Month: July 2017

Trump Dances Around Conflict Of Interest Complaints

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Trump Dances Around Conflict Of Interest Complaints

D. S. Mitchell

On 6/28/2017 Jeremy Venook wrote an interesting article for The Atlantic that pointed to serious conflicts of interest between Donald Trump’s business affairs and his job as President of the United States. I am going to review, comment, and regurgitate some of his points. Venook points to numerous questionable Trump dealings and created a list of what he has identified as conflicts of interest. I ask any readers to please go to the Atlantic.com site and read the accompanying articles addressing all the items of Venook’s list. The list is at the end of his 6/28/2017 article.

That list is as follows: 1.) Clean Water Rule 2.) Real estate development outside New Delhi 3.) Golf course in Westchester county, NY 4.) Russian Trademarks 5.) Trump Organization Event Planner 6.) Saudi Arabia lobbying effort 6.) Golf course in New Jersey 7.) Meeting in Brussels 8.) Tower in Toronto 9.) Condos for sale 10.) Re-election campaign funds 11.) Second hotel in Washington, D.C. 12.) Property in Azerbaijan 13.) Trump Tower penthouse 14.) Resort in the Dominican Republic 15.) Chinese Trademark 16.) Mar-a-Lago meetings 17.) Defense Department Trump Tower rental 18.) Red Cross Ball 19.) Washington, D.C. labor dispute 20.) Palm Beach estate 21.) Trump Organization planned business expansion 22.) Hotel in Vancouver, B.C. 23.) Reality TV show 24.) Pipeline 25.) HUD grants 26.) Golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland 27.) Other billionaire NY real estate developer 28.) Indonesian politician 29.) Emirati businessman 30.) Virginia vineyard 31.) Las Vegas labor dispute 32.) Kuwaiti event 33.) Certificates of Divestiture 34.) Carrier deal 35.) Blind trust issue 36.) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac investments 37.) Phone call with Taiwan 38.) Deutsche Bank debt 38.) Properties in the country of Georgia 39.) Phone call and meet with Turkey’s Erdogan 40.) D.C. hotel 41.) Argentinian office building 42.) Companies in Saudi Arabia 43.) British Wind farms 44.) Indian business partners 45.) Envoy from Philippines.

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Scratching My Head

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Scratching My Head

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity politics’ mission is to share political opinions and comments on the urgent news of the day.  Our goal is to empower and connect people with a forward looking progressive agenda. I admit I often use the blog to release my own pent up emotions. It isn’t a crime, but it should at least be acknowledged.  Furthermore, I want it understood that I am a fervent  anti-Trump voice  and supporter of the Resistance. That said, today I am going to disrespect DonaldJ. Trump Jr. What the hell? Is this guy so attention starved that he wanted to bring a bunch of Russian tricksters and propagandists into the 2016 Presidential campaign to smear Hillary Clinton and impress Daddy? Is he so greedy for power that he would sell out the most sacred element of our Democracy, our vote, to a foreign power? Is he so stupid he needs help because he can’t tie his own shoe laces? Is he so used to operating outside the law that calling the FBI to report the intent of a foreign government to interfere in the US election didn’t even occur to him or the other attendees at this recently uncovered meeting. This whole story that is emerging about Donald, jr, and the lady Russian lawyer has me and most of the world scratching our heads.

The confirmed 6/9/2016 meeting, was between Trump, jr, Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner and a Russian attorney at Trump Tower and is the first known meeting between members of the Trump inner circle, both family and campaign staffers. The emerging story is grim and depressing when viewed as a family joined together to betray the United States; and in effect, mount a successful coup of the government; aided and abetted by a foreign adversary.

I am not surprised, but as more information is being brought to light my anger keeps mounting. How the fuck off kilter do you have to be to sell your country out? Too fucking immoral  and fucking disgusting to be anywhere close to the White House and the role of President of the United States, in my opinion. Trump must be impeached immediately along with his Vice President, Mike Pence.  OMG my hair is on fire.

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EPA Cuts Cause Potential For Real Harm

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EPA Cuts Cause Potential For Real Harm

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics is a progressive political blog that’s main intention is to improve people’s lives. I’m here again, uncensored and irreverent, raising hell and screaming for attention. I know I’m about 3200 miles from Washington, D.C. but I pray people are aware of the perilous and irresponsible attack on the EPA that is taking place at the hands of the Trump Administration.  The Environmental Defense Fund states flatly, “No federal agency has been singled out for such a large and pernicious budget cut as the EPA”.

Approximately 90% of the American people support strong environmental protections.  It is an all hands on deck emergency if we will be able to stop President Trump’s efforts to gut the EPA budget, thus eliminating many core environmental safeguards. The government has been transferred into the hands of anti-environment extremists whose goal is profit through fossil fuel extraction over the lives of wildlife and our historic national park system.

