Will There Ever Be A Lasting Peace In The Middle East?

The Israeli/Hamas conflict resumed after a respite that enabled the sides to trade prisoners and hostages. Basically, this entails a continuation of bombing by Israel that unfortunately puts innocent people living in in Gaza in harm’s way.

The actions of Hamas are being condemned by most reasonable people around the world, but there is a growing illogical sentiment that Israel is committing war crimes against civilians (even though Hamas initiated the hostilities by kidnapping, murdering and raping innocent Israelis). With this in mind, the actions of some young people in the US, and the world, in support of terrorists is astonishing and, well, disgraceful.

Where is the violence taking us? The people who live in the Middle East must be unnerved by the vitriol expressed by both sides of the current conflict. Hamas viciously attacked Israel from Gaza and committed unspeakable atrocities. Israel’s response was to openly declare its intent to kill all Hamas followers to avenge the crimes of the terrorists.

What’s making the situation that much more disquieting is that Hamas is defying and baiting Israel to kill more Palestinians to stimulate sympathetic responses from around the world. To a degree, the kidnappers and murderers have been very successful. Israel’s is relentless in its search for the criminals, but the cost in terms of collateral damage has been and will be significant. Many Arabs will never forgive Israel for its scorched earth policy.

Worldwide protest in favor of Palestinians was something to be expected, but the slaughter of Israelis cannot be ignored. Why are young people siding with the murders, kidnappers and rapists of Hamas?

There are about 17 million Jews in the world and one billion Muslims. In a world energized by social media and rampant disinformation, it’s not surprising that Israel is losing ground in the court of public opinion. Moreover, the future growth of the Muslim population will continue to be exponentially greater than the Jewish birth rate in Israel and elsewhere.

All this leads back to a conundrum for Israeli leaders. What is their end game? In an extended war of attrition, Israelis are at a distinct disadvantage.

What must Israel do to retain its hold on the State of  Israel long-term? Israel must make peace with the Arab world. It must solicit peacemakers among the Arab community and create a plan to end the violence. The current strategy of Israel trying to kill every member of Hamas may assuage pain in the short-term, but it will make finding peace difficult prospectively.

What is the US role in the long-term? America must live up to its promise to protect Israel and provide it with armaments. Israel must be strong militarily and needs the US to help defend itself. Israel is going to be at war with radical Arabs for the foreseeable future.

The US must encourage the most reasonable and influential countries in the Middle East to work with Israel to end the violence, or at a minimum to fight against terrorism. Also on the agenda is the need to neutralize Iran, the greatest threat to peace in the Arab world. The US must prevent Iran from bankrolling new terrorism and from developing a nuclear weapon.

The US must encourage Saudi Arabia to lead the peace effort and counter efforts by interlopers to play a role. There’s no other way to fight terrorism without  support of the larger Arab countries. Note: These countries are threatened by rogue terrorists as well. The war between Israel and Hamas, and its supporters, has the potential to destabilize the region. It is in Israel’s best interest to end the war soon and start working on a peace arrangement.

If Elected, Trump Will Endanger America

I’m totally disgusted and tired of seeing Donald Trump in the news, stirring up trouble. He should be debating with Republicans who aspire to be the next president. I’m sick of hearing about his persecution by various legal entities. I’m frustrated with the meaningful number of Americans that support this contemptible man as he continually disrupts our society.

There is a caveat to my frustration. It is that Trump had/has some good perspectives about issues that are important to our country and our freedom. See below. Just because I loathe the man and his inflammatory rhetoric doesn’t mean that he would be unable to offer some good choices to Americans. However, I’m not suggesting in any way that he be reelected.

His attitude towards the southern border crisis is right on. This country has illegally opened borders under Democrat rule. Emasculated immigration laws and feeble immigration policies are going to destroy our government.

Trump’s disdain for certain world leaders and his get-tough attitude is refreshing and badly needed. The US’s timid response to terrorism and the rogue leaders of Middle Eastern countries has led to more violence. The only thing these people understand is power and strength. The US is not taking this approach, and we are being taken advantage of far too often economically, militarily and politically.

Trying to make peace with Iran is a losing proposition. Trump led the US away from this country. To make a nuclear treaty with Iran was outrageously inane. The ayatollahs hate America and make fools of us by attacking US military installations using proxies in Iraq and Syria. We should attack forcefully all those who are destabilizing the areas surrounding Israel. Iran should be on the top of the list.

