What has the media to gain be being unfactual?

Americans who call themselves "Republicans" and their Congressional Representatives have a distrust for the media. Why is that?

The media, "the main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the Internet), regarded collectively, are corporations, which are owned by people, some of which are powerful executives with a political point of view.

By contrast or in conjunction, Journalism is the activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast.

There are standards for journalism professionals that apply to individuals working in the trade. The standards govern how information is gathered, verified and validated to ensure truthfulness.

To be certain, there are different perspectives and viewpoints about all subjects that will be debated among journalists and among the people about whom they are reporting.

Still, the standards apply to journalists and their professional obligations. When media owners intervene by imposing their political preference and spin, then the standards may be corrupted. Such corruption undermines the product and may cause the audience public to develop distrust.

When you see a headline such as the one below that Republicans distrust the media, that is problematic. Why? The Trump administration cannot differentiate facts from fiction and folklore. Donald Trump ignores facts and follows his beliefs and notions instead. He fails to vet and verify information before he acts.

That behavior, on the part of the President, puts Americans at much risk. The media is trying to help by informing Americans about the facts with evidence that supports the message. The President is advised to do the same.

"REPUBLICANS TRUST TRUMP MORE THAN THE MEDIA - HuffPollster, with Paige Lavender: “According to a new HuffPost/YouGov survey, 81 percent of Republicans think the media wants Trump to fail. Only 5 percent of Republicans said they trusted the media ‘a great deal’ to state facts fully and accurately, but 38 percent say they trust Trump and his administration to present facts fully and accurately. A December 2016 poll revealed similar numbers among Trump voters, 56 percent of whom said they’d believe Trump over a national media outlet reporting he’d said something untrue.” [HuffPost] 

What should the role of the media be? - The poll found that a majority of the public, 61 percent, thinks that the media should be neutral. But 36 percent of Republicans think that the media should want Trump to succeed. Just 5 percent think that it does want him to do so. Three-quarters of Republicans say they think media coverage of Trump has been too negative, and just 17 percent that it’s been either too positive or about right. Among all Americans, that number is 41 percent, with 14 percent calling the coverage too positive, and 27 percent saying it’s been about right." 

Huffington Post, Pollster email

Check the facts

Right and left can't explain it

As an author, when I write books, the benchmark is more academic. That is, I try to be as objective as I can about the subjects, and they are well researched. Purely academic papers and books are subject to peer review. That means that they are read critically by a qualified audience and edited to respond to scholarly feedback.

When I wrote How to Select an American President with Dr. James Rodger, the first draft was intended for the academic audience. However, the useful purpose of the book is far beyond that. It is for all Americans who want to improve how they participate in the election process.

For the most part, it is easy to read, like a history book in some respects. The harder part is from readers applying the suggestions to how they think about electing candidates. Thinking is not easy.

When I write my blog and national politics articles, my position changes from being in the academic middle to being who I am, a liberal-thinking American.

Some of my friends who are more conservative than me include some right-wing conservatives. The arguments and debates with them can erupt into anger.

What is my problem with the right wing? First off, right and left truly don't describe very much at all. If you were to ask me where I stand on economics, for instance, my answer would be that I am for sustainability.

That means optimizing living within the means and capacity of our available resources. Is that liberal or conservative? I can argue that being sustainable is very conservative, and core American.

If you ask me if I am for the big or small government, I would answer that government size corresponds with the needs of the nation. Defining those needs is variable.

If you ask me if I defend the US Constitution, I do. In fact, I defend liberty, freedom, and equality for all. I believe that no one should be left to poverty. Any citizen in need of assistance should get help to put them on a sustainable path.

If you ask me about abortion, I say that should be a last resort and the woman's right to chose. If you ask me about gays and lesbians, I say that they are who they are by the genetic outcome. There is no right or wrong in that.

If you ask me about my religious faith, my first response is to say that is my business. If you persist, I would say that it is not your business.

Then again, I might try to explain my spirituality if I think that will make it better.

What would you like to ask me? I will try to answer here.

James George

We have a Constitutional crisis

The United States government looks like it doesn't know what it is doing. All that the Democrats can do is slow down the process of Trump seating a harsh cabinet. 

Until or unless Donald Trump is proven to have violated laws and he is taken to court, nothing will change. Life in America will likely worsen at his hand.

Senator Schumer characterizes the moment as being a "Constitutional crisis." That would mean that the Executive Branch has committed an egregious act. It may have done things that many Americans don't like. The threshold is high crimes and misdemeanors.

Did Donald Trump already break the Constitutional law or not?

"Dems hold up voting on some of Trump's Cabinet nominees 

By Daniella Diaz, CNN
Updated 1:52 AM ET, Tue January 31, 2017." 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/30/politics/committee-voting-held-donald-trump-cabinet-confirmation/index.html

"High Crimes and Misdemeanors
Donald Trump appears determined to violate the Constitution on Day One of his presidency. 

By Mark Joseph Stern 

US President-elect Donald Trump speaks to reporters between meetings December 28, 2016 at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks to reporters between meetings on Dec. 28 at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Don Emmert/Getty Images 

As soon as Donald Trump is sworn in as president, he will almost certainly be violating the United States Constitution. Trump still refuses to fully divest himself of his business holdings, creating the potential for massive conflicts of interest in the executive branch—a problem the Framers foresaw and attempted to preempt in drafting something called the Emoluments Clause. Although it centers around a strange word and sits in an obscure cranny of the Constitution, the clause presents a fairly straightforward rule: No federal officeholder can receive an “emolument”—money, services, or items of value—from a foreign state, including a state-owned corporation. On Jan. 20, Trump will simultaneously hold the office of the presidency and own a business that receives a great deal of cash from foreign, state-owned companies. History, tradition, and the plain text of the Emoluments Clause suggest that by doing so, Trump will clearly be in contravention of the Constitution. There is only one practical remedy for such a violation: impeachment." 

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/01/donald_trump_appears_determined_to_violate_the_constitution_on_day_one.html 

When is the trial?

