Five takeaways from Trump’s State of the Union address

The speech was not inspiring. It felt like Donald Trump was reading from a shopping list.

Trump ignored the issue of dealing with DACA and deaths caused by repeated use of weapons by the hate filled and deranged people that have committed repeated killings. Even in his honoring those who stopped the killing at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh shooting but not a word about stopping the killing committed by the use of guns. Gun violence is a national emergency.

1. A discordant call for unity

“We must reject the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution — and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good.”

Starting with Donald Trump’s attacks and name calling suddenly he started his speech with conciliatory words that were nowhere to be found since he began his candidacy for the office of president. Who did he think he was talking to? Does he really believe one speech will change Democrat perception of him as a bully who only wants his own way?

2. A call for a wall, but no demand

“It will be deployed in the areas identified by border agents as having the greatest need, and as these agents will tell you, where walls go up, illegal crossings go way down.”

Could Donald Trump be backing down just a little? These word along with his recent statements that the wall is already partially built and more has already been approved may be a signal that a wall from sea to shining sea is something he understands he will never achieve. And there wasn’t a word about declaring a national emergency.

3. A double-down on withdrawal from Afghanistan and Syria

No adamant insistence that there immediate withdrawal of all troops by a date certain but he is determined to bring all troops out of those countries very soon. Maybe James Mattis’ resignation did send a message along with words from some Republican lawmakers did have an effect.

4. Areas for compromise?

Infrastructure repairs and prescription drug cost controls are areas where there could be compromise if both parties are really serious.

5. The shocker

Congress should pass a law denying pregnant woman the right to a late term abortion said the president. No one wants an abortion. The decision to abort is horrible. Should those decisions be controlled by a law or by what would be best for mother and child? Happily as Trump pointed out there are more woman in Congress than ever before. They were mostly wearing white outfits and mostly Democrats This proposal made his base happy but happily it’s dead on arrival.

Diversity versus the White Christian Patriarchy

Yes, Donald Trump is the president of the United States. I believe he dreams of being America’s first dictator. Our constitution and laws limits his power. Here are some things that should at least give pause to his pursuit of what he believes is what is best for the United States.

President Donald Trump condemned neo-Nazis and white supremacists in remarks about the Charlottesville, Va. rally at the White House and later in that same White House statement undercut his pre-planned remarks by blaming both sides at the rally that took place August 11 to 12, 2017. Trump defended the KKK and other hate groups saying there were good people among the haters.

He’s changed his demand from time to time and he’s changed the amount of money he’s asking for dramatically from 2 billion to 5 billion to 11 billion to 25 billion even to 70 billion dollars. And when we asked for specifics, how are you going to spend this money? What are you going to do with it? He basically says we’ll shut down the government till you agree on it.

– Senator Dick Durbin

Mike Pence swears in new Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema. At her request, she is being sworn on a law book that contains the Constitution, rather than on a religious text. (President John Quincy Adams did the same thing in 1825.) She’s the first openly bisexual member of the Senate. Meanwhile, Rashida Tlaib, who (along with Ilhan Omar) is the first Muslim women to enter Congress, was sworn in on Thomas Jefferson’s Quran, provoking sputtering rage from Christian bigots.

On its first day this year, the House passed bills to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year, except for the Department of Homeland Security, which got a continuing resolution through Feb. 8, with no funding for Trump’s Wall. The funding is on the same terms that the Senate passed by acclamation before Christmas, but now Mitch McConnell is refusing to bring it up for a vote.

The new Congress makes the country’s political situation clear at a glance: There is one party that wants to preserve the white Christian patriarchy, and another party for everybody else. The Everybody Else Party just came to power in the House.

Americans can choose. I stand for freedom of speech and diversity.

Why is Vice President Pence Smiling So Often?

It has been rumored that Vice President Mike Pence has dreamed of being the president of the United States since he was 17 years old. In reality his devout Christian beliefs have taken a priority in his life. His own words confirmed that at the presidential nominating convention in 2016 where he said in his acceptance speech where he introduced himself as ‘a Christian, a Conservative and a Republican.’ That order should have been a message. Just not all of the time.

The truth is Pence is a smart politician who holds Christian beliefs but willingly will defer them to reach the presidency. And so he sat silently when in the Oval Office while Trump had his explosive confrontation with Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi. That’s not the first time he has kept his mouth shut. Pence has been a longtime, aggressive advocate of trade deals between the U.S. and foreign countries and been a supporter of NAFTA and during his time in the House, he voted for every free-trade agreement that came before him.