Negotiating with Russia will get us nowhere. We should continue to squeeze the country economically. Russia is running out of money to fight against Ukraine.

China will never be our partner. It is jealous of our status in the world. We need to be strong and react with sanctions every time the Chinese overstep their boundaries.

Having said all this, Trump acts like a dictator, which rightly turns off a large segment of the electorate. He really isn’t smart enough to run the federal government. He proved this during his first term. He governs with a chip on his shoulder and an iron hand. His sycophants, political enemies and supporters are frightened of him. The last thing we need is another Hitler or Mussolini. See Tuesday’s New York Times.

And most important, people who violate the law should be punished. Criminals shouldn’t be allowed to run for public office, especially the presidency. Trump has pushed the limits of the federal judicial system too far. He breaks the law at will and is unafraid to threaten those who recognize that he is a liar and a cheat.

I’m an American through and through. There is no way I want a man in the White House who is above the law. Americans need to smarten up and get rid of Trump before he is in a position to do something really stupid.

We managed to escape Trump’s last reign of terror. We may not be so lucky on a second time around.

Vote against Trump. Republicans, don’t be afraid to defeat this megalomaniac.

Are Israel’s Actions Justified?

In this era of spontaneous violence, it’s perilous to call for military action against Hamas or any violent group. It’s even more bizarre to encounter protests from Americans and other people outside of the Middle East for doing so. Nevertheless, I believe military force by Israel is justifiable in response to the atrocities perpetuated by the terrorists.

The world empathizes with Palestine, in spite of the terrorist attack and Israel’s policy to minimize collateral damage. In defense of its sovereignty, Israel had no other options.

If there was a revolution in Ontario, Canada and terrorists moved south into Michigan killing and maiming Americans, ala Hamas, would the US retaliate? Certainly, it would. We would hunt down the murderers nonstop until every criminal was killed or captured. Sadly, we would be aggressive even if collateral damage occurred.

This is not the first time that enemies of democracy in the Middle East have used noncombatants to shield their dirty deeds. Saddam Hussein used similar tactics in his war with the US. Truman killed thousands of innocents effectively ending the World War with Japan. His justification was that an all-out invasion with Japan would cost thousands of American lives. Truman’s decision is still being debated by ethicists.

Hamas has goaded Israel into using deadly force. See New York Times front page story on Thursday. The deadlier the response by Israel soldiers, the more the world empathizes with the Palestinians. This tactic by Hamas is contemptible. They want their enemy to attack fellow Arabs to capture the sympathies of the global community.

Young people around the world are marching every day in protest of the death of Palestinians. Who’s lamenting innocents being bombed every day in Israel?

Netanyahu had a tough but obvious choice. He could have tried to make peace with Hamas in spite of the viciousness of the attack a few weeks ago, or he could have mobilized his military, ask for US support and hunt down the scum that has no empathy for innocent bystanders. He chose the latter.

The Middle East is attempting to modernize, unsuccessfully. The value of life is still too cheap. Arabs must force their leaders to give more consideration to the common people. Sacrificing thousands to make a political statement is very dirty business.

Arabs and Jews have inhabited the space known as Israel for ages. Both have a claim to land that surrounds very holy places throughout Israel. The two groups have fought viciously for many years since Israel established a new state. Since that time violence has not subsided.

The question is: does either party have a stronger claim to the area that’s currently identified as Israel? Unlike colonialists of the past few centuries, Israel did not attack and abuse the people in the area in which they established their country. Israel has been counterpunching terrorists that believe Arabs have a first claim on Israel.

Unlike the colonialists of years gone by, Israelis have no place to retreat to if the land was taken away from them. Jewish desperation is always overwhelming in negotiations involving land.

Eliminating Hamas is a noble objective. They have proven how uncaring they are for the needs of related groups. It is a giant power struggle. Other wealthy Arab nations are careful not to offend groups affiliated with terrorism. Insurgency in their countries is a great concern. And equally important is the age-old feud between Shia (Iran) and Sunni (Saudi Arabia).

One thing is becoming clearer: the US will not be able to lead a new peace initiative. Arab statesmen in the region will need to step up and drive an initiative.

Israel had no choice but to go after the Hamas interlopers. Nevertheless, Israel will suffer bad times for the foreseeable future as they spend billions on retaining their right to live in peace.

Are Israel’s Actions Justified?

