Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Acting Attorney General Sally Yates Was Justifiably Fired for Gross Insubordination

President Trump had no choice but to quickly terminate Sally Yates. He would have doomed his Presidency had he not done so. Her act of defiance, if it stood, would have sent out a message to the world that President Trump is an empty suit, the second political coming of Arnold Schwarzenegger. President Trump is both a man of action and a good negotiator. He is not a fool who will tolerate her behavior in office. She not only openly called out the President on one of his priorities, but also ordered her staff at the Attorneys General Office to not enforce his executive order. An act of insubordination, Yes!, but also possibly an open act of rebellion. It was a direct slap in the face of the President. A subordinate does not usually call out her employer, much less embarrass the President. Such action is normally employment suicide in the private sector. She could easily have quietly resigned for any number of reasons, ranging from the standard “personal reasons” to the honest disagreement over policy. That’s not what she did. She publicly “called out” the President. Cabinet officials serve at the will of the President, who can fire them at any time for any reason. Theirs is an employment at will, the will of one. A standard, common sense rule of life, is that you don’t publicly take on and embarrass your boss. She ordered the Justice Department to not defend in court President Trump’s immigration Executive Order with which she disagreed. That act was one of open insubordination. She had to know that there could only be one outcome – termination. Yet she proceeded, like the Charge of the Light Brigade. Even if she succeeded for a few days in blocking defense of the executive order, her decision would have been overruled within minutes after Senator Jeff Sessions is sworn in as the Attorney General of the United States. Whatever could she have been thinking? Her act was always going to be a self-fulfilling, but futile protest. Her replacement Dana Boente was sworn in at 9:00PM and issued a directive at 11:42PM rescinding her order. What was she thinking? She was going to be out of a job anyway in a few days, so why not go out with a message. Her 30 years as a prosecutor at the Department of Justice abruptly ended last night. She can now claim her 15 minutes of fame. She has become a martyr for the Democratic Party and will be well taken care of. It might last longer than the 15 minutes of Sandra Fluke and Texas Senator Wendy Davis, who conducted a futile filibuster against a Texas abortion bill. Sally Yates will have a long run of chicken dinners coming up.

Monday, January 30, 2017

President Trump's First 10 Days

FDR set off the precedence of the first 100 days. President Trump has done in his first ten days what some Presidents needed 100 days to accomplish. That should not be a surprise. He proved during the campaign that he is indefatigable. He showed during his career that he gets things done. His cabinet appointments were all solidly conservative. His actions carry out his campaign promises. Here’s what we have witnessed. President Trump is the same Donald Trump, the candidate. The media is on a daily diet of castigating President Trump on anything he does or doesn’t do. They hate him more than President Nixon. He loves jousting with and baiting the media since his supporters loathe the media. President Obama governed through executive orders. President trump is using executive orders to undo much of the damage of the Obama Administration. Executive orders on building the Wall, internal security, and entrants to the United States. Staring the demise of ObamaCare Executive order on reducing regulations. Ending the catch and release program Threatening to cut off federal funds to sanctuary cities Reviving the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines Nullifying the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement Restructured the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council Executive orders draining the swamp – extending the time former officials can work as lobbyists: 5 years for government officials and a lifetime ban on White House officials lobbying for foreign governments A hiring freeze on government employees What else has President Trump done? Canned the top remaining officials at the State Department, including the hapless Patrick Kennedy Terminated the CIA Director Dismissing the Border Patrol Chief Cutting of funding to international organizations that fund abortion The Bully Pulpit to bring jobs back to America and to retain jobs. Meeting labor officials and business leaders, who may have opposed his election. Meeting with Prime Minister Teresa May of Great Britain. Retrieving the Churchill Bust. The return of the Bust illustrates the anti-trump media frenzy. A reporter noticed the Bust’s return, but did not see the Martin Luther King Bust placed in the White House by President Obama. The media was in conniptions that he had removed the King Bust. The original reporter quickly realized the mistake and apologized profusely, but that did not stop the media from lambasting President Trump The rebirth of the Special Relationship with England and mending fences with Israel. All the while the Democrats only strategy seems to slow walk appointees, express outrage on President Trump’s acts, and demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court.

