Something To Think About – A Political Point of View

This September 2022, a new book is being released, titled The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 written by New York Times reporter, Peter Baker and his wife, Susan Glasser, an American journalist and news editor.  In this forthcoming book, they chronicle former President Donald Trump’s relationship with the United States military — in particular the Generals.

The August 15th edition of New Yorker magazine has an excerpt from the book and is well worth reading.  I have included a link to the article titled: Inside the War Between Trump and His Generals

The excerpt from the book is rather lengthy, however, if you don’t read the entire article, please at least read General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff, well-crafted letter of resignation.

The authors wrote the following:

“In the days after the Lafayette Square incident, General Milley, sat in his office at the Pentagon, writing and rewriting drafts of a letter of resignation. There were short versions of the letter; there were long versions.”

Fortunately, General Milley did not resign — he stayed the course and defended the military, democracy and our country’s values.

“As the President’s behavior grew increasingly erratic, General Mark Milley told his staff he would not resign, “I will fight from the inside.”

The New Yorker book excerpt is well worth reading and I am looking forward to reading the forthcoming book in September.

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♦ Portions of this post were excerpted from New Yorker magazine and amazon graphics.

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Political & Social Point of View

The Big Lie!

Six Ways to Sunday is a well-known idiom. For most people, it means “in every possible way, with every alternative examined”. This idiom can be applied to the argument that the 2020 Presidential Election was stolen, rigged, or fixed.

If you were following the news after the 2020 election with each stolen/rigged claim, and with each case brought to the courts they were systematically rebuked, debunked, disproven, and dismissed — the claims were disproven — ‘Six Ways to Sunday’. The 2020 election was a free, fair, legitimate democratic election.

However, former President Trump, most Republicans on both the national and local level, and the media on the right continued to promote the Big Lie that resulted in an attack on the U.S. Capitol. (The Big Lie continues to be perpetuated today.)

The U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol has painstakingly laid out “facts” in a systematic order —  about the origins of the Big Lie; who perpetuated it; and what it led up to — a Capitol attack on January 6, inspired by Donald Trump’s false claims.

John Adams — The Nature of Facts and of Power

The House Select Committee has interviewed over 1,000 witnesses who have corroborated the “facts” behind the Big Lie and the attack on the Capitol.  History has shown, as well as proven, that facts always eventually rise to the surface.

Author, David McCullough writes in his biography of John Adams, that when John Adams was asked to defend the British soldiers involved in the Boston massacre, he eloquently said the following about facts when he addressed the jury:

“Facts are stubborn things.”… “and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictums of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

Adams also had the following to say about men who want to cling to power or their position at all costs:

“No man has yet produced any revelation from heaven in his favor; any divine communication to govern his fellow men.  Nature throws us all into the world equal and alike…”

“The preservation of liberty depends upon the intellectual and moral character of the people.  As long as knowledge and virtue are diffused generally among the body of a nation, it is impossible they should be enslaved.”

” Ambition is one of the more ungovernable passions of the human heart.  The love of power is insatiable and uncontrollable…

“There is danger from all men.  The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger public liberty.”

In my humble opinion, we as a nation would be wise to follow the facts laid out by the Congressional Committee and the words so eloquently stated by John Adams over 200 years ago.

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♦ Portions of this post were adapted from the John Adams biography and google graphics.
MJO – 2022

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Something To Think About: Build America’s Libraries Act

We hear and read a lot about high-profile bills introduced in the House of Representatives but we often miss those that have less of a profile but are meaningful to all of us.  One such bill was introduced this week.

The Build America’s Libraries Act was introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Andy Levin (D-MI-9) and Don Young (R-AK-at-large) along with 52 cosponsors. The bill seeks to provide funds to address decades of needed repairs, updates, as well as the construction of modern library facilities in underserved and disadvantaged communities. The bill’s Senate counterpart (S. 127) was introduced on January 29.

The American Library Association (ALA) this week welcomed the bipartisan introduction in the House of a bill that would provide $5 billion to support long-term improvements to library facilities, including addressing needs that have arisen due to COVID–19.

ALA officials say that the pandemic has cast a bright light on America’s aging library infrastructure. The average U.S. public library building is more than 40 years old, ALA officials point out, adding that Congress has not provided dedicated funding for library facilities since 1997.

ALA has created a resource on the ALA website to provide more details on the legislation, including a downloadable one-pager, and an opportunity for librarians to share stories of their library facility needs and how dedicated federal funding could make a critical difference.

I encourage you to contact your representatives to take action, either reaching out to your House Representatives to support the measure or if your rep is already a sponsor to issue a note of thanks.

