Department Of Homeland Security

Lack Of Principle And Guts Of So Many Republicans Disillusioning!

Ronald 59 Comments

This author and blogger is so disillusioned at the lack of principle and guts of so many Republican Senators, as it seems more likely by the day that there will be little, if any, opposition to any of the most controversial Donald Trump Cabinet nominees.

By all reasonable judgment, the nominations of:

Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense
Kash Patel, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services

should be rejected for a multitude of reasons.

And this does not include another objectionable nominee, Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security.

But at least four Senators would have to be willing to gamble their future and vote against, and that seems now highly unlikely.

Those most considered possible to oppose some, if not all, of these nominees, would include:

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Susan Collins of Maine
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
John Curtis of Utah (newly elected to succeed Mitt Romney)

Some other Republican Senators are also seen as possible holdouts, but not as likely as these four.

And even among these four, the truth is that Susan Collins is unreliable, and Mitch McConnell, despite his plans to retire, and his contempt for Donald Trump, cannot be considered in any way likely to vote against any of these nominees, when push comes to shove.

Murkowski and Curtis seem more likely, but the pressure on them and other Republicans is intense. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who first seemed likely to oppose Pete Hegseth, is now receiving blowback with her reelection race coming up in 2026, and Collins also faces reelection two years from now.

So the odds are that Trump will get all of his controversial Cabinet appointments confirmed, and the nation will face a Presidential cabinet with a number of ill qualified, and in some cases, totally terrifying, and reprehensible individuals who will undermine America and its population for the next four years at a minimum.

So this blogger and author is taking a break, escaping from the morass we are in, and will be back near the end of the year!

Unqualified And Controversial Trump Appointments Abound In Early Selections!

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When one observes Donald Trump’s early appointments, one concludes that he has decided to name unqualified individuals to a multitude of major positions.

When one can say that Florida Senator Marco Rubio becoming Secretary of State is the “best” appointment of a horrendous list, that summarizes what a disaster the nation is facing!

Rubio has 14 years of Senate experience, and is on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and while no great intellectual, he meets the minimum requirements to lead our foreign policy establishment, but is no star in any sense.

But then, one looks at other appointments:

Pete Hegseth, a Fox News Host, as Secretary of Defense
Kristi Noem, South Dakota Governor, as Secretary of Homeland Security
Elise Stafanek, NY Congresswoman, as United Nations Ambassador
Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas Governor, as US Ambassador to Israel
Tulsi Gabbard, former Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii as Director Of National Intelligence
Lee Zeldin, former NY Congressman, as head of the Environmental Protection Agency

Pete Hegseth is a total surprise to the Pentagon with no real credentials to head the Pentagon.

Kristi Noem has ZERO experience to head Homeland Security, and has been an embarrassment as Governor of a very small state, South Dakota.

Elise Stefanik is an ultimate example of an individual who transformed, conveniently, from being a moderate Republican to a MAGA Republican, as a way to advance her career.

Mike Huckabee is a Christian Zionist, whose ultimate aim is to convert Jews to his radical brand of Christianity, the last thing that American Jews would support, but may be acceptable to the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as he works to take over the Palestinian territories.

Tulsi Gabbard is a former Democratic Presidential contender, who has gone over to the Republican Party, after going off the rails in her foreign policy views, and now will be more powerful over intelligence gathering than anyone else .

Lee Zeldin has no desire to promote environmental protection, so can be described as a fox put into a chicken coop.

It seems clear that the major qualification to be in the Trump Cabinet is to be slavishly loyal to his agenda, with no concept of considering what is constitutional and legitimate!

Add to this list Robert F. Kennedy Jr. possibly being Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Billionaire Elon Musk everywhere, trying to have a major influence.

This list will become even more controversial as the days pass, and fireworks are possible on some of the appointments.

And now, as I am writing, controversial Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz has been chosen to be Attorney General, which would seem extremely divisive.

