Category: Trump

Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, National Security, Trump February 17, 2019March 3, 2019

National Emergency | Continuity of Government Protocols

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report) – The safety and well-being of Americans from coast to coast, and living around the world, is of paramount importance. The annual federal dollars budgeted for protecting Americans and our borders is staggering:

DHS | $47.5 billion
FBI | $8.77 billion
US Intelligence | $57.7 billion
DOD | $639.1 billion
SD| $90.3 billion
FEMA | $18 billion
TOTAL | $861.37 billion

States also have significant budgets allocations for protecting citizens. Safety and security is clearly a priority.

The standard continuity of government protocols for national emergencies involves our nation’s top ten leaders shifting into “emergency” response. There are strict guidelines to follow. For example, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack:

President Bush was stuck on a plane in the air with all airports closed
Vice President Cheney made a decision to stay in communication with key decision makers and thus did not fall back to his secure site
House Speaker Denny Hastert was immediately take to underground bunker in the mountains
Attorney General John Ashcroft was on a government plane, he requested that it be turned around and return to Washington, but the FAA would not authorize
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield refused to obey the response protocols and instead rushed to the Pentagon’s crash sight and tried to rescue the injured
Several of the 10 in line to the president were out of the country and could not follow the proper procedure
Several others were never contacted

On Friday February 15, 2019 President Trump held an erratic press conference in the Rose Garden to announce his “national emergency.” Most described it as a wild fifty minutes of Trump switching from one topic to the next, without rhyme or reason, ending with a final comment, “I didn’t need to do this .” Then, instead of following the standard continuity of government protocols, Trump hopped on Air Force One and beelined it to Mar-a- Lago for a luxurious weekend of golf.

Texts from the twin towers on September 11, 2001, a real national emergency, were heart wrenching. The last thoughts from thousands who were about to die. The following is an example of what a real national emergency sounds and feels like from those caught in the crosshairs:

Several National Emergency hashtags have been lighting up Twitter all day, #FAKENationalEmergency and #NotesFromNationalEmergency:

In memory of the thousands killed in past, real national emergencies, and the agonizing internal wounds of family members that will never heal, it’s disgraceful that an American president would pull a stunt like this and label it a national emergency when doing so traumatizes those who’ve suffered through the tormenting real deal. This is shameful.

Legislative Branch, Trump February 5, 2019February 5, 2019

SOTU 2019, The Convergence Zone

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report) – Trump has been eagerly looking forward to the State of the Union 2019 for a month. In fact, he was in a prolonged tug of war with Nancy Pelosi during the shutdown over this important media event, with Pelosi sticking to her objection. As long as there was a shutdown, there would be no State of the Union. Period. Perhaps it was this brutal skirmish that caused the American public to become involved.

In 2018, 45.6 million viewers checked in to hear what Trump had to say about his 2018 Agenda, which was positioned to be a heralding of promised wage increases and job creation following the huge Republican tax overhaul the preceding month. In 2019, however, Trump plans to top that. He seems intent on knocking down Obama’s record of 52.37 million viewers in 2009 following the burst in the housing market which resulted in the stock market crash and a deep recession.

Trump’s been busy stoking the flames. He’s been fanning the drama by threatening another shutdown or even a National Emergency to finally get his wall. Trump’s fueling of the many fierce conflicts that have been swirling around him for months, even years, are all converging onto one moment of time. The clock will strike at 9:00 PM on Tuesday February 5, 2019, and seemingly all hell will break lose. There is a simple caveat that may disrupt Trump’s quest to beat Obama’s SOTU record. Many Democratic viewers will be banning Trump’s State of the Union Address in protest of Trump’s endless lies and bigoted rhetoric about immigrants, the bedrock of our American citizenry.

The Washington Post reports tonight that an unexpected curve ball was thrown by the Southern District of New York, further complicating Trump’s big agenda for tomorrow. “Federal prosecutors issue sweeping subpoena for documents from Trump inaugural committee, a sign of a deepening criminal probe.”