Trump and the Congress seem to be on a mission to kill our national parks and destroy our environmental protections.  Many lobbyists are sent to Washington paid to convince legislators that relaxing restrictions on the millions of acres of National Parks land would be an economic boom for the country.  The goal seems to be directed toward shifting control from the federal government to the individual states, where those treasured resources can be sold, or licensed to the highest bidder for the systematic extraction of gold, silver, oil, gas, coal, and timber.

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Trump Lives In A Facsimile Universe

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Trump Lives In A Facsimile Universe

D. S. Mitchell

Last week President Trump set off another Twitter firestorm when he began a vicious  attack against MSNBC TV hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough. Trump’s bad behaviors and odd proclivities have made for interesting chatter on their early morning political news show, ‘Morning Joe’.  The Twitter attack came after several months of negative Trump coverage by the two TV hosts.

The heat of the outrage following Trump’s disgusting attack came from a wide swath of the public, Capitol Hill and the media. At the height of the Kerfuffle, Joe and Mika came on their own show as “guests”. The pair answered  a slew of questions from their regular panel.

In short order,  I watched the story shift from Trump’s questionable  mental capacity to an even darker and more sinister sets of behaviors. Behaviors that support the James Comey’s recent testimony; threats and bullying being standard practice by the thug from Queens.

Joe and Mika told a hair raising tale ‘on air,’ of being excessively pressured, or  “blackmailed”, by several White House officials.   The staffers were demanding Joe and Mika call and apologize to the President, for their recent unflattering reporting of Trump on their show.

The pair described many ominous phone calls being made to their children and other family members threatening publication of an ugly National Enquirer story.  Mika stated that White House staffers made frequent phone calls to her, telling her to back off  the negative reporting of Trump.

Not only was there pressure to change reporting, but also to call the president and apologize.  All they needed to do was cave to the threats by the White House thugs.  If Joe made that apology call he was told the negative National Enquirer story would be scrapped.

Joe told his television audience that he had called Jared Kushner directly.  During that conversation  Kushner, confirmed, “All you need to do is pick up the phone and call and apologize, and the National Enquirer story will disappear”.  Joe said he refused to apologize, and things deteriorated into Trump making the subsequent disgusting tweets attacking the two TV hosts.

The Trump attack against the commentators soon segued to how can Trump control what is published in the National Enquirer and how is he using that power to control and manipulate reporters and the news itself?

It is well-known that National Enquirer, CEO  David Pecker has been friends with Donald Trump for decades. Despite Pecker denials of biased reporting favoring Trump it has been obvious for many months that The National Enquirer and TMZ are having a print love affair with Trump. And Pecker has been allowing his personal relationship with Trump to effect editorial decisions at the tabloid.

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66 Things To Smile About

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66 Things To Smile About

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics presents progressive political opinions, predictions and speculations regarding the current U.S. political news scene. The Fourth of July, Independence Day, one of my favorite holidays. Its been a good day. I worked half a day, hung out with a couple friends while they did demolition on their new “used” home. It looks like a lot of work and a huge money outgo, but the place is in a great neighborhood and the house has great bones. After the fireworks I was too tired to finish my Independence Day post. So, here are ’66 Things To Smile About’:

1.) Hours at the library 2.) Remembering my reusable bags when I go shopping 3.) The Budweiser horses 4.) Summer Solstice Parties 5.) Wall art 6.) A room filled with music 7.) Houseboating at Lake Shasta, California 8.) A seaplane landing 9.) A lazy game of golf with the girls 10.) A bag of tennis balls for the dog 11.) A twisted toothpaste tube 12.) Animal cookies 13.) Elevator door opening just as you reach it 14.) Playing darts at the pub 14.) A new litter of puppies 15.) Roses growing up a picket fence 16.) Getting the local paper at the doorstep 17.) Breakfast with Tracey 18.) Antique car shows 19.) Having a plan 20.) Astoria, Oregon 21.) Air shows 22.) Girl’s softball 23.) Dancing with a great dancer 24.) Kids in the sprinkler 25.) Thrift store shopping 26.) Hot air balloons 27.) Upscale resale shops 28.) Loading the fishing gear 29.) River walks and Ocean Promenades 30.) Saturday Night Live 31.) Remembering a loved one with graveside flowers 32.) Inspiring a child 33.) The tingle of stage fright just before a performance 34.) Chasing rainbows 35.) Chintz curtains blowing through an open window 36.) Country stores 37.) Fresh baked bread soaked with butter 38.) Castles sitting high above rivers 39.) “Getting away” for the weekend 40.) Coconut milk fresh from the coconut 41.) Kah-Nee-Ta Resort 42.) Shiny firetrucks 43.) Plate size cinnamon rolls shared with friends 44.) Antique quilts on display 45.) Pressing Restart after a bad episode 46.) Hitting a home run 47.) Marching for a cause 48.) Seeing football teams wear pink for breast cancer awareness 49.) The Ferries of Puget Sound 50.) Vancouver Island 51.) Sidewalk dining 52.) Finding a childhood toy when unpacking boxes long stored 53.) Street rods 54.) Consciously stirring a conversation to avoid an argument with a co-worker 55.) One trusted and forever best friend 56.) A “Make Over Day” 57.) Wind chimes quietly tapping in the wind 58.) Catfish caught in the early morning and fried for breakfast 59.) Fortune tellers and Ouija boards 60.) Mexican tooled cowboy boots 61.) Beer in iced glasses 62.) Making, and then eating cannabis cookies 63.) Hanging an oil painting you did when you were 25 over the fireplace for a new showing 64.} The ‘mission’ you create with a ‘To Do List” 65.) Self help books, purchased, but never read 66.) A joke well told

