By Carole McWilliams
His Awesomeness has been very busy issuing imperial decrees since his Jan. 20 coronation.
The one getting the most attention and heated response shut down immigration from seven Muslim countries. People already in transit, who had played by all the rules and had been in process for years, were blocked at U.S. airports or foreign airports. Some of these people were sent back to their home countries, where their lives could be at risk.
Fortunately, by Sunday several federal court judges had put this on hold pending constitutional due process questions. Americans turned out to demonstrate against the decree.
Himself's front people cited national security and all the Americans who died in the 9-11 attacks, or the San Bernardino shootings. Almost all the 9-11 attackers were from Saudi Arabia and other countries that aren't on Himself's list. One of the San Bernardino shooters was from Pakistan, also not on Himself's list.
National Public Radio pointed out that Himself doesn't have business interests in the countries on his exclusion list. He does in Muslim countries that aren't on the list.
Himself has refused to really separate Himself from those interests, which could be greatly enhanced by his new position.
The flip side is that those businesses can become terrorism targets. My thought is that ZERO taxpayer money should go to protecting Himself's national and international business interests.
As for enhancing national security, more than 100 U.S. security officials from the Obama and George W. Bush administrations say it could hurt our security. State Department employees used an official dissent channel to object. They were told to get on the Trump train or get out.
Himself fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates because she refused to defend the decree in court, citing legal concerns.
The decree points up the serious concern that Himself speaks and acts without thinking through possible serious consequences.
Himself's first week in power was notable for other reasons - efforts to scrub federal agency web sites of information Himself doesn't like, such as evidence of climate change impacts; and a ban on federal employees making any public statements without Himself's review and approval.
Some federal employees have taken to saving information elsewhere to protect it from deletion, and other employees have started unauthorized agency twitter hashtags to put out information the regime doesn't like.
I salute them!
Himself's first week in power saw a huge spike in Amazon orders for the book 1984. I'd suggest adding The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer, a foreign correspondent in Germany when the Nazis took and consolidated power. Get one of those pocket-sized copies of the U.S. Constitution, too.
Do it now. Who knows when Himself will issue a decree banning distribution of these and other similar books.
You think he can't do that in America? He can if We the People don't act to block him.
Each time Himself acts against constitutional freedoms and gets no push-back, or he successfully demonizes those who do push back, expect him to take the next step.
