When FDR called for Americans of Japanese descent to be rounded up and put into camps, most Americans did nothing in protest. A number took advantage of the situation to take possession of the property of those rounded up. Though there were exceptions as the movie The Empty Chair documents.
But when Donald Trump ordered a ban on refugees and Muslims, American people went to the courts to file suit against the president, and they went to the airports to protest the holding of refugees and others held in airports from being sent back.
We've had presidents who have done things people disagreed about. But we haven't had a president who ignores every tradition, every norm, every law, every norm of decency that interferes with his whims. We've never had a president who has put into place so many people who have no regard for the basic values of the Constitution and the law.
We've watched this sort of thing happen in other countries, but we're only just learning how to handle someone who comes to power and abuses that power every day in his first week as president. But we're learning. I'm proud of the people who are finding their voice and their power to stop the illegitimate actions of this elderly child president.
There will be a backlash. The real test is when people get hurt, even killed. We all have to stand up and assume the role fate demands we play. I hope we learn this quickly and well and that Congress sees where the power of the people lies and stops Trump before he carries out any of the orders he got from Putin*.
World, we want you to know we are planning on taking our country back from this madman.**
*If these aren't orders from Putin, they might as well be - take down NATO, take down the EU, weaken the US Intelligence Agencies, destroy US relations with countries like China, and, it appears more and more, take down the USA.
**I don't use this term lightly. And the man who has called everyone who has opposed him all sorts of disparaging things, has not standing if he protests when people do the same to him - especially when they are close to or right on the mark.
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ReplyDeleteCue Amendment 25, congressmen of both stripes --- please!
ReplyDelete‘stops Trump before he carries out any of the orders he got from Putin*’
ReplyDeleteI am calling my stock broker and having him put all my money in Alcoa Aluminum stock since the need for tinfoil hats is going to be tremendous.
Oliver
Oliver, I know you can do better than talk in clichés about conspiracies. How about some meat? There was an asterisk that showed I was talking tongue in cheek, but offered examples of things Trump had done that mesh with Putin's agenda. Show that those moves don't help Putin rather than throw up distractions about tin-foil hats.
DeleteFurther Putin’s agenda? Let’s see, the former president sat by while the Russians allegedly hacked the election. Sat by while he gobbled up Crimea and the Ukraine. Yes, I know we did some sanctions and expelled some low level diplomats, or as it’s really know as doing nothing meaningful. Putin’s bombing campaign accomplished in a couple months what the Obama administration was unable to do in a year in Syria.
DeleteAs for Trump, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for NATO members to pay their fair share, only five of the twenty eight members are paying the 2%. Even Obama ask them to up their contribution. The United States contributes between one-fifth and one-quarter of NATO’s budget. In FY2010 that contribution totaled $711.8 million. We all know what NATO did about Russian aggression over the past several years, nothing. So what is NATO for again?
I don’t think the man who says torture is ok as sick as that is has any intentions of weakening the U.S. intelligence agencies. We sell Taiwan 1.2 billion dollars in military equipment and that’s fine, Trump calls them on the phone and you have outrage from China!!! Tough.
OLiver
That's better, Oliver. This helps me understand your thinking and give me some work to do as I think through what you write. When people just roll their eyes (as you did in the first comment) and assume the other side knows why, there's no chance of ever reaching any common ground. Again, thanks, and I'll look into your view of this.
Delete