Trump, the dictator must go

Donald Trump and his crony cabinet have never hidden their motivation and desire to undermine democracy in America. One may ask, for what Godly purpose? If the game for them is to enhance their property value, that surely isn't happening in a chaotic and unstable environment.

"President Donald Trump begins his 11th day in office shrouded in crisis, roundly criticized for a chaotic unveiling of immigration measures and under new scrutiny after he fired the nation's top law enforcement officer who refused to enforce them. 

On an extraordinary night of political drama Monday, the President dismissed acting attorney general Sally Yates by letter after she instructed the Justice Department not to defend Trump's immigration order, which bans travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations and temporarily halts refugee arrivals." 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/31/politics/donald-trump-immigration-white-house/index.html

The great American backlash could not have happened in quicker. Through executive order dictates, Trump is assaulting the majority of citizens that he has consistently refused to acknowledge. He can ignore them, yet Americans will not be trampled by his authoritarianism.

Oust him, Americans must, and they will. It is happening by due process, instance by instance of abuses being taken to court. It will happen when Democratic Representatives confront him in Congress. It will happen when moderate Republicans restore reason and civility to their party.

We're reading your lips

You are fired, Donald Trump

Note: There is no intention here to advocate violence or to overthrow the government. The only path to resistance is through due process and the law.

Oust, by all legal means

Illegitimate President, Donald Trump, is defining America through Executive Orders that are the antithesis of who and what we are as a nation. His signature is on actions that may be proven to be illegal, and that clearly contain contents that undermine the democratic due process. One Constitutional lawyer who could make the case is former the President, Barack Obama.

It should not require invoking the former President to draft charges and to make a legal case against Donald Trump. It might be nice to see a quorum of former Presidents to stand together to ask for Trump's impeachment as that would surely give weight.

Better still, is for the leaders of the Democratic Party to carry the charge. Being polite to wait for the likes of Senator McCain and Lindsay Graham to do their duty will take too long. Asking them to join the charge is most appropriate.

As for We the People, the majority of Americans who voted against Trump, we need to press our elected representatives to stop the carnage of the US democratic republic. Halt Trump tomorrow, not the next day. Take action at once before the nation erupts into violence.

There is a conspiracy theory that Steve Bannon and the like want to create an atmosphere in which "they" can invoke marshall law. That is why they must be defeated by due process instead.

America's maniacal President

Image from The Washington Post

Note: There is no intention here to advocate violence or to overthrow the government. The only path to resistance is through due process and the law.

Neo-Nazis in the Whitehouse

Donald Trump's embracing and promoting Steve Bannon is not only a national disgrace, but it is also further evidence that Donald Trump and his regime are unfit for American Government leadership. They should be removed at once by all legal means.

Foreign Policy actual issued a "be on the lookout, (BOLO).

Americans, your government has been taken over by thugs and crazies. This is not fake. It is not an alert or alternative fact. This is the truth.

"BOLO. The decision largely overshadowed two other issues that might loom even larger in the coming months: Trump’s foray into building international support for undefined “safe zones” inside Syria and Yemen, and presidential advisor Steve Bannon pushing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of national intelligence out of their traditional roles on the National Security Council. 

The reorganization of the NSC gives Bannon — a self-described “economic nationalist” who courted neo-Nazis while head of far-right, conspiracy-leaden Web site Breitbart — a regular seat on the Principals Committee, a meeting of the secretaries of state, defense, and intelligence leaders. According to a memo put out by the White House Saturday, the chairman and director will now only attend NSC Principals Committee meetings “where issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed,” a move seen as consolidating power for Bannon national security advisor Michael Flynn. 

The move was met with a wall of disapproval from former Republican and Democratic national security officials. “The last place you want to put somebody who worries about politics is in a room where they’re talking about national security,” said Leon Panetta, former White House chief of staff, defense secretary and C.I.A. director in two Democratic administrations. “That’s not what the National Security Council is supposed to be about.” 

Former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Robert Gates, who served presidents from both parties, called it “a big mistake” to exclude the DNI and Chief. President Obama’s national security advisor Susan Rice tweeted over the weekend that the move was “stone cold crazy.”" 

From Foreign Policy's Situation Report morning email

Other news organizations spout the same alarm.

"Questions multiply over Bannon's role in Trump administration." 

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/presidential/Questions-multiply-over-Bannons-role-in-Trump-administration.html

Steve Bannon, Neo-Nazi

Note: There is no intention here to advocate violence or to overthrow the government. The only path to resistance is through due process and the law.

Trump lit the firestorm

Reckless and feckless, Donald Trump ignited the majority of Americans who voted against him. A week-long stream of Executive Orders replaced the usual Tweets. The difference is that EO's translate into operational actions. 

When they are not carefully and professionally crafted, vetted and tested, executive actions can result in chaos and harm to people. Donald Trump's ineptness is rolling out, and his ban on immigrants was the last straw.

The tirade against the Trump regime is unlikely to be extinguished any time soon. Trump is vulnerable on too many fronts.

He is facing sexual assault charges. He and his colleagues are being investigated for unlawful relationships with businesses including Russians. He has failed to release his tax returns to offer evidence of his being responsible and legally clear.

Trump's drafting and issuing executive orders that are illegal and that undermine the US Constitution put him on the slippery slope to impeachment for failing to uphold his oath of office.

"Trump confronts firestorm over Russia allegations 

The president-elect lashes out at what he calls a 'fake news' campaign against him. 'Are we living in Nazi Germany?' he tweeted.
By ELI STOKOLS, SHANE GOLDMACHER, JOSH DAWSEY and MICHAEL CROWLEY 01/10/17 09:59 PM EST Updated 01/11/17 08:01 AM EST" 

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/donald-trump-russia-damaging-233455

Trump ignited a firestorm of resistance

Image from Politico

We are a nation of immigrants

President Donald Trump disgraced the nation with an ill-conceived Executive Order attacking immigrants. He has issued other ill-conceived orders such as the witch hunt for voter fraud in the absence of problem indications. These actions are authoritarian.

