Donald Trump's goal is to break the moral fabric of America. He wants to burn to the ground everything that this glorious Country has achieved in the World since 1945. Trump only cares about two things, money and being the Fuhrer of the United States. Only two years in office, it has become quite obvious that he has made some sort of agreement with Putin, and only Mueller and God know what he has gotten in return. However, his latest policy of separating immigrant children from their parents will test if the United States will survive as a Democracy.
Trump wants to create a "White Christian" America which is will be reminiscent of Nazi Germany or the old Soviet Union. One of the ways to achieve this goal is to stop the flow of immigrants coming into America, especially from poorer countries to our south. The cruelest and most evil way to accomplish this goal is to implement a policy of separating infants, toddlers, boys & girls who have traveled under treacherous conditions from their parents. No other administration since 1945 has developed such a disgusting and ugly policy.
Republicans have been inexplicably nervous to call out Trump on his lies, false statements, corruption, and treasonous acts. Now is the time for them to grow a back bone and be on the correct side of American History, Our History! If the line is not drawn at the torture of children and parents, most of whom are looking for a better life, than what does that say about the United States to the rest of the World. I implore you to Stand up to Trump and hold him accountable! No amount of lobbyist money or promises from the White House is worth the screams of a child looking for the comfort and security of their mother while sitting in a cage in an unknown place.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Friday, November 17, 2017
Losing Our Moral Compass
I keep thinking that each day that I turn on the news or look at my Twitter feed that today we, as Americans, have reached a new "low" under the leadership of Donald Trump, but the next day comes and I am proven wrong. It used to be that "right" and "wrong" were clear cut choices on issues of morality, but now it seems that the conservative right wants to politicize every issue past and present. Here are my thoughts on the "hot moral topics" of today.
Racism, Confederate Statues & the Civil War
Despite recent comments by Chief of Staff John Kelly, the underlying reason for the Civil War was slavery and nothing has changed since the war ended in 1865. Judging people on their skin color, background, religion, or sexual orientation is wrong. People should be judged for the type of person they are and how they treat other people.
The Confederacy broke away from the United States in 1861 because they wanted to keep the institution of slavery and expand it into new territories. They were rebels and Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and all Confederate Generals were traitors and led a revolt against this Nation. Having statues erected in their honor is ludicrous. Should we erect statues of General Cornwallis and King George III? There is a reason that Germany does not erect statues of Hitler, Goering, and Himmler.
Gun Control and the 2nd Amendment
The debate over the second amendment has gotten to the point where our lawmakers are not making choices based on what is best for the citizens of this great country but based on the money they are receiving from the NRA. People should have the right to carry a hand gun in order to protect their home as long as they pass all of the appropriate background checks. However the slaughtering of people at the concert in Las Vegas and the church in Texas needs to stop.
I don't care what pro-gun loving, NRA supporters rationale are but no one needs to be carrying AKA firearms and/or bump stocks. You need an AKA rifle if you are serving in our armed forces or part of the SWAT team, not to protect your home and family. A hand gun will do just fine. There needs to be stronger vetting on people who want to purchase a weapon and if you are on the "No Fly" list, then that person should not be able to purchase a gun. If we can implement stronger vetting policies for immigrants than we can do it for gun control. The blood of each person that is killed in these mass shootings is on the hands of the lawmakers that are financially backed by the NRA.
Roy Moore, AL Franken, & Sexual Harrassment
Sean Hannity, Donald Trump, Steve Bannon and the Evangelical Right should be ashamed of themselves for not strongly condemning the actions of Roy Moore and even worse politicizing it. As Nicole Wallace stated several times on MSNBC, Roy Moore's accusers have absolutely nothing to gain by telling their story. If anything they lose because they have to relive their personal nightmare again. Sean Hannity has enough influence with his listeners in Alabama where he could come out and denounce Roy Moore's actions. There is politics and there is what is morally right and Hannity and Trump once again picked the wrong side.
The actions of Senator Franken, Louie C.K., and Harvey Weinstien are disgusting. At least Senator Franken apologized for his actions and is welcoming an ethics investigation into his conduct. The fact that Donald Trump took advantage of the Franken situation but remains silent on Roy Moore's actions shows the world that our leader stands on the wrong side of moral issues. The world probably already knew where Trump stands after all, he made his thoughts perfectly clear on the Access Hollywood bus.
