Secretary Of The Interior

More Turnover In Trump Administration As Two Year Mark Of Term Arrives Next Month

Ronald Leave a comment

Yet more turnover is occurring in the Trump Administration as the half way mark of his term arrives in a month.

John Kelly is gone as White House Chief of Staff, and Trump had many people turn him down as Kelly’s replacement , and now the head of the Office Of Management and Budget, former Tea Party South Carolina Republican Congressman Mick Mulvaney, has agreed to be “Acting” head, as his insistence.  Mulvaney is actually worse than Kelly, more outrageous in his extremism, including when he headed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for awhile, with the aim of destroying this signature legislation and agency created by Elizabeth Warren and President Barack Obama in 2010.

And the despicable Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, under multiple investigations for conflicts of interest and widespread damage to the preservation of our environment and the national monuments and national parks, will be leaving by the end of the year.

This is after other cabinet members, including Rex Tillerson, Jeff Sessions, Tom Price, David Shulkin, Nikki Haley, and Scott Pruitt have left, all under a cloud except Haley. 

Additionally, Betsy DeVos, Kirstjen Nielsen, Alex Acosta, Wilbur Ross, Matthew Whitaker, Steven Mnuchin, Ben Carson, and Rick Perry have faced major criticisms and investigations over policies and utterances.

This is, without question, the most corrupt and incompetent and investigated Cabinet of any Presidency in all of American history, and two more years to come.

The 49th Earth Day: The Attack By Scott Pruitt And Ryan Zinke In Full Swing

Ronald Leave a comment

Today, April 22, is the 49th Earth Day, first declared by Richard Nixon in 1970, although earlier promoted by Wisconsin Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson, considered the true “founder” of the modern environmental movement.

We have come a long way in the movement to preserve our environment, with many heroes in that movement,

We can look back to Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, John Muir and many others at the beginning of the 20th century.

We can look forward to such people as Ralph Nader, Jimmy Carter, Cecil Andrus, Al Gore, Bruce Babbitt, and a multitude of others who deserve praise.

But we also have the enemies of the environmental movement, from the time of Ronald Reagan onward, and including many Republican senators over the years.

And now, we have the Donald Trump Presidency, and the evil being done every day by Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and by Ryan Zinke, the Secretary of the Interior, who are trying to destroy all efforts at protecting us from climate change, global warming, and the damage to wildlife and to our national park and national monument system.

The fight for the environment must be fought against all enemies, as it is the future of the planet at stake!

Corrupt And Unethical Cabinet Members Of Donald Trump, Greater Than Ulysses S. Grant, Warren G. Harding, Or Richard Nixon

Ronald 4 Comments

Donald Trump is presiding after just one year over the most corrupt Cabinet in American history, more than Ulysses S. Grant, Warren G. Harding, or Richard Nixon.

The following Cabinet members have come under controversy for ethical violations, and for their arrogance and insensitivity, and lack of scruples:

Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin
Attorney General Jeff Sessions
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke
Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross
Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos
Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Neilsen
Environmental Protection Agency Head Scott Pruitt
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly
Director of the Office of Management and Budget and Acting Head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Mick Mulvaney

Most of the above are setting a record as the absolutely worst possible human beings in public positions of trust, and this does not include the multitude of others who have resigned or been forced out, and the reality that the turnover in the Trump White House is triple that of Barack Obama at this point, and double other administrations.

Many of the people around Trump, past and present, have had to hire lawyers, and built up massive expenses defending their role and influence under the 45th President. Many have lost whatever reputation they had coming in, and many will end up in prison for their misdeeds.

Trump has managed to bring the most despicable, most disgraceful, most nasty and mean spirited, and most materialistic oriented people to gather around what has become a “ship of rats”.

Their inferior and disgusting performance in public office will haunt them the rest of their lives and into history, and this includes the corrupt and entitled son in law Jared Kushner, and daughter Ivanka Trump.

And at the same time, sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have solidified just how disastrous they are, and how destructive they have been, adding to the tragedy of Donald Trump, who will go down where he has started after just one year, the worst President ever in American history, bar none!

Growing Evidence Of Many More Trump Staff And Advisers Facing Prosecution In Most Corrupt Administration In American History

Ronald 12 Comments

So far, only four people surrounding Donald Trump have been implicated in the scandals of the most corrupt President in American history, bar none.

But Robert Mueller is, after eight months, clearly investigating many others for various violations of the law in many different areas

So far, Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, George Papadopoulos, and Michael Flynn have been brought to legal action by the Special Counsel.

But there is growing evidence that many more Trump staff and advisers are facing prosecution, and soon.

