Author Archives: tom

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 170: If You Voted For Trump Because Of His Promises On The Economy, Fasten Your Seatbelt (And Tighten Your Belt)

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In the run up to the 2024 elections Trump famously promised to fix the economy. Since returning to the White House he has blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for any bad news.

Each passing day diminishes his ability to sell this and he has bragged about lower gas prices which has steered much of the good news about overall inflation.

Many of us believed his claim of prosperity was ultimately unsustainable but with his recent invasion of Iran it’s going to be much, much harder. It’s been less than a week since the war began and already crude oil prices have risen dramatically and a barrel is now over $90.00. Oil prices are famously volatile but since the war is in the Middle East it’s hard to imagine a scenario where prices will return.

Additionally today we learned that the US economy lost 92,000 jobs last month after predictions of gains. This number may be adjusted but it’s hard to imagine it will get much better.

Over the past year consumers have noticed that grocery prices have increased and Trump has famously denied its truth. It’s a little like the guy whose wife catches him with another woman and he responded: “Who are going to believe: me or your lying eyes?”

Eyes don’t lie

We’re Not Going To Miss Kristi Noem But This Doesn’t Fix Things

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Today we learned that President Trump fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and will nominate Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin.

Most of us have opposed her tactics as DHS Secretary and won’t miss her but this wasn’t the reason for her firing. President Trump has consistently valued loyalty over competence and doesn’t fire people for doing a poor job. Kristi’s was a sin of distraction, making Trump look bad. It wasn’t the deportations or the lack of respect for the rule of law, it was because of events like the one I previously posted where she ordered the purchase of a Boeing 737 and falsely claiming it would be used for deportations. Or her claim that the when Alex Pretti was killed by ICE agents he was a domestic terrorist. Or her $220 million ad campaign focusing on her riding a horse.

As I said we’re not the poorer for her departure but I doubt Senator Mullin will be any better. As far as I can tell his brings two things to his job: he’s loyal to Trump and he’s an undefeated MMA fighter.

In the meantime Kristi can resume her hobby of killing pet dogs.

Stay tuned.

It’s Official: ICE Has No Shame

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Many of us are troubled by the actions of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). I don’t think I need to list them, but I recently learned of one tactic that particularly bothers me.

You can read the article here on the web page of National Public Radio.

Turns out when they detain a pregnant unaccompanied minor she is automatically sent to a shelter in Texas (including those who are pregnant from a rape). At first glance this may make some sense: this population has special needs and keeping them together provides them a better opportunity for the care they need. But the reporters spoke to several members of the administration’s own health and child welfare officials who say this facility lacks the ability to give that care.

OK, so why send them to a place that doesn’t provide what they need? These officials (who aren’t identified over a well founded fear of retaliation) are convinced these girls and young women are in Texas because they can’t have abortions.

The Trump administration denies this but gives no justification over why this facility in Texas. Because of Texas’ near total ban on abortions many doctors who care for pregnant woman have left the state out of fear that treating a woman for ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages will leave them vulnerable to criminal prosecution. Simply put, this means that these detainees may be at higher risk for complications to tragic results.

And in case you haven’t had enough, the shelter is run by a for profit company called Urban Strategies. While they claim that the health of their residents is their first priority, the first priority of any for profit company is profit.

Let me be clear: I’m pro life and see the death of any child, of any age, as a tragedy. But I’m also pro honesty and pro integrity. This is neither

By the way, it’s a good article and worth a read.

Attack in Iran: We’ve Seen This Before (Again And Again And Again)

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A few days ago forces from the United States and Israel attack targets in Iran. Leaders of both nations defend their decision by claiming self defense: they say Iran is working on a nuclear weapons program that endangers other nations. The US and Israel also claim that this operation will likely take 4 to 5 weeks but we have the capacity for a longer war. There are several problems, so let me start here:

Wars are always supposed to be quick. At the beginning of Civil War (1861-1865) the South believed that Northern States wouldn’t fight to keep the nation together. They felt that as the states voluntarily joined the Union they could voluntarily leave. Meanwhile the Northern States believed the South didn’t have the infrastructure (railroad connections, guns, bullets, etc.) and would run out of stuff in a few months. They were both wrong. Perhaps a better example is the 2003 invasion of Iraq. When President Bush announced the invasion members of his administration claimed it would be a cakewalk and it would be financed by Iraqi oil. Vice President Dick Cheney claimed the Iraqi people would see us as liberators. By the time our troops left in 2011 (with over 4000 US casualties) Iraq was still a mess.

