Month: September 2018

Looking Back 17 Years To September 11, 2001, And This Day A Tuesday, Not To Happen Again Until 2029

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It is hard to believe, but it has been 17 years since the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Today is a Tuesday, the actual day of the week of the attack, not to be repeated again until 2029.

America lost whatever innocence it had on that day, when we lost 3,000 innocent human beings, and then lost 4.500 in the unnecessary Iraq War, that was planned as an excuse to go after Saddam Hussein, as well as the endless war in Afghanistan, where we have lost 2,400.

Additionally, about 2,000 firefighters, police, and rescue workers involved in the recovery have died from inhaling dust at the World Trade Center site, and many more are dying of cancer, so soon, we will have more victims in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks domestically, than actually died on that day.

Sadly, Osama Bin Laden, although later tracked down and killed in 2011, has triumphed in dividing the nation into a polarized state, and taken away our freedom and sense of security, under attack not only from terrorists, but also from right wingers who want to destroy our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Their willing ally is President Donald Trump, who wishes to be President for life, and is systematically destroying our rule of law and constitutional order, without any intervention or opposition from the Republican party that nominated him. Now, he is being further assisted by the contested nomination of a Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh, who seems ready to back Trump in any legal action, and prevent prosecution of a President who has committed Treason, and engaged in collaboration with Vladimir Putin of Russia, to fix his election, despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes.

America is in a constitutional crisis far greater than Watergate and Richard Nixon, with only the Civil War a greater event in its significance, and the crisis must be overcome by patriotic Americans who realize how dangerous Trump is, and MUST elect a Democratic Congress, and start the resistance to what Trump has been doing, in order to save everything decent that America represents.

Donald Trump’s “Witch Hunt” Against “Anonymous”, Calling Him/Her Engaged In “Treason And Sedition” A Dangerous Move That Must Be Rejected By Attorney General Jeff Sessions

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Donald Trump is furious over the New York Times “Anonymous” article published last week, just as news of Bob Woodward’s new book on the Trump Presidency, due out tomorrow, started to leak out a week before the official date of the book, September 11.

Trump wants to find out who in the government published this article in the New York Times, as he has accused that person, him or her, as engaged in “Treason and Sedition”.

This is a preposterous charge, as whether Trump likes it or not, the issue here is warning the American people of the danger of Donald Trump in the White House, by someone who knows the inside information on the mental instability of the 45th President.

It is an issue of freedom of speech, and no one can be prosecuted for doing what this person did, as we are not a dictatorship, where people are prosecuted for their thoughts and statements.

And yet, Trump has indicated that he plans to ask Attorney General Jeff Sessions to begin an investigation at Trump’s demand. Sessions already has been bitterly condemned and ridiculed by Trump, more than any cabinet member in history, since Sessions recused himself from the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017, and it would seem that Sessions will refuse to do what Trump wants.

And it is also likely that FBI Director Chris Wray will also refuse to use the FBI as a political weapon against whoever published the New York Times article.

So we are likely to see ever more crazy behavior coming out of the White House, as Trump explodes in rage, and likely will finally fire both Sessions and Wray, creating a more serious constitutional crisis than the initial firing of former FBI head James Comey in May 2017.

So the Trump Presidency is in a new stage, as Trump goes further berserk, and stretches the Constitution beyond its norms, as he continues to obstruct justice.

Barack Obama Finally Gets Back On The Campaign Trail

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It was wonderful to see Barack Obama get back on the campaign trail these last few days.

Obama had been reluctant to criticize his successor, Donald Trump, as George W. Bush had scrupulously avoided criticizing Obama, although former Vice President Dick Cheney had had no such qualms.

But the abuses and outrages that have occurred in the past 19 plus months forced Obama to decide to campaign, and Trump has waged war on everything Barack Obama represents, and has worked to destroy all of his accomplishments.

So many wondered why it took this long for Obama to go on the offensive.

His first two speeches in Illinois and California were brilliant, and many scholars and observers realize Obama is, in many respects, a master orator, on the level of Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump made fun of Obama, saying that he fell asleep listening to Obama’s speech, a statement never used before by any President against any former President.

What it comes down to is that Trump cannot match Obama in any sense in oratory or speech making, and instead just bad mouths him, as he has all along, as well as everyone else in public life.

It also demonstrates how lacking in intellect and knowledge and depth Donald Trump is, in many ways the least informed President in American history.

Hopefully, Obama’s intervention in the midterm elections of 2018 will have the needed impact to make the Democrats the big winners in November.

