george.schnur

To wear a mask or not to wear it during the coronavirus has become a hotly contested issue. This is not driven by any medical ambiguity about the effectiveness of them but because it has, unfortunately, become a politicized discussion point. Trump early on declared that he will not wear a mask and has been true to his position. The majority of his supporters are following his example and have gone so far as to claim it to be an expression of personal freedom. Lately Trump has tried to walk back his firm stance on ‘no mask for him’ but his followers really feel that he doesn’t mean it. The problem is that Trump’s unwise messaging about masks has stuck with many and that is now endangering fellow citizens as virus infection rates are spiking in many states. Trump is now caught in his self made mouse trap, a robust mask recommendation will make him appear weak to his followers while staying with his anti mask line will antagonizes those who believe that it is the right thing to do. Trump made a critical decision and now has to live with its consequences!

The American story already has many chapters since the first Pilgrims landed on the shores of this continent in 1620. There is the chapter of the initial colonization, gaining Independence from England, the conflict between the States, westward expansion and new waves of immigrants hitting our shores. The story is still evolving and many new chapters will be written in the future. However, events of the past few weeks have driven home the point that we are now a multi-ethnic, multi-racial and multi-religious county. That brings us to the point of what the chapter being written now should say about the country and the citizenry. I feel that today, on our Independence Day, we should all commit ourselves to the values of tolerance and equality for all, acknowledge that a successful future requires us to be united as a Nation and also be optimistic that we together can achieve these goals!

Our Independence Day is to be celebrated even in difficult times. That was the case on July 4, 1776 as it is today. Freedom and liberty are precious gifts but they come with responsibilities for all citizens. As Americans we have traditionally shared common values of embracing unity, supporting each other and to focus on the well being of all. Every individual can do his part in making that happen. Let us always be Americans first reaching for a brighter future!

The whole purpose of forming the Confederate States of America between 1860 to 1861 was to bring the 11 states whose economies dependent predominantly on the sweat and toil of slaves. The ensuing war between the North and South was mainly a struggle to keep the United States whole. Any comparison of Washington, Jefferson or Madison to Confederacy President Davis and his VP Stephens is ridiculous. Yes, the three US Presidents owned slaves but were never traitors to the United States as were the Confederacy Leaders and Generals. Now we are finally facing that truth. Many Confederate statues from Alabama to Virginia are coming down. They should all be placed in museums since they do reflect American history. The US Navy and Marines no longer permit the Confederate flag to be displayed on their military bases. Even Mississippi finally confronted its past and has removed the Confederate pattern from its state flag. I see all of that as the right thing to do!

Many do care to know the full truth of the Russia/Taliban bounty deal and a few will not. But what is emerging is that the Intelligence community was aware of that activity already in 2019 and kept updating the administration of that danger well into 2020, The inaction on part of Trump is mind boggling. Of course, the silence of the CIA Director, Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State who all see the information of the President’s daily brief information is also troubling. It should make every American wonder why Trump has such HUGE soft spot for Moscow. He wants Russia back in the G-7 meetings, never stressed their required departure form Ukrainian territory they occupied, willing to weaken NATO which Russia would love to see and believes Putin’s words on everything. Russia and China both have a single, very focused aim to see the US weakened by every means possible. A US President who is blind to that reality is failing in protecting the country!

In March the US Intelligence community briefed Trump that a Russian government agency was disrupting and derailing the official peace talks between the Taliban and the Kabul government. It is a US priority to see peace in Afghanistan in order to bring our troops home. The Russian operation’s aim was to destabilize the region by paying the Taliban a bounty for attacking NATO, US and government troops. Many of these attacks have taken place and there have been American casualties. I see that as Putin continuing his assault on the US with his coordinated combination of cyber attacks, spread of Fake News and covert operations to influence our elections. The biggest surprise is that the administration has not acted on that critical intelligence information. There is been no diplomatic rebuke of Moscow with the threat of future actions against Putin’s regime. That does make me wonder why Trump always has difficulties taking a hard line against Russia. After all, Trump himself declared that he believes anything Putin tells him. Would you???

The Trump administration has appealed to the US Supreme Court to strike down the Affordable Care Act. This is being done while the coronavirus is still ravaging the land with new daily infections by the thousands. The WH has been unable to offer any alternate health plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. The timing of this request is unreal since thousands of Americans impacted by the virus are facing huge medical bills and many more will face that same situation soon. That callous action, if approved by the Supreme Court, will remove medical coverage for many, many Americans at a time of greatest need. In addition, it will be another drag on the economy which has been negatively impacted by the virus already. One can only hope that our Supreme Court Judges rule wisely!

The President and his family have asked for a temporary restraining order to keep his niece’s soon to be published book off the shelves. A judge ruled that she has all the right to write her memoirs and publish them. The Trump fear must be that Mary Trump has a number of witnessed conversations and incidents which will be embarrassing the the President. This family tell all book can’t be hidden out of site based on any conflicts with national security. A President being embarrassed isn’t a national security threat. The most it can do is probably confirm many things we already know about the man. But coming directly from a family member it carries more weight!

Yankee catcher Yogi Berra once said: ‘It ain’t over until it is over!’. I know that he was referring to baseball games but it is so true today when it comes to the coronavirus. Florida, Texas and Arizona are reporting higher and higher virus infections daily while New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are seeing large drops in their numbers. It seems that it directly ties to the coronavirus actions taken by these state Governors. Those who acted aggressively early on with lock down orders are better off today. Those who were quick to move away from lock downs are paying the piper now. Health Care Professionals in Florida, Texas and Arizona are already expressing concerns that Hospitals will be over crowded soon. This is not the time for reckless behavior and thoughts of throwing caution to the wind. The coronavirus is active and will be for some time to come. Let us all practice social distancing, wear face masks and keep up frequent hand washing. It is always better to be safe than sorry!

In 1944 most American males were serving in the US Armed Forces in European and Pacific war locations. That was also the year for a Presidential Election and the ballots of our military personnel overseas were as important as those of the citizens at home. They were permitted to cast their votes by mail. Thus over 3 million ballots were mailed in for that election and not a single person ever voiced concerns that the election was rigged. Now 76 years later we have Trump coming out with his objections to mail in ballots on the grounds that it will lead to huge voter fraud. If ballots mailed in from all corners of the world worked in 1944, ballots coming in from the 50 states will certainly work in 2020!

The much anticipated Trump campaign rally in Tulsa was ill planned from the beginning and ended in a serious derailment. All the WH bragging of a hall filled to maximum capacity and a huge overflow crowd outside dissipated before the event even started. My read is that people recognized that the coronavirus is still among us and the risk of getting infected at such event without social distancing and the wearing of masks is dangerous. Them, of course, even Trumpers know that any Trump speech at his rallies is always the same of airing perceived grievances, attacking the press and blaming invisible enemies to his presidency. Trump’s had hoped for a triumphant return to the campaign trail but yesterday’s show looked more like a train derailment. Quite possibly the public is suffering a severe case of Trump fatigue!

