One Down, Forty-seven to Go

     Some of my followers must be wondering what has been on my mind lately. Since the Trump administration took the helm, I have had moments of dismay, but not many surprises.  In a nutshell, here are a few thoughts that have been roaming around in my noggin.

The Press is the Enemy

     The press is the friend of the people.  The press is only the enemy of the president if you’re lying.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos

     Could there be anyone more unqualified for this office than Ms. DeVos?  I doubt it.  No Education Secretary in the history of the nation has ever earned more dissenting votes during a confirmation process. But, Vice President Pence saved the day by casting the tie-breaking vote.  It's ironic and official: DeVos is a 51-50.

     Just because this woman did not appear to be qualified for the job did not necessarily make her a bad person and I was willing to reserve personal criticism and look at her job performance.  Her first big policy decision began well enough.  Trump wanted to order the rollback of the Obama Administration’s protection of K-12 transgender students in school restrooms, but he needed the agreement of DeVos and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to do so.  DeVos showed some moral character in this statement:

“We have a responsibility to protect every student in America and ensure that they have the freedom to learn and thrive in a safe and trusted environment. This is not merely a federal mandate, but a moral obligation no individual, school, district or state can abdicate. At my direction, the Department’s Office for Civil Rights remains committed to investigating all claims of discrimination, bullying and harassment against those who are most vulnerable in our schools.”

This statement reportedly resulted in a disagreement with Sessions and an invitation to either go along with the administration or resign.  DeVos still has a job.  Madam Secretary, wear that Senate confirmation vote count proudly along all of its connotations of being a danger to yourself and others.  You are both spineless AND unqualified.

Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn

    It was late when I was writing my Predictions II article and lapsed into a dream state where the Senate finally had some say over who advised the President on matters regarding National Security. Of course they do not.  I said : "Senators should take a serious look at this guy before rubber-stamping approval.  This is THE PERSON who will provide the last (paranoid) whisper in the president-elect’s ear regarding national security issues and his decisions."

     Forget the Senate.  If the Trump transition team had properly vetted Flynn they would have known Flynn was paid 40,000 (according to The New Yorker) to go to Russia for a splashy dinner party with Vladimir Putin in 2015.  Even without a copy of the cancelled check, they could have found Flynn’s chummy photo with Putin on the Internet like the rest of us did.

     Proper vetting would have allowed the General to retire quietly and few people would have known that at some point over the past decade, this honorable military man lost his marbles.  Now, Flynn will not be allowed to go quietly until it is determined whether his actions were a potential violation of the Logan Act, treasonous or, simply inappropriate.

Secretary of State Tillerson

   Let’s play a game that resembles “Where in the World is Matt Lauer” but one that has more serious consequences.  As CNN pointed out, “The State Department is responsible for explaining US foreign policy to the country and the world, and is the only agency outside of the White House that traditionally speaks publicly every day through a televised news conference. But since January 19, there has been no State Department briefing and, after Tillerson recently took the helm, there has been little in the way of communication...”

     As of today, Tillerson was in Mexico, attempted to calm that government in the wake of the Trump administration’s contentious announcement that it would be deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants within the next two years.  Mexico reportedly is upset.

     What is more troubling than Tillerson’s silence is his long-standing ties to Vladimir Putin and the Russian oil empire.  As the CEO of Exxon, Tillerson reportedly developed a very congenial relationship with many top officials in Russia which resulted in his being awarded the Russian “Order of Friendship” in 2012.  Tillerson has been a frequent visitor to Russia for at least nine years.  It is a fact that Russian intelligence agencies compile dossiers on important foreign visitors just like American intelligence agencies do.  One hopes Tillerson’s actions were completely professional and did not provide Russia with data that could be used to damage his reputation.  One hopes Tillerson cannot be implicated in Russiagate.

     This blogger feels sure that at some point Tillerson will be dragged into Russiagate.

     And while we’re on the subject of oil…

Standing Rock

     Mr. President, I hold you personally responsible for today’s publically-funded assault on unarmed protesters at Standing Rock.  A handful of protesters were swarmed by local and military personnel and again exposed to serious injuries as a result of water cannon, rubber bullets, and tear gas.  The civil rights abuses documented by the Daily Beast and supported by over 100 sworn affidavits are sickening, heartbreaking and down-right evil.

     Mr. Trump, prior to the election it was disclosed that you were a shareholder in Energy Transfer Partners, the parent company that is building this pipeline.  Is this asset in a blind trust now?  If you have not divested, you may have had a conflict of interest in approving the actions of the Army Corps of Engineers as you may be a direct beneficiary of the profits obtained from this construction.  Without the full financial disclosure you promised and then reneged upon it is impossible to be sure.

     Regardless, approving this pipeline ignores the concerns of environmental scientists and other experts who have repeatedly stated that 17 million people are at risk of having their water supplies polluted.  This sir, is an environmental hazard.

     This is also one more unforgivable violation of America’s treaty with the Sioux.

     The Standing Rock Sioux Reservation originally established on April 29, 1868 in Article 2 of the Treaty of Fort Laramie.  The Sioux Nation (like Canada, Mexico, England)  is a sovereign nation that is equal to the Federal Government of the United States.  This legal status has not stopped our Congress and various Presidents from violating their nation’s land ever since that time.  This is the latest salvo in America’s ugly history with this minority population and it is illegal  The Supreme Court’s ruling in United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians, 448 U.S. 371, 388 (1980).is just as applicable in this situation as it was before.  Using history as a guide, by the time the current class action reaches a court of law, the Sioux will have a pipeline under their corner of the Missouri River thanks to you, Mr. Trump.  You do not mess with the people of the earth.  You do not abuse people who have less money and power.  You do not spoil the land and water of 17 million people in OUR country without consequences.

     The same words used by comedian and political commentator Larry Wilmore to address disgraced former Breitbart.com editor Milo Yiannoopoulos also apply to you in this case, Mr. President.