I take extreme exception to Lloyd Kay’s depiction of President Trump as a “traitor” [“Vote to Save our Country, Freedom and Lives,” Oct. 10, Xpress], especially without providing a shred of evidence to support such a spurious claim. I would never describe any president, past or present, as a traitor.
However, let’s look at the record: For 20 years, President Obama attended a church headed up by the Rev. [Jeremiah] Wright; in his sermons, he did not say “God bless America.” Instead he said, “God damn America.” Obama was friendly with former members of a terrorist organization, the Weather Underground. He approved $150 billion for a deal with Iran, a country that burned our flag and chanted “Death to America.” And when Obama first got into office, he went on an “apology tour” throughout the world, apologizing for America’s greatness.
Contrast that with the record of President Trump, who extricated our country from the miserable deal with Iran, regained the world’s respect for America, moved the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, is negotiating from strength with North Korea and rebuilding our military. Not to mention lowering the unemployment rate to its lowest level in decades, making America a net exporter of energy after decades of being at the mercy of other nations, some not very friendly, for our energy needs.
That certainly does not look like the record of a “traitor.”
— Roger Gilmore
Mars Hill
Editor’s note: The New York Times noted in an April article that the U.S. and European nations released $100 billion in frozen Iranian assets in the 2015 nuclear deal. And the U.S. Energy Information Association projected that the U.S. will become a net exporter of energy by 2022, according to a February article in The Hill.
Let’s start with the miserable deal with Iran. Why do you say it was a miserable deal?
Regained the world’s respect for America? By bumbling around on stage, literally and figuratively, kissing the butt of a North Koran tyrant and telling the world what a great human being Kim is and that he (Trump) is “in love” with him? Telling the world he has reached a denuclearization deal while Kim continues to build more weapons and more rockets and to laugh at Trump?
Moved the American Embassy to Jerusalem at a cost of who knows how many millions of dollars? For no real purpose other than to pay back the right wing Christians who voted him into office? That’s nothing more than bribery.
Lowering the unemployment level to its lowest point in decades? While at the same time the people who are at the low end are dependent upon government assistance just to feed their children. And while many people have to work two jobs just to be able to have a roof over their heads. At the same time the number of people below the poverty level increases every year.
Making America a net exporter of energy? The reality is we’ve been in that position for about eight years. So nice of you to give credit to a man who wants to pollute the world with more coal.
No, Mr. Putin’s Red Pet is not a traitor, he is just a bumbling, disgusting, illiterate clown who cannot seem to find anyone to work for him but grifters, con men, and tax evaders.
He has told more lies to the American public than all the other Presidents in history, starting with the biggest lie of all: I will publish my tax returns after the election. And you bought into it. What does that make you?
And what exactly are those jobs that the “illegals” are lowering the wages for?
LOL, construction, laborers, service sector, any area that an illegal works will see lower overall wages. Remember, the person hiring is usually saving money on both ends. One way with low wages and the other by not paying payroll taxes, insurance, or anything else.
” . .Moved the American Embassy to Jerusalem at a cost of who knows how many millions of dollars? For no real purpose other than to pay back the right wing Christians who voted him into office? That’s nothing more than bribery. . .”
In moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, Trump was following the law passe by Congress in 1995. A private donor paid the cost.
According to the Washington Post, “the House and Senate passed a bill called the ‘Jerusalem Embassy Act,’ which formally recognized the city as the country’s capital and called for the U.S. Embassy in Israel to be moved there from Tel Aviv by 1999. Support for the bill was overwhelming. It passed the Senate by a 93 to 5 vote, with four Republicans and one Democrat voting no. It passed the House 374 to 37, with 153 Democrats joining most of the new Republican majority that had swept into power in 1994.”
You may want to read up a bit more on the law you cite. Every President since 1995 has deferred action, as authorized by the law, INCLUDING MR. PUTIN’S RED PET, whose last deferral of the move to Jerusalem was signed June 4, 2018. I know that this sort of thing messes with your Weltanschauung, but I am not making it up. If you want to know more, I suggest you read the following: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_Embassy_Act
You may want to ask a doctor why your right knee is jerking spasmodically.
In moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, Trump was following the law passe by Congress in 1995
So all three previous Presidents including W. were breaking the law by not moving the embassy? Please. Ever since Congress passed the law, Presidents have chosen not to implement it, which is their right. The Constitution gives the President sole authority to recognize US territory overseas. Congress doesn’t conduct foreign policy – the President does. All three previous Presidents chose to leave our embassy in Tel Aviv. Trump chose to move it all by his lonesome, IMO, as a payoff to the Christian Right, as Ted said. Claiming that Trump was just “following the law” is a misrepresentation.
The issue of authority for foreign affairs is complicated and not as clear cut as Mr. Summers suggests. Mr. Summers and readers might be interested in this nuanced discussion from the Council on Foreign Relations: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-foreign-policy-powers-congress-and-president.
“Let’s start with the miserable deal with Iran. Why do you say it was a miserable deal? ”
I’m guessing he thinks so because it was negotiated by the Obama administration.
Do tell us the details of the deal? The specifics please. Oh and don;t forget the transfers of money to the Iranian government.
It was the Iranians ‘ money which we had confiscated. An international court ordered the US to give it back. YCLIU
LOL still waiting on the specifics? What’s that, they don’t matter? Of course not. So long as leftist can sell out the country it’s a win-win. You know it’s immotal to build a wall but not to subsidize people for jumping the fence. To the detriment of your own citizens. Maybe they should flash the figures of what that really costs at sporting events. Cause if these sheep knew that the government spends more on people that shouldn’t be here vs them, i doubt they be nice
Show us where the government spends more on people who should not be here than on people who should be here. Show us. Show us. I will await your citations to references supporting that incredible statement but I will not be holding my breath. I do no look good in cyanotic purple. You know as well as I do you cannot prove your words.
Ted – a few specifics from CA – 2.5 mil ESL students [large % illegal or child of illegal] special classes to learn a foreign language [Eng.] also made available for parents or older siblings. Ditto for medical clinics for student & family. Not to omit – that EVERY dollar spent for illegals must be subtracted from a finite local and state educational budget ”pie”. Not only providing services not made available to American students & family, but taking much needed funds intended for AMERICAN STUDENT’S education.
Not to take this conversation much further, I did indeed LIU. Here’s an interesting analysis:
https://scholarship.law.gwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1902&context=faculty_publications: The United States and the International Court of Justice: Coping with Antinomies.
And Wikipedia states, “The key principle is that the Court only has jurisdiction on the basis of consent. The court has no true compulsory jurisdiction.”
Oh boy, here we go.
I like my Presidents who have staff members without criminal indictments.
Who also don’t pay porn stars hush money.
Who also never puts their business interests over the interests of the country.
LOL why did Lois Lerner plead the 5th when questioned before a congressional committee? When you use your position to target and persecute, punish, and financially ruin those of the opposite political spectrum, I’d say that metes out a good long prison sentence.
Clinton’s use of private servers and emails to conduct government business was what? A scandal that if pursued would see her jailed.
Blaming Benghazi on a video and jailing the creator of it without due process is what?
We keep hearing about passing an infrastructure bill to create jobs. How many were passed during the Obama administration? Two huge one’s totaling in the trillions. Did the infrastructure ever get fixed? Or were these really payoffs to cronies? We’ll never know because a lot of the corruption during his administration was ignored by the media and swept under the rug by the swamp. So you may like your Presidents clean but don’t pretend the last one was an angel and his staff were holy.
Notes three scandals that were blown out of all proportion, then says that there were probably lots more scandals that were buried. Perfect pretzel logic. It’s just a reminder that certain people cheer on behavior from their political leaders that they would otherwise condemn — as long as people like themselves aren’t directly suffering as a result.
You’re talking about Lerner? Pleading the 5th is blowing it out of proportion? LOL, unreal. Using the FBI to enter documents obtained by one political party to investigate the Presidential candidate of the other is blowing it all out of proportion? LOL, The behavior of Trump is what? He took down one huge moron simply by making her prove her lineage. Or lack of. Problem is people like YOU people look the other way. The Greene scandal is proof of that.
Trump’s not a traitor. But many of the people you support are.
Spot on. I also like Presidents who don’t mock handicapped reporters, former Prisoners of War, and bereaved parents of an elite soldier.
I like presidents who aren’t supported by both groups and individuals which promote bigotry and, moreover, tacitly accept that support by not openly, repeatedly, and loudly denouncing it.