When we reach a point that the average citizen begins to worry about the actions of the Department of Justice under AG Barr, we are in a judicial crisis. AG Barr on Friday announced that US Attorney Berman from the Southern District of NY Court was resigning. That was an outright lie since Berman immediately stated that he was not resigning and had no intention of doing so. I am convinced that Barr’s attempt to oust Attorney Berman is politically motivated and can directly be tied to Trump. The SDNY under the leadership of Berman is investigating a number of Trump associates like Giuliani for potential criminal wrong doing. That district is also trying to get Trump’s tax returns for NY state. Berman is a Republican with many years of distinguished service in the DOJ. Barr even went so far as to mention a candidate to succeed Berman who is a personal friend of Barr and Trump. That all sounds like a Machiavellian scheme to stop current investigations by placing your own man in charge.

We must remember that there is American history and it can’t be divided into two parallel tracks of black and white American history. It wasn’t long after the first settlers came to the New World that black slaves became part every day American life. Their labor covered every aspect of agriculture and manufacturing in all states. That means to me that American history was always a single track made by all people who lived here and that includes the original inhabitants of the land. There was racial injustice in the land and that has been recorded to some degree but not taught in detail in our educations systems. Now the spark of recognition that blacks have been treated unfairly for too long has ignited a search for truth among the young and even some of the old. I see that as a positive development which will provide means to move forward as unified Americans!

With Trump getting seriously worried about his election prospects in November, they are trying to determine some effective messaging strategy. Obviously the approach of 2016 of playing the immigration fear card and promising that factories will be coming back to the US won’t cut it this time around. Over the top support for strict police tactics and the blind support for the Confederacy and their Generals doesn’t have much public appeal. So a pivot in messaging was in order. The new idea is now to deny anything which is inconvenient to the administration. Deny that the coronavirus is still spreading by claiming it is a result of more testing but ignore that it is increasing in states with steady testing numbers for weeks. Deny the publishing of Bolton’s book by insisting that everything he has to say is confidential government information even though thousands of copies of the book are in warehouse and the content will be known to us all soon. Deny meaningful police reforms by quickly signing an executive order of watered down requirements. Deny that there is a risk to the health of Trumpers who will attend the Tulsa campaign rally in spite of warnings by health professionals. Deny that systemic racism exists in the US in spite of thousands of citizens protesting against it. Deny that the Old Man pushed to the ground by police in Buffalo who now has a brain injury was a peaceful protester by trying to make him out to be some liberal conspiracy person. Yes, there are many more WH denials of facts and developments which should alarm every citizen.

Today VP Pence had a call with Governors to coach them on coronavirus responses approprite for questions which may come up. The weirdest term he used is to call new virus out breaks reported in many states as ’embers’. The implication being that they are nothing to worry about since an ember can easily be doused. The biggest issue I have with the call is the blatant attempt to minimize the current impact of the coronavirus on us all. His tone was that the spread of the virus is much controlled and there is no need to worry about. However, that starkly contradicts the facts of continued daily infection rates and fatalities even though that number is declining.

The initial Trump campaign rally on June 20 in Tulsa will take place in an indoor venue seating 20000 people. Supposedly the event will fill the hall to its maximum. Given that the coronavirus is of concern to many, some of the organizer’s stipulation for the event are unique. Attendees will have to sign a document that in case they test positive for the virus, they can’t sue the GOP. There will be no social distancing on part of attendees against all advice of medical professionals. However face masks will be made available to those requesting them. Trump declared that he will not wear one. I certainly hope that no harm comes to those attending the event. But shouldn’t the organizers be a bit more concerned about protecting the health and welfare of those they ask to come to the event??

While the country is still grappling with massive unemployment and the continued spread of the coronavirus, it appears to find itself in a cultural transformation of some kind. People are now willing to openly discuss and act on addressing systemic racism and implementation of needed Police reforms. We are questioning why displays of the Confederate flag are so prevalent in many parts of the country? Why do we have statues of Confederate Generals in many places who tried to break up the country? Why is the Klu Klux Klan not a banned organization? These are all symbols of the dark days of slavery and have no place in our 2020 society. Then we have the issue of recent events involving Police Departments around the country which makes us believe that operational procedures may require changes. Why are potentially deadly choke holds permitted? Why is there no registry of Police Officers with a confirmed record of violence? Why do we over burden the Police with responsibilities which are not traditional responsibilities? The solutions to these questions will not be easy but they must be taken seriously and an effort to resolve them is a must for the welfare of the country.

General Forrest was a Confederate General in the Civil War. A bust of him is in the Tennessee State Capitol. The GOP legislature again opposed the removal of the bust from the Capitol. This is note worthy right now as the country addresses racial in equality for this General ordered the massacre of black Union troops in the war and later became the first Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan. Some historians claim that he is actually the founder of the KKK. It seems that in 2020 busts and statues of such men should no longer be on public display. I agree that they are part of history but, for example, they can be placed in some Civil War museum.

Whenever I hear Trumpers state that Trump is the greatest President ever, I have to question their knowledge of American history. Lincoln took on the Confederate States in order to maintain the United States of America! Wilson took us through WWI and had plans for some form of United Nations to avoid future wars. Roosevelt gave us Social Security and guided us to victory in WWII. Eisenhower built the interstate highway system. Kennedy challenged us to go to the moon. Johnson signed sweeping Civil Rights legislation. Now to Trump. Where is that great new health coverage he promised? Where is his effort to reduce the national debt? We all know what we have now. That is a long way from being the Greatest!!

I find Trump’s tweet calling the 75 year Old man who was pushed to the ground in Buffalo a possible provocateur who deliberately staged or set up the confrontation most upsetting. Not only was he pushed to the ground but when another officer tried to reach out to help him up, he was stopped by his peers. Even for Trump who likes to level all kinds of unsubstantiated accusations toward people, this is indeed a new low watermark. What may even be the larger travesty about this event is that not one GOP Senator commented or reacted to Trump’s tweet. I can only assume that they are complicit with all WH doings and lack all moral courage to speak out when something is clearly wrong. In my eyes that makes them all spineless cowards. I find Trump’s tweet to be classless and offensive!

Democratic President Johnson, himself a Senator from Texas with a checkered past on race relations, signed the most sweeping Civil Rights Bill way too many years ago. But here we are still surrounded with systemic racism. Hopefully the protests in the US and other places in the world for an improvement in race relations will be heard loud and clear. Those who tried to steal the moment by being thieves and looters are to be condemned and locked up. We must make the commitment to be tolerant and respectful to people of black and brown color. This business of white people calling the police because they see a black person in their neighborhood is out of the dark ages. Police Departments must stress that officers practice restraint when dealing with blacks. We all, as individuals, must pledge to do our part to create a harmonious world without hate for each other. It may be a difficult road for some but the reward is priceless when you take it. This is a moment of national awakening on the issue of racism and we would be fools to let it slip by. Let us finally bring equality and justice to every citizen!

