Doug Dillon's Blog, page 4

The Trump Effect – on Children

Donald Trump’s influence on young people.

The appearance of Donald Trump on the campaign trail, and now as president, has unquestionably been a disruptive force in the United States. Voting age Trump supporters see that as a good thing while a solid majority of adult Americans view it with great dismay and anxiety at best. The result, of course, has been a rapid deepening and solidification of the great cultural/political chasm between those two factions.

As problematic as that situation has been, and is for most adults in this country, it might well be that

young people are the ones most deeply and negatively affected. Parents, educators and child mental health experts are increasingly in agreement, saying that the effect president Donald Trump is having on kids is already severe and shows signs of worsening.

Sadly, some school-age children are even emulating the President. This has resulted in an increase in youthful bullying and hate speech. The Southern Poverty Law Center surveyed 2,000 K-12 teachers in order to study this developing issue and discovered that the ascendancy of Donald Trump has had a “profound negative effect on children and classrooms, especially in schools with high populations of minority children.”

This phenomenon now even has it’s own name: “The Trump Effect.”

It seems that Mr. Trump’s demeanor, words, actions and rallies are giving license for susceptible kids to act out their worst impulses. These youngsters watch intolerance, bullying, name calling and inflammatory speech erupting from the President of the United States and think that’s okay to emulate. And even when corrected by caring adults, they say, “The President did/said that! Why can’t I?”

In March of 2017, Huffington Post published an article by Dr. Gene Beresin, Executive Director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital titled, “Trump’s Behaviors: A Child Psychiatrists’ Perspective.”

In that article, Dr. Beresin declined to assess the President’s mental health status, but what he did was to create a fictional 16-year-old male patient, based upon his years of psychiatric practice, who exhibits some of Donald Trump’s traits. Here they are:

This patient:

Lies
Publicly bullies other in a hurtful way
Hangs out with bad kids who manipulate him
Has to be the center of attention
Violates sexual boundaries and denies wrongdoing
Takes no responsibility for his misbehavior
Defies rules and authority impulsively
If slighted . . . seeks revenge and makes everyone scared of retaliation

Dr. Beresin states that these traits are somewhat normal for a preschooler but in a teenager, are extremely problematic. And if they are problematic in a teenager, they certainly are problematic for the President of the United States who then also serves as a role model for America’s youth.

To see how this all plays out in real life, consider the following incidents taken from three different states:

California: A white middle school student said to a black classmate: “Now that Trump won, you’re going back to Africa where you belong.”
Kentucky: An Hispanic third-grade girl was chased around the classroom by a white boy who yelled, “Build the wall! Build the wall.”
Florida: White high school students, after a football game, shouted, “Donald Trump! Donald Trump!” at the students from the opposing side who happened to be African American.

Minority students of color have mainly been the targets of such incidents. The result for them has been a rise in fear, the development of physical problems, and reduced ability to function in school. The question then arises as to the effect these situations might also be having on non- participating white students who are witnessing the type of events just described.

It may be too soon in the Trump administration to know the full extent of the president’s behavior on our young people. But as the 2017-2018 school year rolls on, perhaps we will get a clearer picture of what the future holds, not just for our kids, but eventually for our entire society as our youngsters mature into adults.

For Further Information

Videos

7 Ways Donald Trump Is Damaging Our Children (Popsugar Entertainment 2:07)

How Trump’s rhetoric is affecting students (CNN Money 4:49)

Kids React to Trump before the election (FBE 9:14)

The Trump effect is hitting children (Huff Post 2:10)

Trump signs kids hat, then throws it (The Young Turks 2:13)

Articles

Countering the Trump Effect: Tips for Schools (Dignity in Schools.org)

Don’t Shield Your Kids From Donald Trump (Salon.com)

How Educational Children’s Books Are Explaining President Trump (The New Yorker.com)

Kids are quoting Trump to bully their classmates? (Buzzfeed.com)

The ‘Trump Effect’ is contaminating our kids — and could resonate for years (The Washington Post.com)

The Trump Effect Part 1 (Psychology Today.com)

Trump’s Behavior: A Child Psychiatrist’s Perspective (Huffington Post.com)

Trump’s War on Children (Children’s Defense.Org)

Why child anxiety is on the rise in Trump’s America (Newsweek.com)

 

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Now it Begins: Indictments and a Conviction!