National Security, Technology, Trump January 16, 2019February 2, 2019

How About This Wall Deal, Mr. Trump?

Washington, DC – It was mind-boggling today to learn that Trump is expected to stay dug into his “must have a border Wall no matter what” position, deaf to what the Democrats have been saying for months (“we’re absolutely for border security, let’s protect Americans using modern technology; it’s far more effective, takes less time to install, can be moved around very easily, and is a better match for how drugs and illegal migrants enter the country”). This traumatic impasse is now expected to last until the end of the month, January 29, 2019 apparently, when Trump’s State of the Union Address is scheduled.

If the shutdown continues past thirty days, there are some who predict that the negative impact on the 800,000 furloughed federal employees may become catastrophic. This simply cannot happen. We have to move quickly to shake things up so that obstinate Donald J. Trump can see the light and reopen the government.

The most baffling part of the this bizarre showdown and shutdown is that Trump is very aware of modern technology. He’s the one who demanded the U.S. establish a Space Force. Even before that, right out of the gate in March 2017, Trump launched the White House Office of American Innovation. But the absolute penultimate technology advancement example, that’s dawning on the 2019 horizon, that Trump surely has been briefed on monthly, even weekly, is the huge technology revolution that will change society as we know it – the 5G revolution – that will kick-off an enormous surge in product innovation, many devices that will be specifically designed to address personal security, home and corporate security, and border security. CES 2019 debuted many of these new products just last week.

So what’s going on here? What is Trump really up to? How can he be trashing the lives of 800,000 Americans when he’s fully aware that the technological awakening has arrived and will be mushrooming though everything we do, and everywhere we go.

Does Trump have a mental block about technology? Do we have to craft some type of “learning experience” to help him understand how valuable these innovative border security options are?

Actually, maybe we do. So… Let’s Make a Deal, Trump? If you don’t want to use modern technology to secure the border after you’ve been bragging for two years about all these modern advancements, well then fine. Perhaps you’ll realize the benefits of modern technology if we take away yours.

Would you agree to giving up your cell phone forever, and only using a landline, and never being able to tweet again, and never using a computer, in exchange for Nancy Pelosi agreeing to your demand for $5.7 Billion Medieval Wall?

No? I didn’t thing so.

Mr. Trump, you have absolutely no justification whatsoever for shutting down the government of the United States of America. You know it, the American public knows it, and the world knows it. You should be charged with a crime for shattering the lives of 800,000 Americans. No more wall, Mr. Trump. The shutdown has been your worst ruse yet.

Legislative Branch, National Security, Russia, Senate, Trump January 16, 2019January 16, 2019

Impeachment is Easier Than It Seems

“A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility.” ~Aristotle

The world has been traumatized by Trump’s delusion, and McConnell’s support of Trump’s delusion, for two painfully slow, long years. This feeling of continuous cognitive dissonance while we’re forced to endure these two self-serving cowards as they pretend to lead our massive nation, in the midst of defrauding us, ignites that effervescent American spirit that fills us with motivation, and the “can do” determination, on these toughest, darkest days.

Trump and McConnell appear to have a quid pro quo relationship. Kentucky is the largest coal producing state in the country. Trump has gone all in on promoting coal, and passing legislation that benefits coal producers while harming the health and well-being of millions of Americans. In return, McConnell has pledged his loyalty to trump in equal measure.

This is corruption. And this is why we have a twisted stalemate during this government shutdown that’s been a traumatic event for 800,000+ Americans.

According to The Hill today (Tuesday January 15, 2019), McConnell boldly blocked a “House bill to reopen government for second time.” Additionally, The Hill published the scoop that McConnell vowed “the senate won’t override Trump veto on shutdown fight.”

Which brings us to an historic crossroad. We’re forced to make a choice.

Unconvincing possibility? | McConnell and or Trump doing the right thing… proceeding forward with ending the shutdown because it’s what’s best for America.
Likely impossibility? | Expel McConnell so that we can impeach Trump which will end the shutdown. Perhaps Amazon and Apple and several states could front a loan to pay the 800,000 furloughed federal employees until this is over.