Many believe that the tipping point for the public to get serious on addressing racial intolerance began on Monday, 6/1, when Trump called on military police to clear a church area of peaceful; demonstrators. I believe that Trump’s action on Friday, 5/29, to seek shelter in the White House bunker was the key to what unfolded on Monday. Here is the pretend tough guy President fleeing from his fellow citizens. Once that news got out, Trump felt he had to show that he is a tough guy and he took action but, unfortunately, that and the photo op with the bible being held incorrectly became a total disaster for his administration. The defense offered by AG Barr that there were security concerns for the President are ridiculous and laughable. A true leader walks among the people he governs and isn’t afraid of them. Looters and thieves should be arrested but to quell peaceful demonstrations is against all American values and our rights spelled out in the First Amendment. The good thing that came out of all of this is that the USA has awakened, opened its eyes and may now be willing to address grievances of the black minority. I certainly hope so. Life without hope is not a happy existence but fortunately hope frequently gets realized unexpectedly!!!

The Inspector General overseeing ethical operation of the State Department was fired by Trump last Friday. Today we know that the IG was investigating Secretary of State Pompeo for bypassing Congress on the sale of 8 billion Dollars worth of military hardware to Saudi Arabia and activities like having government employees walk his dog, do dishes and run home errands. Trump himself stated that Pompeo asked him directly to fire the Inspector General for undermining the operation of the State Department. Suddenly Pompeo had no choice but to admit that he has done that!. Have we now reached a point in this administration that any attempt of proper oversight on part of Inspector Generals leads to their their dismissal? If that is so, the premise to drain the swamp is an utter failure.

There are eight serious efforts around the world to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. One company reported that a limited test of eight people was promising. That is good news indeed. I really don’t care where and who develops the vaccine first as long it will be made available to all countries at a cost its citizens can afford. A world wide medical crisis isn’t the time to think of potential revenues and associated profit margins but to focus on eradicating the coronavirus.

Without doubt the United States is one of the world’s richest countries with superb medical infrastructure, fine Doctors and great Scientists. Yet with about 5% of the world’s population we have 32% of all coronavirus infections and 28% of all fatalities. That is such sad and unfortunate fact that we must all ask on how that happened. Why were early virus warnings on part of the Intelligence community down played and even often denied by Trump? Why was the existence of the pandemic response play book left by the previous administration not used? Why were experts responsible for international virus tracking and potential responses dismissed or reassigned by the Trump administration.? Why didn’t he National Stockpiles have adequate Personal Protective Equipment like ventilators, masks and gloves? Why wasn’t there a quick and focused virus testing plan implemented to detect the spread of the virus across the country? Why was the messaging to the public by various government agencies confusing? Why did Trump take his eyes off the virus by his elusive hunt for a miracle cure? To date the public has received very little detailed information to these questions. I see the blame game between the administration and the states played out which is totally counter productive. There was Trump contradicting Scientists and vice versa. Falsehoods were stated which were proven incorrect yet repeated endlessly by Trump and agency leaders. Being the country we are, our coronavirus response should have been better!

I am concerned that the WH has launched a campaign to discredit the number of oronavirus fatalities in the US. Only a few days ago the administration was admitting that the fatality totals could be over 100000. However, that is now being viewed by the public as the virus not being contained as stated by the WH. The Trump solution to this unwelcome development is to dispute the numbers. The three main sources of virus statistics are the CDC, John Hopkins University and Reuters News. Their reported numbers have been consistent and show little variance from each other. If anything, the numbers may be low since many elderly care facilities, to protect their financial interests, under reported their patient deaths due to the coronavirus. In the time of a national health crisis it benefits no one to slice and dice statistics to feed a specific scenario. Let us accept the virus reality and admit that it is what it is!

The coronavirus still has the the whole country in its grasp with more daily infections and fatalities. While at the same time many small companies are closing their doors and large companies are announcing employee lay offs. So in spite of opening the states for business, the economy will not rapidly bounce back as the administration is hoping. These two linked realities appear to suggest that Trump’s re-election bid is sputtering. The President knows that very well and thus is implementing his past strategy of deflecting to a ghost conspiracy theory. Of course, his allies in the conservative media have totally embraced his pivot and they now too bring up what they call Obamagate. This is a fictitious tale which implies that Obama and people in his orbit are behind efforts to remove Trump from office. Chapters in this tale imply that the Russia investigation, impeachment procedure and the virus itself are intricate parts of the alleged conspiracy. I am sure that the hard core of Trump supporters buy into this theory hook, line, and sinker. But an election isn’t won alone by holding on to the core group. It takes votes from the large undecided voter pool to win. And here in is the problem for Trump. The majority of Americans aren’t happy with his coronavirus response, unemployment numbers over time will make many question the promised economic recovery and spoken and tweeted lie after lie by Trump will take its toll on his credibility. An escape to an alternate reality won’t change those developments.

The presidential election is less than six months from now and I expect a campaign like we have never seen before. Given that the coronavirus still takes a toll on us daily, the high unemployment numbers due to it and the real possibility of a prolonged recession has Trump’s 2020 Campaign staff in a bind! I see Trump reaching into his 2016 playbook and focus in his campaign rallies on his southern wall, bash legal and illegal immigration, claim success in the trade wars, throw out insults in every direction and whine about how unfairly he has been treated. Trump strongly believes that he has to hold on to his base at all costs and feed them what they want to hear! His pitch of 2016 about bringing back factories to the US and creating coal jobs won’t have much appeal anymore to the undecided voters. His opponent Biden should remain above the fray and use the content of Trump tweets and available sound bites to remind the electorate on why a change is a must. As always, the citizens of the land will decide who they want the next President to be. All I hope for is that the election is fair. That everyone with the right to vote gets that opportunity and that Russian hackers aren’t successful in cyber attacks against our democracy.

Since Mr. Barr has become Attorney general of the United States, the Scale of Justice has gradually but without stop moved into an unbalanced position. It began when he preempted the release of the Mueller report with his four page summary declaring that Trump was fully exonerated. We all know that was not the investigation’s conclusion. Now under AG Barr’s leadership the DOJ has totally lost its way. The decision to drop charges against General Flynn who pleaded guilty to making false, fictitious and fraudulent statements about his Russian contacts to the FBI is a miscarriage of justice. Flynn agreed to cooperate with the Mueller investigation but proofed not to be a trustworthy witness, Even Trump fired him from his position for lying to Pence. Judge Sullivan in court proceedings expressed that charges against Flynn should actually be more serious than claimed. All along Trump praised Flynn as an outstanding citizen and send strong signals his way that a pardon was coming. However, a Presidential Pardon for Flynn would risk a strong political blow back potentially harmful to Trump’s re-election effort. So while the nation is focused on the coronavirus, AG Barr did what Trump wished for and that is that charges be dropped against Flynn. Being a doubting Thomas, I wonder what Flynn knows about the 2016 election and Russian interference that forced Trump and his enablers had to take this extraordinary step? The DOJ dismissing charges brought against a defendant by their prosecutors is a very rare exception. I fear that this episode places the integrity of our criminal justice system in jeopardy. It now appears that the WH has placed a heavy hand on the Scale of Justice and offset it from its equilibrium!