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*Portions of the content for this post were excerpted from the Publishers Weekly and the American Library Association’s websites.

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Something to Think About: Dramatic Structure

In my college theatre classes, we learned every play has a Dramatic Structure consisting of five essential elements:

• Exposition: The portion of a story/play that introduces important background information to the audience such as setting, events occurring before the main plot, characters’ backstories.
• Rising Action: the section of the plot leading up to the climax, in which the tension stemming from the story’s central conflict grows through successive plot developments.
• Climax: the highest point of tension in a storyline, often depicted by a confrontation between the protagonist and antagonist. A climax resolves the main conflict of the story and is the moment the main character reaches—or fails to reach—their goal
• Falling Action: the section of the plot following the climax, in which the tension stemming from the story’s central conflict decreases and the story moves toward its conclusion.
• Resolution: the denouement, is the conclusion of the story’s plot.

We also learned that there were three Types of Plays

• Tragedy: These types of plays end on a tragic note and most likely a character’s death.
• Comedy: These types of plays are meant to amuse the audience, and they end on a happy note.
• Domestic Play: These types of plays are based on the normal life of family and friends.

During the past five years, America, your country, and my country has been living a Dramatic Tragedy under the Trump Presidential Administration.

We were first exposed to this tragedy with the Exposition of Trump’s announcement and campaign for President; the drama began.

Next, we experienced the Rising Action, all those tweets, mandates, statements, executive orders, a failure to address a national pandemic, and his two impeachments during his four years in office.

As the action rose we experienced the 2020 election, a tight election that Trump lost; but contested. The Climax came to the country with the siege on the capitol building by Trump supporters incited by Trump and his political followers.

The Falling Action came after the siege on the capitol when many of his followers denounced his rhetoric to incite the siege and his failure to immediately denounce the actions of the insurrectionists.

The Resolution to this American Tragedy was the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on January 20, 2021.

January 21, 2021, a new American Drama begins, we are not sure of the type, but what we do know, it will not be another American Tragedy.  Senior journalist, Dan Rather wrote yesterday, “What comes next remains to be written. There is danger but also hope, less a sense of fate, more a call to action.”   A call to action that we will once again be living an American Domestic Drama.   A challenge to return the country to a normal life within our communities and with family, and friends.

 

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Some Basic Civics

In my post yesterday, I stated,   We need to form our political decisions and beliefs not on what media pundits on either side tell us, but on what we have learned by reading history, understanding the civics of government, and adhering to the true values upon which this country was founded. To that end, I thought that it might be helpful to post several basic civic concepts that I have found to be beneficial in understanding the political landscape and the workings of our United States Government.

The Three Branches of Government

The three branches are set up to have what is called “separation of powers” or “checks and balances,” the system was designed by our Founding Fathers to keep any single branch of government — executive, legislative, or judicial — from gaining too much power and threatening our freedoms as citizens.

Here’s how it works: Congress (The Legislative Branch) makes the laws and controls government spending. The President (The Executive Branch) administers and enforces the laws. The U.S. Supreme Court (The Judicial Branch) is the final authority on interpreting the laws and how they should work. Each branch also has certain powers to constrain the power of the other branches.

Oaths of Office:

The Presidential Oath of Office — “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

The Senator and Representatives, Oath of Office — “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are required to take two oaths before they may execute the duties of their appointed office.  The Constitutional Oath of Office the same as the Senators and Representatives. — and — Judicial Oath Of Office: “I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as a _________ according to the best of my abilities and understanding, agreeably to the constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.”

Please note, that all of the oaths state, “…will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Nowhere in the oath does it state those taking the oath may interpret the Consitution as they understand it, nor selectively support portions of the Constitution. 

 Alexander Hamilton eloquently stated it best: “Every act of a delegated authority, contrary to the tenor of the commission under which it is exercised, is void. No legislative act, therefore, contrary to the Constitution, can be valid. To deny this, would be to affirm, that the deputy is greater than his principal; that the servant is above his master; that the representatives of the people are superior to the people themselves; that men acting by virtue of powers, may do not only what their powers do not authorize, but what they forbid.” 

The more we can learn the more we will know…and knowing is half the battle.

 

 

 

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An Exercise In Futility

Today’s post will no doubt be an exercise in futility but I have to write it, simply to express my feelings and to get some issues off my chest. I may even lose some readers to my blog, and in some cases lose some friends…but I need to perform this writing exercise; it may even change a few minds.

