Petition to STOP TRUMP

Petition to STOP TRUMP

The following is a change.org petition for our members review and consider, urging the voters of the electoral college to stop Donald Trump. Please take a look:

 

 

In 48 Hours, We Gather in State Capitals to STOP TRUMP

Daniel Brezenoff
CA
DEC 17, 2016 — We’ve almost reached the moment of truth. Electors vote Monday and we need you there in state capitals, calling on them to stop Donald Trump.

Today, let everyone know you are coming by joining the December 19 Facebook event. Then share it, and invite everyone you know:

https://www.facebook.com/events/219210221855920/

There are events happening in all 50 states, but please try to a state where the Republicans hold the Electors. Please remember these are nonviolent actions and everyone attending is asked to be peaceful and exercise lawful free speech. Also, it will probably be cold, so dress for winter!

We have momentum, we have unity, and we have the biggest petition in history behind us. Now it’s time to stand up and STOP TRUMP.

Vladimir Putin’s e-mail hacks: have the Democrats become soft?

Vladimir Putin's e-mail hacks: have the Democrats become soft?

Based on evidence from the CIA and other important intelligence agencies, the Russians interfered with the 2016 Presidential Election, by way of an extensive e-mail hacking scheme. It’s important to note that these intelligence services are the most important and accurate sources of information for critical decision making in the U.S. government, with extensive networks of experts gathering and analyzing data.

Clearly the Russians wanted to make sure Donald Trump was elected, and Hillary Clinton was not. Intelligence experts believe two Kremlin-affiliated groups, operating independently, were responsible for the hacks, one from Russian Military Intelligence, and the other from the FSB Spy Agency. And Vladimir Putin appears to have been involved with the schemes.

The Russian leader has great enmity for Hillary Clinton, going back over four years. He believes she was responsible for a wave of protests in 2011 and 2012, when Putin ran for a third Presidential term. He believes that the protesters were paid by Clinton, who was still Secretary of State in President Obama’s administration, in an attempt to meddle with the Russian election. So the 2016 election hacks were essentially payback for Clinton, from Putin’s point of view. Putin was basically taking revenge.

In contrast, Putin’s view of Trump is much more favorable. He’s viewed as a fresh face, sans baggage, and a deal-maker with whom he can negotiate, not as an ideological hard-liner, and personal enemy, like Clinton. And Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson (President and CEO of Exxon Mobil) sits well with Putin, who has negotiated many favorable deals with Tillerson for the drilling of fossil fuels.

Tillerson is quite close to Putin, and the Russian government even awarded him the country’s Friendship Decoration in 2012. Clearly the Trump administration is poised to do a lot of business with Russia in the energy markets over the next four or more years. And so, in addition to a great deal of personal bad blood between Hillary Clinton and Vladimir Putin, Russia has some pretty clear economic interests at stake, making it logical for the Russian government to prefer a Trump victory in the U.S. Presidential election.

So at this point we must ask, what’s wrong with the U.S., what’s wrong with American Citizens, and what on earth is wrong with the Democratic Party? We have clear evidence, from top intelligence services, particularly the CIA, that Vladimir Putin’s Russia hacked the U.S., and conspired to influence the election in favor of Donald Trump, who in fact ended up the actual winner.

In other words, a foreign power put its thumb on the scale of our election process, and was rewarded with exactly what it wanted! This is obviously an outrage, but nonetheless, many stand by passively. Where’s the outcry? Where’s the fiery concern for democracy and the sacred inviolability of the vote? Americans, and America’s Democrats in particular, need to stand up and be counted. They simply can’t allow this to pass.

For 70 years the preeminent power in the world has been the United States. Is that now changing? Was our 2016 election actually Russia’s great moment of triumph, its ascendancy to influence on the world’s stage, following it’s time in the doldrums of power after the collapse of the old Soviet Union? Has Russia finally outplayed the United States?

So what should we do in response to the hacking scandal? Surely something. Not simply—-nothing. Should we delay the Electoral College vote by a week or more, to help figure this mess out? Maybe. Should we declare the election results null and void, due to foreign interference, and run a new election? Probably. Are the American People and the Democratic Party so soft, so disinterested and sheep-like, that they…that WE… simply let this outrage pass? Shouldn’t we, for the love of our country, freedom and democracy, take this terrible revelation as a chance, and a reason, to take decisive action, and start over again?

 

Photo: By DonkeyHoteyVladimir Putin carrying his buddy Donald Trump, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

 

Donald Trump saves 800 factory jobs, but more to go to Mexico

Did Donald Trump just save 1,000 factory jobs in Indiana?

