John

Michael Cohen will testify at a public hearing today.  Be thinking about your family Michael, and your country.  Truth is stronger than anger.  Godspeed.

I have farm work this morning but will continue this post on other current topics over the next couple of days.

The 9/11 terror attacks, a previously unknown very infectious disease, these are national emergencies.  Issues which have been addressed through legislation and/or funding by congress, for better or worse, are probably not national emergencies.  Gun violence, and global warming, as important and urgent as these issues may be, are not national emergencies.  Our democracy has, for better or worse, tried to address them.  We have more work to do.  Immigration pressure on our southern boarder is not a national emergency. Our Boarder Patrol and Customs people are doing the same good work they usually do.  We have more work to do.  This is not a national emergency.

We are also facing a situation on the American continents which is more like the refugee issues in the Middle East.  People trying to walk here, thousands of miles from South America, to ask for asylum is something we have not seem much before.  We need to address the overall problem as best we can, to improve economic conditions in the countries of origin, to engage these groups of people traveling through Mexico and through prompt adjudication for people who arrive at our boarder.  For people who cross illegally or who have no reasonable case for asylum, the most humane treatment is a prompt hearing of their case and return to their home country or Mexico, within 24-48 hours.

No movement in North Korea toward eliminating nuclear weapons, and we knew that.  So what was the point of the Trump-Kim meeting in Vietnam, and why Vietnam?  To some views, the meeting was rushed without sufficient diplomatic groundwork.  The effort is worthwhile but there are good meeting places in Korea or Japan.  We don’t need to make such a big deal out of it.  The farmer in me is looking for a workman like approach.

Now 4:30AM and I need to be at work in a few hours.  Will continue this post on other current topics over the next couple days.

Title 10 of the Public Health Service Act authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for projects to provide family planning services to any person desiring such services, with priority given to individuals from low–income families. Such services typically include family planning education, contraception and screening for reproductive cancers and sexually transmitted diseases. The Hyde amendment prohibits any of this money from being used to fund abortion.  This week the Trump administration announced they would change Title 10 and deny funding to any clinic or health care provider that also provides (non public funded) abortions.  Further any clinic or healthcare provider which receives Title 10 funding in future is prohibited from discussing or referring any patient for abortion (the gag rule).

In my view the gag rule is a First Amendment issue and a privacy issue.  The government cannot restrict free speech, and certainly not between a doctor and patient.  The practical effect of the change to Title 10 is restriction of reproductive health care currently provided to hundreds of thousands of primarily low income women through Planned Parenthood clinics and similar providers.

This restriction is extremely unwise from a public health perspective and a further example of the inhumane, uncaring and cruel policies, even personal vendetta, of the Trump administration.  Family separations, political bargaining with human lives, senseless deportations, please see my previous posts on these issues.  And personal vendetta, the FBI agent fired the day before he qualified for retirement, the 19 year old girl who foolishly joined ISIS who now wants to come home, and the young man who also fell for the ISIS propaganda but became a valued informant for the United States but now is denied the witness protection program.  WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS!

President Trump has offered to provide temporary (three years) protection for DACA recipients and persons covered by the TPS program, and reopen the government,  in exchange for $5.7 billion for his boarder wall.   DACA refers to people brought here illegally long ago as young children but who have lived in the United States most of their lives.  TPS is the Temporary Protected Status program, groups of refugees allowed to come to this country temporarily during wars or natural disasters in their home countries.  One example is people from Southeast Asia allowed to come here to escape retaliation for their support of the United States during and after the Vietnam War.  These people would mostly now be 60 to 70 years old.  Two previous presidents have told these TPS groups that they may stay.

President Trump ended these programs and told many they would have to leave.

Additionally there are now 800,000 American citizens out of work and diminished public and security services because of the government shutdown.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR A PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE TO DO, IS TO MAKE OUR REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT WORK AS WELL AS IT CAN.  We cannot govern by shutdown driving us further into our respective partisan corners.  We must re-establish the normal legislative process, created by our Constitution,  to compromise and resolve our differences.

I cannot control all the hardships that exist in our society, but it is not in my soul to barter with people’s lives, future and family well-being, DACA, TPS or our government employees, for a political purpose.  These people deserve a stable and secure future.  Our country benefits from the contribution they make to our society.   As president I will find a legislative solution to needed boarder security.  I could not be so callus and cruel as to barter with people’s lives.

President Trump has acknowledged there will not be a concrete wall from sea to sea but rather improved steel barriers at priority locations.  At this point Democrats should say there are some things to talk about and some things they cannot accept.  I would re-open the government.  I would provide permanent protection for DACA and TPS individuals.  I would provide increased funding for the full range of boarder security measures including improved barriers in critical locations where most effective.

