{"id":1834,"date":"2025-02-17T16:27:06","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T00:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/?p=1834"},"modified":"2026-01-09T17:10:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T01:10:42","slug":"mea-culpa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/mea-culpa\/","title":{"rendered":"Mea Culpa"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What if individuals, communities, organizations, or\u00a0government officials\u00a0never\u00a0admitted\u00a0guilt or\u00a0acknowledged\u00a0their\u00a0faults in actions or intentions?\u00a0Would\u2014or\u00a0<\/span><\/i>c<\/span>ould\u2014corrective\u00a0action\u00a0ever\u00a0be taken?<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Donald Trump\u2019s\u00a0Perspective on\u00a0Government, the\u00a0Constitution,\u00a0and his\u00a0Presidency<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our President, at this moment, is in the process of shutting down institutions of our government by defunding them and firing or offering severance pay to their personnel. These are institutions created by the duly elected officials of our legislature to benefit the American people and fulfill specific legally mandated services. They exist to serve Americans. Should their enterprises exceed their official directives or anticipated costs, they can be\u2014and should be\u2014audited and redirected to meet their initial expectations and costs. The President has the responsibility to ensure they do so. And Congressionally authorized Inspector Generals are assigned to audit and report on the findings and integrity of their mandated oversite. But no President can lawfully terminate an institution of the American government without cause AND without an act of Congress. Nor should he fire any Inspector General without cause. To do so would be the act of a dictator, not an elected official of a constitutional democracy. But if President Trump did so, would he be held accountable? Well, he has done so, and his Party\u2019s majority in the Legislature has not found him at fault. Instead, it has chosen to ignore his unlawful actions and thereby effectively hold him unaccountable. In whose interest does the Republican majority in Congress act? And how is it possible that President Trump not be considered at fault and held accountable? <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Article II, Section 2 of the American Constitution allows the President to\u00a0nominate\u00a0\u201cby and with the\u00a0Advice and Consent of the Senate\u201d\u00a0ambassadors, judges,\u00a0and other senior officers\u00a0of\u00a0the President\u2019s\u00a0administration.\u00a0Also,\u00a0\u201cCongress\u00a0may by Law vest the\u00a0Appointment\u00a0of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President\u00a0alone\u00a0. . .\u201d\u00a0\u00a0However, Congress has\u00a0<\/span>not\u00a0<\/span><\/i>vested\u00a0President Trump\u00a0with\u00a0the power to appoint an overseer of all government functions\u00a0<\/span>with the authority<\/span><\/i>\u00a0to remove operatives\u00a0and\u00a0change\u00a0congressionally approved\u00a0and funded\u00a0programs\u00a0<\/span>without<\/span><\/i>\u00a0congressional approval. By appointing Elon Musk as an overseer of the Federal Government, President Trump has overstepped his constitutional authority, violating the separation of powers and\u2014as a result\u2014his oath of office.\u00a0If he\u00a0disagreed with\u00a0how Congress authorized and funded an institution of government,\u00a0he could propose changes for Congress to\u00a0enact or\u00a0even work with Congress\u00a0to amend\u00a0the institution in question.\u00a0In the past, such amendments have been\u00a0made by independent commissions set up by Congress with the Administration\u2019s participation.\u00a0But never has\u00a0the Presidency assumed\u00a0the legislative\u00a0power that\u00a0the Constitution\u00a0allocates\u00a0solely to Congress.\u00a0How can\u00a0President Trump\u00a0not be considered\u00a0at fault?