Racism, Confederate Statues & the Civil War
Despite recent comments by Chief of Staff John Kelly, the underlying reason for the Civil War was slavery and nothing has changed since the war ended in 1865. Judging people on their skin color, background, religion, or sexual orientation is wrong. People should be judged for the type of person they are and how they treat other people.
The Confederacy broke away from the United States in 1861 because they wanted to keep the institution of slavery and expand it into new territories. They were rebels and Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and all Confederate Generals were traitors and led a revolt against this Nation. Having statues erected in their honor is ludicrous. Should we erect statues of General Cornwallis and King George III? There is a reason that Germany does not erect statues of Hitler, Goering, and Himmler.
Gun Control and the 2nd Amendment
The debate over the second amendment has gotten to the point where our lawmakers are not making choices based on what is best for the citizens of this great country but based on the money they are receiving from the NRA. People should have the right to carry a hand gun in order to protect their home as long as they pass all of the appropriate background checks. However the slaughtering of people at the concert in Las Vegas and the church in Texas needs to stop.
I don't care what pro-gun loving, NRA supporters rationale are but no one needs to be carrying AKA firearms and/or bump stocks. You need an AKA rifle if you are serving in our armed forces or part of the SWAT team, not to protect your home and family. A hand gun will do just fine. There needs to be stronger vetting on people who want to purchase a weapon and if you are on the "No Fly" list, then that person should not be able to purchase a gun. If we can implement stronger vetting policies for immigrants than we can do it for gun control. The blood of each person that is killed in these mass shootings is on the hands of the lawmakers that are financially backed by the NRA.
Roy Moore, AL Franken, & Sexual Harrassment
Sean Hannity, Donald Trump, Steve Bannon and the Evangelical Right should be ashamed of themselves for not strongly condemning the actions of Roy Moore and even worse politicizing it. As Nicole Wallace stated several times on MSNBC, Roy Moore's accusers have absolutely nothing to gain by telling their story. If anything they lose because they have to relive their personal nightmare again. Sean Hannity has enough influence with his listeners in Alabama where he could come out and denounce Roy Moore's actions. There is politics and there is what is morally right and Hannity and Trump once again picked the wrong side.
The actions of Senator Franken, Louie C.K., and Harvey Weinstien are disgusting. At least Senator Franken apologized for his actions and is welcoming an ethics investigation into his conduct. The fact that Donald Trump took advantage of the Franken situation but remains silent on Roy Moore's actions shows the world that our leader stands on the wrong side of moral issues. The world probably already knew where Trump stands after all, he made his thoughts perfectly clear on the Access Hollywood bus.
Friday, October 20, 2017
One Nation - Indivisible
President Trump is putting forth a plan to bring unprecedented power to the Executive Branch of our Government while weakening the Judicial and Legislative Branches. Trump is trying to achieve his goal by dividing Americans through a formula of spreading fear and hatred throughout our society. Trump and his cohorts Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, Sean Hannity, Jeff Sessions and Company are achieving this by bending the truth or blatantly lying in their daily communications with the public. What his buddies don't realize is that in Trump's quest for absolute power, Donald Trump only cares about Donald Trump.
People like Donald Trump, who are self absorbed and power hungry, normally don't wind up on the right side of history. Just ask Hitler, Napoleon, Jefferson Davis, and Senator Joe McCarthy. Our Democracy has faced numerous challenges over the past two centuries and it is by no means perfect, but we have evolved. George Washington taught us our most valuable lesson, that not one person, one group, nor special interest is bigger than our Democracy and the Freedoms and Happiness Americans are entitled to by our Constitution. Twice Washington set this precedence when he resigned as Commander in Chief at the end of the Revolutionary War and when he declined to run for a third term as President. Over the years, we have been blessed with leaders like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, T.R., Wilson, F.D.R., Truman, Ike, JFK, Reagan, McCain, and Obama who understood that the United States and the values we represent of "Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness" have a greater meaning that goes way beyond our borders.
Donald Trump's biggest mistake is that he under estimates the exact people he was elected to lead. America will make the adjustments and reject Trump's selfish policies of racism, bigotry, sexism, antisemitism, and homophobia. If Trump doesn't make the necessary adjustment, voters will. We are "one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all"
People like Donald Trump, who are self absorbed and power hungry, normally don't wind up on the right side of history. Just ask Hitler, Napoleon, Jefferson Davis, and Senator Joe McCarthy. Our Democracy has faced numerous challenges over the past two centuries and it is by no means perfect, but we have evolved. George Washington taught us our most valuable lesson, that not one person, one group, nor special interest is bigger than our Democracy and the Freedoms and Happiness Americans are entitled to by our Constitution. Twice Washington set this precedence when he resigned as Commander in Chief at the end of the Revolutionary War and when he declined to run for a third term as President. Over the years, we have been blessed with leaders like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Lincoln, T.R., Wilson, F.D.R., Truman, Ike, JFK, Reagan, McCain, and Obama who understood that the United States and the values we represent of "Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness" have a greater meaning that goes way beyond our borders.