Emolument: The Word of the Week

Emoluments have seemingly become ubiquitous. But what is an emolument? A dessert in an upscale restaurant” Or is it a monument in a cemetery? A monument, such as “The Emolument of Hamilton”? The Emolument National Park in the Southwest? A car emblem? A medal for bravery? An ideal word for a spelling bee? A new video game: “The Emoluments Man” The misspelling of monument? A skin cream? A yuppie’s puppy – “Sit, Emolument”? A pet rock? A street name in the town of Emoluments? A museum in London? The name of a motorcycle gang, The “Emoluments”? The focus of a new TV series, “Bad Day in Emoluments” A recently discovered Bob Hope/Bing Crosby movie, “The Road to Emoluments”? A species of lawyers? The subject of the most boring law review article ever written? A term so beloved by our Founding Fathers that they used it twice in the Constitution, and still no one ever heard of it till now? The plaintiffs don’t expect to win. They’ve said they want to force disclosure of President Trump’s tax returns. That’s a loser

Friday, January 20, 2017

Hail to the President, Hail President Trump

Hail to the Chief; Hail to the President; Hail to President Trump! Make no mistake about it, Donald trump is President of the United States and of the people of the United States. His is a true populist campaigning for the people. He understood that the American people wanted a change, and needed a change. He offered the change. His inaugural speech was for the people, the American people who elected him. Donald Trump, the candidate, is Donald Trump the President. He reached out to the people. What an amazing concept in modern America. The President remains the same as the Presidential candidate. The campaign speech became the inaugural address. No hidden agenda. He said the American carnage will stop now. He said he will “Make America Great Again,” looking to the future. Not “Hope and Change”, but “America First.” “We will bring back our dreams” We will “rebuild our country with American hands and American tools,” and bring back jobs. He will also eradicate Radical Islamic Terrorism. He spoke to the military and to law enforcement. His Administration will not be waging a War on the Police. He spoke to the American people, the American people who elected him. He spoke to the “forgotten” men and women of America, his voters. He did not speak to the elites. He did not speak to the media. He did not speak to the academics. He did not speak to the Never Trumpers. He did not speak to the sufferers of the Trump Derangement Syndrome. These groups still do not understand him. His people do. He did not speak to the 60 Democratic members of Congress who boycotted his inauguration. He spoke to the people. He spoke to the American people as the President of Change. He spoke to all Americans, and reached out to all Americans, but the speech was to his people, the middle class and blue collar workers. He spoke to us deplorables. He consistently used the word “We’ – not “I.” His is the Presidency of “We the People.” He knows who his voters are. How ironic that a billionaire builder who never worked for the government and never served in the military, is the President of the people. Madame Tussauds has replaced President Barack Obama with President Donald Trump. The transition is complete. Here’s what we can expect. Donald Trump proved in New York City that he gets things down. Donald Trump showed during the campaign that he is indefatigable. His 4:00am tweets indicate he does not sleep. He will get things down in the White House. Much of President Obama’s “Legacy” may be rendered asunder in President Trump’s First 100 Days, but not the most important legacy of President Obama in American history, the election of an African American as President of the United States. President Obama did not, and could not, end the racial divide in America, but his election was an important milestone in American history. President Obama gave us President Trump just as President Carter gave rise to President Reagan.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

The Circus is Coming; the Circus is Coming to D.C.

The Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus, the icon of three ring circus, is closing up shop later this year. The once great Big Apple Circus is auctioning off its assets in bankruptcy. The Cole Circus closed last year. The traditional American Circus is no more. Fear not though, the American Circus is coming to Washington, D.C. tomorrow for a long run. No, it is not the Trump Administration. Nor is it the populist deplorables. Nor is it the Trump Cabinet. The performance of the cabinet appointees so far in the Senate Hearings has been outstanding. President Elect Trump has nominated highly successful military leaders, business leaders, and politicians. They have proven themselves to be intelligent, thoughtful and articulate, sometimes more so than their interlocutors. President Elect Trump has nominated competent conservatives to his Cabinet, so conservative that the Democrats would like to vigorously oppose every one of them, perhaps even Elaine Chao, the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. They can’t; they must pick and choose their battles. The teacher unions ardently oppose Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education. Her heresy is her support of charter schools. The unions in general abhor Andrew Puzder as Secretary of Labor. The position normally goes to a representative of the unions. Donald Trump’s view is that the Department should represent the interests of the workers, which are not necessarily those of the unions. The Civil Rights Movement rejects out of hand Senator Jeffry Sessions of Alabama. Environmentalists are repelled by Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma Attorney General, nominated to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Advocates of ObamaCare are scared of Congressman Tom Price, a doctor fiercely opposed to ObamaCare. How good are these nominees? Little soundbites have emerged from their hearings. The Democrats can’t make anything stick. The Circus coming Friday is a combination of the protesters, media, and Democrats who still can’t understand they lost. They will act like screaming banshees. The mainstream media hasn’t learned from its failed, biased coverage during the general election. It will seemingly stop at nothing to delegitimize Trump, even taking off on typos, but nary a peep about Senator Obama campaigning in all 57 states with one to go. They’re acting like a one trick pony. If the protestors don’t get violent, then it will be quite a spectacle to watch. Watch an army of fact checkers twist in contortions as they back flip to try to find even minute, out of context, mistakes by President Trump. Watch Rosie O'Donnell continue to bemoan President Obama for not declaring martial law and postponing President Trump's inauguration. Watch the Hollywood celebrities occasionally slip out of their Beverly Hills, Brentwood and Malibu cocoons, fly over the deplorables in Fly Over Country to “bravely” speak out at Democratic events and Hollywood events. Speaking of “Deplorables,” the DeploraBall Friday was attacked by demonstrators Thursday. Watch the White House Press Corps play musical chairs in the tiny press room. Watch some D.C. universities offer perpetual safe spaces and comfort zones to students unable to co-exist so close to the Trump White House for the next four years. Watch the California Democrats try to make themselves relevant with more boycotts and demonstrations as more businesses leave California for Trump Country. Watch the media yell outrage after outrage, not noticing the declining circulation and layoffs among their publications. Watch the vitriol over President Trump’s Supreme Court appointments. It will be a mud fight as the Democrats attempt to Bork the nominees. Watch President Obama stay in D.C. and constantly lambaste the policies of the Trump Administration. See if any one actually listens aside from the usual suspects. Watch Justice Kennedy’s vote become irrelevant after two President Trump appointments to the Supreme Court Watch President Trump refill Gitmo Enjoy the Twitter battles. Enjoy Judy Collins’ song, “Send in the Clowns.”