The Constitution sets specific grounds for impeachment. They are “treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors.” To be impeached and removed from office, the House and Senate must find that the official committed one of these acts.

We don’t know what charges will be brought against Donald Trump by special counsel Robert Mueller but it is easy to list the possibilities.

1. Collusion with members of the Russian government may not be illegal but being a traitor is the grounds for impeachment. The Constitution defines treason as specific acts, namely “levying War against [the United States], or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.”

2. The Emoluments Clause in Article I of the Constitution prohibits Trump from taking any money at all from a foreign state. His ownership of a hotel where dignitaries and heads of state regularly stay and use the ballroom for events when visiting Washington D.C. is an obvious benefit to his family business.

So is Mike Pence smiling to just be friendly or is he awaiting his moment of being sworn in as the 46th president? It’s scary but very likely.

Marching Towards Impeachment

The three branches of the American federal government is a hallmark of our republic. Each is independent of the others and each can make decisions that are contrary to what the others want accomplished.

Thus the legislature passes the laws, the judiciary reviews the laws using the constitution as its guide to determine the legality of laws, and the administrative branch enforces the laws.

Perhaps Donald Trump should look at this Federal government graphic.

From https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government

Today Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. directed a rare and pointed shot at President Trump defending the federal judiciary in the wake of Trump’s criticism of an “Obama judge” who ruled against the administration’s attempt to bar migrants who cross the border illegally from seeking asylum.

“We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” Roberts said in a statement released by the court’s public information office. “What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.”

He added: “That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.”

“Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have ‘Obama judges,’ and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country,” Trump said over Twitter.

In my view this is all about Donald Trump trying to tear apart the American democracy. He attacks the press calling it the enemy of the people. He attacks the courts. Trump sneered at a “so-called judge” when the travel ban executive order was overturned. And now that the House of Representatives will be controlled by the Democratic Party in January he will most likely attack that legislative body.

Is Donald Trump marching towards impeachment? If he attempts to do acts that are not permitted by the constitution the answer will be yes.

Donald Trump’s march to autocracy has been stalled

For definition purposes an autocracy is a system of government by one person with absolute power. I believe that is Donald Trump’s objective.

There are many different examples of autocratic governments in today’s world. The best examples are Venezuela, Cuba, Belarus, Eritrea, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, China, and North Korea.

As I have voiced in my last posting there is very evidence of Trump trying to become America’s first dictator. He is using his power of executive order to remake American law to suit his objective.

Loss of control of the House of Representatives in yesterday’s election will slow and hopefully stop Trump’s objective. With 222 Democratic Party seats in that chamber that party’s control is razor thin. They needed 218 seats to gain control.

Donald Trump is a wily individual and those opposing his march to autocracy will find his determination difficult to block. In his day after the election news conference he said, “It was very close to a complete victory.”

Trump’s firing of Jeff Sessions today is one more step in his drive for absolute power.

The Führer is Coming – “Heil Trump”

Donald Trump seems to believe he has the power to override the United States constitution by executive order.

We are seeing a man trying to become America’s first dictator. He believes he can end birthright citizenship. By executive order he will decide who is an American. He is now putting soldiers on the border and soon will have them marching through our streets. He will soon decide that he alone has the power to appoint all judges without senate approval. He will soon determine abortions will be banned by executive order. He will decide your sex. He will decide what businesses will exist. He will have absolute power.

Unless stopped by the congress in November, the congress will pass only the laws that he wishes.

It took just one year for Adolph Hitler to rise from chancellor to permanent dictator of Germany.

In an ever faster manner Donald Trump will, by executive order, dismantle this democracy. Sooner than you expect it to happen, he will declare himself president for life.

The sad thing about this is that a majority of Americans are in support of our coming Führer.

What Canada’s legalization of marijuana means for travelers

Bill Powers, a 57-year-old Canadian has a license for medical marijuana, and pot had been legal in the state of Washington for six years. Like that, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents turned him away with an extreme decree: He had been banned from the United States.

Lying to a border agent can result in a person being denied entry. But so too can being honest about past marijuana use. So Canadians will most likely lie when asked if they use marijuana.

As laws surrounding recreational marijuana slowly change state by state in the United States, Canada as a country has just legalized the substance. Adults 18 years and older in Canada can now purchase pot and and even grow it in their homes for personal use.

Fox News reports that Canadians could be banned from the US forever if they smoke legal pot. A Canadian citizen who drives from Vancouver to Seattle may be asked by a border agent if they have smoked pot before, and if they say yes, they could get banned from entry to the U.S. for life, even though pot is legal in Washington state. The Los Angeles Times has already reported on one man on medical marijuana was stopped from entering the United States.