In this era of spontaneous violence, it’s perilous to call for military action against Hamas or any violent group. It’s even more bizarre to encounter protests from Americans and other people outside of the Middle East for doing so. Nevertheless, I believe military force by Israel is justifiable in response to the atrocities perpetuated by the terrorists.

The world empathizes with Palestine, in spite of the terrorist attack and Israel’s policy to minimize collateral damage. In defense of its sovereignty, Israel had no other options.

If there was a revolution in Ontario, Canada and terrorists moved south into Michigan killing and maiming Americans, ala Hamas, would the US retaliate? Certainly, it would. We would hunt down the murderers nonstop until every criminal was killed or captured. Sadly, we would be aggressive even if collateral damage occurred.

This is not the first time that enemies of democracy in the Middle East have used noncombatants to shield their dirty deeds. Saddam Hussein used similar tactics in his war with the US. Truman killed thousands of innocents effectively ending the World War with Japan. His justification was that an all-out invasion with Japan would cost thousands of American lives. Truman’s decision is still being debated by ethicists.

Hamas has goaded Israel into using deadly force. See New York Times front page story on Thursday. The deadlier the response by Israel soldiers, the more the world empathizes with the Palestinians. This tactic by Hamas is contemptible. They want their enemy to attack fellow Arabs to capture the sympathies of the global community.

Young people around the world are marching every day in protest of the death of Palestinians. Who’s lamenting innocents being bombed every day in Israel?

Netanyahu had a tough but obvious choice. He could have tried to make peace with Hamas in spite of the viciousness of the attack a few weeks ago, or he could have mobilized his military, ask for US support and hunt down the scum that has no empathy for innocent bystanders. He chose the latter.

The Middle East is attempting to modernize, unsuccessfully. The value of life is still too cheap. Arabs must force their leaders to give more consideration to the common people. Sacrificing thousands to make a political statement is very dirty business.

Arabs and Jews have inhabited the space known as Israel for ages. Both have a claim to land that surrounds very holy places throughout Israel. The two groups have fought viciously for many years since Israel established a new state. Since that time violence has not subsided.

The question is: does either party have a stronger claim to the area that’s currently identified as Israel? Unlike colonialists of the past few centuries, Israel did not attack and abuse the people in the area in which they established their country. Israel has been counterpunching terrorists that believe Arabs have a first claim on Israel.

Unlike the colonialists of years gone by, Israelis have no place to retreat to if the land was taken away from them. Jewish desperation is always overwhelming in negotiations involving land.

Eliminating Hamas is a noble objective. They have proven how uncaring they are for the needs of related groups. It is a giant power struggle. Other wealthy Arab nations are careful not to offend groups affiliated with terrorism. Insurgency in their countries is a great concern. And equally important is the age-old feud between Shia (Iran) and Sunni (Saudi Arabia).

One thing is becoming clearer: the US will not be able to lead a new peace initiative. Arab statesmen in the region will need to step up and drive an initiative.

Israel had no choice but to go after the Hamas interlopers. Nevertheless, Israel will suffer bad times for the foreseeable future as they spend billions on retaining their right to live in peace.

Anti-Semitism, Terrorism and Iran

About 35 years ago, I asked my mom, how could the world stand aside and allow Nazi Germany to kill six million Jews? Her response was to say that Americans had no clue that the Holocaust was taking place. Little did I know that Hamas terrorists would recreate a mini version of the atrocities that took place during World War II. And once again, anti-Semites are saying that the Jews had it coming.

The bad blood in the Middle East is going to fester for many more years based upon current events. In fact, Israelis are once again being defiled as they fight to exist peacefully in Israel. The response of so many young people at some of the most prestigious colleges is disgraceful. It’s one thing to be critical of how Israelis govern Palestinians; it’s another thing to call for ethnic cleansing and saying Hamas butchers are heroes.

The riots on the campuses across the country are proof that Jews are not safe, even in America. The discrimination against them is once again in full bloom. University presidents are having a difficult time saying the truth: “Hamas murdered, raped, beheaded Israeli Jews, and they should be hunted down for their crimes.” Woke attitudes have turbocharged the bigots, and now Jews are unsafe in New York, in their homes, in dormitories, on the streets and with relatives.

To their credit, many companies and CEO’s are supportive of Israel as they drive deep into

Gaza. But no such luck among educators. I guess it’s fashionable to fight and destroy property if somebody disagrees with you.