If Aristotle advises that it’s best to go with the “likely impossibility,” well then… let’s just do it. What do we have to lose? Absolutely nothing. The only way we can lose is by doing nothing, or by caving and letting a malicious bully weaken our resolve.

Impeachment is much easier than it appears. Just 3 steps:

(1) House of Representatives debate the Articles of Impeachment against Trump and vote. They need a simple majority.

(2) Expel Mitch McConnell from the Senate. Senators must have 67 votes to succeed at this. McConnell has a super majority opposed to him right now, so this shouldn’t require much persuasion. Fourteen Senators have been expelled from the Senate since the U.S. Constitution was ratified.

(3) Once McConnell is expelled, the Senate will hold an Impeachment Trial:

House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Representative Jerry Nadler, acts as prosecutor and submits evidence
Trump’s lawyers submit his defense
Chief Justice John Roberts presides as judge and rules on whether the evidence is admissible
The Senate acts as the jury, 67 need to say “Aye” to impeach

It seems a very likely impossibility that we can succeed at this if we move swiftly to expel McConnell as soon as possible.

Budget, Constitution, Immigration, Legislative Branch, Mitch McConnell, Trump January 12, 2019December 22, 2019

Longest Shutdown Ever | GOP Senators 2020

Washington (GGM) Analysis | January 12, 2019
by Noreen Wise

It’s Friday night January 11, 2019 just before midnight. Mitch McConnell is already back home in Kentucky, tucked safely away in his expansive homestead, sipping champagne perhaps, while 800,000 Americans are gripped with trauma as we head into the 22 day of the longest shutdown in American history.

This shutdown has no logical justification. It feels like we’ve been viciously attacked by a foreign enemy… similar to the perilous grip of a cyber attack that inflicts grave financial harm.

Mitch McConnell is the Senate Majority Leader and is ultimately the most responsible for this nightmare. After two years of enabling Trump to defy the U.S. Constitution, and two years of McConnell failing at his responsibility to be a check on the Executive Branch, the cumulative result is a treasonous president who’s a threat to American citizens and a danger to the world.

McConnell could easily rally his GOP colleagues to follow through with their oath of office, and yet he defiantly refuses. It’s galling.

The following are 21 GOP Senators who are up for reelection in 2020. May the self-serving, anti-American amongst them, who’ve corrupted their oath of office by their flagrant inaction and indifference that’s traumatizing American citizens, be the final straw that permanently marks them, and makes these their final days in office.

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Tom Cotton (R-AR)
Steve Daines (R-MT)
Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Cory Gardner (R-CO)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MI)
James Inhofe (R-OK)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
David Perdue (R-GA)
Jim Risch (R-ID)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Mike Rounds (R-SD)
Ben Sasse (R-NE)
Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
Thom Tillis (R-NC)

Below are what some had to say on the eve of the longest shutdown in US history… a shutdown that strongly resembles a Russian cyber attack.

Senator Mitch McConnell did NOT tweet on Friday January 11, 2019 before heading home for the weekend.

Senator Susan Collins did NOT tweet on Friday January 11, 2019, the eve of what’s to become the longest shutdown in US history, that will harm 800,000 innocent Americans.

Senator Ben Sasse also did NOT tweet on Friday January 11, 2019, the eve of what’s to become the longest shutdown in US history, that will harm 800,000 innocent Americans.

Senator Shelley Moore Capito did NOT tweet on Friday January 11, 2019, the eve of what’s to become the longest shutdown in US history, that will harm 800,000 innocent Americans. But she did retweet the GOP video on January 10, 219.

Senator Lamar Alexander seems to have the right attitude, meeting with constituents on January 11, 2019 to discuss with them the best way to end the shutdown. He’s very atypical compared to his GOP counterparts.

Senator Tom Cotton, no mention of the shutdown on January 11, 2019, but Senator Cotton did bring up the border o January 9, 2019, approximately 24 hours after Trump’s failed Presidential Address.