They have been unmitigated by his political party leadership in Congress. As the legal response works its way through the courts, Americans will see that laws are abused and broken by the President. Those actions are impeachable offenses. Congressional representatives who go along are equally guilty and may also be charged. This is a slippery slope.

In the instance of immigrants, our histories as Americans are rooted in being a diverse people who came from nations around the world. Diversity is our greatest asset.

The emergence of minorities as being more equally represented in the population has apparently frightened those who live in remote places where they have less opportunity and experience to interact with people who are different from themselves.

Perhaps when our elected leaders become more representative of the majority of Americans, our policies for community development will encourage greater dispersion of people throughout the country such that more remote places will not be deprived our greatest cultural assets that are We the People.

ABC News Screen Grab

We the People

Sloppy, reckless, and hurtful Trump

Donald Trump mindlessly breezed through executive orders this week believing that anybody can whip them out just as he. The job of president is to preside as the lawyer in chief because they initiate, amend, modify, and seek to retire laws and regulations through due process. They do so in concert with the legislative branch.

Executive orders are a mechanism for operating within the law to direct the preferences of the President. They must be well crafted and vetted by lawyers for their legal foundation. They must be tested as to how they will work when implemented. Details matter the most in the operational environment. They affect people.

Donald Trump' style is unsuited for the automated regulatory environment. According to the judge, Trump's actions cause "substantial and irreparable injury to refugees, visa-holders, and other individuals."

The Republican Party, members of the House and Senate, are well advised to get a grip on the Commander-in-Chief who represents their brand of leadership.

“Federal Judge Stays Deportations, Blocking Part Of Trump's Immigration Order 

A federal judge in Brooklyn, N.Y. granted a request from the ACLU on Saturday to stay deportations of people after they have landed at a U.S. airport with valid visas. The ruling by Judge Ann Donnelly temporarily blocks part of President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration signed on Friday. 

According to NPR's Hansi Lo Wang:

"In her order, Judge Ann Donnelly cited "substantial and irreparable injury to refugees, visa-holders, and other individuals" from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, as well as a strong likelihood that deporting these individuals would violate "their rights to Due Process and Equal Protection guaranteed by the United States Constitution." 

The stay will last until a court hearing is held on the merits of this case brought by the ACLU and other legal organizations. It applies to "all people stranded in U.S. airports," according to a statement by the ACLU. They say the stay will affect 100 to 200 people detained at U.S. airports or in transit.” 

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/28/512158238/arrivals-to-u-s-blocked-and-detained-as-trumps-immigration-freeze-sets-in?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20170128&utm_campaign=breakingnews&utm_term=nprnews

NPR Screen Grab: Is lady liberty smirking

Note: There is no intention here to advocate violence or to overthrow the government. The only path to resistance is through due process and the law.

Trump's incompetence and cruelty

My book, How to Select and American President by James A. George with James A. Rodger (c) 2017 Archway Publishing, addresses a multitude of requirements for an incumbent President. The description puts meat on the bones that the US Constitution barely addresses. One reason that the Constitution is skimpy is that the Founding Fathers anticipated that citizens and their representatives would make the body of law adapt to the needs of an ever-expanding nation with more complex needs. Citizens and their political parties would develop contemporary standards. For a comprehensive assessment, read the book.

In this instance, consider the President's order on refugees that reportedly is creating chaos. Whether you agree or disagree with the intent of the decree, the imperative for all Presidential actions is that they be well-considered and legally articulated and vetted before launch and implementation.

President Trump is not a trained attorney. Therefore, he must rely heavily on experienced legal advisors. That requires professionals who are experts in writing laws and regulations in an automated regulatory environment.

New executive orders are typically vetted not only with members of the executive branch but also with senior leaders in Congress and the Senate where their staff simulates the implementation process to identify problems. Of course, they must be thoroughly understood by implementing organizations. The Problems can be fixed before they create chaos in an operational environment.

Human beings are always the subject of laws and regulations that impact them. It is imperative that government not cause harm or hurt to people that can be prevented through proper design, implementation, and communications. Negligence in the process can inflict unnecessary pain.

Today's news is a continuum in which the new and inexperienced President is rushing to act in the absence of proper planning and consideration. The entire world is watching this, and his performance that includes his cabinet is dreadfully awful and some believe that it is unAmerican.

"Trump order on refugees creates chaos 

The Trump administration on Saturday sought to clarify one of the president's most controversial actions yet amid backlash over his executive order banning entry for many refugees and people from several predominantly Muslim nations.
Reports Saturday indicated confusion as officials moved to implement Trump's order and the White House attempted to fend off accusations it was implementing a ban that effectively targeted Muslims. 

"It's not a Muslim ban, but we are totally prepared," Trump told media gathered in the Oval Office on Saturday afternoon as he signed three new executive orders on lobbying, a plan to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and a reorganization of the National Security Council." 

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/316699-trump-order-on-refugees-creates-chaos-confusion

ABC News Screen Grab

Make a joyful noise unto the world

Help is here for the taking. Today is a pivot point from political bashing to being more constructive. My mission is about improving the American political system that begins with what citizens can do to make their contribution more effective. Here are some possibilities:

1. Improve how you select elected representatives at every level of government.

2. Improve the political party to which you belong through your vigilance and attention.

3. Strengthen self-knowledge as that will improve self-control and self-respect.

4. Make love for humanity as important as loving yourself.

5. Engage your government as your instrument to make life better for you and your community.

To keep calm and sanity in troubled times such as ours, we have to prioritize and segment our allocation of resources, time and effort. Survival and sustainment have both immediate and long-term aspects.

Individual capacity to attend to survival and sustainment requirements for persons and their families is variable based upon economics. The amount of discretionary time one can devote to government is limited no matter who you are.

In prioritizing actions that are most important, I suggest that selecting the best partners is most important. "Partners" are your elected representatives because they are an extension of you. They manage on your behalf and work for you. That is how even the poorest individual can increase their participation in self-governance.

I wrote, How to Select an American President, by James A. George with James A. Rodger (c) 2017, Archway Publishing to equip voters with improved knowledge about how to evaluate candidate representative's resumes. While the focus is the Office of President of the United States, the process applies to selecting every elected official.