And what about the United Nations? Why does the US continue to fund this useless organization? Every vote is overwhelmingly anti-American and anti-Semitic. You would think that some lesser developed countries would side with Israel as it once again is being persecuted by the world. It’s no wonder that the Biden administration has not threatened to close down the worthless anti-American organization. No longer would the delegates enjoy the great restaurants and forgiveness of parking violations. Tehran would be a nice place to headquarter the U.N.

Speaking of the Biden administration, where is its backbone? How long is it going to stand for attacks by Iran on our soldiers without a compensatory response? Are we afraid of a backlash from Middle East countries? The root of the Israeli conflict is Iran and all the marauders it finances.

Finally, there is free speech. Protest is permitted by the Constitution until it fosters violence. The students who are protesting are over the line threatening Jews and destroying property. They should end protests and get back to the classroom. Maybe if they learned about the facts about anti-Semitism and real life, they would be in a position to make the world a better a better place to live for all of us.

It’s Iran, Stupid!

It’s difficult to decipher the true reasons for the calamity in Gaza and surrounding areas. All we are sure of is that Hamas terrorists killed, raped, pillaged and frightened Israelis living in settlements close to the Gaza/Israeli border. The atrocities committed by the group will go down in history as one of the most disgraceful acts against humanity. Now Israel and the US are trying to seek justice by killing every one of the sinful attackers. But, are they barking up the wrong tree?

The true scoundrel is Iran who supplied, trained and encouraged Hamas to do their dirty work. Without Iran, Hamas would not have been able to commit these murderous and despicable acts. As a matter of fact, Iran has been responsible for a great deal of terror and criminal activity in the region for years. The leaders hide behind their holy scriptures to justify violent behavior.

Most recently, Iran has funded actions against its enemies, Sunni Arabs and Israel. They are in the shadows, providing training, money and weapons. They use Shia militia groups to stir up trouble. In addition to the Hamas debacle, Iran allegedly is funding rocket launches by Hezbollah from Lebanon, and attacks against US bases in Syria and Iraq. And, it is still working on the development of a nuclear weapon, which it will use to intimidate its neighbors.

It seems to me that Iran has already declared war on Israel, the US and the Sunni Arabs. Why aren’t we using our military forces against Iran before it develops a WMD?

The true enemy of peace in the Middle East is Iran. It stands out for supporting terrorism and chaos. Why aren’t UN countries condemning Iran actions? Why is the world allowing Iran to cause trouble without interference?

It may be aggressive on my part to suggest a war with Iran. But, if it doesn’t happen soon, it may take place after Iran has nuclear weapons. And I don’t believe that Iran would stand up to a joint US Iraqi Israeli onslaught for more than a few days.

Conflict is inevitable. Iran must be stopped.

Zakaria’s Middle East Perspectives

Several days ago, Hamas terrorists based in the Gaza Strip attacked Israelis who lived adjacent to them. The barbarians indiscriminately killed men, women and children. The savagery of their atrocity cannot be overstated. Many are saying this was a travesty rivalled only by the Holocaust. Murder and bigotry are the crimes that must be avenged.

Of course, as soon as the deed was done, talking heads began to spin the reasons why this all happened. Incredibly, there are many people in the US, Israel and around the world who are attributing the slaughter to Israel. Whereas, the history and the facts surrounding this debate overwhelmingly attribute the event to Hamas, Iran, Lebanon and other rogue states.

On October 10th, Fareek Zakaria was interviewed about the current events in Israel. No doubt, Zakaria knows more about what’s going on in the Middle East than most US diplomats and generals.

I had a debate with Zakaria at a cocktail party a few years ago. Bommarito versus Zakaria resulted in a gigantic and humbling experience as I was no match for the very informed scholar. Since then, I changed my opinions and have endorsed most of the things he said in the interview mentioned above.

Zakaria covered a lot of ground starting with some historical perspective. America has effectively been withdrawing its support from the Middle East and ceding control to others. During this period, the US lost influence that was previously wielded by the Soviet Union. Before Bush and Obama withdrew forces and money from the area, the US had excellent relationships with the Shah of Iran, Turkey, and of course Israel.

Today, several countries are jockeying for position and involvement in the peacekeeping activities. A treaty currently being negotiated between the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia had a chance to become a reality until the terrorists attacked. Middle East anarchists have no respect for peace and harmony between nations. Until this point, Israel had taken a very hard line and was prepared to give up some freedoms to get a deal done. Hamas’ actions may have been caused by a desire to stop a deal between the Saudis and Israel. No doubt Iran, which has the most to lose from a treaty between the Israel government and the Saudis, wanted to end détente by forcing the parties to walk away from the talks. And so, it encouraged Hamas to attack.