Paul Manafort

President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and his associate, Rick Gates, are now in serious trouble. They were indicted on Monday by a federal grand jury under direction of Special Counsel, Robert Mueller. An abbreviated list of the key charges are as follows:

Failure to register as a foreign agent
Money laundering (Multiple counts)
Making false statements to the Department of Justice
Making false statements about being a foreign agent
Tax fraud
Bank fraud

Rick Gates

 

Manafort and Gates turned themselves in to the FBI, were officially charged in federal court and are now out on bail.

And although the indictments don’t link Donald Trump with Russia in any way, the eventual unrolling of all the evidence could possibly lead in that direction.

At the very least, the Manafort/Gates arrests seriously calls into question Trump’s vetting of people who work for him.

Want to see the full indictments? Click here.

As if that weren’t enough, Special Counsel Robert Mueller also revealed on Monday that George Popadopoulos, a little known foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had already pleaded guilty to lying to the F.B.I. about his contacts with Russians.

According to court records, Popadopoulos claims he spoke directly to the President about possibly working directly with Russia in gathering dirt about Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign.

George Popadouplos

Popadopoulos was arrested this past July and since then has been working with the Feds in a highly cooperative fashion.

Want to see the actual statement of offenses in this case. Click here.

As big as the news of the Manafort/Gates indictments was, the Popadopoulos revelations ended up being a flaming arrow pointed directly at the White House and its possible     connection to Russia’s meddling with the 2016 U.S. election. Last night, according to many news sources, President Trump was livid about all that had taken place that day.

Want to read more about Trump’s reaction? Click here.

The general consensus of yesterday’s news is that those events were just the beginning of what eventually will be a barrage of accusations against other Trump associates and even against the President himself.

Could that mean an early end to the Trump administration? Stay tuned and see what happens.

Note: This article was originally published by Indivisible of Central Florida.

For Further Information

After the Manafort Indictment, the Mueller Investigation Enters a New Phase (The New Yorker.com) 

Former Trump Aides Charged as Prosecutors Reveal New Campaign Ties with Russia

George Papadopoulos’ plea deal could contain a bombshell. (Slate.com)

Papadopoulos’ guilty plea is much bigger problem for Trump than the Manafort Indictments

(CNN.Com)

What the Manafort indictment proves about Trump (and what it doesn’t)  (CNN.com)

Why George Papadopoulos Is More Dangerous Than Paul Manafort (New York Times.com)

 

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The Case for a Trump Impeachment

Firing Donald Trump. Abuse of power. Russian meddling.

Predicting a Trump Impeachment

April of this year saw the publication of a much-anticipated book, The Case for Impeachment. Written by Allan J. Lichtman, Distinguished Professor of History at American University in Washington, DC. Lichtman, who correctly predicted the winners of the last 8 presidential elections, including that of 2016, now predicts in his new book, the removal of Donald Trump from office.

The Case for Impeachment starts off with a very detailed look at Federal laws, the U.S. Constitution, the history of presidential removal attempts, and Donald Trump the man, as well as president. From there, the book carefully outlines what the author sees as all the possible reasons Mr. Trump will not last as leader of the United States. But, Professor Lichtman generously offers the president a specific plan to avoid such a fate if he so chooses. Unfortunately for Trump, however, Lichtman predicts almost no chance of that happening.

Why Trump Won’t Last

Donald Trump . . .

. . . and/or his close associates, colluded with the Russians.
. . . has violated the “Separation of Powers” established for the U.S. government by the constitution.


. . . continually puts himself above the law and has abused his authority.
. . . and his family’s intricate and far-flung business ties run afoul of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause prohibiting a president and other federal officials from profiting by doing business with foreign governments.