The approach is straightforward. When you apply for a job, you must complete an application and submit a resume. Sometimes, the application is used as an equivalent for a resume. For more advanced positions, a resume is needed to provide "employers" with additional verifiable evidence of your possessing essential skill, knowledge, and experience.

Every voter citizen becomes the boss when it is time to vote. Learning how to evaluate candidates requires training and education for which there is an apparent void. Therefore, I am trying to help.

While some of you are reading my new book, I will be addressing how to improve political parties. We will have a long conversation along the way, with an eye on the future while we struggle to learn from our past mistakes.

Inspired by Psalm 100

"Psalm 100 King James Version (KJV)

1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations."

We live today, but it is about our future

How to Select an American President: Trump is trampling on American Democracy

How to Select an American President: Trump is trampling on American Democracy: The daily litany of President Trump magnifies the already apparent pattern of a delusional authoritarian on a fever-pitch rant and propagan...

Trump is trampling on American Democracy

The daily litany of President Trump magnifies the already apparent pattern of a delusional authoritarian on a fever-pitch rant and propaganda campaign to what end? In his mental state, it is to sustain his power.

Like Adolph Hitler, he is the inventor and creator of facts. Facts are what he believes no matter what the truth might be. The behavior of such a self-serving leader has already downgraded America as a democracy. The fact that a segment of American voters was exploited to his advantage bears consequences that will likely get worse for them and the nation.

He is attempting to censor government professionals and scientists. He is employing Executive Orders for which the contents contain violations of the law to which he is sworn to uphold.

How long will it take for leaders in government and the nation to take him to court.? Senator John McCain said that the CIA and government would refuse to follow his orders to reinstate rendition and torture. Will the Senator take him to court or just whine about the Commander-in-Chief?

The evidence and necessity for a complete investigation into Donald Trump are already compelling. As awkward as it may be, the IRS, FBI, and Intelligence Agencies need to convene a coordinated and complete investigation because Donald Trump is becoming the single most dangerous threat to the nation.

"Despite acts of brutality that were perpetrated on his watch, Bush always insisted publicly that the United States did not torture. He understood that copping to the enhanced interrogation techniques he had secretly approved could undercut our moral standing on the world stage, provide terrorists a potent recruiting tool and give our enemies an excuse to torture Americans. 

Trump doesn’t think like that. “I have spoken as recently as 24 hours ago with people at the highest level of intelligence,” the new president told ABC News in an interview that aired last night, “and I asked them the question, 'Does it work? Does torture work?' and the answer was, 'Yes, absolutely.'" 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/01/26/daily-202-is-president-trump-surrendering-america-s-moral-high-ground/588967e9e9b69b432bc7e08e/?utm_term=.6a761f793d4b&wpisrc=nl_daily202&wpmm=1

"Management Team at State Department Resigns En Masse
KEVIN DRUMJAN. 26, 2017 11:44 AM
WTF? 

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s job running the State Department just got considerably more difficult. The entire senior level of management officials resigned Wednesday, part of an ongoing mass exodus of senior foreign service officers who don’t want to stick around for the Trump era." 

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/01/management-team-state-department-resigns-en-masse

A grave threat to American Democracy

McCain is getting down to business

President Trump is finally in a collision with pushback from the Republican-controlled Senate and Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"The President can sign whatever executive orders he likes. But the law is the law," McCain said in a statement. "We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America."

Email from The Hill 

President Trump ordered the CIA to reopen "black sites" around the world where agents might rendition persons seized by the intelligence agents. Renditioning is the practice of sending a foreign criminal or terrorist suspect covertly to be interrogated in a country with less rigorous regulations for the humane treatment of prisoners.

McCain says the US government is not going to reinstate torture no matter what the President has written in his Executive Order.

McCain, a veteran, and POW during the Viet Nam War, was tortured by the North Vietnamese soldiers. Research by the defense and intel community verified that torture doesn't work.

However, we witness from President Trump, a person who believes in his opinions more than facts. The one thing that Trump is about to encounter is due process. He is about to learn about the three branches of government. While he has skated on thin ice before with the laws and regulations, he is headed into the deep end of the pond where many people whom he has personally attacked will not be so forgiving. It isn't personal; it's the law.

Trump is entering a vice

Can Republicans Rein in Trump?

Americans are witnessing Donald Trump unleashed in the opening days of his administration. He is ranting and his rants contain familiar themes that are a continuation of his campaign. There are ominous signs that his character and behavior are unbecoming aka unfit for the office that holds. He is authoritarian, talks loudly, and carries the nuclear weapon codes.

With orders to his propagandists, they have invented the notion of "alternative facts." Those are simply lies.

He personally spews lies and theories as if they embody truth, and they don't. Now, he is ordering a clampdown in government agencies to withhold the truth or not to speak or share information that belongs to the public.

These behaviors are unAmerican. The President is on a path to which he is building the case that he is not defending and upholding his Constitutional duty.

Democratic congressional representatives and Senators will do their best to control him. The force lies with the Republicans who helped invent and advance Donald Trump who bears their brand of politics.

They saw it coming.

God save America.

"Congressional Republicans promise that they’d put the clamps on a President Trump. And what exactly have they done to demonstrate that this would be the case? 

Joy-Ann Reid

10.07.16 1:00 AM ET 

Lost in the latest news cycle of Trumpian outrages and insanity was a move by House and Senate Republicans last week to block any inquiries into Donald Trump and his gang’s web of ties to Russia. This despite the fact that the candidate’s financial entanglements and Putinite sympathies could negatively impact foreign policy and national security should he become president. So are these the people we’re supposed to count on to keep a President Donald Trump from blowing up the world?" 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/07/if-donald-trump-wins-the-gop-will-rein-him-in-right-uh-yeah.html

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH ROGERS/THE DAILY BEAST

Note: There is no intention here to advocate violence or to overthrow the government. The only path to resistance is through due process and the law.

Who inspired Trump's witch hunts?