Also, Israel was distracted by its efforts to restructure its judicial system, create ties with Saudi Arabia and disrupt Palestinian efforts to gain back territory.

The Saudis are likely to play a major role in any peace effort in the Middle East. This will happen simultaneous with a decrease in the amount of government control over the lives of Saudis. For several years, the crowned prince has given many new choices to his people. Stringent religious laws have been weakened, and women have slowly but surely received some freedom. It’s likely that MBS will slow down this process and offer more leeway to his people over a more extended period. To say the least, the Saudis have been very successful in making a transition to a freer society. But marked changes in the relationship with Palestine could be too much for domestic conservative interests in Saudi Arabia to accept.

For the last several decades, there has been great empathy afforded to the Palestinians. Several US presidents have tried to broker a deal to end the violence in the region. The question is, should there be one state or two states. Unfortunately, violent people in the region walked away from deals that would have established a Palestinian state many years ago. Yasir Arafat was the most famous deal killer in negotiations with Bill Clinton. Sadly, Israel has used this opportunity to take more and more freedom and land away from the Palestinians concurrent with ceasefires through the years. Zakaria said, when you’re losing it’s better to make a deal quickly rather than waiting because losing more battles will make your deal worse. He also suggested Israel consider a buffer zone between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Zakaria strongly believes that self-government is the most important thing to Palestinians.

Zakaria observes that many in Palestine don’t have much to live for. Israel should consider how it can help improve the conditions for Palestinians in the future to create a lasting peace. There are 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip. 50% are children. Giving the Palestinians a chance to live a better life may be a key to a future Middle East deal. In the meantime, the incompetent leaders of the Palestinian movement have opted for disgraceful terrorist activities that involved killing women and children and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

Saudi Arabia and Israel are on hold now. I’m sure that they will be considering what to do in a post American era and how to temper more violent interests. The US will help in certain ways, probably economic, as time passes. The things to be concerned about are a continuation of the violence by terrorists and the actions of Iran. Some people think that Iran is putting on a tough face, but I would forewarn everyone that they are in the process of developing a nuclear weapon.

The US government is doing itself a disservice by not calling on Zakaria to advise them on the more sensitive issues of negotiating with Arabs. He is well informed and would be a great asset to the president and Congress of the US.

Republicans Are Abusing Our Government?

The New York Times published a disturbing story titled, “Hard Right in Congress Sows Havoc.” A right-wing representative allegedly said most of what Congress does is not good for American people. He added that Congress’ actions are unjustifiable. The writer of the article wanted to indicate that even right-wing lawmakers were unhappy with Republican leadership.

What I find outrageous is that the venom of the reporter is directed at just the right leaning Congress population, exclusively. The nincompoops on the other side of the aisle escaped the wrath of the Times. Both sides of our political system need to stipulate that they have made mistakes and have put self-advancement ahead of the good of our nation.

The article, which belongs in the op-ed section of the paper, speaks to the grip of an ultra-conservative minority that “uses the federal government as a threat to the republic, a dangerous monolith to be broken apart.” They are a wrecking crew aimed at the nation’s most important institutions on a variety of fronts. They are eager to impeach the president (sound familiar?). They are tying up spending bills and holding up military promotions. When the opposition in Congress believes the majority is out of line, obstruction is their only weapon. This is indicative of a healthy governmental system. The last thing we need is a left-wing majority that is not tempered by the opposition.

The writer indicates that the right has always been the law and order party. Yet, it is attacking the FBI, for inappropriate behavior, and the Justice Department, which has a leader who has been accused of lying. The opposition is just doing its job pointing out inconsistencies and misgovernment by the majority.

From my vantage point both parties are incompetent, culpable, non-compromising and the New York Times’ story on the front page of the paper says the right is abusing its minority position. I counter this by stating that the minority party is doing exactly what it should be doing in light of the atrocious performance of the Biden administration.

I want to be clear that I am not in favor of hardball politics when so much is wrong internally and externally outside our borders. But, ignoring an immigration crisis on our border, instituting woke legislation that usurps parental educational responsibility, spewing overt lies and condoning chaos on our streets, is where work needs to be done. And to be concerned with these problems does not threaten our republic; it improves it.

Biden and his son have falsified so much during the past several months. The president has great wealth because he has influenced others in government for cash payments. Much of this was accomplished through his son and the faux business arrangements he has with certain rogue governments. How can we ignore these actions?