. . . broke/twisted the law during his pre-presidential days such as

Violating the Fair Housing Act.
Running a fraudulent charity.
Doing business with Cuba contrary to U.S. law.
Operating a fraudulent university.
Exploiting undocumented immigrants.




. . . has an ugly problem with the truth that makes him untrustworthy domestically and internationally.


. . . has severe problems in relation to women.
. . . wages war against the federal judiciary.
. . . flagrantly ignores the proven concerns about the environment.
. . . appointed people to key government posts who are committed to destroying the missions of those departments.


. . . puts his political party in jeopardy for future elections because of public resistance, low polling numbers and not being able to accomplish legislation.


. . . will alienate enough Republicans in Congress to make his removal possible.
. . . will lose enough votes for Republicans in the 2018 congressional elections to Democrats who will most likely support impeachment.
. . . has an unhealthy attachment to dictatorial leaders in other countries.
. . . has made unauthorized use of congressional staff members.
. . . constantly fights with the press and demeans them.
. . . puts not only the United States at risk of war involvement and nuclear destruction, but the entire world as well.

How Trump Can Escape Impeachment

Author Allan Lichtman

Even though Lichtman says that Trump is a threat to the “institutions and traditions that have kept the United States free and safe for 230 years,” here is his simple plan for the president to become less destructive and remain in office:

Divest himself of all business holdings.
Support the goal of a carbon-free world and rejoin the Paris Accords.
Add a shrink to the White House staff and counsel with that person regularly.
Use a fact-checker.
Treat women with dignity and respect.
Curb the Mussolini act.
Steve Bannon, you’re fired.
Protect your legacy by doing the right things.

But it is Allan Lichtman’s one comment that clearly predicts the future for President Trump: “I predict that he (Trump) will continue to operate as a rogue president, basing the case for impeachment on the Nixon model for abuse of power.”

 

For further information

Videos

Former Nixon, Clinton adviser: ‘We’re in impeachment territory now’ (Politico 0:30)

Lawrence O’Donnell: Invoking the 25th amendment Against Trump (MSNBC 11 min.)

The Case for Impeachment author – Allan Lichtman (CBS News 8:55)

Articles

Bookmakers Unleash Wave of Trump Impeachment Odds (Casino News Daily)

Congress Can Remove Donald Trump without Impeachment (Time)

How Trump Could Get Fired (New Yorker)

How Difficult Would it Be to Impeach Donald Trump? (Time.com)

I Helped Impeach Clinton For Much Less (Charlotte Observer)

Impeachment History: Andrew Johnson

Impeachment History: Bill Clinton (Indivisible Central Florida)

Impeachment History: Richard Nixon (Indivisible Central Florida)

Removal of a President Under the Constitution (Indivisible Central Florida)

The Case for Impeachment (HarperCollins Publishers)

Why Donald Trump Will Be Impeached (GQ)

Why the 25th Amendment is Getting So Much Attention (MSNBC)

 

 

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Best Trump Humor by Comedians

Funny Donald Trump caricature, parody and satire videos.

Laughing at Trump & Crew

Most Americans are not happy living under the Trump administration. That not fake news, it���s a fact, consistently verified by a great many polling organizations and the tremendous number of people actively resisting the new president���s agenda.

For that large part of our population, the negativity gushing daily from the White House can seem overwhelming and with no end in sight. But there is a partial remedy for this mass condition, other than impeaching Donald Trump, and that is ��� laughter. Yes, laughter. Indeed, seeing humor in these highly toxic situations can be the best medicine and the use of humor has the potential to be a most powerful political tool as well.

So, let the rest of this article be your outlet for at least somewhat relieving any political anxieties you might have acquired since the 2016 election.

What follows is a sample listing of TV comedy shows and links under those titles to some truly funny political satire. They are all short, most 5 minutes or less. You can browse by show title, comedian name, date or even length of time for each clip. And when you get done, pass some of those links, or even the link for this entire article, on to others. In that way, you will help spread fun and relief as well as using that humor to effectively change the political climate in this county. Enjoy!

