Ideas, Opinions, Genealogy, and Book Reviews
Yes, we need to increase our election security. But there are some who think it unnecessary or perhaps they welcome Russian intervention as it has helped them in the past and they hope it will continue to keep them in power. But that is just my opinion and many agree but I am getting a bit ahead.
Continue reading “US Election security”
President Donald Trump would like to send citizens who disagree with him back. Presumably back to their country of origin if they are naturalized citizens and it is a bit unclear where citizens born in the USA go. Perhaps the lands of their ancestors.
Deporting citizens is a bit of a problem. So it seems to be another empty threat. Is ‘send her back” like “lock her up” in that way?
Continue reading “Where to send me ???????”
Our Environmentalist in Chief aka President Trump claims that he has been good for the environment. He cites his leadership in many achievements in ensuring air and water quality.
I am glad to hear good news at last on the environment
But not everyone believes.
Continue reading “Environmentalist in Chief”
For those who do not approve to President Trump’s Concentration Camps and torturing children, there is a protest on Friday July 12th, 2019. It is called Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Concentration Camps.
As far as I know, the pro-Concentration Camp rally has yet to be organised.
Is the real purpose of this torture to get us to ignore the Mueller report, various investigations or maybe something else while we are being outraged by his latest actions?
Is torture too strong a word? I don’t think so. Being separated from family and being held in prison is very bad for children. The administration does not call them prisons. They are federal detention centers. They try to use words that minimize the harm they are doing.
Continue reading “Why is President Trump torturing children?”
Seems a bit odd to be writing a “Toothbrush Memo to Justice Department“. But it seems it is needed now since the judges seem to think that toothbrushes and other items are needed for the safe and sanitary conditions required to by children separated from their parents by the Trump administration (see Mistreat children in custody (not safe and sanitary)). The Justice Department lawyers working on the case may need a bit of help from a concerned citizen.
Continue reading “Toothbrush Memo to Justice Department”
A few days ago the Trump administration argued in court that they do not mistreat children after they are separated from their family at the border and they had not violated the safe and sanitary conditions required for minors in custody. A previous court decision had found that the conditions under which children were held was in violation of the required standards.
Continue reading “Mistreat children in custody (not safe and sanitary)”
#TheMinistryOfTruth is a book for our times. The full title is The Ministry of Truth: The Biography of George Orwell’s 1984 by Dorian Lynskey
Shortly after the Trump administration told us their lies were just alternative facts, I decided I needed to re-read 1984. I don’t think George Orwell ever talked about alternative facts, but it seemed to me it was just a step or 2 from “alternative facts” about crowd size to “alternative facts” about bigger issues. Continue reading “#TheMinistryOfTruth: Orwell and 1984”
Now is the time to put country before party. Congress has blocked President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency on the southern border that is clearly not an emergency. Just an abuse of the power of his office.
In declaring the “emergency” President Trump said: “I didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster, I just want to get it done faster, that’s all.”
Continue reading “Put country before party”
President Trump today gave the GOP members of Congress a second chance to oppose his power grab disguised as a national emergency.
His veto of congressional resolution to rescinded his national emergency declaration at the Mexican border gives those GOP members who did not vote for this resolution (and only a minority did) a chance to vote to override President Trump’s veto and show they have some respect for the Constitution and sepatation of powers.
It is not often that you get a second chance. Make the most of it.
This is not a coup, Mr. President. You may not like it President Trump but the 25th amendment is part of our constitution.
So former Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe says he and the Assistant Attorney General discussed using the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to legally remove a President from office and President Trump considers it an attempted coup. For the benefit those of his followers who do not understand the word “coup” which after-all is foreign in origin, he added “(overthrow government)”. Here is the tweet, a favorite means of Presidential communication in the last 2 years.
Continue reading “Not a coup, President Trump”
During his presidential campaign and during many rallies during his presidency, Donald Trump promised to build a wall on our southern border that Mexico would pay for. Just to be clear, the US would build it and Mexico would pay for it.
The check from Mexico is not in the mail. Mexico is not paying.
Now that he has broken that promise, President Trump wants money for the Wall from the US taxpayer and the House is not caving to his demands, and President Trump is refusing to re-open the parts of the government that have been showdown.
Continue reading “Wall: an ineffective and stupid idea”
Is this a half-promise kept and half promise broken? Candidate Donald Trump and President Trump have repeatedly promised to build a big, beautiful wall on our southern border that Mexico will pay for. Much to his apparent surprise the Mexican government does not agree. But he continued to promise that both part of his promise would be kept.
Continue reading “Trying for less than a half-promise kept but the Wall will cost”
President Trump has declared victory over ISIS and said our troops are leaving. We won according to President Trump. What else can our troops do? This is the type of thing that is usually a punchline in a joke but it seems to be real. The Secretary of Defense and the US special presidential envoy for the defeat of ISIS resigned shortly after the announcement.
Are more resignations to follow our victory over ISIS ? Are our allies in this fight and more refuges to be slaughtered when our troops leave? We’ll just have to see what happens. Do we have a choice?
Continue reading “Declare victory over ISIS and go home”
Is it worse than Watergate ? Those of us as old as the Retired Guy, give or take a decade or so, think of Watergate and Richard Nixon when we think of political scandals that have the potential to severely damage our democracy.
About a month into the Donald Trump presidency, I wondered if the investigations of the Presidential campaign could lead us to something as big or bigger than Watergate.
Continue reading “Maybe even worse than Watergate”