Sometimes it has value to travel down History Road to double check which administrations did the most for the American citizen in improving their lives. In 1916 both Republicans and Democrats began discussing the need to permit women to vote in the US. Finally that topic was successfully resolved by passing the Nineteenth Amendment in 1919. In the height of the depression and while the country was virtually broke, President Roosevelt under his New Deal initiative passed the Social Security Act in 1935 providing an income to all elderly Americans over the age of 65. In 1964 President Johnson passed the long overdo Civil Rights Act which protected the rights of black citizens. In 1965 President Johnson passed the Medicare Bill providing elderly Americans with health coverage in their Golden years. That short historical review of major social legislation seems to confirm my initial inclination that Democrats care more for the well fare of the common man than the modern descendants of the Party of Lincoln!

In the past days FOX and other Conservative media outlets have spun a tale that the FBI somehow pressured Flynn to lie to them when interviewed. Since physical torture isn’t an FBI interviewing tactic, I find that argument hard to believe. Let us not forget on why Trump fired Flynn to begin with, it was for lying to VP Pence about having contact with Russians, especially the Russian Ambassador. I tend to believe that recent documents released from the Roger Stone files implicate Flynn in various unsavory activities and to keep them under wraps, Trump allies are creating a scenario for Trump to give Flynn a pardon. That would put a quick stop to any further Flynn revelations!

With over 30 million Americans filing for unemployment payments and businesses slow to open, a return to normalcy will take time. In the meantime many Americans with missing paychecks will cover their expenses by accumulating debt via short term loans and increased credit card debt. Since Financial Institutions expect to recover their funds, many people will have no other option but to declare bankruptcy or default on their debt. Both approaches lead to consumer credit rating drops and will result in future consumer spending constraints. It reminds us all that a drastic economic downturn has a long term adverse impact on most citizens!

Day before yesterday Trump tried to convince us all that UV light, high temperatures and inhaling disinfectants were potential cures for the coronavirus. Needless to say, those comments were condemned by Doctors, Scientists and the international press. The administration knew that Trump’s wild health advice was causing a problem and a walk back had to be orchestrated. So the Press Secretary comes out and states that Trump’s comments were taken out of context, then the president himself declares that he was merely being sarcastic and then a top health official has to lower herself by stating that Trump was still absorbing information just given to him. The sad part is that her face indicated utter confusion when Trump was actually saying all those weird things. I thought that during a crisis it is important to have clear messaging, stay on the facts, everyone on the response team is on the same page and the intent is to update the public with what is of value to know. Instead we have the President confusing everybody with his deviations into unproven and untested magical cures for the virus. Come on now, let us have some sound and meaningful briefings!

It all started in the Old West when enterprising individuals began traveling from town to town selling fancy named tonics and elixirs as miracle cures to address the inhabitants various ills. Not much later they became Popular Medicine Shows featuring entertainment with intermissions to sell ‘patent medicines’ (tonics and elixirs) to the audience. Patent medicines were sold as a cure for aches, ailments, colic, venereal diseases and female complications. Now Trump is using the daily coronavirus press briefings as a modern continuation of the Medicine Show by offering unproven and untested medical advice to combat the virus. Trump has gone from pushing Hydroxychloroquine for weeks to now claiming that UV light and cleansing our bodies with disinfectants will do the trick. I always thought that discussions about a national health crisis should be serious and that the President should abstain from playing TV Doctor. Trump views himself to be the ultimate salesman but remember that his Vodka, airline, casinos and University were equally highly touted but ended up being disasters!

The coronavirus has given the economy a heavy blow resulting in loss of revenues for many, many small businesses across the country. The Small Business Relief Fund was an excellent idea to provide them with financial aid during this difficult time. But every day we learn that there are parties who received much of that money without actually needing it. For example, Ivy League schools which sit on billions of endowment funds. Large publicly traded companies which received tax cuts and had record profits in the last few years. Now it appears that the final Bill lacked meaningful oversight language on how to control money distributions. My suspicion is also that CEOs and Lobbyists tied to the administration knew of potential loop holes in the Bill and exploited them quickly and efficiently since they have the lawyers to file applications correctly. Meanwhile the small business owner had a hard time navigating through the application process. Another hard thing to swallow is that our big four banks didn’t place public well being above greed for profit. They made over 10 billion Dollars processing small business applications. We should all step up during a national health crisis with its associated adverse economic impact. But here again, the average Joe steps up but the ones with the money take the opportunity to make more. How sad is that?

For weeks Trump and his favorite media outlet FOX were pushing hydroxychloroquine as the silver bullet to fight the coronavirus pandemic. They were doing it in spite of no evidence that it was beneficial in any way. Now that studies in Brazil, France and our VA Hospitals indicate that it may even lead to more deaths due to heart complications, both Trump and FOX have dropped that drug’s name from their vocabulary. It is that type of misinformation coming directly from the mouth of Trump in front of a national audience which makes me wonder about his leadership style and/or outright question if he has any!

Right now estimates place the number of people getting their daily food from food banks is at 17 million. Given that unemployment numbers will still increase in weeks to come, so will the number of people depending on food banks. If you are able to help your fellow brothers and sisters in this difficult time, I know that it would greatly appreciated and make a positive impact on many. Reach out to local churches which collect food or become a volunteer in the cause. Donate money to organizations with solid credentials so they can resupply their diminishing food inventory. No gift or donation is too small. We have always helped out fellow citizens and the need now is greater than ever before.

I watch domestic and international news coverage. All news outlets have shown the devastation brought on by the virus in all countries. France, Italy and Spain have suffered the most in Europe. Yet when I watch news coverage from those countries, I began to wonder why I didn’t see citizens waiting for food banks to open there while we have certainly seen that in urban US cities. Are we, in the richest country in the world. living in a place of wealth distribution which has created outright poverty for many or is it that our economic safety net to protect the lower level of people on the economic scale has seen huge cuts and they are now facing great hardships. In any case, I am confused on why I see things happening in the US that I don’t see in other western countries. Is there a greater concern for the well being of their citizens? Do they include more people in their social safety net? Are their companies willing to fund social programs more than ours? One day we all need to take a hard look at this issue!

Yesterday’s extraordinary coronsvirus briefing and I don’t say that in a complimentary tone, was a mix of customized propaganda, an attempted white wash of truth, series of lies and attacks on the free press and its reporters. What I heard wasn’t a President speaking to the nation but someone who views himself above that position. Trump reference to having absolute power indicates what he really believes in. That is that he is a KING. He can do whatever he wishes to do and there is no other authority in the land! He is not accountable to any other government branch or oversight function. We have seen Trump make comments in that direction before but yesterday it was expressed as his wish and greatest desire. But here in lies the trouble for him, we have a Constitution and it does impose restrictions on the Executive branch. In spite of Trump GOP enablers in the Senate and House, for the sake of the American people it will always win out. The all is we elected and President and we can send him packing once another election comes around. Trump’s wish is not a command to us!

Sometimes a look back makes you understand where you are now. For me it is the video clip of Trump mocking a paraplegic at a campaign rally in 2016. The majority in the audience wasn’t shocked but laughed and some even cheered Trump’s antics. i was at a loss then and even more so today that so many Americans found that behavior acceptable. Today I realize what happened then was only a prelude to a further unacceptable conduct. I have seen racial bigotry raise its ugly head, bullying of people taken as a sign of strength, lying viewed as normal and calling anyone who disagrees with you a teller of fake news. All of this is extremely disturbing but even more so since the President of the United States is unable to refrain from such behavior himself. It certainly isn’t being presidential and I wonder if the public doesn’t deserve better?

