Donald Trump takes the Oath of Office as his wife holds the Bible and his youngest son looks on. (Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Michelle Obama, Melania Trump, Donald Trump, Barack Obama at 58th presidential inauguration, January 20, the Capitol, Washington, D.C. (Jimmy Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
President Donald J. Trump’s Inauguration
I have just watched the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump. His address was ambivalent. After thanking attending former Presidents, he stated that as of 20 January 2017, it would be a new America. It was as though no one came before him.
President Abraham Lincoln and President John F. Kennedy were assassinated, but he did not name them. He did not mention Franklin Delano Roosevelt nor did he mention Mrs. Clinton, whom he defeated. He didn’t say that when President Obama took office, the United States had to pay a huge debt accrued during wars waged in the Middle East. America had been great in an undefined and somewhat mythical past and he would make it great again because power would not be in the hands of politicians in Washington. He was giving it to the people.
He did not address the larger issues: the climate, the oceans, the rainforest, peace in the Middle East. However, he will crush terrorism. Although America renews itself with each administration, it has a past and it must keep up with the times. President Obama has left the United States in much better condition than it was in 1908, and the Affordable Care Act was a landmark.
Mr Trump said that the carnage was over. Yet he was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, who oppose gun-control, and the Ku Klux Klan, who peddle hate.
Seal of the President of the United States
I will always remember President Obama inviting all former living Presidents of the United States to the White House. The United States had moments one wishes to forget and also to remember. Not so long ago, on 9/11, the United States was attacked. Back in 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked, which is when the United States entered World War II. Young men died on the beaches and cliffs of Normandy and troops then travelled north to liberate Europe and take out of various concentration camps the few who had survived Hitler’s demented “final solution.”
Yet, while I bemoan President Trump’s indictment of all the leaders who preceded him and his messianic discourse, I don’t think he meant to trivialize the four former Presidents who attended the inauguration. He escorted the Obamas to their helicopter quite cordially and then took Melania’s hand and walked her back to the stairs. They turned and stood until the helicopter departed.
Donald Trump is winning only 72 percent of Republicans, compared to Hillary Clinton, who captures 85 percent of Democrats, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. | AP Photo
I wanted to write a post about the forthcoming United States presidential elections, but somehow, I was too tired. Moreover, I thought it would be a repetition of an earlier post. (See RELATED ARTICLES.) To a certain extent, it is. I still believe that Mr Trump is not qualified to occupy the position he is seeking. However, there have been unexpected disclosures that tend to confirm my reservations. I knew that Mr Trump was not qualified to be elected President of the United States, but I would not have suspected he would grab a woman’s genitalia and force her to kiss him. That is sexual assault and, therefore, a prelude to rape. But let us look at other issues first.
Immigrants: Mexicans and Muslims
It has worried me that Mr Trump seldom addresses issues. His statements are peremptory and he lacks compassion. Where immigration is concerned, he plans to resort to drastic and offensive measures. To prevent Mexicans from moving to the United States, he intends to build a wall between Mexico and the United States. As for Muslims, in Mr Trump’s opinion, all are terrorists or potential terrorists, so, if elected, he will deny them a home in the United States. A blanket rejection of Muslims constitutes an offense to citizens of the Middle East and to citizens of Muslim origin. All Muslims are fellow human beings, and so are the Mexicans who seek refuge in the United States. They do so for compelling reasons. Therefore, that matter should be addressed in a serious and caring manner. Illegal immigrants should not be punished and sent to nowhere.
Poor Melania and poor all of us, women. Mr Trump was threatening to throw in jail those who had undergone an abortion. When I first mentioned this issue, I noted that Mr Trump did not view women as responsible citizens. Now that he has stated that he grabbed women by their genitalia and forced them to kiss him, I must conclude that he does not know sexual exchanges have to be consensual. One does not assault women. Most women or couples regulate the number of children they will raise without ever resorting to an abortion. Pregnancies are terminated when there are risks to a woman’s health and to the fetus.
Michelle Obama(Google images)
Michelle Obama is indignant and the women of the United States stand by her. They will not be assaulted. You may wish to watch the following video:
He may have been joking, but Mr Trump has stated that he would not object to the use of torture to pry the truth out of a prisoner. Under the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, torture is condemned. Does Mr Trump think torturing will yield the truth? That may not be the case. Under torture one will say anything to end the pain and humiliation, particularly if he or she does not have anything to reveal. One may survive torture, but one does not recover. It’s dreadful.
Given the above, one therefore fears for Americans. If Mr Trump is uncaring, he cannot ensure the safety of Americans and provide all with an income. One has reasons to fear for the sick, the poor, the elderly, the unemployed, the disabled, traumatized veterans, the homeless, and little children. In particular, one fears for minorities, such as homosexuals and lesbians. If elected, Mr Trump will probably revoke the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Modern societies have to make health care and medication affordable. Why not contain spiralling costs?