Saturday Night Live

Donald Trump looks back on his first 100 Days (April 15, 2017, 5:56)

Sean Spicer Returns (May 13, 2017, 8:21)

Lester Holt���s interview with Donald Trump (May 13, 2017, 5:21)

The Tonight Show Tonight with Jimmy Fallon

Trump Press Conference (Feb. 16, 2017, 2:48)

Donald Trump unveils Trump News Network (Feb. 21, 2017, 4:08)

Jimmy Kimmel Live

10 Second recap of Donald Trump press conference (Jan. 11, 2017, 2:35)

Kimmel on the Trump inauguration (Jan. 21, 2017, 1:20)

HBOs Last Week Tonight Show with John Oliver

Trump���s ���Military Operations��� (Feb. 26, 2017, 4:34)��

Trump vs Kim Jong-un (April 23, 2017, 3:59)

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Trump was laughing stock of NATO (May 27, 2017, 4:20)

A Devastated Stephen Colbert Sings Farewell to the Mooch (Aug. 1, 2017, 9:48)

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Bill Clinton: First Elected President to be Impeached

Bill Clinton presidency, Whitewater, Ken Starr, Monica Lewinsky, impeachment, trial.

Even though Bill Clinton was the second president to be impeached (charged) and put on trial by the U.S. Congress, he was actually the first elected president to go through that entire process.

In 1868, Andrew Johnson was the first President so accused and tried, but he was not elected to that office. He rose to the presidency from his role as vice president under Lincoln after Lincoln���s assassination.

The Clinton impeachment and trial of 1998/1999 came about during a time of deep division in Congress, yet it was also era of great prosperity and peace in the United States. Bill Clinton was well liked by the public, so much so that even at the height of his problems with Congress, his polling showed historic highs, even reaching 73% approval at one point.

It was, however, Clinton���s affair with White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, and the resulting cover-up, that brought many House of Representatives members and Senators to believe he had indeed committed ���high crimes and misdemeanors��� as provided for under the Constitution. But the process also devolved into a nasty sin versus morality play as much as, or even more than, determining any criminal behavior.

Now, let���s take a glance at exactly what happened in abbreviated form and consider any lessons that can be learned as the ���Impeach Trump��� calls get even louder.

The Clinton Chronology

January ��� August 1994

The Whitewater Scandal, regarding Bill and Hillary Clinton���s involvement in a problematic and defunct property company that went back to 1978, heats up.
Robert Fiske is appointed by U.S. Attorney General (AG) Janet Reno as an Independent Counsel for the Justice Department to look into the Whitewater situation.
AG Janet Reno replaces Fiske with Ken Starr.

November 1995

President Bill Clinton and unpaid Whitehouse intern, Monica Lewinsky, start a sexual relationship that lasts 18 months.

April ��� Summer 1996

Monica Lewinsky is moved to a job in the Pentagon.
While at the Pentagon, Lewinsky becomes friends with co-worker Linda Tripp and tells her about the affair with Clinton.

May ��� December 1997

President Clinton ends his relationship with Lewinsky.
Clinton has also been involved in a civil legal case against him for sexual harassment by Paula Jones.
In the Jones situation, Clinton tries to invoke immunity, but the U.S. Supreme Court rules against him. The case continues and Jones��� lawyers subpoena Lewinsky as a witness.
Lewinsky���s friend, Linda Tripp begins secretly recording her conversations with Lewinsky.
Lewinsky leaves the Pentagon and meets with Clinton one last time.

January 1998��

Under oath in the Paul Jones sexual harassment case against Clinton, Lewinsky denies the affair with the president.
Linda Tripp makes her Lewinsky tapes available to Independent Counsel Ken Starr and cooperates with the FBI to gather further such recordings.
Ken Starr gets approval from AG Reno to widen his Whitewater investigation to include the Lewinsky-Clinton relationship.
Under oath in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, President Clinton denies having had a sexual relationship with Lewinsky.
Some news outlets expose the Lewinsky-Clinton affair and Clinton publicly and angrily denies his involvement.

