A Step in The Right Direction For Our Veterans: The Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act.

Our veterans who took time out of their lives to serve us, to serve their country out of love and dedication have always been put on the back burner. That is until now that President Trump has chosen to bring their blight to the front of the line for all Americans to see. Disabled veterans go to the VA hospitals for care and have gotten shuffled around for years. Now with President Trump in office things are getting a bit shaken up. Jobs are no longer guaranteed just because you have a government job at Veterans Affairs.

Since President Trump was on the campaign trail he brought attention to the mishandling of our veterans at Veterans Hospitals around the country. He talked about making improvements and holding people responsible because our veterans gave us their all and the least we could do is take care of their needs when they return home.

Many people felt it was the same old campaign promises that nothing will ever be done about at first but as the campaign began to build so did the American peoples belief this man, Donald J. Trump, was going to do exactly as he promised and an important concern for many citizens was about to be addressed properly for once. President Trump took office in January 2017 as we all know, and he hit the ground running on his campaign promises.

Before he was even sworn into office President Trump announced his choice for Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. David Shulkin. At the time of the announcement Dr. David Shulkin was the undersecretary for health at the VA which meant he ran the Veterans Health Administration. It was a position he was nominated for by President Obama in 2015. I will admit I had my doubts that he could suddenly turn things around but under President Trump I figured time will tell. A new President, a new way of doing things and new hope for our Veterans.

In May Secretary Shulkin addressed the issues that spanned decades and multiple administrations which is what President Trump had said during his campaign. The problems at the VA didn’t just start it has been a long time brewing and issues brushed under the rug needed to be brought out into the open, investigated and fixed to benefit our veterans. 

Some of the “chronic problems” Secretary Shulkin discussed included barriers to quality health care, rampant drug addiction and at that point and time already a staggering 1,500 disciplinary actions brought against federal employees.  There have been reports the government will open dozens of new investigations into drug and opioid thefts from veterans’ care facilities by employees. What is amazing in all of this is since 2009 only about 3 percent of the reported cases of drug loss or theft which have included doctors, nurses, or pharmacy employees been disciplined. This is what Secretary Shulkin is up against.

Secretary Shulkin admits there is still a lot of work to do but they are now on the right foot and working hard towards improving veteran’s experiences at their care facilities. He has a tough job ahead of him but I do believe he has rolled up his sleeves and will not stop till our veterans are getting the care and consideration they deserve by the country they served to protect.

Now let’s take a step back to before President Trump took office when it was nearly impossible to fire a bad VA employee. It was so bad that even underperforming VA employees received bonuses and executives who had been disciplined in the past still received their full pension benefits yet our veterans were fighting for their benefits.

Secretary Shulkin was instrumental in helping implement a VA Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. There has been a website created to track and publish wait times at every VA hospital. There has been an increase in mental health services across the system which our veterans are in great need of. Plus they developed a way to electronically transfer veteran’s medical records from the Department of Defense to the VA in order to simplify their transition from service to civilian life. I know you are probably thinking this is a no brainer but let me tell you that is not the way it has been done in the past. You see when a service member leaves the service of this country his medical records stay and if he needed them they had to be requested and it took time, months in some cases, to get the records sent to them. They would then bring them with them to their next VA appointment. So this new procedure will cut out a lot of unnecessary wait time.

This brings me to the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act which President Trump signed on Friday June 23, 2017. It took Congress to pass this bill in order for Secretary Shulkin to have the authority he needs to properly deal with or fire VA employees who are not doing their jobs. I’m stunned because anywhere else if you don’t do your job, you’re caught stealing, or you ignore your responsibilities you are usually given up to three write ups and then let go but somehow that doesn’t seem to be the way the VA has been structured all this time.

So let’s look at the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act. It shortens a years-long appeals process for disciplined employees and it ensures these employees will not be paid during their disciplinary appeal. Under this Act Secretary Shulkin is able to deny bonuses to employees who are underperforming seeing to it they get their bonuses on merit not on seniority. He now also has the authority to cut pensions for executives who misbehave. In the past VA employees tended not to report misconduct for fear of retaliation but under this Act VA employees who report such misconduct within the VA will now be protected from retaliation.

It is true that President Trump has been pushing hard for reform of the VA but he hasn’t been alone. As I have said before the President is only one Branch of our government. Even before President Trump took office in January Speaker Paul Ryan and members of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committee worked towards finding a way to fix the VA but without the proper support of the previous administration there was no way they were going to succeed.

On June 21^st Speaker Ryan said: “We all saw the scandals at the VA. We need to make sure something like this never happens again, and the veterans get the care and treatment that they deserve, that they have earned.” Together with the support of President Trump and Secretary Shulkin this is now possible.

Our veterans gave up so much of themselves to serve their country. Yes they were paid for it but by no means not nearly enough. If they were in the private sector they would have earned a lot more and not had to put their lives on the line and suffer the aliments they now do because of the service they provided to their country. This reform has been a long time coming. I am hoping changes come about quickly and our veterans are able to get the care they deserve in a timely fashion. I am also hopeful VA employees will now be held responsible and start caring about the job they do every day and not just look at it as a pay check. Oh trust me, I know not all VA employees see it that way, but when you have even one bad apple in the bunch it can put a kink in the system that can take a long time to track down and fix.

Veterans and their families need to continue to speak up and see to it those who are taking care of them at the VA are held responsible. If they do not feel they are being treated justly or are being pushed aside then they need to speak up. Call Secretary Shulkin’s office and leave your complaint especially if you feel your complaints at your VA facility are falling on deaf ears. This is a giant step in fixing what is broken at the VA. One that has been a long time coming and well deserved for our Veterans.

May God Bless America and our Veterans past, present, and future. 

Trump Administration Victory on Travel Ban

One of the first things President Trump did when he entered office in January 2017 was sign Executive Order 13769, titled “Protecting the nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.” A campaign promise he made to the American people yet it was met with so much hate and vengeance when all it was meant to do was protect those he was now responsible to protect as our Commander in Chief.