Presidents: there is a protocol
manners
sexual assault
laws
Mr Trump has now revealed convincingly that he is not a gentleman. He dresses properly and he is clean, but he pouts and grimaces, he is rude and has little dignity and finesse. He has lied and now we are learning that he believes he is at liberty to treat women as if they were mere flesh. In short, one can’t take him anywhere and if one cannot take him anywhere, one does not take him to the White House.
For the last eight years, the United States has had a truly remarkable president: well-educated, polite, respectful, caring, a good father and a good husband. Voters cannot foist Mr Trump on the American people and on the world. Mr Trump cannot be the President of the United States. He is unfamiliar with the dossiers and his lack of manners and view of women and other human beings damn him. There is a protocol to be observed by a president of the United States, and there are laws protecting private life.
Commander-in-chief: flawed judgement
The crisis in the Middle East is of immense importance. As President, Mr Trump would be commander-in-chief. I would prefer the United States ended the strikes. But if it does not, can we trust Mr Trump? He rushes to judgement. Remember Orlando. Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIL at the last minute, but he did not act on behalf of terrorist organization. One does not accuse anyone before one has evidence to substantiate one’s accusations. When Mr Trump accused Mr Mateen, the massacre at Orlando had not been investigated. Mr Trump’s statement was therefore prejudicial.
Mr Trump’s judgement seems flawed. Consequently, he may worsen the conflict in the Middle East. As mentioned above, he has been insulting Muslims by stating he would not allow any of them to enter the United States and Mr Mateen’s mere name was used as evidence that he was a terrorist. Ethnicity and faith do not constitute evidence of guilt. One may deplore a massacre, but one cannot assume an entire population is a terrorist organization.
We all know that, as commander-in-chief, the President of the United States can press buttons, including the wrong button(s). Voters must be careful.
Conclusion
Do I consider Donald Trump the very devil? No, I don’t. However, it would be my opinion that he cannot be elected to the presidency of the United States. Not if all Muslims are terrorists. Not if all Mexicans are undesirable immigrants, not if the American people are irrelevant and not if he views women as scatterbrained and mere sexual objects.
It was my opinion that Mr Trump was un grossier personnage, i.e. elegant, but uncouth to the core. Well, he has not given me reason to change my opinion.
I apologize for the long delay in posting. I am not well.
I have been working on a blog, now nearly finished. However, it is difficult for me to concentrate on a subject other than current events in the United States. We are nearing the elections and I cannot even send my five dollars to help the Obama/Biden campaign. I am not an American citizen. My grandfather was, but that does not count.
Since July 2011, I have been watching the United States. One of the phenomena I noticed is considerable obstructionism. Please read the Daily Complaint‘s article. Since the 2010 mid-term election, Tea Party members have sat in Congress saying no to all that President Obama was advocating. And they did so systematically.
This is a game and a nasty one. Individuals, in this case extremists in the Republican Party—such as Tea Party members—prevented (obstructionism) President Obama from bringing remedial action to a severe problem and now, come election time, they are blaming (scapegoating) President Obama for not having taken action which they prevented him from carrying out. I am speaking of the stimulus package.
The Debate
During the debate that took place on October 16th, 2012, Mr Romney found so many faults in the manner the President had managed the economy that it sounded as if the Democrats had fought two useless wars and brought the United States to the brink of a financial collapsed. As my nieces would say: gross!
In the early fall of 2008, I lost a third of my pension fund. I have now recovered that money, but at the time, I considered stepping off the planet. I could not afford to lose that money because I could not go back to work. TARP saved me as it saved many citizens of the United States and the citizens of its financial partners. Now my losses occurred at the end of a Republican administration, not during the presidency of Mr Obama.
So Mitt Romney…
So Mitt Romney cannot possibly attack President Obama where the economy is concerned. President Obama was not allowed the stimulus package he requested and there have nevertheless been improvements. My pension fund has climbed back to its August 2008 amount, but I cannot trust the Republicans.
In my view, Mr Romney and other rich Americans who are deposit their money in offshore accounts are harming the United States. One has to pay one’s taxes: that is the “freedom we surrender” (Thomas Hobbes). So, given that he hasn’t paid his dues as a citizen of the United States, I wonder if Mr Romney should be seeking the Presidency of the United States. Mr Romney was part of the problem. As matters stand in the United States, he has not been paying his fair share of taxes.
Regulation
I perceive a need for robust regulation in many areas, one of which is taxation. Just how much money can one keep under the table. Moreover, there should also be a limit to the number of jobs the rich can export. Deregulation can hurt and it has.
Here is a list of the articles I have posted on the US. It may not be complete, but I have difficulty making such lists, so I would ask for your indulgence. I will try to collect the missing posts and will listen to the Debate once again. I didn’t like President Obama’s “you’re lying,” but there are times when provocation invites a fiery response.
Micheline's Blog 