Trump's Muslim ban will make us less safe

Donald Trump continues to show why he is the least qualified person ever to occupy the White House. On Friday, he signed an executive order banning residents of seven Middle Eastern countries from entering the United States. Those countries are Iran, Iraq, Libya Sudan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Predictably, the order created chaos worldwide, as people found themselves either turned back before the could board planes headed for the U.S. or detained once they reached American soil. In at least a dozen cases, people who had legally been granted entry to our country found that access denied. Among those was a man who had risked his own life acting as an interpreter for U.S. troops in Iraq. Another man was detained after he came here trying to rejoin his wife and young child who are already here. And this doesn't even take into account those who have lived here peacefully for years who were denied reentry after they left the United States to go visit family living in other countries. Trump, of course, defended his order by saying it was necessary to protect Americans and keep terrorists out of our country. But he is wrong on every count.
   To begin with, the United States already has a stringent process in place for vetting potential immigarants. On average, it can take up to two years before someone who has applied for a visa can obtain one, sometimes longer. During this time, the potential immigrant is subject to all manner of background check, from criminal to financial. And if you want to talk citizenship, there are several lengthy steps that must be taken, from obtaining a green card, to becoming a permanent resident alien to finally obtaining full citizenship. During this process, they continue to be vetted. They must learn the basics of our history and how our government works. They must pass a test. Then, and only then, are they granted full citizenship. So Trump's action is unnecessary
   Another problem with Trump's action is that it is blatantly unconstitutional. Why? Because it singles out people based solely on their religion. It is illegal under federal law to discriminate against people based on their religion. And this action goes against both the spirit and intent of this law. Trump's action also fails to take into account that it's not only the Muslim extremists who are our enemies. Anyone remember Timothy McVeigh? He was a homegrown terrorist who killed 168 men, women and children. How about Eric Rudolph, the Olympic bomber? The point is, we have enemies everywhere. And not every enemy we face is a Muslim.
   Finally, there's the inconvenient fact that Trump's action will do nothing to keep us safe. Consider the fact that the 19 hijackers on 9/11 hailed from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others. None of these countries is on the "banned" list, and yet their citizens perpetrated the greatest act of terror ever seen in this country. So why aren't they on the list, along with the seven "banned" countries?"
   Some might say that Trump is simply fulfilling one of his campaign promises. That might be true, but the truth is, his action is nothing more than window dressing. It will do nothing to keep us safe, as there are many countries that sponsor terror that remain unaffected. And let's not mention the fact that this move will only further anger the governments in the Middle East, many of whom already don't like us or trust us. Add the fact that this ban will likely end up being used as a recruitment tool for future terrorists, and it becomes obvious that instead of making us safer, Trump has actually made us less safe. And it is our country and its citizens who will ultimately pay the price.

Early days of Trump administration hardly encouraging

It hasn't been quite a week yet since Donald Trump was inaugurated, and already there are signs that we're in deep, deep trouble. Since taking office, Trump has signed executive orders restarting both the Keystone and Dakota pipelines, endangering women's health by banning federal funding to international organizations that perform abortions, or even provide information about the procedure, and ordering the construction of a wall on our southern border. To top it all off, on Wednesday, Trump announced that he would launch an investigation into alleged voter fraud in last fall's elections, in which he claims three to five million people voted illegally.
   All of these actions are troubling. They show a man who is so afraid to put his ideas to a vote before Congress that he would rather govern by executive fiat. And isn't it interesting that we have yet to hear one peep from Republicans about executive overreach? But the action that is most troubling to date is his call for an investigation into alleged voter fraud
   There are several problems with the proposed investigation. First, there is absolutely no proof that any kind of voter fraud ever took place. None. So, we're going to ask the Justice Department to divert time and resources (not to mention taxpayer money) investigating something for which there is no proof that it ever took place. Talk about your government waste.
   Second, this investigation will only serve to undermine the legitimacy of our entire electoral system, as well as the legitimacy of Trump's own victory. Trump believes that the three to five illegal voters all voted for Hillary Clinton. And what if the investigation proves him right? That would mean that Trunp lost the popular vote, not by three million votes, but by six to eight million votes. And what would that mean for the number of electoral votes he supposedly won? You see where this leads? It could destabilize the entire system.
   Trump doesn't care about that, though. The only reason he's concerned at all about voter fraud is because he (and his massive ego) can't tolerate the FACT that he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. He can't tolerate the fact that more people preferred her to him, that she was the real people's choice. And so we're going to waste government time and money chasing after one of Trump's fantasies.
   This is the problem with Trump. He is a malignant narcissist who lives in his own, parallel reality. He can't stand the thought of losing or of being proven wrong. He can't even tolerate a whit of criticism. And now he holds the job where everything he does is going to be criticized from one quarter or another? Geez. It's going to be a long four years.
   People keep telling me that I need to sit back and give him a chance. And I'm trying. I really am. But his actions so far give me little hope that the next four years will be anything but a complete disaster.

It's the end of the world as we know it

Normally, Inauguration Day is a day for celebration in America. It is is a day for feeling patriotic, for feeling proud that we are able to have a peaceful transition of power, no matter how contentious the election was before it. Today, I am  able to feel none of those things. Today, I only feel sad and apprehensive. I'm sad that Americans got it so wrong in selecting Donald J. Trump to be our next president. And I am truly apprehensive about what the future holds for America with Trump in charge.
   There's so much wrong with Trump that it's hard to list it all here. The man is an incurable narcissist and a liar. He's a man with no core beliefs of his own. He's willing to tell Americans whatever they want to hear, with no intention of ever keeping any of his promises. In short, he's a con man. And we were so desperate for change that we actually bought into his spiel.
   But it's worse than that. Trump is ignorant. He's the least educated president in the history of the nation. Trump has no working knowledge of domestic issues or economics. He has no knowledge of foreign affairs. And worst of all, he apparently has no knowledge of or respect for our Constitution. This, of course, raises the question: How can he be expected to support and defend the Constitution when he obviously has never read it?
   Trump's defenders point out that all he needs to do is surround himself with good people to help guide him. It worked for Reagan, they say, and it can work for Trump. Here's the key difference: Ronald Reagan was a man of deep principle. He actually took his job seriously and strove to find the right people to advise him. Apparently, not so with Trump. Look at his Cabinet picks so far. They either know nothing about the departments they've been tapped to lead (hello, Ben Carson), or tthey're philosophically opposed to those departments (here's looking at you, Rick Perry). This is utter madness.
   I suppose it's true that we can survive Trump, just as we survived George W. Bush before him. The problem is that Trump himself is such an X-factor. You're never quite sure what he's going to do. Hell, I'm not sure HE even knows what he's going to do. And his tendency to follow his gut instead of listening to his advisers means that he might get us into a sticky situation with no plan for getting us out of it. One thing is for sure. Trump has changed the political landscape forever. Let's just pray that our country is capable of surviving that change. As of this moment, I have my doubts.