Border Security - a Parody

The greatest threat to the security of the United States does not involve its southern border.  The threat is neither created nor exacerbated by drug traffickers from Mexico, or refugees from Central America.  The preeminent threat to our safety involves our border with Canada.  That over-2000-mile perimeter is the longest unguarded frontier in the world.

But that must change.  According to the Department of Homeland Security, more Canadians overstay their visas than do all other nationalities.  So, if we are to preclude rampant metric-system measurements, if we are to avoid having kilograms and kilometers foisted upon us, if we are to be able to continue to purchase cheese curls rather than the batonnetes de fromage I had to buy at Sobey's in Halifax, we must force obstructionist  Republicans to focus on our northern border.

Callous, Cold-Hearted, and Just Plain Stupid

Since the Trump-engineered shutdown of our national government, there've been reports of hardships caused by that shutdown to furloughed, working-without-pay Federal employees.  For instance, one gentleman stated he was unable to buy a headstone to mark the grave of his recently-deceased wife, because of the lack of a paycheck.

But here comes the OPM (Office of Personnel Management) to the rescue.  On Thursday, Dec. 27, OPM offered this advice.  In a tweet (what else?), OPM advised workers to consult with a personal attorney regarding financial difficulties.  In a more concrete suggestion, OPM speculated that a  furloughed employee might offer to trade maintenance services such as painting or carpentry work in exchange for a reduction in rent.

What freakin' delusional, insensitive, plutocratic planet do these people inhabit?

Just Keep Chuckin' Those Paper Towels

Donald Trump may live to regret the moment when, in a surfeit of insensitivity, he tossed paper towels to crowds in Puerto Rico who'd survived Hurricane Maria.

Every 10 Minutes

That's how often a child dies in Yemen because of the civil war there, a conflict in which the United States is supplying Saudi Arabia (and possibly Jared Kushner's BFF MBS) with the weapons that bring about this chilling statistic.

In late September, Rep. Ro Khanna (D - CA) co-sponsored a bill which would (finally) involve Congress, in its Constitutionally-mandated role - that of declaring war.  One of the resolution's Republican co-sponsors, Rep. Thomas Massie (R - KY) said  It’s long past time Congress held a debate and vote as to whether U.S. soldiers and personnel should be involved in this war.

U. S. soldiers and personnel are not on the ground in Yemen.  But our military supports the Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels backed by Iran.  The aid we give the Saudis includes arms sales and aerial refueling of jets, which then carry out airstrikes in Yemen, that in turn kill a child every 10 minutes.

Only a Tenant

I'm lucky enough to live in a lovely, green, open area of Delaware County, PA.  But I don't own the property on which I live.  I'm "only" a tenant.

Grand-dad Joseph

I use those quotes in order to emphasize how different my economic status is from that of my paternal grandfather.  Grand-dad Joseph had no education beyond elementary school, but spoke four languages other than English - German, Hungarian, Polish, and Slovak.  So, U S Steel made him a foreman in the Edgar Thompson Works in Braddock, PA.  His language skills allowed him to manage work-gangs that were a meld of eastern European ethnic groups.

Grand-dad parlayed this job into a small real estate business.  That in turn  allowed him to own a home, allowed each of  his four children to own one as well, and provided enough extra to educate two of those children at the University of Pittsburgh - each with advanced degrees.

But despite my having what amounts to a head start in career life, I'm still "only" a tenant.  I have a Master’s degree in Computer Information Science.  I taught for over 20 years at various institutions of higher education, in the United States and Canada.  The lack of a doctorate cost me jobs, though, and caused me to be unable to accumulate a sufficient down payment for a home, let alone one large enough to preclude PMI.

So much for the crown jewel of the American dream - owning a home.  I doubt I ever will. It's at this point that not-too-compassionate conservatives might tell me I should have tried a little harder, or that perhaps in another year or two, the most recent round of tax cuts for the rich might trickle down to me, or some other similarly insipid excuse.

I'm not bitter.  But those in the working- and middle-classes need to learn to see through the mirages of meritocracy and plutocracy.

We Shouldn't Be Surprised

Neither of the reports below should take any of us aback.

Patrick Shanahan, Donald Trump's rush-Jim-Mattis-out-the-door-early appointee as Acting Defense Secretary, has neither military nor diplomatic experience.

It appears Mr. Trump's most significant concern regarding our southern border isn't national security but rather his prospects for re-election

Duality

There's a bromide that says Those who fail to learn from history [ ... ] repeat it.

The New York Times reported today that the President hadn't actually read the letter of resignation written, and hand-delivered to him on Thursday  by, Secretary of Defense James Mattis.  That's why, in tweeting an initial  response to the departure, Trump praised Mattis.  Which mindset lasted for about two days. Upon seeing himself portrayed, even in right-wing media, as misguided at best in his approach to Syria and Afghanistan Trump actually read Mattis' letter.

Then he did his Janus thing.  Like the Roman god, he showed a new face.  Trump tweeted again, moving Mattis' date of departure from Feb. 8 to Jan. 1.

Way to stay classy, Donald ...

Shades of Vlad III

Yesterday, Donald Trump continued his practice of policy-by-tweet.  He put out into cyberspace a design for a steel slat barrier that he proposed as an alternative to a wall at our southern border.

Shades of Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler ...

The Cost of a Government Shutdown

In about another 6.5 hours, American taxpayers and the American economy may incur a deficit of as much as $6.5 billion a week.  That's 6.5 billion, every week, until the shutdown ends.

Or, as Standard & Poors put it in an estimate they did about a year ago, there will be blood.

Food Stamp Queen Redux

The Trump Administration has floated plans to cut back on SNAP, that is, on food stamp, benefits.

Did we really expect anything else?  Almost every Trump policy has been insensitive.  In response, I'm reproducing below most of a post I did on this topic about three years ago, for the blog of the United Steel Workers.

The instinct of some to condemn SNAP participants as freeloaders or criminals is troubling.  I’m neither.  I have a Master’s degree in Computer Information Science.  I taught for over 20 years at various institutions of higher education.  The lack of a doctorate cost me jobs, though, and now causes me to have to rely on food stamps to supplement my income.

