Trump Doesn't Understand The American System Of Government And Bannon Is Encouraging Him Towards Tyranny

I'm hearing anecdotal evidence from all over the country that people are tense and disturbed and attributing their change in mood to Trump. I know it sounds unbelievable-- and maybes' just people I know-- but everyone sounds on edge. People are seeing psychiatrists and self-medicating and getting off the wagon and everyone seems nervous and depressed... Have you seen any of that too? I don't mean the freaks on the right descrating Jewish cemeteries or burning mosques or starting fights (or even Mika Brzezinski); I'm talking about normal regular people-- neighbors, friends, relatives, random folks who aren't even that involved with politics.

I'm proud to say I serve on the board of People For the American Way with Khizer Khan, an American citizen for over 3 decades who takes the Constitution super-seriously. According to multiple reports he was told his "freedom to travel abroad" is "under review" and had to cancel appearances in Toronto this week. Silver lining: maybe Trump will be impeached even sooner than anyone expected. You remember him right? He's the Muslim American Gold Star father who aroused Trump’s ire and the Democratic National Convention when he spoke about his son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun S.M. Khan, being killed in combat in Iraq. According to Rosa Hwang, a senior producer at CTV National News, Khan cancelled a speech he was scheduled to give in Toronto after being informed that his travel privileges are "under review."

"This turn of events is not just concerning to me, but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad. I have not been given any reason as to why." None of us have but this comes just as so-called-president Trumpf signed his second attempt at a Muslim Ban Monday morning behind closed doors.

Farhana Khera president of a civil rights legal organization, Muslim Advocates, and Jonathan Swift, the organization's legal director, penned an OpEd for the NY Times that ran a few hours ago, pointing out the new ban's fatal flaw: "it constitutes unlawful religious discrimination."

Let’s be clear: This revised order is a Muslim ban. All the countries he has excluded are more than 90 percent Muslim. Three of them-- Iran, Somalia and Yemen-- are more than 99 percent Muslim. Even though Mr. Trump tailored his order to survive legal challenges, as his former adviser Rudolph Giuliani conceded on national television, his objective is clearly to exclude Muslims.

The Trump administration argues that the ban protects the country. Yet by excluding Iraq from the order, Mr. Trump has cleared travel from one of the two countries from which Islamic State terrorists operates. Moreover, the Department of Homeland Security concluded last month that “country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity.” Former national security officials from Democratic and Republican administrations have made clear that the January order does not make our country safer. Instead, the bigotry that Mr. Trump spews at news conferences and on Twitter have been a boon for terrorists’ recruitment efforts.

The twisted worldview does not match reality. Muslims have been part of America for centuries, since the first slave ships arrived in the 17th century. Today, Muslims represent 1 percent of the United States population: They are our teachers, doctors, neighbors and co-workers.

American Muslims will suffer a particular harm from this executive order: Those who have ties to the banned countries won’t be able to see their family members and close friends. American Muslims will also be deprived of the instruction from the leading Islamic scholars who are from those countries.

Thousands of Muslim men and women serve in the armed forces; many have given their lives defending our nation and our ideals. They contribute to the diversity that has always been our nation’s pride and strength. President George W. Bush paid tribute to this in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks when he said, “There are thousands of Muslims who proudly call themselves Americans, and they know what I know-- that the Muslim faith is based upon peace and love and compassion.”

President Trump and his top advisers would be wise to listen to President Bush. The Muslim ban and President Trump’s relentless attacks on Islam are not just an assault on thousands of patriotic, innocent Americans-- they violate our Constitution and our most fundamental American values and beliefs.

Joan Walsh, writing for The Nation asserts, correctly, that the real goal of the travel ban is to make America white again. Bannon, she wrote, insists Muslims don't have the right DNA for democracy.

Lindsey Graham must have enjoyed being booed in Clemson Saturday, because it sounds like he wants more of the same, announcing that he backs Trump's unconstitutional travel ban and congratulating him for exempting people with visas, green card holders and people from Iraq. I'm sure there are other Republicans in the same unconstitutional camp as ole Lindsey. But that's very different from what I'm hearing from Members of Congress who actually take the Constitution seriously. Ted Lieu (D-CA) was the first Member I saw putting out a statement after word leaked out that Trump had signed the ban this morning.

