Author: Reemberto@gmail.com

It is not just about the character, the manners, the Tweets of this President. It is also about very real policies that do very real damage to very real people.  This administration is implementing real policies and procedures and administrative rules and regulations that cause bad things to happen and hurt people. Among many examples:

• Immigrants being expelled
• Muslims being banned
• Blacks being killed
• Healthcare being reversed
• Gun laws going unchecked
• The tax system being rewritten to favor the rich
• Environmental policies being rewritten to serve fossil fuel industry
• The military complex being expanded
• Affordable housing being de-emphasized
• The poor being forgotten
• The judiciary being taken over by fanatics
• Banking regulation being erased

And, let’s throw in four more that pre-date Trump, but need our attention too:

• Corporations becoming people (Citizens United)
• Political boundaries being drawn to perpetuate those in power (gerrymandering)
• Letting corporations – particularly financial institutions – off the hook for their role in the Great Recession
• Rampant economic inequality getting worse by the day

Lest we think things are going to hell in a handbasket, it is good to sense a new “Coalition of the decent” emerging to #RESISTandREPLACE many of these misguided and mean-spirited effort. This emerging coalition is a motley crew of renegade misfits from all walks of life, from every corner of the country. Among them are:

• Aging hippies
• Proud women
• Loud Latinos
• Gay gays
• Fed up Blacks
• Poor Whites
• Liberal rich
• Recantant Republicans
• Re-energized middle class
• Rethread punk rockers
• Sickened scientists
• Legalese lawyers
• Bummed out bureaucrats
• Pissed off park rangers
• Pissed off soccer moms
• Pissed off high schooler
• Pissed off lots of others

While this movement remains leaderless at the national level, make no mistake about it: It is taking over local and state politics with a vengeance. Eventually a national leader (and/or leaders) will emerge, no doubt… Until then, #RESIST – and, as that wonderful song from the 70’s by Curtis Mayfield  says: “Keep on Keeping On”.

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Donald Trump was elected President of the United States a year ago this week.

… and he is still the President.

And I still #RESIST

 

The opposition is dysfunctional, splintered, and marred in its own scandals.

… and is still leaderless.

Yet I still #RESIST

 

He has the power, he has the votes, and he is making appointments to departments and agencies that will reshape the bureaucracy with his draconian policies.

… the odds are still against us.

But I still #RESIST

 

He is trying to implement an economic agenda that works against all but wealthy Americans, a social agenda that disenfranchises and alienates most non-whites, and a foreign policy that is making America small.

… he is still Donald Trump.

So I still #RESIST

 

Why?

I #RESIST because I can, I must, and I care.

 

I #RESIST because I can. If not I then who? I am blessed with the opportunity to do so. I can get involved. I can voice my opinion. I can argue with friends and foes. I can, therefore I #RESIST.

I #RESIST because I must. My moral, ethical, and spiritual compass guides me. And, it clearly points me in this direction. I must, therefore I #RESIST.

I #RESIST because I care. I have a deep innate desire for the common good, love humanity, and celebrate life. I love the simple joy of seeing others happy, self fulfilled, sharing values, and intentionally interconnected. I care, therefore I #RESIST.

 

I look to leaders to challenge us to a higher ground, aspirationally and practically, empathetically and pragmatically.

Trump has more than proven that he is simply incapable of doing this.

 

Therefore, I still #RESIST – and hope you too will do so.

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This Administration’s tactics are appalling.

Make no mistake about it, while we are bashing Trump’s antics and behavior, his Administration is busy – VERY busy – doing some real damage.

Very busy indeed. Pursuing self-serving, self-righteous acts intended to appease their fundamentalist base while gutting away real programs that help the many.

Examples abound. They come at you every day. But, the media seldom seldom highlights these. Media outlets across the political spectrum much rather stay with the salacious scandals, be they real or fabricated.

While we are entertained by these juicy stories, this Presidency’s fanatic bureaucratic strike force is wasting no time finding opportunities to administratively implement their draconian views – for they know well that trying to do so legislatively is hard work and complicated.