Having listened to the interview AG Barr gave yesterday on FOX news, I seem not to understand his responsibilities at all anymore. I always thought that his role was to act as the country’s highest authority that laws were upheld and legal due process steps were followed. I never knew his authority was changed to become an advocate of religion, a spokesperson on the economy and critic of past judicial actions which were done in accordance of law requirements. I believe that Barr now acts more like an appointed propaganda mouth piece for Trump rather than a legal representative.

Since Navarro, the man in charge of US trade, wrote a memo on January 23, 2020 warning the administration that the coronavirus is serious and could become a pandemic. Given this ominous warning, I am sure the memo had a substantial distribution list of important WH staffers. Even if Trump wasn’t on that list and I have a hard time believing that he wasn’t, some staffers no doubt brought it to the attention of the president. Therefore Trump’s claim at yesterday’s press conference that he didn’t know about it is hard to swallow! You just can’t have it both ways. If he knew about it and continued to minimize the danger of the virus, he mislead the public big time. If he didn’t know, then Trump has a non functioning WH since important information isn’t reaching him. In either case, we, the public, are the losers since critical information didn’t reach us in time to take protective measures. Trump’s actions I don’t consider to be any kind of leadership in this crisis. True leaders don’t make excuses, blame others and have that overwhelming need to pat themselves on the back!

As the coronavirus sweeps across the USA, more and more people get infested daily and the death totals mount, we still have many who believe that the virus is merely the common flue, close contact will not get you infected and death is a very remote possibility. The vast majority of people with these beliefs are on the right and far right and receive virtually all of their information on this virus from conservative commentators and evangelical zealots. I can’t express how sad I am that this is the case since it increases their odds at getting ill and even dying from it. It is never too late to take suggested precautions as outlined by Health Care Professionals!

Having been in the military I fully understand that a Captain of a ship can be relieved of his duty.But to do so should require some serious reason to do so. I believe that a compelling reason is missing in the transfer of Captain Crozier of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. His ship has a serious out break of the coronavirus, He was concerned that if it wasn’t contained, his ship wouldn’t be able to perform its military function. It seems that a lack of support resulted in him writing a letter seeking medical assistance. Somehow that letter was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle. My guess is that Trump and his appointed Secretary of Defense didn’t care for the criticism and asked Navy Brass to relieve Crozier of his command. So here a professions navy man who cares about his crew is demoted while a former Seal found guilty of conduct not in line with the Code of Military Conduct is pardoned by Trump. Somehow I find that all hard to understand!

The unemployment numbers reported this week were staggering but not really unexpected given the coronavirus health crisis gripping the nation! Unfortunately the situation may be worse since what we see is only the tip of the iceberg and, as they say, there is more to it. The US economy has always depended on many workers, documented and undocumented, who lack health care benefits and don’t qualify for unemployment benefits. I suspect that number is much lager than we think it is. They are the ones caught without any safety net to sustain them . Yes, we have food banks and organizations willing to help them but is that enough? Politicians of all stripes keep telling us that we are the richest country on earth. If that is so, none of our people should go without food! The call we all must answer now to to defeat the virus and help our neighbors who require it. That has always been the American way to roll up our sleeves and do what each and everyone of us can do for the common good!

We all know that since the outbreak of the coronavirus all health professionals, police departments, fire departments, airline employees and many more have labored tirelessly and with total professionalism to safeguard our health and safety Even now they continue to so so n an environment of limited supplies, increased patient load and risks of potentially infected people traveling.. Since they all serve mostly their communities, I feel that they we all show our utmost appreciation for their efforts. Certainly kind words and compliments will be appreciated by them but why not go a step further. Why don’t we urge our politicians in state and city governments to pass a bill which would exempt all critical essential workers from paying their taxes for 2020. In view of all that money going to small businesses and large corporations it will pale in comparison.

No one can deny that the nation is in a severe health crisis which has dramatically changed our way of life right now. The reality is that the number of infected goes up daily, health processionals are barely keeping up with new admissions, medical supplies are running low and public anxiety itself is becoming a problem. But human nature is also to maintain hope that things will get better. That hope sustains our belief that government actions will mitigate the economic impact on us, that companies are gearing up to produce needed masks and respirators, that a simple. test at home kit will be delivered and that laboratories will develop a vaccine against it. We do need to understand that reality is now but hope even realized isn’t immediate.The challenge o balancing reality and hope applies to the administration’s messaging to us in their daily corona briefing. The public is entitled to hear the unvarnished facts and truth which mirrors reality. Yes, they should address hope and tell us what may be realized in the near future but they have to remain factual with that information as well. During tough times real leadership is needed and not salesmanship!

There have been serious national emergencies facing the USA due to natural disasters or foreign influence. In every case the public turned to the occupant in the White House to provide leadership by providing details on what we are facing, what the administration plans to do about it and calm our fears of the unknown. Roosevelt did after Pearl Harbor, Bush did it after the Terrorist attack and Obama did it when we had virus breakouts. Now again, the nation is facing a severe crisis due to the coronavirus. The President and his administration have failed the test of leadership since they have given us misleading and even wrong information, muzzled Doctors and scientists from initially speaking out, were slow to roll out test kits and even slower to create a process for people to get tested. If the criteria to evaluate their performance is to give them an inadequate, ordinary or extraordinary for their efforts, in my humble opinion, they rate only an INADEQUATE!

As the number of coronavirus infected people and associated deaths spreads across the states, many Governors have declared state emergencies and taken strong actions to contain the impacts of this serious virus. Even some Republicans are now urging Trump to declare a virus National Emergency. I suspect that he is very reluctant to do so since we all are aware of comments he made calling it a Democratic hoax and the few cases at that time will disappear in a few days. Well, that hasn’t happened. Schools and Universities are sending students home, people wanting to be tested can’t do so, companies are telling employees to work from home and the travel industry is taking a financial beating. Trump may fear of upsetting his loyal base of supporters if he suddenly takes such important step. It will also stop Trump from holding rallies and we know how he glows in the admiration of his followers. But this is a time to do what is best for the public. The national interest must outweigh potential personal embarrassment.

The severe drop in oil prices was initially driven by a disagreement between Saudi Arabia and Russia over production levels. Saudi Arabia was for reducing production to drive up prices but Russia refused to go along. Saudi Arabia retaliated by increasing production causing the crude price to drop. Russia was the leading producer of crude until the US took the top spot. However, most oil produced in the US is dependent on fracking technology or shale extraction. That makes the US crude break even point much higher than the current price of $34 a barrel. American producers are now cutting production and some companies may go bancrupt if low cude prices remain at low levels for a while. So I wonder, is Russia’s aim really to cripple the US oil economy and the beef with Saudi Arabia is merely a cover?

