Democracy Alert

Truth & Transparency = A Stronger Democracy

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Another Trump Gift to Russia – Payback For What?

Trump did a mass firing of justice officials. It feels like this is another step towards dictatorship. Haven't we seen the same sort of thing all around the world? A dictator or so called Strong-man comes in to power promising his followers that he will make things great again. Next thing they know he is implementing actions that take away their rights.

The voters don't like it. Legal challenges are made to the actions of the president. He doesn't like it so he fires all of the judges and judiciary who won't just rubber stamp what he wants. Then puts the protesters in jail or "disappears" them.

Little did Trump voters know that they were voting to end democracy. Little did voters know they were voting have their rights taken away from them. Little did they know that the internal White house analysis of Trumpcare would boot 26 million voters, many of them Trump voters, off health insurance in the first year.. The White House analysis is even worst than the CBO office analysis Trump Fired Well Respected Attorney who was banned by Russia for Prosecuting Arms Dealer

This attorney is rumored also to have been investigating other cases about Trump ties to Russia, Trump ethics violations and Trump conflicts of interest and those in Trump's government.

It was also reported that this attorney, since he was so well regarded for his investigations and prosecutions into corruption was told by Trump personally that he could stay on even though he was originally appointed by Obama. But then word leaked out of one more investigation of one of Trump's associates and -poof the attorney was gone. Unceremoniously dispatched by a Trump administration that found they had some things they would rather remain uninvestigated.

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Trump Bungles First Military Operation With the Help of “Mad Dog” Mattis and Steve Bannon

Trump Bungles First First Military operation in a military operation he approved over dinner. Previous Presidents would have sought extensive briefings in the situation. But Trump approved this operation without the in depth consultation with security and legal experts over dinner.

This operation was approved by Trump at a dinner with "Mad Dog" Mattis, Trump's Defense Secretary. Also present were Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon.

As described in this NPR report Steve Bannon was Elevated By Trump to sit in on the National Defense Council while demoting the director of National Intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The military operation in Yeman in which the New York Times article described this Disastrous Raid said there were numerous mistakes and miscalculations - everything that could go wrong did.

The cost from Trump' Raid was high. An American commando was killed. A 75 Million Dollar aircraft was lost. There were high civilian casualties including an 8 year old girl.

Many analysts say this raid, because of the high civilian casualties in this tribal area, actually resulted in more enemies for the United States not less.

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GOP and Trump Take Another Step Towards Dictatorship and Against Democracy

In a furtive dead of the night type attack against US Democracy the House G.O.P. Votes to Gut an Office Reviewing Ethics. This was done suddenly, without any public debate. Why? Because the stink from the GOP action would alert the public to the GOP's cynical move in its own self interest. Make no mistake about this. It was not done for any other reason than to prevent the office from doing what it was tasked to do - Investigate ethics charges against house members.

It is especially highly hypocritical for the GOP and Trump who voted on a promise to "Drain the Swamp" in Washington that Trump said were filled with bankers, Wall Street, and lobbyists. What we are finding out is that Trunp and the GOP are not interested in draining the swamp to reduce banker,Wall Street, big money, and lobbyist influence. What they are interested in is draining the swamp and building a bigger and better impenetrable GOP controlled swamp. A swamp in which no one, no news organization can look inside, investigate or even question. The only reason I can think of for the GOP rushing this through is that they are all scared to death that investigations into Trump's possible ethical conflicts might uncover some House GOP ethics violations. You never know, when lifting up rocks in the swamp, what you will find underneath.

In the new GOP Controlled world Truth will be what the GOP and Trump says it is. No Debate Allowed.

All hail the Trump and GOP new ethics standard of “truthful hyperbole.”
as the NY Times article Donald Trump’s Deals Rely on Being Creative With the Truthwent on to say :
"Indeed, based on the mountain of court records churned out over the span of Mr. Trump’s career, it is hard to find a project he touched that did not produce allegations of broken promises, blatant lies or outright fraud."

This was another strike against democracy and for G.O.P. self interests.

This is especially troubling given Trump's refusal to release his tax concerns. It is especially troubling considering Trump's many potential ethical conflicts due to his wide ranging business connections. It is especially troubling given recommendation of ethics experts that he should either divest himself of all his businesses or put them into a true blind trust, not some fiction run by his chiidren. Why did they feel they had to rush this through?Could it be that the House GOP Republicans are scared to death that investigations of Trump's ethical conflicts might turn up some House GOP ethical conflict. You never know what you will uncover when lifting up rocks in the swamp and bringing things to light that some people might prerfer to remain hidden.

The first thing that will be banned in the new "ethics free" house by the GOP will be the word ETHICS. In their stealth move the first thing they changed was the name of the committe to remove the word ethics.

Nancy Pelosi released a statement quoted by National Public Radio,
"Republicans claim they want to 'drain the swamp,' but the night before the new Congress gets sworn in, the House GOP has eliminated the only independent ethics oversight of their actions," she wrote. "Evidently, ethics are the first casualty of the new Republican Congress."

The GOP takes another swipe at democracy and another takes another step towards dictatorship. I think all US citizens and politicians, both GOP and Democracy will tell you that one of the things that distinguishes our democracy from dictatorships is that our politicians can be investigated by non partisan independent government agencies.

