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It’s time we reclaim our common ground

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We are responsible for making our political system more functional

Our physical world has two poles (north and south) that are bitter and cold. The vast majority of humanity lives much closer to the equator, in a much more productive climate.

Our political world feels very similar. The current system is set up to force us away from our common, productive ground and into hostile extremes.  We won’t survive such a move and need to do all we can to regain our common ground.

It is up to us, the people, to:

  • Reach out to others who may not share our POV
  • Focus on listening to them with compassion, not judgment (I’ll admit, this one challenges me at times)
  • Have conversations grounded in verifiable facts (If you can’t agree on what is true, either work together to uncover the facts or move on)
  • Admit when you don’t know something, or are wrong
  • Politely agree to disagree when necessary.
  • Don’t focus on changing someone’s view. Enhanced understanding is a valuable outcome
  • Hold politicians from BOTH parties to the same standards. What is un/acceptable for one party should be un/acceptable for all

A broad variety of perspectives in our nation should be our greatest strength, not our most easily exploited weakness.

Reclaiming our common ground won’t be easy, but it is very necessary.

Not sure where to start?

I’ll be posting a variety of views that are honest and heartfelt, not confrontational and angry.

For today, check out the CNN segment Trump gives America’s ‘poorest white town’ hope.

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How and why to say NO to Stephen Bannon’s latest power grab

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Should we be alarmed by the appointment of Stephen Bannon (Trump’s chief strategist) to a membership role in the National Security Council (NSC) Principal Committee?

Heck yes! Please call The Senate Committee on Homeland Security at 202-224-4751 (It’s an answering machine. Leave your name, number and a brief message) or email them (https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/contact) to register your position.

I used some of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s message and tweaked it a bit.

“I very strongly believe that the demotion of key members of the NSC Participial Committee and the inclusion of an individual whose primary responsibility is political in nature is highly detrimental to the strength of our great nation. I am also very concerned about the individual’s role in crafting the executive order behind these changes. Partisan politics have no place in our national security.”

Not convinced? Keep reading.

What is the NSC?

This is how the Trump administration defines the NSC and their role. (you will have to cut and paste the link https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/nsc, as my direct link was mysteriously severed). 

Ah, let’s go back to the archived Obama Administration site. There we see: (bolding and italics mine)

  • “The National Security Council (NSC) is the President’s principal forum for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and cabinet officials.”
  • “Since its inception under President Truman, the Council’s function has been to advise and assist the President on national security and foreign policies.”
  • “The Council also serves as the President’s principal arm for coordinating these policies among various government agencies. The Chief of Staff to the President, Counsel to the President, and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy are invited to attend any NSC meeting.”

As with most Trump moves that have garnered opposition, the objections are two-fold.

The more readily grasped objections are that Bannon has little relevant experience and is a not seen to be a very good person overall.

But the objections aren’t just specific to Bannon. Someone, perhaps Bannon,  also included in the EO the demotion of several of the most influential members of the committee, giving Bannon even more influence. More specifically the OE “someone” crafted:

  • Removed two key members, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence, and said that they would be invited “issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed.” (which should be pretty much every time, but is now at the White House’s discretion)
    • The Director of National Intelligence is responsible for starting off discussions with an intelligence briefing, but Trump has made it clear how little he values intelligence
    • The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff used to be a key adviser to the president and others on the military consequences
  • Diminished the role of the national Security Advisor, who would normally be the one to work with the President on NSC matters.

This is not OK

 

Thanks for moving forward with me

Sources

https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/nsc

 obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/eop/nsc/.

msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/bannons-white-house-role-draws-sharp-criticisms-reason

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-danger-of-steve-bannon-on-the-national-security-council/2017

cnn.com/2017/01/29/politics/susan-rice-steve-bannon/

www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/the-trump-national-security-council-an-analysis/514910/

nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/02/trump-not-fully-briefed-on-bannon-nsc-order-report

www.npr.org/2011/05/31/136829586/what-does-the-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff-do

nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/02/trump-not-fully-briefed-on-bannon-nsc-order-report.html

 

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Inspiring and timely quotes from Frederick Douglass

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Though Fredrick Douglass passed away on February 20, 1895, his words ring true today.