When Executive Order 13769  was rolled out on January 27, 2017 there were numerous protests and of course legal challenges that ended up in a nationwide temporary restraining order which was issued on February 3, 2017, Washington v. Trump. Thanks to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit the Department of Homeland Security had to stop enforcing portions of the order and the State Department had to re-validate visas that had been revoked.

Not only was the order criticized by members of Congress who should have been behind our President, especially since the countries named in the travel ban are the same ones President Obama named in his travel ban, but we also had criticism from university professors and students, business leaders, and an array of other groups and organizations who felt we should have opened boarders. We heard arguments from many this wasn’t a travel ban to protect Americans from terrorist but a ban to keep Muslims out of the United States since the order targeted Muslim-majority countries. What they were missing and some still are, is this order was issued to protect Americans from people who cannot be properly vetted.

On the side of those who understood and supported the ban the argument was this ban only affected 13% of Muslims worldwide, the countries were previously selected by President Obama’s administration as areas of concern for terrorist activity yet no one complained then, and it was only for 90 days. The idea was to give the new administration a chance to develop “extreme vetting” procedures to reduce the probability of terrorist entering the United States.

On March 16, 2017 Executive Order 13780 was issued to supersede the original Executive Order but still it was blocked by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. What everyone was missing is it states in the Constitution of the United States it is the responsibility of our President to protect the people of this great nation not those who wish to enter it.

No matter how much we argue this is not a party issue, it’s not Republicans against Democrats it’s about American people feeling safe in their beds at night, going to the mall, go to concerts or festivals and feeling safe. No one in this country should feel the fear of being attacked by terrorist. Not with the ability we have to vet people and see to it those who are on the watch list are not allowed in this country nor are their family members. Of course there are those who we have no idea if they have any connections we need to be aware of, that’s where the extreme vetting comes in. How easy everyone seems to forget September 11 or the Boston Marathon. So many lives effected and if we just took that extra measure it may have been prevented.

We all know nothing is perfect and even with “extreme vetting” people can and will get through the cracks but there is a better chance of that not happening if we give this administration or any administration the chance to do what they feel is best to serve and protect the people of this great nation. We all come from immigrants but at a different time when people weren’t out to do damage and harm to perhaps the greatest nation in this world, I know it is in my eyes.

So today the Supreme Court rendered its decision and this is how it goes. Starting Thursday June 29, 2017 the Trump administration will be allowed to enforce the travel ban. There are some stipulations as the Court’s ruling only allows certain people to be banned. If someone has a “bona fide relationship” with a person or organization in America they will be allowed to enter, as well as anyone who already has a valid visa to enter the United States.

So although the Supreme Court approved the ban it is modified somewhat and they did offer some guidance as to who will be allowed to enter under the modified ban. President Trump being the positive person he has been in getting things done that he promised during his campaign felt this was a clear victory for the people of this great nation, to our national security.

The travel ban still allows travel suspension for six terrorist countries. In his speech today President Trump said: “As President I cannot allow people into our country who want to do us harm. I want people who can love the United States and all of its citizens, and who will be hardworking and productive.” I do not understand how anyone can disagree with this. I am all for helping people who really need our help but we have our hands full with Americans who are in need of our help. Do we turn our backs on our own in order to let others in who will take what resources we have away from American citizens and possibly put many lives in danger or do we take that extra step and ensure the safety of all Americans and the ability of those entering this country to be able to support and take care of themselves and not live off of our generosity?

President Trump also said: “My number one responsibility as Commander in Chief is to keep the American people safe. Today’s ruling allows me to use an important tool for protecting our Nation’s homeland. I am also particularly gratified that the Supreme Court’s decision was 9-0.” So here is how that ruling goes, the Supreme Court’s four liberal justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan joined with Justice Anthony Kennedy and Chief Justice John Roberts in partially lifting the hold on the ban. For me this was pretty much what I expected. The conservative justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito argued that the administration should be allowed to enforce the ban in all cases.

Final outcome, the Trump administration will be able to bar citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the United States for a period of 90 days. They will be able to bar nearly all refugees from entering the United States for a period of 120 days only if they have not already been issued a visa or if they don’t have a “bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”

So according to the ruling, people coming to live with or visit a family member will be allowed in the United States and so will people coming here to study, teach, or speak at our schools or to work for an American business. On the other hand tourists from these six countries who do not have family members in the United States will definitely be barred from entering.

What seems to be concerning so many people is what effect this will have on the refugees seeking to escape one of these countries since the do not have jobs lined up in the United States or family members already here. There are those who have a relationship with a United States based organization so they will be able to enter the country with a US based “refugee resettlement agency” who will be responsible for settling the refugees in the United States. Right now every refugee who is entering the United States has already been placed with an agency however, the Supreme Court did not clarify whether being a client with a resettlement agency counts as a “bona fide relationship” with an organization. Of course the organizations fighting the ban are saying it does but so far it is not clear if the Trump administration will agree. I don’t agree, I feel they need to be able to take care of themselves either by being with family members who are already here or by actually having a job when they get here.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case against the travel ban after it returns to session in October however by that point the at least the 90 day ban will have been completed and the 120 day refugee ban will be nearing its end. By then this administration will have a better idea on how to vet these countries who are on this list and will have gathered important information needed to do the job right.

I know there are many who will not agree with me, I am not at all surprised, but this travel ban is necessary in order to protect American citizens. This decision today by the Supreme Court is a major victory for the Trump administration. President Trump promised the American people he would not give up, he would not back down, and he would always fight for what he believed to be best for this country and he did just that.

When the Supreme Court returns from recess in October and they hear the case against the travel ban they can rule the lower courts were right all along but it would be falling on deaf ears since the ban will already have happened and be either nearing its end or has already ended.