Donald Trump's biggest mistake is that he under estimates the exact people he was elected to lead. America will make the adjustments and reject Trump's selfish policies of racism, bigotry, sexism, antisemitism, and homophobia. If Trump doesn't make the necessary adjustment, voters will. We are "one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all"
Friday, October 13, 2017
Trump: Destroying Democracy one tweet at a time
One of the great aspects of our Democracy is that "We, the People" have the freedom to develop our own opinion on topics that occur in life whether it is social, economic, political, sports,fashion and that we are allowed to express those opinions in a non-violent way. There have been issues that have divided us to the core, i.e. Slavery, Women's Suffrage, Equal Rights, Civil Rights, and Vietnam. It is because of our Democracy that America has always eventually evolved form these issues for the better. However, this is the first time that our Nation is facing a crisis where our President wants to destroy our Democracy and make himself "judge, jury, and executioner".
Donald Trump wants to achieve this by infusing and promoting hatred between the citizens of the United States. The American political system is no longer made up of the Republican and Democratic Parties but the Alt Right or Pro Trump and the Alt Left or Anti Trump. The Alt Right wants to move this Country back to Pre-WWI era where all aspects of life were dominated by White Christian Men. In the world that Trump and his alt right supporters want to take us back to, we would be isolationist on the international stage, Jim Crow laws would be reinstated, women and Hispanics would be second class citizens, and homosexual and transgender rights would cease to exist. Racism and antisemitism is already on the rise as Nazis and Klan members have no qualms about spreading their evil doctrine thanks to the support they receive from Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, and Donald Trump.
The Alt Left believes in the good and common decency of humanity. We believe that ALL men and women are created equal in the eyes of the law and the Lord. People should be treated with compassion and kindness and if we have our differences we can discuss and debate them like adults. This is what makes America the Greatest Country on Earth! Americans would not get these freedoms if we lived in Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, etc. The President of the United States should be promoting the traits that Americans have that bind us together not tear us apart.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump does the latter with the obnoxious, vindictive, and self serving words he spews out during his speeches, on Twitter, or through his rotating door of press secretaries and mouth pieces in the White House and on talk radio. Trump treats people like we are his possessions or property. He could care less about the average American citizen whether you are a U.S. Senator or a worker in a factory in Ohio. Trump cares about himself and his quest to not only undo all of President Obama's achievements but to rip apart the Constitution. Leaders like Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln encouraged Americans to reach goals that no one else could achieve but more importantly to judge their fellow man based on their actions and not their nationality, color of their skin, sex, religion, or sexual orientation.
My 9th grade history teacher taught me that we should not "study history in a vacuum" & to "learn the lessons from the past". All Americans have a responsibility to make sure that Donald Trump does not destroy our Democracy and that America remains the "shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere"
Donald Trump wants to achieve this by infusing and promoting hatred between the citizens of the United States. The American political system is no longer made up of the Republican and Democratic Parties but the Alt Right or Pro Trump and the Alt Left or Anti Trump. The Alt Right wants to move this Country back to Pre-WWI era where all aspects of life were dominated by White Christian Men. In the world that Trump and his alt right supporters want to take us back to, we would be isolationist on the international stage, Jim Crow laws would be reinstated, women and Hispanics would be second class citizens, and homosexual and transgender rights would cease to exist. Racism and antisemitism is already on the rise as Nazis and Klan members have no qualms about spreading their evil doctrine thanks to the support they receive from Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, and Donald Trump.
The Alt Left believes in the good and common decency of humanity. We believe that ALL men and women are created equal in the eyes of the law and the Lord. People should be treated with compassion and kindness and if we have our differences we can discuss and debate them like adults. This is what makes America the Greatest Country on Earth! Americans would not get these freedoms if we lived in Saudi Arabia, China, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, etc. The President of the United States should be promoting the traits that Americans have that bind us together not tear us apart.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump does the latter with the obnoxious, vindictive, and self serving words he spews out during his speeches, on Twitter, or through his rotating door of press secretaries and mouth pieces in the White House and on talk radio. Trump treats people like we are his possessions or property. He could care less about the average American citizen whether you are a U.S. Senator or a worker in a factory in Ohio. Trump cares about himself and his quest to not only undo all of President Obama's achievements but to rip apart the Constitution. Leaders like Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln encouraged Americans to reach goals that no one else could achieve but more importantly to judge their fellow man based on their actions and not their nationality, color of their skin, sex, religion, or sexual orientation.