The countries of the world are arming themselves with weapons of every kind at a rate like never before. For some countries the export of weapons is a big business and a large component of their economy. The USA has a 36% share of the worlds arms market, followed by Russia with 21%, then France with 7.9%, while Germany comes in at 5.8% and China accounts for 5.5%. The relatively low percentage for China is driven by the fact that it is focused on upgrading its military weapons capabilities for all of their services. Here the hypocrisy appears to be that countries, even poor ones, are willing to spend huge sums on weapons purchases while many social programs benefiting every citizen are tabled or ignored!

Initially President Trump was vehemently opposed to the cruise ship with infected coronavirus crew and passengers docking in a US port. That was a contentious decision since most people on board are Americans. Given the severe backlash the administration received from the public, they announced that the ship will dock tomorrow at the Port of Oakland. It provided no details on how all people on board will be tested and who will be quarantined and where. The statement only stressed that it will be a strictly controlled disembarkation of people on board. My concern would be how many additional people have been infected due to this administration’s delay? It still looks like when rapid response to this health crisis is needed, the administration is more worried about adverse potential political fallout rather than addressing the needs of the infected!

It is hard to deny that the Corona virus will adversely impact the economy. We know it is hitting the travel industry hard already with bookings for flights, cruises and hotels being cancelled steadily. But that is not all, virtually any product manufactured today requires parts sourced from various countries and some of those have been impacted by Corona very heavily. That results in parts distribution delays thus slowing down production everywhere. In addition, companies may suffer serious employee absences because the virus is still spreading and that too impacts production. The US economy is very vulnerable because it is mainly driven by consumer spending. That is slowing since consumers fear that they may have their working hours reduced and companies may even cut staff. Generally when you have such uncertainty, consumers hold on to their money. We don’t know how long we will be in this situation but it won’t be over tomorrow!

Amy, Pete, Mike and Elizabeth had totaled collectively 156 delegates before they all dropped out of the race to be the Democratic candidate for President.Biden has a lead over Sanders but it will b a fight between them to reach the magic total to go into the Convention as the official Candidate If for some reason neither Biden nor Sanders reach the required total, these 156 delegates are free to vote for the candidate of their choice. It difficult to predict how these 156 delegates will be split between Biden and Sanders but they can indeed make a huge difference in the first round of balloting.

I shall assume that the 2020 presidential election will be between Biden and Trump. Based on Trump’s 2016 campaign strategy, I don’t see him changing that. He will bring up unconfirmed Ukraine corruption charges in regards to Biden’s son and even go back to Clinton email material used last time. Biden will have to use tough language in his advertisements and campaign rallies. I know that he is a decent person but he will have to exhibit a tough stance to show the country from day one that he can take on Trump. What really may swing the election is that Biden connects with people very well while Trump has his base locked up but is a polarizing figure for Independents who are a third of the voters. Basically voters will see Trump for the same person he has been the past three years. I wonder if they will settle for four more years of such performance?

At one time there were 22 candidates seeking to be the Democratic candidate running for the White House. Over time some candidates dropped out because they couldn’t raise money or they had little voter appeal. Soon it led to a solid core of 6 candidates remaining in the field. But then much happened in the lst two days. Pete and Amy dropped out and gave their endorsements to Biden who until last Saturday didn’t do well in primaries. The only ones still fighting to be the Democratic choice are Sanders, Biden, Warren and Bloomberg. Today is super Tuesday and after all polling places close tonight, it will be a landscape telling us without doubt that there are only two viable candidates remaining. My guess it will be Sanders and Biden. Their eventual success will depend on who is able to form the best inclusive coalition of Democratic voters. I hope the fight is fair and when done it will lead to overall support for the winner!.

History is filled with brutal Dictators and Stalin and Hitler come to mind immediately. But we have them now in China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and North Korea. Putin, XI, Kim and the Crown Prince have unlimited power no matter what form of government they claim to have. Here in the US, a democratic country with the Constitution as the guiding document has an elected President who is absolutely in love with Dictators. He can’t stop praising them and even exchanges love letter with one of the. Trump said that himself! To me he shows all the signs of a Wannabe Dictator. During his time in office he has done everything to degrade our rule of law and weaken the House from controlling his actions. But we know that in order to do so, he needs to have enablers on his side. AG Barr has shown that he is willing to use the power of the DoJ to facilitate anything Trump asks for and personally interpret the law in his favor. Add to that the actions and complicity of Republican Leaders who are willing to ignore or look away when Trump extends executive privilege past any traditional norms. I consider that all to be a slow creep toward executive power beyond what our Founding Fathers had in mind. If Trump should win in November that power grab will be fast and lead to many difficult situations for the country. Elections matter, so vote in November!

The first corona virus infected person has died in Washington. The administration can no longer claim it is merely a hoax. Serious actions now has to be implemented to protect the public. An immediate rush to get test kits to hospitals in all states seems to be priority one. Anyone failing the test must be admitted for quarantined care and those treating him must have the best protection equipment available. There is no time to waste with meaningless talk, minimizing the severity of the crisis or slow administration response. It must be a case of: “All hands on deck!’. A rudderless Ship of State will go no where and bring no trust to the public. Aggressive and meaningful action is now expected and must be delivered!

Dr. Fauci is probably one of the leading US experts on various viruses., He was scheduled to appear on Sunday on five TV shows to update the public on the Coronavirus. All appearances were cancelled at the order of VP Pence, the Czar of Disease Control. Now Dr. Fauci made a weak statement that he hasn’t been muzzled but I don’t believe it. We know how this administration retaliates against anyone who is out of step with them. Now that we are getting of infections by people who were not overseas, it adds more complexity to the situation here at home. Availability of test kits is still a major issue even though those could have been ordered two or thee weeks ago. The administrations comfort level that this would just pass was irresponsible. The real shame is that any request for additional meaningful information on part of scientists is labeled a Democratic plot to discredit Trump. There is no need for that since he does that every day all on hos own! Rambling and incoherent press conferences ate no way to boost public confidence.

I am always amazed at some Republican talking points since they defy facts, logic and truth to the extent that I wonder who within their own party believes them? I learned from Ted Cruz today that the majority of Blacks and Latinos are rich since he stated that the Democratic party is the party of the rich. Mulvaney muttered that the media is covering the Coronavirus to make Trump look bad. He seems to have forgotten that thousands died in China and some in other countries and the topic has been on the front pages everywhere for weeks now. Maybe it wouldn’t be such bad news for Trump if he had given an informative press conference and displayed some true leadership? Then Trump appointees to be the vanguard of providing information to the public isn’t an awe inspiring group. They are a disorganized band of lost loyalists who lack the courage to ever speak the truth. The markets are falling again and I expect someone in the administration to blame Democratic candidates for that even though the markets were reeling before the last debate!

VP Pence is in charge of coordination all administration activities in regards to the Coronavirus. His first act was to muzzle all Scientists and prohibiting them from speaking without reviewing their comments with him. In the meantime Trump still proclaims that the government response is adequate even though test kits in large numbers haven’t been made available to Doctors and hospitals. Now a patient has been identified to be infected without having been overseas. That person may have been in contact with infected persons returning to the US from China. Those receiving them at March and Travis air forces bases lacked basic protective virus gear and they too may have been infected. That all shows that prudent medical attention is inadequate in what appears to be a highly political environment. The virus will adversely impact the economy even if it remains controlled. That reality is what Trump fears since his strongest reelection point is the economy. Thus political calls seem to over ride scientific common sense! The public needs to be updated daily by scientists with clear language on the spread or containment of this virus. Anything short of that is a disservice to the country!

