Category: Impeach Trump

Past Performance . . .

by James P. Shafer, posted in Defending the Constitution, Impeach Trump, Politics, Resist Trump

. . . May not be a guarantee of future results, but it IS a pretty good indicator:

In the case at hand, Trump’s apologists in the GOP claim that the allegations for which Trump has been impeached were based entirely on ”hearsay” and represent nothing more than a desperate attempt by the Democrats to prevent Trump’s re-election in 2020. While patently false, these claims might be more believable if the offenses outlined in the articles of impeachment were totally out of character with Trump’s past conduct.

So, a brief re-cap of the President’s actual record in this regard (not hearsay, not baseless allegations, but actual history) might help those among us who are not professional politicians or pundits shed some meaningful light on the nation’s current conundrum:

The Federal Government’s 1973 lawsuit against Trump Management, Inc. (and its then 27 year old President, Donald J. Trump) for violation of federal fair housing laws is a pretty good “Leading Indicator” for a number of reasons. It is the first thoroughly documented example of Trump’s utter disdain for legality (not to mention morality) in his business dealings.

In his failed defense against those charges, Trump also clearly reveals the tactics and strategies he has deployed against all similar charges ever since. The facts were unassailable and clearly arrayed against him. On the advice of his notorious attorney, Roy Cohn, Trump counter-sued the Government, dismissed the well-documented testimony of the Government’s witnesses as “without merit”, and attacked the motives of the prosecutor’s as a personal vendetta against him.

Sound Familiar?

Then, despite vociferous claims that he would “never settle”, when the facts became known in the course of legal proceedings that stretched on for two years, Trump (still loudly proclaiming his innocence) did, in fact, settle the case on terms favorable to the Government.

The sad saga of the Donald J. Trump Foundation reinforces this pattern of self-serving and double-dealing with no regard for either the law or ethics. As with the earlier case, the evidence amassed by prosecutors (in this case the New York State Attorney General’s office), was overwhelming: Sixteen specific, well-documented instances of Trump and his family, engaging in patently illegal conduct including (among other charges):

  • Mishandling of funds raised for veteran’s causes
  • Failure to make pledged 9/11 grants
  • Receiving donation from a Ukrainian oligarch during campaign for president

This pattern of egregious violations started with the establishment of the Trump Foundation and continued unabated for nearly 30 years (!) until the foundation was forced to dissolve under court supervision last year and distribute its remaining assets (two million dollars) to charities approved by the court.

The short lived (2005 – 2010) scam labeled Trump University is another well documented, self-admitted example of Trump’s criminal pattern of behavior. Promoted heavily by the great man himself, the shell company promised untold riches to those willing to trust him to teach them the secrets of successful real estate investing. Despite Trump University having no academic accreditation and the multiple business bankruptcies in his own past, Trump and his larcenous cronies managed to defraud more than 5,000 people of up to $35,000 each for worthless “seminars” which were actually nothing more than high-pressure sales pitches for additional courses.

In the face of multiple criminal investigations and three Federal lawsuits, the con was finally dissolved in 2010 and in 2016 Trump (again after insisting on his own innocence and swearing he would “never settle”) was forced to pay twenty-five MILLION (!) dollars in damages to the victims of his scam.

Of course, the most recent and most extensively documented (in all 480 carefully compiled pages of the Mueller report) example of Trump’s perfidy is his behavior during the last presidential election and the ensuing investigation.

Trump openly invited the Russians to interfere with our presidential election on national TV. He carefully planned his campaign strategy to make sure he would achieve maximum benefit when they did so. When the nature and extent of his criminal conduct became impossible to ignore, he blatantly and criminally interfered with the government authorized investigation of the matter on ten separate, well-documented occasions.

His primary line of defense throughout the ensuing scandal has been the same one used by the twenty-seven year old rich man’s son when he was caught red-handed: scathing personal attacks on the individuals and institutions charged with enforcing the Nation’s laws and painting the legal proceedings against him as personal vendettas and “witch hunts”.