Right-wing Republicans have honorable objectives in mind as they oppose stupid legislation that puts our economy in jeopardy. Left-wingers think they will solidify their position by giving every minority group excessive benefits without any quid pro quo. Entitlements are bankrupting the country. Both parties are anxious to spend as much money as possible to make friends with extreme groups domestically and overseas. It’s time this ended.

Was Oppenheimer a Hero?

On Saturday, I saw the acclaimed movie, “Oppenheimer”. It is yet another anti-war and anti-nuclear statement that reflects the sentiment of many people across the globe.  

Why did Oppenheimer, a pacifist and an alleged communist, take on the job of inventing a new weapon of mass destruction for the US? Was it scientific curiosity, perhaps? Was it the challenge afforded to a man who wanted to be on top of the scientific world beside Albert Einstein, perhaps? Was Oppenheimer so consumed that the Nazis and the Soviet Union would have a distinct advantage in the weapons race? I think it was a little of all of these things.  

Arms races that have clearly dominated our political decisions since World War II, are becoming more hazardous every year. Only the USSR and the US had the scientific and technological capabilities to harness the atom and create a weapon that could alter mankind in just a few hours during the war. Are the costs of development and deployment of nuclear weapons only fundable by the wealthiest countries in the world? No.  

Irresponsible and radical regimes now have access to nuclear weapons in part because they have the money to acquire ready to use weapons. And, they believe their power and influence is enhanced by using a nuclear threat against their enemies and others that they compete with economically. North Korea and rich Arab nations are perfect examples of this phenomenon. To this point, the threat of nuclear attacks is worth more than actually owning the weapons. I hope.  

In earlier days, the threat of mutual destruction prevented nuclear nations from using atomic or hydrogen bombs. Although the US and Soviet Union produced many nuclear missiles that could destroy mankind, no one expected these leaders to press the button and commit nuclear mass genocide.

These days nuclear weapons are in play for many countries, and there is a distinct risk that a deranged leader would use the ultimate weapon regionally and set off worldwide Armageddon.   What are we doing in response? Spending billions to be armed against our enemies? Threatening each other? Diverting our energies from climate change and pandemic to killing other human beings?  

Oppenheimer was truly concerned about an arms race, proliferation of nuclear weapons and misuse of weapons for political gains. At least that was what the movie implied. Is Oppenheimer a hero, or did he make it possible for demented egomaniacs to destroy the world?

Trump’s Plans to Usurp Power

The New York Times, in a front-page story titled “Trump and Allies Seeking Vast Increase of His Power,” attempted to frighten voters who might support Donald Trump. To be clear, I support neither Trump or Biden in the 2024 election. But to believe Trump has the intellectual chops to restructure the country administratively, and to reassign the role of Congress, regardless of who is in charge of Capitol Hill is total hogwash.  

This is another attempt by the media, the New York Times specifically, to influence the election with misinformation and crazy speculation. Some statements in the article are outrageous. They include the following:  

  • Trump and his allies are planning a sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government.
  • They’re going to reshape the structure of the executive branch to concentrate far greater authority in the president’s hands.
  • They’re going to end the post-Watergate norm of Justice Department independence from White House political control.
  • They’re going to increase the president’s authority over every part of the federal government.
  • The FCC and the FTC would be under direct presidential control.
  • They will abscond funds that Congress has allocated to finance independent projects.
  • They will strip employment protections from thousands of career civil servants, making it easier to replace them if they are deemed to be obstacles to Trump’s agenda.
  • They will scour the intelligence agencies, the state department and defense bureaucracies to remove officials that the president has vilified as the sick political class that hates our country.

  I’m not really commenting on the wisdom of restructuring critical parts of the government. The fact is that Trump could not even keep anyone working for him during his first term. Just about every important individual he recruited quit. Trump has no people or leadership skills.  

The initiatives in this article are so far out of bounds I can’t believe the Times published the article.   So many of the proposals by Trump’s people are flat out unconstitutional. Congress is not going to allow the president to interfere in its budgetary process. Only the veto would be available to the president. The justice system will never allow Trump to approve or inspire actions against his political opponents. The legislature and judicial branches of our government would go bonkers if any president attempted such a restructuring.  

And finally, once again, Trump is not capable of intellectually doing so much harm to our government. We may as well start the impeachment process right now, except Republicans will vote with Democrats to throw the man out of office this time around.