I, for one, am happy President Trump and his administration fought for what they believed was best for all Americans. We never want to close our doors on people who need us but we also have to open our eyes and see all the Americans who can use a helping hand already in this country. America and all American citizens must come first, in support and in protecting our boarders. No child should ever have to live in fear or go to bed without a meal. We are so saddened when we see the images of children and refugees from other countries but we close our eyes to homelessness and helplessness of Americans who struggle every day. Where is the sense in all of this when you can put other countries before our own?

We need to stop all the fighting, we need to open our eyes and loving hearts we have for others and open them for our own. America must once again become united and we must always put America First in order to “Make America Great Again.”

May God Bless America and keep us growing strong. 

Otto Warmbier (Dec. 12, 1994 - June 19,2017) Rest In Peace

A young American man, Otto Warmbier, decides to travel to China at the end of 2015. An adventurous young man who had a desire to explore the world. While in China he saw a China-based tour operator, Young Pioneer Tours, which advertised the trip as safe for all U.S. citizens to North Korea. Being the adventurous soul Otto was he thought he would be just as safe there as he was in China especially since he would be with a tour group.

Otto met in Beijing with a British sales manager, Danny Gratton, and the two boarded a flight to Pyongyang together and struck up a friendship. During their trip they were roommates and stuck together from the time they got to Pyongyang until Otto was arrested.

This trip was to be just a five day New Year’s tour of the country organized by the tour group, Young Pioneer Tours. Otto was not alone on this tour as there were ten other United States citizens with him but it was here where Otto’s trip turned into a nightmare for him and his family. While staying at the Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang, it was alleged Otto stole a propaganda sign from a staff-only floor of the hotel. A poster that said “Let’s arm ourselves strongly with Kim Jong-il’s patriotism!” In North Korea the government considers harming items with the name or image of their crazy North Korean leader as a serious crime.

While Otto was about to board a plan to head home, on January 2, 2016, he was arrested trying to leave the country under a fabricated story about the theft of a poster. It wasn’t until March 18, 2016 that the state-run Korean Central News Agency released a video claiming the person who was seen removing said poster was Otto Warmbier. The video was no longer than 18 seconds and was low-resolution, grainy so the figure in the video who did “supposedly” remove the poster from wall was unrecognizable however, the image of the poster that followed the low resolution image of the person who took the poster down, was a higher resolution but the persons face removing the poster could not be seen in this clip. Convenient to say the least.   

Otto’s traveling companion and newly found friend, Danny Gratton, witnessed the arrest. He said, “No words were spoken. Two guards just came over to Otto and simply tapped him on the shoulder and let him away. I just said kind of quite nervously, ‘Well, that’s the last we’ll see of you.’ There’s treat irony in those words. That was it. That was the last physical time I saw Otto, ever. Otto didn’t resist. He didn’t look scared. He sort of half-smiled.” The rest of the group was allowed to leave the country without incident but Otto was described as committing “a hostile act against the state” by the North Korean news agency KCNA.

Things move quickly in North Korea because Otto was tried and convicted of theft of the propaganda poster using the CCTV footage, supposedly fingerprint evidence, and a witness testimony then he was paraded into a press conference on February 29, 2016 in order to repeat his confession that he stole the said banner in order to bring it back to the United States. The claim was he stole it to for the mother of a friend of his who wanted it as a souvenir to hang on the wall of a church. This so called church was supposedly in his hometown of Wyoming, Ohio and he was to be paid in the form of a used car valued at $ 10,000 if he was to return or $ 200,000 would be paid to his mother in the form of a charitable donation if he did not return. Otto claimed at the press conference he accepted the offer because his family was suffering from severe financial difficulties.

The statement Otto read at his trial said:

“I never should have allowed myself to be lured by the United States administration to commit a crime in this country. I wish the United States administration never manipulated people like myself in the future to commit crimes against foreign countries. I entirely beg you, the people and government of the DPR Korea, for your forgiveness. Please! I have made the worst mistake of my life! Please! Think of my family.”

There is no doubt in my mind this confession was coerced and the story about the car and money fabricated. Otto never had a chance against such and evil regime. He was used to the way things are done in the United States and his parents were busy trying to get help for their son so they could get him out of North Korea and home. He had hope that he wouldn’t be there long but that changed on March 16, 2016. Just two hours after U.S. envoy Bill Richardson met with two North Korean diplomats from the United Nations office asking for Otto’s release, he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for supposedly stealing a poster. Mark Toner, the U.S. Department spokesman said it was clear North Korea used the arrest of an American citizens for political purposes despite their claims to the contrary.

In March 2016 just a month after Otto’s trial no one was allowed to see him. It was said he suffered from Botulism and was very ill but his condition was not told to anyone outside of North Korea. His parents were unable to contact him, no communication since March of 2016. The Swedish envoys who represent the United States in North Korea were not allowed to visit with Otto so no one had any contact with him, no one knew what he was going through or what North Korea had done to him.

This family was suffering, their son was being used as a political pawn and yet they couldn’t get the Obama administration to do anything to get their son home. The family was told to keep a low profile and allow the administration to do whatever they can to get their son home but that didn’t happen. They were advised it was important to not upset the North Koreans so they did what they thought was best for their son and listened to the so called experts.

January of 2016 this young man left for an adventure, excited, innocent and secure in the fact he was an American citizens. No one can for a second, guess what was going through Otto’s mind as he was coerced into reading that confession but we can believe he thought his government would do all they could to get him released and home safe. When Mr. Warmbier was asked if he thought the Obama administration should have been doing more for his son’s release his only comment was “I think the results speak for themselves,” and so do I. I might add at no time during this ordeal and the Presidency of Obama did the Warmbier’s get to meet the President face to face and express their fears and concerns for their son’s safe return to the United States.

Mr. Warmbier offered praise for the Trump administration for its work bring their son home. United States Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson worked for the release of Otto at the direction of President Donald Trump and on June 12, 2017, eighteen months after his arrest, Otto was released and sent home to be with his family. His medical condition was far worse than anyone could have anticipated.

