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Newspaper shooting should remind us the key role they play

6/29/2018

            Yesterday’s murders of five employees of an Annapolis, Md., newspaper is shocking. But we all aren’t overly shocked because mass shootings have become a regular occurrence in our society. The shock, unfortunately, wears off.

            The shooter allegedly is a man who felt he was dealt with unfairly in a column written about his harassment of a woman. As a result, he blasted his shotgun at the glass doors and took aim at newspaper employees, killing five.

            When President Trump arrived back at the White House and walked off Marine One, reporters shouted asking him what he had to say. He’d already used his preferred communication method – Twitter – to send his prayers to the victims and families.

          Personally, I think if he said nothing he would be criticized, as is happening. And if he said something he would have been labeled a hypocrite.

            Me, I don’t care if he says anything further about the tragedy. I do hope he stops yelling “fake news” though. I don’t know and doubt if Trump’s “fake news” fed this shooter’s deranged mind or not. But I’m guessing not.

                The shooting, though, should remind us all the important role newspapers play in our society.

            Even as the shooting was taking place, a couple of newspaper employees were Tweeting about it – for help and to get out the word. Within 45 minutes of the suspect being taken into custody, there was a story up on the newspaper’s web site about it. In tribute, the next day’s paper had a blank editorial page in honor of the dead.

            This is a small local paper. According to reports, it is a truly local paper that covers high school teams, courts, local politics and crime. Many similar organizations have closed because of lack of revenue. Many more will. But I hope we all stop for a second and think about what happened yesterday.

            An angry man loaded his shotgun and blasted away in the newspaper’s offices because he was furious about a column written about him. A lawsuit filed by him was tossed out of court. And five innocent people died.

            I’m sure the gun debate will rage, again. I’m sure nothing will happen, again.

          And while I wish he wouldn’t, I’m sure within two weeks the President will be shouting “fake news” whenever he doesn’t like a story written about him. For Trump, the cry “fake news” is his way of shooting at one of our institutions.

            This shooting is not about Donald Trump. In his defense someday the shooter’s lawyers may argue about the President’s stance on the “fake news” media and point to that as a way to justify their client’s actions. I hope not but won’t be shocked if they do. They’ll be wrong.

            Today, though, think about what newspapers, local and national, do to keep you informed. Keep buying them. And pray they never stop keeping us informed.

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Civility. Practice what we preach

6/26/2018

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The word of the week is civility – after, among other things, the press secretary to the President of the United States was asked to leave a Virginia restaurant because the owner and staff were offended deeply by the positions and style of her boss.

After that, and after at least two more prominent members of the President’s staff and Cabinet were heckled while trying to eat a meal in D.C. area restaurants, the topic all of a sudden, on all sides, was civility.

It really didn’t matter a lot because a Member of Congress called on citizens to do more such things to Trump Administration members. And, the President seemingly threatening that Member and claimed the restaurant involved was “dirty”, implying it was in violation of the health code.

In the old days, of such things were duels made.

The father of the press secretary, a former governor of Arkansas and a devoutly religious man. posted on his Twitter feed a picture of heavily tattooed Hispanic men, purportedly members of the notorious murderous gang MS-13, and said it was a meeting of advisors to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. He claims it was satire. Even that’s true, he should have known it would be taken as connecting Pelosi to MS-13. Now, with rare exceptions I doubt anyone believes Mrs. Pelosi is in cahoots with MS-13. But believe me, some do. And the President's son gleefully retreated the picture.

Meantime, up in Kennebunkport, Maine, former President Bill Clinton was visiting former President George H.W. Bush. You may recall in the quainter days of 1992, those two faced off against each other during Bush’s reelection bid. It was a tough campaign, although the word tough now sounds strong to use to describe that campaign. Clinton, of course, won and Bush was quite upset for many months after he lost, according to many reports.

Fewer than 30 years later, the Bush-Clinton campaign seems quite dull and droll.

Meantime, the two paired up to raise tens of millions of dollars for storm-related rescue efforts and George W. Bush, the 44th president of the United States and son of the 41st, calls Clinton “my brother from another mother.” Both 41 and 44 have become close Clinton friends.