Here are but three recent happenings that you might have heard about for a news cycle or two but could have serious long term consequences:

[1] The hoopla about them trying to obstruct the undocumented 16 year old held in a detention camp from getting an abortion masks the reality that they are doing nothing to support adoption or provide new-born universal healthcare – and are willing to destroy whatever little healthcare support there is for undocumented people.

[2] They brag about how the new regulation making it impossible for class action lawsuits against financial industry giants will avoid frivolous lawsuits while in fact it makes it impossible for consumers to band together to fight these giants. (Look it up. This one got almost zero press.)

[3] The V.P. goes in front of fundamentalists to announce that the Administration will shift its funding from the U.N. to religious institutions to provide aid to Christian refugees while the proposed budget deeply cuts USAID and the level of refugees they are willing to accept into the county is the lowest in decades. https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2017/10/26/trump-administration-will-shift-international-aid-un-faith-based-groups

Their actions seemed to be guided by some very simple protocols. All actions must (a) be diagrammatically opposed to anything the Obama did; and, (b) please fringe elements of the fundamentalist, alt-right core fanatics.

Shameful. And dare I say: Not very Christian. Zero – zilch – moral compass.

#RESIST

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A substantial number of people in the United States are clearly with Trump. That is no ‘fake news’.

The vast majority of Americans that identify as Republicans are still very much with him. And so are the vast majority of Americans that do not identify as Republicans yet voted for him. That too is no ‘fake news’.

The fact that many who did not vote for him – and many who did not vote – simply do not like the man is also no ‘fake news’.

I did not vote for him. I do not like him.

I do not mean ‘like’ like in a Facebook comment. I mean ‘like’ as in his personality bothers me; the way he talks turns me off; and I find his behavior un-presidential.

I also find myself seriously disagreeing with many (most) of his policy positions – but more about that in other postings…

Trump way of doing things is making America small, divided, and mean – like it’s never been before.

He is making America small by promoting a perverse sense of native nationalism; demeaning the presidency; and lying.

> Promoting perverse sense of nationalism.  Ever since the creation of nation-states, people who feel they ‘belong’ in any given nation-state have the inclination of feeling proud of their ‘Country’. Americans are no different. However, feeling proud of your Country does not mean you have to disparage or be against everybody else. And, being proud of your Country does not mean you have to select a ‘tribe’ inside your country as being better than the other ‘tribes’. Trump’s white nationalist views makes America small – not great.

> Demeaning the presidency.  The Presidency is our Nation’s highest elected office. It is to be revered, respected, and treasured. When Trump cheapens the Office of the United States President by engaging in arguments that to many are ‘beneath’ the Office; when he speaks in an overtly populist style; when he tries too hard to be ‘one of us’, he demeans the Office.

> Lying. President Trump lies. Of course, every President has had to forego sharing all details of certain circumstance; speak carefully about certain topics; or, conveniently avoid talking about certain things. That is called diplomacy. That is called tact. Trump has neither. When he lies to other world leaders, he makes America small; he demeans the office he holds.

He is dividing America by enticing political polarization; fanning the flames of extremism; and lying.

> Enticing political polarization. Every President is also the leader of a political party. That is the nature of our democratic system. Once in power, however, most Presidents have tried to unite the Country by reaching out to those who voted against him with olive branches and such. Not Trump. He has hardened the positions that his ‘base’ expects of him. He disparages the opposition political parties. He drives wedges among different political views. He polarizes.

> Fanning the flames of extremism. Trump polarizes in many ways. One way that is abhorable is when he refuses to discredit extremist views and instead winks at the extremist leaders as if saying “I got your back.’ What Trump has done is to unleash – and try to mainstream – the visceral extremist views regarding White supremacism and climate change denial pseudo-science by fanning the flames with Tweets and campaign style rhetoric.

> Lying. President Trump lies. He lies about his timid rejection of White supremacists. He lies by using bad data and scientifically dubious references to support his position regarding climate change, benefits of proposed tax system revisions, and educational policies. With these lies he further polarizes the political landscape.

