Congress finally responded to our pleas. They rebuked President Trump’s trashing of NATO and support for Russia. Unfortunately, their recommendations were non-binding resolutions. Therefore, President Trump’s twisted loyalties were expressed at the recent NATO meeting. He embarrassed himself and our nation with his false statements and lack of knowledge of the actual role and history of NATO.
You, no doubt, are as confused as I am by President Trump’s actions and decisions. Is our national order being reversed? Could Trump be planning to change our democracy to dictatorship?
A dictator would have arrested families seeking asylum here and then separated parents and children. But that inhumane plan was enforced by our president. To add to the horror of this decision, the administration seems to have no plan by which to verify these torn families will be reunited.
President Trump announced that the families can be reunited if the parents (who were seeking our help) would agree to leave our shores. Since our immigration levels are at their lowest numbers since 2002, the only reason Trump has for this proclamation is his racist views against the brown and black races, which includes most of the people from Mexico, South and Central America, and Muslims.
President Trump does not believe that the strength of our nation is its diversity. Nor does he believe in the equality of all men and women. Our president has openly opposed voting rights. The Southern Poverty Law Center publication noted that in a 2018 poll in Mississippi only 1 in 6 black voters “qualified” for voting.
I was also shocked to read that the poll recorded that most women in our nation have been intimidated by the condescending Trump-view of women. Hopefully, the recent “Me Too” women’s movement will change that statistic.
I assume that one of the reasons for this poll of women is the president’s withholding of funds designated for the Affordable Health Care program which covers women’s and children’s “care provisions.” Trump declared he would release some of the funds if the provision permitting care for pre-existing conditions is omitted, and women’s special needs are also eliminated.
It follows now that Trump has selected Brett Kavanaugh for Supreme Court. Judge Kavanaugh’s previous writings and judicial decisions coincide with Trump’s views on both health care and women’s issues. There is an even more important personal problem for our president that this judge could solve if placed on our Supreme Court. Mr. Kavanaugh has stated that he believes a president should not be investigated for any wrongdoing while he is in office.
His sympathetic view of a president’s power allows for the president to act unfiltered by any restriction or law. Obviously, this would relieve President Trump of his obligations to present laws, which clearly state that no man, regardless of his station in society, is above the law.
We must urge our Congress to refuse confirmation of Mr. Kavanaugh for a Supreme Court judgeship. There are superb Republican and independent judges who could qualify for our court. We do not want a Trump loyalist; we desire a judge who will respect our Bill of Rights and follow our Constitution. This placement on our highest court is a lifetime appointment and, therefore, the most important decision to be confirmed for our nation’s future.
Harriet Hausman is a longtime River Forest resident.