After being home for three days the doctors were able to tell the family that Otto suffered extensive brain damage that had nothing to do with botulism. Otto was in a state of unresponsive wakefulness, in other words, a persistent vegetative state. He was breathing on his own, his could blink his eyes but did not respond to his environment yet his father said his facial expression relaxed more after about twenty four hours at home as if he knew. The MRI revealed he suffered from extensive loss of brain tissue throughout his brain typical of a cardiac arrest which caused the brain to be denied oxygen. 

Doctors are not sure what caused Otto to go into cardiac arrest but it could have been triggered by a respiratory arrest.

Otto Warmbier passed away on June 19, 2017, only 22 years old, in the hospital at 2:20 pm. He was surrounded by his loving family and friends. A young man who only wanted to experience life, see new things, help others, who had a bright future filled with hope, taken from his family too soon. As President Trump said yesterday, “There is nothing more tragic for a parent than to lose a child in the prime of life.” My heart goes out to Otto’s family and friends.

Although Otto came into our lives because of this tragedy it is not how we should remember him. When we think of Otto we will never forget all he was put through during his time in North Korea but we also will never forget the loving and caring words of his father. We will not forget the young college student who had so much hope and desire to learn and experience life. The young man who had so much faith and trust in the world and those around him. He has been described as having a loving and caring heart. This is what we should be remembering of Otto and we should all be thankful he made it home to say goodbye to his parents in his own way. As his father said “he could feel his son’s spirit.” I honestly believe he could and Otto could feel his family’s spirits coming around him and giving him support and love.

As I bowed my head in prayer last night I asked the Lord to wrap Otto in his arms and let him know we are all praying for him and how very much he was loved while on this Earth by his family and friends. I thanked God for bringing him home to his family before the Lord took him home so he could finally rest in peace till his family gets to meet him once more. I will keep Otto and his family in my prayers and thoughts.

May God Bless America and May we open our hearts to those in need. Rest in Peace Otto Warmbier 

All This Hate Has It's Consequences: Shooting at Alexandria, Virginia

It took a shooting in Alexandria, Virginia yesterday for the Democrats and Republicans to realize things have been moving, in this country, in the wrong direction for way too long and to put a call out for unity. I am amazed since this is what many United States Citizens have been calling for since the last administration.

During the Obama administration we watched a country that was moving forward in their civil rights movement, although I will admit, there were times it seemed to some that we were moving slowly, take a turn and step back in time more than thirty years. President Obama should have shown this country’s people of color, there is nothing we can’t do, as long as we do it together, in unity because America truly is the greatest nation in the world.

Yet that is not how his two terms in office went. We had our first African American President, actually he is American with African decent if we are to say it properly since we are all American first and where ever our ancestors come from last, in office and he should have been able to pull this country together tighter and stronger than it ever was. He should have been able to help those of color improve their communities, build up what is not working, run out the garbage that is bringing crime into the area, encourage the children to set goals and move towards them instead of allowing the struggles of life to pull and keep them down. He should have been able to do that but he didn’t.

During his time in office we watched this country step back into the late 1950’s into the 1960’s as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought to bring equality to all people of color. His name is symbolic to the civil rights movement in this country because without him and his determination to make life better for his family and community perhaps there wouldn’t have been this turn around that we all witnessed over the years and an even stronger unity in this country as we all opened our eyes and realized we can’t be the United States of America if all citizens are not treated equal.

I worked the voting polls in my town when President Obama first ran for office. The turnout was amazing, people were voting who never voted before but for the wrong reason, they were voting to make history. No one cared if he had the experience it would take to run the office, to lead this country into a brighter tomorrow. No, they only cared about the color of his skin. Now I will grant you it was about time we had a President of color or even a female President but to pick someone on those basis isn’t doing this country any good as it has been proven over his eight years in office.

I know I just pissed off a lot of people but let’s look at the facts at hand. During his time in office when he should have been standing with the police and working for the people of this great nation no matter what their color, he stood out in front of a movement that divided this country perhaps more than it ever was. He had the power at hand to stop the chaos and bring order just by talking to this nation about unity and not about the difference in our color or cultures but he chose to go that route and in doing so he was part of what started to undo the seams that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began to sew.

This line of thinking, this rhetoric and hatefulness carried on throughout his administration and grew strong in the Democratic Party. Oh, I am not saying the Republicans are innocent in all of this because we all saw the same Presidential Campaign and we all know about the nasty things being said about each and every candidate coming from their own party members. Yes, Donald Trump had a lot to say during this time as well, concerning the other candidates on the Republican Primary ticket, but it doesn’t make it right.

Let me say this right off the bat, I support President Trump and one thing I admire about him is what many hate, his ability to say what is on his mind, no filter, just like you were talking to a friend who would call you out if you wrong or not being upfront about something. I would rather have someone like that in office than someone who makes promises in front of you and then turns around and does the opposite. Oh, I know people are saying he has done the same because not everything he promised during his campaign has been done yet but this is where we go back to Congress and realize although the Republicans control Congress at this point, they still aren’t all working with the President to get the job done in favor of the American people. Why, because they don’t like him speaking his mind, for some, they have had their feelings hurt so instead of looking to see how they can do their job better for America they have sulked and spoke out against the President causing and even bigger divide in this nation.

Now it’s been for more than a year Democrats against Republicans not just on Capitol Hill but all over this great nation from one shore to the other. My gosh we have families divided, arguing over politics and religion, gun control laws, and just about everything else you could think of. We have people attacking citizens in the streets because they are wearing Pro Trump shirts, women having urine thrown on them because they are marching against Sharia law in this country governed by its own Constitution, and riots in the streets every chance the trouble makers get to start one up. Who is being hurt here people, we are, and at what cost? The cost of our country, our unity, and our freedoms.