Expect criminal prosecution of Attorney General Jeff Sessions; Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke; Environmental Protection Agency Head Scott Pruitt; former aide Stephen Bannon; Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin; Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross; White House Counselor Kelly Anne Conway; White House economist Gary Cohn; former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer; former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus; among others. Some clearly will cooperate with Mueller to avoid prosecution or, at least, to have minimum liability legally.

But also expect Donald Trump, Jr; Ivanka Trump: Jared Kushner–Trump family children—to face legal problems, and possible indictment.

And racist, white supremacist, nativist aide Stephen Miller, will probably be shown to be engaged in illegal activities as well, a gut feeling on the part of the author, as Miller comes across as more of a sleaze ball than many.

And Donald Trump will not escape charges, and will be forced out of office for his various crimes–including potential charges of obstruction of justice, abuse of power, violation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, money laundering, treason, as well as the corruption involving payoffs to Stormy Daniels and other women he has engaged with in sex scandals.

And do not be surprised if his wife, Melania, the First Lady, becomes the first case of seeking a divorce from a sitting President, or even a former President.

Off Shore Drilling Prevented In Florida By Rick Scott Intervention: Time To Prevent All Off Shore Drilling On All Coasts Of United States!

Ronald Leave a comment

The Trump Administration and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke have called for open offshore drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, and in the waters surrounding Alaska, a violation of past environmental policies.

Favoring the oil and gas industries over the preservation of our coastlines is an outrage, and all Governors of the states affected have protested, rightfully.

But already, Republican Governor Rick Scott of Florida, who plans to run for Bill Nelson’s Senate seat this fall, has joined Nelson and Republican Senator Marco Rubio in pressing for leaving Florida out of the offshore drilling edict, and the Trump Administration and Zinke have caved in, clearly for political reasons.

But that is not enough, as all states with ocean shoreline should be freed from this cave in to the oil and gas industry, and we do NOT need such exploration of our oceans, and too many oil spills and accidents have occurred, which kill of ocean life and pollute the waters.

The problem is that most of the coastal states are “blue”, or Democratic states,in New England, the Middle Atlantic, and the Pacific Coast. This includes Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, with only the latter three being Republican states, as is Florida. The Pacific Coast states include Washington, Oregon, and California, along with Hawaii and Alaska, with all but Alaska being Democratic states. Alaska, Florida, and California are the top three in coastline waters.

This should not be a political issue, and the fight to protect our wetlands is one that must be fought in a vehement, no holds barred, manner.

It should also include any new drilling in the Great Lakes area and along our various river systems, as we need to move toward alternative sources of energy, as so many nations in Europe, particularly Germany as an example, are doing.

Conservation Lands Foundation And Other Environmental Groups Fight Donald Trump On Cutting Down Of National Monuments

Ronald Leave a comment

The Conservation Lands Foundation and many other environmental and conservation groups went to federal court this week to stop the attempt of Donald Trump, and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, to cut down two National Monuments created by President Bill Clinton in 1996 and by President Barack Obama in 2016, both in Utah.

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, declared by Clinton, would be cut by about half, and the Bears Ears National Monument, created by Obama, would be cut by 85 percent.

The aim of the Trump Administration is to promote mining, and drilling, taking away two million acres of protected land, which also has native American sacred sites within its midst.

The purpose is also to destroy scientific, historical, and cultural areas, in the first time we have seen any President make major cuts in public lands.

The Antiquities Act, passed under Republican President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 has led to 157 National Monuments, but now the future is endangered by the reckless actions of the Trump Administration.

The reason why the author has titled this entry with one specific organization of many is due to the fact that his older son works as a lobbyist in Washington, DC for the Conservation Lands Foundation, fighting against the loss of protection of conservation lands.

And this author and blogger is proud of the fact that his son has the commitment to the environment that his dad has long held.

US, Due To Ignorance And Stupidity Of Donald Trump, Only Nation Against Paris Climate Agreement, As Nicaragua And Syria Sign Agreement

Ronald 5 Comments

The United States, under President Donald Trump, is the laughing stock of the world, as our country is now the only one that has broken with the Paris Climate Agreement, negotiated in 2016. and agreed to by President Barack Obama.

As part of his war on anything connected with Barack Obama, and accepting the corruption and ignorance of Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, Donald Trump has decided that there is no global warming or climate change crisis even though 97 percent of all scientists see the crisis, and we are seeing the results of global warming and climate change in our country, as well as worldwide.

Rather than plan for the future, Trump is embracing the coal and oil industry and the long term damage they are perpetrating, and insuring massive long range problems for America internally and on the world scene, with our nation’s head in the sand, repudiating scientific fact. and believing only in prayer as the solution.

