Tag: Opinion

Opinion

Hints of a better day coming

People in Virginia and Kentucky seem to understand democracy requires participation. When the people of America turn out to vote good things seem to happen. Dark money, oligarchs, and wanna-be dictators seem to be reduced when the people educate themselves and vote their interest. Today is a hopeful day if it represents the wave of people powered legislatures and officials coming to save the future of the greatest republic to have ever existed. We have all watched how badly people can be misled, and when you combine this with low turnout elections disaster can strike. We should all take heart that lies and fear will be put in their place by the American citizen.

Opinion

All the Presidents Mess; part of a larger picture?

More information comes out daily to scream that the current administration is rife with criminality, and self-dealing while republicans say that crimes are really not a big deal (what about emails?). People that we believe are looking out for the American national interest now routinely appear to be taking care of themselves instead. Drain the swamp has been converted to rain the swamp and let it grow. The new federal judicial appointees are said to heavily favor corporate power and the wealthy, while the interests of working people are minimized. The Citizen’s United case means dark money thrives in our politics, and we don’t know where it comes from. There is a real threat of a world oligarchy that acts above the law, and captures governments for personal enrichment and power. America under the current administration may just be one link in a growing chain of democracies under attack.

Opinion

Quid pro Quo?

The president tried to use tax payer funds in exchange for an attack on a political rival in the 2020 campaign. That is a crime on multiple levels. The president has broken his oath of office as the highest elected official in our country; that is crime one because he is using funds that are not his for political advantage. The president is also targeting American citizens by leveraging foreign leaders with tax payer money; another crime. The president is offering a bribe to foreign leaders to help him in his next political election; another crime. The president is trying to say that what he has done is business as usual; a moral crime at minimum. The president lies and says that everyone behaves like this to the American people; another moral crime at minimum. The president pulls the American people in a direction that undermines trust in our system; a moral crime at minimum. Many people believe that the president is beholden to Vladimir Putin and the oligarchs of Russia for saving his real estate business; true or not America has a problem to deal with.

Opinion

Climate crisis milestones

In the last few days we have seen the first extreme fire alert in California accompanied by dangerous fast moving fires, and the readjustment of the number of people threatened by worldwide coastal flooding in 2050 raised by 300%. Scientist are starting to speculate about migration patterns leading people to leave drought ravaged farm areas for coastal cities which are dealing with flooding. Video of the fires in California due to Santa Ana winds show the danger for fire fighters as wind gusts up to 80 miles an hour. An ember can be picked up by the wind and start a fire behind the fire fighting line while fires blaze like jet engines on dry brush and grass. As a society we face increasing threats that will multiply in force if we continue our current ways. Vote as if your future depends on addressing climate crisis; it does.

Opinion

Lock him up?

In the current reality of our republic every citizen should stay up on current events using multiple sources. A baseball game is not a typical source for political news. During Sunday’s World Series game the current president was booed at apparently 100 decibels, and fans chanted “lock him up!”. The chants are not a good thing, but are totally understandable given the steady stream of reports on presidential wrongdoing. I agree with pundits who say that the office of the presidency should be respected, but we do live in a republic full of citizens who possess freedom of speech. I am proud of our country and our citizens when they base their actions and choices on facts. Was the chant too negative? Maybe. We live in challenging times that push all of us to think before we act, but I would rather see expression and action than timidly bowing to norms in abnormal times.

Opinion

Government contract laws are no joke

As a former military member and government employee I was often informed of the seriousness of government contracts, and making sure the law was followed. I was glad to see that President Trump did not try to proceed with awarding himself a contract to host the G7 summit at his Doral Resort. The emoluments clause of the United States Constitution forbids the president from making money for or through official acts. A Doral based G7 summit would have been the current president brazenly breaking the law again. Even a little bit of respect for the law should make us all feel good these disturbing times.

Opinion

All roads lead to Putin

When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that “All roads lead to Putin with you” to Donald Trump, and Admiral William McRaven says that he feels the current president is attacking the republic; we have a problem. Esteemed, sober, and patriotic Americans are sounding the alarm that Donald Trump is threatening the rule of law in our country. Most Americans feel that it is time for Trump to go. Our representatives in the House and the Senate need to be held accountable for their votes on the future of our country. As citizens we must make our first priority the preservation of our republic; not tax cuts, social policy, or a strong military. These are serious times. Tell everyone you know to contact their representative and let them know how you feel. Long live the republic!

Opinion

Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse

The executive branch of our government seems to be either in total confusion, or participating in criminal acts. I have always felt that the American people should chose the smartest person with the most character as our leader. Clearly in the last election due to Republican and Russian propaganda many people thought they would roll the dice on a known liar (Birtherism) and admitted criminal (grab them by the..). I believe that truth is America’s most powerful weapon, and it is only recently been brought to bear. We will find out a lot of things that as citizens we did not believe our government leaders would do, but because an apparent criminal group is in power the worst has happened. I am prayerful that we will find out the full extent of how bad this attack on our republic is; so that we can defend ourselves in the future.

Opinion

Dark money is political speech, but whose money is it, and how do you know Supreme Court?

I would like to cover more than the destruction of a presidency on my website, but I cannot think of anything more important than what is taking place in our republic right now. A president who wants to turn the executive branch into a campaign organ on a level that is unprecedented in our history is big news. We have a large percentage of students who do not see a problem with a president who invites foreign nations to help him get re-elected (and maybe elected in the first place?). The republic actually being a republic is at stake; is this a country belonging to the citizens or someone else? The Supreme Court in the Citizens United case invited the wealthy and powerful to secretly participate in an outsized way in our elections. Who is to say that those wealthy and powerful persons who are secretly participating are actually citizens of the United States? Thanks Supreme Court for your limited wisdom.

Opinion

Cunning, treachery, corruption, and ignorance

Many of us have been guilty of desiring things that we are not able to handle. The current president ran for the office and no one bothered to tell him that lying, corruption, and criminal behavior would get him into trouble. In fact many of our so-called leaders were busily trying to make everything appear okay when they were incredibly wrong. We are now in a situation where our identity as Americans is under assault by our own behaviors as a country. Our executive branch has become a den of thieves, our judicial branch seems to be political pawns, and our legislative branch debates whether lies are true. The American people seem to be showing that they don’t buy lies all of the time, and are ready to confront proven criminality. I am hopeful that the cunning, corrupt, ignorant, and even treasonous persons in positions of power and trust are concerned about their futures.