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ironically, the answer to this\u00a0repeated question\u00a0can only be\u00a0an affirmative statement that\u00a0\u201che\u00a0is at fault.\u201d\u00a0No interpretation of the Constitution\u00a0could conclude otherwise.\u00a0But\u00a0has\u00a0Trump ever\u00a0shown\u00a0any intent\u00a0to adhere to his\u00a0Article II\u00a0oath of\u00a0office?\u00a0Even in his\u00a0recent campaign, he promised retribution for\u00a0his\u00a0political\u00a0\u201cenemies\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0disassembling\u00a0of\u00a0what he termed \u201cthe deep state.\u201d\u00a0Whatsoever\u00a0his followers\/supporters might\u00a0have expected of his candidacy, it\u00a0apparently\u00a0was\u00a0not\u00a0his conformity to the\u00a0Presidency\u00a0as it is\u00a0defined in our\u00a0Constitution.\u00a0From the very start of his\u00a0candidacy, he presented himself as a power broker\u00a0who always gets\u00a0his way\u00a0in any transaction. There was never any\u00a0promise\u00a0to compromise\u00a0for the common good\u00a0or\u00a0to\u00a0adhere to\u00a0democratic\u00a0norms\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0separation of powers\u00a0as\u00a0defined in our Constitution.\u00a0He had never portrayed himself in the likeness of\u00a0George\u00a0Washington or Abraham Lincoln.\u00a0He did, however,\u00a0seem to admire\u00a0President Jackson\u00a0as the General who won\u00a0the war of 1812\u00a0and\u00a0took a bullet in\u00a0a duel\u00a0that he\u00a0nevertheless\u00a0won.\u00a0He\u00a0could\u00a0identify with a President\u00a0who\u00a0he considered\u00a0a\u00a0fighter\u2014or in his terms, a\u00a0\u201cwinner\u201d\u2014despite\u00a0who or whatever opposed him.\u00a0He\u00a0affected\u00a0a similar\u00a0identity\u00a0when he\u00a0stated\u00a0that \u201conly I can\u201d right the ship of state.\u00a0And\u00a0he\u00a0demeaned\u00a0any who\u00a0dared to\u00a0oppose\u00a0him, often\u00a0denigrating their names\u00a0or\u00a0referring to them\u00a0as \u201cfat,\u201d\u00a0\u201cnasty,\u201d or just \u201chorrible people.\u201d\u00a0He managed the White House as he managed his\u00a0real estate\u00a0business, often using\u00a0a henchman or\u00a0consigliere\u00a0to enforce his demands and gain his\u00a0\u201cwins.\u201d\u00a0He defined himself\u00a0as a winner who\u00a0deduced that\u00a0any who opposed him\u00a0must be\u00a0losers\u00a0and\u00a0thereby\u00a0\u201cterrible\u201d people.\u00a0But he\u00a0was,\u00a0and\u00a0nevertheless\u00a0is,\u00a0completely incapable\u00a0of finding fault with what he does,\u00a0whether it be\u00a0whom he demeans\u00a0or what he\u00a0usurps\u00a0as\u00a0his\u00a0sole\u00a0right.\u00a0He is, as he constantly reminds us, a \u201cwinner\u201d\u00a0who\u00a0does and takes whatever\u00a0he wants.\u00a0His\u00a0singular\u00a0assault on\u00a0the\u00a0norms of\u00a0our\u00a0American Presidency\u00a0has reset the\u00a0thrust of our country\u2019s history\u00a0away from its\u00a0grounding in\u00a0rule by the people\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0Constitutionally\u00a0based law\u00a0and order.\u00a0Instead,\u00a0he is writing\u00a0his\u00a0history as\u00a0a\u00a0Presidential\u00a0parody\u00a0we are all forced to\u00a0witness.\u00a0Must\u00a0we\u00a0let Trump be Trump,\u00a0the\u00a0narcissist who\u00a0could not and will not ever find fault in himself?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is Donald Trump\u00a0Fit for the Office of President of the United States?<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why, one may ask,\u00a0is Donald Trump\u00a0not\u00a0\u201cat\u00a0fault?\u201d\u00a0Well, it begins with his oath of office. In what way can it be said that\u00a0President Trump\u00a0<\/span>intended<\/span><\/i>\u00a0\u201cto the best of my\u00a0(his)\u00a0Ability preserve, protect and defend the\u00a0Constitution\u00a0of the United States.\u201d\u00a0Although\u00a0he took that\u00a0Constitutional\u00a0oath of office, has\u00a0he ever\u00a0exemplified any awareness of Article II\u2019s prescription\u00a0for that\u00a0office?