President Thinks Midshipmen At Naval Academy Are Incompetent

In the newspaper this morning I read an article by the AP about 381 books being removed from the library at the Naval Academy.

The article said Navy officials used a key word search and identified about 900 books that looked to be problematic and then pared that number down to 381 which were removed from the library.

According to Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, Navy spokesman, "Nearly 400 books were removed from the Nimitz Library to comply with directives outlined in Executive Orders issued by the President."

So the President believes that future leaders of our military and country are not competent enough to make their own decisions about what they should read.   I think I know who is not competent and it is not the Midshipmen.  

 

Below is a definition of DEI.  Given that U.S. military members come from all over our diverse country and often have to work shoulder to shoulder with allies from around the world, does DEI really sound like such radical ideas we need to hide them from people?

Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, encompassing the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another.

Equity is the fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups.

Inclusion is the act of creating environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate.

"Hands Off" Rally

My wife and I joined a "Hands Off" rally yesterday.  It was satisfying and enjoyable.  We took some quickly made signs (unfortunately not very water proof) and joined about 1,300 people on the shoulder of a very busy four lane street.  I think the crowd stretched more than a quarter mile.

It was cold and rainy,  but that didn't dampen the spirits of the many people there.  A lot of cars drove by.  Many honked their horns, waved and gave us thumbs up as they went by.  We waved back.  I saw some one finger salutes.  I also smiled and waved at these people.  That is what free speech is about.

People walked behind the crowd  and took pictures of us and our signs.  I again smiled and waved.  

Some days the torrent of unconstitutional, illegal, incompetent, immoral and corrupt actions we see coming from the Trump administration and Republican politicians can be very depressing.  It felt good to be doing something in public.  To stand up and say I think what you are doing is wrong.

What I was amazed by was the number of cars that had a person or two with their windows down and their phones up videoing the whole line of protesters.  I've never had so many people want a picture of me.

Schumer Was Correct

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is being severely criticized by fellow Democrats for his YES vote on the Republican CR funding bill and letting it become law. Democrats wanted Schumer to vote NO which would have caused the government to shut down. Most Democrats thought a NO vote would be one of their few chances to stop or at least slow Trump's radical agenda.

Schumer thought that shutting the government down would only give Republicans more power to implement their plans.

I agree with Schumer.

Limited government has been a guiding principle of Republicans for decades. Ronald Reagan said the government was the problem, not the solution. Grover Norquist, a well known Republican advisor from the 1980s, wanted to cut the government so deeply that he could “drown it in a bathtub”. Trump shut the government down for about a month during his first term. Republicans like government shut downs.

I haven't figured out what Trump's overall plan is for the country (assuming he has one), but it obviously includes destroying the government, the economy, Democrats, the rule of law, the free press, the Courts and probably the Constitution. A long government shutdown that he could blame on Democrats helps him meet his (and Putin's) plans.

If Trump and Musk really wanted to down size the government and make it more efficient, they wouldn't be firing thousands of employees by in-discriminant means or decimating government departments and agencies.

We need to fight Trump every way we can. Helping him shut down the government does not help the country at all. Once the government was down, how would Democrats every get it going again without Republican help? Do you really think Republicans would make any adjustments or concessions to their bill to get Democratic votes to restart the government? Republicans did not ask for or allow any suggestions from Democrats when writing the CR funding legislation. Why would they do anything during a shutdown they were happy to have? 

It would take Democrat's making concessions and promising enough YES votes before Republicans would bring the CR bill up for another vote. So instead of stopping the Republican's CR bill Democrats would just put the country through the turmoil of a possibly long shutdown and show the country how truly politically weak they are.

Does Trump Cower At Threat Of WW III?

Like many people I wonder what hold Putin has on Trump. There are many possible explanations and Trump's obvious mental decline may make any rational explanation impossible.

But in Trump's meltdown while talking to Ukraine's President Zelensky in the Oval Office, Trump twice warned Zelensky that by not accepting his plan to end the war Zelensky threatened to unleash World War III.  Trump seemed to be sincere in his assertion.

I wonder if Putin warned Trump he would start WW III if Trump didn't convince Zelensky to just give up. 

For all his bluster, I can easily believe Trump could not stand up to such a threat.  Trump is a bully and is always eager to threaten opponents when he thinks he has an advantage.  When it is the other way around he is a coward.

