Trump is out of the loop

Those who are unfamiliar with the way the US government works are guilty of not paying attention. Granted, our educational system doesn’t disclose civic concepts as much as someone must learn to achieve citizenship, but there some peculiar things being done in Washington that bear mentioning.

After the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the Constitution were completed, we needed to establish rules and policies to keep all three government branches running smoothly. On the federal level, Congress established a set of rules governing ethics and etiquette. To make things a bit more complex, the House rules differ from those of the Senate.

One regulation stipulates that members of the House should dress appropriately, which has traditionally been considered to include a coat and tie for men and appropriate attire for women. Members cannot wear overcoats or hats while the House is in session and they cannot eat, drink or smoke. Also, use of personal electronic equipment, including cellular telephones and laptop computers, is banned on the floor of the House.

The Senate has 44 rules, and one of them allows a member vote to suspend them. Strange. In either house, a member saying something bad about another member is frowned upon. They cloak this decree in the hazing reality of decorum, “A Member should avoid impugning the motives of another Member, the Senate, the Vice President or the President, using offensive language, or uttering words that are otherwise deemed unparliamentary.” Ignore this directive and the chair will ask to have your words expunged from the record.

The house stipulates that a member cannot refer to another by name. Formal language such as, “the member from the great state of California,” must be used.

A Congressional member can say whatever they want outside of chambers, but while they are on the job of representing their constituency they must always be aware that words spoken in their clubhouse have power and meaning.

So, after Iowa’s Steve King said some clearly racist and neo-Nazis things online and in the press, the House rebuked him with a resolution. It’s was a public spanking, and the leaders went even further by stripping King of his positions on several influential committees.

And now we come to newly elected Ilhan Omar, from the “great state of Minnesota.” She wanted to talk about “the political influence in this country that says it is okay for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country.” She was referencing Israel. Her follow-up tweet, “It’s all about the BENJAMINS!” irked many pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans in both the Senate and the House. Her words felt like a Jewish stereotype and anti-Semitic trope to many members and had to be addressed by the Speaker of the House. Putting this in perspective, the annual funding Israel receives from the United States may be increased by $200 million in 2019. The total amount of aid is expected to be $3.3 billion in 2019. America holds true loyalty to Israel for both political and moral reasons. The moral grounding is based on the fact that America waited so long to get involved in World War II, we have a bit of guilt that had we gotten into the war sooner, we might have been able to stop Hitler’s murder machine and save lives.

The House of Representatives passed House Resolution 183, which condemns anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim discrimination and bigotry against minorities as hateful expressions of intolerance contrary to the values and aspirations of the United States. All but 23 members voted for this resolution.

Those who voted against it were all Republicans and they included: Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Ted Budd (N.C.), Michael Burgess (Texas), Liz Cheney (Wyo.), Chris Collins (N.Y.), Mike Conaway (Texas), Rick Crawford (Ark.) and Jeff Duncan (S.C.), Reps. Louie Gohmert (Texas), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Tom Graves (Ga.), Pete King (N.Y.), Doug LaMalfa (Calif.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Steven Palazzo (Miss.), Mike Rogers (Ala.), Chip Roy (Texas), Greg Steube (Fla.), Mark Walker (N.C.), Ted Yoho (Fla.) and Lee Zeldin (N.Y.). Steve King (R-Iowa), who was stripped off his committee assignments for remarks he made regarding white supremacy earlier this year, voted present.

Some said they voted against the resolution because it didn’t name Representative Omar by name. They claim they do not condone anti-Semitism or anti-Muslim speech and further state they are not defending or promoting bigotry against minorities, but it sure looks that way. Why would they possibly vote against that resolution? Some were told to by the “mind controllers” in their caucus, while other people, like Wyoming’s Liz Cheney, would vote against God himself for pushing any anti-Neo-Con viewpoint. She obviously got her opinions from her father, Dick Cheney, while he ended up with someone else’s heart. Unfortunately, they both have the same brain.

You may not like Ms. Omar’s viewpoint, but her election, by the people and for the people, was the result of how America has modified its welcome message. We aren’t as open to OTHERS these days and that forces people to cluster in neighborhoods and conclaves of like-minded speakers. And when they elect representatives, they tend to hold the beliefs and thoughts and prayers of those around them. Donald Trump is greatly responsible for more diversity in the halls of Congress. Remember, he called it a “Muslim” ban.

Trump, the master of English grammar and syntax, said the resolution was a disgrace. Once again, Trump was out of the loop and incoherent with his comments, swatting away a chance to show leadership. Liz Cheney said the resolution didn’t address the real problem before us, which was her way of conveying a feeling that the real problem in the House of Representatives is the Republicans are no longer in control. Trump has no clue on how government really works and will never learn. The perfect answer is to make him a one-term president, then arrest him.

BRAND NEW BOOK ON AMERICA

Gold, God, Guns & Goofballs shows how we’ve wasted our GOLD on bad wars and corruption. While GOD is there for many people as a spiritual enrichment and the provider of glowing feelings, the truth is just praying and believing will not change our major arc. We don’t determine who gets a GUN. We aren’t sure if we have paramilitary groups ready to storm the White House or a White Castle. There is no control of weapons. The GOOFBALLS with the power constantly try to manipulate us into spending more money on bombs and tanks and wars. When all of our institutions are infected with neglect and fall in disrepair, we will only have ourselves to blame. This book is not an antidote for the left or right, it’s an accelerant to move the middle off their collective asses to go do something positive for America.

 

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