Gerald Ford’s Pardoning Of Richard Nixon 44 Years Ago Today Should NOT Be Repeated For Donald Trump When And If Mike Pence Becomes President

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On this day, 44 years ago, President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon, immediately undermining his Presidency, and insuring his defeat in a close race with Jimmy Carter for a full term in the Presidency in the election of 1976.

Ford was appointed Vice President under the terms of the 25th Amendment in October 1973, and confirmed and sworn in two months later, after Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned due to his own scandalous behavior.

Gerald Ford had nothing to do with the Watergate scandal, but by pardoning Nixon, while others involved in the scandal went to prison, he became highly controversial, and was attacked and vilified by many.

A quarter century later, however, Ford’s reputation revived, when a major critic, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, arranged for an award to be given to the former President, the John F. Kennedy library “Profile in Courage Award”.

Ford looks much better in history now, and in many ways, is the model of what an old style Republican President should be like, in the age of Donald Trump.

But this occasion of the pardoning of Richard Nixon brings to mind the idea that at some point, Donald Trump might be pardoned for his crimes, and the answer should be absolutely not, as Trump has gone way beyond Richard Nixon in his crimes, and will be shown to have committed treason, which no one has ever said Nixon did.

IF Vice President Mike Pence overcomes suspicions of his own collaboration and involvement in this massive scandal we are dealing with now, the worst thing he could do is pardon Donald Trump.

Unfortunately, there is no legal way to prevent such an action, but if it occurs, there will be a firestorm much worse than Ford experienced in 1974, and it would insure that Mike Pence would have no chance to be elected for a full term.

It would also further cement the demise of the Republican Party reputation, and likely, the future of the party under that name, and it could lead to the destruction of that party apparatus, and its replacement by a new mainstream conservative oriented political party.

It Is Time For Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, And Red State Democrats To Put Nation Ahead Of Their Own Senate Seats

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It is perfectly understood that all people who work like to keep their jobs and earn their income.

But there is no member of the US Senate that is “desperate” and “needy” to keep their jobs.

What is needed now is, as John F. Kennedy wrote, “Profiles in Courage”.

Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, so called “moderate” Republicans, need to stand up and say, “NO WAY”, would they support Brett Kavanaugh to fill the available seat on the Supreme Court, since he clearly has a record of being anti abortion, and both women Senators claim they are pro choice, so they must refuse to support him.

It is clear that Brett Kavanaugh has committed perjury a number of times in earlier hearings before the Senate while under oath, and he should not be promoted to the Supreme Court, with his record of pursuing Bill Clinton with Ken Starr 20 years ago; his advocacy of torture in the Iraq War; his promotion of an anti gay marriage amendment under George W. Bush; and his unwillingness to say he would recuse himself from any case involving Trump and the scandals that have erupted in the past two years.

But even if Collins and Murkowksi were to back off on Kavanaugh, the requirement also is for Red State Democrats, who are running for reelection, to vote against Kavanaugh in unison, even if it leads to their defeat, which seems unlikely in the present political climate.

So that means West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp, Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly, Montana Senator Jon Tester, and Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill MUST save the nation from a Right Wing extremist Supreme Court, even if they lose their seats, putting the nation ahead of their own ambitions.

America Is Now Really In The Greatest Crisis Since Richard Nixon And Watergate, But This Is Worse!

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There has been discussion going on for two years now, since Donald Trump became the nominee of the Republican Party in the summer of 2016, and intensified when he won a surprising Electoral College victory, that we were as a nation entering a constitutional crisis. Tensions have since accelerated by his rash and reckless behavior and utterances in his 19 plus months in office.

But this year, first in Michael Wolff’s book; then in Omarosa Manigault Newman’s memoir; and this week in Bob Woodward’s new book and yesterday’s New York Times op-ed by a high ranking official of the Trump Administration, all warning of the dangers of Donald Trump, and his totally unhinged behavior being more than ever a national crisis, we have now reached a stage where it is clear that we are in a more terrifying moment than even Richard Nixon and Watergate!

It is time for the Republican Party to put aside politics, and join the Democrats in demanding that Donald Trump resign, or that the 25th Amendment Section 4 be invoked.

Trump is more crazy than ever in his rhetoric, unstable actions, his amorality, and in his volcanic fury, with half hour rants, that could cause a heart attack or a stroke in most people, if occurring regularly.

The nation’s national security and stability is at stake, and this is not a time to promote division and conflict, so Paul Ryan, Orrin Hatch, Mitch McConnell and other GOP leaders need to end partisanship, and unite with the Democrats to promote the nation’s welfare over partisan wrangling.

