We are slightly into week two of the new administration, and I am frankly appalled at the mean-spirited tyranny coming from the oval office. I am not shocked, because the person residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. has always portrayed himself as a tyrant, a whiner, and basically a very mean-spirited child who lives to ‘get even’ with anyone who crosses him. But even I am appalled at what is happening to this great country.
Yet, I am appalled not so much about what the man is doing, but by the acquiescence of Congress supporting him. Many of those same people derided him during the campaign and openly called many of his campaign promises ‘un-American’, unconstitutional, and ‘deluded’. But now, that are waving his flag of bigotry, hatred, and retribution.
No one who sits in the oval office should ever use their position as an opportunity to feed their ego. Unfortunately, no one in the administration has the balls to say, ‘excuse me, but we shouldn’t do that because…it’s just wrong’; and, if anyone does, his wrath is swift. Just ask the Acting Attorney General whom he fired for directing employees to ignore his executive order that is clearly unconstitutional. Or ask the under Secretary of Interior who was called to his office and derided because someone from the Parks Department re-tweeted a photo of his inauguration crowd versus the size of the Obama inauguration crowd. He was then directed to find more ‘accurate’ photos, or rather, photos that matched the egotist’s view of his inauguration. The under Secretary of Interior did supply more photos; however, none matched the delusion the president had in his head. When the administration posted photos, it was clear they had cropped them and were showing a cross-view; not the long-view of the mall.
The president then went to the CIA to speak. He chose the CIA I believe to make his point that he is in charge and only his voice counts. He had waged a public relations campaign against the intelligence community in general and the CIA in particular. He used the opportunity (with his own staffers applauding from the audience) to wage war on the press. For the media, in his opinion, is the bane of his existence.
Next, his spokesperson called a press conference to deride them for their coverage of the women’s march in Washington that occurred the day after the inauguration. A march that was greatly more attended than the inauguration itself. He took no questions after openly scolding them as if they were naughty children.
By Monday, several federal agencies were under a media blackout. Again, the white house spokesperson took to the microphone to say the administration was not behind the blackouts and individual agencies were responsible for their own communication. Really?!
None of these events should come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the news; unless of course, they only follow one very conservative news organization that clearly supports what is happening.
I follow many news organizations. I do so partly because I like to hear all sides of a story and make up my own mind, and partly because it is my job.
As I have said earlier, I am not surprised by anything that has come out of the oval office in the past eleven days. What has surprised me is that Congress is allowing it! Many of the executive orders issued in the past two weeks are, frankly, not enforceable. Some are unconstitutional and have already been challenged by states. Many are downright hostile, as are most of his cabinet appointments. Picking people who are opposed to the mission of an agency to run that agency is downright hostile and shows no regard for the many people laboring in those agencies to help ordinary American citizens.
Someone needs to tell the president that he needs to read the Constitution. Or, perhaps they should read it themselves. The president’s job is not to make law. That is Congress’ job.
The man is a tyrant. We are hearing rumblings from the hill that he and his administration are looking for ways to further freeze out Congress. Since his family is of German heritage, I feel compelled to remind people that Hitler’s rise to power was also dubious. Once proclaimed as chancellor of Germany, he systematically seized power.
How did he do that? He appointed his hand-picked henchmen (men without scruples and who were as power hungry as Hitler himself) to all positions of power. He waged a war on the media, denouncing any news organization that opposed his power. He waged war on the intellectuals; those people who were clearly smarter than himself and for whom he had great disdain. He chose one group of people to malign and hold accountable for all things bad in Germany. He systematically orchestrated a takeover of all government and business organizations. He then abolished peoples rights, including the right of assembly.
So far, the guy in the oval office has chosen unscrupulous henchmen (and women) for appointment to cabinet positions. He had waged a war on the media. He has mocked anyone whose views are different from his won. He has chosen to malign one group of people as evil and a threat to our nation. He has shut down communication from federal agencies to the citizens they represent. And, as of today, the GOP in Congress, the people who should be looking out for the interests of the American people have suspended rules to muscle through the henchmen chosen by the tyrant.
Anyone who doubts this is welcome to perform their own research. The parallels are chilling, my friends.
Congress needs to wake up, and take a stand for the American People who they represent. To do otherwise, is to further the reign of tyranny perpetrated by the onerous pontificate at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., to the detriment of the American people and our way of life.
kathryndstokes 