First, the world is not flat, I repeat, the world is not flat, it is indeed round. Second, there was “No Voter Fraud” in the 2020 Presidential Election; Joe Biden won the election and it has been certified by the states and the Electoral College.  To date, no credible evidence has been produced indicating there was widespread voter fraud or that any part of the electoral process was rigged.  I don’t know how many times Donald Trump and his allies need to hear or have it explained to them. 

Let’s try explaining “no voter fraud” this way — in Spanish: sin fraude electoral; in German: kein Wahlbetrug; in Italian: nessuna frode degli elettori; in French: pas de fraude électorale; and in Russian: нет мошенничества с избирателями.  But then again, no matter how it’s said, some still insist that Trump won and was cheated out of re-election.

Immediately after election night and throughout November and December the President, his allies, and his legal team contested the results of the election in the state, and federal courts as well as the United States Supreme Court; filing more than 50 lawsuits. However, all of the allegations have been shot down or withdrawn, and no court has found even a single instance of fraud. Of at least 57 cases to have been filed, at least 50 have been denied, dismissed, settled, or withdrawn. Again, there was NO substantial evidence that there was widespread “Voter Fraud” or that the 2020 election was “Rigged”.

Currently, the country is facing a last-ditch effort by Republican Senator Ted Cruz and eleven current and incoming Republican senators that they are going to object to the congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. This is their effort to hand outgoing President Donald Trump an unelected second term. It’s interesting to note, that not one of the Republican officeholders objecting to Biden’s victory has objected to their own wins on the same day on the same ballots using the same election systems.

One of the first senators to state that he would object to the certification of Joe Biden was Missouri Senator, Josh Hawley who stated: “74 million Americans are not going to be told their voices don’t matter”.  However, Hawley conveniently ignored the fact that Biden won the election by a margin of more than 7 million votes over Trump, and that, in the United States system, their votes hold equal weight. He would also like Americans to believe that all 74 million Trump voters believed the election was fraudulent. 

Ultimately, the Republican plan to object will lead nowhere. Although a  group of Republicans will be able to successfully object to the certification of results, the Democratic majority in the House means that the effort will ultimately fail there. It does not stand much of a chance in the Senate either, because Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Majority Whip John Thune have come out against it.

If you voted for Donald Trump in 2016 that was your right and responsibility as an American citizen to vote for the candidate of your choice.  Although if you voted for him, it demonstrates that you probably made an error in judgment, thinking this man would in some way benefit the country because of his business acumen, or as a Washington outsider he would drain the swamp.  If you voted for him in 2020, after witnessing his inability to govern, and his lack of leadership vis-a-vis the country’s pandemic, then, unfortunately, it is not an error in judgment;  there’s no other way to say it,  you’re a “dumb ass.” 

The term “dumb ass” may sound harsh or inconsiderate but we have a responsibility as citizens of this country to study and discern the character, backgrounds, and experience of the candidates that we vote into office.  Our right to vote carries with it the obligation to be informed intelligent voters and not just cast a vote for the candidate who says what we want to hear or adheres to our political ideology.  We need to form our political decisions and beliefs not on what media pundits on either side tell us, but on what we have learned by reading history, understanding the civics of government, and adhering to the true values upon which this country was founded. Most importantly, the candidate we select should be one who will govern in the best interest of all the people.  Will we ever elect the perfect candidate, or always draw the right conclusions about a candidate— No. However, the odds are great that if we take responsibility for the electoral process and those who governor us, we won’t ever be in the situation that we find ourselves in today. Jefferson said it best, “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” 

In summary, the world is not flat, and there was no voter fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election — Donald Trump lost and Joe Biden won. I repeat the world is not flat, and there was no voter fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election — Donald Trump lost and Joe Biden won.

 

 

 

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Something To Think About:

The Supreme Court and State of Texas Lawsuit

The Supreme Court on Friday, December 11th dismissed a long-shot bid by President Trump and the state of Texas to overturn the results in four states won by Democrat Joe Biden, blocking the president’s legal path to reverse his reelection loss.

The court’s unsigned order was short, and it denied Texas’s request to sue Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin over how they conducted their elections. Texas has not shown it has a legal interest “in the manner in which another state conducts its elections,” the order said. It dismissed all pending motions about the case.

In one case that reached the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, the rejection was delivered by a judge Trump had nominated.

“Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy. Charges of unfairness are serious,” wrote Judge Stephanos Bibas. “But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof.”

The election results have been certified in each state, and the electoral college is to meet Monday. Biden has 306 electoral votes, exactly the number Trump had when he was elected in 2016. But while Trump lost the popular vote then, Biden has an advantage of more than 7 million votes.

