Bill Of Rights

Gerald Ford, The Right Person To Succeed Richard Nixon, But Is Mike Pence The Right Person To Succeed Donald Trump? NO!

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On this day in 1974, the nation was fortunate that Richard Nixon resigned, and Gerald Ford became President of the United States.

We needed someone like Gerald Ford to heal the nation after the Watergate Scandal, and Ford fit the situation very well.

A respectable member of the House of Representatives for 25 years, House Minority Leader for the last nine of those years, and Vice President by appointment for eight months under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, we were fortunate that he was next in line for the Presidency, instead of corrupt Vice President Spiro Agnew, who would have been a disaster in the Presidency, dividing the nation even more than Richard Nixon.

Ford was controversial for pardoning Nixon one month into his Presidency, and it helped to cause his defeat, along with the strong right wing conservative challenge of former California Governor Ronald Reagan, but he had the right personality and instincts, and as a moderate conservative, was able to work with both parties, considering that the opposition Democrats controlled both houses.

Ford was an honest, decent man, and his wife Betty was arguably the most accessible and decent modern Republican First Lady, sharing her private turmoil with alcohol and breast cancer with the nation.

Gerald Ford lost a very close race to Jimmy Carter in 1976, so was the fifth Vice President not to be elected President, the first since Chester Alan Arthur in 1884, but he came to be admired and loved as he aged, and he ended up as the longest living President, when he died at age 93 years and 165 days on December 26, 2006, the same day of the year as Harry Truman died in 1972.

The longevity of Ford will be surpassed by George H. W. Bush if he lives to November 25, just three and a half months from now, and Jimmy Carter will pass Ford’s age on March 15, 2018, although if Bush continues to be alive, it will not break the record of longevity.

Now, however, Mike Pence would be the successor if Donald Trump is impeached and removed, or resigns from office, but Mike Pence is no Gerald Ford. Pence is much more extreme right wing conservative, unlike Ford, and is a religious extremist, promoting church and state combination in government, which is against the spirit of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The policies and programs under Pence, while certainly likely to be somewhat different than Trump, would be dramatically different from those of Gerald Ford.

So one could wish that Gerald Ford could come back from the dead to be available to succeed Donald Trump, but sadly we are going to have to live with a President Pence at some point in the near future.

We can wish him luck, but be prepared to oppose him vigorously in the promotion of his right wing agenda, with less chaos, anarchy, and craziness, but still out of the mainstream of the American people and what they want the policies of our government to be in the future.

Donald Trump, The Authoritarian Who Loves Human Rights Violators, And Promotes The Same In America!

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Donald Trump clearly is an authoritarian personality, and that should be alarming to everyone.

He is a fan of human rights violators, as in Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines, among others.

He talks law and order all the time, while violating law and order on a regular basis.

He is said to have been joking about how police officers should mistreat criminal suspects, forgetting that we have a Bill of Rights and a Constitution that has lasted 228 years.

He advocated violence against demonstrators at his rallies during the 2016 Presidential campaign, and his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, is advocating a tough law and order approach that threatens civil liberties of all of us.

We have a system of separation of powers, and checks and balances, but Donald Trump would love to tip the balance and make himself a dictator, if only he could get away with it.

That is precisely why he must be fully investigated for his actions during the 2016 campaign and while in the Oval Office since January 20, as he presents a menace to our basic freedoms, even more than Richard Nixon in the 1970s.

Can General John Kelly, New White House Chief Of Staff, Reign In Donald Trump? Unlikely!

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Wow, what a week!

First, we have Anthony Scaramucci come in as White House Communications Director and then go on a profanity laced tirade, which reminds us so much of Donald Trump, almost like a mini Trump.

No one at the White House had any issue with this misbehavior, including Kelly Anne Conway, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and the President, who was reported to be very happy with his attack on Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon.

Soon, Reince Priebus, the White House Chief of Staff, is fired, a week after the firing of Sean Spicer, the White House Press Secretary, eliminating the two major connections to the Republican Establishment and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

Meanwhile, the attack on Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Twitter by President Trump continues, and Sessions just shrugs it off, and only says it is “hurtful”.

The President makes a fool of himself and embarrasses the Boy Scout Jamboree with his political comments, and then tells police officers to be brutal with suspects, a violation of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

Then, Trump appoints General John Kelly, the Secretary of Homeland Security, to be his new White House Chief of Staff, and yesterday, his first day on the job, Kelly fired Scaramucci after only ten days in office, and not yet on the payroll!

The chaos and anarchy is continuing, and one had to wonder whether Kelly can reign in Donald Trump, and his behavior, including his abuse of Twitter.

If Kelly cannot do it, then no one can, clear and simple!

The Trump Presidency has reached a new low, and the calendar schedule for his ultimate downfall has been hastened by what, arguably, has been his worst week in office, although every week has been horrendous!

Six Months In, And Talk Of Pardons? Donald Trump Out Of Control, And A Danger To Constitutional Government!