Two men greater than myself have told us we have nothing to fear but fear itself.  Tonight I heard our President promote and appeal to fear of criminals, violence, drugs.  I hope Americans will not be sucked in.  The great majority trying to enter the United States on our southern boarder are poor people hoping for a job and a better way of life.  Or as Ronald Reagan told us, these are good people.  But we cannot accept them all.  We do need a secure boarder.  I have outlined my approach to these issues in previous posts.  We need to reject fear.  We need to reject prejudice and discrimination in any form.  And we need to end the cruelty of some current immigration policies

Further, we need to stop this nonsense of shutting down the government as political leverage.  The previous budget should stay in place until a new one is adopted.

Mostly I try to address issues facing the country by explaining what I would do as President.  That does not provide a solution to the impasse in Washington this morning about boarder security and the shutdown.

There is a near complete disagreement about the facts.  The solution could be joint fact finding hearings by the House and Senate.

In the meantime, some increase in boarder security funding to be used for all current techniques and strategies at the boarder, might bring some movement to this issue, while hearings could bring a more fact based solution.  Since walls do exist, mostly in some urban areas, Mr. Trump could say he got money for a wall, even if the Boarder Patrol actually prefers other types of barriers and strategies.

The hardships being caused by the shutdown are unnecessary.  We all know boarder security is needed.  Incremental improvement combined with fact finding and national discussion provides a way forward.  Rome was not built in a day.

About a week out from Christmas now. A joyous season and the airwaves and web are filled with Christmas music.

Merry Christmas and season’s greetings to all. Some are not so fortunate.

I don’t know why Republicans keep trying to tear down the Affordable Care Act rather than trying to improve it. No alternative is offered. Looks like blatant partisanship to me. Everyone, sooner or later, needs healthcare and one must be healthy to work. This is about who we are as a nation. Affordable healthcare should be available to all.

Glad to see the Congress finally got some spine regarding the murder of a Washington Post journalist in the Saudi Embassy in Turkey. Thank Turkey also for exposing this crime. United States leadership in the world is a balance between not meddling in the affairs of other nations while calling out and penalizing human rights abuses. Sometimes a military response is the only course that works, to stop ISIS or a dictator using poison gas.

We should not be having this impasse in Washington over boarder security and immigration. As president, I don’t have to have all the answers. I’m not the king. Just ask Congress to address boarder security with bi-partisan hearings. Any barrier at the boarder is easily overcome without constant patrol and observation. I understand our boarder officers prefer a strong fence to a solid wall because they can see what is happening on the other side. We need a secure boarder and we need compassion for people in danger and those who have been in the United States for a long time.

Wishing you and your family a joyous Christmas and keeping in mind all of our citizens and the future of our nation.

John LaBoyteaux

Las Vegas, New York, Sutherland Springs, Parkland, and now Pittsburgh, these victims and others will remain in my memory forever. As president I would express the compassion of the entire nation to these families and respect their privacy in allowing time to bury their dead. If later, these families and this community wish me to come to Pittsburgh, I would do so.

And it is never enough. To the best of my knowledge, our nation has still not banned bump stocks which increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic weapons repeatedly used in these tragedies, and we still don’t have universal background checks. Minimal steps.

There are troubled and unbalanced individuals in every society. These persons can be easily suggestable, attracted to conspiracy theories and sometimes prone to violence. The inflamatory rhetoric of division and hatred can push these people over the edge. Every elected person needs to understand the power of his/her words and the responsibility that is part of leadership.

Fear is a powerful political weapon. Two men greater than myself have reminded us that “we have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Which brings me to the issue of immigration and the Caravan. Conditions are bad, life threatening, in some central American countries but we cannot wholesale allow these people to come to the United States. We just can’t. But for the most part they are good people who are looking for a better way of life. They are not rapists, terrorists or invaders. The Caravan is still about 1000 miles from our border and I appreciate the efforts of the Mexican government to prevent this group of people from arriving en-mass at our border. Americans should remember that this sort of thing happens seasonally when the weather allows travel by foot through the mountains and deserts of Mexico.

Probably it would be well here to restate my general position on immigration.

There have been a lot of deportations and there will continue to be deportations until we find a way to prevent people from overstaying their visas or entering the country illegally. However some actions currently being taken are exceedingly cruel. We should not be breaking up working families where some immediate family members are US citizens. People who were brought here as children (DACA) should be allowed to stay and become naturalized citizens.

We should not be deporting refugees who have been here a long time and who previous president have allowed to stay.

I ask my fellow Americans to consider that some western states were part of Mexico once. Mexican-American culture is very strong in these places. It is similar to those of French or Cajun roots in Louisianna, Dutch-German people in Pennsylvania or Scandinavians in Minnesota. We are a nation descended from immigrants …. from all the lands on earth we come. So many have died for our freedoms and for the belief that all men are created equal.

Lastly, a free press is essential to the function of democracy. It is no one’s enemy. I recommend all Americans take time to get news from multiple sources. As President, when I need to explain my policies or decisions to the American people, I will not tweet.  I will look you in the eye with a news conference, interview or press release.  I will trust the press to mostly get it right and I will trust the American people to think and search for truth.