Despite millions of SNAP participants having stories like mine, we’re seeing a trend.  When the poor or middle class object to preferential treatment for the rich, it's called class warfare.  But when the very-well-to-do refer to food stamp recipients as welfare queens, it’s okay.

Caricatures of food stamp phonies created by conservative media are bogus.  Here’s the reality.  On average, an individual receives about $133 per month in food stamps.  That works out to about $4 per day.  As the Baltimore Sun put it, Blow it on a frappuccino, and that's one less day's food.

Any government action that discourages fraud [or waste] is, of course, worthwhile.  But there's no evidence SNAP is out of control.  It helps feed more than 40 million Americans at an annual cost of $64 billion, or about $1,600 per person per year.  That’s hardly exorbitant.

It Can't Come Soon Enough

About a week ago, I used something like the sample program below to illustrate counting down to a possible government shutdown.  Today, I'll use the same technique to illustrate an even more dangerous situation.

Via tweet this morning, our Commander in Chief instituted a radical change in U. S. foreign policy in the Middle East.  Specifically, he announced to the world, against the advice of almost every significant member of the administration's national security staff, that our troops would leave Syria, because we have defeated ISIS ... during the Trump Presidency ...

Yes, he claimed credit for that.  Seems he doesn't care that it's not accurate.  Nor does he understand that pulling U. S. troops out of the civil-war-torn country could result in an humanitarian crisis well beyond those the region has already experienced.

So why a countdown again? 14 days from today, Democrats will take over the House of Representatives, and the Committees that body includes.  In particular, the Intelligence and Armed Services Committees will have something to say about this most recent aberrant policy move.

 for (int i = 14; i > 0; i--) std::cout << i << " Days to the Dems! ";

This new for loop counts down from 14 to 1.  If you have access to a C++ compiler, try the code; it works.  Its output represents a point in time where sanity can again have a role in American foreign policy.

Hocus Potus :-))

In the midst of the shrillness and chaos that constitute the current administration, one is grateful to find lighter moments.

Some adherents to the Wiccan religion have objected to Donald Trump's ongoing use of the term witch hunt to refer to the investigation of his campaign being conducted by Robert Mueller.  In an interview with the Louisville Courier-Journal, Ann Hardman, a high priestess of the Kentucky Wiccans said I am incensed with this term. And I have been ever since he did it the first time. It’s insulting; it should be eliminated from the vocabulary. In some ways it’s like the N-word. 

Hardman isn't alone in those sentiments.  The president’s frequent use of the term has ticked off witches around the country. Recently, the Daily Beast reported that some witches have even cast spells (known as binding spells) on Trump.

From their spells to the Universe's ears ...

The I Word

Cass Sunstein teaches law at Harvard.  He's extensively published; his books  are fascinating, and educative.  I particularly enjoyed The Second Bill of Rights (2004).

Now I've come across another of Professor Sunstein's works that I intend to tackle ASAP.  It's called Impeachment: a Citizen's Guide (2017).  Given the results of the recent midterm elections, and the effect of those results on the House of Representatives, it's certain that Democrats will conduct extensive investigations in the Committees they'll control after Jan. 3.  For instance, Jerry Nadler will chair the Judiciary Committee, Adam Schiff, Intelligence, and Maxine Waters, Financial Services.  (I'd bet Mr. Trump is writhing over that last.)  Any of these and more might eventually lead to serious consideration of impeachment for Donald Trump.

I hope to learn, from Sunstein's most recent book, exactly what high crimes and misdemeanors are.  Treason and bribery are pretty easy to get one's head around.  In any case, they're defined within the Constitution itself.  But high crimes and misdemeanors aren't, at least not in anything better than opaque fashion.

Chapter 5 in Sunstein's latest is called Interpreting the Constitution.  That's where I'll start.  I believe wholeheartedly in the need to view our foundational documents through the filter of the evolution of language (In that context, you might be interested in Garry Wills' Inventing America.)

Stay tuned.

Simply Unconscionable

Stephen Miller, one of whose ancestors was a refugee from Tzarist, anti-Semitic Russia, seems not to have learned compassion from that history.  Miller has again become influential on Administration policy on immigration.

Today, he made statements justifying shutting down the government on the 21st, should Congress not fund Mr. Trump's much-yearned-for border wall.  Further, Miller reiterated the Administration's policy on immigration in general - that it can no longer be based upon The New Colossus.  All of this pales, however, in comparison to an even newer, more cruel wrinkle.  The administration intends to pursue deporting thousands of refugees from the Vietnam War.

Yes, you read that right.  It's hard to imagine a more inhumane policy (unless one considers children in cages).

From 450 to 2700

As a child of three, my folks took me to Kennywood, an amusement park outside Pittsburgh.  I remember being first excited by the noise and crowds, and then distraught when, for a moment, my parents left me alone (to get me a hot dog, as it happens).

All of which says I don't even want to try to imagine the fear the (approximately - we're not sure because DHS keeps such poor records of the situation) 2700 children and teenagers confined in a tent city in Tornillo, Texas feel today.

The facility, if one can dignify it with that description, was designed to house no more than 450 young people.  So, given its current population, it's grown to six times its anticipated capacity.  Its cost has, therefore, also ballooned.  Had it been limited to 450 occupants, the facility would still chew up, once again according to estimates from DHS, between $750.00 and $1200.00 per night.  Splitting that difference leaves us with an average cost, for originally envisioned capacity, of:

(((750+1200)  / 2)*450) , or $438,750.00 per night

Given its current bursting-at-the-seams population, the Tornillo tent city costs American taxpayers:

(((750+1200)  / 2)*2700) , or $2,632,500.00 per night

That's two million six hundred thirty two thousand five hundred dollars per night to keep kids in cages.   Lacking in compassion, to say the least ...

Cursing, But in a Civilized Way

Back in the day, when I was still teaching, I  had the distinct honor and pleasure of working with students from many cultures  But three of them, all females, would sometimes curse rather loudly.  When I pointed out that such behavior wasn't acceptable, one (her name was Imani) said But Miss Michele - you curse too.

