Tag: Trump

Opinion

America degenerates

After four years of Trump we are deep in the sewer as a country, but trying to climb out. Numerous Trump officials likely committed multiple acts of corruption or criminality and have yet to face official accountability. We have numerous Republicans in the US Congress who will not say that an American election was free and fair; even though they cannot prove cheating that would have made a difference. State legislatures want to make it harder to vote, but have no evidence of a need for fewer voters beyond protecting their party. Asian Americans feel targeted by their countrymen as do many other ethnic groups after Trump’s assault on truth and decency. I have heard several people in media and elsewhere speak of being ready to fight to protect themselves. America is at a crossroads. If our leaders and representatives do not act decisively; the degeneration Trump and his followers started will metastasize into civil war. The rising insanity and evil that is perpetrated by those who feel entitled to act with impunity must be met with truth, compassion, and justice. Putin wanted Trump for president because he felt he was a tool for American decline and self-destruction in all areas. Putin has won all of the early rounds but the fight is not over. Research our history and current reality from verified sources. Be ready to make the important decisions made by citizens in a republic.

Opinion

Will immigration destabilize America?

Reports of increased numbers of immigrants at the US border with Mexico are making waves in local and national news outlets. Immigrants are reportedly saying they are coming because they believe that the Biden Administration will allow them more humanity. Immigration issues helped to power Trump to the presidency with his rhetoric about the wall (that immigrants now climb over) and policy of cruelty toward immigrants. Biden wants to return America to it’s status as a defender of human rights and decency, but news reports about increased undocumented immigrants threaten this idea. The Republicans will say that cruelty worked and Democrat’s policies of decency encourage undocumented immigration. Morality, truth, science, and human dignity mean little to power hungry Republicans. If they can make you believe that evil works better than decency their program of degenerating Democracy and seizing power will be further along. Immigration is about more than Black and Brown people showing up at the southern border; Climate Change, unstable countries, corruption, and criminality are causing people to flee to the US. The Biden Administration faces another critical test, but the real people being tested are the American people. We are the deciders who must choose the harder dignified path of an immigration system, or the cruel degenerate short-term lie of border walls and brutality leading to success.

Opinion

Voting Rights and Infrastructure

The Democrats have confronted COVID19 with vaccines, resources, and plans to put America back on a path to normalcy. Now the Biden Administration and Congressional democrats must confront more existential threats to the future of the United States as a republic. Republicans pursuing policies of white supremacy and voter disenfranchisement in states must be confronted by a strong voting expansion and protection measure. Currently we are nowhere near 100% participation by eligible citizens in our elections, although high turnout is a worthy goal that strengthens democracy and justice. Climate Chaos is a regular feature of life today with the Texas power grid fiasco being the latest manifestation of the danger to our civilization. An infrastructure bill that puts Americans to work strengthening our physical capacity to protect citizens and commerce from strengthening weather events is existentially important. Any failure to immediately begin development of a resilient society is to accept large-scale Climate Chaos death that will make the half-million souls lost to COVID19 look small in comparison. Joe Biden and the Democrats have to move mountains, and do it quickly, because Republicans just want to play politics with race and economics, they aren’t ready for this moment. America could not afford Trump and his wasted 4 years that damaged the country while morally bankrupting the Republicans. We are climbing out of another ditch as we did under President Obama (after the markets crashed), but this time we cannot afford to wait for, or count on, Republicans.

Opinion

Biden administration has to move mountains

It appears the Biden administration has COVID in retreat after Trump refused to deal with it seriously. A new book says that Trump was totally fooled by the Chinese leadership and then became angry. He could not admit being tricked so kept lying to cover up and protect his fragile ego. Biden now has to deal with a range of issues that the previous administration ignored or just made worse. From climate to low social mobility and voting rights our country is in danger. Democrats have seen that Republicans are not dedicated to the US Constitution, but focused on power. Lies about the election, the need for masking, climate change, and massive corruption are major issues today. Lies flow too easily from too many Republicans. The old saying that ‘the first casualty of war is the truth’ rings true for today’s America. Joe Biden and the Democrats must continue to make significant progress against major real world threats. while preventing civil war and fighting for the soul of America.

Opinion

When is a failed coup practice?

MSNBC host Ari Melber is reported to have said something like “a failed coup that is not punished is practice”. The impeachment hearings wrapped up with Republican lead senator Mitch McConnell saying that Trump was responsible for the assault on the US Capitol, but the court system should deal with him. Every sensible American should push for their government and representatives to be strong in dealing with the insurrection. Our politics may be rough right now but they are heading to a far worse place that may destroy the country. There are a reported 400 million guns in the United States, and there are many right-wing zealots who threaten to use 2nd amendment solutions to get what they want (meaning gun violence). If our government is not strong, the bullying will continue and get worse as it would on a proverbial schoolyard. Harsh penalties for the insurrectionists whether they broke into the US Capitol, or were urging on the assault from the White House are unavoidable. We cannot wait for the next assault by better prepared terrorists. Push or support your legislators and government officials toward providing a strong defense for our republic.

