Latin America

Donald Trump, The Full Blown Imperialist! :(

Ronald 40 Comments

Donald Trump was thought to be an isolationist in his foreign policy views in his first term.

But now in his second term, Donald Trump is a full blown imperialist, who has no concern for our relations with nations that have been America’s allies since after World War II.

So Trump is making clear that he intends, even by military force if necessary, to seize control of the Panama Canal, which was legally handed over by treaty in the Jimmy Carter Administration, effective in the year 2000, and with Republican and Democratic backing in the signing of the treaty in 1977. Such action will cause a major rift with Latin America.

So Trump is continuing to assert that Canada will be the “51st state”, and is imposing heavy protective tariffs, and acting aggressive and abusive toward our northern neighbor. This is causing great stress and the rise of antiAmericanism in Canada, which has no intention of giving up its sovereignty.

So Trump is claiming that Greenland, which has been semi-autonomous from Denmark for a long time, will become a territory of the United States, causing hostility and alarm in Denmark, the European Union, and among our NATO Allies.

So Trump is claiming that the Gaza Strip needs to be emptied, and redeveloped with American investment, a totally loony idea, which would cause the spread of Middle East terrorism to all Americans who would work or live in territory that America has no right to claim.

Donald Trump is, clearly, a full blown imperialist, similar in many ways to authoritarian leaders, including Vladimir Putin of Russia, with his attempt to justify invasion and seizing of territory in Ukraine!

This makes the 47th President “a clear and present danger” to international peace!

Trump’s War On Federal Government: Young Civil Servants, Higher Education, Veterans, And More! :(

Ronald 30 Comments

Donald Trump’s war on the federal government is an attack on the future and on so many other areas of life.

It is a war on young people who have and wish to enter public service, with many thousands of probationary workers now unemployed, due to major cutbacks in many federal agencies.

It is a war on higher education, cutting funding for training and educating an intelligent work force in the sciences, the humanities, and all other areas of public knowledge.

It is a war on our patriotic veterans, who are losing many government jobs, and a cutting of programs to help veterans who risked their lives, and now are being denied adequate consideration of their health and welfare needs.

It is a war on protection of our national security, with mass purges of dedicated intelligence, foreign policy, and defense personnel who have dedicated their lives and careers to protecting the homeland from foreign threats of authoritarian government, including Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.

It is a war on health care, science, and medicine, and endangers all Americans when it comes to threats from many diseases worldwide, that now will not be dealt with in an efficient matter, and will cost a multitude of lives.

It is a war on the environment, conservation, and the realities of climate change, guaranteeing worldwide disasters that will threaten human existence in the future.

It is a war on our long held alliances with democracies in Europe and in Asia, and antagonizing, unnecessarily, our neighbors, Canada and Mexico, and inciting anti Americanism in Latin America. It is causing our closest allies in NATO and in Asia to reconsider sharing intelligence information.

It is a war on public virtue, with a certainty that we will witness the greatest level of corruption and concentration of wealth in the hands of a few evil individuals, ever seen in American history, far surpassing the earlier corruption that took place under Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Warren G. Harding, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and even the first term of Donald Trump.

The Trump Presidency is setting America back to an earlier time before all of the great reforms that took place from the Progressive Era of Theodore Roosvelt and Woodrow Wilson; the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt; the Fair Deal of Harry Truman; the New Frontier of John F. Kennedy; the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson; the movements forward under Republicans Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon; the accomplishments under Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton; and the advancements under Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Trump State Of The Union Address: Highly Divisive And Lies, Lies, Lies! :(

Ronald 14 Comments

Donald Trump gave the longest State of the Union speech ever delivered last evening, about 9,900 words lasting about 100 minutes, surpassing Bill Clinton’s State of the Union speech in 2000.

The speech was highly, extremely divisive, unusual as Presidents usually try to promote a sense of unity when giving the State of the Union address, even with the opposition party, but instead Trump was gloating about his victory, which he exaggerated regarding its magnitude.

Trump, as usual, lied, lied, and lied some more, distorting and exaggerating reality, facts, and truth.