25 days after his first unconstitutional immigration ban was rejected by the courts, Donald Trump has signed a new executive order that is-- once again-- as harmful as it is incompetent. This monumental waste of federal resources is wrong on all levels-- strategically, morally, and from a national security perspective.

Trump’s Muslim Ban 2.0 is nothing short of a strategic failure. A leaked DHS report from his own cabinet called citizenship from the banned countries an unreliable indicator of threat. If the banned countries in question are such a threat, then why does this second ban arbitrarily drop the nation of Iraq? And why does the ban go into effect on March 16th?  Where’s the urgency in that?  This second executive order just makes zero sense.

As studied by the CATO Institute, the chances of being killed by a refugee committing a terrorist act is 1 in 3.6 billion. For perspective, the chances of being struck by lightning twice is 1 in 9 million. That’s why members of Trump’s own administration recognize that banning women and children fleeing from terrorist groups isn’t just morally bankrupt-- it’s bad for national security. It hands our real enemies like ISIL and al-Qaeda a powerful recruiting tool and undermines our relationships with partners abroad.

Trump is quick to tweet about who is American and who is un-American. As an immigrant, veteran, and member of Congress, I can tell you there is nothing more un-American than undermining our fundamental value of accepting those who are fleeing tyranny, those who want to start a better life in the United States. This order is based on bigotry and must-- once again-- be opposed.

Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) rfeel the same way. "Barring people based on their nation of origin or the religion they practice isn’t just a policy change-- it’s a tacit admission by our new president that he is incompetent to lead in ways his predecessors were not," he said in a statement for his constituents. "And to be clear, the only difference between this Muslim ban and the last one-- which was found unconstitutional by four federal judges-- is the time Trump and his cronies spent scheming up a plan to get it past our legal system. Regardless of how successful they are at side-stepping the judicial branch’s rightful check on executive power, they cannot implement this ban without Congressional Republicans providing funding. It remains to be seen if the GOP will stand by our Constitution, our separation of church and state, and the international order that hinges on American leadership, or if they will vote to rubberstamp this president’s hateful agenda and wrecking ball diplomacy. I will fight this Muslim ban and every other corrosive policy Trump pursues that betrays who we are as a people and leaves our nation fundamentally less safe."

Mark Pocan (D-WI), who represents the Madison area, tried to clam the people in his district impacted by this. "Although Steve Bannon didn’t write this new Muslim ban in the dead of night," he said, "it does not mean the ban is any less harmful to America and our image around the world. Rehashing this hateful and divisive travel ban not only sends the wrong message to immigrants and refugees, it also makes our country less safe. The President should be focused on helping working families struggling to make ends meet, not waging an unconstitutional war on our core American value of freedom from persecution and discrimination. I will stand alongside the people of my district and fight with my colleagues in Congress against this prejudice and division. My office will continue to work to support residents and visitors experiencing difficulties as a result of the travel ban while the courts ultimately decide the fate of this unconstitutional ban."

Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), the congressman who came up with the idea to boycott the Trumpanzee inauguration, issued a statement an hour after Trump made his move:

This is just the same stuff on a different day. If you called xenophobia a rose, would it not smell just as foul? Our President, who clearly has a hard time distinguishing facts from fiction, is continuing to take us down the wrong road, the road away from security, morality, and prosperity.

 As I said in January, the President should have faith in the strength of our own country and the vitality of her citizens and culture. A nation of 300 million people that has blazed a trail for the world for more than 240 years can withstand 50,000 or 100,000 moms, dads and children fleeing for their lives. We always have and we always should.   The poem on the Statue of Liberty says “I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” not “We are scared of you, come back later when we feel better.”