To which I responded Yes, but I clean it up a little.  I say stuff like freakin' or frackin' ... 

In support of that bit of self-editing, I learned, from my international students in particular, how to say poop in as many languages as I could think of.  (It boomeranged when I grumbled Merde while a Moroccan student was in my office.  Think about it for a minute)

What brings this all  to mind, though, is what took place today in Wisconsin.  Lame-duck Governor Scott Walker, a Republican union-buster, signed into law legislation that strips power from the incoming governor and attorney general.  Who just happen to be Democrats ...

What a pile of merde ...

With Friends Like These ...

Those friends being the Russian government, and the NRA.

A while back, one of my cousins pointed out that I have, on occasion, used 15104 as a cudgel with which to bash the current occupant of the Oval Office.  Quite true.  Not surprising, though; my cousin's politics are among the most conservative in our tribe.  But the chasm between his beliefs and mine also presented me with an opportunity.

At various points in my life, I've been a long-lapsed Catholic, an agnostic, or a Buddhist.  That last faith tradition, and the others as well, advise us to learn from, and show compassion to, even our adversaries.  (In this context, I'm reminded of the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, and the Tibetan Buddhist prayer for compassion.)  So, Cousin, you were right, at least to the extent of reminding me that it is Mr. Trump's behavior, rather than the man himself, which one should excoriate.

Taking that at least slightly more enlightened approach brings me to Maria Butina's guilty plea today.  Seems Ms. Butina was a sort-of-spy for Russia, who sought to infiltrate the NRA as a vehicle for infiltrating the Republican Party of 2016.

Dear readers, why doesn't it surprise me that an organization as amoral and heartless as the NRA should have been considered by the Russian government as rapid transit to the Republican Party's power structure?  Might the answer be that Mr. Trump's obstreperous defense of gun rights gave the Kremlin a wink-wink-nod-nod?

Ms. Butina's courting of the NRA dates from about the time in 2015 when Donald Trump's campaign for the Presidency, and Russia's efforts to assist that campaign, began. 

Truth or Consequences

Before there were reality shows like The Apprentice, there were game shows like Truth or Consequences.  On that program, contestants had to answer a question, usually an off-the-wall one, correctly.  If the contestant couldn't do so, he or she was faced with consequences.

That was 1954; this is now.  Today, Nancy Pelosi announced a deal which should assure her re-taking the Speaker's gavel.  That's the truth part.  Given Pelosi's masterful handling of Trump during their meeting in the Oval Office Tuesday, it appears it will be up to Donald Trump to handle the consequences.

Shutdown Countdown

This morning, I was reminded of the bazillion times I used an example like the one below for my programing students.

for (int i  = 10;  i  > = 1;  i--)   std::cout <<  i  << "   days to shutdown " << " !"';

That line is what's called a  for loop; this one counts down from 10 to 1.  Today in the Oval Office, Donald Trump counted down by jousting with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.  Trump insisted that, if the House and Senate don't allocate muchisimo money for his much-yearned-for wall along our border with Mexico, he'd allow the federal government to shut down.  The only alternative he suggested was Orwellian - using the U. S. military to enforce border security.

Be careful what you wish for, Donald.  Ms. Pelosi is considered one of the best vote counters in American legislative history.  If she feels she has the votes to opshtel your wall, she has them.  So, Mr. Trump, be ready for a major dose of oeuf on visage.

Back on the Table?

Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) , the incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and considered a student of the Constitution, made news yesterday.  In an interview with CNN, Nadler stated that he found Donald Trump's actions clearly impeachable.

When one compares those actions, pertaining to the 2016 Presidential election, to the misdeeds described in the Bill of Impeachment drawn up for Richard Nixon, the resemblance is eerie.  Here's an effort to use the Nixon bill as a template for charges against Mr. Trump.

Pot, Meet Kettle

This morning on Twitter, Donald Trump claimed that former FBI Director James Comey told House investigators he didn’t know, didn’t recall, or couldn’t remember 245 times.  In addition, Trump asserted that Comey lied the most [of anyone ever] to Congress in any one day.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.  As of May 2018, CNN reported that Donald Trump had, since he'd taken office, lied over 3000 times - in 466 days.  That averages out to 6.44 lies a day.

Like we said - pot, meet kettle.

Gone Guys

Tales of the contentious relationship between Donald Trump and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly have circulated for the 16 months of Kelly's tenure.  That rumor-mill will now shut down; Mr. Trump announced today that General Kelly will be leaving the Administration by the end of the calendar year.

Just another case of history repeating itself.  Ask former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Cohen, Trump, and Longfellow

Michael Cohen had the book thrown at him today.  It was recommended by Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York that Cohen receive a significant jail sentence.  That recommendation arose because of Cohen's having committed election fraud on behalf of someone identified as Individual 1.

To make a long story short:

• Individual 1 is Donald Trump.
• The fraud in question centered on paying off Stormy Daniels and Karen MacDougall so that their tales of affairs with Trump did not damage his chances of election.

Why Longfellow?  It's poetic that a charge of this seriousness arises out of an aspect of Mr. Trump's behavior that I have always found particularly repulsive - his sexism and misogyny.

Voting Fraud

Claiming voting irregularities or illegalities is a trope much beloved of the far right.  But rightisimos in North Carolina have outdone themselves in this regard.

A Republican operative named Leslie McCrae Dowless has been identified as allegedly being the "brains" behind a scheme to collect absentee and other ballots, ostensibly so as to throw said ballots away.

From the Annals of Chutzpah

The classic definition of the Yiddish term chutzpah is this: a man murders both his parents, and then throws himself on the mercy of the court, because he is an orphan.

Lame-duck Republ8icans in Wisconsin rival that.  They've just passed, and (also lame-duck Republican) Governor Scott Walker has signed, legislation that will remove a number of powers from the incoming Democratic-dominated state government.

Gives new meaning to the term temerity ...