It also means now THREE Republican House members, including Mike Waltz of Florida as National Security Adviser, along with Stefanik and Gaetz, will be removed from that chamber, endangering, at least for the short term, having a Republican majority, which seems a lunatic move!

The last 24 hours have been shocking, and will continue to be in the coming hours and days!

Project 2025: Attack On Crucial Government Agencies And Federal Regulations!

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Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation plan to promote massive right wing government in America, is a direct attack on crucial government agencies:

Eliminate the Department of Energy
Eliminate the Department of Education
Eliminate the Department of Commerce
Eliminate the Food and Drug Administration
Eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency
Eliminate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Transform the Department of Justice to an agency controlled by the White House
Radically Change the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Radically Change the Department of Homeland Security
Repeal Dodd-Frank Financial Regulations
Reduce Business Regulations
End Funding of National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System
Privatize the Federal Aviation Administration
Repeal Net Neutrality regulations

The whole concept of an “Administrative State”, which has been part of American government since Theodore Roosevelt onward, and with both parties, Democrats and Republicans, is under threat, as it is also due to recent Supreme Court decisions!

Republican House Majority In 118th Congress A Total Disaster, On Its Way To Defeat In November!

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The Republican House majority in the 118th Congress is a total disaster, and has managed to produce the fewest legislative actions of any Congress going back a century and more!

Their move to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the first sitting cabinet officer to be so impeached, is a purely political disaster, as it comes after they have agreed not to consider a border security bill, due to the intervention of Donald Trump, who wants to use immigration as a campaign issue for the upcoming Presidential and Congressional Elections of 2024, nine months from now!

It is stunning that every one of the 17 Biden District Republicans went along with the impeachment, which will go nowhere in the Senate, and that even the so called “moderate” Republicans, led by Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, went along, causing a total loss of respect and common decency.

It is clear that there has to be total attack on all House Republicans, as well as all but a small handful of Republican Senators, and the goal must be to end the control of Congress by a party that has no principles, other than to obey and follow a Fascist, authoritarian, Donald Trump, who supports a Russian invasion of our NATO allies!

The Republican Party Declares War On Law Enforcement And National Security!

Ronald 1 Comment

The Republican Party, Donald Trump loyalists, and Fox News Channel have declared war on law enforcement and national security, threatening action to destroy the FBI, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security, over the legitimate action of removing national security and other government documents wrongfully taken by Donald Trump to his Florida estate, Mar A Lago, when he left office 19 months ago!

It is shocking to see the reaction of a large slew of Republicans, including, among others:

Rick Scott
Marco Rubio
Ted Cruz
Rand Paul
Josh Hawley
Tom Cotton
Kevin McCarthy
Jim Jordan
Elise Stefanik
Newt Gingrich

They and numerous others are promoting violence and potential civil war, and it is clear that they have become the Fascist Party, with the desire to install Donald Trump as the dictator of the US, with the plan to wipe out these government agencies!

Death threats are emanating, with the fear that top government officials to the highest level, may be subjected to assassination threats, a horrifying thought!

Another January 6th is a possibility, an attack on the US Capitol or other government buildings by an armed mob, with domestic terrorism being inflamed further by Donald Trump and his minions!

Donald Trump, The Fascist Wannabe: Attacking Conservative Support Of States Rights, And First Amendment Right To Freedom Of Speech And Assembly

Ronald 3 Comments

Donald Trump is demonstrating how he is a Fascist Wannabe, and in so doing, he is attacking conservatives who support states rights, and attacking all decent people who uphold the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

Trump’s sending of military forces incognito to Portland, Oregon to use tear gas and rubber bullets against mostly peaceful demonstrators calling for change in race relations and for accountability of police, has not been called for by the Oregon state government or the Portland city government, but two night ago, even the Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler was personally tear gassed by these unaccountable forces unleashed by Trump! And Trump ridiculed Wheeler on Twitter, making fun of him, after he was assaulted with tear gas!