We are in danger of a insane man utilizing the nuclear codes, and of an economic depression, and even though many might not be happy with Mike Pence, at the least, he is not mentally unhinged, or incompetent, and is not a reckless person who would undermine the nation. And with a likely Democratic House, even if not the Senate being likely in 2019. Mike Pence would be controlled to a great extent, and he would not win the Presidency for a full term in 2020.

Supreme Court Justice Predictability Not So: Nine Cases From Felix Frankfurter To David Souter

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As the hearings continue on the nomination of Circuit Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the question has arisen over whether Supreme Court Justices are predictable in their evolution on the Court.

The argument is that most Supreme Court Justices are “pegged” when they are considered for the Court, and do not disappoint the President and the party which nominated them for the Court.

But history actually tells us that there are quite a few exceptions to this perceived thought.

Felix Frankfurter (1939-1962), appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, migrated from an earlier liberal, almost radical view, to a clearly conservative view, disappointing many Democrats in the process.

Earl Warren (1953-1969), appointed Chief Justice by Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, and thought to be a conservative oriented person, turned out in the mind of many Republicans “a flaming liberal”, totally surprising Eisenhower and many pleased Democrats and liberals.

William Brennan (1956-1990), appointed by Eisenhower, and a rare Catholic on the Court, and thought to be a conservative, turned out to be even more liberal in his jurisprudence, and lasted twice as long as Warren on the Supreme Court, stunning many conservatives and Republicans.

Byron White (1962-1993), appointed by John F. Kennedy, was thought to be a liberal, but was a consistent conservative in his years on the Court.

Harry Blackmun (1970-1994), appointed by Richard Nixon, started off as a conservative, along with his so called “Minnesota Twin” and colleague, Chief Justice Warren Burger, but veered sharply left more and more, diverging dramatically from Burger as the years went by, and honored by liberals as a great Supreme Court Justice.

John Paul Stevens (1975-2010), appointed by Gerald Ford, was thought to be a moderate conservative, but dramatically moved left in his jurisprudence, and remained on the Court for 35 years, third longest of any Justice in history, retiring at age 90, but still active at age 98 (the longest lived Justice ever), and still promoting liberal viewpoints.

Sandra Day O’Connor (1981-2006), appointed by Ronald Reagan as first woman on the Court, turned out to be far less conservative, veering toward the center, and seen as a balance on the Court, unpredictable during her tenure on the Court.

Anthony Kennedy (1988-2018), appointed by Reagan, and just retired, thought to be a hard line conservative, turned out to be the second “swing” vote with O’Connor, and then the true “swing” vote on the Court, joining the liberal side one third of the time.

David Souter (1990-2009), appointed by George H. W. Bush, was thought of as moving the Court to the Right, after William Brennan retired, but many Republicans and conservatives were severely disappointed in his unpredictability, and often his siding with the liberal view on many issues, more than one would have expected.

Notice, however, that seven of these nine cases, all but Frankfurter and White, were of Republican appointments that turned out to be much more “liberal” than one might have imagined, with only Frankfurter and White turning out to be more “conservative” than perceived at the time of their nominations to the Supreme Court.

First Revelations From Bob Woodward Book On Donald Trump Makes For A Greater Constitutional Crisis Than Even Realized Until Now

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The new Bob Woodward book–FEAR: TRUMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE–is not due out until Tuesday, September 11, but early revelations about the contents of the book make it clear that America and the world is in its greatest constitutional and foreign policy crisis since the infamous September 11, 2001!

The book contains evidence that the top people around Trump think of him as a moron, an idiot, a sixth grader, as someone who cannot be taught or explained anything, as an unhinged person who is dangerous and unstable. Trump is also described as a compulsive liar, and someone who is regularly furious, angry, and frustrated for long periods of time, and spending hours watching cable news and utilizing Twitter.

Those cited include John Kelly, White House Chief of Staff; James Mattis, Secretary of Defense; Rob Porter, former White House Staff Secretary to the President; Reince Preibus, former White House Chief of Staff; Gary Cohn, former Presidential Economic Adviser; and Rex Tillerson, former Secretary of State.

A lot of incendiary and insulting language is used by these people and others in quotes that Woodward gained in doing his research, This has never happened to this extent before, not even under President Richard Nixon during Watergate!

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are also described in an unflattering manner, as acting privileged and self serving.

So as much as we knew or perceived before, now we are fully in awareness of the potential disaster we are facing, and the urgency of the immediate removal of Donald Trump from the Oval Office!