Stone Pleads the 5th

Yesterday, Roger Stone, in a ;letter to Diane Feinstein and the other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, stated he would rely on his 5th Amendment protection against self-incrimination.

Relying on the 5th Amendment to our Constitution is sometimes analogous to pleading guilty to the charge or accusation in question.

Which makes it a strong possibility that:

• Roger Stone carried out any number of dirty tricks for the 2016 Trump campaign
• Roger Stone believes he'll be pardoned by Donald Trump

What neither Stone nor Trump may realize is that the 5th is not a panacea.  Taking the 5th can preclude the pleader's ability to avoid future accusations or potential prosecutions.  As can accepting a pardon ...

Both Mr. Stone and Mr. Trump therefore appear to be facing a Hobson's choice ...

Hitting for the Cycle

One of the things I love about baseball is its plethora of statistics and jargon.  In the latter context, hitting for the cycle means that one batter hits all of a single,a double,a triple, and a home run in the same game.

One might say that Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former fixer, is attempting an analog to that ...

Birds of a Feather

At a session of the G20 meetings in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Vladimir Putin and Mohammed bin Salman exchanged smiles and a high-five.

Here are some clues as to the origin of this budding bromance.  Officials in the United Kingdom now believe that Putin personally approved the deadly nerve agent attack that was carried out last year in England.  And most authorities on Saudi Arabia are convinced that the Saudi crown prince at least knew of, and may have ordered, the murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi.

Like I said, birds of a feather ...

A 21st Century American Caste System

The caste system that evolved in India millennia ago is one of the world's oldest forms of social stratification. The book Winners Take All posits a new, American-based but worldwide, caste system.  The book suggests that uber-wealthy individuals like Jeff Bazos and Mark Zuckerberg offer technology as a panacea or elixir - almost a modern snake-oil.

Trouble is, many folks lack either the financial resources, or simply the opportunity, to take full advantage of the latest technologies - particularly information technologies.  An individual might, for example, be able to afford a high-end cell phone, but not understand what a gig is, or know how to incorporate that concept into day-to-day activities.

Ergo, such a person would, in effect if not by intent, be trapped at a level of participation in our economy and society that severely constrains that individual's ability to make lateral or vertical moves.

I. e., a modern American caste system ...

Case Closed

Today marked the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency.  Today, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former consigliere, whom Trump labelled weak, pleaded guilty to lying to Congress regarding involvement between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Expect a surfeit of nastiness from Mr. Trump over the next few days and weeks. He has little practical knowledge.  But he is fully aware that, come January 3, 2019, when Democrats take over the House of Representatives and its various investigative functions, his goose isn't just cooled, it's deep-fried.

To paraphrase John Donne, never send to know why midterm elections, and your vote, are important. November 6 helped bring about today's avalanche of events.

Truculent, and a Bully

In an interview with the New York Post this past Wednesday, Donald Trump threatened to wreak havoc with the Democratic Party, out of fear of their newly-won control of the House of Representatives, and the investigations of him he fears might result.

With the simplicity of expression, lack of understanding, and absence of ethics so characteristic of him, Trump told the Post he's delayed the release of classified documents until he can use them against Democrats most effectively. It's much more powerful if I do it [ that way ] ... he said.

From the Annals of Buck-Passing ...

They're making a car that people don't want to buy.

So said White House Press Secretary Sara Sanders today, regarding General Motors feeling itself  forced to eliminate 15,000 jobs, most of them in the United States.  Ms. Sanders' boss met that action by GM with a threat to withdraw subsidies from the automaker.  Sorry, Donald - such subsidies, like the $3,494,237,703 allotted to GM in 2014, are largely under the control of Congress.

But an economic impact more prodigious than any Sanders' disdain or Trump's threats could produce happened when General Motors moved much of their manufacturing to Mexico.  The relocated 15,000 jobs represent 30,000,000 hours.  As recently as 2016, the starting hourly wage for members of the United Auto Workers was roughly $23.00 per hour.

Given that, the 30,000,000 hours lost by communities and workers in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Maryland removes about $690,000,000.00 from the economies of those areas.

Many economy wonks attribute this loss to Donald Trump's tariffs and economic policies ...

Wall Math

It's been reported recently that the wall on the U. S. / Mexico border, for which Donald Trump so yearns, will cost about $20 million (that's $20,000,000.00) per mile.  The figure can be broken down further.

Cost of Border Wall per Unit of Distance
One Kilometer	$12,000,000.00 ($12 million)
One Yard	$11,364.00 ($11K and change)
One Foot	$3788.00 (nearly $3.8K)

Even the smallest of these costs would pay for about one year at a "community" or "junior" college.  That same amount would cover about 1.5%, of healthcare costs for a couple during their retirement (projected at 20 years).

Under Article 1 Section 7 of our Constitution, the Democrats who will control the House of Representatives after  01/03/2019 must be the point of origin for all revenue-raising  Similarly, the House controls spending , and is required to publish a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money ...

Join me in forwarding the table above to your Congressperson, and in asking him or her to ensure that the monies cited are spent for something more beneficial than a pagala wall.

Things to Come

While H. G. Wells is best known for novels like War of the Worlds and The Time Machine, he also wrote directly for the screen.  His film Things to Come chronicles the downfall, and subsequent rebuilding, of Western society.

Metaphor alert!  Booop!!  Booop!!!  Booop!!!! Come January 3, only thirty-eight days from this writing, Republicans will face something like the disintegration and re-assembly around which Wells constructed his movie.  So, think of this post as a trailer or preview.

Elijah Cummings (D - MD) is the putative head of the House Oversight Committee.  In that capacity, Mr. Cummings has promised to work with Republican (minority) members of his Committee, but to deny them the extensive subpoena power they've held and exercised in the past two years.

Jerrold Nadler (D - NY) will, after 01/03/19, head the House Judiciary Committee.  Nadler hopes to conduct inquiries into the Trump administration’s policies of separating immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border, increases in anti-Semitic incidents and hate crimes since the president took office, voter suppression, Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, and, should it come about, impeachment.