Marijuana is illegal under federal law even in states that legalize it. Ten American states have legalized the use of marijuana.

So how did the ban on alcohol consumption by the United States (18^th amendment to the constitution) work out? The result was gangsters selling booze and evolving into an even more serious problems.

History.com reports the results of prohibition this was: “Under Prohibition, the illegal manufacture and sale of liquor–known as “bootlegging”–occurred on a large scale across the United States. In urban areas, where the majority of the population opposed Prohibition, enforcement was generally much weaker than in rural areas and smaller towns. Perhaps the most dramatic consequence of Prohibition was the effect it had on organized crime in the United States: as the production and sale of alcohol went further underground, it began to be controlled by the Mafia and other gangs, who transformed themselves into sophisticated criminal enterprises that reaped huge profits from the illicit liquor trade.”

Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions may oppose marijuana use but a growing part of society clearly does not agree.

Can there be a Coup in the United States?

The answer based on an anonymous Op-Ed in the New York Times is YES!

Democrats should not be clapping their hands with delight over this situation. The same insider behavior could have occurred during the Obama administration.

The single person that all Americans elect to lead the country is the president. Members of the House of Representatives and Senate are elected by the district or the state. We rely on the president to lead the entire nation regardless of political party or other affiliations.

There is nothing in the Constitution that gives anyone authority to countermand the president’s decisions except laws passed by the congress or rulings by the Supreme Court.

When other people attempt to undermine or delay the president’s decisions they are interfering with the process of government that has been the basis of the American democracy since its inception.

While I view Donald Trump as a bad leader who could cause a war or an economic catastrophe he is the person that our system of elections has chosen to be president. Unfortunately his faults are many. Trump has been a supporter of groups that sew hate and he has made many nations that were considered allies into enemies.

Despite his obvious failings, I am not comfortable with an inner circle of people in the White House who are attempting to control the decision making process in the White House. They may say their actions are to protect our country but they are unanswerable to the American people.

We do have three ways of removing president. 1) Not re-elect him for a second term, 2) Action taken by the Vice President and “principal officers of the executive departments” to remove the president from power, 3) Impeachment. All of those choices are better than undermining our system of governing.

“America was always great.”

Meghan McCain said during her father’s memorial service that “America was always great.” She also said. “The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great.”

I would have added the words “and is still great today.” These have been my words from the beginning of the Trump candidacy for president. I just don’t have the same following as Meghan McCain.

Looking at some facts supports the contention that the United States continues to be the greatest country the world has ever known.

Our country’s GDP is over $19.3 trillion dollars. In second place is China at $12 trillion. Japan is 3rd at $4.5 trillion. Then Germany at $3.6 trillion

Note: This list is based IMF’s World Economic Outlook Database, April 2018.

Military strength? Global Firepower’s 2017 Military Strength Ranking uses more than 50 factors to assign a Power Index score to 133 countries.
The finalized Global Firepower ranking relies on over 55 individual factors to determine a given nation’s PowerIndex (‘PwrIndx’) score. Ranked number 1 is the United States. Number 2 is Russia and number three is China.

The country with the most billionaires? It is estimated there are 680 in the United States worth $3.2 billion. Second place is China with a wealth of $1.1 trillion.

The American dollar is recognized as the reserve currency of the world. Many countries use the US dollar exclusively: Ecuador, East Timor, El Salvador, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Turks and Caicos, British Virgin Islands, Zimbabwe. Many countries employ it as an accepted alternative to their own currency.

We have the universities people want to attend. The number of international students in the U.S. reached an all-time high – 1,078,822 students – during the 2016-2017 school year.

The American constitution and our capitalist enterprise system has made the United States the envy of the world. Our constitution guarantees freedom of religion, a free press, and a judicial system that protects the innocent. Immigrants migrate to the United States because they know that this is a country that rewards hard working people and helps the downtrodden.

We are great and we have always been great!

John Brennan doubles down

It is the chaos president versus America’s security apparatus. This fight will not end soon.

✔ @JohnBrennan

John Brennan tweet

Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high crimes & misdemeanors.” It was nothing short of treasonous. Not onlywere Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin.
Republican Patriots: Where are you???

8:52 AM – Jul 16, 2018

During NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, host Chuck Todd asked if Brennan regretted accusing the president of treason.

“I called his behavior treasonous, which is to betray one’s trust and to aid and abet the enemy,” Brennan responded. “And I stand very much by that claim.”