\u00a0The\u00a0answer is in every action in which he consistently\u00a0trashes Article II\u00a0(note\u00a0the\u00a0previous\u00a0paragraphs).\u00a0In his own mind, he is guiltless\u00a0of any wrongdoing.\u00a0His denunciation of his\u00a02020 campaign loss as\u00a0the result of a rigged election was demonstrably exposed as a lie\u00a0by the evidence of many recounts and\u00a060 court cases.\u00a0He manages the expectations of\u00a0his supporters\u00a0by reminding them\u00a0that he is a \u201cwinner\u201d\u00a0especially gifted with a \u201cgreat mind\u201d\u00a0and \u201ccommon sense.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0But has he ever admitted\u00a0a mistake?\u00a0Any man who\u00a0cannot\u00a0find fault in himself is\u00a0uniquely\u00a0witless or so adverse to\u00a0a conscience\u00a0that\u00a0he must be either pitied\u00a0or\u00a0feared\u00a0or both.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Trump lacks is the ability to\u00a0say,\u00a0\u201cmea\u00a0culpa.\u201d\u00a0He\u00a0deserves our pity for the\u00a0darkness\u00a0he has created\u00a0for himself. But we dare not fall\u00a0victim\u00a0to his\u00a0hellish condition.\u00a0Both our democracy and\u00a0the values expressed in our Constitution demand more of us.\u00a0If we\u00a0fail to\u00a0live\u00a0those values and demand the same of our representatives, then we\u2014American citizens\u00a0and\u00a0voters\u2014are at fault.\u00a0Though we\u00a0may\u00a0have already\u00a0yielded some moral ground, it is still not too\u00a0late for\u00a0the light of\u00a0repentance.\u00a0We can collectively say\u00a0\u201cmea\u00a0culpa\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0repent by the simple act of restoring\u00a0and\u00a0supporting\u00a0our democratic values. But, first, we must\u00a0resist\u00a0the\u00a0lure\u00a0of a man lost to\u00a0both reality and\u00a0a\u00a0moral consciousness\u2014a man\u00a0unburdened of\u00a0a working conscience, as\u00a0stated\u00a0above,\u00a0and\u00a0of\u00a0thereby\u00a0providing\u00a0the\u00a0moral\u00a0leadership\u00a0required of\u00a0the office he holds.\u00a0Nevertheless,\u00a0we Americans\u00a0can still\u00a0follow our American ideals and act\u00a0decisively and morally.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He claims\u00a0his felony convictions\u00a0were the result of \u201cwitch hunts\u201d\u00a0and the judges, prosecutors, and jurors who convicted him were\u00a0part of a \u201cdeep state\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0warrant\u00a0his\u00a0retribution.\u00a0Therefore, he is justified in\u00a0tearing apart that deep state which he identifies\u00a0as\u00a0all\u00a0the institutions of government,\u00a0but especially\u00a0the FBI and the Justice Department\u00a0that prosecuted his cases.\u00a0His\u00a0recent\u00a0nominees for selected offices\u00a0were\u00a0chosen\u00a0to\u00a0serve his\u00a0retribution\u00a0enterprise\u00a0and\u00a0his\u00a0personal project\u00a0either to destroy the institutions of\u00a0our government or bend them to his needs\u00a0or will.\u00a0Personnel retribution is\u00a0his interpretation\u00a0of\u00a0his\u00a0Presidential\u00a0oath to\u00a0\u201cpreserve, protect, and defend the\u00a0Constitution\u00a0of the United States.\u201d\u00a0But what that oath\u00a0succinctly\u00a0defines\u00a0is\u00a0the goals of his office\u00a0and the preservation of\u00a0our\u00a0democracy.\u00a0His personal self-aggrandizement\u00a0at the expense\u00a0of our system\u00a0of government\u00a0and\u00a0his\u00a0retribution\u00a0against all who oppose or\u00a0criticize him are clearly\u00a0criminal\u00a0and\u00a0pathetically\u00a0adolescent\u00a0in\u00a0their\u00a0self-centeredness.\u00a0What we citizens\/voters\u00a0expect of our representatives in government is\u00a0their dedication to our common welfare and\u00a0their\u00a0support of\u00a0the legal system derived from our Constitution\u2014not\u00a0the foot-stamping petulance of a spoiled child.