I listened to Trump’s press conference which updated us on the potential impact of the Corona Virus. I heard that it is a lot like the flue and right now is contained within the USA. The chance of it becoming worse is slim. We have a number of great scientists working on it and they know what they are doing. But here are some facts which still raise concern on my part: “A world renown Australian researcher has identified in Singapore with great certainty that the virus can be kinked to bats. That means that the announcement by the Nevada Medical Center that they are testing an antiviral drug seems to be a stretch since they don’t even have the latest information!’. The virus is spreading outside China rapidly and I don’t believe that we were served well by Trump minimizing the impact of the illness. I do hope that we dodge it as much as possible but I don’t know how well we are prepared to deal with it if it breaks out here.

The results of the 2020 election will set the course of our national policies and interests for the next four years. That means that much is at stake and strong voter participation is critical. Given the diversity of our electorate we must ask ourselves the question whether we are better served by a younger presidential candidate than an older one. In my view is gets down to who can represent the wishes and desires of all Americans for a brighter future in concrete plans and actions. We know the issues facing us all: “Health Care, wage inequality, social acceptance, affordable education, just to mention a few!’. Maintaining the status quo is not a bold move forward but that is precisely what is needed. A move which shakes things yet appeals to everyone and has a chance to reduce partisanship in the country!

I am all for social programs. Social Security, Medicare and Food Stamps are all worthwhile programs which benefit a great number of citizens in our society. But when a candidate stresses Universal Health Care, elimination of student debt, free college and child care for all. I do believe we must give thought to how it will be paid before we jump on that bad wagon too quickly! Candidate Sanders is certainly the one with grand ideas but he offers no detail on how to pay for them. If he doesn’t provide further detail on the payment aspect then we will be voting for a soap bubble. Nice to look at when the sun shows all of its nice colors but it can burst at any minute. many times caution should be the order of the day when politicians seem to over promise us the goods!

Yesterday Bernie sanders announced that administration intelligence staff had warned him that Russia was interfering in his political campaign. He condemned Russia interference in our campaigns and elections On the same day at a Trump campaign rally the President whose staff warned Sanders told the crowd that Russia interference was a Democratic hoax. He also fired his top Intelligence Director for having updated the House Intelligence Committee of these various threats. I guess Trump is just fine with foreign interference in our elections. I am still waiting to hear from the RNC and their statement on this issue!

I wonder if Trump realizes that his campaign rally routine is always the same. A group of adoring clan members who will believe anything their Leader states tells them but the sad thing it that it is always the same warmed up nonsense! Trump gestures a lot, can’t stay on track or be consistently coherent on any topic. His supporters eat it up and cheer wildly. The trouble with all of that is that this base support he has without having to hold these rallies but he does so because he needs to feel love since the rest of the world gives him little! These rallies in my estimation don’t get him any independent votes at all.

An inconvenient fact for many is that Russia meddled in the 2016 election, never stopped their meddling and is determined to do so again in the 2020 election. And why shouldn’t they? Trump and Republicans constantly try to remind us that it is a false narrative or not fully proven! Yet every US and many friendly foreign intelligence services state that this is a fact. Of course, Putin loves Trump. As we know Trump believes that Dictator over every intelligence officer. Trump has done nothing to lean on Russia to leave Ukrainian land they have occupied. The DoJ had dropped investigations against Russian Oligarchs for potential money wire laundering. Trump invites Russian Diplomats to the WH but hasn’t invited the Ukrainian President to it yet. Trump has fractured the NATO alliance which is a Putin goal. The man in the Kremlin must laugh every and each day on how successful he is directing our foreign policy! Wake up people, think, draw your own conclusions and don’t rely on WH briefings. The policy of this administration is that if you repeat lies often enough they will be believed. We have seen this play out in history before in Germany. Have we learned anything?

Roger Stone commits crimes, is found guilty by a jury, shows no remorse for his actions but keeps saying he did nothing wrong, is sentenced to jail for his crimes but Trump insists that this is a miscarriage of justice which must be corrected. In other words, another pardon is coming for someone totally undeserving because he is a fine fellow and friend of the President. No one questions that Trump has pardon powers but his use of that authority certainly raises the issue if the President is being impartial in his calls!

Given the gravity of Roger Stone’s crimes, any Judge wouldn’t have any other choice but to find him guilty and give him jail time. We can all argue id the sentence handed out does justice to the crimes committed but that is really now irrelevant. We should focus on the fact that justice was served in spite of interference from the President and AG Barr. It confirms that lying to Congress and witness tampering are offenses which can’t be tolerated in our society!

I wonder if others share my view that political debates have turned into expressions of righteous indignation, outright anger, vicious attacks, temper tantrums and grossly overstating past achievements. Meaningful content and future prospects on issues critical to the public are falling by the way side. I expect that some of the candidates on the debate stage yesterday will drop out soon. But looking back, some who have dropped out like Booker and Harris would have been better on stage than some who were.

Columbia University completed a detailed study of the 2016 Presidential Election results. The primary focus was on citizens who could have voted bur were ‘no shows’ at the ballot box. That number was about 100 million. In that total are about 22 to 24 million poor or low income people. In other words, those whose household income falls below the federal poverty line. I see that that an untapped potential voter base ignore by both parties. Democrats shy away from directly appealing to the poor and prefer to focus on the term ‘middle class’. Republicans on the other hand don’t want to antagonize their poor white voters in some parts of the country by pretending they don’t exist. The 2018 election has shown that these voters yearn for candidates who have platforms which speak to them. Democrats were successful in doing that by winning House seats in many RED districts.

When Trump, as the President of the US, declares that only people who like him are friends and all others are enemies he destroys any hope of national unity. These are not words of someone interested in working for the good of all Americans but someone tied only to those that cheer him on at campaign stops like members of a fanatic order. It shows that Trump has a thin skin for any kind of criticism or difference of opinion. He must be in control of everything. He probably would love if Americans copied the Germans saying: ‘Leader command and we shall follow!’. I see the country drifting further apart and only the election of a new President in November gives me hope that we can return to be one nation under God!

From the first day that members of Trump’s inner circle were charged with lying to Congress and the FBI, the President tweeted repeatedly that these were all fine people and trying them wasn’t fair. The problem is that juries found them guilty! In that group of fine fellows are Manafort, Kelly and Stone. Yesterday AG Barr personally over ruled the sentencing recommendations of four Federal Prosecutors. They all did the honorable thing and resigned immediately. This a case of the President and his AG using the power of the justice system to protect their friends while attacking their enemies. What is lost is that the Judge at Stone’s sentencing is the one who will decide on his jail time. That means that Barr’s ploy may fail unless he also leans on the Judge. Every day you see our democracy sink deeper into crisis due to the Machiavellian dealings of the Stable Genius!