Thank you for joining me for my weekly smile session. Remember to do your part; call Capitol Hill, fax and email your reps, write letters to congress, letters to the editors, tweets, blog, protest, run for office.

Join the Resistance.
Dar

Congress Doubts Trump Foreign Policy

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Congress Doubts Trump Foreign Policy

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics is a progressive leaning political blog where we attempt to offer relevant and engaging political analysis and commentary, sprinkled with a bit of sarcasm and cynicism.  So, if you are ready, please join me as I examine the good, the bad, the planned and the unplanned on the U.S. political scene.  Some call it Mud Wrestling, I call it Russian Roulette.

Mieke Eoyang, a National Security Analyst at the Third Way, said, “I think it is setting in, especially in the Republican members of Congress, that they are not getting the kind of adult leadership out of the White House that would allow them to give deference to the White House”. Continue reading

To Believe, Or Not To Believe

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To Believe, Or Not To Believe

D. S. Michell

In 2015, after years of debate on the separation of Church and State issue, a Republican controlled State Legislature passed a bill authorizing the placement of a Ten Commandments Monument on the Arkansas Capitol grounds.  A group of fundamentalists raised $26,000 to fund the creation of the Ten Commandments monument. That monument was erected last week on the Capitol grounds at Little Rock, Arkansas.

Within 24 hours of its erection, the Ten Commandments came tumbling down, after being rammed by a Dodge Dart, driven by Michael Tate Reed.  Reed, posted a video of himself running into and destroying the newly placed monument. Reed reportedly yelled, “Oh my goodness—-freedom,”  as he rammed the 6,000 pound granite slab.  Reed 32, was arrested and secured at Pulaski County Jail charged with, criminal trespass, defacing object of public interest, and First degree criminal mischief.  Reed has subsequently been transferred to mental health authorities.

Reed in 2014 rammed another vehicle into a Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma State Capitol, in Oklahoma City, OK.  And, in fact, Reed is currently under court order to maintain mental health treatment and therapy.

Wednesday afternoon, maintenance crews were cleaning up the mess.  Arkansas officials intend to replace the monument as soon as possible. A state official confirmed the vow to replace the monument, “we won’t let this bitterness and hatred stop us.”

The separation of Church and State debate is not expected to tamper down in the near future. The ongoing, and increasingly loud dissension seems to increase as partisanship policies polarize respective groups.

Nationwide school boards, city and county hearings, state legislators and citizens are debating the place of religion in American life. One of the most contentious arguments centers around the display of the Ten Commandments and other religious invocations on public buildings and grounds. The display of the Ten Commandments has led to numerous legal battles and poisonous debate.

Through a spokesman, the ACLU issued a statement,  “We are committed to seeing  unconstitutional monuments struck down, but safely through legal means.” A group called Freedom From Religion, has threatened numerous laws suits across the country and have successfully had religious monuments removed from government properties in Mississippi and New Mexico.

My opinion is simple. You as an individual, or a business owner can decide to put religious decors, monuments, plaques on your property.

I as an individual do not want such religious monuments on my property, nor do I want any such affirmations on public property, EVER.

It’s a big week end here in my little corner of the world.  The annual HOA garage sale is going full force. People come from all over the county for this huge event.  The community picnic will be Sunday, another big event. The 4th of July, because it is on a Tuesday this year, is making it a really long week end, and thousands of tourists are flooding our beach side  community.  Traffic on our narrow little roads gets risky for walkers and bikers.

Calamity Politics wishes all my readers. HAPPY 4TH! Stay Safe.

Join the Resistance

Dar