Senator Bill Cassidy actually has a good idea, but the cartel money should be used for modern technology rather than a pointless medieval wall.

Senator Steve Daines didn’t tweet about the shutdown on January 11, 2019, but he did tweet about protecting public lands and working across party lines which seems to subliminally suggest he’d like to work with Dems to reopen the government.

Senator Mike Enzi is another GOP Senator who showed an air of bipartisanship by cosponsoring bill to end government shutdowns forever. This works.

Senator Joni Ernst did NOT tweet on Friday January 11, 2019 about the shutdown, the eve of what’s to become the longest shutdown in US history, that will harm 800,000 innocent Americans. But she did show complete indifference to the plight of the 800,000 federal employees by tweeting about her own pet project.

Senator Cory Gardner did NOT tweet on Friday January 11, 2019 about the shutdown, the eve of what’s to become the longest shutdown in US history, that will harm 800,000 innocent Americans. But he did show complete indifference to the plight of the 800,000 federal employees by tweeting about his own pet project.

Senator Thom Tillis did NOT tweet on Friday January 11, 2019 about the shutdown, the eve of what’s to become the longest shutdown in US history, that will harm 800,000 innocent Americans. But he did show complete indifference to the plight of the 800,000 federal employees by tweeting about his own pet project.

Senator David Perdue did NOT tweet on Friday January 11, 2019, the eve of what’s to become the longest shutdown in US history, that will harm 800,000 innocent Americans.

DOD, National Security, Pentagon, Trump January 6, 2019January 22, 2019

Critical Mass, Kevin Sweeney’s Resignation

The unexpected resignation of Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney, USN (Ret.), Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense, just days after the Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan took the reigns at the Pentagon, makes an already alarming situation that much more so.

The following highly experienced, top level decision makers have left their coveted positions at the Pentagon in quick succession:

Secretary of Defense James Mattis | December 20, 2018
Special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Brett McGurk | December 22, 2018
Secretary of Defense Chief Of Staff Kevin Sweeney | January 5, 2019

Having an unqualified Acting Secretary of Defense is a significant liability. But in light of the reason why Mattis resigned, it makes sense that McGurk would follow suit. Bolton seems to be scrambling to fill the gaping holes by slowing down the Syrian withdrawal, but to now lose the chief of staff, who came out of retirement at Mattis’ request to be his chief of staff in January 2017, further destabilizes this seat of power.

According to CNN, the White House requested Sweeney resign. He was “forced out.”

In a statement posted on the DOD website, Sweeney stated: “After two years in the Pentagon, I’ve decided the time is right to return to the private sector. It has been an honor to serve again alongside the men and women of the Department of Defense.”

Trump has seven vital vacancies with acting secretaries currently in charge, most of whom are severely under qualified. Being the president of the United States of America is the most challenging position on earth even when all cabinet positions are filled with the most qualified candidates. When Trump had his army of a transition team, and they were busy finding candidates for each position, that was considered challenging even with all hand on deck. But now Trump has nearly as many openings as he did in January 2017, but no transition team and very few advisors. Additionally, Trump has already proven himself to be unqualified for his position as president.

How is this manageable?

Now factor in a government shutdown, an MIA Senate Majority Leader, and it should be abundantly clear that Trump is incapable of overseeing this all-consuming disaster.

There needs to be a bipartisan political SWAT Team that can step in during these types of critical emergencies and keep our ship afloat when we start taking in this much water. In a crisis, leaders just jump in and start directing. No invitation needed.

DOD, Military, National Security, Trump January 3, 2019January 22, 2019

Shanahan, the Military & Space Force

The newly appointed Acting Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, seems to be setting a great example for his troops… arriving in the dark, and first tweet at 4:15 AM.

Shanahan won Trump’s confidence in September 2018, when he energetically supported Trump’s plan for a military Space Force, a whole new branch of the military. The military wasn’t too keen on this idea, too much bureaucracy was their assessment when they pushed back. The current military branches consist of: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard.