Donald Trump is full of notions and theories. One of them is that the American voting system is flawed and permits unlawful persons to vote or that the system is otherwise corrupt. The nation has been down this road before.

The system of local voter registration and vetting has been proven to work very well in the absence of fraud. Instances of fraud or mistakes are very rare. That makes Donald Trump off base.

Now, there are valid issues about the American political system and process that demand investigation and consideration. That should focus more on political parties and how they operate.

Donald Trump may not like this source, but the story hits the nail on the head.

"American democracy is rigged 

The Republican and Democratic parties are functioning like two identical but competing Orwellian Ministries of Truth. 

American citizens are as much trapped inside this corrupt system as people around the globe are at the mercy of its fighter jets and drone attacks, writes Dabashi [AP]American citizens are as much trapped inside this corrupt system as people around the globe are at the mercy of its fighter jets and drone attacks, writes Dabashi [AP] 

by Hamid Dabashi 

Hamid Dabashi is the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. 

In the United States presidential elections, there are two towering political parties - the Democratic and the Republican - that during the course of their "primary" elections get to choose who will be their respective candidates in the course of a national election.
Although any US citizen can join these two parties - or any other political party - millions of eligible voters have not, and consider themselves "independent".  

These independent voters get to vote in the general elections like anyone else, but by the time we get to that general election in November, the two dominant political parties have already elected their nominee, and, therefore, US citizens at large have to vote for one of these preselected nominees if they want their vote to have a role in who their next president will be. 

US elections 2016: Democrat Sanders visits the Vatican 

This entirely undemocratic, arcane, draconian, and ipso facto rigged aspect of the US electoral system came to a crucial dead-end during the New York primaries of the Democratic and Republican parties on April 19, when Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump won their respective primaries." 

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/04/american-democracy-rigged-160424071608730.html

Maybe Donald Trump got a tip from his friend Vladimir Putin. Here is what Putin said.

"Putin Calls Out Rigged U.S. Democracy: ‘You Actually Believe US Elections are Democratic?’ 

Jay Syrmopoulos  August 8, 2016    

Washington, D.C. – In the wake of WikiLeaks’ release of emails revealing collusion by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign to defeat the insurgent candidacy of Bernie Sanders, the Clinton camp diligently spun a now leading narrative. This narrative – regurgitated by the mainstream U.S. media – is that Russia’s Vladimir Putin is actively working to subvert the U.S. presidential election. 

Make no mistake that the Clinton campaign is intentionally attempting to draw the public’s attention away from the Clinton/DNC’s concerted effort to usurp the will of American voters and rigging the Democratic nomination in favor of Clinton
In addition to the evidence contained in the WikiLeaks’ DNC email release, the organization Election Justice USA, a non-partisan organization advocating for voters’ rights and standing against election fraud and voter suppression in all forms, has released a damning report titled, Democracy Lost: A Report on the Fatally Flawed 2016 Democratic Primary. The report highlighted the following phenomena indicative of widespread vote rigging: 

• Targeted voter suppression
• Registration tampering
• Illegal voter purges
• Exit polling discrepancies
• Evidence for voting machine tampering 

• The security (or lack thereof) of various voting machine type 

Interestingly, Russian President Vladimir Putin preemptively addressed allegations of Russian interference in U.S. elections, and in turn, questioned the legitimacy of U.S. democracy during a panel discussion at the St Petersburg Economic Forum.
Putin was joined onstage by scholar, author and CNN foreign affairs correspondent, Fareed Zakaria, as well as Kazakhstan President, Nursultan Nazarbayev and by 41-year-old Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi. 

CNN’s Zakaria is a renowned leftist-globalist, as well as a member of the Council of Foreign Relations, and is known for his work as author of, ‘The Post-American World.’ He is considered gifted minded in many political circles but is the virtual embodiment of Western globalism underpinned by U.S. hegemonic imperialism."

Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/putin-calls-rigged-u-s-democracy/#kla5b86OGHOAFzT2.99

How to Select an American President: Ending Trump's carnage

How to Select an American President: Ending Trump's carnage: Michael Moore spoke to marching women in Washington, "We are here to vow to end the Trump carnage!" I am a fan of Michael Moore&#3...

Ending Trump's carnage

Michael Moore spoke to marching women in Washington, "We are here to vow to end the Trump carnage!" I am a fan of Michael Moore's films and good intentions. However, that is as far as it goes because the handoff from Moore to Democratically-elected politicians inevitably led to dropped balls and children dying from contaminated drinking water.

I have consistently charged that Democratic representatives are people who espouse good intentions but lack the competence to follow through. They know that they can get elected saying familiar things even when Democrats know that they can't garner the majority of Congress to go along. Eventually, the record of broken promises caught up with them, and that is where we are today with Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress.

The same might be said for political independents who garner a share of votes around popular themes even when they know they can't enact legislation to support them.

Now, Donald Trump, a masterful propagandist, has embraced the strategy of telling people what they want to hear, as a cover for him to do what he wants. What will be the consequences of his authoritarian actions? Given a short rope, he will hurt people, most of which are his low-on-the-economic-totem pole followers. When they feel the pain and suffering, then there will be a backlash.

Before that, however, the popular majority of Americans can act to limit and prevent the damage. Using the power of due process and the law, citizens can contain, halt, and impeach Donald Trump and his regime. There is sufficient evidence in play right now to build the case. Needed is cooperation from the FBI and Intel Services, not to work against Trump, but to work for the people in exposing the truth about him, no matter what it is.

Needed is to know if anything in his tax returns shows unresolved conflicts or contain evidence of consorting with Russians, for instance. Needed is to know if people in his campaign, on his team, had conflicting relationships with foreign powers.

Since we already know that Russians hacked the Democratic Party with the intention to expose information that could impact the election outcome, that alone demands independent investigation. Furthermore, actions by FBI Director Comey point to his being careless or otherwise compromising in how he handled sensitive information.

Given the history of America discriminating against women and minorities, it matters now more than ever that the Democratic Party embrace women leadership to reinvent the party immediately.