 

Two Hundred Year Old Social Security Recipients?

During President Trump's recent address to the nation Republican's were appalled by his claims of very old people in the Social Security System.  He implied that they were receiving benefits, but provided no proof.  Of course, he never provides proof for his outlandish statements.

What really surprised me was that Republicans seemed stunned to hear of very old people being in the system.  Didn't the President's physician during his first term, Dr. Ronny Johnson, claim President Trump was so healthy he could live to be 200? So what's the big deal?  True to his Republican roots Dr. Johnson provided no proof.

Letter To Republican Senators

The conduct of the President in his first month is appalling. I know he promised us shock and awe and we have gotten that. What I didn't expect was incompetence, outrageous lies, illegal actions, unconstitutional actions, scorn for the rule of law and corruption. I could cite many specific actions, but if you can honestly say you don't know what I'm talking about than this letter really doesn't matter.

I expect a new administration to make changes that reflect their priorities. There are always things that the President wants to add or change, but I would expect these to reflect careful thought and be checked for legality and constitutionality. Instead we have rash, harsh, slap-dash actions with no clear plans. Many of these actions seem to be aimed at pure retribution rather than making our government more cost effective or better for our country and citizens.

I understand the President believes he knows more about everything than anyone else. That is clearly revealed by his many appointments that represent his desire for absolute sycophancy from all subordinates rather then expertise in the nominees' areas of responsibility. We both know he does not know everything.

What I didn't expect was the complete lack by Republican elected officials to honor their oaths of office and constitutional responsibilities. You and your colleagues are charged by the Constitution to be an equal and independent branch of the government. You are expected to act as a constraint on a President who refuses to act like anything close to what we have come to believe is presidential behavior. What I see are politicians who are more concerned about their personal and partisan political power than they are for their country or its citizens.

Please perform your constitutional duty and help President Trump understand that many of his actions are not helpful or condoned by most voters. And the number of voters who would like to see him constrained is growing quickly. If you want to continue to be an elected politician you should start listening to voters.

If you read anything else in this letter, know that the President needs to stop acting like a know-it-all king and Elon Musk needs to go back to running his companies.

Republicans, Only You Can Save Us

 I think it was Thomas Jefferson who said something like, In a democracy you get the government you
deserve. I didn't vote for Donald Trump and I certainly don't think I deserve Trump's version of government. I believe in the Constitution, the Rule of Law, separation of powers, democracy, integrity, character, facts and truth. Trump is proving that he does not.

If you want to fight waste and fraud, go for it, but do it in ways that don't harm innocent people or valuable institutions. When you find out you were wrong it can be very difficult to repair the damage.

I've been told many times that we need a business leader in the White House. Really? When a business leader creates a disaster, they are often fired or they declare bankruptcy and leave their problems for someone else.  Before President Trump brings moral, institutional and fiscal bankruptcy on us, we need to fire him. 

Democrats can't do this by themselves. We need the help of Republicans (voters and politicians) who realize that Trump is not working in the best interests of citizens or our country. Republicans need to convince him that the chaos we are seeing is not what they voted for. If he doesn't change, they need to help to impeach and remove him from office. 

Republican's please don't wait too long. His recent executive order giving himself complete control over legally established independent departments and agencies shows he really wants to be a dictator forever.

MAGA Voters Need A Reality Check

When Democratic voters became aware of the effects of aging on President Biden, they encouraged him to reconsider his candidacy.  His accomplishments in office and his unselfish act of withdrawing from the campaign will cement his legacy as a great president.

For anyone outside the MAGA bubble, the decline of Donald Trump's mental competency and his failing grip on reality is obvious.  Trump's current poll numbers show that those inside the bubble either never see any of his outrageous comments or they really do not understand or care about the damage he proposes to inflict on the country or his political opponents.  

One of the responsibilities of being a citizen is that you be an informed voter.  That means you should search for information outside of media and information sources that tailor their product to a specific population to gain economic benefits or shape opinions.

Facts about his outrageous behavior surrounding January 6, 2020 is easy to find.  Examples of flagrant and continuous lying are everywhere.  If you can't find any, just wait.  He happily generates new ones everyday.

MAGA voters, you need a reality check and as a responsible voter it is on you to make that happen.

After the fact apologies that you didn't know or believe he would be that bad will not cut it.