensify Republican efforts. And Republican Lamar Alexander is trying to find a way to support the Affordable Care Act through the next couple of years. Kasich and Hickenlooper want to help, but this doesn’t seem like a time when reason will prevail.

DACA and the WALL

Trump has made a deal with Democrats, maybe. Trump wants DACA Dreamers to be able to stay, maybe. And we will build a WALL, maybe. There is massive confusion by everyone about what the President will or will not support regarding immigration, the border, and the Dreamers. But there is one thing we know: New York Democrat Chuck Schumer thinks the President likes him!!!

But the President and his team have much more important issues to consider than those. Are their colleagues in the White House wearing secret recording devices to get in good with the Special Counsel? Can they afford the private attorneys they hired to council them during questioning?[2] And will their “friends” cut a deal to throw them “under the bus” when indictments come down?

The Mueller investigation is getting closer to the White House and the (New York Attorney General) Schneiderman investigation is getting closer to the Trump/Kushner family jewels (investments). General Flynn’s son is now a target[3], as well as Manafort’s son in law[4]; the pressure is clearly on to get these principals to flip. As they are near the top of the pyramid, there is only one person left for them to turn on, the President.

Meanwhile the President’s own lawyers can’t seem to get their act together, as they fight over the amount of cooperation they should give the Mueller investigation. Ty Cobb, newly hired Presidential counselor, known best for his outlandish midnight tweets, can’t keep his conversation private over steak in a Washington restaurant, and the world finds out. [5]

With all of this, how is any President supposed to concentrate. Especially when there’s so much tweeting to do: re-tweeting Hillary getting hit by his golf ball, calling North Korea’s leader Kim a “rocket man”, and calling terrorists “losers” like they were caught smoking in the high school restroom.[6]

Attention Deficit Disorder isn’t the problem: a Presidency and a world sliding out of control is. And no matter how many Generals demand ATTENTION, it’s unlikely there will be much unless and until the Commander in Chief is focused.

 

 

 

*http://nypost.com/2017/09/17/haley-says-mattis-will-take-care-of-north-korea-if-diplomacy-fails/

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/shrink-at-least-4-national-monuments-and-modify-a-half-dozen-others-zinke-tells-trump/2017/09/17/a0df45cc-9b48-11e7-82e4-f1076f6d6152_story.html?utm_term=.eb510fcd5498

[2] http://www.newsweek.com/white-house-staff-worried-colleagues-are-wearing-wire-robert-mueller-666741

[3] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mike-flynn-s-son-subject-federal-russia-probe-n800741

[4] http://www.thedailybeast.com/fbi-reportedly-investigating-manafort-and-son-in-law

[5] https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/politics/trump-lawyers-white-house-russia-mcgahn-ty-cobb.html?_r=0&referer=

[6]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/09/18/why-donald-trumps-tweets-are-only-going-to-get-worse/?utm_term=.0def65398ad5

Is it Trump?

I apologize for not blogging much this week. In the “other” world where I run really big high school cross country meets, I’ve been involved in a crisis of leadership and “political correctness.” It’s led me to this blog.

There seems to be a “new” style of dealing with each other in every day life. My role models both in education and as a coach, taught me that it was the job of a leader to care about the folks that he/she led. A good friend, who won five state championships as a coach and school administrator said: “…my job is to serve those that I lead. If I serve them, then we can achieve our common goals…”

A leader is a servant. It’s not a new concept, but it’s one that seems to be lost in our current era. Whether it’s on the “macro” level: with President Trump creating an equivalence with Nazis and the “antifa” and calling even his allies “losers”, or whether on the local level where leaders demand obedience without question. “Be happy you have a job” is the message that comes across. Ask questions or disagree, and risk retribution and unemployment.

In both cases, we have lost the view that the role of a leader is to serve. As a coach, my biggest goal was to get a team of high school kids to “buy in” and believe in themselves. To lead was to not only make them feel that THEY were leading, but actually have them be the leaders. That era seems to have past.

And in life it seems like “Trump World” has overtaken civil relationships. We had to build “a wall” around our yard to fence out the neighbor (we paid for it) and even that could not keep out the intimidation and hate (see Thanks Mr. Frost.) We have local politicians who espouse fear tactics, and threaten legal action for every criticism. We have lost the common goal: to improve life for everyone.

Trump is not the cause. This has been going on for a while, and the divisions in our society grew far before his political career began. I believe part of the problem is our “new” ability to voice our opinions without having to be “face to face.” We can tweet and post and all of the other electronic media (including blog) without having to look someone in the eye. We can be cold and cruel without sharing in the emotional burden that results. And, of course, it all can be inflamed by others, whether they are individuals who enjoy the “game,” or more globally, those institutions who gain from division.

I am not calling for a “leader” in the Facists sense. I am not looking for someone to strong arm our nation back to caring. I hope that we can find leaders whose true goal is to serve US (both in the you and me and national sense.) They don’t have to agree with everything we believe in, but they do have to care. I certainly feel that President Obama tried to be that kind of leader, but I also think Governor John Kasich has that sense as well (though I don’t agree with much of his policy.) It’s about serving others, not a just serving a term in office.