Adam Schiff (D-CA) , soon to head the House Intelligence Committee, has vowed that it and he will investigate Donald Trump's financial ties top Saudi Arabia.

Looks like there are lots of interesting things to come ...

Subpoenas 101

The situation shrieks irony.  Republicans, knowing they're about to lose control of the House of Representatives and its investigative functions, are piling on, in a manner and to a degree that even Donald Trump would admire.

Today's piler-on-in-chief is Representative Bob Goodlatte (R - VA).  As Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Goodlatte has issued subpoenas to James Comey and Loretta Lynch.  Those subpoenas ostensibly serve an investigation of - are you ready? - Hillary Clinton's email.  What's more, in flexing his political pandering muscles, Goodlatte specified that Comey and Lynch must testify behind closed doors.

It'll be interesting to see if that actually happens.  Mr. Comey has said that he's be willing to testify only if any hearing was public.

Subpoena 101, Mr. Goodlatte.  Even a Congressional subpoena can be ignored, quite possibly more easily than a judicial one.  For a Congressional subpoena to be legally binding, the committee issuing it must do three things.

1. The committee's investigation of the subject area must have been authorized by the House at large.
2. The investigation must be in service of a valid legislative purpose (without necessarily involving actual or proposed legislation).
3. The actions the subpoena attempts to enforce must be demonstrably pertinent to the subject matter area that has been authorized by the House.

Through his lawyer, Comey has said that he will resist in court what he called an abuse of process.  Since the scheduled testimony is for early December, and court proceedings could take several weeks, it's clear that  Mr. Goodlatte'sunderstanding of subpoenas (and the calendar?) are a bit lacking.

Narcissism

Here's how Merriam-Webster defines narcissism. 

Here are more insights on the term:

egocentricity, egocentrism, egoism, egomania, egotism, navel-gazing, self-absorption, self-centeredness, self-concern, self-interest, self-involvement, self-preoccupation, self-regard, selfishness, selfness

How does Donald Trump manifest these characteristics?  Let us begin to count the ways ...

Trump at War

Yesterday, he launched a war of words with Chief Justice John Roberts.  Today, he carried out a first strike against common sense, authorizing our military on the U. S. border with Mexico to use lethal force should they feel themselves to be in danger.  Then he polished off  his attempt at Thanksgiving optics by suggesting that he might close the entire border with Mexico should the 500 serious criminals he believes are headed our way actually get here.

The man is meshugah ...

Giving Thanks

I say this without the least hint of snark or sarcasm.

Among the bazillion things I feel grateful for is the fact that Chief Justice John Roberts took Donald Trump to task today.  Roberts posited that Trump's criticism of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was at least a bit over the top.

Violence Against Those Who Are Different

One would think that accepting and appreciating diversity includes accepting and appreciating those whose sexual orientation is different than ours.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.  In the past year, at least 52 transgender, bisexual, lesbian, or gay  people were murdered.  The leading cause of these deaths was gun violence; death by stabbing was the second most common cause.  Grim reminders of  the fact that in at least 72 nations, homosexuality is a crime, punishable even by death.

Shades of the Access Hollywood Tape?

On October 27th of this year, in referring to the 2016 Presidential election, Donald Trump said:

Did you see the women vote? I think I won the election because of ... women, not ... men.

Trump made this claim 10 other times,  on Oct. 20, Oct. 18, Oct. 13, Oct. 10, Sep. 26, Aug. 24, Aug. 4, Aug. 2, Jul. 26, and Mar. 10.  In these statements, he's citing exit poll results.  But apparently he was unaware that those results apply to only white women.  For all women, exit polls show he received only about 40 percent.

Hate Crimes

Clearly, not everyone is as comfortable with diversity as I am.  According to the FBI, hate crimes in the United States went up 17% in 2017.  That sad statistic is fueled by another; the number of anti-Semitic incidents rose 37% last year.

The current administration may have qualms about combating prejudice and xenophobia; we must not.  We must help stop violence based upon ethnic background, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

Here are a couple of places to start.  The latter, the Southern Poverty Law Center, offers a unique tool - a hate map ...

A Treasure Trove

I've started a new project; I'll keep you all apprised of its progress.

It relies on a treasure-trove of information put together by the Washington Post.  What I hope to do is to use that mass of data to document how many of Donald Trump's ill-advised, ill-informed statements might also be unconstitutional.

Anyone who'd care to make a bet regarding that last is welcome to shoot me an email.  In the meantime, here's a look at members of the newly more progressive, more diverse freshman class of Representatives.  (Those of you who are fellow residents of Delaware County, PA should note that our new Congressperson, Mary Gay Scanlon, is shown in the lowermost right corner of this image.)

Diversity

I was lucky enough to grow up in an era, and an area, in which ethnic diversity was considered not only normal, but enjoyable.  That's part of why I found the results of last week's midterms both reassuring and delightful.

The recently-elected cohort (36 and counting, as of this writing) of Democrats in the House of Representatives was neither all-white, all-male, or all Christian.  They are perhaps the most diverse group of freshman Representatives in our history.  Many are females - two of these Muslim,. two Native American, and one Hindu.  There was also a gentleman of Korean background elected from New Jersey.  Not to mention the first African-American women elected from Massachusetts and Connecticut, and another black woman elected to represent a district in Minnesota that is 85% white.

My kind of Congress ...

Hellfighters

African-Americans served in the military in this country, even before it was a country.  The first man killed in the lead-up to the Revolutionary War was a free black in Massachusetts named Crispus Attucks; he died in 1770 as a result of what came to be known as the Boston Massacre.  Nearly a century later, the first all-black regiment in the United States, the Massachusetts 54th (immortalized in the film Glory), was first accepted, and then renowned.  Similarly, many of us have heard of World War II outfits like the Tuskeegee Airmen.  But only recently did I learn about black soldiers making a name for themselves in World War I.  They were the Harlem Hellfighters.