Trump promised not to do this. He famously ran on a platform of not entering “forever wars”. This will end up costing him among his base.

Iran isn’t an immediate threat. Last June Trump ordered an air strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities and claimed that we “obliterated them.” He famously never admits a mistake and therefore can’t now claim it didn’t work. There’s no possibility that Iran has been able to rebuild its program fast enough to make it a threat now.

I’ll certainly be writing more about this later but when gas prices start to rise and the stock market declines it’s going to be hard for Trump to continue to claim victory.

The Friendly Skies Are More Luxurious For Top Homeland Security Officials

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The Trump administration continues to claim that all they care about is “making America great again” but time and time again they show us that they care about making themselves rich and powerful, that “justice” for them means “just us.”

Currently the Department of Homeland Security is considering the purchase of a Boeing 737 Max 8 that is currently leases. Boeing states that the model it sells to the airlines seats 166 but the one DHS uses can carry 18 passengers and sleeps 14; it also provides a bedroom with a queen bed, showers, a kitchen, four large flat-screen TVs and a bar. The price tag? $70 million.

They claim the plane will be used to transport senior members of the government but will also be used for deportations. Call me cynical but I don’t think those who are being deported will be able to order a drink at the bar.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 169: More Sewage From The President

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On January 19th security cameras noticed that a sewage pipe began leaking raw sewage into the Potomac River. These spills are always a mess and since it’s on a river that separates Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia the clean up will require coordination among several agencies. President Trump, never one to pass an opportunity to blame others has shoehorned himself into the event to criticize everyone he can think of. He posted on social media this phrase: “If they [Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia] can’t do the job they have to call me and ask, politely, to get it fixed.”

Yes, America, you heard this right. They have to ask for help in a way that massages this man’s ego. I’ve said it before and will keep saying it: good leaders command respect and poor leaders crave approval. His words belie a profound lack of concern for the health and safety of the people near the spill and focus only on how people are supposed to treat him. For everyone who voted for him: I hope you’re happy.

By the way there is an excellent post from the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority. The pipe that is leading is 72 inches (6 feet) in diameter and was built in the 1960s. Drinking water is not affected as the intake for drinking water is upstream from the spill.

Again, and I can’t say this enough, local public servants are hard at work on this. They deserve our thanks and respect.

And That’s Why We Have Grand Juries

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Last November Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and several others veterans reminded members of the military that they may not obey illegal orders. They posted a video out of concern that President Trump and his administration felt they could issue orders without regard to the rule of law.

Members of the military are expected to follow orders but there are limits to what they can be ordered to do. This is found in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. For example, nobody can be ordered to kill an enemy who is surrendering and poses no threat.

This recognition became poignant after World War II when senior members of Nazi Germany went on trial for war crimes; they attempted to avoid responsibility for their actions by claiming they were following orders. Since the trials took place in Nuremberg, Germany this became knows as the Nuremberg Defense.

This binds members of the military to not follow illegal orders but it should also bind superior officers from issuing illegal orders. Simply put, anyone who issues an illegal order must be removed and never allowed to give orders again. Unfortunately the Trump administration believes they can order anything they want without regard to the law.

They showed this in the aftermath of Senator Kelly’s video. President Trump called it “seditious” and called on him to be executed. Fortunately our legal system requires someone to be indicted by a grand jury before prosecution; it’s a low bar and when a prosecutor asks for an indictment he normally gets it. But not this time. You can read about it here.

A grand jury consists of ordinary citizens, not lawyers or politicians and it finds its roots in the 5th Amendment of the Constitution.

Frankly I find Senator Kelly’s action was both patriotic and heroic. The Trump administration often uses threats like this as a tool to quash opposition and I’m glad it didn’t work this time.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 168: No, You Can’t Nationalize The Elections

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It’s no secret that President Trump obsesses over elections and vote counts, and for good reason. He lost the popular vote in the 2016 election and lost both the electoral and popular votes in 2020. Like any bully he refuses to admit defeat and continues to claim he really won but was cheated. In the last few days he’s floated the idea of the federal government take over running elections. He has claimed, all along without any evidence, that “everyone knows” these elections were corrupt. So what’s the problem with this? Why doesn’t the federal government run elections?