 

 

(nothing to do with Trump World – just my world!)

Thanks Mr. Frost

Thanks to you Mr.Robert Frost. Today I had our yard surveyed. I paid to have someone tell me to the tiniest inch where the property lines were. They used high tech metal detectors to find fifty year old pins buried in the ground.   They used high tech sights to hone in on the actual line of property. The placed stakes and flags: HERE IS THE PROPERTY LINE!!!!

We have two neighbors. On one side, a young couple with a child and a dog, friends. Their fence (to hold the dog) hooks to ours; we have temporarily ceded some of our property to them (to avoid digging post holes into buried cables.) We are happy and they are happy.

On the other side, the neighbors that required a survey. They hate us, they hate our dogs, they hate, hate, hate. To avoid interaction we built a fence, six feet high, picketed across: they don’t need to see us, nor we them. But good fences haven’t made good neighbors.

After the fence went up came the questions: it’s on OUR property, your fence is on OUR property!! We fought over cutting grass, we killed all the weeds on the other side of the fence (that’s OUR property); good fences didn’t make good neighbors. So today, we surveyed – and the fence is on OUR property (though the corner is pretty close.) The stakes and flags meant to reassure – they will most likely inflame.

We will border the “line” with steel garden border; we will place bushes between our fence and our property line; we will build another barrier to hold out the hate. If good stakes, and steel, and bushes, and fences won’t make good neighbors, perhaps nothing will. But we will try – because good fences should make good neighbors.

 

Under Water

We have been appropriately distracted from the Trump Administration for the past two weeks. From Harvey to Irma to fires in the West, we have watched with empathy and dread as the winds blow, the waters rise, and our fellow citizens step up to help each other. And while the triple tragedies of storms and floods and fire are heart rending, the true “heart” of America is visible as well. Regardless of race, political views, gender: Americans are working to save their communities, and to join together to begin to recover. As Lincoln would say: “it is all together fitting and proper that we should do this.”

But these events did not completely cloud the failures of Trump through these weeks. While he (so far) has managed the crises pretty well, including making a deal with Democrats to get reconstruction money for Harvey damages; he also thrust over 800,000 young people towards deportation with the soon to come end of DACA, and he has moved the United States one step closer to a major war in Korea.

And last night the veil was lifted on Trump’s strategy to continue to govern. In his first interview since leaving the White House, Steve Bannon declared war: not on his hated “liberal elites” (though they got plenty of mention), but on the establishment of the Republican Party. Bannon attacked McConnell, Ryan, and the entire Bush Presidency. He claimed that he intentionally left the White House to free himself from the constraints of being a “Federal employee.” His plan: to continue the “insurgency” of the Trump candidacy from the outside, and take the Republican party from the “forces of establishment.” Bannon advocated for his “America for Americans” view, whether it’s economically against China, or against the DACA Dreamers.

So the Trump strategy: to fight from the outside, with Bannon at Breitbart and Lewandowski at the Trump PAC, with Trump TV and the support of Sinclair Communications and the Mercers, as well as with the official Trump 2020 Presidential campaign. What he can’t win in Washington he will try to win “in the heartland.” He will use his core support to pressure the Republicans in Washington. That pressure will be used to try to keep his Presidency alive as the Russia investigation gets closer to the top. If Republicans are afraid to run for office against a Trump insurgent, then they will be forced to find ways to protect him.

This is already at work in the House of Representatives, where Devin Nunes has returned to meddle in the Intelligence Committee investigation. Nunes, the chairman who was scorned and forced to recuse himself last spring for trying to sidetrack the process, has taken action as chairman again. Over the objections of Democrats and despite his “recusal,” Nunes has subpoenaed the Department of Justice and the FBI for all documents relating to the Steele Dossier.

The Steele Dossier is the “opposition research” document, originally contracted for by Republicans running against Trump, that revealed deep connections between Trump and Russian Intelligence. While parts of this report have yet to be confirmed, many of the allegations are proving valid. The Republican hope is that the Department and the FBI in some way relied on the Dossier as part of their investigation of the President.  If they did, and the committee can somehow discredit the dossier, then the claim will be that the entire investigation into the Trump campaign should be discredited (http://dahlman.online/index.php/2017/08/06/fruit-of-the-poisonous-tree/). Can a recused chairman do this? The only check on his actions is the Speaker of the House, and Speaker Ryan shows no sign of intervening.

And while Special Counsel Mueller quietly continues his investigations, the more visible aspects of his work seem to be concentrated on obstructing justice charges, rather than the underlying causes. While lying to prosecutors and interfering in investigations are all illegal and actionable; in the biggest action of all, Presidential impeachment, it is likely to take more than just obstruction to convince the Republican majorities in the House and Senate to proceed.

It’s September. Congress is back in session, and, absent more storms and fires, may begin to actually  work. Part of that agenda is the continuing investigation of the Trump campaign. But, don’t be surprised when the “insurgency” strikes back with more attempts at distraction and intimidation. “God willing and the river don’t rise,” they won’t succeed.