One reason the Hellfighters are so infrequently mentioned in our history is that they were part, not of the U.S. military, but rather of the French Army.  They were an infantry regiment, designated the 369th.  They helped repel the German offensive in 1917, and helped launch a counteroffensive. They spent a total of 191 days in combat, longer than any other American unit in the war, and were the first Allied unit to reach the Rhine.  Many of them were awarded the Croix de Guerre, the French analog to our Medal of Honor.

I offer this historical thumbnail only as rebuttal to the idea, put forward by those like my neighbors across the road, that this country belongs to them alone, and they want it back (from whomever they imagine has acquired it unfairly).

It was never theirs alone.  It belongs to anyone who cherishes ideas like those in the First Amendment.  It belongs to everyone - folks like my grandparents from the Carpathian mountains, and my students from Bangladesh and Palestine - who emigrated because of the circumstances laid out by Emma Lazarus in The New Colossus.

Irony Abounds

Contrary to long-standing rules and practices, and to the First Amendment, the spoiled child in the Oval Office has revoked what's called a hard press pass from the CNN reporter Jim Acosta.  As is so often the case, Mr. Trump acted willfully, and with an inflated view of his powers.

There are two types of passes that allow journalists access to the White House - daily, and the aforementioned hard.  The West Wing has defended itself in this matter by stating that Mr. Acosta could be admitted to press briefings on a one-day-at-a-time basis.  Trouble is, that basis is under the control of White House staffers.  Given the slavish adherence of most of those staffers, especially those in Communications, to Mr. Trump, the only viable arrangement for access by serious journalists is the hard pass.

Therein lies the conundrum for the Administration.  A hard press pass can only be revoked if the Secret Service or FBI believe that the individual holding the pass is, or could become, a threat to White House staff or fellow journalists.

Which brings us to irony abounding.  CNN has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration, noting the the problem the White House has created for itself, and asking that Mr. Acosta's hard press pass be renewed.  The irony lies, not in that position, but in the fact that the lawyer overseeing the case is Ted Olson, who was instrumental in the 2000 Supreme Court decision in Bush v Gore.

As someone with impeccable credenntials as a conservative, the fact that Olson took on CNN's suit against the Trump Administration says a lot.

Rampant Xenophobia

It's my opinion that today's Republican Party, and the entire Trump administration, promote xenophobia, for their (perceived) electoral advantage.  I'm thinking in particular of folks like my neighbors across the road, staunch Republicans, who still have  their I Want My Country Back sign clearly visible on their lawn.  Contrast their behavior with that of my former students, so many of whom became naturalized citizens of the United States..  One of them emailed me yesterday; his message gave my spirits a lift.

He said that we can make America great without Trumpian tactics.  He went further, pointing out that no one has ever won, or will ever win, anything through racism.

It's beliefs and ideals like these that endure.  Perhaps that's one reason why Donald and Company are so unnerved by last Tuesday's election results.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

Mr. Trump should be more careful about the content of his tweets.  Today, for instance, he declared that the vote recount being conducted in Florida was illegal, involved several million fraudulent votes (from the Caravan?), and should be stopped immediately.

Sorry, Donald; that's all simply wrong.  Article 1 Section 4 Clause 1 of the United States Constitution assigns to each state legislature the responsibility of defining  ... the times, places, and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives ... 

Sounds to me like the recounts currently underway are completely legal, and constitutional, since it was the Florida state legislature that established the criteria under which they are being conducted.

Read your Constitution, Donald.

Deja Vu All Over Again

Broward and Palm Beach Counties in Florida began a vote recount today.  Races for both Governor and Senator are being re-tallied.  As was the case in the 2000 Presidential election, unfounded charges of vote fraud, and corruption in vote counting, have been made.  Now as then, right-wing protestors try to interrupt the re-count.  What's more, reporters are denied access to the offices in which that effort is taking place.

Unlike Bush v Gore, the recount taking place today is state-wide, as mandated by Florida law.  In 2000, only selected counties were re-tallied;  Broward and Palm Beach were prominent among them.  Hopefully, by adhering strictly to Florida law, and re-counting the entire state, the results, whatever they turn out to be, will be acceptable to everyone.

Know Your Second Amendment

Given the recent horrific events in Thousand Oaks and Squirrel Hill, it's incumbent upon each of us to understand the Second Amendment.

To do that as fully and cl;early as possible, read The Second Amendment - a Biography , by  Michael Waldman.  For a more concise explanation, consider the points below, that reflect the history behind, and language used in, America in the late 18th Century.

One catalyst for the Revolutionary War was the attempt by George III to deny colonists the right to own or use firearms.  At that time, such weapons were allowed only if they were put to the service of the British military.  That's the history; now the language.

Note the phrasing, sentence structure, and punctuation of the Amendment.  Those components work together, but not to say or imply Go ahead and get the biggest, loudest, deadliest weapon you can find; then get more.  Rather, the right to keep and bear arms is corollary to and contingent upon the need for a well-regulated militia.

We're more than 230 years past the adoption of the U. S. Constitution.  In those two-plus centuries, we've developed more than one form of a well-regulated militia - the National Guard, various Reserves, and so on.  That being the case, we don't need high-capacity magazines,  bump-stocks or AR-15s.

The midterm election just concluded demonstrates that people have a voice for change.  That being the case, find out how your Representative, either returning or newly-elected, feels about gun control.  Here's one place to start your research.

Know Your Constitution

Wednesday's appointment of Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General was unconstitutional.

Article 2 Section 2 of the United States Constitution says that the President can consult with what we've come to know as a Cabinet, and can, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint public ministers ... and all other officers ... of the United States.

Matthew Whitaker has never been voted upon, let alone confirmed by, the Senate for any position in any part of the Federal government.  Had he, for instance, been confirmed in the Treasury, Defense, Interior, or Homeland Security departments, he's have been eligible, under Article 2 Section 2, to serve as Acting AG without undergoing another hearing.  But none of that pertains.

What does hold water is this.  One can legitimately conclude that Donald Trump appointed Matthew Whitaker in order to provide a sharper weapon against Robert Mueller ...

Wahoo - Sort Of

November 6 and 7 were memorable.

First, Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives, by what looks like a reasonably comfortable margin.