If that is what Michael Moore is clamoring for, I support that.

Michael Moore

Who is Kellyanne Conway?

Kellyanne Conway is a lawyer and professional politician who is especially good at conducting polls. Now, she is Counselor to President Trump.

Assumed office January 20, 2017
President    Donald Trump
Personal details
Born    Kellyanne Elizabeth Fitzpatrick
January 20, 1967 (age 50)
Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party    Republican
Spouse(s)    George Conway
Children    4
Education    Trinity Washington University
(BA)
George Washington University
(JD)

There is nothing more on her resume to suggest why she has such a commanding position. Having invented the notion of "alternative facts" has thrust her into the limelight as well her strong allegiance to Trump.

Since betraying the truth on many occasions, she must be designated as a political hack. "Political hack" is a negative term ascribed to a person who is part of the political party apparatus, but whose intentions are more aligned with victory than personal conviction. The term "hired gun" is often used in tandem to describe the moral bankruptcy of the "hack further."

Baltimore Sun photo

Sitting around, hating Donald Trump

If you think that all that I have to do is to sit around and hate Donald Trump, you have another thing coming. The hundreds of thousands of women who marched in Washington protesting a lack of equality and other abuses in America and throughout the world, should not go home with chips on the shoulders and return to everyday life.

Life with Donald Trump at the helm is not healthy for anyone. Why is that?

Resulting from a flawed system of candidate vetting and the deficient performance of both political parties and citizens, We the People made a mistake. What is the evidence and indications of the election a mistake?

Personality disorders

• misogynist
• narcissist
• racist
• authoritarian
• chauvinist

Without a certifiable personality profile performed by psychologists in advance, citizens can only guess by observation the sort of person who is running for office. In the instance of Election 2016, adequate standards and vetting criteria were absent.

Character matters.

Failure to follow the law

• conflicts of interest
• paying taxes
• bankruptcies
• lawsuits

The US Constitution clearly states that the President cannot have conflicts of interest. Without vetting by the IRS and FBI, citizens don't know for certain whether Donald Trump does or does not have unresolved conflicts.

Paying taxes for legally specified obligations is a requirement. Citizens need to know.

Donald Trump has had at least six bankruptcies resulting in suppliers and contractors not being paid while he escaped with money. These instances need investigating. Being in charge of the nation's economy would require economic competence, and this is indicative of carelessness.

Donald Trump has many lawsuits outstanding, including a civil suit for sexual assault. The charges were made and evolving during the election process and should not have been ignored. Now, the President must confront them in court.

Following and upholding the law matters.

The popular majority of Americans did not support Donald Trump. He won the electoral vote. However, there is evidence that his winning came with propaganda support from the Russians and WikiLeaks. The FBI and Intelligence Agency have open investigations that include President Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort. Manafort allegedly cooperated with the Russians.

Citizens do not know, yet, whether Donald Trump and his associates had compromising ties to the Russians.

As it stands, President Trump's position is tenuous and conditional pending vetting by authorities to answer outstanding questions. His regulatory regime is in question because if Trump is proven to have compromised, he becomes illegitimate.

Conservative newspaper, The Washington Times had this to say.

"Democrats wasting time hating Donald Trump 

“Democrats who confuse hating Donald Trump with Mom and apple pie as the all-American recipe to win elections are blowing their chances, such as they are, for the 2018 midterm elections.

If you’re a Democrat it’s never too soon to fret and stew about the prospects.
But Democrats are having so much fun despising the Donald they’re forgetting duty to party and responsibility to exploit opportunity. The party on the outs nearly always picks up a few seats in the midterms. But sore losers forget the ancient bipartisan admonition that “now is the time for every man to come to the aid of the party.” And that includes the women. 

Even if the diehard losers can get their act together soon, the job of making a dent in the Donald’s Republican prospects will be daunting. Thirty-three seats in the Senate will be up for election in 2018, and 25 of those are now held by Democrats. Additionally, two independents who caucus and usually vote with Democratic senators will be completing their six-year terms. 

Republicans, who had to defend a host of incumbents last year, survived with a slightly reduced majority intact, and will have to defend only eight seats two years hence. Other seats may become open, due to appointment to higher office (particularly among Republicans), resignations or deaths. It just doesn’t look like 2018 will be a year for Democrats to write books about. The arithmetic just isn’t there. The chances of taking over the Senate are roughly nil, zero and none. The party is likely to win a few Republican seats in the House, but not nearly enough to flip control.” 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/16/democrats-wasting-time-hating-donald-trump/

The Boston Globe

Note: There is no intention here to advocate violence or to overthrow the government. The only path to resistance is through due process and the law.

Advocating an overthrow is illegal

I don't advocate the illegal overthrow of the Donald Trump regime. I do support complete vetting of Donald Trump and his appointees because it is apparent that he is violating the emolument clause of the US Constitution. Furthermore, his actions against the free press undermine US Constitutional rights and freedoms to which he is sworn to uphold.

"8 U.S. Code § 2385 - Advocating overthrow of Government
Current through Pub. L. 114-38. (See Public Laws for the current Congress.)
US Code
Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any such government; or
Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; or
Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
As used in this section, the terms “organizes” and “organize”, with respect to any society, group, or assembly of persons, include the recruiting of new members, the forming of new units, and the regrouping or expansion of existing clubs, classes, and other units of such society, group, or assembly of persons.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 808; July 24, 1956, ch. 678, § 2, 70 Stat. 623; Pub. L. 87–486, June 19, 1962, 76 Stat. 103; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(N), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)"

Authoritarian leader is upon us

A most trusted source for foreign policy and national security information described  President Donald Trump's appearance at the CIA as being a "rambling performance." It was that and worse. Trump makes every subject about himself. That is, he is a narcissist, among other things.

Donald Trump and his staff spout lies as if this is a usual routine. It is not. Trump attacks the free press that is unacceptable. For all of the mouthing off from Donald Trump, there is little actionable substance about things that matter most. That is the implied charge in the Foreign Policy report today.