There is no breakdown of law and order, and there is no right of the President to send in what is best described as storm troopers, without name plates or identifying, to detain people and kidnap them from the scene. The local police are in charge of anything that has to be dealt with, not a secret, unaccountable force authorized by Attorney General William Barr, who is the most abusive and corrupt leader of the Justice Department in its history!

Conservatives with principles are up in arms about the violation of states rights on this matter, and it reminds many of the Nazi storm troopers who abused people and brought about Nazi absolutism under Adolf Hitler. Conservatives, but also anyone interested in promoting freedom, are alarmed by this going on in not just Portland, but now the threat of it also showing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Seattle; Chicago; Detroit; Philadelphia; New York and other cities.

Republican groups, such as the Lincoln Project, are condemning what Trump is authorizing, as unlawful!

The job of keeping order is up to local and state authorities, and only when they call for federal intervention, does the US government have authority to intervene.

And the right of freedom of speech and assembly, and ability to call for redress of grievances in a peaceful manner, is inscribed in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

This alone, forgetting for the moment all of the other multitude of violations of law, would be enough to impeach and remove both Donald Trump and William Barr, for corruption and abuse of power in office!

The Department of Homeland Security and its subsidiary, Customs and Border Patrol, is breaking the Constitution, with the approval of Trump and Barr.

If this is not a move toward Fascism, then nothing is so!

Donald Trump’s War On Children And The American Future For Present Day Greed And Profit, And Based On Pure Racism And Nativism

Ronald 37 Comments

President Donald Trump has committed many crimes for which he should face justice, and incarceration.

But in many ways, the worst crime of all is his war on children and the American future for present day greed and profit, by a man who has zero compassion, empathy and concern for those who are suffering.

Trump claims to be pro life on abortion, but he is a phony, as he has no concern about children, whether born in America or in other nations.

He is willing to separate young children from their parents, something not done by Franklin D. Roosevelt with the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II.

Thousands of vulnerable children from Central America and elsewhere have been basically kidnapped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), US Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Homeland Security, and they are suffering mightily in emotional terms, as well as being poorly treated with inadequate food, clothing and housing, and many have been sexually and physically abused.

There are young children taken from their parents at ages under two years old, who now cannot speak or walk, and are permanently disabled, and will never be normal. To blame parents escaping bloodshed, crime, rape, and death in gang ridden Central America for what has happened requires one to have absolutely no concern for human life and dignity, and anyone who has no concern about the crime against humanity being perpetrated by Donald Trump and his despicable criminal collaborators is indeed an evil, uncaring person.

The only real difference from Nazi concentration camps is that so far as we know, no children have been executed, although about seven children have died in the captive conditions provided by the evil doers who collaborate with Donald Trump and his evil supporters who refuse to speak up for morality, ethics, common decency, and equal justice.

Additionally, Trump has worked to pollute the environment; deny health care to millions; and take no steps to cut the dangers to children in schools besieged by gun nuts who have made our education system captive.

Racial and ethnic minorities have been pushed into further poverty and degradation by a President who utters racial and nativist rhetoric on a regular basis.

The ultimate answer should be for Trump and his band of evil doers to be tried under international law in the Hague, being held accountable for his crimes against humanity!

Donald Trump: From Roy Cohn, Joseph McCarthy Henchman To Stephen Miller, Trump Henchman

Ronald 2 Comments

Donald Trump learned how to be mean, nasty, unprincipled, vain, and obnoxious, along with many other adjectives, from Roy Cohn, Jewish born aide and henchman to Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, during the second Red Scare, also known as “McCarthyism”.

Cohn was a wretched human excuse for a being, who set out to destroy many people’s lives and fortunes with accusations of being “Red” and “Pinko”, and he went on beyond McCarthy’s downfall and death, to represent Organized Crime figures, and persecute gays while himself being a closeted gay man.

Cohn met the young Donald Trump, and taught him well, and although Cohn has been dead since 1986, his impact on Trump was massive.