He is making America mean by abusing power dynamics; tweeting disparaging insults; and lying.

> Abusing Power Dynamics. Trump seems to find cheap thrills in picking ‘fights’ with people in position of limited power well beyond his position. This, of course, is the classic definition of harassment and bullying. When Trump picks a fight with the likes of the Mayor of San Juan Puerto Rico, or a Congresswoman he is abusing his power. It is not unlike a CEO publicly chastising an Administrative Assistant or a plant manager. It is harassment; it is bullying.

> Tweeting disparaging insults. Trump is taking America down to the gutter. His propensity to Tweet insults is making a mockery out of the Presidency. He has lowered the Office to the status of a television game show. Jerry Springer would be proud.

> Lying. President Trump lies. Trump’s choice of blurry words and unambiguous lies using mean-spirited words is unbecoming of a President. His right-out-lies – documented by many reputable sources – sets an awful example for our youth and future leaders. It is as if he is saying: “Want to get ahead? Be mean – consistently and callously. Insult constantly. Lie whether you have to or not.”

To my friends, family and foes that have opted to stay with Trump in this race to the low road and gutter, I say: Good riddance. For me, I will #RESIST both his policies and personality.

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{This is a guest post from my sister, Carmen Villafañe. I could not have said it better!}

WHO – much less the President of this country – would THROW supplies to the victims of a natural disaster as if he were playing volleyball?

WHY would the comparison of disasters of this magnitude even be necessary when speaking with the leadership of an island nation that is US territory, under extremely dire circumstances to alleviate the trauma and hardships their people are undergoing?

HOW is it possible for the budget issue to be brought up in such a crass manner in the face of an entire country who has very limited or no power, lacks clean drinking water and entire areas where it’s citizens – AMERICAN CITIZENS – are still cut off from access to relief efforts happening on the rest of the island?

I have chosen NOT to repost the glaring footage* of this visit because I find it offensive. My heart breaks for the PUERTO RICAN people, who still can’t give a clear death toll post-Maria due to inaccessibility on many parts of the island & who are struggling in the day-to-day called SURVIVAL after such a devastating hit. {If you must see the footage, it is here.}

The lack of RESPECT for HUMAN DIGNITY in the attitude & actions of the man who carries the title of President of the United States towards some of the weakest among us – who are our OWN, as much as Floridians & Texans – is a clear reflection of his priorities.

Those are NOT the priorities of the people of the USA. We are compassionate, decent & empathetic towards others in times of need, capable of setting politics aside and putting PEOPLE first. Politics have no place in this (nor any) humanitarian crisis.

I can only ACT in solidarity through helping with my time, treasure & talent when others are in need. I can only PRAY to be sensitive to those in need and that my attitudes & actions reflect my sincere effort & desire to help in the best way possible for THEM, not for me. Also, I pray that as a country, we look inward and re-assess our compass, so that our history as a generous nation always remain in the very fiber of our being.

This post is my reflective response to what I witnessed this afternoon in the news about the President’s visit to PR.

If you respond, please do so with respect.

¡DIOS BENDIGA A PUERTO RICO! ¡ARRIBA Puerto Rico!
God bless the USA!

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The Facebook page my wife and I jointly keep is a place for us to share with family – and advance our political views in an engaging, non-confrontational manner.

However, a few days ago a pro Trump activist seems to have run across some of our postings and he has unleashed a rage of vile hate that is truly outlandish. (I have no idea how he stumbled onto our page.)

While it was tempting to immediately delete his posting and ban him from our page, I noticed that many of our friends were responding to his hate with smart, non-threatening comments. (One friend, however, did take him on and challenged him into the gutter.)

What amazed me is that this individual so blatantly and brashly spews his hate without any consideration, empathy, or concerns. I am sharing some of his comments in this post so we will not forget how militant and dangerous these individuals can get. I remain hopeful – and pray – that one day he will amend.