While Trump’s well documented and thoroughly proven past transgressions are likely to sicken any well meaning supporter of American Democracy, there IS a sliver of hope contained therein, as well:

In each of the past legal proceedings, Trump loudly proclaimed his innocence and viciously attacked those that would ensure that justice was served. He did so right up until it became obvious to all that his efforts would fail and that he was, in fact, guilty as charged. He then quickly “folded” his game and moved on to his next con.

To me, this appears to be both legitimate grounds for optimism concerning the eventual removal of tyrant Trump from office, as well as a valid strategy for achieving that vital goal as quickly as possible.

The legal pressure currently building against Trump must be increased rapidly and relentlessly until the Truth becomes damning and his ultimate fate unavoidable. If he runs true to form (as criminals inevitably do), he will then “cut & run” as fast as he can.

If you want to be able to look your children and grandchildren in the eye when this national nightmare has finally run its course, I encourage you to do whatever you personally can to hasten that day’s arrival.

One Choice:

by James P. Shafer, posted in Bridges Not Walls, Defending the Constitution, Election, Ethics in Government, Impeach Trump, Mid Term Elections, National Security, Politics, Resist Trump

July 23, 2018

“It’s very simple, very basic, very clear — it’s the entire package; this is a national referendum on Trump, an up or down vote on his presidency: vote Republican for the Trump program, all of it [or] vote Democrat to impeach him. Full stop. And the entire package means the entire package…You are either with Trump or you are against him.”
– Steve Bannon on midterm elections

A long time ago in a country far, far, away I was a young exchange student in Germany for my junior year in college.

Having pedaled my bicycle the length of that beautiful country a couple of years previously, I had developed an abiding appreciation for the warm hospitality of the people together with a deep curiosity regarding the odd twists and turns of their history.

I was eagerly anticipating an entire year spent getting to know the culture more intimately and trying to answer a few of my most basic questions. These mostly concerned the horrific cataclysm that befell the country and its citizens as a consequence of their support for Adolf Hitler.

The other thing I had developed a deep and abiding appreciation for was the multitude of welcoming Lokals, Tavernen, and other assorted watering holes each serving two or three local, unique, and utterly satisfying brews. More than the beer, though, was the way each Kneipe also served as a common gathering place for local residents of all ages and backgrounds to mix, mingle, and converse freely among themselves about topics great and small.

Oddly enough, it was my appreciation for this latter aspect of German culture that ultimately helped shed some light on the enduring conundrum posed by the former. Since my initial bicycling sojourn, I had constantly asked myself and others how such warm, welcoming and cultured people, obviously enamored of and personifying “Gemutlichkeit”, could stand by and allow over 6,000,000 of their fellow citizens to be systematically slaughtered at the whim of a madman.

Prior to my arrival in Freiburg for that year of study, the best answer I could pry out of any serious source (from my university professors to multiple history books) was that the entire country had somehow gone crazy during that period. Of course, this “answer” did nothing but pique my curiosity further.

In the course of my first few visits to “Kupi’s Kneipe” the local tavern (maybe a little too) conveniently placed between Freiburg University and the student dorms, I was careful not to press the issue, convinced that doing so would just yield the same non-answer. Eventually, though, I became more of a known, friendly face, and my German language skills gradually evolved beyond text-book level.

As I developed more than casual friendships with several of the other “regulars”, of all ages, the conversations gradually lengthened and deepened to cover a wide variety of topics, from the American tragedy in Vietnam (still relatively fresh & painful at the time), to Jimmy Carter’s prospects as President.

As my willingness to accept critical views and rationally consider opposing opinions became evident, the multiple layers of emotional armor that separated my companions from the deep personal trauma that had been inflicted on most of them forty years earlier were gradually shed.