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What is going on is unprecedented, Donald Trump and his staff discussing pardons, after just six months in office!

If there is nothing to hide, no wrong doing, why even discuss what makes it seems that Trump is guilty?

Why block an investigation if one knows he has done nothing that would require the thought of a pardon?

And why the arrogance that a President can pardon himself, when Richard Nixon thought of the idea in 1974, but decided it would make clear of his guilt, and he cared about his name in history?

It is clear that we are in a constitutional crisis far greater than even Richard Nixon forced upon us in 1973-1974.

We have an arrogant man who thinks he is like a King or an Emperor, and he needs to be told that the investigation by Robert Mueller will go forth, and that he had better not dare to have him fired, as that would be an admission of guilt.

At that point, the people around Trump need to resign, and Mike Pence needs to use the 25th Amendment Section 4, and become, at the least, Acting President, as the President will then face the Congress, even under the Republican Party, with the need to move forward on impeachment.

During that crisis period, Trump would be capable of irrational actions, including using nuclear weapons on North Korea, and contemplating martial law and suspension of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

Many would say this is hysteria, but it really is not so, and Mike Pence and the Republicans must put the nation above the President, and do what is right!

The Growing Evidence Of Mental Deterioration, Instability, And Pure Madness Of Donald Trump!

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Many supporters of Donald Trump are living in denial, in a state of refusing to accept reality.

The man has been mentally deteriorating with the pressures of the Presidency over the past five months, and now there are reports that he plans to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading an investigation of the Trump scandals on Russia, on the firing of FBI head James Comey, and on Trump’s breaking of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution.

His instability and erratic behavior is alarming, as he could start a nuclear war in a fit of anger.

He is capable of declaring martial law, if and when a September 11 type attack occurs, or even one far less significant and damaging than that event was.

He is even capable of staging such an attack, copying the strategy of Adolf Hitler, who staged the Reichstag Fire within months after his accession to power in 1933, using it as a pretext to destroy the German Constitution and traditions, and establish his dictatorship.

In many ways, Trump shows signs of madness, and many psychiatrists and psychologists have warned us of the dangers he presents to America and the world.

Many critics would say how can any medical doctor or psychiatrist come to such conclusions without “examining the patient”?

They forget that his staff and others he interacts with see him every day, and have expressed alarm anonymously, at the state of chaos and anxiety in the Oval Office, as Trump thinks things are running smoothly and everything is being accomplished splendidly, and as he rants and raves on Twitter at all hours of the night.

There is enough evidence of how dangerous Donald Trump is, and it is not as if he is just your “crazy uncle” or the next door neighbor.

He is the President of the United States, with the ability to start a world war and destroy our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and it is high time that political leaders of the majority Republican Party come to grips with reality, and do what they should be doing—moving to force Donald Trump out of office as necessary for the nation’s welfare.

In other words, put nation ahead of loyalty to a man, as the American Presidency and American government are more than any person’s advancement or glorification.

We do not wish to see the destruction of the international order, or the dissolution of all of the wonderful programs domestically put into law under administrations of both Democratic and Republican Presidents!

The Sycophants Of The Trump Cabinet And Staff: How Is It Different Than Hitler, Stalin, Putin, Kim Jong Un, And Any Other Dictator?

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It was absolutely sickening to see the entire Trump cabinet and staff put on a performance of “kissing up” to their boss at a televised cabinet meeting yesterday.

This has NEVER happened before, to have the cabinet and advisers act like sycophants, overwhelmingly praising the President for the fact that they have their positions within the administration.

Any Presidential cabinet members from earlier Presidencies would be totally embarrassed and outraged at the image of such outrageous behavior, as if Donald Trump was Adolf Hitler,or Joseph Stalin from the past; or Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong Un or other present day dictators, where those around the “boss” overtly praise their leader in fear of their own lives!

What is wrong with Trump, that he needs this constant boost of ego and worship? This is obnoxious, sick behavior, and has been ridiculed appropriately in the news media, and in a mocking way by Senate Minority leader and Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York with his staff!

It is now clear that there is no chance of the cabinet or Vice President Mike Pence invoking the 25th Amendment, Section 4, no matter how erratic Trump acts, so now we have more to worry about, including a potential nuclear strike against North Korea or Iran; and if a serious terrorist attack like September 11 were to happen, that Trump might wish to declare martial law, and suspend the Constitution and Bill of Rights!

History Tells Us Many States Are Not Protective Of Their Population: Reason Why We Need Federal Government!

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Conservatives and libertarians love to promote the propaganda that “states rights” are the best government, and that state governments are there for their population’s needs.

History tells us otherwise, clear and simple.

“States rights” promoted 76 years of slavery under the Constitution, until it was ended by the Union winning the Civil War over the Confederacy.

“States rights” promoted segregation of the races for nearly a century after the Civil War until the 1960s.