"Foreign Policy 

By Paul McLeary with Adam Rawnsley 

Out of the gate. It was quite a weekend in Washington D.C. Things kicked off with the pomp and circumstance of a presidential inauguration and continued with half a million people loudly protesting said inauguration in the streets of the capital. The protests were met with a rambling performance by President-elect Donald Trump at CIA headquarters where he free-associated about the size of his crowds and told the intel community he is “at war” with the media, while White House press secretary Sean Spicer spouted a list of falsehoods from the podium about the size of the inaugural crowd. 

The Islamic State? Homeland security? Iraq? Syria? Afghanistan? Libya? Russia? China? North Korea? Gitmo? Nuclear proliferation? NATO? Looming budget battles? Nowhere to be found in the reality TV-like first 48 hours."
Foreign Policy, Situation Report 

fp@foreignpolicy.com

Stop him

Note: There is no intention here to advocate violence or to overthrow the government. The only path to resistance is through due process and the law.

Legal initiative to oust Trump?

By all legal means, remove the entire Trump regime from governing the United States of America.

Is there a central legal initiative to oust Donald Trump? Donald Trump is a bully and a nationalist that sounds a whole lot like Adolph Hitler. Who and what can confront him and bring him down with the power of law before too much damage is done? He and some Republicans are about the course to undermine laws and regulations that erode Constitutional rights and freedoms. That is the premise of the charge.

While some scholars and organizations will act against individual instances and abuses, needed is a broader and far-reaching organized initiative to remove the entire Trump regime from power on the charge that they are unAmerican and anti-Constitutionalists.

In today's news, Donald Trump and his press secretary propagate lies about the size of his inauguration audience. Trump lies all of the time. A lying President is a propagandist and cannot be trusted, ever. Can he be impeached for that?

"A professor at the University of Utah said there’s a strong case to impeach Donald Trump once he’s elected. 

Law professor Christopher Peterson said he found ample evidence to charge the President-elect with fraud and racketeering, both of which are considered felonies within state and federal law, KUTV reported. 

“In the United States, it is illegal for businesses to use false statements to convince consumers to purchase their services,” explained Peterson. “The evidence indicates that Trump University used a systemic pattern of fraudulent representations to trick thousands of families into investing in a program that can be argued was a sham. Fraud and racketeering are serious crimes that legally rise to the level of impeachable acts.”
Peterson also said Congress can push for an impeachment in civil cases — the president doesn’t need to be criminally convicted — and that it can consider crimes committed before the candidate was elected to office." 

http://q13fox.com/2016/11/10/university-of-utah-finds-legal-case-to-impeach-donald-trump/

"In response to Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States, Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following statement: 

“For nearly 100 years, the American Civil Liberties Union has been the nation’s premier defender of freedom and justice for all, no matter who is president. Our role is no different today. 

“President-elect Trump, as you assume the nation’s highest office, we urge you to reconsider and change course on certain campaign promises you have made. These include your plan to amass a deportation force to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants; ban the entry of Muslims into our country and aggressively surveil them; punish women for accessing abortion; reauthorize waterboarding and other forms of torture; and change our nation’s libel laws and restrict freedom of expression. 

“These proposals are not simply un-American and wrong-headed, they are unlawful and unconstitutional. They violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. If you do not reverse course and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step. Our staff of litigators and activists in every state, thousands of volunteers, and millions of card-carrying supporters are ready to fight against any encroachment on our cherished freedoms and rights. 

“One thing is certain: we will be eternally vigilant every single day of your presidency and when you leave the Oval Office, we will do the same with your successor." 

https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-statement-donald-trumps-election

The world views Trump as a bully nationalist authoritarian the likes of Adolf Hitler.

Read more here:

http://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-observer1702/20170122/282235190367539

Trump and Congress attack public art assets

The Department of Defense could save it.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is under attack. Its annual budget is $298 million. The cost of one Joint Strike Fighter is $130 million. The cost of a new US Aircraft Carrier is $13 billion by comparison. The US military could forfeit some obsolete weapon systems to save the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and they could be featured on the programming as "brought to you by viewers like the Department of Defense?"

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Links between Russian officials and Trump

The FBI and National Security Agency should have vetted all candidates for President well in advance of their being elected. The main purpose of political parties is to vet their branded candidates. In the instance of Donald Trump, he was elusive because he wasn't fully committed to the Republican Party and had disdain for both. There are no standards for vetting Presidential candidates, and that is an enormous omission in the American political system.

Who is Paul Manafort?

Born    Paul John Manafort, Jr.
April 1, 1949 (age 67)
New Britain, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma mater    Georgetown University (BA, JD)
Political party    Republican

Paul Manafort was Chairman of Donald Trump's 2016 United States Presidential campaign. Follow the money and follow the links between "Trump people" and the Russians.

"In March 2016, he joined the presidential campaign of Donald Trump to lead Trump's 'delegate-corralling' efforts. In April 2016, Trump terminated campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and promoted Manafort to the position. Manafort gained control of the daily operations of the campaign as well as an expanded $20 million budget, hiring decisions, advertising, and media strategy." 

"Manafort is best known for his lobbying efforts on behalf of pro-Russian Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych as well as for dictators such as Ferdinand Marcos and Mobutu Sese Seko and guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi.[3][4][5] He was an adviser to the presidential campaigns of Republicans Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole, and was the national chairman of the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, as well as being a senior partner in the firm Davis, Manafort, and Freedman. It was confirmed in The New York Times on the eve of the 2017 Presidential Inauguration that Manafort is under active investigation by the CIA, NSA, FBI, ODNI and FinCEN.[6]" 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Manafort

"American law enforcement and intelligence agencies are examining intercepted communications and financial transactions as part of a broad investigation into possible links between Russian officials and associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, current and former senior American officials said. 

The continuing counterintelligence investigation means that Mr. Trump will take the oath of office on Friday with his associates under investigation and after the intelligence agencies concluded that the Russian government had worked to help elect him. As president, Mr. Trump will oversee those agencies and have the authority to redirect or stop at least some of these efforts. 