The warm camaraderie of shared goodwill eventually had its desired effect and the conversations inevitably turned to the eternal, ever-present “elephant in the room” for every single Bürger who was alive during that period or born thereafter: the Nazi era.

After repeated doses of those legendary liquid anesthetics, the voices would become little more than a whisper. I’d lean forward to catch every phrase and nuance against the background noise of the pub. And then slowly, tortuously, the Truth (as they saw it, anyway) would out. Although stated many ways and using many different words, it ultimately boiled down to this:

‘Of course, what Hitler did to the Jews was wrong.’ they would concede. ‘But’, they would confide in voices even less audible, ‘he also did some good things for Germany’.

In the depths of the depression of the mid 1930’s, when finding enough food to keep themselves and their children alive was the first and only priority for most people, they were willing to overlook the egregious transgressions the Nazi’s made against the rule of law and basic human decency.

They were grateful for the initial improvements in the economy and the material benefits that they believed these improvements would yield for themselves and their families. Whatever twinges of conscience they might have experienced were permanently silenced as they witnessed the horrific fates met by any of their fellow citizens who dared to give voice to their objections.

They were willing to support Hitler (particularly in the 1930’s) because his policies, as reprehensible as they were in some regards, allowed them to feed their families and restored (fleetingly, as it turned out) a sense that “Law and Order” was being maintained.

Never having had to face a similar situation myself, I hesitate to say with any degree of certainty what I would do in those circumstances. I know what I’d like to think I would do, but I also learned a long time ago that an untested character trait is no more than a hope.

The basic flaw in the logic of those unfortunate souls only became apparent to the rest of the world by the end of World War II. As of 1978 it still had not been recognized or accepted by many of those who had lived through it:

When they supported the apparent economic benefits offered by Hitler and his National Socialist Workers Party, they were also supporting his clearly stated rabid antisemitism, his utter disdain for the ideals of Democracy, his commitment to “Lebensraum” at the expense of Germany’s neighbors, and the absolute, utter evil embodied by the madman and his minions.

Many of Germany’s decent citizens would have (had they been given the choice) JUST supported the economic policies which they honestly believed would benefit themselves and their families. What they failed to comprehend, though, (in 1932 and all the way up to 1978) is that the choice they would have preferred was NEVER part of the deal offered by Hitler and his band of murderous thugs.

They didn’t get to pick and choose between policies and outcomes. In the end they had only ONE choice to make and only a very small window of time (1930 to 1932) in which to make it. To paraphrase, courtesy of Mr. Bannon:

“It was very simple, very basic, very clear – it was the entire package; a national referendum, an up or down vote on Hitler: vote NAZI for the Hitler program, all of it [or] vote for the coalition to stop him. Full stop. And the entire package meant the entire package…You were either with Hitler or you were against him.”

In what may prove to be an even more foreboding similarity, Hitler was able to gain and consolidate his power during this period with the support and acquiescence of traditional conservatives within the government who were convinced they could reap the political benefits of supporting him while controlling the baser instincts of him and his party.

Those current-day Republican Senators and Congressmen who think they can just support a few of the aspects of Trump’s agenda that they happen to find appealing while ignoring his utter disdain for Democracy, his totalitarian instincts, and his glaring lack of even the most basic aspects of common human decency face the same simple choice:

  • When they are supporting Trump’s tax bill, they are also unequivocally supporting his cruel and brutal child separation policy.

  • When they applaud his choice of Supreme Court justices, they are also unavoidably lending their moral authority to his blatant racism, extreme misogyny, and small-minded bigotry.

  • The rollback of Federal workplace and environmental regulations for which they smilingly share credit guarantees that the basic checks and balances which have guaranteed the stability of our country for 200 years will inevitably face the same assault.

  • Their coordinated efforts at voter suppression by any means possible telegraphs their willingness to turn a blind eye to his deep conflicts of interest and his relentless assault on the Department of Justice.