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately,\u00a0his\u00a0are the goals of a dictator, not\u00a0of\u00a0a President\u00a0and protector\u00a0of a democratic state.\u00a0If he finds\u00a0the institutions he governs\u00a0\u201ccriminal\u201d as he claimed in disposing of\u00a0USAID, then he has the responsibility to\u00a0investigate and\u00a0restore it to the purpose\u00a0assigned it\u00a0by\u00a0America\u2019s Legislature.\u00a0But\u00a0he provided no evidence of any criminality.\u00a0Instead, he summarily\u00a0terminated\u00a0it\u00a0without\u00a0evident\u00a0cause.\u00a0If he understood\u00a0his role to \u201cpreserve, protect, and defend,\u201d he would realize\u00a0his action was\u00a0against his oath to the Constitution.\u00a0He broke the law!\u00a0When he fired\u00a0Inspector Generals,\u00a0he\u00a0hindered Congress\u2019\u00a0ability to assure\u00a0our institutions served\u00a0their intended purpose and\u00a0the law.\u00a0But, instead,\u00a0he\u00a0weakened the integrity of our institutions and\u00a0effectively\u00a0broke the law!\u00a0When he authorized his\u00a0multi-billionaire campaign contributor to\u00a0access government records\u00a0of American citizens, he violated his oath of office to secure\u00a0the Constitutional rights of American citizens, specifically their privacy\u00a0and personal security\u2014financial and otherwise.\u00a0Once again, he\u00a0broke the law!\u00a0When he\u00a0volunteered\u00a0America\u00a0to remove the residents of Gaza\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cdevelop\u201d\u00a0their land\u00a0as an American resort, he\u00a0was\u00a0proposing\u00a0a\u00a0recognizable\u00a0international crime\u00a0as\u00a0official\u00a0American foreign policy.\u00a0His proposal\u00a0not only\u00a0violated\u00a0a\u00a0universally\u00a0accepted\u00a0international law\u00a0but also\u00a0denigrated\u00a0the sacrifice\u00a0of\u00a0many American soldiers\u00a0who have died\u00a0in its defense\u00a0both in Europe and the Middle East!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

America\u2019s Future\u00a0with\u00a0President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is this blog an\u00a0<\/span>ad hominem<\/span><\/i>\u00a0attack on Donald Trump?\u00a0It would appear so, but not by intent. For\u00a0Donald Trump is\u00a0just a fellow human being with gifts and flaws like\u00a0every one\u00a0of us.\u00a0The fact that\u00a0he\u00a0is now a two-term President\u00a0reflects\u00a0the will of\u00a0those who voted for him and\u00a0the Republican\u00a0Party\u2019s\u00a0political machinations.\u00a0His followers believed\u00a0in him and cast their votes accordingly.\u00a0But he did not gain a majority of the votes cast\u00a0(spec. 49.6%)\u00a0and only 1.5% more than his Democratic rival\u00a0who\u00a0only had three and a half months to introduce herself\u00a0to Americans as a candidate for the Presidency.\u00a0His overwhelming electoral college\u00a0win was the result of Republican\u00a0plotting\u00a0for\u00a0decades\u00a0in State legislatures\u00a0to\u00a0suppress the popular vote\u00a0by means of\u00a0gerrymandering.\u00a0His victory,\u00a0then,\u00a0reveals\u00a0not only\u00a0an\u00a0almost equally\u00a0divided country\u00a0but also\u00a0a broken electoral system\u00a0effectively\u00a0exploited\u00a0by the Republican Party\u00a0in State\u00a0legislatures.\u00a0Regardless of how Trump\u00a0was re-elected,\u00a0what\u00a0can we expect from his Presidency?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As intimated above, President Trump has begun his second term by establishing a new imperial presidency. He is redefining our tripartite government, by assuming his authority over the Legislative and Judicial branches of our government. As intimated above, he ignores any legal prescriptions of the Legislature and has recently indicated his unwillingness to adhere to any Court orders restricting his breaches of existing laws. His Vice President, per his interpretation of a recent Supreme Court decision, has mocked the Judicial Branch as unable to curb any official action of the President. As a result, the President\u2019s only