When Nicaragua and Syria embrace such an agreement, particularly Syria in the midst of a seven year civil war, it just shows how low our prestige and standing as a nation, and supposedly the leader of the world, has fallen.

The long term damage that can be expected, is alarming, and it will help to condemn Donald Trump in history, but somehow, one gets the feeling that Trump is not concerned about that, but rather, simply, total destruction of all of good work of the federal government and Republican and Democratic Presidents for the past century from Theodore Roosevelt onward.

Donald Trump’s Assault On The Environment A Battle Worth Fighting!

Ronald Leave a comment

Donald Trump has declared war on the environment, and is out to promote development, including opening up national parks and monuments to industrial development, putting economic growth above the great natural treasures protected by Presidents of both parties since Theodore Roosevelt.

Trump has also worked to undermine and eventually to destroy the Environmental Protection Agency created in the administration of Richard Nixon 47 years ago.

And Trump has withdrawn America from the Climate Accord negotiated in Paris, making our nation the pariah of the world community in that regard, and causing a loss of faith in American leadership.

His Interior Secretary threatened Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski on the issue of protection of Alaskan natural resources when she refused to vote for the demise of ObamaCare this part week, but Murkowski showed she could not be cowed by the Trump Administration.

Ryan Zinke, Interior Secretary, and Scott Pruitt, EPA head, are committing crimes against our national treasures, and there are many organizations and lobbyists who are working to prevent the Trump agenda, seeing the assault on the environment a battle worth fighting.

One of those organizations is the Conservation Lands Foundation, central office in Durango, Colorado, and this blogger is proud to report that his son David is working in Washington DC for this crucially important group, fighting alongside others for the preservation of our natural environment and national treasures!

Three Profiles In Courage: John McCain Of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski Of Alaska, Susan Collins Of Maine

Ronald Leave a comment

It is appropriate to salute three Republican Senators who stopped the destruction of ObamaCare, due to their feeling that despite the shortcomings of the program, that to just repeal it and leave millions of Americans with no health coverage was intolerable.

Senator John McCain of Arizona, a true independent and maverick, has often exasperated many political observers, and this blogger was upset earlier last week when McCain voted to promote votes on various alternatives, including repeal without replacement, but then voted to kill the idea once there was the opportunity to do so.

We now learn that former Vice President Joe Biden, a good friend, and former Senator Joe Lieberman, the Vice Presidential running mate of Al Gore in 2000, contacted McCain and convinced him that this was the right thing to do.

This kind of bipartisanship is precisely what is needed, and is missing from today’s political scence.

The courage of the two women Senators, who could not have alone stopped the Republican plan to destroy ObamaCare, must also be acknowledged, and sadly, some misogyny was utilized against them by the right wing, but Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska showed how principled and decent they were, and deserve great credit.

Both Collins and Murkowksi are tough, and they are not intimidated, with Collins having always been independent oriented, and Murkowski losing the party primary in 2010, running as a write in Independent candidate, and winning over her Republican and Democratic opponents, and then winning in 2016.

The outrage that the Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, at Donald Trump’s orders, threatened Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, the other Alaska Senator, with cuts in funding for Alaska in the Department budget did not intimidate Murkowski, as she postponed committee hearings and votes in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which she heads. She knows how to play Hardball, and Trump has met his match in her, as well as Collins.

Disappointing, however, was the third woman Senator thought united with them, Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, but caving in to pressure from Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, quite shocking since West Virginia has more people on Medicaid and in poverty than almost all states in America.

Trump Drops To 35 Percent In Gallup Poll, With 59 Percent Negative Toward His Presidency

Ronald 5 Comments

Donald Trump is falling fast in the polls, hitting an all time low for a new President after 70 days, of only 35 percent in the latest Gallup poll.

Trump is striking out at the House Freedom Caucus, threatening primary challengers to the extreme right wing group, not realizing that in their gerrymandered districts, they are likely to beat any primary opponents in 2018.

Trump talks about cooperating with Democrats, but why would they, since he wishes to destroy Obama Care, and has forced an extreme right wing judge, Neil Gorsuch, on them, with the potential for this man who seems to be to the right of Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, to be on the Court for the next 30 or more years, as he is only 49.

59 percent in the latest Gallup poll have a negative attitude toward Trump, and his second Muslim Ban has again been held up in the courts.

His Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, has admitted that building a Mexico Wall will be a major challenge due to topography, including the Rio Grande River in Texas.

And the Russian connection is being ratcheted up by the Senate Intelligence Committee headed by Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Mark Warner.

Finally, there are reports that former National Security Adviser General Michael Flynn, is ready to testify in exchange for immunity from prosecution so it now seems likely that Donald Trump will NOT finish his term, and that Mike Pence will become President during this term.