  • The rueful expressions and rolling of eyes with which they greet each outrageous, lying tweet inevitably condone his attacks on the free press and the traditions of civil discourse which are the bedrock foundations of our Democracy.

  • Their sheep-like acquiescence to the insults and injustices he has heaped upon our Nation’s steadfast allies, legitimizes his obsequious “bowing & scraping” in front of the worst tyrants and most bloodthirsty dictators of our time.

Of course, we have the benefits of 20/20 hindsight that my companions from Kupi’s did not.

We can see, as History has proven repeatedly, and as Steve Bannon has put it so succinctly:

As a nation, we have ONE choice to make.

I KNOW which side of History I choose to stand on.  How about you?

An Open Letter to PA Senator Patrick Toomey:

by James P. Shafer, posted in Bridges Not Walls, Defending the Constitution, Impeach Trump, National Security, Resist Trump, Uncategorized

Dear Senator Toomey,

When I originally wrote to you shortly after the election in 2016 to express my grave concerns about the suitability of the then president-elect for the position he had gained under very suspicious circumstances, you quite diplomatically made note of Hillary Clinton’s own thoughts on the matter:

“When talking about the President-elect during her concession speech, Hillary Clinton said that “we owe him an open mind and the chance to lead” and that she hopes “he will be a successful president for all Americans.”

You went on to state: “I agree with her sentiments and look forward to working together to help improve the lives of all Pennsylvanians”

Those were noble sentiments from both of you and I honestly hoped the sense of optimism and decency that each of you expressed would be borne out by future events.

For the past 18 months, though, we have all been watching and waiting for that man, occupying the most powerful position on the planet, to grow-up and grow into the grave responsibilities of his office. Every day the lies, the scandals, the corruption, and the cruel brutality of the man and his coterie of self-serving cronies become ever more evident and more destructive to the values and ideals shared by ALL Americans of every political persuasion.

His latest and most blatant act in defiance of the oath that he swore to protect and defend the Constitution proves beyond any doubt (to anyone with the courage to face the truth) what many of us have suspected all along: He is NOT our president.  He IS (either willfully or through sheer, arrogant ignorance) an agent of a foreign and hostile power.

In light of these facts, I would like to remind you of the parting thought you expressed in your letter to me from January 27 of 2017:

“ – as well as standing up against the President-elect when he does not carry out his duties appropriately.”

The italics are mine as is this question: Precisely when do you intend to stand-up against this traitorous debacle of a man?  Words will no longer suffice.  Action is required of you and all those who put the good of our country first.

As your Constituents and your fellow Americans, we are waiting.

Sincerely,

James P. Shafer

The Peculiar Power of Truth:

by James P. Shafer, posted in Bridges Not Walls, Defending the Constitution, Ethics in Government, Impeach Trump, Resist Trump, Uncategorized

Unobtrusive enough that it is hard to precisely define, yet so pervasive that it directly effects the outcome of EVERY Human endeavor . . .

So unassuming that it can easily be drowned-out by those spouting “Alternate Facts” as the basis for their preferred reality, yet so unrelenting that it eventually outlasts and overpowers ALL falsehoods and fabrications . . .

Often so ephemeral that those who ignore its consequences feel emboldened to deny it entirely, but powerful enough to support the history, institutions and destiny of any Nation committed to its ideals . . .

Quiet and muted in its manifestations but unflinching and overwhelming in the judgements it renders against those who betray it . . .

Easily dismissed as irrelevant by the arrogant, ignorant, poor excuse for a human being that fools himself into thinking he is worthy to lead this great Nation, yet a potent, unrelenting, and omnipotent foe that will inevitably escort Trump, his congenitally corrupt family, and his boot-licking minions in the Republican Party to the ash heap of history where they so rightly belong.

We are now in the middle of a long and arduous struggle to banish these parasites from our Nation’s highest offices.  We seek to reclaim the heritage that previous occupants of these institutions (of every stripe and political party) have fought so nobly to protect and defend.  Given the daily attacks mounted on our collective ideals, it is easy to become discouraged and dis-heartened.