restriction may be his personal inability to obtain the results he seeks. But he believes his followers would dutifully support him, regardless of any Supreme Court action. For he thinks he can ignore norms and laws. During his first term, for example, he managed to increase America\u2019s debt by more than any of his predecessors. But his followers were told and believed otherwise. His reduction of the maximum tax paid by wealthy individuals and companies from 35% to 21% was partly responsible for this increase. Since he now plans to reduce this maximum tax further, from 21% to 15%, he is demanding that the House Republicans eliminate the debt ceiling. His attempt to downsize or defund the institutions of government will undoubtedly help fund his tax relief for the wealthiest Americans. In his mind, these are his people. Elon Musk, noted as the richest man in the world, reportedly contributed more than 200 million dollars to Trump\u2019s campaign. And he is also his hatchet man, carelessly hacking away at the institutions of government. And other billionaires have joined his \u201ccause.\u201d Two of them who sat behind him at his inauguration, each contributed a million dollars to his inauguration. But these billionaires do not represent Americans. In fact, their disproportionate share of American wealth is, and has always been, the biggest albatross around the neck of the United States economy. \u00b9<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, he uses tariffs as a cudgel\u00a0to gain concessions from foreign governments, without any consideration of its\u00a0cost\u00a0penalty on American consumers.\u00a0If\u00a0he is\u00a0undeterred, he will\u00a0likely blame\u00a0others\u00a0for\u00a0any future collapse of the American economy\u00a0that his\u00a0actions may\u00a0create.\u00a0And his followers\u00a0may\u00a0well\u00a0believe him.\u00a0Consequently, he acts\u00a0under a cloak of indestructibility.\u00a0Perhaps\u00a0he\u00a0has foreseen this possibility and\u00a0feels justified in\u00a0defunding\u00a0the institutions\u00a0established\u00a0by Congress\u00a0or firing their personnel.\u00a0He then would be managing a smaller government\u00a0payroll\u00a0but with more financial reserves to\u00a0manage as he pleases.\u00a0\u00a0He could,\u00a0as referenced above,\u00a0fund his proposal\u00a0to take\u00a0complete control of Gaza and build\u00a0a \u201cbeautiful resort\u201d by the sea.\u00a0Afterall, his control\u00a0of not only all functions of the state, but also of its finances and resources would be\u00a0total, just\u00a0like\u00a0any monarch or dictator in recorded history.\u00a0With his Republican majority in Congress, he\u00a0has\u2014and will continue\u2014to rebuff any opposition to his\u00a0initiatives.\u00a0And, as his Vice President just announced, he\u00a0will ignore any judicial\u00a0court order\u00a0that may\u00a0attempt\u00a0to restrain him.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is There a Future\u00a0without\u00a0President\u00a0Donald Trump?<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Given that he had\u00a0already\u00a0attempted\u00a0to stay in power after losing an election,\u00a0why would he ever allow himself to be term limited\u00a0after just\u00a0regaining\u00a0the Presidency?\u00a0Is he\u00a0not\u00a0now\u00a0in a much stronger position to assume\u00a0unlimited and unchecked power?\u00a0\u00a0Well, nobody can predict the future.\u00a0But President Trump is\u00a0transforming our government into a nationalist\u00a0state governed by a single\u00a0all-powerful leader.\u00a0He\u00a0has\u00a0attempted\u00a0to punish all who oppose or criticize\u00a0him and will undoubtedly find ways to critique or destroy the free press.\u00a0Has\u00a0he\u00a0not\u00a0already taken control of\u00a0Congress and\u00a0laid out\u00a0the groundwork for assuming control of the Supreme Court\u00a0by way of his appointments?\u00a0We can only hope that his appointed judges\u00a0will adhere to the law AND precedent, rather than to his\u00a0expectation\u00a0of their indebtedness to\u00a0him.