I am also sharing his comments because – unless someone corrects me – I have never seen an anti-Trump individual be so openly insulting to a specific Trump supporter on Facebook. Maybe that exists; I’ve never seen it. (I am not talking about a token comment that is insulting and degrading in general. I am talking about following another individual and posting endless comments with violent memes and degrading language.)

While this one person is not representative of Trump supporters, it is alarming that he is enabled and complicitly encouraged to do this by Trump and some of his supporters.

Regardless, it is up to us to confront them with love, empathy, and ready to forgive. A beautiful video that captures how to try to do this is Richard Rohr’s conversation on the topic: https://youtu.be/aNYJHucX-aY

Having said that, THIS is what Trump has unleashed. #RESIST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If anyone knows this individual (Thomas Oconnor), please get him help. His last comment referencing his “LICENCED (sic) 9MM SAYS SO” takes this to a different level… He may need to be reported…

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I write this hours before Trump announces what it is he will be doing when going to Texas tomorrow – right in the middle of this devastating catastrophe resulting from the Harvey hurricane floods.

Trump, stay away from Texas! Why not stay in Washington, D.C. instead? Why disrupt emergency operations? When was the last time you contributed to healing and comforting the Nation anyway? You simply don’t have the gravitas to do that, sir.

Why not stay in Washington, D.C., and announce an emergency funding for FEMA, including mental health support for the victims?…

Or better yet, why not announce three simple immediate major shifts in your policies that would truly make a difference?

[1] Announce that undocumented immigrants will be welcome to help cleaning the toilets in the Dallas
Convention Center, and later rebuilding Houston? (After all, that’s what will happen anyway!)

[2] Announce that you will not terminate TPS (Temporary Protective Status) for the hundreds of thousands of Central Americans that have been living in this Country and now you are scaring them with the bogus threat of terminating that successful program? (After all, they too will be critical to the emergency and rebuilding!)

[3] Announce that you are asking Congress to redirect the money being set aside to build your stupid wall to pay for an immediate and effective cleaning up and rebuilding the area ravaged by the floods? (After all, you do need a way out of that stupid commitment!)

Harsh words for the President? Not the moment to bring this up, you say?

Well, sorry.

This man Trump has shown no empathy whatsoever for any group of people other than White Supremacists – and Russians… So, why should we believe him now?!?

Any words of comfort or consolations read from a tele-prompter in Texas will be nothing more than blah blah blah b.s. Simply NOT credible. Any visit to a shelter to meet the real victims of this catastrophe will be unauthentic and grossly staged – worse than an Apprentice t.v. show. Any solace he can bring will be predicated on glorifying himself.

Already the Texans are coming together with amazing spirit of volunteerism and willingness to help each other. Already national relief organizations like the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities are mobilized and doing what they do best. Already local and State elected officials are aggressively addressing the situation.

They don’t need Trump coming in and shifting the attention – as he always does – to himself.

Trump, stay away from Texas! #RESIST

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No, right? No way. Not here!

We have way too many safety guards against the establishment of a dictatorship in America. We are too savvy; too knowledgeable; too smart. Yep. Think do?

Since WWII, most dictatorships have come to power with the tacit approval – if not outright support – of a sizable chunk if the population. Some have come to power via the ballot box. And most have had the solid support of the military establishment.

To varying degree, dictatorship have these five elements in common. They begin with:

[1] Suppressing the press and gaining control of mass media;

[2] Discrediting the establishment and bureaucracy;

[3] Gaining control of the judiciary system;

[4] Keeping the military complex happy; and,

[5] Having an eccentric, self absorbed leader.

Could not happen here, right?

The establishment of a dictatorship does not require the blind following of the masses. A third of the population will do.

Another third usually see the establishmenf of a dictatorship as a means to achieve certain political goals. This one third will tolerate and forgive the fanatics as long as their agenda is met.

A dictatorship can easily exist with a third (and more!) of the masses solidly against them. Once in power, dictatorships can flourish with as little as 25% of the masses behind them – whether philosophically, by fright, or misinformation – as long as the military is happy.

Not here, right? No way!