Take heart, though, for:

By now, even Trump knows in his soul that his downfall and disgrace is inevitable.  His ever more tenuous grasp on reality and frantic casting about for others to blame for his own fatal flaws are all the evidence that any of us needs that he WILL eventually be defeated – by the TRUTH!

 

 

 

“The Time To Hesitate Is Through” . . .

by James P. Shafer, posted in Bridges Not Walls, Defending the Constitution, Ethics in Government, Impeach Trump, Resist Trump

No, I didn’t vote for him, but I WAS willing to give him a chance.  Mostly because the stakes were so high and I really did not and still do not relish the thought of watching ANY American President fail.

Responding to one of my letters, the senior Republican Senator from my state wrote to me shortly after the inauguration to say that the newly elected president deserved our respect and the right to choose his cabinet, (although he seemed to be picking people intent on destroying the very institutions they were supposed to be leading).  I had my doubts, but figured that the well-respected and very experienced Senator probably knew more about the situation than I did.

When the Speaker of the House assured the country that the president was just unfamiliar with the legal, moral, and ethical standards required of ANY elected official in this country I was, I admit, more than a little skeptical, put trusted that the Republicans (several of whom I have voted for on many occasions) wouldn’t jeopardize the survival of our Democracy for any perceived short-term political advantage.

As the unyielding assault on every value that we as a Nation share and hold dear continues from the Oval Office, I have been waiting for the fabled “Party of Lincoln” to rise above their partisan bickering and vacuous posturing to take a united stand against the barrage of lies and atrocities being committed daily in their name by their standard bearer.

Until a couple of weeks ago, one true American Hero, John McCain was the only Republican Senator with the courage and conviction to stand consistently against Trump’s malicious lies and mean-minded, dearly held ignorance.  Now, freed from the need to run for re-election, Senator Bob Corker seems to have simultaneously found his moral compass and his voice of reason.

Both of these gentlemen are to be commended for having the courage to face the Truth and address the very real danger that Trump’s continued occupation of the Oval Office poses to our country and the World.

To those timid Republican souls who profess to be our elected representatives but refuse to accept the responsibility implicit in the solemn oath they swore upon taking office:

You may have forgotten your pledge, but “We the People” have not.

Perhaps you have calculated that your egregious abdication of responsibility will be forgiven if only you can continue to deal with the devil in the White House long enough to move ahead with a few favored pieces of your conservative agenda.

Will you still feel the same way when this wreck of a president whom you have been implicitly supporting and enabling finally faces his first serious, Life or Death test as our Nation’s leader?

Whether it be on the Korean Peninsula. in the streets of Tehran, or somewhere else that isn’t even “on the radar” yet,  you know that test is coming and so do I.  You know with the same dread certainty that I feel in my gut, (and that is shared by John McCain, Bob Corker, Rex Tillerson, and most other sentient beings on the planet) that Trump’s abject failure in the face of such a crucial test is a foregone conclusion.

A man so accustomed to and comfortable in the gutter cannot be expected to rise any higher.

As a truly concerned citizen of the Nation that was once considered “Indispensable” for the continued peace, prosperity and well-being of the civilized World, I ask that you dispense (at least temporarily) with your ill-fated quest for short term political advantage.

Act now for the common good and the general welfare of the country.  Use the power that has been vested in you by your fellow citizens.  Break the grip that this unaccomplished parasite has on the very throat of our Democracy and return him to the gutter from whence he came.

“We the People” are waiting and the World is watching.

 

 

We Are Under Attack And Our President Is Leading The Charge Against Us

by James P. Shafer, posted in Bridges Not Walls, Defending the Constitution, Impeach Trump, Resist Trump, Uncategorized

First and foremost, the duty of our Nation’s President is to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.

Polls, politics, policies, and agendas are all faint and far distant priorities compared to that central tenet contained in the solemn oath sworn by this and every other President since the founding of our Republic.