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hopefully,\u00a0the American judiciary may\u00a0yet\u00a0be\u00a0our\u00a0bulwark of\u00a0liberty.\u00a0Recent court rulings have\u00a0quelled some\u00a0of the\u00a0Administration\u2019s\u00a0ill-conceived\u00a0actions.\u00a0In addition,\u00a0there will be\u00a0mid-term elections in\u00a02026.\u00a0And\u00a0the twice impeached President appears on the same track\u00a0toward another impeachment.\u00a0If the Democratic Party can pull together\u00a0and lead campaigns\u00a0based upon\u00a0our Constitutional values, America\u00a0could be\u00a0reborn in the image of those values. But it\u00a0would\u00a0still\u00a0require a two thirds majority of the Senate to impeach\u00a0President Trump.\u00a0Will the Republicans\u00a0finally\u00a0affirm their loyalty to our\u00a0Constitution?\u00a0Or how\u00a0many impeachments will it take to remove this man from office?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the meantime, we must\u00a0somehow survive\u00a0Trump\u2019s\u00a0promise to\u00a0purge those\u00a0\u201cwho poison the blood\u00a0of America\u201d\u00a0much\u00a0as Hitler in\u00a0Mein\u00a0Kampf\u00a0accused the Jews\u00a0of \u201cthis pestilential adulteration of the blood\u00a0. . . of our people.\u201d\u00a0As both men\u00a0intimated,\u00a0the road to\u00a0absolute power\u00a0can be tread\u00a0by\u00a0the hero\u00a0who\u00a0eliminates\u00a0whomever\u00a0he identifies\u00a0as\u00a0a universal threat to the public\u00a0he\u00a0wants\u00a0to govern.\u00a0Whereas\u00a0Trump used\u00a0a\u00a0largely\u00a0Hispanic\u00a0migration\u00a0at our borders as\u00a0his\u00a0justification\u00a0for\u00a0winning\u00a0his electoral victory and\u00a0the\u00a0DOGE\u00a0purge\u00a0of institutional enablers\u00a0as his\u00a0potential\u00a0coup\u00a0of our democracy,\u00a0Hitler used the elimination of Jews as his justification for his rise to power and the burning of the Reichstag as his coup.\u00a0The German parliament, however,\u00a0was eventually restored.\u00a0The only question for us Americans is whether we can restore our democracy\u00a0after Trump\u2019s\u00a0unwavering assault.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Will we remain as a beacon of hope\u00a0for migrants\u00a0desperate for a better life,\u00a0much as America has been from its founding\u00a0and throughout its history?\u00a0Can we\u00a0both welcome families\u00a0looking for a better life while turning away\u00a0others\u00a0not welcome for\u00a0well-articulated\u00a0reasons?\u00a0If we cannot define\u00a0those reasons, then\u00a0we are equally unable to define who we are as Americans.\u00a0In other words,\u00a0we will never have a\u00a0rational border policy.\u00a0Why can we not define\u00a0who we are as Americans?\u00a0Nearly every\u00a0conceivable\u00a0ethnic group\u00a0is already represented in our population.\u00a0If we are not judging admission\u00a0based on\u00a0ethnic or cultural grounds, then what are the criteria for admittance?\u00a0Is it age? Education?\u00a0Evidence of good citizenship?\u00a0Family ties to existing Americans?\u00a0I have been led to believe that there are well\u00a0thought\u00a0out\u00a0criteria, but the problem is both\u00a0with\u00a0the numbers of migrants\u00a0and the availability\u00a0of migrant court judges.\u00a0Both those issues are\u00a0solvable.\u00a0Have we not had quotas\u00a0in the past?\u00a0And can we not create and fund more judges?\u00a0What is\u00a0so unsolvable?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, I can foresee both sides of the forces that will clash to define the soul of America. Perhaps Charles Dickens foretold our situation best in \u201cA Tale of Two Cities,\u201d when he wrote, \u201cIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . It was the season of light; it was the season of darkness.\u201d Will the light created by our founding fathers in Philadelphia, July 4, 1788, continue to shine amidst the dark shadows of anarchy, chaos, and insurrection inspired by those who seek to destroy the founding principles of our American democracy? \u00b2<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As in past crises, we Americans\u00a0do have the power to right the course of our democracy. We have the power to vote.