Back to current times and we have a President who, to public knowledge has never contacted any previous presidents for counsel or console.

How do we get back to the more civil times of 1992?

I don’t know.

What I’ve tried to do is, while I clearly oppose nearly everything this President has done, I have, I hope, not used nasty names toward him though I probably have said nasty things, and if those have offended anyone, I apologize now.

Sinking to his level has done nothing. In fact, the more the “other side” criticizes him or heckles his people, the more solid his support among a slice of the voting public.

I hope that none of us wants to hate the other. We can certainly disagree (strongly) on how to get things done but why should that devolve into a hatred for “the other side.” In fact, why does there need to be an “other side.” We’re all Americans. We all, mostly, hold to the same values – liberty and justice for all. If that’s the case, why can’t we disagree and go out for a drink or coffee after. Why instead do we go to our tribal corners?

Talk about quaint, the late President Ronald Reagan and the late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill were on distinctly different sides of just about every issue. But they got together “after hours” and shared a drink and a laugh or two. And how about the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch or former Sen. John Kerry and Sen. John McCain? Distinctly opposite Democrats and Republicans but who partnered on many pieces of legislation to benefit the American people. Let me know the next time that happens.

President Trump when a civilian reportedly was friendly with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, but now Trump calls him names. In fact, Trump calls nearly everyone who disagrees with him names and labels them with his own handles “Crooked Hillary,” “Pocahontas”.

Those of us who didn’t vote for Donald Trump can do nothing about it but speak our truths, register to vote and when the time comes – whether that’s the coming mid-term elections or his re-elect effort in 2020 – vote against him. Many people wonder what the post-Trump era, whenever that comes, will be like. Many think the tribal postures folks have taken will stick and maybe worsen.

But there's always a choice.

We needn’t throw chairs or treat others like we wouldn’t wanted to be treated. There will be a post-Trump time in two or eight years and we all still will need to get along.

Call me Pollyanna, but why not start now?

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Classless but clueless?

6/20/2018

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For a long time I chalked up Donald Trump and his people as being misguided and inexperienced in government and championing policies I disagree with. Add in more than a smidgen of narcissistic personality for Trump and a never-apologize approach and you get what we got.

I’m beginning to think, though, that he has more evil intentions.

Comparing his behavior to that of Nazis, while cruel on the face of it, is not a false comparison. He has pecked away at our key institutions, the other two branches of government, the media; he is upending our long-time relationships with allies who died with us in wars; he is taking children away from their parents in the name of protecting our borders, giving a world-facing picture of us shutting down our country and forsaking our historic values of welcoming all (and begging for comparisons to Nazis); he admires dictators, calling the North Korean leader “honest” after he has killed family members and his people in the name of leadership; he can’t say a bad word about Vladimir Putin; when confronted with facts about the Putins and Kims of the world and their murderous ways he says “you think we’re so innocent?”; and his people thumb their noses at decency in their leader’s wake.

Corey Lewandowski, his former campaign chairman and friend, derisively blurts out “wah wah” when a fellow guest on a Fox News program mentions that a Down’s syndrome girl was taken away from her mother at the border. A Down’s syndrome child!

The White House press secretary, showing moments of discomfort lately defending Trump’s actions, chokes up a little when confronted with a barrage of questions about the family break-ups going on at the border and refused to brief alone yesterday on this topic. His Immigration and Customs Enforcement director hesitates when asked by Wolf Blitzer if this family break-up policy is “humane” before falling back on his talking points to say “it’s illegal.”

Trump is stripping his appointees of any decency they might have had. None of his appointees have resigned in opposition to a policy position, even when they watch children taken away from their parents. Even when they hear a tape of the cries of these children for their parents or his border officers making jokes about “needing a conductor” for the wails of children crying for their parents. Even when he snuggles up with dictators and admires that when Kim speaks “his people stand up,” something he wishes happens for him in this country.

You can almost hear Joseph Welch interrupting it all to repeat his famous line of 64 years and 11 days ago to Sen. Joseph McCarthy: "You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?"