Shanahan seems to have a great attitude, appears thrilled with the promotion, seems very intelligent and knows how to begin the first day on the right foot. These are all very positive signs. And yet, deep in the back of one’s mind, there can’t help but be a nagging feeling that Shanahan’s chipper, positive attitude springs from naiveté. For how can he possibly be anything but naive without the proper background for the position?

A 31 year career at Boeing, with his most senior position as senior vice president, Supply Chain & Operations. This is an excellent job. However, in the big scheme of things, it’s a fairly junior position considering how many senior vice presidents Boeing has, and that this level is an entire notch below the top level of President and CEO.

Shanahan’s leap from senior vice president, to Deputy Secretary of Defense, a Trump choice rather than Mattis choice, was a stretch. But now, with just 19 months as deputy, to be the Acting Secretary of Defense, seems as unqualified as a sailer who becomes an expert on a lake where he can see the shoreline at all times, there are no tides, plenty of people around who can help if he has a problem… suddenly up and deciding he’s going to sail around the world on the wild and turbulent and unpredictable ocean using the same boat.

It seems most Secretaries of Defense arrive at work on their first day very somber, appearing to have a deep understanding that this is the most difficult job on the planet, perhaps even more challenging than president of the United States. That this won’t be fun and exciting, but rather very, very difficult, yet monumentally rewarding. They are patriots. This is their duty, no matter how impossible and nerve wracking the position may seem at times.

The Space Force is confusing. The United States has had a Space Force dating all the way back to Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. It may have been a secret Space Force, but it’s still our United States Space Force. Back then, they used hot air balloons for surveillance, and a few decades later apparently signaled troops in the field using hot air balloons during the War of 1812. Perhaps Trump missed this in his daily briefing, or maybe he intentionally decided to let the secret out when he announced we would finally have a Space Force. At various moments across the last two centuries, there appear radon documents and events that confirm this apparent secret Space Force. Some people call these UFO sightings, one was documented as a UFO crash, (Auroro, TX 1897). There are some who read these historic reports and simply nod their heads and smile to themselves, knowing it was really the US Space Force testing new equipment. There were more than 12,000 of these mysterious UFO sightings studied under the Air Force’s Project BLUE BOOK, from 1947 – 1969, the two decades leading up to Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon. Project BLUE BOOK was closed shortly after Neil Armstrong returned home. Definitely has a ring of secret Space Force to it. I welcome you to google NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia and see if that doesn’t have a US Space Force ring to it as well. It’s been around awhile. So again, this is confusing.

There’s a new TV series on the History Channel that begins January 8, 2019… Project Blue Book.

Best of luck Acting Secretary of Defense Shanahan. You have a wonderful attitude!

Budget, Legislative Branch, Trump January 1, 2019January 1, 2019

Welcome 2019 Tweets from American Leaders

With such a heated ending to 2018 (#TrumpShutdown, Mattis resignation, and dismissal of 83 complaints against Kavanaugh), it’s important to note how 2019 began so we can reference it down the road. It seems the following is how every single day in 2019 will play out (several leaders took a hiatus from Twitter during the holidays, Mitch McConnell for one):

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, Russia, Trump December 28, 2018January 11, 2019

Trump’s Alarming New “Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office”

What is the renaming of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office really about?

Mysteriously, on Friday 21 December 2018 – a tsunami news day following Defense Secretary Mattis’ abrupt resignation, and his chilling resignation letter being shared with the American public, followed by Congress and Trump’s intense battle over border security and funding the wall, which resulted in the entire country waiting with baited breath to see if the government would shutdown, which it did – there was a seeming innocuous little Trump tweet mixed in with all this high drama.

This announcement deals with the most perilous of all subject matters, nuclear weapons, and can only be processed with a giant question mark.

The original Domestic Nuclear Detection Office reads like a fully integrated, multi-level massive program that has been fine-tuned over the past 16 years.

The new H.R. 7213 bill is very simple and direct and not a bill that anyone would necessarily pause and analyze. It’s presented as an office name change, just as Trump’s tweet indicates.

