Trouble Ahead!?!?

Lieutenant General Michael Thomas "Mike" Flynn!

   

Michael Thomas "Mike" Flynn is Trump’s Former National Security Advisor. Flynn just “resigned” from that position. Why was Trump’s National Security Advisor forced to resign? First some background about Mike. Flynn is a big fan of unproven conspiracy theories also known today as Fake News. In 2014 Flynn was ousted as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency over concerns about his leadership style and his Islamophobia. After his forced retirement former Lt Gen. Flynn started the Flynn Intel Group, which was a private intelligence and consulting firm. Only his son, also named Mike Flynn, served as the chief of staff to his father. The Junior Flynn who was even more fond of conspiracy theories than his father! Young Flynn helped promote the “Pizzagate” hoax on twitter.The Pizzagate Hoax was about Hillary Clinton running a child sex slavery ring from the basement of Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washington DC; to a normal person that sounds like an article from the Onion but some people believed it.  One man even drove to that pizzeria (which does not even have basements) in Washington D.C.!

Flynn Jr. WAS a part of the Trump transition team until Trump fired him. As for the senior Flynn he met with Russian officials BEFORE Donald Trump was inaugurated which is a violation of the Logan Act. That Flynn was involved with Russia is no surprise to anyone with even a cursory glance at his history with Russia. Flynn was making regular appearances on Russia Today (RT) a Kremlin financed propaganda machine/international television channel. While that, while concerning, is not illegal, he also got paid to travel to Moscow and give a speech on the occasion of RT’s 10 anniversary! This violated The Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution by having  deals with conflicts of interest that might arise by accepting  payments from a foreign country. The big question would be why would Trump pick such a person as this National Security Advisor? Is this an isolated incident/person or is this the beginning of a pattern? Unlike other Western national leaders, President Trump will not speak harshly aboutPutin or Russia. Did other members of Trump’s team illegally meet with Russian officials before the inauguration? Is Trump in Putin’s pocket? Let’s hope not! Only the future will reveal that!

Mike Pompeo!

Mike Pompeo is now the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, a position he only has because he was nominated by Donald J, Trump. Pompeo has no experience in the intelligence community in any capacity whatsoever, so the  big mystery might be why was he nominated? Trump is often drawn to people he has seen on TV, especially on Fox News! As a member of the House Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi Mike was undoubtably seen on that network often as they loved to report  on that committee and it’s activities for many years after events in Benghazi occurred. 

Mike Pompeo was elected in 2010 to the House of Representatives on a wave of tea-party antipathy against President Obama. Mike also served on the House Subcommittee on the CIA. He has received briefings from the CIA. This history would not indicate someone that should head the CIA, yet he does. In a normal political environment this would not be acceptable, however life under President Trump is not the normal political environment. 

In the Wall Street Journal Mike Pompeo wrote “Congress should pass a law re-establishing collection of all metadata, and combining it with publicly available financial and lifestyle information into a comprehensive, searchable database. Legal and bureaucratic impediments to surveillance should be removed.” Goodbye privacy. 

Perhaps the greater concern should be about Gina Haspel, selected to be Deputy Director of the CIA. Until recently she was an undercover operative. Gina Haspel ran a secret black site in Thailand where detainees were subjected to torture during the George W. Bush Administration. Trump HAS stated he’d like to return to waterboarding so one can expect that’s probably going to happen. 

Nikki Haley!

Nikki Haley is a two-term Governor of South Carolina and she is the first Indian-American governor as well as the first female governor of that state. Nikki Haley has been  mentioned as the possible future of the Republican Party. Her experience and aptitude in governance is unquestioned however she has very little knowledge of foreign policy or international diplomacy. Which makes it perplexing that she is now the US ambassador to the United Nations. Recently, she offered a strong condemnation of Russia in her first appearance at the UN Security Council. "The United States continues to condemn and call for an immediate end to the Russian occupation of Crimea; Crimea is a part of Ukraine. Our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control over the peninsula to Ukraine." Hold on a minute Nikki Haley! Great words, however they seem to contradict Trump. Good luck making that work out well Nikki Haley! 

Bonus-Protest Button!

Here is a meager contribution to the growing Anti-Trump protest movement in the United States, a protest button based on a punk rock era Anti-Reagan protest button, courtesy of The Strangest Adventures. Step 1. Print on Standard size 8.5” X 11” paper, card stock preferred. Step 2. Cut out with scissors. Step 3. Attach a safety Pin to the back with tape. Now you have an “instant” protest button, made from household items. Here are some upcoming events in Washington D.C. you can wear your button to. You are urged to participate.