According to Donald Trump, over 800 jobs will stay in Indiana following negotiations with the President Elect. However, over 1,300 American jobs will still go to Mexico, meaning only about 40% of the total number in question will be saved, and possibly only for the short term. And, in his grandiose style, the President Elect also inflated the numbers by 200 at a press conference, claiming that over 1,000 jobs would remain in the U.S.

Carrier, a noteworthy player in the heating and cooling industry, had announced back in February of 2016 that it was pulling up stakes in Indiana, and setting up shop in Monterrey, Mexico. Trump supporters are ecstatic, and point to this small but measurable success as proof of the President Elect’s business acumen, while his critics feel this is a dangerous precedent for a U.S. President to establish.

Details of the deal are still sketchy, but apparently the company was offered 7 million dollars in financial incentives from the state of Indiana, currently governed by Vice President Elect Mike Pence, over the next 10 years, and probably a low corporate tax rate, to keep these manufacturing jobs in the United States. As part of his business development plan, Donald Trump has proposed a general 15% tax on businesses, substantially lower than the current 35% tax rate.

In addition, Trump has threatened to levee high import tariffs for American companies manufacturing their products abroad at the expense of American jobs at home. According to Trump, under his administration, it will be easy for companies to move from state to state within the U.S., competing for the most favorable business opportunities, but very difficult to leave the country.

Regarding the Carrier deal, it’s interesting to note that the company would have saved an estimated $65 million per year by moving its operation to Mexico. Critics and pundits, including former Clinton Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, point out that Carrier’s parent company, United Technologies (UTC) currently holds government contracts worth billions of dollars. This leads to speculation that these contracts are potent leverage for the President Elect, especially since the Trump administration is expected to invest in a massive military build-up worth billions more to the private sector, and may have influenced the negotiations.

The advantages of this turn of events for American workers are obvious, albeit small. Though 800 jobs are better than nothing, President Obama’s bailout of the automobile industry saved over 1 million jobs. But critics are concerned that this sets a precedent for one to one negotiations between the President Elect and individual companies, like Carrier. Such a strategy would be unwieldy when implemented over and over again, thousands of times, in order to make a lasting impact on the nation’s economy, and it would establish a stake for the President in the success of specific companies, apart form their competitors, raising ethical concerns. This might lead to additional measures, essentially favoritism, in order to help these specific companies perform well down the road, which may be unfair to their competition, and may not be in the best interests of the economy as a whole.

 

 

Photo: By Marc Nozell (Flickr) CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

 

 

President Elect Trump Chooses Senator Jeff Sessions (R) for Attorney General

President Elect Trump Chooses Senator Jeff Sessions (R) for Attorney General

President Elect Donald Trump has chosen, much to the chagrin of liberal voices in government and across the nation, Senator Jeff Sessions (R) of Alabama, for Attorney General. Concerns over Session’s commitment to civil rights mount as old accusations of racism come to the fore.

The 69-year-old politician, currently serving his fourth term as a Senator, is a strong Trump advocate who has both praised and advised the President Elect on the campaign trail. And so the appointment is consistent with the Trump ethos, which puts a premium on loyalty. Session’s support was particularly important, since, as an established Republican Party apparatchik, his voice was useful in convincing others within the Republican Establishment to back the controversial outsider candidate. He also advised Trump to choose Mike Pence as his running mate. And Sessions is also a strong advocate of Trump’s controversial campaign proposal to ban on all Muslim’s entering the United States, which has angered many people the world over.

A trained lawyer, Senator Sessions has served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and previously served as US attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, and as Alabama attorney general. As a staunch conservative, which comes as no surprise, he was one of President Obama’s biggest critics, and did his best to obstruct the outgoing President’s appointment’s and policies in the Senate.

In the past the Senator has spoken negatively about the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, and has called the ACLU and NAACP “un American” organizations.  Staffers have reported that he’s used racially inappropriate remarks, and made positive comments about the KKK. This is a major issue since the Attorney General, as the nations “top cop,” is charged with enforcing civil rights legislation. Many fear the Trump Administration won’t work to preserve and protect civil rights, and the appointment of Sessions to this key cabinet position does nothing to assuage their concerns.

 

Learn about Trump’s Attorney General Pick (CNN)

 

 

Photo: Public Domain, Link – Wikimedia Commons

 

Senator Harry Reid Opposes Trump’s Steve Bannon Appointment

Senator Harry Reid Opposes Trump's Steve Bannon Appointment

Donald Trump has selected Steve Bannon as his chief White House advisor, a position of great influence. This outrages many, because Bannon is linked to the “alt right,” which, according to many progressives, includes white nationalists, antisemites and many with Islamophobic and anti-woman views. Bannon was the former News Chief at Breitbart.com, a highly controversial, ultra-conservative blog, which many on the left associate with the alt right, extremism, and intolerance.

