The Floodgates Open in Washinton
Benghazi! The Clinton Family Foundation! And of course,
the EMAILS!! Terrible, Terrible,
Terrible! Of course, these things
weren’t terrible, but only the vastly overstated and generally unsubstantiated
issues onto which the Republican Party hung its hat in the 2016 campaign. And many voters chose to vote Republican
based on these issues. They won.
And
it hasn’t taken long for issues to arise concerning the G.O.P., particularly
the rudderless Administration it brought into power, featuring novices in
governance who have no idea how the Executive Branch works, issues that make Benghazi, the Foundation and the Emails (which
they don’t talk about much anymore) seem insignificant. They pale when
compared to a documented liar appointed as National Security Chief, an
incompetently drawn unconstitutional “Executive Order” really aimed at keeping
Muslims out of the country, a White House advisor shilling for the President’s
daughter’s business, and a policy of insulting anyone who disagrees with you,
specifically judges and journalists. But
I suppose there is nothing in Constitution regarding being insulting to those
you don’t like.
The
Republican President, in winning the G.O.P. Primary and the General Election,
did not spare his venom in attacking and insulting his opponents. Once elected, any source of criticism of the
Administration, has become subject to the same treatment. A Federal judge, approved by Congress, who
rules against the Administration, becomes a “so-called” judge. During the
campaign, another Federal Judge was chastised because of his parents’
birthplace. Quietly, throughout the
country, the Judicial Branch of our government is recognizing that the
Executive Branch has no understanding of what a judiciary is all about, and
considers any court which rules against the government to be an enemy. Judge Gorsuch, nominated by the President,
and probably to be approved by the Senate for the vacant Supreme Court seat,
while a conservative jurist, may turn out to be an opponent of a President who
denigrates the Judiciary, for just that reason.
The
administration has declared that the press, when it disagrees with it, or
questions it too closely, is its enemy.
The First Amendment protects media and journalists are out there looking
for facts and truthful answers. Throwing
alternate facts (translates as “lies”) and hostility at them only weakens the
Administration, perhaps fatally.
Right now, a President who chooses to believe only what he wants
to believe has been faced with “facts” provided by his enemies, the press,
finds there are no “alternate facts” to come up with! The
White House’s National Security Advisor Mike Flynn has resigned, after being
exposed as having been talking to the Russian Ambassador in Washington about
reducing the sanctions which the United States had imposed on Russia because of
their apparent interference in our Presidential election … while Barack Obama was
still President, and perhaps during the Presidential campaign. This happens have been illegal but more
important is the fact that when asked about this, Flynn lied to the public and
said he did not discuss sanctions with the Ambassador. More damning, he lied to Vice President Pence
who was snookered into backing up the lie.
And it is coming out, through the press that weeks ago, the acting
Attorney General communicated that Flynn’s involvement with Russia reached the
extent that he might be blackmailed. It is inconceivable that the man in the White House did
not know about this. Unless he was
party to it himself. Or mentally
incapable of grasping its ramifications.
(And lurking behind this is that unconfirmed dossier of
information concerning the man in the White House’s visit to Russia a few years
ago. I believe that it will never be “confimed”
but that does not subtract it from the overall background.)
For
years, Republicans have claimed that Democrats were “soft on Communism.” The Administration, and Flynn’s actions have
backed up the idea that this Republican Administration are the ones who want to
cuddle up to the Russians at the expense of NATO and our Eastern European
allies. Why? Are
they being blackmailed, right now, into that policy? How could Flynn not have known that when he
made up stories, there was documentation to prove him a liar. This man had spent years in the intelligence
community. Some National Security Chief he would have made. Besides pointing
up the disaster that the White House is today, more harm has been done to
America’s relationships with its European allies by this than a trainload of
unauthorized Email Servers !!!
And many will wonder, until it is disproved, whether this White House change in attitude toward Russia has anything whatsoever to do with the supposed support that Russia provided to "Wikileaks" in undermining the Democrats in the 2016 election.
But
let’s not forget the furor that has revolved around the Administration’s ban on
non-citizens from certain countries entering the country. The intent of this ban was to restrict Muslim
immigration. It
is well documented that the Presidential candidate campaigned on keeping
Muslims out of the country, and that he sought advice as to how to do this
without violating the Constitution. Banning people by “countries,” (which happened
to be overwhelmingly Muslim) rather than banning Muslims was the way to
go. The
Circuit Court judge (the one referred to as a “so-called” judge by the
“so-called” President … turnabout is fair play) and
an Appeals Panel of three judges ruled against the Administration. It was clear that their “Executive Order”
was poorly drawn. They can certainly
redraft it, but in the meantime, it has painted the Administration as a hater
of Muslims, given ISIS recruiters a great talking point and aroused the enmity
of Muslim nations which are supposed to be our friends and allies fighting ISIS. More harm has
been done to America by the clowns in the Administration who engineered this
Executive Order than a dozen Benghazis!!!