The minds of many stressed out and worried Americans have been played with in the political arena and mainstream media. They have continued over the years to press forward with their our rendition of the truth building up those they felt deserved to be in office and tearing down those who they felt did not. People in the public eye need to realize the impact they have on people who do not get their information from anything or any place else. They listen to the news and believe with all their heart that what they are hearing is the exact way it was said. Not so as so many of us know. I have said time and again anyone can give you their opinion, heck I have many times, but it is up to the individual to fact check any information they are fed or question and find out the truth because knowledge is the key to fixing what is broken in this country in so many ways.

We have a President in office who cares about this country and it shows yet our mainstream media, Hollywood, and so many hate groups that have popped up in this country to instill hate and violence want everyone to believe President Donald J. Trump is Anti American and only interested in what this country can do for him. I don’t know but a President who is willing to do this job without pay isn’t interested in what this office can do for him. He is busting his behind to fix the mess we are in and doing without pay and from some without thanks. It doesn’t matter what he has to say or how he says it, the mainstream media and those who oppose him spin it in a negative tone and cause more problems as the days go on.

Never have I seen a candidate get so much air time and not pay for it. They were so worried Hillary was not a good candidate that they gave then candidate Trump more air time then they gave her only fueling the minds of the American people who wanted a change. They wanted to hear someone speak the truth and talk about what they have been feeling for years and Candidate Trump did just that and you know how he did it, by meeting with the American people and actually hearing what they have to say. Not like other candidates who yes you to death then take their office and do whatever they feel is best for their own interests. I am not the only American who sees it that way. Take a look around on social media and see how many Americans are tired of the lies, tired of the deceit, and tired of government officials who just don’t listen.

All this has been going on, this lying, deceit, ignoring of the public opinion for way to long and the American people have been begging for something to be done so in walks President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2017 with a fresh new outlook and filled with hope and determination to turn this country around. Guess what folks, our elite government officials didn’t want to hear what he had to say. They fought him every step of the way. No matter what he puts forth they want to knock it down before it even gets looked at. Now we need to start making more demands. We need changes made and not ten years from now we need things brought up to real life speed and enacted upon immediately. Congress sits on bills, pushes things around one house to the other until they fix it to their liking and have hidden in more deceit and lies within their documents just to get their own agenda passed and they want to know why the American people do not trust them. Amazing they actually believe their own lies.

So now there is a shooting aimed directly at the Republican Party. People are injured and we have a sitting Congressmen in critical condition who was out on a baseball field practicing to play in a game to benefit a few different charities. He was out there to help people but the shooter didn’t care about that because he has been told time and again how the Republican Party is trying to destroy America. 

He has been listening to the hate spewed in the news, on the streets and all over social media but he was not able to bounce back after the election. His mind was still in tune with the hate and there were people out there and still are ready to feed that hate and insight anyone that will listen into joining in.

Our own Congressmen and women have spoken such hateful words against this present administration it’s sad because the last administration notably committed crimes against America and they have been ignored. Hillary Clinton has a list of crimes she committed yet her followers during the campaign didn’t want to hear it, not even from the families of the 4 Americans left to die in Benghazi. So they listened to the lies and accepted them as truth. Loretta Lynch covered for her and once again it was accepted and if it went as far as AG Lynch I will venture to say it went as far as the Oval office but since I am not in government I cannot say so for sure and I will not speculate. I can only go by the things Obama said directly to us in his own public appearances. One that sticks out in my mind is the lie about Obamacare in which it said you can keep your own doctors and it will be affordable for all. You can’t keep your own doctor and it is only affordable for a few if you look at the population of this country and realize there are still many who cannot afford health insurance and to boot are being punished on their taxes every year for not having it. They are hurting people who need their help, not helping people who are in need which is why these people have been elected into office in the first place and we should be holding them responsible. I can list many things Obama said that can come back and bite him in the butt but we were all here listening and we can all listen to his words again if we want to truly educate ourselves but when you do tune into youtube.com or any other form of media to listen or read his words do so with an opened mind. Listen or read it as if it is the first time you are hearing it and as if you do not know who he is and then tell me you think he was doing all he could to help America.

It has taken the attack of the GOP from a gunman in an opened field leaving 4 people injured and 2 still in critical condition for Congressmen and women to finally realize this needs to stop. Nancy Pelosi who has been a top contender in hate speech seems to be finally opening her eyes to the damage they are doing around this country. I truly hope something so tragic has a positive outcome and they start actually working together and stop acting like kindergartners in the playground of life, fighting over everything and anything they can think of just because the other party thought of it first or felt it needs to be fixed. That goes on both sides of the fence Republicans and Democrats need to begin to work together and if they do that then there is hope for our country to once again to become United and Stand Strong.

I pray for Congressman Scalisi and all other victims of this attack and their families.

May God Bless America and please help this country Unite once more.

A Call to Congress to Ban Sharia Law In The U.S.A.

As I look back over the events of this weekend I think to myself why on God’s green earth was there a need to have a march on American soil against Sharia Law? How is it we allowed it to get this far? There is only one law in this country that we live by, The Constitution of The United States of America. If you are living on our soil and you do not feel that way then you need to leave because American’s are not going to give up their God given rights and give into terror.

President Ronald Regan said “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

As I look at the young men and women who have had so much trouble accepting the outcome of the last election and those adults who have felt the need to fight against the outcome of the election I am reminded of President Regan’s words. You see the older set, people my age, who are out there protesting and causing chaos were the same the ones fighting against the Vietnam War giving no thought to our soldiers or their families. Now their children or grandchildren are influenced by their way of thinking, right or wrong, and they are fighting against our country, not for it. They are fighting against our freedoms and not giving thought to the damage they are doing and the destruction they are causing.

It is up to parents, educators, and even our government to remind our children what it took to become a free country and stay that way. For anyone in this country, for any American citizens to consider accepting Sharia Law or any other laws from any other land on our soil is treasonous in my eyes. Our forefathers started our Constitution and over the years of our existence our law makers have made the necessary adjustments to it. Sharia Law throws us back in time and women suffer, gays, and anyone who does not worship Islam, suffers. Why would we want this to come to our country and if these people who have come here expressing their need to escape their home country still feel the need to honor Sharia Law then they need to go home and live where it is accepted and not come here and try to push it on the United States of America.