Now Donald Trump has a new young Jewish born henchman, Stephen Miller, age 33, who has disgusted all decent Americans by his hardline prejudice and promotion of an intolerant attitude toward any immigrants. Miller is now the survivor in the battle over an ever tougher immigration policy, including the separation of children from their parents, and declaring the borders closed to all who wish asylum, undermining the history of the United States as a place of tolerance and acceptance of refugees.

Trump has adopted Miller as his Cohn, and now has created a new crisis of ever more hardline attitudes and policies, which are an abuse of executive power, and puts America into the camp of tyrants such as Benito Mussolini, Juan Peron, and even Adolf Hitler.

The only thing that could be worse is to have mass loss of life of these women and children and also male immigrants. Already there have been a few, and who can say that it will not happen, since Donald Trump is totally out of control and has no regard for how human beings are treated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.

Even when Japanese Americans were put into internment camps in World War II, the families were not split up, as happened and is now to continue with the new maniacal attitude of Donald Trump.

This is just another of many reasons why action must be taken against the tyrant in the White House, who will stop at nothing to gain absolute power, and has threatened he will not leave if he loses the Presidential Election of 2020.

Trump Policy Of Separating Children From Parents At Border A Massive Violation Of Basic Human Rights That Must Stop

Ronald 2 Comments

It is shocking news that Donald Trump’s government has made it a policy of separating young immigrant children, many of them babies and toddlers, from their parents at the border, when these people escaping gang violence, drug cartels, and bloodshed in Central America arrive at the checkpoints, and apply for safe haven status.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency have become the center of mistreatment and lack of basic humanity and compassion toward these immigrants, while Donald Trump talks as if these mostly mothers and young children are terrorists, drug dealers, and rapists, as he has been doing since he announced his Presidential campaign three years ago.

The shock is even greater that it is now documented that at least 1,500 children, many of them infants, have been handed over to foster care at a crucial age, and the government has lost contact as to where these children are.

That means many may never be reunited with their mothers or fathers or both, and in many cases, are too young to even remember who their parents are.

The emotional trauma that these children are being put through, including those old enough to remember their family members, is incalculable, and is a crime against humanity.

It seems that many of these children may have been handed over by miscalculation, lack of concern, and corruption to criminal elements, human traffickers, who will sell these children on the international market, leading to potential sexual abuse and mistreatment, and in many cases, making them slaves to those who are illegally “adopting” them.

With all of the outrages Donald Trump and his administration have been engaged in, this action and the blunders and lack of concern coming out of it, in many ways is the most egregious legal violation and crime of all.

And this from a President who claims to be “Pro Life”, and is backed by extremist right wing Evangelical Christians who have no concern about the lives of immigrants, but only about abortions being prevented, and who has a wretched Attorney General in Jeff Sessions, is enough to infuriate one beyond belief.

Every day, Donald Trump becomes more Fascist oriented, and the urgency of removing him and his ilk from office sooner rather than later, is urgent!

Donald Trump And Jeff Sessions Declare War On Children: A Horrible Crime And Sin

Ronald 1 Comment

The Trump Administration has declared war on children, which is a horrible crime and sin.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen have made it clear that any people escaping persecution, violence, and poverty, and arriving at the borders of the United States, will be subjected to detention, with their children of any age, even infants, being separated from their parents.

America has always had a reputation of being a place of refuge and opportunity to immigrants seeking a better life, but now Donald Trump and his administration is creating a new America, without any compassion, empathy, or decency, denying the history of our nation.

Nativism is running rampant, and the government is promoting the growth of hatred and possible violence against anyone who is an immigrant, undocumented or legal in status.

This has happened before, but never at the rate and intensity of what Donald Trump is promoting.

The worse, most despicable elements of human nature are in full display, and history will not treat Donald Trump and his Presidency kindly.

At the same time, the Trump Administration is proposing a cut in the SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program), passed under the Presidency of Bill Clinton, and specifically promoted by First Lady Hillary Clinton. This has been designed to provide health care for poor children not already covered by Medicaid, which has been cut in many states in recent years.