The counterintelligence investigation centers at least in part on the business dealings that some of the president-elect’s past and present advisers have had with Russia. Mr. Manafort has done business in Ukraine and Russia. Some of his contacts there were under surveillance by the National Security Agency for suspected links to Russia’s Federal Security Service, one of the officials said. 

The F.B.I. investigation into Mr. Manafort began last spring, and was an outgrowth of a criminal investigation into his work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine and for the country’s former president, Viktor F. Yanukovych. In August, The Times reported that Mr. Manafort’s name had surfaced in a secret ledger that showed he had been paid millions in undisclosed cash payments. 

The Associated Press has reported that his work for Ukraine included a secret lobbying effort in Washington aimed at influencing American news organizations and government officials. 

Mr. Stone, a longtime friend of Mr. Trump’s, said in a speech in Florida last summer that he had communicated with Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy group that published the hacked Democratic emails. During the speech, Mr. Stone predicted further leaks of documents, a prediction that came true within weeks.
In a brief interview on Thursday, Mr. Stone said he had never visited Russia and had no Russian clients. He said that he had worked in Ukraine for a pro-Western party, but that any assertion that he had ties to Russian intelligence was “nonsense” and “totally false.”" 

https://mediamatters.org/blog/2017/01/19/new-york-times-trump-ally-roger-stone-under-investigation-possible-russia-ties/215068

NBC News

Side by side: Trump and Manafort

Women were assaulted directly by Trump

In the past, women were repeatedly assaulted by Donald Trump. The facts and records show it, including his smutty words and behavior. There are no excuses except people like him. Ignorance and persons lacking civility might condone or ignore his behavior as they voted for him. The majority of Americans did not.

Now, President Trump has staffed his government, mostly with wealthy white men and a few token rich women. That is the pattern which he continues.

Trump has assaulted the law by failing to come clean in abiding by the emolument clause of the US Constitution. He operates with unresolved conflicts with questions about his relationship with Russians lingering too.

His performance in business that includes at least six bankruptcies that harmed suppliers and small businesses are part of the evidence of his ruthlessness and bad judgment.

Trump is a master con man who succeeded in garnering the Electoral Votes to steal the office of President. Even if you acknowledge his political success at winning, Americans should not feel that his bigotry toward women, minorities, Muslims and immigrants is acceptable. It isn't acceptable from him, nor is it acceptable from Republicans and citizens of the United States of America.

It is for equality, liberty, justice, and fairness for all that women take the lead in protesting today. As Trump's actions inflict damage on the middle class and poor, the audience of protesters will include men too.

It would be a great thing for women to seize the moment and grab the power that they hold in their hands and in numbers.

"An Exhaustive List of the Allegations Women Have Made Against Donald Trump By The CutShareTweet 

It was just weeks ago that a tape emerged of Donald Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women. Since then, Trump has been accused of harassment and assault by a number of women, with several coming forward to share their harrowing stories of alleged misconduct by a so-called “megalomaniac” who also happens to be running for president. The Cut has compiled a list of all the new allegations against Trump, as well as past accusations of assault, harassment, and discrimination by women."

http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/10/all-the-women-accusing-trump-of-rape-sexual-assault.html

Donald Trump. Photo: Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images

Trump turned on the spigot

There is no pivot from the campaign rhetoric to governance. Trump intends to do what he has promised. He will spare no one who gets in his way.

“The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country,” said Trump, who has never held public office. “While they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land. 

“That all changes starting right here and right now because this moment is your moment, it belongs to you.” 

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/315406-five-takeaways-from-trumps-inauguration

There is one significant obstruction, and that is the US Constitution and body of law with accompanying the due process. As it is, the Republican-controlled Congress have their hands on the throttle too. A feeble Democratic minority stands in the way, too weak to even save the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts, much less the environment.

The only thing that will awaken Americans to what might be happening is when the outcomes affect them. Keep asking: Where are the jobs with upward mobility? Are we better off now?

Greg Nash Image

Emolument has not been litigated

Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin is pursuing the charge of violation of the "Emolument Clause" against Donald Trump for his apparent continued conflicts of interest. The Ethics office is equally concerned, but not so President-elect Trump.

He is a rule-bender from way back.

"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. 

ARTICLE I, SECTION 9, CLAUSE 8." 

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/68/emoluments-clause

Obtaining and presenting evidence of conflicts of interest can start with information that is a matter of public record. However, some information that is on the record has not been made public. That is the information in business records and IRS filings. That would require purposeful investigation by the IRS to vet the soon-to-be incumbent.

Trump has put off coming clean with his records, so now, the legal process will encumber him. One congressman alone can start the process, but it will take an army of lawyers to drive the charges forward to litigation.

The Heritage Foundation

Will the Trump era be truncated?

Will the Trump era be truncated?

The Washington Post, a newspaper of which Donald Trump has threatened to boycott, published this headline today:

"New era begins as Trump set to take oath 

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to undo some of the most significant pieces of President Obama’s legacy — including his signature health-care law. But Trump also enters office with a significant amount of uncertainty, since he has repeatedly contradicted other Republicans — and himself — on major questions about how immigration, taxes, health care and other issues will be handled." 

Courtesy of a WP email

What is the duration of an era? An era lasts as long as there is continuity in an associated characteristic. That is, so long as Trump is in charge, it is his era and regime.

Some pundits have speculated that the odds are against his being in office six months before being impeached. That may be wishful thinking. It all depends.

1. Will civil lawsuits undermine him, such as those for sexual assault and harassment? They can become pesky, and a distraction, but will unlikely lead to his removal.

2. Will investigations by the media and authorities expose Trump's conflicts of interests? On that, there is a higher probability. He may be able to wiggle out of them by taking certain actions. Damage could be done.

3. Will investigations into his associates and former associates who have been found to have ties to the Russians result in a meltdown by them whereby they become state's evidence? Therein lies intrigue, but these people are stout-hearted loyalists with good lawyers. Don't count on a meltdown.

4. Will Donald Trump simply trip over his deficient knowledge about the American political system, laws, and regulations such that he fails to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America?" Therein lies the trap.

Is there hope?