The taint of Trump’s actions is smearing all of us. Our coutnry's reputation is being diminished in the world not only because of Trump’s treatment of friends and enemies, or his childish behavior and silly Tweeting. At a major meeting last night with House Republicans to try to resolve immigration issues in a moment of national immigration crisis, Trump took a moment to sarcastically ask if Mark Sanford, from South Carolina, was present because the President wanted to “congratulate” him on a primary race well run. A direct hit because Sanford lost that campaign, partly because of Trump’s not endorsing him because Sanford has been critical of Trump. An "I got to crow" and classless move.

Even the Pope has criticized Trump, calling his policy of taking children way from people illegally crossing the border “immoral” and “against our Catholic values.”

By the way, where are his white evangelical supporters when he is tearing families apart and blaming the Democrats for it even though it is clearly a Trump Administration policy that is being followed, not a law? They forgave him for his philandering saying he has repented. If that allows you to sleep at night, go ahead, pretend it didn’t happen. Now as he rips kids from their parents, you still stay silent?

This moment in history is ripping us of our heritage. There isn’t a lot we as citizens and voters can do at the moment. We must not feel overwhelmed and ignore his behavior. We must continue to speak out against him and not normalize his behavior. Republicans in Congress, though, do have powers to do something, from the simple act of standing up to him to curtailing his behavior with laws.

We ask the Republicans in Congress: “Have you no sense of decency?”

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Trust but verify maybe?

6/13/2018

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At the end of the U.S. – North Korea summit, President Trump declared that he trusts Kim Jong Un and Kim trusts him and that the nuclear threat from the North is gone. On the other side, Kim’s aides were checking out the pen he was given to sign the joint communique with to check it for any signs of danger to their leader.

Such are the results of the summit. Such is the level of trust on both sides.

It seems our negotiator-in-chief isn’t so much.

While it’s better to be talking to your adversaries than shouting at them, and Trump deserves some credit for taking that risk, the consensus among North Korea experts is the U.S. got nothing in the joint communique and Kim Jong Un got plenty.

That may be because their expectations were widely different:

While both wanted world recognition that they are real leaders, Kim vaulted to that class simply by having his picture taken with Trump. Trump should have known he had that stature, well, before he was sworn in anyway.

Trump thinks everyone’s motivation is money, getting as much of it as they can; Kim isn’t driven by money, he’s driven by power. His family has had it for 70 years and he doesn’t want to give it up.

There is the disconnect: Trump measures success in dollars. Kim measures it in continued family control of his country.

Trump’s philosophy can be seen in the shlocky video he had produced for Kim. If you haven’t watched it, you can find it here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/06/12/reporters-thought-this-video-was-north-korea-propaganda-it-came-from-the-white-house/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.fbf168742996

It’s a campaign style piece with a campaign style baritone narrator. Its main message seems to be: "You want to be rich, Kim, make a deal with me and you’ll have your own real estate fortune. We are the world’s greatest leaders after all." Okay, that last line is gratuitous. But not too much.

Trump gave Kim a commitment to end the “war games” the U.S. and South Korea have been performing for years both as a show of strength to the North and, more importantly, as former Defense Secretary William Cohen explained this week, to establish a “perimeter” to protect our homeland as far from our homeland as possible.

That’s a huge win for Kim.

And not only did he get that win, he got Trump to say the training sessions were a “provocation” – a word our adversaries in the Pacific Rim has been using for years. Now the President of the United States has used it. And, it will come back to bite us.

The setting for the First Handshake also was a win for Kim, in front of an equal number of equally sized flags from each country, demonstrating that North Korea is on the same level as the U.S. Too esoteric? Maybe so, but when that picture was shown in North Korea among the only constituency Kim cares about, how do you think it played? It reinforced what he’s been lying to his people about – that he is a world leader. “See, there I am with the Leader of the Free World.”

In return Kim gave Trump … nothing. Even the promises Kim made were watered down from what North Korea has agreed to in the past, and reneged on.

Then again, who’s to say Trump won’t also renege? Both men have a tendency to over-promise and under deliver.