Opinion

Guilty but not charged

Trump got away with it. Thanks to Republican senators Trump will be allowed to run for president again, and worse, fundraise as if he were running. Trump’s record shows he is a grifter and criminal sociopath who is free to continue in his ways. Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell said that Trump was guilty of sending a mob to attack Congress after he voted not to impeach him based on a made up technicality. America remains a republic but now our history includes a party that refuses to confront criminal behavior due to the fear of a group of voters. America is now a weaker country that enemies view as an opportunity because we have citizens who are interested in attacking fellow countrymen. We have revealed ourselves as not committed to the truth (which had been our strength), and more interested in a leader who lies to us. America has a clear new weakness demonstrated by a commitment to things other than truth and justice. Foreign affairs and our internal politics will shift as a result of Trump. America’s intelligence and police agencies will now be diverted to domestic terrorism because Trump needs threats to get what he wants. Every citizen will need to be more focused, and active, to prevent the rise of authoritarians who are fine with breaking a republic that does not give them what they want.

Opinion

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” “Why America may go too hell.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On this MLK holiday every American needs to reflect on current events and where we go from here. The two quotes in the title of this post are great words to ponder. I don’t want my country to go to hell, but we seem to be drifting in that direction. Our culture has become toxic to the decency and dignity of the average citizen. America has media empires built on consistently lying to advance a viewpoint that some people are better than others, and democratic government is a problem. We are far away from believing that all men are created equal, or that the truth will set us free. Evil and selfish people believe that they should control other people while getting a pass for themselves because they are part of an entitled group. We used to believe that some people were royalty and they had special entitlements, now we are fighting the racist lie with the same foundation. There is nothing that says we will make it to a better future for all humanity. Dr. King and great leaders have tried to save us from our worst impulses, but we live in a world where people are fine with supporting evil. The rationales for supporting treachery, corruption, and authoritarian creatures like Trump are increasingly absurd, but Republican majorities of citizens continue to do it. The level of degeneration in our country is dangerous, it will take every decent person to protect our democracy and hope for a better future. Dr. King said that we will get to the promised land; I pray he is right. Be ready to support American institutions, the dignity of your fellow citizens, hold evil accountable, and protect our republic.

Opinion

Accountability

The American legal system has to capture and punish the terrorists and criminals who assaulted and sacked the US Capitol. The mere fact that this must be stated is an indictment of systemic white supremacy in America. Many Americans think the Capitol assault was not a big deal, and a few people got out of control. The same people would be ready to declare war and invade another country if the same assault had been staged by Iranians or Chinese. If the attack had been staged by Black Americans the death toll would have been tremendous. America has an issue with racism, and it threatens to become a lot worse if white supremacist terrorism is not dealt with appropriately. The focus of the attack was to take the defeat of Donald Trump and create victory by deleting unwanted votes (both minority and white votes). The plan was a repeat of what took place in 1876 to end Reconstruction, beginning the Jim Crow era of racial marginalization and segregation. The lies about the election being stolen were not challenged by most Republicans or the conservative media echo chamber. Truth and justice were not even speed bumps in the pursuit of a reinforced system of white supremacy. Whether people claimed to be evangelicals, QAnon, proud boys, or Klu Klux Klan, the truth was not deemed to be worthy of consideration to keep a lying Trump in office for four more years. Four more years of corruption, abuse, and lies to create a revised America that no longer respected the Constitution. For America to move forward in strength we must believe and act as if ‘knowing the truth will set us free’ to paraphrase Jesus.

Opinion

Article review: The American Abyss by Timothy Snyder

If you want to read a scholarly analysis of what has taken place at the Capitol and in our country The American Abyss by Timothy Snyder is at the top of the list. Timothy Snyder is a Yale professor of history and expert on fascism. Professor Snyder wrote Bloodlands an intense history of Stalin and Hitler’s mass murders in Eastern Europe which I previously reviewed. The American Abyss gets to the heart of long term issues that led us to the assault on the Capitol and the divisions in our society, but Snyder also identifies what we must look out for going forward. A key finding in the article is the complicity of the Republican Party in using racism to get votes while channeling power and resources to the wealthy. Snyder identifies two types of current Republican politicians; gamers who use Trump and racism for election and power, breakers who like having a white authoritarian in power and could care less about democracy. Armed with the insight and information of this article citizens can both understand the history that led us to near disaster, and correctly analyze what needs to happen in the coming years. Snyder identifies truth as a necessity for democracy and all parties having agreement on basic facts. I strongly recommend that every literate concerned citizen read or listen to The American Abyss by Timothy Snyder at the New York Times website.

Opinion

American vigilance

The sacking of Capitol by seditious domestic terrorists should have the attention of every American. The terrorists have different belief systems according to reporting. A good deal of the terrorists are white supremacists who want a violent civil war to achieve their goals. Another portion of the terrorists are Qannon conspiracy believers who have lost touch with any known reality, and believe the country is run by evil pedophiles (No one can explain why these people support Trump who hung around with an accused pedophile). Another portion of the terrorists are reported to be religious fundamentalists who believe our society of individual freedom should not exist, and a dictatorship controlling all behavior is preferable to a democracy. The remainder of the terrorists are apparently lost souls who believe that Trump is somehow their savior. The reality for Americans who love our republic is that we face a real and committed threat to our way of life. The common focus of the terrorists is to bring about an authoritarian government that can exert more control over personal freedom. All authoritarians promise their followers special status that others do not enjoy as long as they follow orders (See Timothy Snyder). Right now the terrorists are focused on terrorizing Democrats and our government leaders, once they win that struggle they will come after us. The land of the free and the home of the brave must be just that right now. Be ready to support President Biden, his administration, and our elected lawmakers at the federal and local level because patriotism has never been more important.