And please…do not attempt the spurious argument of “liberal hate” or whatever. I’m talking about groups and individuals whose basic morals- which they are free express, sure, no arguing that- are traitorous to the values the USA has promoted and defended around the world for the past 100 years.
I like my presidents and their staff members to have plenty of criminal indictments like I’ve been used to all my life. To me it seems ordinary for as long as I can remember. I also think its right for any person in government to have a extra person on the side for enjoyment especially when they get tired of their regular spouse or friend. And any person can pay a porn star extra money if they want. God would want that. Just ask old jimmy Swag a lot. Excuse me father for I have sinned. And I never had a problem with any political person trying to put their business interest in front of the great and best country in the world. Our U.S.A. Now that I didn’t tell you the truth. Please don’t get mad at me. Because all I’m doing is rehearsing in case I decide to run for office some day. I’ll be ready to lie lie and lie and just lie some more. Just another day for them. But for us, the cops are coming. Ok have a good day and a better future for all.
Are we talking about the Iran-Contra arms deal that happened under Reagan, circumventing the arms embargo of Iran that President Carter put in place, and the conspirators (Ollie North et al) that were pardoned by Bush Sr? That Iran deal?
KEEP DRINKING THE KOOL-AID.
We love Trump because he never settles for second best. In our hearts, he’ll always be Individual-1.
As of yesterday, it’s clear that Trump has committed criminal acts. The question of whether he’ll actually spend time behind bars still remains.
I would say lifting sanctions on Deripaska who directly impacted the 2016 election meddling with campaign data Manafort provided to Russian agent Konstantin Kilimnik is one clue. Manafort owed Deripaska millions of dollars and Manafort was violating his cooperation agreement with Robert Mueller. In part, he was trying to play both sides with Trump who was and has consistently been witness tampering in plain sight. He fired James Comey and laughed about it with Russians, too.
The fact that Mitch McConnell and the Republicans in the senate are going along with the shutdown despite the unanimous deal Trump made back in December also tells me something about them. Especially amidst some news articles about how McConnels wife Chao was making money off backroom deals with Chinese businesses. Who knows what else there might be because if Manafort was doing business with the Russians and trying to help them manipulate the election it’s very feasible members of the RNC became complicit at some point. Especially with the Russian money being laundered through the NRA.
He wants to pull us out from NATO and has been a harsh critic of it for ages. He didn’t blame Saudi Arabia’s prince Mohammed Bin Salman for the brutal murder of WaPo journalist and permanent American resident Jamal Khashoggi even though all of Congress had to rebuke him for that because the truth is the truth despite Giuliani (or Nosferatu as I’d like to call him). Giuliani lied repeatedly about the fact that he didn’t say there was no collusion in the campaign and he’s Donald Trump’s bloody lawyer.
Trump paid off Stormy Daniels illegally through Michael Cohen and also had Michael Cohen fix polling data to help get him elected. Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security advisor was accused of treason by the judge based off of redacted portions of Mueller’s report. It’s feasible that Flynn was also involved in a kidnapping plot on behalf of Turkish President Erdogan.
Also note that anything Cohen testifies to that’s considered truthful is backed by hard evidence. And lets not forget that Trump has been destroying all records of his meetings with Vladimir Putin which puts him in a position to be blackmailed by Putin himself with whatever Putin decides to claim Trump said. That is, assuming Trump doesn’t do what he wants in pulling out of Syria and lifting sanctions. Which I seriously have no idea how Republicans can support.
Trump is a witting or unwitting traitor to the interests of the American people and the shutdown fiasco over a nonsensical border wall is only further proof. He’s doing this as a distraction and trying to hamstring the justice department (one of the unfunded ones) as well as harming countless American citizens.
So I’m sorry but, I don’t know if you pay any attention to the facts or what’s really going on but this is disturbing. Go ahead and verify most of what I just posted. About the only thing that’s grasping at straws is the insult to the Kentucky turtle McConnell. Who if he had the balls or any heart at all could reopen the government within days. Then again, nobody in the Republican party has any pity for struggling government workers I’m sure. They just want their waste-of-money border wall even though border arrests are at a 46 year low and Trump never even finished spending last years budget for border security.