You see a big problem why they even have a foothold on this land is because some of us have lost or never had a love for this country. They never took the time to understand why our forefathers came here and why they fought so hard to make this country the HOME OF THE FREE.

From the beginning of our existence we fought to escape tyranny, Kings who ruled with an iron fist, and giving ourselves and our beliefs up to a government we had no desire to be a part of. Now the shadows of evil filter into our shores and our cities as people who have come here to escape their country fight for the right to live by a law that inflicts heartache and pain on those who live under it. 

This isn’t something that has just hit our country it has been slowly building up for years but too many people have closed their eyes to it because of the politically correct police and fear of being judged Islamophobic and racist. Now we have no choice but to stand together and see to it, Sharia Law is banned from our country. Not one state at a time but right from Congress itself. It’s obvious people don’t get the Constitution is what rules our land so it is up to Congress to see to it that is understood and not up for discussion ever again.

There are those who will tell you there is nothing wrong with Sharia Law. You need to think about this, while you were so worried about offending people during the last administration there are a number of court cases in this country involving conflicts between civil rights and sharia law. Many states have already introduced bills in their state legislator banning courts from accommodating Sharia Law. Why is this need on our shores, I ask again? Why because of organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood which will scream in anyone’s ear who will listen, if you support such a bill to ban sharia law then you are supporters of Islamophobia. We all know that’s not true. If we support such a bill then we are who we say we are, “AMERICANS” and AMERICA COMES FRIST.

The Muslim Brotherhood dates back to 1928 but not here on our shores. They gained supporters in the Arab world and influenced other Islamist groups. They arrived on our shores in 1963, started by activist involved in the Muslim Student Association and from there other organizations supporting the Brotherhood were formed.

According to An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Group in North America, the goal of the Muslin Brotherhood in North America is identified as follows:

“Establishing an effective and a stable Islamic movement led by the Muslim Brotherhood which adopts Muslims’ causes domestically and globally, and which works to expand the observant Muslim base, aims at unifying and directing Muslims’ efforts, presents Islam as a civilization alternative, and supports the global Islamic state wherever it is.”

I give props to Senator Ted Cruz because in 2015 he introduced a bill to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in which it states the Department of State should designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. As we all know it did not pass but Senator Cruz continued to speak out against the group and alleged this group’s goal was to wage violent jihad against its enemies including the United States. The bill sited three entities of the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S., Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT).

The funny thing is the Obama administration listed members of this group on its terror list yet they were hesitant to label the group as a terrorist organization. In a statement from the White House on December 1, 2014 it said:

“We have not seen credible evidence that the Muslim Brotherhood has renounced its decades-long commitment to non-violence. The United States does not condone political violence of any kind and we continue to press actors of all viewpoints to peacefully engage in the political process. The Unites States is committed to thwarting terrorist groups that pose a threat to the U.S. interests and those of our partners.”

“We the People” of this great nation have closed our eyes for way too long. Back in 1996 Bill Clinton became the first President to hold a White House Eid-al-Fitr dinner to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr includes six Takbirs, raising their hands and shouting, “Allahu Akbar!” to declare Allah is “greater” than the God of other religions. In 2000 the Republican National Convention was the first US Presidential convention to ever open with a Muslim prayer to Allah. The list goes on 2007, Congressman Keith Ellison used a Quran for the first time when he was sworn in as a new U.S. Congressman and by 2017 he was the second highest leader in the DNC.

Now they are trying to push the teachings of Islam and Sharia law to our children in school and no one wants to do anything about it because you may hurt someone’s feelings. I really could careless whose feelings I hurt. Prayer was taken out of our schools years ago with no thought to whose feelings were being hurt.

In 2010 there was a landmark pro-Sharia ruling on S.D. v. M.J.R., which concluded that the Muslim ex-husband repeatedly had raped his Muslim ex-wife, before and after the divorce. After testimony from the ex-husbands imam, the judge denied the ex-wife’s request for a permanent restraining order against her ex-husband, citing the Muslim man’s belief and practices. Judge Joseph Charles Jr. stated:

  “The court believes that defendant was operating under his belief that it is, as the husband, his desire to have sex when and whether he wanted to, was something that was consistent with his 

practices.” 

This never should have been allowed. This women went to our legal system for help and we turned our back on her. This judge should have been removed from the bench since he doesn’t seem to understand the law of this land is our Constitution.

So yes Patriots of this great nation stand together and march against Sharia Law in this country. Fight against anything that is not for the betterment of the United States of America. Do not let our children grow up not knowing the freedoms we have been blessed with. Stand united against Sharia Law or anything that threatens this great nation, our rights, security, and growth. Protect our children from the horrors these people have fled only to bring to our shores.

If we stand United we will never fall. In my opinion the last administration had the ability to pull this country together like it’s never been before yet it saw to pull us apart in order to do what they felt no one has ever accomplished. The only way the United States can fall is if we fall from within. “We the People” will not allow this so let’s pull together, every Patriot out there, Unite and join forces to stop the spread of Sharia law, Islam in this country, terror on our shores, and keep this country safe and secure for generations to come. Don’t be afraid to call it what it is and do not be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. If you make a few enemies along the way you must be doing something right.

We as American citizens must always put America First.

God Bless America and all the Patriots who keep our land the Home of the Free because of the Brave! 

Our Constitution Article II Sections 1 to 4 Our Executive Branch

I thought today would be a good day to cover a little more of the United States of America’s Constitution. Let’s look at Article 2 which has a total of 4 sections. I have said this time and again I am not expert but I do have a love for this country, our founding fathers, our history and our Constitution.

Article II of the United States of America’s Constitution covers the Executive Branch of our government. Our executive branch of government includes our President, who is elected by the people, and other executive officers. Now let’s break it down.