Then, Donald Trump demonstrated that he's lost a lot of what was left of his connection to reality by claiming victory in the midterms, and by humiliating Republicans who lost their bids for re-election.

Finally, also on the 7th and within minutes of his press-conference / meltdown, Trump significantly substantiated the idea of his having colluded with Russia or other entities to influence the election in 2016 by firing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and appointing Matthew Whitaker, a Trump loyalist, as Acting AG and therefore head honcho of the Mueller investigation.

Shades of Watergate ...

2 Days to Go

Every one of my former students, from countries as diverse as Angola, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Japan, Korea, Morocco, Palestine, Trinidad, and Turkey, who became naturalized citizens, vote religiously.  I fully expect them to do so in two more days.

Just in case any of us "native-borns" don't know where to go to vote, take a look at this tool from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

3 Days to Go

It's hard to make the case for voting on Tuesday without citing the transfinite number of reprehensible acts carried out by the Trump administration.  But the point of 15104, at least through 11/06, is not to bash Mr. Trump, but rather simply to urge readers to vote.  Given that, Bodhi has arrived at a topic for today.

Posse comitatus originally meant a group, summoned by a local police official (usually a sheriff), to keep the peace or enforce an unpopular law.  More recently, the term translates from legal-speak as the statute, passed just after our Civil War, that makes it illegal for our military to be used to uphold domestic ordinances.

Given that, the policy Trump put forward recently - to station as many as 15,000 troops on our border with Mexico, and to allow those troops to shoot to defend themselves from stones and rocks -  is arguably illegal and unconstitutional.  What's more, it will, should he insist upon it, cost taxpayers a bat-bleep load of money - approximately $150,000,000.00 (one hundred fifty million).

As few as 23 seats in the House of Representatives would allow Democrats to act as a guardrail to instances like this of the reality TV President.

4 Days to Go

Yesterday, the Cook Report, a paragon among political prognosticators, predicted that Democrats will pick up 30 to 40 seats in the House of Representatives.

Let's prove Cook wrong.  Let's turn his numbers into 50 to 60.  We can, if we all vote on November 6.

5 Days to Go

Looking for an alternative to Trumpian demagoguery and jingoism?  Look no further.  Listen to Oprah Winfrey.  Vote your beliefs and conscience.

6 Days to Go

I've never been so proud of the place and the people from which I came as I was yesterday.

Disregard Donald Trump's tweets dismissing protests in Pittsburgh as small, or as his classic,  fake news.  In Squirrel Hill on October 30th, several thousand marchers, of every age, race, and faith, peacefully protested Mr. Trump's fear-mongering.

Related, and as objectionable, is his move today to send several thousand more troops to our border with Mexico.  That last xenophobic flourish for the base will cost taxpayers about $150,000,000.00 - one hundred fifty million dollars.  Par for the course for the reality show Presidency ...

Vote on November 6.  Vote for the empathy and common sense the current administration lacks.

7 Days to Go

On or before November 6, vote.  If you don't, you may never have the chance again.

Today, Donald Trump is considering using an executive order to rescind birthright citizenship - to eviscerate the 14th Amendment.

8 Days to Go

W. E. B. DuBois founded the Niagara Movement in 1905.  At the group's annual meeting in August 1906, he addressed the importance of the right to vote.

With the right to vote goes everything: freedom, ... the right to work, ... the chance to rise ...

More than a century later, Representative John Lewis (D-GA) echoed DuBois.

The vote is the single most powerful tool we have for no-violent social change.

Listen to them.  Vote on November 6.

9 Days to Go

Federal hate crimes laws, like those under which the alleged shooter in yesterday's attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue has been indicted, lacked real teeth until 2009.  Its analog in Pennsylvania, the Ethnic Intimidation Act, was similarly hanstrung earlier in its existence.

Call me partisan if you like, but I find it salient that in both these cases the Democratic Party had a sgnificant degree of control of the legislative bodies in question.  In fact, regarding the Federal government, Democrats took over the House during the 2006 midterms, and retained control not only of it but of the Senate from Jan. 2007 to Jan. 2011.

Ergo, midterms can be critically important.  Ergo, vote on November 6.

10 Days to Go

15104 is both the title of this blog, and the zip code of two boroughs in southeast Allegheny County.  I spent more than half my life in the 15104 area.

Sadly, today I'm reminded of another neighborhood near Pittsburgh with which I'm also very familiar - Squirrel Hill.  I went through Squirrel Hill (zip code 15217) on the 61A Port Authority bus every time I attended classes at the University of Pittsburgh.  That route took me past the Tree of Life Synagogue.

Tree of Life was the object of an horrendous hate crime this morning - a mass shooting in which several were injured and even more killed.  As I type this, I'm listening to the Fear-Monger in Chief tout the need for guns inside places like houses of worship.  According to him, a few more weapons within the temple's inner sanctuary might have prevented carnage like that this morning.

The man has no shame.  Undoubtedly, he will continue to evade any statement of responsibility for the atmosphere of hate and xenophobia  he has nurtured among some of his devotees.  A report about 30 minutes ago from KDKA, the CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh, stated that the shooter blamed Tree of Life and other similar congregations for supporting immigrants to this country/  Allegedly, he also said that organizations that attempt to nurture immigrants do so as a ruse, to cover the flow of Middle Eastern terrorists into the United States; that no one in the Trump administration or family were sufficiently anti-Semitic; and that all Jews must die.

Don't tell me, Mr. Trump, that you bear no responsibility at moments like this.  As progressives, healing wounds such as those inflicted today in Squirrel Hill might seem a mountain too high to climb.  But as in so many contexts, we have to try.

Vote on November 6.

11 Days to Go

A recent mailer from the Republican Party,  paid for by the Republican National Committee and referenced here, makes statements that should be music to every progressive's ears.  Allow me to quote.

Polls show that Nancy Pelosi's liberal candidates are surging in races across the country.  They are counting on historically high levels of Democrat [sic] voter turnout to sweep- them into the majority.