Fortunately, the American Judicial System has stood strong against the phony claims put forth by Trump and his legal team.  The courts have clearly  exemplified Jefferson’s statement: “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.”  The Republican Congress members and other states who also signed onto the Texas lawsuit, have exemplified a Maya Angelou statement: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

Fortunately, for the country after January 20th when Joe Biden is sworn in, the noise about the election from Trump and the GOP will be behind us and we can move on as a nation.

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Something To Think About:

In my post on November 28th, 2020 I wrote: “Most, if not all of our current divisiveness in our country centers around where and how we obtain our information. Many Americans form opinions by what they see and hear on a screen. Few Americans read history or form opinions by reflecting on how leaders or the American people or people of the world have handled problems or situations in the past.”

I am currently reading, Saving Freedom — Truman, The Cold War, and The Fight For Western Civilization by Joe Scarborough. In his book, Scarborough points out that Truman had a keen sense of the past; he once said to his aides:  “If a man is acquainted with what other people have experienced at this desk, it will be easier for him to go through a similar experience.  It is ignorance that causes most mistakes.” 

Over the years, I have read three other books about the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, and each book profiled his humble and determined leadership.  As a country, we can learn a great deal from leaders like Truman.  His values and principles that guided his leadership are seen in a few of his notable quotes made throughout his two terms in office.

• “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”

 

• “Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”

 

• “In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves… self-discipline with all of them came first.”

 

• “You know that being an American is more than a matter of where your parents came from. It is a belief that all men are created free and equal and that everyone deserves an even break.”

 

• “When even one American – who has done nothing wrong – is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth – then all Americans are in peril.”

Much of our country’s divisiveness would disappear if 70 million Americans and many of our Washington representatives took to heart and practiced the values and principles of Harry S. Truman. It’s never too late to learn from the past or other people’s experiences.  

 

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Something To Think About:

Truth Be Told:

The 2020 Presidential Election is over, Joe Biden has won and Donald Trump was not elected for a second term.  Every major entity has verified that the election results were legitimate and free of any fraud.  For the President, the Republican Party, and the Right-Wing news media to continue to insist that the election was rigged, or fraudulent is a disgrace to our Republic and Democracy.  A statement by Teddy Roosevelt perfectly illustrates and illuminates how far the Republican Party and Right-Wing news media has fallen from the days when it was a party led by a President who valued integrity and honesty.

“The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or anyone else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about anyone else.”

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A Short Essay… An Explanation Of My Vote

Why I Voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

The late Bob Talbert who wrote a daily column for The Detroit Free Press would title his Monday morning column, Out Of My Mind On Monday Morning. His column would reflect upon what he saw, and experienced over the past week. Well, I too, am Out Of My Mind On Monday Morning, not because of last week’s experiences, but because of what we have experienced during the past four years under the current presidential administration.  The purpose of this post is not to reiterate all the short-comings of the current administration but to explain, why I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

I can initially sum up my rationale for voting for Biden and Harris by quoting Joe Biden’s response to the last question asked of each candidate in the last debate: “If they were to be elected, what would you say on Inauguration Day to voters who did not support them?”

BIDEN promised to represent all voters, not just those who voted for him, and promised to put “science over fiction” and “hope over fear.” “We’re going to choose to move forward because we have enormous opportunities, enormous opportunities to make things better,” he said. “We can grow this economy, we can deal with systemic racism, and at the same time, we can make sure that our economy is being run and moved and motivated by clean energy creating millions of new jobs. That’s the fact.”

On the ballot this year, he said, are “Decency, honor, respect, treating people with dignity, making sure that everyone has an even chance, and I’m going to make sure you get that.”

This response is what I wanted to hear from a presidential candidate, a willingness to solve problems and bring our country together.  One who realizes we won’t all agree on everything but that we can work together once again to move America forward.  A leader who believes America is privileged and that our privilege is not just for the white population but a privilege that extends to all people in our country; whether they are black, brown, Hispanic, Muslim, immigrant, Christian, Non-Christian, gay, or straight, male or female.  

And finally, a leader who will step up in times of crisis or trouble and address the nation with honesty, integrity, empathy, and grace.  A leader who will assure the country that by working together we can overcome any obstacles that may threaten our American way of life. 

So, it is my friends, for these reasons that I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.  I believe our country has the best chance to pull away from our current situation of divisiveness, partisanship, and anger under the leadership of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. I believe in America, in our Republic, and in Democracy, and I will speak, write, advocate, pray, and work toward preserving our American ideal…one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.   

 – MJO, October 2020

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