One last congressional reaction-- Pramila Jayapal from Seattle, who's been fighting this kind of ugly, divisive bigotry all her life:

The president has been forced to recognize-- through the clear signal sent from several courts and in our streets-- that his original travel ban was both unconstitutional and ineptly executed. The new order recognizes that we must honor the visas of those who already have been given clearance to come to the United States, as well as expressly excludes legal permanent residents and dual citizens from the ban. It also excludes Iraq from the list of countries, another clear sign that such a ban would hurt our coalition efforts for peace in the Middle East. It should not have taken the courts and nationwide protests to stop such an order from taking effect in the first place. The president was irresponsible in throwing the country into chaos and putting fear in the hearts of millions of families across our country and world.

  Unfortunately, however, the president’s Muslim Ban 2.0 is driven by the same xenophobic priorities that wreaked havoc at airports around the nation and led to the shameful detentions of innocent men, women and children. It continues to single out Muslim majority countries only, drastically limits and suspends refugee resettlement, and deeply affects our relationships with countries around the world. It continues to do nothing to make our country safer, alienates our allies and gives extremists propaganda for recruitment.

President Trump is once again attempting to shut America’s door to immigrants and vulnerable refugees who are fleeing war-ravaged countries. This ‘do-over’ order still has consequences that stretch far and wide and hurt our national security. It is still extremely ill-conceived and paints wide swathes of people and countries with negative stereotypes that have little to do with a logical plan for peace and security in our country. We will continue to work in the courts and in the streets to stop this administration-- as we have done before.

The thermometer just above and to the right... that leads to the ActBlue page we've put up for the most outspoken and effective leaders of The Resistance inside Congress. These are the most crucial voices in Congress... because this Know Nothing fanatic isn't on the side of America:

Why Are People More And More Sick Of The Trumpanzee By The Day?

The Trumpanzee said the polls are fixed against him. So who's fixing the poll showing him doing the worst so far? The Fox New poll which questioned registered voters nation-wide between July 31 and August 2-- entirely after the twi conventions and after Trump's latest meltdown had begun. The poll shows Hillary-- not exactly a Fox News favorite-- beating Señor Trumpanzee 49-39%, with 5% going to other candidates and 4% saying they're staying home.

As Trump has continued to slam Obama, the president's approval rating has steadily risen. It went from the low and mid-40s at the end of last year into the high 40s this spring and now stands at 52%. Of the 10 most salient issues (+ 6 other issues), Clinton led Trump is voters' perception of who would best handle almost all of them.

• Climate change- Clinton 59%, Trumpanzee 28%
• Race relations- Clinton 60%, Trumpanzee 32%
• Education- Clinton 58%, Trumpanzee 35%
• Drug addiction- Clinton 54%, Trumpanzee 35%
• Foreign policy- Clinton 55%, Trumpanzee 39%
• Health care- Clinton 53%, Trumpanzee 42%
• Immigration- Clinton 51%, Trumpanzee 44%
• Terrorism and national security- Clinton 47%, Trumpanzee 47%
• Federal deficit- Clinton 44%, Trumpanzee 49%
• The economy- Clinton 45%, Trumpanzee 50%
• Making decisions about using nukes- Clinton 56%, Trumpanzee 34%
• Looking out for you and your family in tough economic times- Clinton 51%, Trumpanzee 40%
• Nominating the next Supreme Court Justice- Clinton 51%, Trumpanzee 43%
• Preserving and Protecting the Constitution- Clinton 49%, Trumpanzee 42%
• Restoring trust in government- Clinton 43%, Trumpanzee 43%
• Destroying terrorist groups like ISIS- Clinton 42%, Trumpanzee 51%

Asked if they thought the two candidates are qualified for the presidency, 65% said Hillary is and just 43% said the Trumpanzee is. 61% said Hillary is not honest and trustworthy and 62% said the same thing about Mr. Trumpanzee. 64% she had the right temperament to be an effective president and 37% said Trump does. 72% said she had the knowledge necessary to be an effective president but only 40% thought Trump does. And one last thing: 69% of respondents said they consider Trump's response to the Khan family to be out of bounds.; only 19% said it was in bounds.