Section I describes the rights and role of the President and Vice President of the United States. I figured since everyone keeps questioning what President Trump has a right to do or not do and we have the fanatics calling for impeachment, it would be a good time to have a refresher course on Article II.

On Election Day we go to the poles and we cast our vote for President of the United States and his running mate for Vice President. When elected the President and Vice President will hold the office for the next four years. Even though we go to the polls and cast our votes it is not by so called “popular vote” the candidate wins.

You see, as it states in Section 1 the President and Vice President are chosen by the Electoral College. The electors, those who cast their vote for the Electoral College are usually picked by the state legislatures. The amount of electors a state has depends on the amount of representatives and senators each state has. Now we already know each state is only given two senators but the representatives go according to the size of the state so some states have more votes than others.

In order to run for President a person must be a natural born citizen of the United States and be at least thirty-five years of age and a resident “within the United States” for 14 years. Confusing I am sure to many because if you are a natural born citizen of the United States aren’t you living here? Actually no, not necessarily, you could be a child born to military personnel and born on a base in a foreign land but still you are a natural citizen of this country.

Now in case a President is removed from office, his or her death, resignation, or inability to discharge the Powers of the office then the Vice President is sworn in to take on the remaining term. If there were ever a circumstance where both the President and Vice President are unable to fulfill the term of office then Congress will chose a suitable replacement until the next election.

As for the Presidents salary it cannot change during his term plus he cannot receive money from any other state or federal government. As for our current President Trump he has opted to donate his salary. His first-quarter Salary went to the National Park Service keeping his promise to work for the American people for free. I don’t care what anyone says about President Trump, he obviously loves this country if he is putting up with all this hate, ridicule, and aggravation for no pay. Why don’t we ask Congress if they would do that for just one quarter? I am sure the answer to that would be No Way!

The final part of Section I of Article II is the swearing in of our President. Before he can enter office he must take the Oath or Affirmation which says: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Article II Section 2: If you took two minutes to read it you will see it is self-explanatory as it states the President shall be Commander-in-Chief of the United States Military. This is where it creates the Cabinet of senior executive officers who assist the President of his duties. He can go to them for advice, their opinion, in writing of the particular executive officer regarding any subject related to the duties of their respective offices. He also has the power to grant Reprieves and Pardons of Offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.

This section of the Constitution gives the President the power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make Treaties. In order to do that he must have two thirds of the Senators who are present agree. Also with the advice and consent of the Senate, he shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers, and Consuls, Judges to the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose appointments are not otherwise provided for. So these decisions do not fall on the President alone. He makes his recommendations and then it goes before the Senate who then votes ya or nay for his selections. We all know how slow that can move along.

The President has the power to fill all vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions, but these appointments expire once the next session of the Senate begins.  

Section 3 Article II although a short section it covers quite a bit of the responsibilities of the President. The President is not in this alone as we have said throughout Article II so it is his responsibility to occasionally give Congress information through a State of the Union address. There are also occasions where the President can call for sessions of the House or the Senate or both under extraordinary occasions.

It is also his responsibility to receive all foreign Ambassadors and other public Ministers. It is the responsibility of our President to see to it that all laws are faithfully executed and he has the power to Commission all the Officers of the United States.

Section 4 Article II this section of Article II talks about impeachment of the President, Vice President, and any civil officers such as Cabinet Secretaries or judges. Actually Section 4 of Article II states: The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

We had a President who lied under oath to Congress and because of this was impeached by the House of Representatives but got a pass from the Senate so he got to stay in the White House making the United States a laughing stock. Why was this allowed? Why was Bill Clinton allowed to stay in office? Maybe that is what people screaming for Trump’s impeachment should be asking themselves. Was it OK with them to have a President represent them who cheated on his wife, had sex with an intern in the Oval Office, and then went before Congress, laid his hand on the Bible and swore to tell the truth but straight faced lied to America? I know people are saying it was only perjury. That’s true a misdemeanor but Martha Stewart went to jail for perjury so what made Bill Clinton any better than Martha.  

So as you can see our President has a lot to do in the course of his day but Congress is supposed to work with him not against him. If this is not done correctly then our well-oiled machine of a government becomes squeaky and questionable. This isn’t something knew but it’s sad after all these years of working to build an amazing country we still have people who are elected to serve their constituents and only end up worrying about themselves but throw the Constitution around as if they live by it.

This document should be something all Americans hold near and dear to their hearts. They should know it and understand it so they know what to expect from their representatives and their President. They need to know what is in this document so they can understand their rights and the laws of this great nation. So many big mouths with little to no knowledge of what they are talking about. I do not claim to be a know it all. I am going over this document as I write it for you and break it down but I can tell you this, I studied it in school, my parents talked about it and its importance to this country when I was growing up, my grandparents talked about how important it was that our forefathers had the forethought to lay all this out for us so we had a secure guide to help us develop a better country, to see to it that no one can come in and take out rights away. We the People of this great nation need to stand united and see to it our Constitution is enforced to its fullest, correctly, and not to benefit those who wish to do us harm foreign or domestic.

May God Bless America and remind Americans how wonderful their lives are in this great nation.

Congratulations President Trump for Pulling Out of The Paris Accord!

Perhaps I was listening to a different speech given by President Trump concerning the Paris Climate Agreement. Yes, we did pull out of the Paris climate accord but he also said he would begin negotiations to re-enter either the Paris accord or an entirely new transaction. His interest is in what is fair to the United States, its citizens, business, workers and taxpayers because in the end we are the ones who will be paying for this agreement.

The idea is to pull out of an agreement that is going to cost us more than anyone else, of course, because people seem to think the United States needs to take care of everyone and not worry about what’s best for their own citizens. The agreement put the United States at a disadvantage but somehow that doesn’t upset some people because they are more interested in blaming President Trump for pulling out and not giving thought to climate control, to our environment.