Allegations of collusion between members of trump’s cronies and cyber-forces under the direct command of Vladimir Putin during last year’s Presidential campaign are (as yet) unproven and will not be debated here.

What is beyond dispute, though, in the well informed and carefully considered judgement of our Nation’s Intelligence and Security professionals is that those forces (patriotic individuals according to mobster & murderer in chief Vladimir Putin) launched a prolonged and systematic attack on America’s most cherished and admired birth-right: Free and Fair Elections.

So how does the individual who freely assumed responsibility for defending that right (along with all others enshrined in our Constitution) against all enemies foreign and domestic react to this assault?

By questioning the intelligence, integrity, and motives of those dedicated individuals who have made it their life’s work to make sure that our “President” has the information he needs to protect us all in an increasingly dangerous confrontation with our most implacable foe in decades.

Although the Putin’s mobsters have repeatedly been caught red-handed using the same tactics of massive dis-information, phishing and hacking schemes to challenge and subvert the democratic process throughout the Western Democracies, trump (despite earlier half-hearted admissions to the contrary) continues to push Putin’s party line that “nobody really knows” who is behind the carefully targeted attacks on our most fundamental institution.

The President of the United States said last week that only four of our Nation’s seventeen Intelligence and Security agencies agreed with the assessment that the Putin’s henchmen were behind the cyber-attack that called into question the credibility of last year’s election.  What he declined to mention, though, is that those four agencies (the FBI, CIA, NSA, & DNI) are THE organizations within our Government that are specifically tasked with protecting our Nation and our system of government against such threats.

It is obvious that the stalwart members of those U.S. government agencies take their oaths and responsibilities a LOT more seriously than does their “Commander In Chief”.

This is NOT a matter of party affiliation.  It is NOT a case open to different interpretations or “alternative facts”.  Policy differences and political agendas have no bearing on this matter.

The state sponsored corruption machine designed and operated by Vladimir Putin has attacked the United States and most of our Allies at the very core of our Democratic institutions.  They have been caught doing so repeatedly by those whom we have entrusted with the defense of our Nation.

Our “President” has openly denounced those dedicated patriots who defend us against these attacks.  He has clearly, repeatedly, and unequivocally defended those who would destroy our system of government as well as the U.S. Constitution in which the principles of that system are enshrined.

“Whose side is he on, anyway?” would be a pretty fair question in light of these circumstances.

It is also, unfortunately, an entirely unnecessary question as trump has already demonstrated through both words and deeds that he is leading the charge against us.

 

 

 

We’re So Sorry Eric & Ivanka …

by James P. Shafer, posted in Bridges Not Walls, Defending the Constitution, Emoluments Clause, Ethics in Government, Impeach Trump, Politics, Resist Trump, Uncategorized

That (in Eric’s case) you’ve: “Never seen hatred like this”; Or, in the words of Ivanka: “There is a level of viciousness that I was not expecting”.

It’s just that when you blatantly leverage you father’s name (with his explicit support and encouragement) to increase the revenue and net worth of your family’s business empire in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution which your father took an oath to protect and defend, some folks tend to get just a tad touchy.

When your father goes out of his way to insult world leaders who have stood by us in the darkest of times while warmly embracing the most blood soaked and corrupt dictators alive, some people might forget their manners.

When each of you, personally, feel free to trample the anti-nepotism laws and ethical standards which are designed to protect the rest of us from greedy and rapacious parasites of the type that you now personify, yes, some of us DO get a little hot under the collar.  Try to understand.

When the corrupt, crony capitalists appointed by your father to be the guardians of our democratic institutions use their offices to enrich themselves while systematically dismantling the very agencies they are supposed to be managing for the benefit of the people who pay their salaries, tact tends to fall by the wayside.