Trump lied about Joe Biden’s record, calling him the worst President in US History (which was an example of projection about himself).

Trump also took a dig against Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, the primary promoter of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, that became law under Barack Obama, but now is on the chopping block.

Trump also claimed that there are people over 100 years of age, up to 300 years old, who are collecting Social Security, a clearcut attack on that program that has existed for 90 years since the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt. There is fear that Social Security may not be paid in future months, due to the claims of waste, fraud, and abuse that are totally preposterous, and with layoffs of civil service employees in that agency.

Trump also promoted the idea of seizing the Panama Canal and taking over Greenland from Denmark, which will antagonize Latin America and NATO respectively, as Trump promotes “imperialism”.

Watching the smirks of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance was infuriating, as the nation clearly is evenly divided, but there was no interest in crossing the aisle and promoting cooperation, with the Congress more divisive and the majority unconcerned about compromise and negotiation.

Trump’s promotion of tariffs with Canada, Mexico, and China will raise the cost of living dramatically, and soon, and goes against the record of history, that tariffs are counterproductive.

Plaudits to newly elected Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who gave the Democratic response to the State of the Union, and introduced herself to the nation as a legislator who should be respected and paid attention to in the future of the Democratic Party.

The battle ahead for the average American taxpayer and families will be a long, bitter struggle, but the Democrats must not sit on the sidelines, but instead march, demonstrate, organize, and vigorously fight with every bone in their bodies against the extreme right wing tilt of the Republican Party, which has repudiated so much of their heritage over 170 years of their history from Abraham Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt to Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan!

Back From Costa Rica Vacation, And Republican Party Continues To Self-Destruct!

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Having just returned from a Costa Rica vacation, I return to a nation embroiled in turmoil by the conviction of Donald Trump, and the Republican Party, with few exceptions, continuing to self destruct its history and legacy.

Costa Rica is a successful democracy, with people that are very happy, and committed to an environmental legacy, opportunity for all, and with a very high life longevity, a model nation which lowers blood pressure by its primary commitment to education and health care for all, and has no standing army, and the most successful long lasting democracy in Latin America.

America, on the other hand, is moving toward its 250th anniversary as a nation, divided by greed, corruption, and many evil leaders who only care about their own aggrandizement, and promotion of the undermining of American democracy and the rule of law.

America is in its greatest crisis since the Civil War in the 1860s, and no certainty of its survival as a beacon for the world!

Theodore Roosevelt 163rd Anniversary Of His Birth At Time Of Destruction Of His Reform Efforts

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Theodore Roosevelt, the second greatest Republican President (after Abraham Lincoln), born on this day in 1858, represented progressive reform, the use of the federal government to promote and monitor political and economic reform.

He saw the danger of unbridled capitalism, and the need to recognize labor rights.

He saw the need for political reforms, bringing government closer to its citizens, through the utilization of direct primaries, initiatives, referendums, the recall method, women’s suffrage, and proposals to modify the powers of the Supreme Court and the life term of its membership.

He wanted limits on outside groups spending on political campaigns, which he saw as undermining American democracy.

He was the heroic promoter of the environment, regarded as the greatest President on conservation of natural resources, and the promotion of the expansion of national parks and monuments.

He was the first President to suggest the need for a national health care program, and so much of his agenda on social and economic reform came about with the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson, and now, Joe Biden wishes to extend what TR first promoted more than a century ago!

His 1912 Progressive (Bull Moose) Party had a platform that makes it seem more like 2012, and he still represents the Republican Party at its best since the time of Abraham Lincoln, and particularly as compared to now. The Republicans have become a Fascist authoritarian party that is undermining American democracy, and working to limit the right to vote despite the various constitutional amendments (15, 19, 23, 24, 26) to insure that right, along with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

TR was certainly imperfect, as he promoted white supremacy typical of his time, and was imperialistic in his treatment of Latin America, as well as his promotion of an expansion of the military, but it is clear he would repudiate the Republican Party of the 2020s.

And notice how the Republican Party glorifies Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, NOT Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt!

Donald Trump And Mike Pence Declare War On America, Conceding On COVID 19 Pandemic, And Must Be Removed!