 

 

 

 

 

Coward!!!

“No greater good can be done for the overall health and well-being of our Republic, than preserving and strengthening the impartial rule of law. Societies where the rule of law is treasured are societies that tend to flourish and succeed.”

Jeff Sessions – Announcement of the end of the DACA Program[1]

Today, Tuesday September 5^th, 2017, President of the United States Donald J. Trump announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program.  He is ending the legal status of over 800,000 Americans who have committed the sole “offense” of being brought by their non-citizen parents illegally into the country as children.  Implicit in this is the eventual deportation of these 800,000 to their “country of origin;” countries where they did not grow up, have little or no contact, and may not even speak the language.

This is just another step in the slow erosion of America.  America has over the past two hundreds years gradually expanded citizenship.  First it was white, property owning men, then the property qualification was dropped, then the “white” was dropped, then women were added, native Americans included, and since we have continued to expand the legal definition to include more of the diversity that makes America great. Clearly the Dreamers, this group of Americans, here by no fault of their own, raised here, serving here, working here; most deserve this expansion.  Until the last six months with the election of Donald J. Trump.

He is a coward.  A coward:  hiding behind the “strength and well being of the Republic,” when the real strength and well being of our Republic is the value we place on life, liberty, and happiness. A coward:  using the old saw of “law and order” instead of the real values of America.

Lincoln said:

“With malice for none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we are in…”

This was from a man who recognized the citizenship of Americans who fought AGAINST their country. Instead of following this Republican model, Trump hides behind the “law” to inflict his ultimately racist views on our nation.

He is a coward.  A coward who could not even stand up to spout his racist decision.  He did it through Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, a man familiar with racist views.  And he didn’t even have the courage of his conviction to really “do it;” he passed the buck to the Congress to let them struggle with it.

And he did it to those who committed no crime:  whose only act was to follow their parents.

Coward!!!!

 

 

[1] http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/05/trump-ending-daca-dreamers-program-sessions-transcript-242326

Short Bursts

just a few sentences on issues today.

Sins of the Fathers

We have many traditions in this country. One is that we believe that the “sins of the father” should not be visited upon the son. This is enshrined in the US Consitution which states that no “corruption of blood” could be punishment for treason (Art III, Section 3, Part 2.) Corruption of blood is the punishment of the family for the parent’s ultimate crime against the state, treason.

Dreamers are children of illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration is also a crime “against the state,” though nowhere near as terrible as treason. Dreamers were brought to the United States as children. They had no choice in this “crime.” If they had been born in the US, there would be no question of their citizenship. They would be “born under the flag,” born under US jurisdiction and therefore automatic US citizens (some would use that incredibly demeaning phrase of the last election, “anchor baby’.) Since Dreamers were not born “under the flag,” they were and are technically illegal immigrants, subject to possible deportation.

Children: unable to legally speak for themselves. Children: raised “American,” and who have known no other home. Children: innocent of the sins of their parents. Dreamers are Americans in every way but paper, and America should treat them as such. No matter what your view about what should happen to those who illegally entered this country, this should be different. For this particular class of Americans there should be a quick path to citizenship, to the full rights of Americans. They have no other home, and they already are American in every other way.

Riders on the Storm

We have discovered that President Trump and others are using the disaster of Hurricane Harvey as a “cover” for other actions. Trump admitted as much when he said that he pardoned former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Friday night as the storm made landfall, because he knew that “the ratings would be high.”

Today, both Vice President Pence and Texas Congressman John Culberson used the Harvey disaster as an excuse to avoid discussing the possible end of the DACA (Dreamers) program. Trump documented his order to ban military service by transgender persons, and fired Sebastian Gorka (not all bad that one) all under the literal clouds of Harvey.

As the folks in Texas face this, it seems inappropriate to use the overwhelming catastrophe as “cover.” “Lets slip this by, no one will notice it hidden in the storm.”

Who Can Fix This

Several years ago my parents Florida condo was seriously damaged by a hurricane, along with many other places along the barrier islands.  Roofs were gone, walls moldy, carpets and furniture ruined.

There  wasn’t enough construction labor in Florida to even begin to deal with the problems.  My parents condominium association made an offer:  allow migrants to live in your damaged home and they will fix it and others, faster.

Were they legal or illegal immigrants?  That question wasn’t asked.  These Honduran and Guatemalan workers camped in the damaged homes, cooking re-fried beans, drinking cerveza; and repairing walls, ceilings and roofs.  They got the job done quickly and with high quality.

My parents moved back into their condo six months later, years before they could have done so if they had waited for existing contractors.  Mike Rowe, famous “Dirty Jobs” actor and pitchman for vocational education, spoke today about who might fix the hundreds of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed in Harvey.  There was already a shortage of construction labor in the Southeast, and particularly Texas, before Harvey.

We don’t need to build a wall, we need to bring in the labor to rebuild ALL of the walls.