A few hours after the summit ended, it was reported that North Korea’s state media (the only media there) said that Trump promised to end the sanctions while at the summit. Trump could have said something like that in a private meeting but I doubt he did. He sure said nothing like that in public. Still, that’s now what the North Korean people are being told. Again, it reinforces what Kim has been telling them since he took power and now the President of the United States has caved to us on sanctions. This is what state media do for a despot, similar to the way Trump wishes the media were here.

Now, when Kim points a finger at the evil-and-they-want-to-invade-us America, his people will have the added “knowledge” that the sanctions were promised to be lifted, and they were not. More power for Kim.

The truly important thing is what happens next? If Trump allows this negotiation to become about limiting North Korea’s capabilities rather than eliminating them, he will fall into the same trap he castigated President Obama for in Iran.

This is complicated business. Complicated more when one participant can tell his people whatever he wants, whatever he sees as the truth and the other, well, the other does the same thing.

Ronald Reagan famously dealt with the Soviet Union and got promises from them. Did he return home sand say he trusted Mikhail Gorbachev the way Trump is talking about Kim?

“I trust him,” Trump said.

Reagan said Доверяй, но проверяй. trust but verify.

Trump should look at this the same way but in Korean: 신뢰하지만 확인.

Kim clearly showed he doesn’t trust Trump. Otherwise that pen would not have needed to be inspected. But it was. And before Trump declares we have no more fear of a nuclear threat from North Korea, we should inspect that, too.

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Almost past the time for Congressional Republicans

6/11/2018

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It may be past time for Republicans in Congress to speak out against the direction of the Trump Administration, from its dangerous foreign policy to its domestic policy that lacks empathy or seemingly any appreciation for the diversity of America.

As we stand on the day of the summit with North Korea (9 o’clock tonight, our time), President Trump just left the U.S. reputation in the G-7 in shambles, has succeeded in ticking off our closest geographic ally, standing (or sitting) apart, literally, from our other allies in the G-7, and prepared to have trade wars with many countries, which threatens the economic boom that is about Trump’s only claim to fame success so far.

If one was going to map out a strategy to destroy the Western alliance, just watch what Trump is doing because – knowingly or not – that’s what he is doing. He is buddying up to our long enemies (Russia, North Korea) and alienating our allies who have stood side by side with us in everything from strong economic relationships to fighting wars.

I imagine there is a slice of Americans who like that, but with all due respect, if you’re one of them, reassess now. He’s entering a summit with one of the world’s worst dictators and Trump says he is prepared and will “know in the first minute” the potential for success.

It’s not just that he’s counter to the typical U.S. president; it’s not that I disagree with a lot of his policies (he’s not the first president whose policies I oppose); it’s not even that he’s a television personality or so full of himself it’s almost a caricature.
It’s that he is a danger to the future of our country – unless the right people start standing up to protest and oppose him. Now.

Robert di Niro just plays into his hands when he barks an epithet at the Tonys. Good for a laugh butTrump will play off that to his own benefit, if he hasn’t already. He’ll say it’s just another example of those west coast liberals who hate him. (And, really Mr. di Niro, when everyone had tears in their eyes when the kids from Parkland sang?)

But, if Republicans in Congress stood up to him, and used the levers of power in their control – from making laws to having a platform to criticize his behavior and lack of preparation for any meeting – nothing will change.

It wasn’t until the G-7 meeting that I saw his full destructive power. If you can’t negotiate a milk deal with Canada, how can you negotiate a nuclear deal with North Korea, as one pundit put it?

The President sent out two of his staff – top economic advisor Larry Kudlow and top trade advisor Peter Navarro – to be interviewed on the Sunday shows and trash Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau.

Some worried that Trump didn’t have a pet dog, like so many of his precessors. But Kudlow is filling that role as he’s become a lap dog for Trump. Navarro talked about an ally in ways that no staff member of the White House ever has before. Yes, Mr. Navarro, you are “just” a staffer, you’re not the leader of the country, who also likely would never talk that way. Well, unless his last name is Trump.

Kim Jung Un already has benefitted the most from the about-to-be held summit. He is going to have his picture taken with the President of the United States. And he will use that picture as propaganda in his country for months to come, demonstrating falsely that he is a leader in the world. Trump gets no benefit unless Kim literally hands him a nuclear weapon, because his promises mean about as much as Trump’s.