Trump has:

> 1/3 of Americans solidly – and blindly – behind him. Another third is lulled into believing Trump is their useful idiot, setting in place policies in their favor until they choose to dispose of him (not realizing the longer they wait the more difficult it becomes.)

> His intent with the press is well documented. Is there any doubt he is trying to suppress the press and gain control of the popular media? Is there any doubt he is telling his supporters that any source but his preferred source of information is suspect?

> His lack of respect for the existing bureaucracy and establishment in general is well documented as well. Mistrust of the status quo and institutional structures by his followers is a must before he starts dismantling them – and recreating them in his image.

> Trump’s distaste for an independent judiciary is clear. While swiftly reversing this bedrock of American democracy may seem impossible, the president has substantial power to shape this third branch of government. Add to the already existing power the power of innuendos and intimidation and you begin to see the ugly possibilities.

> Keeping the military happy may seem to be an innocent enough path. But when Trump guarantees the enhancement of the military complex at the expense of all else, and begins militarizing the White House power structure, watch out! (And, how can we forget his love for policing emphasizing ‘law and order’ – i.e.: the militarization of local police departments?)

> And, last but certainly not least is the character of the man himself. Clearly egocentric and self absorbed.

The fact that this Country has survived nearly 250 years without a dictatorship does not make it immune to it; nor does it guarantee it will never happen.

All the ingredients are in place. The cook is in the kitchen.

The masses are content with entertainment, seduced by cheers of rah rah America, and totally convinced by the illusion of safety and security.

Nah. Not here, right?

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Donald Trump is yes, unfit to be President.

I am not talking here about his questionable policy objectives: build a wall, ban Muslims, befriend Russia, etc.

I am talking about the man.

He is an embarrassment. He is disgraceful. He is crass. He is classless… He makes the Presidency small.

His daily barrage of insults, demeaning comments, simplistic Tweets, bad manners, foul language, combative tone, self-righteousness, and right out lies is unbecoming of a President.

We have us a President that few in good conscience can say serves as a model to our youth, inspires the masses, unites us, or makes us proud to be Americans.

It is as if he is still campaigning, speaking only to his core supporters; not giving a damn about reaching out to those that did not vote for him. It is as if he is hell bent on creating a core cult following of 1/3 of the voters; and calculates another 1/3 will tolerate him and use him to achieve their policy objectives. (That is clearly the calculation that got him elected.)

Make no mistake about it. That 1/3 of voters that are his core cult followers are an economically – and educationally- diverse bunch. This is NOT only the downtrodden, low income, low skills whites. This 1/3 of American voters that are Trump’s cultish followers include a good number of highly educated, successful white folks.

What do they have in common?

• Trump’s cult followers all love the simplicity of his approach. They do not care for the complexities of reality. They want it all in black and white. And he is giving them that.
• Trump’s cult followers welcome his brash approach. “Tell it like it is!” Be politically incorrect! Yeah!
• Trump’s cult followers have all bought into the idea that all government is bloated, all bureaucracy is inefficient, and all regulations are bad. All. (Except, of course the ones that benefit them.)
• Trump’s cult followers feel right at home with his ballistic style. That’s who they are too. They relate to how he talks. They ‘understand’ his exaggerations. They applaud his bluntness, lack of diplomatic approach, lack of discipline. And they ‘get’ when he changes positions, deflects questions, creates new facts. It is all about keeping the enemy off balance.
• Trump’s cult followers are loyal if nothing else. They will stick with him. Cheer him on. It is as if every attack on Trump, every new revelation, makes their cult even stronger, ever more loyal to him.

If this man’s style ever moves beyond this intractable 1/3 and moves to be a majority, we will have descended into the gutter.

It is not one single incident. If it was we could argue, debate, agree/disagree on its significance.

It is the constant, non-stop, in-your-face every-day ludeness that is alarming.

His style is infecting America. People are becoming more rude. Lashing out is becoming the norm. Lying is ok. Disrespecting others is ok. Bashing your own is expected. On and on…

Four years of this? God help us.