Well, there are a few problems. Let’s start with the Constitution: Article 1, Section 4 states that the “Times, places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state.” It doesn’t get much clearer. States run the elections and this can only be changed by amending the Constitution. Not by Congress passing a law. Not by the President issuing an order. And because the states run elections it’s much more difficult to cheat. No one person, no one group, no one state controls all the ballots and no one group can create or eliminate enough ballots to change the result of an election.

This matters more than ever because it’s clear that that’s exactly what Trump wants to do. In 2020 when Georgia voters chose Joe Biden, Trump famously called Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on January 2, 2021 to demand that he find 11,000 votes and give Georgia to Trump. Had Trump been in charge the election he certainly could have done that. Only the Constitution prevented this by having the states run elections.

Joseph Stalin famously said that the people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything (I found that quote here). I hope nobody misses the irony that Trump claims the only way to avoid election corruption is to give him all the power.

We will go to the polls in 9 months to choose our legislators and Trump knows his only path to keeping the House (and perhaps the Senate) is to cheat and we cannot allow him to do that.

Does Speaker Johnson Really Believe He Can Lecture Pope Leo XIV On Christian Teaching?

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Pope Leo XIV, and Pope Francis before him, have clearly emphasized the Catholic Church’s teaching on how we are to treat immigrants. Scripture brims with examples, but let me just give one, Leviticus 19:34: “You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; have the same love for him as for yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt.”

Unfortunately, many among us, including political leaders who identify as Christian, attempt to use Scripture to defend their xenophobia. Current House Speaker Mike Johnson recently said this (and I’m getting this from an article in The Christian Post):

“Borders and walls are biblical,” Johnson, a Southern Baptist, responded. “From the Old Testament to the New, God has allowed us to set up our civil societies and have separate nations.”

“Immigration is not something that’s frowned upon in Scripture,” he added. “We’re to welcome the sojourner and love our neighbor as ourself.”

The speaker continued: “What’s also important in the Bible is that assimilation is expected and anticipated and proper.”

“When someone comes into your country, comes into your nation, they do not have the right to change its laws or to change its society,” Johnson said. “They are expected to assimilate.”

“We haven’t had a lot of that going on,” he insisted.

He further states that when the Bible calls us to care for “the sojourner and the neighbor” it is “an admonition to individuals, not the civil authorities.”

Wow, it’s hard to know where to start, but let me give it a try:

  • Borders and walls are not biblical, they were (and are) reality. Borders and walls have been around as long as humanity and the fact that they are found in the Bible doesn’t mean we invented them. Likewise with separate nations. God did not make a map for us to follow.
  • There is nothing (NOTHING) in the Bible that demands assimilation. Much of Jesus’ ministry in the Gospels describes the difficulty in maintaining Jewish identity during Roman occupation and at no time does Jesus command us to become Romans.
  • Here in the United States we live in a democracy. Civil authorities govern only with the consent of individuals and there is no “us vs. them.” We are all “us.” Because of that any admonition that binds individuals must also bind civil authorities. How dare he lecture the Pope on the Bible when he misunderstands even the basics of democracy.

Finally, Speaker Johnson uses something called proof texting. Rather than explore a Biblical passage to understand its meaning, a proof texter will begin with his own opinion and scour the Bible to find a passage that appears to back him up with no regard for original meaning or context.

Speaker Johnson, if you’re going to claim authority on either the Bible or democracy, get better at it.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 167: Our Racist In Chief

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We’ve known for along time that Trump is racist, despite his continual denials. Well, he’s done it again. February is Black History Month and we take this month to reflect not only on the history of slaver and Jim Crow (in the hopes that we’ve learned and won’t keep doing it) but also contributions the black population has given us. Think Katherine Johnson’s work with calculating trajectories in the early space program and George Washington Carver’s work as an agricultural chemist.

But Trump, who famously referred to Haiti and African countries as shithole countries whose people should not be allowed to come to the United States, is at it again. Yesterday he posted on his social media account a video that depicted former President Obama and his wife Michelle as apes. No, I’m not going to post a link and I hope you don’t either.

As you can imagine the reaction was swift. Even Republican Senator Tim Scott, who is black, condemned it and hoped it was fake. At first Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to ridicule the outrage calling it “fake outrage.” The post was eventually taken down and Trump blamed a staffer for posting it, even though it was posted in the middle of the night when Trump often posts and most people who work for him are asleep.

He just doesn’t get it. But then neither do his supporters who don’t believe he’s racist.