\u00a0As the mid-term elections draw near,\u00a0we must demand a thorough review of\u00a0any\u00a0failures\u00a0or\u00a0excesses in government institutions\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span><\/i>\u00a0in the current Trumpian purge\u00a0of those institutions.\u00a0The only justification for this\u00a0\u201cseat of the pants\u201d purge, is\u00a0the failure\u00a0of Congressional oversite.\u00a0For\u00a0it is not the job of the Executive branch of Government to\u00a0amend or vacate\u00a0established\u00a0law and\u00a0terminate\u00a0or\u00a0curtail the work of government institutions.\u00a0Our judges\u00a0must\u00a0stop the Trump purge of government institutions.\u00a0For\u00a0only Congress\u00a0can pass laws that\u00a0establish\u00a0our institutions and\u00a0monitor\/supervise\u00a0concurrence with those laws.\u00a0And only Congress can impeach a rogue President\u00a0who violates the law and misuses the powers of his office.\u00a0It is well past time for\u00a0our legislatures\u00a0to shed political gamesmanship\u00a0and\u00a0serve the interests of Americans\u00a0and\u00a0Article 1 of our Constitution.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

_______________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

1<\/span> If I may be excused for referencing one of my blogs, I offer this statement from \u201cAmerican Exceptionalism Revisited<\/a>\u201d: \u201cIn what healthy system does never becoming too big to fail get judged negatively?\u2019 This statement is a quote from a chapter entitled \u201cWhen is Enough Enough<\/em>\u201d in Zachary Karabell\u2019s outstanding book \u201cInside Money.\u201d Karabell was arguing against the relentless pursuit of profit and the imperative of growing a business without consideration of other imperatives, like the <\/span>fair distribution of wealth\u00a0to all contributors in an economy<\/span><\/i>\u2014which is more reflective of\u00a0Adam Smith\u2019s \u201cvirtuous cycle.\u201d\u00a0(If you have the time,\u00a0you may find\u00a0the blog referenced here useful\u00a0in understanding the role of\u00a0capitalism in our understanding of\u00a0American\u00a0exceptionalism.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2<\/span>\u00a0A recent article in RNS\u00a0begins with\u00a0a straightforward statement, namely,\u00a0\u201cIt is an axiom of life that it is easier to destroy than to build.\u201d\u00a0It\u00a0continues\u00a0with\u00a0the statement that\u00a0\u201cthese destroyers appear\u00a0very powerful, but in fact, their destructiveness shows their weakness. They are incapable of\u00a0creativity.\u201d\u00a0I recommend this RNS article\u00a0as an expansion of the thesis I present here.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What if individuals, communities, organizations, or\u00a0government officials\u00a0never\u00a0admitted\u00a0guilt or\u00a0acknowledged\u00a0their\u00a0faults in actions or intentions?\u00a0Would\u2014or\u00a0could\u2014corrective\u00a0action\u00a0ever\u00a0be taken?\u00a0 \u00a0 Donald Trump\u2019s\u00a0Perspective on\u00a0Government, the\u00a0Constitution,\u00a0and his\u00a0Presidency\u00a0 Our President, at this moment, is in the process of shutting down institutions of our government by defunding them and firing or offering severance pay to their personnel. These are institutions created by the duly elected […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-domesticissues"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3UqUK-tA","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1834"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1945,"href":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834\/revisions\/1945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aculpableinnocence.com\/home5\/aculpabl\/anthony_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}