The good thing is that Kelly and Mattis, both military veterans, are staying on for now, and they can help protect the nation from the maniacal behavior of Trump, including, apparently, the prevention of the signing by Trump of documents that would be destructive in domestic and foreign policy, with Trump apparently not aware that the documents he was supposed to sign had disappeared.

If and when these two military veterans are fired or choose to resign, then the danger of Trump becoming ever more dangerous to the nation and the world accelerates.

Seriously, with obvious dismay by many Trump associates, it is time for Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, Section 4, and remove Trump from the Oval Office sooner, rather than later!

The Record And Views Of Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh Could Determine Constitutional Law To 2050!

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Tomorrow, the contentious hearings on the nomination of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will begin in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

These will be the most controversial set of hearings since 1987 and Robert Bork, and 1991, with Clarence Thomas.

On both of those occasions, the Democrats controlled the Senate, and Bork was rejected by a vote of 58-42, while Thomas was confirmed by a vote of 52-48.

The effect of Justice Clarence Thomas for the past 27 years has been profound, with many future potential Circuit Court or Supreme Court candidates having clerked for him.

Thomas has been trying to take us back to the Articles of Confederation in many ways, but also admiring Presidential power at the same time.

This is the danger of Brett Kavanaugh, that he would take America domestically back to the Gilded Age, wiping out the New Deal, Great Society, and everything Barack Obama changed.

He comes across on the surface as a pleasant, nice man, but it is all very misleading.

This is a man who worked for Ken Starr in the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and now Kavanaugh has changed his view of Presidential power 180 degrees.

This is a man who worked in the White House for George W. Bush, and helped to plan the idea of an anti gay marriage amendment, that was part of the campaign of Bush in 2004. And now, Donald Trump has used executive privilege to prevent 100,000 documents from Kavanaugh’s time in the Bush White House from being made available, which is another controversy now created, as why should the Senate be unable to examine all pertinent material about a nominee?

This is a man who worked to deny September 11 victims the ability to sue for damages, limiting unsuccessfully that intent.

This is a man who in his Circuit Court decisions has come out against abortion rights, against ObamaCare, against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, against labor union rights, and willing to support limitations on voting rights.

This is a man who might be able to vote on whether Donald Trump can be indicted or prosecuted, and should recuse himself on any such matters as a conflict of interest, but likely will not do so. Justice William Rehnquist, when new on the Court as an Associate Justice, recused himself from the US Vs. Richard Nixon case in 1974 (after which Richard Nixon resigned), because Rehnquist had worked in the Justice Department under Nixon. So that famous and significant case was 8-0, not 9-0 or 8-1, and at the least, a Justice Kavanaugh should recuse himself from any case involving possible legal action against Donald Trump.

Kavanaugh could affect future decisions on campaign finance, climate change, election gerrymandering, and travel bans, and regulation of guns.

He would also create a right wing conservative Court, unlike any since 85 years ago.

And being only 53, he could be on the Supreme Court until 2050, when he would reach 85 years of age.

This would be the most long range effect of Donald Trump, no matter how much longer he remains in the Presidency, along with the 26 and more Circuit Court confirmations already accomplished by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, along with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.

The Democrats’ only hope would be IF all 49 Democrats hold fast (highly unlikely); Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowksi (both pro choice on abortion) abandoning the party ties on this vote (highly unlikely); and the person who replaces John McCain in the Senate (maybe Cindy McCain) joining the two women Republican Senators in voting against Kavanaugh (highly unlikely).

Donald Trump: The Mob Boss And Massive Liar Who Wishes He Could Be President For Life!

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Evidence is rapidly emerging of Donald Trump being much like a “Mob Boss”, who has had connections in the past with the Italian Mafia in New York City, and also with the Russian Mafia that has emerged under the leadership of Vladimir Putin.

This should be seen by any sane person as alarming, as the last thing we need is Organized Crime gaining an inner sanctum in the Oval Office.

Trump is also a massive liar, with more than 4,000 lies, an average of between 6-7 times a day, and rapidly accelerating.

The situation is very clear, that America is threatened by a man who has stated that he wishes to be President for life, a tyrant such as we see in totalitarian dictatorships.

That is why working to elect a Democratic Congress and more Democratic Governors is urgent for the sustaining of our democracy.

If the Republicans in Congress, who have been unwilling to hold Trump’s feet to the fire, somehow keep control of both chambers, and the majority of Governorships, then America is indeed in great danger in 2019.

Americans have not fought and sacrificed their lives to see all of their traditions and accomplishments destroyed by a would be dictator, who is mentally unhinged!