Job creation is important to the welfare of the nation.But one must be realistic about job growth statistics. The Department of Labor, the official source for job numbers, published that the Trump economy created 1.7 million less jobs in their first three years than Obama’s administration did in their last thee. There has neither been a huge influx of manufacturing jobs associated with factories being built nor a great comeback of the coal industry. The dominant job creation is till at lower paying service jobs which does give employees making minimum a wage a chance to move to a position paying 11 to 12 bucks an hour in a tight labor market. Better but not enough for a real life style improvement!

I was appalled when Senator Graham proclaimed on FOX yesterday that the DoJ would accept dirt on Biden from Ukraine sources if it were brought to them by Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer. This morning AG Barr confirmed that such process exists. In other words, even after past charges of trying to obtain dirt on a political opponent, Trump and his henchmen continue to be lawless and show a total disregard for laws and us. The American people can’t remain spectators to such abuse of power in this administration. Remember all of these dirty tricks in November!

The road to moral bankruptcy begins with a low but steady decline in core moral values. We show tolerance for racism, an acceptance of White Nationalist rhetoric, a deterioration of democratic principles and no loyalty and love for each other. Then suddenly we reach the point of definitely being morally bankrupt and no matter how wrong something is, we either ignore it or do nothing to oppose it. Trump lashes out in vindictive manner against civil servants who dared to speak the truth and receives cover from Republican politicians is appalling. The loss of their moral compass is the ultimate decent into moral bankruptcy!

In the House hearings a number of patriots spoke up under oath to inform the public of some of administration activities which had greatly alarmed them. They all knew that a vindictive President would lash out as soon as he was acquitted. Trump has done that by claiming that some fell short of his loyalty demands. Certainly loyalty is a fine character trait to have but it should never be BLIND loyalty where you ignore unsavory tactics and plans. House witnesses showed political courage to do the right thing and for that they should be applauded.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to us to honor our achievement of freedom and democracy and that the United States welcomes all people who seek a better and brighter future. It was dedicated on Liberty Island in New York on October 28, 1886. Now that we see the Trump administration trample on democratic principles and implementing strict immigration policies, the statue seems out of place in the United States. This administration should consider re-gifting the Statue of Liberty to a country which is trying to establish a thriving democracy. May I humbly suggest that the White House consider Ukraine as a suitable new destination for the statue!

The Vindman brothers have been serving their adopted home land in the capacity of public servants for a long time. One, as decorated Army Officer, found that some things being done by Trump unsettling and appeared under oath at the House impeachment hearings as a witness. The other brother is a lawyer in the WH. Today Trump decided to seek revenge against a military man doing his patriotic duty by firing him and having him escorted by Security staff from the WH. As if that act wasn’t mean and vicious enough, his brother was also terminated and escorted out. How can anyone now not believe that Trump isn’t a mean spirited person by any definition of that term!

Now that Trump has been acquitted by he Senate which in no way translates into exoneration or innocent of charges, the dark aspects of politics are emerging. Trump immediately began his quest to seek revenge on those he felt caused that permanent stain on his Presidency. Republican Senators who stayed by his side will now witness even greater misdeeds but will have no choice but to close their eyes. AG Barr will increase his pursuit of frivolous charges against anybody if directed to do do by Trump. I see all of that as a weakening of democratic fundamentals and a slow slide into one man rule which generally is called a dictatorship. I hope with all my heart that I am wrong!

We live in an environment in which we are bombarded around the clock with information on 2020 potential candidates via Town Hall meetings, stage debates and speeches on various topics. I will agree that every candidate participating in these events believes that it is an opportunity to make an impact on voters. And to some degree that is true. However, I always liked the old fashioned direct approach of door to door campaigning by a candidate or their surrogates. The boots on the ground method brings potential voters closer to a candidate since they come across as seeking grass root support. You have to admire campaign workers who will slush through rain and snow to ring door bells and tell whoever opens the door about their party and candidate. The added bonus is that some campaign literature is being dropped off at the same time which can be studied later.

The annual prayer meeting is attended by about 3500 invitees from the world of politics, business and clergy to pray together for a better future and to heal a fractured world. Yesterday’s meeting deteriorated into the Trump show by questioning Senator Romney’s and Speaker Pelosi’s strong religious beliefs and lashing out about being impeached. One could tell he wasn’t listening to the speaker before him who reminded the audience of Jesus and his teachings. It makes you wonder how his Evangelical base reacted to that Trump performance?

Early in the afternoon the King called his loyal counselors and trusted aides to his court. None refused and showed up in full force. Knowing that the King was about to give one of his infamous speeches. They expected the loss of truth, ignorance of facts, lack of decorum, no respect for anything or anybody and definitely no logic or common sense. They were like a group of eunuchs who had been deprived of their manhood and relegated to only nodding in approval to anything the Kind said and anything else would be treason and end up with expulsion from the court. Today the King was Trump, the court was the White House and the eunuchs were all the Republicans praising him!

This morning Trump, an adulterer and admirer of a porn star, attacked Senator Romney and Speaker Pelosi for their religious beliefs. Yet he has won over Evangelicals by claiming that he is a true defender of religious freedom. As a narcissist he loves it when some of the real strange ones in his cult go as far to proclaim that GOD send us this highly flawed individual. All I can do is shale my head and question the sanity of some of my fellow citizens!

Yesterday Senator Romney voted with his conscience, oath and love of country that Trump was guilty of one of the impeachment charges knowing that he would be attacked by the President and his followers for doing so. Sure enough, he was! The Republican party has morphed into a dictatorial body where no other opinion but Trump’s can be expressed. I call that a serious suppression of our democratic principles.

Many Republican Senators now admit that Trump is guilty of charges but shouldn’t be impeached. That all weakens the Constitution and our democracy and you might as well add the rule of law.

The Trump legal team with Dershowitz at the helm came up with some of the wildest comments in regards to presidential powers ever heard! Dershowitz stated that the President can do anything if he feels it is in the public interest. and thus he is immune from impeachment. He provides no definition for ‘public interest’. Is that to say that if Trump wakes up some morning with the idea that the US should sell Alaska back to the Russians because it is a darn cold place most of the time and claims it is in the public interest, Dershowitz doesnt’ see that as abuse of power or anything out of the ordinary. I tend to believe that he has lost all credibility as a lawyer!

An overwhelming percentage of democratic and independent voters coupled with a substantial percentage of Republicans now feel that the Senate should call on witnesses. On top of that list should be John Bolton who is willing to testify under oath. Now Trump has disputed Bolton’s account on Ukraine aid but is he willing to repeat the denial under oath given his history of stretching the truth to the breaking point?

I believe that the leaked information from Bolton’s book is true that Trump withheld Ukraine military aid until they investigated Biden, I don’t believe Trumps denial of the event since he lied just a short time ago about not knowing Parnas and I challenge Republican Senators to show courage and ask for witnesses including Bolton.

Trump lawyers dished up discredited arguments like Mueller report found no obstruction of justice – YES it did, they couldn’t call witnesses in the House – WH elected not to, Trump was concerned about Ukrainian corruption – just listen to Sondheim testimony. The facts are that Mueller identified wrong doing by Trump, Republicans chose not to participate in House process and Trump whose University and charity were closed down due to corruption isn’t exactly a spokesman to fight corruption in the Ukraine!