click to read the results

By the way, the local polls today in battleground states were even more devastating for the Trumpanzee, showing astonishing losses everywhere-- and showing the disgust for the GOP in general with their Senate incumbents losing as well. Maggie Hassan, for example is now leading incumbent Kelly Ayotte 50 to 40% in New Hampshire and even Katie McGinty, the DSCC's weakest recruit after Patrick Murphy in Florida, is beating Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania 39-38% among likely voters. This chart, with Hillary dominating the Trumpanzee in Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Hampshire spells doom for his campaign and is going to be scaring the living daylights out of Republican strategists all day today and will dominate the conversations inside the party hierarchy right into tomorrow. Hillary has a better chance to win in red bastions like Utah, Arizona and Indiana than Trump has to win in traditional battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. The Trumpanzee foray into Portland, Maine isn't going to calm anyone's nerves in GOPLand, I can tell you that, not while they're looking at numbers like these:

My old friend Jim wrote an essay yesterday that helps explain-- certainly better than a fixed Fox Poll-- why the Trumpanzee is in the crapper.


This is How America Treats the Families of Her Honored Dead
-by Jim Kennemur

On April 4, 2004 Army Specialist Casey Sheehan volunteered to go on a rescue mission in Sardar City, Iraq. He and 7 other American soldiers died in a multiple RPG and heavy arms attack during that mission.

Two months and two days later Army Captain Humayun Khan told his company to stand down and take cover as he investigated a suspicious vehicle in Baqubah, Iraq. The vehicle exploded killing Captain Khan, two Iraqi civilians and the two suicide bombers inside.

Captain Khan's parents have been in the news recently because they took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia calling out Donald Trump for his bigoted rhetoric aimed toward Muslims in the United States. His voice quivering with emotion, Captain Khan's father looked into the camera and said, "Donald Trump, you have sacrificed nothing."

  As I watched this emotional scene on TV I had two thoughts. First, that the Khans were about to be attacked and vilified as they had never been before. They were.

And secondly, I though of Cindy Sheehan, the mother of Casey Sheehan, who literally camped out in a ditch in the Texas heat to call out the people who fabricated the war that killed her son.

Two families suffering and grief stricken. Two families trying to get on with their lives.

Then it struck me. What has been going on in Cindy Sheehan's life since those summer days in Crawford, Texas. How is she coping?

Here from her blog, Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox is the answer to that question:

Do Tell Obama?

The latest media kerfluffle over Donald Trump's rude remarks about the Khan family (Mr. Khan attacked Trump for Hillary Clinton at last week's DNC) has brought a lot of attention to when I spoke out against George Bush and his wars beginning after my son was killed.

The weirdest thing about my part in it is that so-called liberals have been making the absurd claim that Bush was "kind" to me compared to Trump's treatment of the Khans.

Of course, there is no documentation that George Bush ever publicly said anything rude about me, but the attacks on my character and lies about the antiwar movement and Camp Casey have the bloody claw prints of Bush's attack dog, Karl Rove all over them. Republican politicians and right-wing media had a wonderful time going after me and no one accused them of being disrespectful.

I would like to address what Obama told the conference of disabled veterans, though, quoted above.

I have never stopped protesting the US's wars since Obama assumed command of the Evil Empire. I have been arrested a few times right in front of his White House protesting his war. I have been manhandled by the police; dumped in a cold cell with no food for 53 hours once; received a stay-away order from the perimeter of the White House that came with a six-month jail stay if I violated it and the Justice Department sent three US Attorneys from DC to Sacramento to persecute me for being a war-tax refuser.

Like Bush, Obama has refused to meet with me to discuss his continuation of the Bush wars.

So, what I really think the Drone Bomber meant, was that only Gold Star Families who do not oppose him and his Imperial violence and treachery should be "honored."

Should Trump apologize to the Khans-- of course, but the Democrats should quit pretending they care about people whose children they slaughter with their support for the wars against mostly Muslims in Arab countries. They only fake-care in elections years.

Democrats shed huge crocodile tears for my son and for my story until they got what they wanted, then we very unceremoniously got kicked to the curb.

  The hypocrisy is stunning, but what is even more stunning is that there is one person left in the US who believes any of the filth that spews out of the mouth of any politician.

So there you have it. The military industrial complex continues to grind out profits and our political leaders continue to pay lip service to the cannon fodder they have spun into gold.

The Khan family deserves better. The Sheehan family deserves better. America deserves better.