And
when the pathetic women advisor in the White House urged, in jest, but none the
less urged, women to purchase Ivanka’s merchandise when the press questioned
the propriety of a relative of the President using her position to operate a
business, she didn’t add any luster to the White House either.
Whatever the Republicans charged the Democrats with during the
campaign, they are permitting their new Administration to get away with, in
spades! And to keep the gullible, their traditional
base of support, from wising up to their dishonesty, they are attempting to
muzzle the press, whom they consider to be their enemy. In reality, truth is their enemy. Let’s repeat that. TRUTH IS THEIR
ENEMY!
Let’s see what happens to the gullible when the coal mines don’t reopen,
the jobs that come back from overseas can be handled mostly by robots and their
health insurance costs skyrocket, without the government to subsidize them. That’s when the
gullible become the angry and the angry become Democrats, but only if the
Democrats don’t shoot themselves in the foot by swinging too far leftward. If that
happens, there is a “right” far to the right of Rasputin, oops, I meant
Bannon, to which the gullible might turn.
Meanwhile,
the man occupying the White House, according
to one Congressman, “is now governing while also
owning a business with international investments. The Constitution faces unprecedented threats due to this
arrangement." Even though the President doesn’t have to release his tax
returns, Congress can demand to see them, at first confidentially, but
eventually with the possibility that they may be made public to clarify this
situation. You can read an article
about this from CNN - Money by CLICKING RIGHT HERE! Could it be
that what is in those tax returns relates to other aspects of some of the problems
besetting the White House? Are there international investments involved which those returns would reveal and which the man in the White House wants to keep from revealing to the public? If “clicking” didn’t work for you, you can always copy this
and paste it on your browser line: http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/07/news/economy/trump-tax-returns/
Finally, the country awaits a hint as to how the Republican
Administration will react to the real international threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear
program. We need a friendly relationship with China, whom the White House
occupant initially antagonized by talking with the Taiwanese President, to
maneuver in that situation. Also, our
relationship with China is based on the kind of global trade upon which the
White House occupant has frowned. That
won’t help either. Decisions in this
area will be made by the President, who seems to believe only what he chooses
to believe, a brand new National Security head (replacing Flynn), a Secretary
of State who knows oil but not diplomacy, Defense Chief Mattis who understands
all the equations and Steve Bannon, who is waiting for the world to blow up
anyway, and won’t hesitate to assist it to do so. We hope Mattis controls the conversation when
push comes to shove. We also hope that
this strategy is discussed in a high-tech situation room setting rather than at
a table with dinner guests at Mar-a-Lago by our Chief Executive.
All of this mess has to be corrected. To do so is the job of the Republican Party,
which controls both Houses of Congress.
Congress
It
is a mess that they created when they allowed control of their party to fall
into the hands of those who felt a protectionist, nativist, racist campaign
would be the best course for the G.O.P., in order to increase their voter base.
They won the election but they lost their Party. It is not too late for them to take it back
and join with Democrats, the Judiciary and the press to save the country from
the forces of evil so evident in post-Obama Washington. But time is short. Very short.
Jack Lippman
Suggestions For Democrats
I received an email the other day talking about how Democrats
might approach dealing with the Republican Administration and the occupant of
the White House. In an environment where
Democrats are being urged to “Resist,” it is well worth noting. Here it is.
1. Don't use his name;
2. Remember this is a regime and he's not acting alone;
3. Do not argue with those who support him--it doesn't work;
4. Focus on his policies, not his orange-ness and mental state;
5. Keep your message positive; they want the country to be angry and fearful
because this is the soil from which their darkest policies will grow;
6. No more helpless/hopeless talk;
7. Support artists and the arts;
8. Be careful not to spread fake news. Check it;
9. Take care of yourselves; and
10. Resist! 
Keep demonstrations peaceful. In the words of John Lennon, "When it gets
down to having to use violence, then you are playing the system’s game. The
establishment will irritate you - pull your beard, flick your face - to make
you fight! Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle
you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and
humor."
When you post or talk about him, don't assign his actions to him, assign them
to "The Republican Administration," or "The Republicans."
This will have several effects: the Republican legislators will either have to
take responsibility for their association with him or stand up for what some of
them don't like; he will not get the focus of attention he craves; Republican
representatives will become very concerned about their re-elections.
JL
Changes in Policy toward Israel
Some
friends of mine voted Republican in 2016 because they disliked Barack Obama’s
position on Israel which the Democratic candidate supported. The Republican candidate, in order to get Jewish
votes, pledged to move the United States Embassy to Jerusalem and stop
criticizing Israel for extending settlements into the West Bank. (He didn’t get mine.)