 

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning.”

“To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.”

“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”

Finding out more about this great man is easy, just click here!

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Some things you should know about Stephen Bannon

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Trump cried “No puppet. No puppet.” I agree.

A puppet has just one master. He’s more like a marionette, manipulated by more than one master.

We have every right to be concerned about Putin and Russia’s role in the election, but his day-to-day master Stephen Bannon is even more frightening.

While it is very apparent that Trump can be quite easily played by stroking his enormous ego, Bannon (Trump’s Chief strategist and somehow also a member of the National Security Council) does this masterfully.

Trump is a “blunt instrument for us,” Bannon told me. “I don’t know whether he really gets it or not.” Ken Stern, Vanity Fair
Read the full Vanity Fair article here: Exclusive: Stephen Bannon, Trump’s New C.E.O., Hints at His Master Plan

Unlike Trump, Bannon is intelligent and is consistent in his views and focus.


The Washington Post has had a series of great articles on Bannon and a key theme is immigrants are not welcome in this country.

  • In November 2015, On Bannon’s radio show  and spoke with  Congressman Ryan Zinke about President Barack Obama’s plan regarding Syrian refugees coming to the U.S.

“We need to put a stop on refugees until we can vet,” Zinke said.

“Why even let ’em in?” Bannon asks. 

  • “On a March 2016 episode of his show, Bannon attacks H-1B visa workers and immigrants in general:

“Engineering schools are all full of people from South Asia, and East Asia. . . . They’ve come in here to take these jobs.”

“Twenty percent of this country is immigrants. Is that not the beating heart of this problem?”

Read the full WP article here: ‘Why let ’em in?’ Understanding Bannon’s worldview and the policies that follow.

FYI: The 20% number is wrong.
Read the full WP article here: Steve Bannon also has complained that 20 percent of the country is made up of immigrants.

In November of 2015,  Donald Trump presented a more reasonable view on H1-B workers and looked to Bannon for approval.  He didn’t get it.
Read it at WP: How Bannon flattered and coaxed Trump on policies key to the alt-right

So while Trump put signature on it, we all know who was behind it.  We should be very concerned about that master will do next.

If you don’t want to sleep well tonight, check out:

Read it at ABC: Why Trump’s Appointment of Steve Bannon Has Raised So Many Alarms

Read it at Bloomberg: This Man Is the Most Dangerous Political Operative in America

 

 

 

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Addressing the alternative facts of Trump’s immigration policy

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If you have a conversation about the immigration ban, it will be helpful to know:

PT’s claim: “My policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months. ”

Nope.

FactCheck.org’s article (Trump’s Faulty Refugee Policy Comparison (Factcheck.org) is detailed, but the gist of it is: (bolding is mine)

What Trump did:

“President Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27 that bars Syrian refugees from entering the U.S. indefinitely and bars all other refugees for 120 days, and keeps out visitors for 90 days from seven predominately Muslim countries: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. Initially, as ABC News reported, administration officials said the ban also applied to U.S. green card holders reentering the United States from those seven countries, though they could get a waiver to reenter. But two days after Trump signed the executive order, administration officials said green card holders, who are permanent residents, would be admitted on a case-by-case basis after additional security screening.”

Key differences in the policies:

“… what Obama did was not a ban, and it did not involve visas.”

“There was a delay in processing Iraqi refugees in 2011 after it was discovered that two Iraqi refugees living in Kentucky had been involved in roadside bombing attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq. One of the refugee’s fingerprints were found on a detonation device in Iraq, prompting U.S. immigration, security and intelligence agencies to use federal databases to rescreen about 58,000 Iraqi refugees in the U.S. and more than 25,000 Iraqis who had been approved to enter the U.S., but had not yet been admitted, Department of Homeland Security officials testified at the time.

The Kentucky case not only caused a backlog in processing Iraqi refugees in 2011, but it also resulted in an overhaul of the refugee screening process.

The Obama administration’s actions were limited to one country and in response to a specific threat — the potential for other Iraqi refugees to take advantage of a flaw in the screening process.

By contrast, Trump ordered a far wider ban — albeit also temporary — without identifying a specific threat.”