My 9th grade history teacher taught me that we should not "study history in a vacuum" & to "learn the lessons from the past". All Americans have a responsibility to make sure that Donald Trump does not destroy our Democracy and that America remains the "shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere"
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Guns Don't Kill
Guns don't kill, people do. But people with military weapons kill them by the truck load. No American citizen who is non-police or military needs semi automatic weapons and George Washington & Friends didn't intend for that when they wrote the Bill of Rights!
The GOP would rather discuss Gun Control later on when the Las Vegas Massacre is on the back pages of the news cycle. Jimmy Kimmel was correct in saying that if the shooter had a beard & was from another land, we would build walls & pass stricter laws, but we won't pass stricter laws when a 64 year old white male mows down husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, & daughters. How much blood needs to spill before Congress tells the NRA no more?
The GOP would rather discuss Gun Control later on when the Las Vegas Massacre is on the back pages of the news cycle. Jimmy Kimmel was correct in saying that if the shooter had a beard & was from another land, we would build walls & pass stricter laws, but we won't pass stricter laws when a 64 year old white male mows down husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, & daughters. How much blood needs to spill before Congress tells the NRA no more?
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
The Great Divider and the Future of Democracy
The events of the last few days have bothered me as a Husband, Father, & Jewish American. Donald Trump's agenda is to clearly divide America & he is doing it with the #1 controversial topic in the history of our great Country: race & inequality. People have different opinions as to whether or not Trump is a racist, a chauvinist, & an egomaniac. I think he is based on his statements regarding the Birther issue, Charlottesville, Pardoning Arpaio, Access Hollywood tape, Megan Kelly comments, & the list goes on. Trump is the "Great Divider" and he has instigated the latest debate around our Flag & National Anthem (most likely to detract attention from Mueller's investigation).
I am personally against kneeling during our Anthem. The American Flag represents ALL Americans, from the soldiers serving overseas, the school teacher on Long Island, the cop in Iowa, the farmer in California, & the football player on the Steelers. The conversations we need to be having with our children, friends, & co-workers is the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. We can live wherever we want to live, pick whatever career we choose, freedom to worship at any church, temple, or mosque, love & marry without restriction, & peacefully demonstrate when change to our Democracy is needed.
Instead of debating whether or not the NFL players are disrespecting the flag, there needs to be the discussion as to why they are protesting. There is no law against kneeling during the National Anthem, just as there was no law broken by the white supremacists who chanted "Jews will not replace us" in Charlottesville, and there were no "fine people"marching with the white supremacists. Most pro athletes donate their time and millions of dollars to charities & other worthwhile causes. This is done a majority of the time when there is no press around.
It is up to us as parents to be the role models for our children and to teach them that hate mongering against people of different backgrounds is wrong. People should be judged based on their achievements & how they treat their family, friends, & neighbors. Most of all, we should not judge people based on the color of their skin, religion, or sexual orientation.
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" - Paul McCartney
I am personally against kneeling during our Anthem. The American Flag represents ALL Americans, from the soldiers serving overseas, the school teacher on Long Island, the cop in Iowa, the farmer in California, & the football player on the Steelers. The conversations we need to be having with our children, friends, & co-workers is the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. We can live wherever we want to live, pick whatever career we choose, freedom to worship at any church, temple, or mosque, love & marry without restriction, & peacefully demonstrate when change to our Democracy is needed.
Instead of debating whether or not the NFL players are disrespecting the flag, there needs to be the discussion as to why they are protesting. There is no law against kneeling during the National Anthem, just as there was no law broken by the white supremacists who chanted "Jews will not replace us" in Charlottesville, and there were no "fine people"marching with the white supremacists. Most pro athletes donate their time and millions of dollars to charities & other worthwhile causes. This is done a majority of the time when there is no press around.
It is up to us as parents to be the role models for our children and to teach them that hate mongering against people of different backgrounds is wrong. People should be judged based on their achievements & how they treat their family, friends, & neighbors. Most of all, we should not judge people based on the color of their skin, religion, or sexual orientation.