The
other day, he walked back a bit from sticking to these positions, both of which
would make it much more difficult for us to deal with friendly Middle East
nations who are fighting ISIS alongside of us, and work for an eventual
two-state solution for the Palestinians, something all but the most extreme
zealots on both sides, desire.
I
wonder how far back the President will push back his pre-election position in
view of Bibi Netanyahu’s forthcoming visit to the United States this week.
JL
A New Crissy Frost Story
Beach Party
Jack
Lippman
(This is the sixth of a series of very
short stories featuring Chrissy Frost, singer, senior citizen and Queen of the
Condo Circuit. Who knows, I may combine them into a book. For the
first five installments, check out the postings of July 11, July 27, September
6, November 10 and December 21. In that
last one, Chrissy is recruited by the DEA to help capture a notorious drug
trafficker whom she had been foolish enough to befriend back in the November 10
posting. Become a Chrissy Frost fan!)
“Hey,
Chrissy,” Nutsy called out. “I got some
fun stuff for us to do tonight! When was
the last time you went to a beach party?
I’m invited to one tonight and I’d love it if you came along. Game for
it, girl?”
“What
kind of party?” Chrissy replied, tapping the topaz on the bracelet Cleopatra
had given to her. “It’s really too cold
out there, and I don’t want to get sandy.”
Nutsy
looked at her strangely. It was a look
that Chrissy had never seen before.
“You’re coming, and no ifs, ands or buts about it. I need you to be there.” He spoke stridently,
in a no-messing-around almost alarming manner.
Chrissy
looked away for a second, and when her eyes returned to Nutsy, he was holding a
revolver in his hand. “This says you’re
coming with me tonight, Chris! Understand?”
“What
kind of shit is this, Nutsy?” But her
question was just a front. She knew he
was onto her.
“Same
kind of shit you’ve been pulling on me for the past month. Don’t you think I’ve caught you moving that
flower pot around, the one by the mailbox?
That’s an old trick. You’re
tipping off someone about something, and I have a vague idea
that it’s
me … so that’s why you and me are going to a beach party tonight!”
“What are
you talking about? You gotta be out of
your mind!”
“No, it’s
you who’s out of your mind. I think
you’re working with the cops, Chrissy. I
never thought you’d pull that on me.”
“Like I
said, you’re crazy. Why would I do
that?”
“I
dunno,” Nutsy answered. “But I started
to worry about you when that schvatzah came to the house last week and you
spent a little too much time talking to her.”
“You’re
crazy, Nutsy. She answered an ad I
placed on the community bulletin board for a new cleaning woman. Haven’t you noticed this place isn’t as neat
as it used to be since Maria quit and went back to Honduras? But she couldn’t come when we wanted her. We’re still looking for someone.”
“That’s
what you say, Chrissy. I say she was a
cop. I can smell them a mile away. And that’s why you’re coming to the beach
with me tonight.” Nutsy pointed at the
revolver. “I can smell them a mile
away.”
Chrissy
was relieved that Stella was out in Seattle visiting her kids so she wouldn’t
get involved in what she was afraid was going to be a very messy evening. She hoped whoever was supposed to be
listening when she tapped the topaz was at the top of their game that day, and
not on a coffee break or something.
“What
beach are we going to, Nutsy,” Chrissy asked.
“What
kind of question is that, sweetheart?
Sounds like one you’d ask if you wuz wearing a wire!” With that he pulled at Chrissy’s blouse,
roughing her up a bit as he tried to see if she actually were wearing one.
“Guess
you’re clean … but just shut up, and get in the car,” he replied, pushing her
out the front door.
Chrissy
began shaking, for the first time really realizing that she had gotten herself
into something deep, and it wasn’t sand.
But she gritted her teeth and didn’t let Nutsy sense her fear. She sang to herself.
“When you walk in a storm, keep your head held
high,
And don’t be afraid of the dark,
At the end of the storm is a golden sky,
And the sweet silver song of a lark.”
*
* *
Twenty
minutes later, without any lights, they pulled into the darkened parking lot at
Gulfstream Beach, on the road running parallel to the ocean known as A-1-A,
just a little bit south of the surfboard shop near Briny Breezes. The entrance was closed but someone had
managed to slice through the gate’s lock and raise the arm so the car could get
through.
“Hey,
Nutsy, all set for a big night,” called out a familiar voice. It was Rocky.
“Yup! We’ll just settle down on the beach and
wait. You brought beach chairs I hope.”
“Sure,
and also some coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts.
The kind in a box that stays warm.
What’s with the broad? Why did
you bring her along. Dames mean trouble,
Nutsy. You know that.”
