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I wonder that the Supreme Court gets so tangled in legalisms that they forget about the rights of the individual, the equality broadly conceived in our Constitution.  That wealth can be used to amplify some voices above all the others ….. where did that come from?  And yesterday, that it is not the role of the courts to stop gerrymandering ….. drawing the maps so that so that some individuals are underrepresented.  Even Justice Roberts acknowledges this practice is destructive to our democracy but can’t find a way to uphold the equality of individual people in the face of runaway partisanship?  That is certainly not my reading of the Constitution.

Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans refuse to pass bipartisan legislation to prevent foreign interference in the 2020 election.  These bills include requiring social media to post who pays for political advertising and requiring any political candidate to report to the FBI any offers of assistance from Russia or other foreign governments.  In 2016 the Trump campaign received numerous offers of assistance from Russia but did not report them.

Trump continues to deny the conclusions of the Mueller report that the Russians tried to interfere systematically in the 2016 election, rather only that there was no evidence of conspiracy by the Trump campaign and that a sitting president could not be charged with obstruction but was not exonerated.

I think the Trump administration is trying to pick a fight with Iran.  Not that Iran is blameless but the economic sanctions imposed on them are crushing for ordinary Iranians.  I’m not surprised that some faction like the Republican Guard might do something crazy like sabotage to oil tankers ….. or maybe it was a Saudi trick, trying to get us to attack Iran.  Maybe a war with a muslim country would play well with Trump’s base?

And President Trump opened his 2020 campaign yesterday saying that ICE would begin next week deporting millions of illegal immigrants from this country.  Really ….. deport millions of people?  There has been too much cruelty already.  We need a secure border, Yes.  We do not need to rip out people who have been here many years, families, businesses and important parts of communities all across this country.

This is the guy that thinks Kim Jong Un is a friend.  Who ignores the killing and dismemberment of an independent journalist probably ordered by the Saudi Prince and sees “two sides” when one of them is the Klu Klux Klan!

The President of the United States needs to be a moral leader for our country and the world.  He need to be a champion of human rights, the vision of our founding fathers and our Constitution.

End the cruelty, end the cruelty, end the cruelty!

Another mass shooting, this time in Virginia Beach.  Details not yet clear but my thoughts are with the families of the victims and the survivors, always.  The shooter came armed with multiple extended magazines intending to kill as many people as he could.  What insanity grips our nation that these mass murders keep happening ….. copy cat killings, the twisted notoriety of being the center of the news, the madness of entitlement.  Beyond gun safety, there are issues of mental stability and early detection and intervention ….. and national leadership.

Bi-partisan opposition to our President’s decision to use increasing tariffs on Mexico as a means to force action to prevent immigrants, refugees really, from arriving at our southern Boarder.  Ultimately it is American consumers who pay for those tariffs in increased costs of food and consumer goods.  In a previous post I outlined my approach to the refugee problem, immediately increase the numbers of Boarder patrol agents and the numbers of immigration judges while working with Mexico and Central American neighbors to improve conditions in the origin countries.  Learn from experience, far fewer Mexican nationals now trying to come to the United States because economic conditions in Mexico have improved.  Can’t say now how this tariff thing will shake out, it should be abandoned, but Mexico may retaliate in the same way that China has recently done.  Stop buying Soy Beans or Corn from the United States.  So the farmers take the brunt of it again while average Americans pay more.

In the last couple weeks the 150 year celebration of the transcontinental railroad.  Thousands of people turned out in every town, at every grade crossing and view point to watch a famous restored steam engine travel from Wyoming to Promontory, Utah for the event.  Lincoln told the builders of the Union Pacific railroad to “bind the nation together with bands of steel”.  We so need that vision today.

Yesterday President Trump threatened to close the southern Boarder and has tried to leverage Congress to change our immigration laws.  Be clear that these laws have been on the books since 1951, the Immigration and Nationality Act which recognizes claims of Asylum.  Many administrations and both political parties made and carried out these laws.