When your spouse tries to circumvent the safeguards designed to protect us all by surreptitiously establishing direct contact with what is in-arguably our country’s most dangerous foe, some of us might fail to see the big picture.  We don’t mean to be disrespectful of your obviously superior intellect.

Some of us DO take it personally when your father blithely dismantles long standing international agreements, turns a blind eye to the on-going atrocities committed by his strong-man heroes, and works tirelessly to destroy America’s hard won position as the political, economic and (most importantly) moral leader of the world’s democracies.  Please forgive us.

When the defining moments of your father’s term to date have been the blatant lies, mis-representations and vicious attacks against anyone with the temerity to raise a dissenting opinion, diplomacy might be one of the first victims.

When the very moral precepts upon which this country was founded and for which thousands of our fellow patriots past and present have paid dearly in blood, are heedlessly ignored in your father’s blind pursuit of fame and personal attention, I’ll admit it, even I tend to neglect the niceties of social discourse.

When every day that your father remains in the office for which he is so obviously unsuited brings evermore egregious damage to the reputation and standing of the great nation we all aspire to be part of, patience tends to wear a bit thin.  I understand that’s no excuse for offending your tender sensibilities.

We’ll all try to be more careful and considerate in the future.

Feel better now?

 

 

 

 

“Absolute Right” but still Absolutely Wrong! . . .

by James P. Shafer, posted in Defending the Constitution, Ethics in Government, Impeach Trump, Politics, Resist Trump, Uncategorized

It was bound to happen sooner or later.  The trumpster finally tweeted something that I happen to agree with, stating that he has the “Absolute Right” to divulge any information he is privy to to whomever he chooses.

That is true, any President DOES have that right, as well as many others.  The Constitution grants the holder of that office with incredibly wide latitude to conduct the affairs of state in any way he sees fit.

Which is, of course, precisely why it is so crucially important that the holder of that office has the maturity, judgement, and discipline to wield those awesome powers responsibly.

Since January 20, the entire planet has had a front row seat to the endless series of (mostly self-inflicted) crises and debacles emanating directly from the Oval Office.  The astounding levels of ignorance, arrogance, and ineptitude have caused tremors of genuine, well-founded, fear among concerned citizens and well-meaning allies around the World.

This particular firestorm centered around the bloviator-in-chief’s willingness to divulge highly classified information, provided to the U.S. under the good graces of a genuine ally who shared that information with our own intelligence services with the clear understanding and entirely reasonable expectation that it would not be divulged to other parties.

There are two possible explanations for what happened next:

#1.) Desperately eager to please his Russian handlers, our fearless leader felt compelled to impress them with the top secret intelligence to which he now has full access not realizing that by doing so he would be divulging sensitive information to an avowed hostile power who is actively working against U.S. interests throughout the World.

#2) He knew full well what he was doing and the damage it would cause to the security of our country, but for reasons currently known only to trump himself and Vladimir Putin, chose to divulge that information anyway.

On January 20, 2017, trump stood before a middling sized crowd and the eyes of the World and swore to:

“. . . preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

This unfortunate incident COULD simply be the result of willful ignorance and profound stupidity.  It could also very well be out of deliberate and self-serving malice.  Whatever the root cause, with this single action trump has conclusively demonstrated that he is unfit to fulfill his pledge and unable to responsibly discharge the duties of the office.

If the former cause turns out to be the case, removal under Article 25 of that Constitution is probably the appropriate course of action.  If it is the latter, (as I personally suspect it will be), Impeachment and (long) imprisonment for treason is the best outcome trump can hope for.

Whatever the final outcome, I can only hope that it comes to pass before this ultimate loser has the opportunity to inflict any more permanent damage on our country.

 

Brace for Impact . . .

by James P. Shafer, posted in Bridges Not Walls, Defending the Constitution, Ethics in Government, Impeach Trump, Resist Trump

Have you ever wondered why the Flight Attendants waste 10 minutes of everybody’s time before every flight pointing out all the safety procedures and emergency exits even though we’ve all heard it a million times before and could repeat the whole spiel back to them word-for-word?