“States rights” promoted laws against marriage, including blacks and whites, and gays and lesbians.

“States rights” promoted vigilante justice, including lynchings, chain gangs, and overly harsh criminal justice laws.

“States rights” promoted men having dominance over their wives in marriages, and resulting abuses toward women.

“States rights” promoted inferior education, including denial of historical facts, and of science, favoring religious ideas over facts.

“States rights” promoted violations of voting rights, with the intent of ruling white upper classes controlling who could vote.

“States rights” promoted denial of health care to people, while insisting on all fetuses being taken to birth against a woman’s wishes.

“States rights” promoted resistance to the Bill of Rights, and to federal government political, social, and economic reforms that made America pursue the goals of democracy, equality, and justice.

Those states that have regularly promoted “states rights” have been the most backward, the most discriminatory, the most regressive. the poorest, and have depended on the more advanced and open minded states for their economic existence.

It is the “Red” states, those in the old Confederate South, and in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain West, where we see the worship of “states rights”, as long as the elite political and religious hierarchy keep control over their populations, and keep them ignorant and under mind control.

History tells us that these states are not protective of the needs of their population, the reason we need a strong, assertive federal government, ready to step in, and having bettered life for people who are seemingly unaware how they have been manipulated by corrupt state governments.

Ike’s Farewell Address Being Ignored By Republican Party And Donald Trump 56 Years Later

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On this day in 1961, with three days left in office, Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his greatest speech in his Farewell Address, warning America about the dangers of the Military-Industrial Complex.

56 years later, the Republican Party and Donald Trump are totally ignoring this warning, and setting America back to the Gilded Age in domestic policy making, and a dangerous isolationism in foreign policy, alienating all of our NATO allies, and creating an unstable world by the lunatic ideas of a man many are calling Trumpolini!

We are moving into very difficult and tumultuous times, and yet 11 million more people voted against Donald Trump than for him, when one counts the 3 million more votes for Hillary Clinton, and the total of 8 million more votes for third party and independent candidates.

Our Electoral College system has put America into a constitutional crisis, with no idea how it will end.

Progressives must commit themselves to fight endlessly against the extremist right wing government, Fascist in many ways, that is about to take over our government.

We will need to be vigilant about our Bill of Rights, and refuse to sit back and allow horrible actions that are against our entire historical tradition.

Most Crucial Trump Cabinet Member To Resist Is Jeff Sessions, Attorney General Nominee— A Danger To Civil Rights And Civil Liberties!

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The Trump cabinet choices are overall horrific, but the most that might be expected is to stop maybe one or two of the nominees.

It is so hard to judge which are the worst of all of them, but clearly, after reflection, the record of Senator Jeff Sessions disqualifies him for the position of Attorney General.

This is a man who has displayed racism, misogyny, nativism, and homophobia, and was opposed to extension of the Voting Rights Act, and he was already rejected for a federal judgeship in 1986 by a Senate with a majority of his own Republican Party.

In an age when civil rights and civil liberties are in danger from Donald Trump and his mentality, to put Jeff Sessions into the Justice Department would set back the Bill of Rights tremendously, as Sessions is no different than if one were to select former Alabama Governor George Wallace, or former North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms, or former South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond to be Attorney General.

These were the worst of all Southern politicians who undermined civil rights, and there is no evidence that Jeff Sessions is any different in 2017.

All that is needed is for a few Republican Senators to show courage, and vote against their own colleague, replicating the Republican Senate of 1986, as then Arlen Specter and Charles Mathias blocked Sessions from a federal district court judgeship, a very rare occurrence.

Pressure must be brought on Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona to show the same kind of courage now, within the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Otherwise, it is essential that such Senators as Susan Collins of Maine, Rob Portman of Ohio, Lisa Murkowksi of Alaska, John McCain of Arizona, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, and Dean Heller of Nevada be appealed to, to reject Sessions.

Donald Trump Determined To Take Republican Party Down With Him, And Must Be Soundly Defeated On November 8!

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Donald Trump is becoming more nutty and dangerous by the day!

Just imagine such an unhinged President, a constant constitutional crisis.

This man would be ready to wage war over any slight; dictate to Congress and the courts, even though there is a separation of powers in our Constitution; suspend the Bill of Rights at every criticism by news media; and he would, most certainly, have the most corrupt administration in American history.

He is like a human tornado, totally unbalanced and reckless, and it would seem that even Republicans would work with Democrats to remove him from office by impeachment, but meanwhile, the nation would suffer greatly in both economic and foreign policy crises.

Donald Trump seems determined to bring the Republican Party down with him, and is on the attack against Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain in particular, and he has crazy followers who are following him as if he was a Superman.

He is a menace of massive proportions, and all decent people must mobilize to insure that there is no chance of a close election, as then he can claim it was “rigged”.

Trump needs to lose by a massive landslide, and win less than 40 percent of the vote, and be totally rebuked and punished.