Harry Reid, the Senate Minority Leader, strongly opposes the appointment, and lead the charge in the Senate on Tuesday against it. Many Democrats spoke against Trump’s decision, and Reid implored the President Elect to rise to the level of his new office, and turn away from bigotry, by reversing his decision. Though the Democrats are displeased, many on the right are very happy with the appointment.

Learn about Harry Reid’s opposition to the Steve Bannon appointment (CNN)

 

 

Photo: By United States Senate – http://reid.senate.gov/, Public Domain, Link

 

Petition – Electoral College: Make Hillary Clinton President on December 19

Petition - Electoral College: Make Hillary Clinton President on December 19

The management team of Face Activities would like our readers who voted in the U.S. Presidential Election to read this petition. Are you concerned that candidates, like Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, who clearly win the popular vote, lose Presidential Elections because they don’t win the Electoral College? If this seems unfair to you, and are interested in a clearer, more direct way to elect Presidents, then please consider this petition.

 

“On December 19, the Electors of the Electoral College will cast their ballots. If they all vote the way their states voted, Donald Trump will win. However, they can vote for Hillary Clinton if they choose. Even in states where that is not allowed, their vote would still be counted, they would simply pay a small fine – which we can be sure Clinton supporters will be glad to pay!

We are calling on the Electors to ignore their states’ votes and cast their ballots for Secretary Clinton. Why?…”

Read and Consider Signing this Petition (Change.org)

Donald Trump Exceeds Expectations

Donald Trump Exceeds Expectations

So far the election has progressed in a very surprising and historic way. CNN’s Anderson Cooper has called it one of the most momentous elections in modern American political history. Donald Trump has far exceeded expectations. He’s currently well ahead of Hillary Clinton. He may very well take the White House. But even if he doesn’t, his performance has solidified his role as the leader of a political and social movement with strong grass roots support.

A great many Americans are tired of Washington and politics as usual, as they see it, which in the minds of many is synonymous with Hillary Clinton, former Senator, Secretary of State, and First Lady. There is a great deal of fear and pain in the United States. Many ordinary Americans, white and black alike, struggle economically, even though the economy has recovered from the brink over the last eight years, under President Obama’s Administration. Donald Trump’s candidacy has, to a surprisingly strong degree, empowered these angry, downtrodden people. They see in Donald Trump a “tell it like it is” savior, rather than an uncouth character. And the pundits and big data analysts didn’t see this coming. The experts predicted a Clinton landslide. This was clearly not the case.

It’s also very telling that the majority of Trump voters are white, working class people, particularly men, without college educations. This demographic group has suffered economically, as other groups have, and generally doesn’t trust its government, particularly the Federal Government in Washington. More and more they’ve felt ignored and left behind, underserved by impotent governmental institutions they feel don’t look out for their best interests.

The rhetoric of the demographic party is very inclusive, but tends to emphasize the plight of women and people of color, perhaps overlooking the pain of those who don’t fit into these categories. Donald Trump has, it seems, picked up the slack left by the Democrats among white working class people who struggle, and fear for their futures. This may account for much of his surprising success.

To be sure, there’s an obvious dark side to Trump’s success. He’s been accused of bigotry, racism and hate mongering, along with some of his followers. He’s stirred up fears of Muslims, and Mexican immigrants, and his misogyny is well documented. Though this is reprehensible to many, particularly to university educated people, it often strikes a chord with the common man, who senses dangers from abroad, and the unknown, and fears the very changes happening in our society that the educated have learned to embrace.

If Donald Trump wins, then he must make an effort to reach out to the groups he has maligned. After the inevitable end zone dance with his conservative, largely white male base, he must reaffirm to women and minority groups, including American muslims, that he is their President too—-a President for all the people.

In addition to a very possible Trump victory, it appears that the republicans will maintain a stronghold on both houses of congress. If so, he will have the power to effect change on a scale we haven’t seen in many years. He could rework the Supreme Court in a conservative image, and pass legislation favorable to big business and the fossil fuel industry, perhaps at the expense of civil rights, and the environment.

Climate change is a very serious issue, and the science behind it is now well documented, but Donald Trump rejects the danger, along with many republicans. This will have serious implications for life on earth (scientists have confirmed we are in the midsts of a mass extinction, and the ability to grow our crops world-wide may be adversely affected as climate change continues to progress.

But this doesn’t matter to many Trump voters, whose immediate economic problems, and fears regarding safety and security, outweigh these broader concerns. For the democrats to win back power, they must seriously address the grass roots economic and social problems of the common man, not just dismiss them in favor of grander issues. Only then can they hope to consolidate their power enough to solve longer-term problems, like climate change.

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