Christine Blaisey Ford has accused my Supreme Court Nominee of a teenage sexual assault. Both are now middle aged, mature, credible adults but at this point it is “she said, he said.”

As President what should I do? With a Congress I view as far too partisan how should I lead the Nation? What is the decent and fair thing to do?

I would ask the Senate to pause the confirmation process and allow time for the FBI to conduct some background investigation into the alleged sitution. The rush to confirm this nominee is partisan politics. I cannot forget that this same Congress refused to even grant Merrick Garland a hearing. A teenage mistake should probably not be disqualifying for any office. However any untruth now, any lack of candor in this situation, is potentially an obstruction of justice and should disqualify a nominee for the Supreme Court.

Although he completely denies the accusation, I also think that Judge Kavanaugh could ask for a pause to allow more information to come to light. That would be the action of a fair and independent Judiciary.

Things that should not happen still do happen, even in high school. Alcohol can impair judgement and memory. Childhood assaults in particular often have life long effects on victims. It is common that victims are too embarrassed, insecure or fearful to report such incidents at the time.

And meanwhile hundreds of immigrant children remain separated from their parents. This administration is now moving to deport refugees from the Vietman era after two previous presidents told them they could stay. We are considering denying visas or green cards for persons who, in someone’s judgement before the fact, might require some public services. This is prejudice and continued cruelty.

I hope that I might serve my country nearly so well as John McCain, with courage, honor, decency and character.

Harvest had begun when wildfires broke out here in Lake County, California. While I wait to re-enter the evacuation area, the political fires consuming our Nation are foremost on my mind. As an independent candidate for President, the issues that affect our people where they live, the security and health of our Nation and the working of our democracy are the crop I raise.

I do not see evidence that our current President conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 election but I’m surely concrned about the number of associates with Russian contacts. For a Trump Tower meeting supposedly about adoption, there was a lot of horsepower present. The Russians certainly did attempt to influence the 2016 election and continue to do so. The only way I will be convinced there was no collusion, is that the Mueller investigation be allowed to turn every stone. As President I would, of course, maintain normal diplomatic relations with Russia and work to resolve differences.

I would not tolerate meddling in our elections and would do everything I could to prevent it.

The cruelty of separating children from their parents is still on my mind. Our government did not even keep track of which children belonged to which parents. Re-uniting these families would weigh heavily on me far before Putin summits or political rallies.

I’m sure that Brett Kavanaugh is a decent man and loving father. Do his views reflect the mainstream of American opinion and a middle ground reading of the Constitution.  In academic and legal accomplishments he would seem highly qualified for the Supreme Court. Does his career in Washington bring understanding of how decisions of the Court affect people on main street? The Senate treated Merrick Garland very badly refusing to even give him a hearing. For equally partisan reasons the Senate leadership wants to advance Brett Kavanaugh. That is why I would urge the Senate to return to normal previous rules and require 60 votes for Supreme Court nominees. I would insist any candidate I nominated receive 60 votes to insure that person does understand the mainstream of American values and opinion as well as the Constitution.

Sometimes a President will need to acknowledge errors of judgement, back up and start over. Although we all hoped for the best, it now seems clear that North Korea has no intention of giving up nuclear weapons. It is a most vexing problem as it has been for previous administrations. We have to maintain military rediness, including cooperatioon with South Korea and Japan while encouraging North Korea to give up their nukes and be part of the international community.

The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land and has helped many people. I have no need to tear it down but rather make it work as well as it can while advancing bi-partisan efforts in Congress to make it better. Healthcare is a basic human need. We expect people to work. One must be healthy to do so.

My first measure of how the economy is doing, is how is the middle class doing? The Gross National Product means litle if it is going to a smaller and smaller segment of our population.

While on the subject of fires and natural disasters, I believe the human contribution to global warming is real and a serious problem which requires world wide cooperation. No single weather event tells us much. The information is in world wide averages over time. The science is clear.  The politics is muddy because of the economic changes of advancing clean renewable energy for our country and the whole world.  It should be our future.

Six months ago I declared my improbable candidancy for President of the United States because I believed I could do better than either of the major candidates. I am shocked and disgusted by today’s event’s in Finland. Over the unanamous conclusions of our intelligence agencies and Congressional Committees, our President has taken the side of Vladimir Putin claiming the Russians did not meddle in the 2016 election and the investigation is all a “witch hunt”. I hope every American is asking, “what does Putin have on our President that would cause him to sell out our country?” We have been sold out today and I absolutely would have known better, even maybe cancelling the meeting after last week’s indictments of 13 Russian military intelligence officers. I am praying that our men and women in uniform are not called upon to straighten out this maddness somewhere in the world. I am not fooled. I can think of no rational reason beyond some twisted self interest to criticize our NATO Allies and suck up to Putin.