Read the full executive order text here

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Appalled by the immigration ban?

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There are many things that you can do

Day 8 of the PT regime and I continue to be astounded by the lack of respect they have for the United States and what makes us great.

PT has been forced to back off slightly, but he has demonstrated time and time again that he is a sore and vindictive loser. We must make it clear that his actions are unacceptable.

If you can, please:

Support organizations that are speaking up

Demand that congressional leaders will live up to their constitutional and moral responsibilities

Both Ryan and McConnell were strongly opposed to Muslim bans not too long ago, but seem to have misplaced their convictions.

Email Paul Ryan (In my note to him, I referenced his words of August 1, 2016 “America’s greatness is built on the principles of liberty and preserved by the men and women who wear the uniform to defend it. As I have said on numerous occasions, a religious test for entering our country is not reflective of these fundamental values. I reject it. Many Muslim Americans have served valiantly in our military, and made the ultimate sacrifice. Captain Khan was one such brave example. His sacrifice—and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan—should always be honored. Period.”)

Email Mich McConnell (McConnell has stated that “I Don’t Want to Criticize Them for Improving Vetting.” This recent act by the Trump regime isn’t rooted in improving vetting and he knows this.) I cant provide the direct link to McConnell as they have Blacked direct access (https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactform)

Want to read more about what should happen going forward?

Some Top Republicans in Congress Criticize Trump’s Refugee Policy

A Clarifying Moment in American History

Read the full executive order text

Looking for more ways to help?

Please check out my list of causes to support

 

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Email VP Mike Pence about the immigration ban

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Oh wait, you can’t.

Not too long ago, Gov. Mike Pence expressed fairly rational views regarding Muslims and immigration.

I wanted to reach out to him via email to ask why this suddenly became unoffensive and in accordance with our Constitution, but I couldn’t …

On whitehouse.gov, the links on his page for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube all work.  But if you click on his email link, you just get a “page unavailable” error.

Same for Trump.

 

 

 

 

 

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Want to hear something uplifting?

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Have 3 minutes?

Check out this short and sweet story from a well-spoken 17-year-old woman, Hannah Adams. Despite their differences, the folks in her small Kentucky town get along.

How? They listen to each other.

Hear it in her own words

 

 

 

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Trump and the press, what a mess

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Have we entered the Twilight Zone?

I woke up and found myself in the Twilight Zone episode It’s a Good Life.  You know, the one in which a horrid little boy banishes to the “cornfield” anyone who doesn’t show him respect, exude platitudes or repeat what is currently called “alternative facts.” (Back then, they were called lies.)

So, when I heard that PT was considering removing the White House Press Corp from the White House, my initial reaction was quite skeptical. And after this weekend, I am more sure than ever that any changes would be disastrous for everyone but the current administration.

To better understand the situation, I’ve:

  • Listened to On the Media’s very informative discussion on the history and role of the press corps. Listen to On the Media – Future Tense (if you are short on time, just check out segment 4, How Trump Might Save the Media He So Despises).
  • Read what Ari Fleischer, former White House Press Secretary for President G. W. Bush (2001 – 2003) had to say. Ari Fleischer on Sean Spicer

Going forward:

It does sound like that the current process is not ideal. But we need to wait until we have a White House that is guided by intelligence and not malevolence.

P.S. If you have never seen The Twilight Zone’s It’s a Good Life, add it to your list.  It’s a classic and oh so timely.  Season 3, Episode 8. Link to Amazon – Go to episode 8

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The Women’s March. Moving forward in backward times.

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A step in the right direction

I was one of millions worldwide that attended a Women’s March yesterday.  It was very energizing and uplifting to be surround by so many people speaking out about our backward-thinking administration.

Going forward:

I plan to continue wearing my pink pussyhat. The hat symbolizes strength and unity. By wearing it often I hope to remind myself and others that the march was just the first of many steps needed to help and heal our nation.

The Women’s March organizers have put together a user-friendly list of  10 actions we can take over for the next 100 days.  Step 1 is writing a personal note to your Senators to let them know what matters most to you.

Women’s March Next Steps. Check it out and keep up the momentum.