Bring Russia back into the G-7/8? After they took over a country? And pay no price for that. And, by the way, after they meddled in our election?? Come on! Trump has never even admitted it was Russia.

I never truly thought Trump was a Manchurian Candidate, but the resemblance is getting more and more by the day.

Intentionally or not, Trump is doing things “for” our country that our enemies have been trying to “do” to our country for years.

Republicans in Congress, the time is nearly past where you can do something about this – it’s time. But you have to act fast.

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Things that make you go hmmmm

6/4/2018

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Random thoughts in recent days:

South Korean President Moon is staking his political credibility on North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump. I wouldn’t stake my tab for dinner on that pair.

Roseanne Barr made a racist comment and grabbed her crotch, losing her successful TV show. President Trump says racist things and admits to grabbing women’s crotches and his popularity notches upwards.

President Trump and Kim’s relationship has had its ups (summit on!) and downs (summit off!) and never quite seem capable of breaking up. They are no BFF’s but they are BFFN’s (Best Friends for Now).

President Trump met in the Oval Office with North Korea’s top spy. Let’s hope the office was swept for listening devices after that meeting.

President Trump is treating our long loyal allies, like Canada and the European Union, like enemies and our long enemies, like Russia and North Korea, as our best friends. He is looking for ways to pick up North Korea’s hotel tab for the summit and looking for another summit with Putin even as he levies tariffs on Canada and the European Union.

Allies like Canada are a bit dumbfounded by being assessed tariffs by President Trump when, in their view, there is no need, especially since they think a trade war is the result. Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow said it isn’t a trade war but a “trade discussion.” When the President says he is assessing tariffs, that doesn’t sound like a discussion; sounds like the first bullet in a trade war to me.

Our allies are still trying to figure out Donald Trump, who isn’t all that easy to figure out since his positions and rhetoric can change direction on a dime. The question is becoming, will allies like Canada and Germany realize at some point they really don’t need Trump?

Trump’s lawyers are claiming that as President he can’t be indicted, can’t be subpoenaed and, without saying these words, is “above the law.” Constitutional experts have debated those questions often over drinks for decades but never thinking judges might actually have to decide those tricky issues. We may as well go straight to the Supreme Court now to decide those issues because that’s where we’re heading anyway.

Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on TV the other day that the President’s legal strategy basically is to try to drive public opinion Trump’s way since, Rudy says, the whole issue will be decided by impeachment and congressmen who will vote will react to their constituents’ beliefs. Lordy, the President’s lawyer is already saying he’ll be impeached. And that’s with a Republican majority House and Senate!

Giuliani also said Trump, in the Oval Office, could shoot former FBI Director Comey and couldn’t be indicted because presidents can’t be indicted while in office. Giuliani was hypothesizing but it shows you where his head is.

Speaking of Giuliania, this is a guy who was mayor of New York, nicknamed "America's Mayor," and his run for president himself. Today, he is a spinner for Donald Trump on television and clearly loving it.

When does a dictator become a dictator? In the last few days, Trump has: broken a rule about giving out confidential economic information, declared that he cannot be compelled to testify before a special counsel, imposed tariffs on our allies, said he definitely has the power to pardon himself, pardoned others again without going through the established process (which is a President’s right but the process is there for the country and his protection), had his press secretary say he was too busy focused on important issues to issue a statement on Roseanne Barr but then met with a Kardashian in his office, had his lawyers in effect say he is above the law, lied repeatedly as has been his wont forever. And, through all of this Republicans in Congress are basically silent. Asked directly, at least twice, by CNN’s Dana Bash yesterday about the President’s lying, Speaker of the House Wannabe Kevyn McCarthy dodged the question. Twice.

You don’t just wake up one day and realize there is a dictator in the Oval Office. It happens over time. We are putting our Constitution to its most difficult test and Republicans in Congress have already surrendered.

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Newspaper shooting should remind us the key role they play

Civility. Practice what we preach

Classless but clueless?

Trust but verify maybe?

Almost past the time for Congressional Republicans

Things that make you go hmmmm

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