Ronald 2 Comments

Donald Trump and Mike Pence have declared war on America, conceding on the COVID 19 Pandemic, refusing to resist it!

This is unimaginable, and both men must be removed from the government by election next week, as the alternative is mass death and Fascist dictatorship!

It will be essential for millions of Americans to march in the streets across the nation, and surround the White House, demanding he leave, as otherwise, the Constitution and rule of law will be totally gone!

There is no compromise, as Donald Trump is a threat to civil order!

Law enforcement must move rapidly to disarm and arrest all those who threaten or provoke violence, designed to keep Trump in office as a Fascist dictator, as we are not Latin America, or Asia, or Africa, or Eastern Europe!

We will not tolerate the loss of the American democracy and human freedom, as Trump and Pence are a menace to our nation!

Costa Rica A Model For The World On The CoronaVirus Pandemic, And Shames America’s Response

Ronald 2 Comments

The small nation of Costa Rica in Central America stands out as the most advanced nation in the region in so many ways, and arguably, is the most democratic and stable nation in all of Latin America.

Costa Rica has managed to be a democracy while surrounded by nations that have had regular dictatorship periods, and it has been very advanced in promotion of the environment, and many social reforms.

It is a more literate and advanced economy than much of the whole world, and has had no standing army since 1948, and yet has kept its sovereignty through so much turmoil in the Central American region.

The education and health care level of Costa Rica is very high, and extremely impressive. Many foreigners come to Costa Rica as “medical tourists” as the medical facilities and personnel are highly rated.

And now, Costa Rica has done very well in the CoronaVirus Pandemic response, with only 801 cases and 7 deaths, an amazing record.

Its citizens have been more responsible in obeying curfews and staying home, and it puts Americans who are anti science and boycotting the idea of staying home, to shame!

Costa Rica has become a model for the world in so many ways, and it has shamed the United States and Donald Trump, for the disgraceful response that has led to more than 80,000 deaths and counting, with a President who ignores and defies science, and will pay for it in his historical reputation being further damaged beyond repair!

Latinos, The Largest Minority In America, Face Threats Reminiscent Of Jews In Europe In The 1930s And 1940s—Total Fear And Danger From Government Inspired Hatred!

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In the wake of the El Paso Massacre on August 3, America faces the stark reality, that its largest minority group in America, people of Latino heritage, from anywhere in Latin America, face threats reminiscent of Jews in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.

Total fear and danger from government inspired hatred reminds us too much of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, and it is not too much hyperbole to state that Donald Trump has weaponized racists, misogynists, white supremacists, and white nationalists, who used to be in the shadows, to come out and promote and commit violence and bloodshed against people based on their ethnicity.

For Trump and his followers in the Republican Party to argue that there is an “invasion”, a “caravan”, when no such situation exists, is inspiring unstable people to cheer at Trump rallies when someone suggests “shoot them”, and Trump laughs and encourages such action in response.

These Latinos that are threatened include people of brown skin who are here legally, and were born in America, but feel that the nation they have grown up in is a threat to their lives, making victims of the El Paso Massacre afraid to go to the hospital to ask for medical aid.

The oppressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Border Patrol, have been given unconstitutional and illegal authority to deport undocumented immigrants without a court hearing and attorney representation by White House authorization, and they are acting much like the Nazi Gestapo.

Many are abusing children and women, the vast majority of the undocumented immigrants, who are escaping oppression, violence, and bloodshed in their homelands in Central America, in deteriorating situations encouraged by aggressive foreign policy of Ronald Reagan and other Republican Presidents since the 1980s, all in the name of backing right wing oppressive governments in the area.

Donald Trump has no intention of changing policy, and Latinos now face direct threats of violence and bloodshed and death, inspired by white supremacist websites, and young hoodlums who have mental illness and hate, and blame Latinos for their own insecurities and shortcomings, such as the disgusting photos of young white males holding a likeness of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, that they are strangling. These young men should be exposed for who they are, and be condemned by name by all decent people, and it is clear that their parents did a poor job of child rearing, a sign that this anti Latino hatred is a danger to a community that is 18 percent of the nation,at 58 million Americans, and continuing to grow, even without undocumented immigrants being counted in the population.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the Anti Defamation League, People For The American Way, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and innumerable other organizations are engaged in an intense struggle to protect Latinos, and their basic health and safety, and all decent Americans must assist in protecting the rights of Latinos, as much as the basic rights of African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Jews, women, gays and lesbians, and disabled people.