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

What Meryl Streep Should Have Said, But Didn't, at the Golden Globes

Our democracy is great. Freedom of Speech is a wonderful right. Meryl Streep is free to say what she wants about President Elect Obama, who in turn is free to label her “overrated.’ I too have freedom of speech and can blog whatever I want about her statements. The actress received the Cecil B. De Mille Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Globes Sunday night. She could have thanked those responsible for her success, but instead took off on the President Elect. She received scores of congratulatory messages from fellow celebrities on her bold, brave act. Bravery and boldness had nothing to do with it. It takes no bravery in the Hollywood community to attack Republicans and Donald Trump. It’s expected. A brave and bold series of statements would include: Attacking the sexism of Hollywood against female directors; Attacking the sexism of Hollywood against aging actresses, with Meryl Streep being the notable exception; Attack the on-going reality of casting couches; Attack the Hollywood practice of using able-bodied actors to portray disabled actors; Attack the 4 Chicago thugs who brutally beat, recorded, and broadcast their beating of a disabled person, Say Blue Lives matter and attack the murderers of police officers Attack the alcohol and drugs that are plaguing the Hollywood Community; Attack both the celebrity sex tapes and those who hack them; Attack the Hollywood Pop Tarts who cast Hollywood in a bad way Attacking rather than saluting Roman Polanski, guilty of the statutory rape of a 13 year old. Meryl Street had the platform to do any of those, but choose the celebrity popular route of trashing Donald Trump.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Don't Expect Instant Miracles from President Trump on January 20

And on the seventh day God had finished his work of creation FDR had his 100 days JFK had 1,000 days President Obama spent 8 years transforming America to his vision And now many expect instant miracles from the GOP Congress and President Trump on January 20. A sweep of his pen stroke and all will be undone Would it were so simple! The Obama legacy is a combination of statutes. executive orders, agency dictates, regulatory agency rules and regulations, and administrative discretion A partial list includes ObamaCare Dodd Frank The War on Coal The War on Fossil Fuels The War on Police Paris Accords EPA’s jurisdictional statement of “waters of the United States” Keystone Pipeline North Dakota Pipeline National Monuments designations in Nevada and Utah Ban on offshore drilling in Alaska and the Atlantic The betrayal of Israel Iran and the Iran Agreement Net Neutrality Department of Labor overtime rules Orders to ICE to stand down Dreamers The borders Common Core Charter schools The Department of Education’s Dear John Letter and Sexual Harassment Guidance The shrinkage of America’s military GITMO NLRB Student loans Race relations Consumer Product Safety Council Supreme Court and other judicial appointments The mess known as the Mideast EPA The VA The IRS Cybersecurity All while The Senate Minority leader, Senator Charles Schumer, threatens to slow walk President Trump’s nominees, partially to delay implementation of the Trump Agenda The Democrats and media claim that it is impossible to repeal, and thus unravel, ObamaCare with all its tentacles in the health industry. Remember Alexander the Great in cutting the Gordian Knot. Also remember ObamaCare is collapsing of its own weight – do not expect the Republicans to bail it out. The individual and employer mandates will be history. The tax increases will be rescinded. Quite an Obama legacy! What have I left out? President Trump will get it done. He’s appointed conservatives with strong views. Just not in I day, or even 100 days