However, the link trump included in his tweet, with an official “Statement by the President,” dated Friday 21 December 2018, is anything but simple and direct. Trump’s abnormal letter leaves one to wonder whether this bizarre verbiage is being crafted as a counter strategy for Trump’s intense anti-Mueller, anti-Dem animus.

What does Trump mean when he declares, “My administration will treat this provision as advisory. I hope that consultation will be possible, and I recognize the benefits of working with congress on the ‘Securing the Cities’ program. Nevertheless, the Act’s mandatory consultation provision is not consistent with the Constitution’s separation of powers.”

Huh? What is Trump talking about?

Does this Presidential Statement carry any weight? Is it legally binding? It reads like a major power usurpation. In the original Domestic Nuclear Detection Office program, there’s no mention at all of the president being included in the decision making.

Further, the Presidential Statement goes on to state: “Section 2(g)(6) of the Act purports to require the Secretary of Homeland Security annually to provide a report to the Congress that includes recommendations for any necessary statutory changes regarding the CWMD Office, or, if no statutory changes are deemed necessary, an explanation of that conclusion. My administration will treat this provision in a manner consistent with Article II, section 3 of the Constitution, which provides the President the discretion to recommend to the Congress only ‘such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.’”

Trump’s Presidential Statement blatantly ignores Article 1, section 8, clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which mandates, “The Congress shall have the Power to… provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States.” This is common knowledge and has been referenced often during Trump’s presidency.

Unfathomably, Article II, section 3 is nothing more than an outline of how the Electoral vote determines the winner of a presidential election and thus clearly has no bearing on this subject matter.

This tweet seems like another “Severe” CODE RED warning to the American public, particularly Dems and the Mueller team. It actually reads like a threat.

Budget, Immigration, National Security, Trump December 26, 2018

Border Solutions for $5 Billion | No Wall

In light of the hundreds of thousands of social media posts and tweets over the holiday weekend amidst the partial government shutdown, which occurred because of Trump’s willfully blind demand that $5 billion be earmarked to build a border wall, which the vast majority of us know is a futile mission considering how simple and easy it is to tunnel under, or climb over the wall – after all, where there’s a will there’s a way… and our ancestors certainly proved this when they crossed the Atlantic, or trekked across the Sierra Nevadas – it’s time to quickly brainstorm solutions since our president can’t.

Trump is obstinate. He’s not a flexible thinker. Trump latches onto an idea from last century, or in this case, from over a millennium ago, and refuses to let it go and sadly appears completely unable to adapt to reality. Because Trump’s thinking is cemented, he’s not the fittest to find a workable solution.

It’s time to drowned social media with bright ideas. This proposal is a work in progress, but solutions are only found by taking the first step.

Immigration and our AMERICAN PRINCIPLES:

Immigration is part of the American DNA, it’s what has enabled us to become a superpower of goodness that lights the world
We must open our doors to asylum seekers
We must have an efficient and effective path to citizenship
Dreamers must be protected
We must stop guns and drugs and the cartels from crossing the border, as well as other criminals

How to properly apply $5 Billion to securing our border, as well as maintain our American principles:

SUGGESTION: $5 Billion can be used for infrastructure
Many of the jobs created can be given to asylum seekers and migrants seeking citizenship
Back in the 1800’s, once the trans continental railroad was built, and the railway barons (Vanderbilt, Astor, Carnegie) dreamed of towns developing across the heartland, they went in search of immigrants and made deals with them to relocate to America to farm the heartland, offering homesteads, travel expenses and opportunity; more than five million Germans flooded in to what became known as “the German triangle“
Why not do something similar with the current immigration crisis, create small communities, provide infrastructure job opportunities similar to what we did during the great depression when damns, bridges and highways were built through the WPA and the New Deal
If it worked then, it can certainly work now; it’s great to already have a blueprint to follow

This is a seed idea that needs to be watered, nurtured and given sunlight. Stamping it out without coming up with another idea is pointless. Five billion for the wall is also pointless.