“Rocky,
I’m pissed at you for ever introducing me to her. I think she’s been talking to the cops. I don’t want to take any chances, so if I’m
wrong, I’m wrong, but if I’m right, it’s handy to have a hostage around. You never know what will come down.”
By then
they had walked down the wooden steps and set themselves up on the beach. Within a few minutes, a faint blinking light
appeared, some distance off shore. It
got closer and closer.
“Short
blink, short blink, long blink, short blink.
That’s the signal alright. This
is what we’ve been waiting for. Answer
them, Rocky. What’s in that boat is
worth three million on the street.”
Rocky
pulled out a flashlight he had bought that afternoon at Harbor Freight and
answered. “Long blink, long blink, short
blink, long blink.”
Within a
few minutes a black rubber boat, actually a large motorized raft, pulled itself
onto the shore. Two men, dressed in
black, carried four waterproofed cartons onto the sand near where Nutsy, Rocky
and Crissy sat. Nutsy walked over to the
boxes, examined them and handed an envelope to one of the men in black.
It was
then that all hell broke loose.
The rhythmic
roar of a helicopter beating the air directly overhead drowned out all other
sound. Floodlights from above bathed the
beach with light. A loudspeaker blared
out. “This is the Drug Enforcement
Agency. Drop any weapons you have and
lay flat on the sand. We have you
surrounded. Our agents are approaching
you from all sides.”
Nutsy
grabbed Crissy around the waist and held the revolver to her throat. “We got a hostage here,” he screamed. “I get out of here free and clear or she
dies. Understand?”
The only
answer was silence, finally interrupted by the blazing pulsating of a whiter
than white, brighter than bright, laser-like brilliance shooting down from the
helicopter. Then suddenly, in that
instant before Nutsy’s eyes could adjust to what was going on, what appeared to
be a creature the size of a bear, or maybe a Florida version of the abominable
snowman, came flying out of the beach plum bushes in front of which they had
planted the beach chairs. Or was it the
largest defensive tackle the NFL had ever seen, and it was screaming, “Drop the
gun, asshole!” And before Nutsy had time
to think, let along squeeze the trigger, he was pinned to the ground by
Cleopatra Cohen, gasping as his open mouth filled with the sand into which she
was deeply pushing his face. After that,
all that had to be done was to pick up the pieces. And the DEA people set to work doing that,
leading Nutsy and Rocky away in handcuffs.
Meanwhile the Coast Guard had already captured the two men in the rubber
boat.
*
* *
Later, back
in the house at Valencia Heights, the two women sat over steaming cups of coffee,
laced with brandy.
“Chrissy,”
Cleopatra said, “It’ll be a long, long time before Nutsy and Rocky get out of
prison, if they ever do. But we really
want to thank you for your help. Without
you, we would never have been able to catch them, and the two guys on the boat
too. If you’d like it, we can get you a
nice printed up commendation from the DEA.
Framed and everything. Maybe even
a ceremony in Washington.”
“Nah, all
I want is my bracelet back.”
Cleopatra
smiled. “You already got it, baby. There was never a second bracelet. All that stuff about a GPS and a
communications device was bullshit. We
don’t have money in our budget for stuff like that. We ain’t the CIA. We even had to borrow the helicopter we used
tonight from the Palm Beach County Sheriff!”
“But how
did you know where we were? That he was
dragging me to the beach?”
“Old
fashioned police work, Chrissy. We had
agents planted in a couple of houses on your street and were able to watch you
24 hours a day. When we saw him push you
into the car at gunpoint, we knew this was the night, and we made our move.”
“I think
I’ll stick to singing, Cleopatra, and staying home a bit more. I’m deserting the Florida club scene for a
while. But I will invite you to my next
show. Okay?”
“It’s a
deal. You know I sing a little myself
too,” Cleopatra Cohen answered as she got up and walked toward the door. “You know this one?” She was a soprano with the kind of strong voice
you hear from those who passed some of their Sunday mornings in church choirs. Turning toward Chrissy, she sang out:
“Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown,”
Chrissy got
up and grasped Cleopatra’s hand, and smiled as their voices joined in delicious
harmony.
“Walk on, walk on,
With hope in your heart,
And you’ll never walk alone.
You’ll nehhh-vaaaah waaaalk a-lonnnne!”
“Cleopatra,
that was great. Maybe someday you’ll
come up on stage with me?”
“Don’t
hold your breath.” And she was out the
door.
Stella was
due to be returning from Seattle the next day, Chrissy remembered. And while she set about straightening out
the house a bit, she tried to imagine the expression on Stella’s face when she
told her that she wouldn’t be seeing Rocky Levine again for a long, long time,
probably never. But knowing how Stella had
ultimately accepted her husband’s death, she knew getting over Rocky would be
no problem for her. None at all. Life must go on.
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