What is new is the large number of refugees from Central America, specifically Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.  While large numbers of Mexican men came to the United States, some invited, in the past, we have not previously seen a refugee migration from Central America.

We are also seeing a seasonal surge in arrivals, which surely could have been foreseen, when it is possible to travel on foot through the desert.  Understanding life in the desert is part of understanding what is happening at the Boarder.

This is not a National Emergency, it is an issue that multiple administrations and Congress have addressed over many years.  The numbers are not as great as sometimes in past, but they are large numbers.

Most certainly I would have planned ahead for this situation and could have done so within existing law.  Doing what we can to improve economic conditions and public safety in these countries is a necessary step.  Cutting off the small amount of aid currently provided does not help and makes the problem worse.  Review the aid package to see it is being used correctly and see what more can be done.

At the Boarder, immediately increase the number of immigration judges to handle asylum cases.

Recognize that the people currently arriving from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are refugees from intolerable conditions in their home countries. This is not an “invasion”.  These people are desperate and mostly turning themselves in to immigration authorities on arrival but some also do not have a valid reason which is why we have immigration courts.

Allow and encourage refugees to apply for asylum at U.S. Embassies and Consulates in their home countries or in Mexico.

Not all immigrants need to be detained.  Particularly family units can be released on their own recognizance because their strong desire to make a successful asylum claim motivates showing up for a court date.

We recognize the historic humanitarian right to seek refuge from persecution.  I support a family based priority for legal immigration and recognize it has been the hard work of disadvantaged groups of immigrants who have made our country great.  I recognize the right of every person to due process.

Most certainly I could have foreseen and planned ahead for the current situation at our southern Boarder.  I would not cause great economic harm and disrupt the lives of U.S. citizens, nor Mexico, by closing the Boarder.

As I have written on this site in past, we need a secure Boarder, but cruelty is not the answer.  Leadership begins with understanding and compassion.

“The investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities” I still have questions and will come back to the issue of collusion.

There was good reason for this investigation and not just the dossier but other intelligence sources as well as President Trump himself fanning the flames with near constant denial and attacks on anyone who questioned him.

Without seeing the report, I think Attorney General Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein probably made the right decision regarding obstruction of justice. There are plenty of cases throughout our court systems where a crime may have been committed but the evidence is insufficient, mixed or simply not strong enough to result in a conviction “beyond reasonable doubt”.  One prominent example is Hillary Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server for some State Department business involving classified information. Mr. Mueller could have decided to leave the obstruction decision to others because much of President Trump’s inflammatory criticism was directed at the Special Counsel and the investigation itself. Senator Grassley recommended that the President say as little as possible about the investigation but that is not what happened.

Coming back to the question of collusion, the Trump campaign did not have to conspire or coordinate with the Russians, who were already interfering in the election to Mr. Trump’s benefit. An agreement or coordination was not necessary and would have been dumb. Just some “make nice” with Putin and a stated intent to drop sanctions would do ….. or maybe a wink and a nod and the lure of a penthouse appartment. From years of experience, Hillary Clinton had Putin’s number and was not fooled. The Russians clearly preferred Mr. Trump and used their election interference to his benefit. I would like to know how many offers of Russian assistance were made to the Trump organization, to whom, and were those offers reported to the FBI?

I don’t get President Trump’s affinity for Putin. I especially don’t get his disregard of our intelligence services and private meetings with Putin even to the extent of confiscating the interpreter’s notes. It smells really bad to me.

My hero this week is New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern in her strong and compassionate response to the hate motivated mass murders of Muslim worshipers in her country. As President I hope I would do as well. The qualities that define a true leader are thoughtfulness, compassion, honesty and toughness when necessary.

The most important thing that our President and chief executive can do is to make our representative system of government work as well as it can.

I see no need to tear down the Affordable Care Act. As president I would be happy to work with a bi-partisan congressional committees to make it better.

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