If Republicans don't match the Democrats' intensity ... hard-left extremists will:

• repeal ... recent tax cuts and ... double taxes on working families
• open our borders to millions of illegal aliens, costing ... jobs and endangering ... communities
• create a new ... single-payer health care system that will abolish private insurance, cost trillions of dollars, and end Medicare ...

Fill in the rest of the fear-mongering for yourself.  Then let's make the RNC's worst nightmares come true on November 6.

Vote.

12 Days to Go

Whomever they are, at whatever level of government they function, if they don't commit to protecting the Fourth Estate, if they pass off encouraging violence as no more than a joke, vote them out.

Vote them out, whether they're running for school board, Township or Borough Council, County Council, a seat in the House of Representatives, or even Governor.

The cliche that fish rots from the head down has been borne out in spades in the past several days.  With a role model like Donald Trump, should we be surprised that the GOP gubernatorial candidate in Pennsylvania has made threats of physical violence against sitting Governor and 2018 opponent Tom Wolfe?

The vote is our most powerful tool for change.   Don't waste yours on November 6.

13 Days to Go

As someone on a fixed income, I resent folks like casino magnate Sheldon Adelson benefitting mightily from the recent Republican-sponsored tax cut.  Already worth about $32.3 billion, Adelson netted a cool $1.2 billion from that cut.  Reportedly, he pl;ans to use this unanticipated largesse to build casinos in Singapore, not to benefit the economy in this country.

American taxpayers should not fund Adelson's, or anyone else's, business base.  The Constitution assigns responsibility for taxes and spending to the Congress, and particularly to the House of Representatives.  Help prevent future windfalls for the wealthy.  Vote for Democrats on November 6.

14 Days to Go

I voted today, by absentee ballot.  I was determined that my "mobility issues" not mute my voice.

In two weeks, everyone will have the chance to do the same; it's never been more important.  But in Pennsylvania, it may already be too late to obtain an absentee ballot.  So, unless you have one on hand, consider following Michael Cohen's advice regarding November 6.

15 Days to Go

At a recent campaign rally in Montana, Donald Trump said:

A lot of money’s been passing to people to come up and try and get to the border by Election Day ... there are those that say that caravan didn’t just happen.  It didn’t just happen.  ... I’m willing to send the military to defend our southern border, if necessary ... because of the illegal immigration onslaught brought by the Democrats ... They like it. They also figure everybody coming in is going to vote Democrat.

Merriam-Webster defines delusion as a persistent false belief; that fits Mr. Trump and his base like the proverbial glove.  The only thing I'm uncertain about is, which is scarier - that Trump believes his own fear-mongering, or that he doesn't but is happy to use it as red meat for his supporters.  The caravan to which he alluded is made up of thousands fleeing life-threatening violence in Central America.  Turning them away at our southern border would be disastrous, as would Trump's threat to use our military to control immigration.  That last brings to my mind images of small ships near Ellis Island, preventing steamers from disembarking immigrants like my grandparents.  So much for Give me your ... huddled masses ... yearning to breathe free ...

Mr. Trump is correct in one regard.  It's estimated that 80% of all naturalized citizens register and vote as Democrats.  Certainly my grandparents, and most of my students from foreign countries, did.  That fact is probably what prompted Mr. Trump's most recent jeremiad.

Vote on November 6 ...

16 Days to Go

Several years ago, I published a blog that sought to explain what it was like to grow up in a multi-ethnic environment.  At that time, I was still teaching.  Both environments - my childhood on Bell Avenue in North Braddock and my work in higher education - taught me not only to tolerate, but to celebrate and even to consider as the norm, diversity.  From the five languages other than English I regularly heard as a child, through exposure to and immersion in African-American popular music as an adolescent, to students and co-workers from all over the world who were so important a part of my professional life, I learned not to be afraid of something or someone simply because it or they were different.

The Allegheny County of my youth was heavily Democratic.  That contributed to my politics.  My dad, with his saavy campaign activities, did the same.  My students and co-workers, from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Eritrea, Korea, Morocco, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia, because of the courtesy they showed me and the respect they demonstrated for learning, solidified my belief that progressive politics are the best response to the changing demographics of the United States.

There was a time, not too long ago, when people like my grandparents were subjected to the same level of bigotry that Latinos and African-Americans still experience today.  My mom told me how the Ku Klux Klan burned crosses on the hilltops in Munhall, in an effort to intimidate Ruthenian steel workers who lived there.  Sadly, Donald Trump has chosen not only to support but to encourage similarly reprehensible beliefs and actions.  That helps explain why, to this day, a neighbor of mine in Concord Township still displays a lawn sign that reads I want my country back.

Trump won't disabuse folks of the idea that it is, or ever was exclusively, their country.  We must.  Vote on November 6.

17 Days to Go

It's hard to imagine a less likely advocate for heavy Democratic voter turnout on the 6th than Michael Cohen.

Yes, that Michael Cohen.  On October 19, Cohen said  Here's my recommendation. Grab your family, grab your friends, grab your neighbors, and get to the poll, because if not, you are going to have another two or another six years of this craziness ...,

Take him seriously.

18 Days to Go

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

In 2008, I taught at Lincoln University of PA, an archetypal HBCU, currently ranked in the top 30 % of such institutions.  The day after Barack Obama's election, students told me about what they faced when attempting to vote on campus.

Some were kept standing for more than eight hours in what appeared to be short lines.  Some were harassed by young white men in faux-Nazi uniforms.  Some were directed to voting sites that proved to be non-existent or not functioning.  Some were questioned, again by young white men, this time without the Gestapo-like gear but carrying clipboards, as to their party affiliation, and for which party's candidate they intended to vote.

Now fast-forward to October 2018.  While "only" a midterm, the upcoming election has a feel reminiscent of what my students experienced 10 years ago.  In recent days, we've documented efforts by Breitbart-ish Republicans to limit the ability to vote of those who disagree with the wingnut faction.  Undoubtedly, such exertions will continue till the polls close on the 6th.

I've already voted, by absentee ballot.  I didn't want my mobility issues to prevent my helping take back the House.  Hopefully, everyone reading this will vote, and help others to do so.