What about thinking about the impact it will have on the United States and Americans? President Trump stated it would weigh heavy on United States taxpayers. American workers who struggle as it is right now to make a decent pay would have to absorb the added tax, businesses would now have to absorb the added tax which he is trying to decrease in order to bring business back to this country. If that were to happen then once again the American workers will be losing their jobs and companies will be leaving this country once more. We cannot afford to enter into something that is going to increase our national debt which is already way out of control doubling during the time of the Obama administration all while he put the blame on past President Bush even though Bush was not the one now spending money and giving it away as if it was water.

This was a nonbinding agreement and any country can pull out at any time. President Trump made an educated decision and sited according the National Economic Research Associates the Paris accord with the onerous energy restrictions place on the United States could end up costing America, you know the country we live in and pay for, as much as 2.7 million lost jobs by 2025. I don’t understand how anyone in their right mind can feel that’s ok. We have already lost so much that we have adults who have worked all their lives building up a career finding themselves working two and three part time jobs, children used to do while in school, just to keep a roof over their heads and still isn’t enough to keep food on the table for some families.  This President is looking at the big picture and the effects it will have on the future of this country, of the people he is responsible for, you know, me, you and of course our children and grandchildren.

The future looked bleak for the United States according to the same study that said by the year 2040 due to this agreement production rate will be cut in the following areas: paper will be down 12%; cement will be down 23%; iron will be down 38 percent; coal will be down 86%; and natural gas will be down 31%. Now I don’t know about you but I am not willing to see this country fall prey to such a loss. I know we need to be concerned about the environment but we also need to think about the loss of nearly $ 3 trillion dollars in Gross Domestic Product and 6.5 million in industrial jobs alone.

So why are people kicking up a storm, upset our President backed away from the Paris accord which was not a treaty of any kind but an agreement that also stated you can leave or stay. It did not say you are committed to stay in for any amount of time. Plus what we many are missing is, as usual, it is costing the USA more than any other country but hey, that’s OK because everyone seems to think we have it.

Are you all so willing to stay in an agreement which by the year 2040 there will be a loss in jobs and productivity in the United States and people will be struggling more than they are now? Why would you want anyone to approve such a deal? Are you thinking 2040 is so far away it won’t affect you? You may be right, but it will affect our children and grandchildren so what are we leaving them but a pile of garbage to pull themselves out of.

There are laws already in place to improve our environment and there have been improvements over the last few years. Yes, of course, there is always room for more but to jump on the Paris accord because everyone else is doing it is like saying you would jump into a fire because everyone else is doing it.

Did you even listen to what he had to say there are no imposing meaningful obligations on the world’s leading polluters under this agreement? He pointed out China will still be able to increase these emissions for another 13 years but not the USA. India’s participation is contingent on receiving billions upon billions of dollars in foreign aid from developed countries but not the United States because we will be one of the countries paying for them.

This agreement as it stands right now blocks us from the development of clean coal yet China will be allowed to build hundreds of additional coal plants while India will be allowed to double their coal production by 2020. So now I am baffled once again because we are to get rid of our coal but hey the rest of the world can increase theirs. Where is the logic in all of this people? As you can see all it has done is take the coal industry away from us and pass it along to other countries removing jobs from the United States. As President Trump stated “the bottom line is that the Paris Accord is very unfair at the highest level to the United States.”

If you took just five minutes to go over this so called wonderful agreement you should be able to figure out it isn’t really about climate control it’s more about screwing with America. Taking jobs away and decreasing our stand in the world while increasing others and why not, I mean, look at who we sent over there to sit at the table and negotiate this so called amazing deal. John Kerry, who although a Vietnam Veteran, paraded himself around with Hanoi Jane upon returning to the United States after his tour of duty. He talked about his fellow soldiers, called them names and jumped on the band wagon of all the other liberals who didn’t believe in the war. No one believes in war but in doing what he did he didn’t show support for our troops the very men he stood next to in battle so what makes anyone think he would be willing to work for the betterment of this country. He sold us out the same way he sold out his comrades in battle.

Of course the rest of the world was happy with this horrific agreement they were the ones benefitting and we were the ones sacrificing, as usual. The United States of America can produce the energy it needs to survive and in doing so create jobs to help put people back to work. Something the past administration talked about but still didn’t manage to do. With so many out of work why would we agree to put a lock on our nation’s growth and wealth? Why would someone who is supposedly working to help the American people agree to taking jobs away from the American people and redistributing them to other countries. That is what we have been fighting for years now with outsourcing. It is why so many people supported and voted for President Trump. They were tired of living in poverty when we knew the government had the power to see to it this did not continue yet they sign an agreement to plunge us even deeper into despair.

The kicker is if the Paris Agreement were to be implemented in full, that means every country involved following it to the Tee, it would only produce a two tenths of one degree Celsius reduction in global temperature by the year 2100. Are you freaking kidding me? The United States is plunged into deeper poverty while other countries become rich off of our backs and the benefit is two tenths of one degree in the next 83 years. Those of you who are upset need to take a reality check and give the President a chance to make an agreement that benefits this country as well as the environment.

President Trump said he will get back into the deal as long as it is what is best for America and its people. He didn’t count it out completely but he did say it was not right the way it is now because the United States cannot keep taking the hits while other countries reap the rewards. As he said he is more than willing to sit down with the Democrats as well as the people who represent the Paris Accord or something that can be put together balanced for all countries not against our country.

I am so sick and tired of everyone jumping to conclusions because you listened to the news instead of doing your own research. You don’t believe me fine, what about the Wall Street Journal who wrote, “The reality is that withdrawing is in America’s economic interest and won’t matter much to the climate. The United States under the Trump administration will continue to be the cleanest and most environmentally friendly country on earth.” Maybe some of the mainstream media is starting to see President Trump really does have America and American citizen’s best interest at heart. I, for one, have never doubted it.

May God Bless America and keep guiding President Trump towards “Making America Great Again.”