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" - Paul McCartney
Friday, February 17, 2017
The Trump Doctrine - Leading America in the Wrong Direction
After four weeks in office, Donald Trump is strongly showing his inexperience at governing and his inability to appoint strong candidates to his cabinet and his staff. Being the leader of the Free World is far different that being the leader of "Celebrity Apprentice".Trump's first mistake is thinking that every issue and topic is about winning and losing. It is about what is best for America and her citizens and what policies should be put in place in order to continue to American Prosperity for future generations. Instead of moving us forward, it is apparent Mr. Trump wants to take us back to 1937 America.
Trump does not seem to get that everyone from the press to the average 15 year old has access to something called the Internet. When he switches his story, tells a lie or as Kelly Ann Conway likes to call it "alternative facts", anyone can go online and verify it. It boggles my mind that no one on his staff realizes this? The President can keep calling events that don't shine a positive light on him or his policies "fake news" but facts are facts and they can't be changed. Every time he uses the phrase "fake news" all I think about is "Cover Up".
What is even more disheartening is Trump direct and indirect promotion of racism and anti-Antisemitism. Not only does he refuse to answer questions about these topics, but he is combative i.e. his press conference on 2/16/17. Asking a reporter, who is African American to set up a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus for him is demeaning and disgusting. Mr. Trump is the President and has several assistants and advisers who could do that for him. The fact that he failed to mention the 6 Million Jews that perished at the hands of a Fascist Lunatic on Holocaust Remembrance Day is also sickening. Didn't he think to pass the official White House Statement released regarding Holocaust Remembrance Day by Ivanka or Jarrod Kushner?
The President's views on legal and illegal immigration are solely based on race and religion. Don't get me wrong, there needs to be stringent vetting process for people coming into the United States, no matter where they are from. The stringent vetting needs to be based on the individual coming into the United States not which Country or what Religion they are. Banning refugees was a pure scare tactic and all it did was show Trump's inexperience and made American look bad. By the way, did anyone seriously think Mexico would willingly pay for a boarder wall? Yes, people need to come in to our Country legally but wouldn't we be better off working with Mexico in coming up with a solution that is satisfactory for both of us and that we can equally pay for? In the end it might be cheaper than laying out the money to build a wall which will in turn take away funds from much needed domestic programs like education and social security.
Donald Trump thinks that he is a modern day Theodore Roosevelt. However, they are far apart in their actions and philosophies. TR put America first and foremost. Trump puts himself first. TR spoke softly and carried a big stick, Trump speaks loudly and carries a nuclear stick. Scary.
Trump does not seem to get that everyone from the press to the average 15 year old has access to something called the Internet. When he switches his story, tells a lie or as Kelly Ann Conway likes to call it "alternative facts", anyone can go online and verify it. It boggles my mind that no one on his staff realizes this? The President can keep calling events that don't shine a positive light on him or his policies "fake news" but facts are facts and they can't be changed. Every time he uses the phrase "fake news" all I think about is "Cover Up".
What is even more disheartening is Trump direct and indirect promotion of racism and anti-Antisemitism. Not only does he refuse to answer questions about these topics, but he is combative i.e. his press conference on 2/16/17. Asking a reporter, who is African American to set up a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus for him is demeaning and disgusting. Mr. Trump is the President and has several assistants and advisers who could do that for him. The fact that he failed to mention the 6 Million Jews that perished at the hands of a Fascist Lunatic on Holocaust Remembrance Day is also sickening. Didn't he think to pass the official White House Statement released regarding Holocaust Remembrance Day by Ivanka or Jarrod Kushner?
The President's views on legal and illegal immigration are solely based on race and religion. Don't get me wrong, there needs to be stringent vetting process for people coming into the United States, no matter where they are from. The stringent vetting needs to be based on the individual coming into the United States not which Country or what Religion they are. Banning refugees was a pure scare tactic and all it did was show Trump's inexperience and made American look bad. By the way, did anyone seriously think Mexico would willingly pay for a boarder wall? Yes, people need to come in to our Country legally but wouldn't we be better off working with Mexico in coming up with a solution that is satisfactory for both of us and that we can equally pay for? In the end it might be cheaper than laying out the money to build a wall which will in turn take away funds from much needed domestic programs like education and social security.
Donald Trump thinks that he is a modern day Theodore Roosevelt. However, they are far apart in their actions and philosophies. TR put America first and foremost. Trump puts himself first. TR spoke softly and carried a big stick, Trump speaks loudly and carries a nuclear stick. Scary.
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