In the meantime, there are some of us that refuse to buy into this craziness. There are some of us that believe civility will prevail. Americans will wake up. Rise up. #RESIST … and this cultist nightmare will come to an end.

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Why Russia Resonates: Its all about Steve Bannon

This whole Russia thing can feel so – excuse the pun – foreign.

Why should we care? How does it impact me personally? Does it really matter?

Is this just not a detraction – a last gasp attempt by Trump’s detractor – to keep the winning team from implementing their policies for which the electorate (College, that is) sent them to Washington to do?

Not exactly. (Though generally possibly more than a kernel of truth to that logic.)

Remember Trump’s unifying themes:

> Dismantling the gloated bureaucracy,  America First, and fighting for chrisitanity.

Those are powerful aims. These themes make for a powerful vision.

Actualizing that vision requires a relentless, laser sharp focus on not caring about what the established bureaucrats say, being a strongman, and shamelessly collaborating (colluding?) with others that would benefit in achieving this vision.

Russia is a natural, convenient, and practical partner in achieving this vision. Make no mistake about it:

[1] Russia will benefit greatly from a de-stabilized bureaucracy, a bureaucracy led by inexperienced, nationalist minded, friendly-to-Russia folks.

[2] Putin feels comfortable with a perceived strong man that is impressionable and immature in world politics.

[3] Russia has a historical, fundamentalist, extreme orthodox newfound christian faith that aligns perfectly with the dogmatic traditionalist catholics and fundamental evangelical movement in the U.S.

This third point needs much more exploring. We have yet to scratch the surfacing on this… And all roads will lead to Steve Bannon.

The lure of a dismantled bureaucracy, a gullible strong man at the helm that can be exploited for his inexperience in these deep matters, and a new world order based on fundamentalism and extreme orthodoxy is very appealing to many Americans across the faith spectrum. “Christians unite!” is a universal battle cry of all fundamentalists and extreme orthodoxy throughout the world… Indeed, it is no less than a ‘prophecy’!

The ‘price’ these folks are willing to pay to attain their ultimate goal of a fundamentalist and extremely orthodox christian U.S.A. is unthinkable to many other Americans. So what if it requires the destruction of social gains made since WWII; so what if it means accepting a President with dictatorial tendencies; so what if it means we embrace Russia… Nothing matter other than the end-point: A fundamentalist, extreme orthodox christian America.

Note I refuse to give these fundamentalist and extreme orthodox the honor of calling them Christians or Catholics with a capital “C”… Theirs is a small, perverse, incomplete, mean, and intolerant christianity and a very narrow representation of catholicism.

Theirs is a faith outlook so perversely fundamental and extremely orthodox that it looks exclusively to the Ten Commandments and conveniently forgets about the Sermon on the Mount.

It is a faith so perversely fundamental and extremely orthodox that it conveniently relies on the Old Testament’s approach to war, power, and authority rather than the New Testament’s emphasis on love, service and empathy.

It is a faith so perversely fundamental and extremely orthodox that it has room only for those that think – and look – like them; and have very little patience for disagreement, discourse, or dissent.

Theirs is a ‘religious correctness’ where only they are the ultimate faith arbitrators; only they know what is right and wrong; only they have access to (their) truth and can dictate human behavior for their (not God’s) greater glory.

Now, beware: These two amigos are not a natural alliance. Indeed, this strange and (un?)holy alliance of old school extreme orthodox catholics and die hard fundamentalist evangelicals is not only unnatural, but also unsustainable.

They may agree on their anti abortion rhetoric, gay bashing, and might through military power. But, they distrust each other vehemently.

To the fundamentalist evangelicals Catholics are not to be trusted; they are not even Christians, they would say… To the extreme orthodox catholics the fundamental evangelicals are at best a convenient partner, “useful idiots”, but they are not to be trusted until they declare adherence to the (a future – not this) Pope and the ‘magisterium and dogma’ of the Catholic Church – as they see it.

… All of this is orchestrated by the perversion of one man whose name we have not heard for a while in the news: Steve Bannon. Stay tuned.

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