Read the full New York Times front page article:
Without Warning House GOP Guts Office Reviewing Ethics

And from NPR the News Organization US Citizens voted the most Trustworthy source of News in the US:
House G.O.P. Votes To Strip Independence from Congressional Ethics Office

The NPR Article goes on to say:
"The language approved Monday night, authored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., would prevent staff from making public statements independent of the House Ethics Committee and prevents it from investigating anonymous tips.

So along with banning Ethics the GOP wants to ban free speech.

When I expressed surprise that the GOP would go to these lengths to attack democracy my friend reminded me. He said you know what GOP stands for don't you. It stands for G.uardians O.F P.rivilege

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Trump’s Blueprint for America – Courtesy of Vladimir Putin

Was there any doubt in your mind this election was about Donald Trump making massive amounts of money? You can judge for yourself if he is following the blueprint of Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Putin's wealth is estimated by some of the corruption and investigative groups at 40 Billion dollars. He only claims his modest official salary of approximately $100,000 a year. All of the rest of his massive wealth is from his business dealings. Russian Government officials are not supposed to have any business interests. So Putin, as ex- KGB officer, is careful to hide his tracks. Although his expensive tastes are visible in the watches that he wears which vary in cost from $18,000 to $500,000 he doesn't have any officially reported riches. All of his assets are held by his "close ones." That's not a term I made up or some speculation on my part but it comes from an investigative documentary called Putin's Hidden Treasure. It's available for viewing on Netflix and elsewhere on the internet. You can see for yourself a model of what Trump has planned for the United States. This film contends Putin has used political maneuvers and schemes to create his 40 billion in wealth.

Investigators say he is the one building a palace of marble and gold that cost approximately one Billion Euros. This palace in the south of Russia. It is visible on Google Earth. Go to Google Earth and enter "Putin's Palace Interior" to view inside shots of the ornate marble and gold extravagance. You can also search for exterior shots to see the scope of Putin's "Versailles."

Like Trump, Putin doesn't take kindly to people who criticize him. In Putin's case his critics tend to disappear or die under questionable circumstances. In Trump's case, for now, his actions are just limited to Twitter Storms. But once Trump gets his hands on the power of the presidency who knows what will happen.

Make sure you go to Netflix to watch Putin's Hidden Treasure. If you don't have Netflix ask to watch it a a friend's house who does have Netflix.

The movie describes a systematized system of bribes on a massive scale. Every contract that is entered into has a "commission" paid to a government official or business associate of 30-70%. In one example cited in the movie a "commission" of 439 million dollars was paid to a hidden partner. Vladimir Putin, always the careful ex-KGB officer, uses a code name whenever the money that is his is described. One of the people present at the meeting confirmed to the investigative reporter that this code name was indeed Vladimir Putin.

The movie then goes on to describe several infrastructure projects like a road from St. Petersburg to Moscow and buildings at the Sochi Olympics in Russia that cost many times what comparable projects cost. One of Vladimir Putin's "close ones", Arkady Rotenberg, made a commission of 4 Billion Euros on the Sochi Olympics. On the road project the investigative team at BankWatch traced the source of the funding to the Russians. Many of the same techniques exposed by the Panama Papers, like shell companies and tax havens were used to confuse and hide the truth. The Guardian reports it was revealed by the Panama Papers that 2 Billion was traced to Putin. It was claimed in the movie that the Russian Citizens know that the road project was just designed to enrich Vladimir Putin. This is probably the reason why Trump has made rebuilding infrastructure a part of his plan. He's seen, by Putin's example, it is easy to make huge profits through secret dealings and hide them through silent partnerships, undisclosed "close ones", undeclared business partnerships, and undisclosed conflicts of influence, and shell companies. After all didn't Trump tell us that he hasn't paid any taxes for 20 years while millions of hardworking Americans paid tax rates far higher. Trump's own word's- I'm smart and I know how to use the system.

Like Putin, Trump surrounded himself with a small group of close associates he trusted that profited from his political power. Trump said that he is surrounding himself with successful business people because he said that they are going to be working for a "better deal." A better deal for who - Donald Trump or Donald's "close ones?"

I believe Trump is planning on following the same blueprint of using his political power to increase his wealth, silencing his critics, and buying up media outlets so he can control the message. Since he didn't disclose his tax returns the congress, investigators, reporters, and the American people have no idea what potential conflicts of interest lay in the future. We have no idea of the many ways Donald Trump is going to use his political power to enrich himself and get a "better deal" - for himself or his "close ones." Trump has said that he is surrounding himself with successful business people who will get a "better deal." But a better deal for who? In Vladimir Putin's case his "close ones" included a childhood friend who had a construction business Arkady Rotenberg. You remember Arkady Rotenberg the man who made 4 billion Euros from the Sochi Olympics. A project that cost the Russian nation many time what it should have.

You always knew on some level this was all about Trump, all about enriching himself. "Making America Great" was just a means to his end of enriching himself. In one of the presidential debates he famously boasted he could kill someone in the street and his supporters would still stick with him.

But I think the one thing his supporters will not stand for is Donald Trump selling the democracy and the United States of America to Russia for his own personal gain.

To learn more read our next post The Twelve Trump Days of Christmas - Donald's Gifts to Vladimir Putin and Russia.