They’re not doing it for their own or our amusement.  They’re not doing it for the 999,999 out of 1,000,000 flights for which everything goes as smooth as glass from take-off to touchdown.

They’re doing it for when things GO SERIOUSLY WRONG (as in Miracle On The Hudson level of wrong).

Ever wonder why:

  • There are three separate, distinct, and (theoretically) independent branches of the U.S. Government?
  • Supreme Court Justices are appointed for life?
  • The Attorney General and other senior members of the Executive Branch have to be confirmed by the Legislative Branch?
  • The President doesn’t get to make the laws, but can only carry-out laws that have been passed by Congress?
  • The Constitution prohibits the President from receiving anything of value from a foreign power?

All of these strictures are not needed for the majority of the time when our Government is being run by honest, capable, and honorable men and women.  They are there because the Founders of our Democracy knew from experience that, Human Nature being what it is, sooner or later things would go SERIOUSLY WRONG.  If their cherished experiment in self-governance were to survive, mechanisms to limit and repair the damage would need to be firmly established and adhered to.

Most of us learned the above civics lessons before we were out of the 8th grade.  Our bloviating bigot of a president evidently missed that year.  How else can you explain his constant wailing and bickering about the interfering Judges who won’t let him discriminate to his heart’s content?  Or his impatience with the Legislative Branch which refuses to rubber-stamp his every ill-conceived whim?

Or, even more ominously, his increasingly blatant disregard for the Constitutional limits on the power of the office he currently occupies which are their precisely to protect the rest of us from the excesses and naked personal ambitions of the tyrant he evidently yearns to become.

For the good of us all, though, it appears that he is about to be taught the one responsibility granted to the Congress to be used as a last resort in times of mortal danger to the very fabric of the Republic:

  • The power to remove the President from office.

 

It Is Time.

 

 

 

DOOMED by the TRUTH:

by James P. Shafer, posted in Bridges Not Walls, Defending the Constitution, Ethics in Government, Impeach Trump, Politics, Resist Trump

“We hold these truths to be self-evident . . .”

Unique among the family of nations, America was founded on the bedrock of Truth. Our improbable success as a fledgling Republic, arrayed against a host of hostile and powerful monarchies, was due in large part to the power of that Truth and our predecessors unflinching dedication to defending it.

The intervening two and a half centuries have seen several world-wide empires come and go, brutal dictatorships rise and fall, competing ideologies crumble under the weight of their own fallacies. All the while, guided by the strength and adhering to the veracity of those founding principles, America has risen to its current unique and indispensable position among the nations of the World.

Can you imagine a World where international relations are dominated by the moral code of Putin’s Russia? Where defenseless citizens are left to the tender mercies of thugs like Kim Jong Un and his band of assassins in North Korea? Where peaceful citizens demonstrating for basic human rights are met with iron fisted terror and repression as happens every day in Bashar al-Assad’s Syria.

If you have been following Donald Trump’s words and actions for any length of time you will recognize the scumbags listed above as some of his favorite tyrants. The current leader of the Free World, OUR COUNTRY – founded on the noble ideals of Truth, Justice and basic Human Dignity, is by his own repeated admission, more comfortable with the words and deeds of some of the most corrupt, brutal and bloodthirsty dictators of this (or any other) century.

Trump is doomed.

I can’t tell you exactly how or when it will happen, but I know for certain that he will not complete even his first term in office. Why? Because we are a Nation built on Truth. All of us, Republicans, Democrats, Libertarian or Tea Party member value Truth and Honesty above all else.

Trump has conclusively demonstrated that he has neither respect for the Truth nor any concept of its inherent power. No matter how he and his cronies try to spin it, his presidency will inevitably face the consequences of that moral failure.

The only question of any import is how much damage his ignorance and ineptitude can do to our Nation and its standing in the World before the TRUTH catches up with him.