It has been an interesting 24 to 48 hours for the American Government
These may not be in order and undoubtedly more has happened in the last two days. It is that type of Government? Lets take one topic at a time.
1) The Trump Administration, according to an article in Reuters, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-extremists-program-exclusiv-idUSKBN15G5VO may be planning to shift its counterterrorism activities to primarily those of Islamic origin while minimizing those of White and other Domestic Terrorists. Statistically, since 9/11, more people have been killed as a result of Domestic Terrorism as opposed to Islamic Terrorism. This would be a serious error if the Trump Administration does pursue this course.
2) The Congress today adopted a rule, explained in the following link from Vox: http://www.vox.com/2017/2/2/14488448/stream-protection-rule that stopped an Obama Executive Order restricting Coal Companies from dumping their waste in streams. I suppose our nation's representatives do not live anywhere near these areas so their children will not be swimming or drinking the water from these contaminated sites.
3) The United States Senate suspended rules so committees could vote and approve Trump nominees to Treasury, Health and Human Services and the EPA. While each of these individuals will likely get confirmed, Democrats should be applauded for taking all the steps they can to bring attention to the fact that these individuals are not fit, temperamentally or morally for the positions they are about to assume. Who wants a Treasury Secretary so bad at Math that he forgets a $100,000,000 portfolio and heartless that he forecloses on someone who was 27 cents short on her mortgage? Who wants a Health and Human Services Secretary who used his position to benefit from insider trading and steer legislation to enrich himself? Who wants an E.P.A. director who does not believe in Climate Science and who is currently suing (wait for it) the E.P.A.?
4) House Republicans have voted on another Obama rule that restricted mentally ill patients from having access to firearms. Ever hear of Mother Nature's IQ Test? What are the 235 people who voted for this thing thinking? How many schools have to be shot up? Remember Virgina Tech? Remember Newtown? Remember former colleague Gabrielle Giffords? Lets hope the United States Senate can stop this if it is brought up there.
5) President Trump threatened the University of California Berkley with the withdrawal of Federal Funds because of protests towards a white supremacist speaker from Breitbart. This is so Un-American. People have a right to protest as long as they do not harm anyone or destroy property and the President does not have the right to make this threat because the speaker is an ally of his chief white supremacist/strategist.
6) Our country was founded on the idea of the Separation of Church and State. In 1954, the government under the Eisenhower Administration sanctioned a law that forbade religious organizations from getting in the realm of politics if they wanted to keep their 501 C3 (tax exempt status). The President has promised to do away with that. It is wrong to take away any vestige of the wall between Church and State. With the appointment of Reverend Jerry Falwell Junior to help lead a commission on Higher Education, the Trump Administration is taking is on a slippery slope towards theocracy (and various levels of fascism which did enjoy some support from the Church in its day).
7) Our President will find out very soon that he can not talk down to Foreign Leaders like he did this last weekend to the President of Mexico and Prime Minister of Australia. Contrary to what some elements in this White House think, the United States needs allies and friends. We can not always bully people and countries into submission.
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