Trump, Pompeo, Bolton Seem Ready To Create New Wars, Against Iran And Venezuela

Ronald 1 Comment

It is becoming very clear that President Donald Trump, in league with war hawks Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton are plotting wars in the near future against both Iran and Venezuela.

Bolton was involved in the planning and support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and both he and Pompeo are ratcheting up excuses for war in both places. This would add dramatically to the national debt, kill and wound thousands of American troops, destroy two more nations with American military armaments, but would both drag on endlessly, and cause a total collapse of traditional American foreign policy and support from our traditional allies.

Donald Trump has no clue on foreign policy, and is willing to flirt with Kim Jong Un of North Korea, but destroyed the Iran nuclear agreement that other major nations signed onto. And while Venezuela is in a crisis with their President Nicolas Maduro, the danger of American military intervention would have a long range damaging effect on our relationships with Latin American nations.

Trump supposedly was against our interventions in the past, but now seems to think that if he gets America into two more wars, he will have the advantage of being a President in wartime, and historically, every President in the midst of war has won reelection.

At the same time, the tariff “wars” going on with China and other nations, undermines America economically, and will cause massive price increases and loss of jobs in many industries, which would likely lead to an economic recession, and traditionally, causes the defeat of Presidents running for reelection.

So we could face massive wars without end, but also a massive economic collapse, and our government is led by totally reckless and dangerous people.

Oh, but for the days of Rex Tillerson and H. R. McMaster, who were able to resist the destructive and egotistical tendencies of our mentally deranged President!

The Negative Side Of The Presidency Of George H. W. Bush

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As George H. W. Bush lies in state before his funeral on Wednesday and his burial on Thursday, praise and plaudits have been visited on the 41st President.

But as with all Presidents and all government leaders worldwide and historically, there is a negative side.

Among the shortcomings of the 41st President are the following in no particular order:

Bush ignored the AIDS Epidemic crisis, much like his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, allowing the Religious Right Wing to set the agenda on a hate campaign against gays and lesbians.

Bush switched his pro choice views on abortion by picking up the Reagan viewpoint on women, and sacrificing his beliefs, while his own wife Barbara quietly continued to support abortion rights.

Bush ran a nasty, dirty, and despicable campaign for President in 1988 against the Democratic nominee, Michael Dukakis, allowing falsehoods and distortions to be promoted, without any consideration of the damage his campaign manager Lee Atwater was engaged in.

Bush pursued a Mideast policy that led to long term disaster, and placing troops on a permanent basis in the Middle East led to September 11 and the Iraq War and Afghanistan War.

Bush as CIA head backed dictatorships in Latin America, particularly in Chile and Argentina.

Bush promoted a tough war on drugs, as Ronald Reagan had done, and it victimized people of color much more than whites, and caused prison terms that are now seen as a failed policy, that did not really get to the issue of how to treat those addicted to drugs.

Bush was involved in the Iran Contra Scandal under President Reagan, never fully explored, and ended up giving pardons to many who were part of that scandal, right before he left office in 1993.

Bush made a horrible appointment to the Supreme Court when he nominated Clarence Thomas in 1991, and the nation has been burdened with his influence for the past 27 years, including many potential future Supreme Court nominees who worked for Thomas, and are now being put on the Circuit Courts under President Donald Trump, setting up a future Court with even greater Thomas impact than just himself.

Bush also gave us the most ill qualified, incompetent Vice President in modern history, Dan Quayle, and when Bush had medical issues in office, it made the nation worry at the thought of a President Quayle.

These nine points mentioned above make an assessment of the ultimate historical significance of George H. W. Bush much more complicated than the fulsome praise now being promoted at the time of his passing.