March ��� June 1998

President Clinton invokes executive privilege in the Lewinsky part of Ken Starr���s investigation.
A Washington DC grand jury under Ken Starr, investigating a possible cover-up by Clinton in the Lewinsky situation, hears testimony from Linda Tripp.

July ��� August 1998

After having received full immunity from Ken Starr for her cooperation with regard to her affair with Clinton, Lewinsky begins testimony before the grand jury.
Lewinsky turns over a dress to Ken Starr that has physical evidence of the affair on it.
Having given up his bid in the courts to be protected by executive privilege, Clinton testifies before Ken Starr���s grand jury and admits his affair with Lewinsky.

Ken Starr

September – November 1998

Ken Starr turns over the extensive results of his Lewinsky-Clinton investigation to a Republican controlled Congress. That report included 11 possible grounds for impeachment.
Congress releases much of Starr���s report to the public including President Clinton���s videotaped testimony before the grand jury.
The House Judiciary Committee votes 21-16 to engage in a full impeachment investigation. The full House of Representatives approves that intention by a vote of 258-176.
Without admitting any guilt, President Clinton agrees to pay Paul Jones $850,000 to drop her sexual harassment case against him.

December 1998

The House Judiciary Committee approves 4 Articles of Impeachment against Clinton and submits it to the full House of Representatives for consideration as follows:
Perjury ��� grand jury testimony in the Paula Jones case.
Perjury ��� written testimony in the Paula Jones case.
Obstruction of justice
Abuse of power
Democrats tries unsuccessfully to get the House of Representatives to censure Clinton rather than impeach him.
The Speaker of the House elect, Republican Bob Livingston, admits his own extra-marital affairs and makes plans to leave Congress.
The full House of Representatives approves 2 of the 4 Articles of Impeachment, as follows and sends those articles to the Senate for trial:

Lying under oath to a Federal grand jury and
Obstruction of justice

January 1999

The U.S. Senate begins its trial of President Clinton on the 2 Articles of Impeachment with Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist presiding.

February 1999

The 2 articles of Impeachment go down to defeat in the Senate. It isn���t even close. It takes a 2/3 majority (67 out of 100). The vote count was as follows:
Lying under oath ��� 55 to 45
Obstruction of justice ��� 50 to 50

Observations

Note that back then it was an Independent Counsel investigating the president, similar to Robert Mueller, today���s Special Counsel currently probing into the Trump administration. And in thinking about how Mueller might proceed in his investigations it might be wise to see how wide a latitude Ken Starr had back in the day and also see how he used any possible financial misdeeds of the president as a starting point. Will Mueller be able to keep his job, independence, scope of responsibility and ability to investigate Trump���s finances? We shall see.

Unlike the Andrew Johnson impeachment trial of 1868, where Johnson was saved from losing his office by one vote, Clinton escaped removal from office by a very comfortable margin. But justice under the Constitution did work the way our Founding Fathers meant for it to. Many observers, however, find both these historic impeachment proceedings very politically motivated and unworthy of our great country no matter what good intentions might have existed at the time.

In that light, it might be wise for Trump opponents to take a deep breath for the long haul and let the long arm of the law do its work while still resisting the President and his agenda. Impeachment isn���t an easy or short-term process if it is to be done correctly and have the desired result.

Videos and Articles

Bill Clinton ��� Impeachment Charges (AP Archives 2:55)

Bill Clinton response to house impeachment vote (ABC News.com 7:59)

Clinton Impeachment | National Geographic (Youtube.com – National Geographic 2:45)

The Clinton Lewinsky Scandal (Youtube.com – National Geographic 2:41)

The President impeachment. Bill Clinton 1998 impeachment on CBS news with Dan Rather, a look back (youtube.com ��� CBS news 9:33)

Throwback Thursday: House votes to impeach Bill Clinton (Youtube.com – Politico 1:32)

Articles and Book

A Short History of Impeachment: Johnson, Nixon and Clinton (Infoplease.com)

Clinton Impeachment Overview (New York Times)

Impeachment History: Andrew Johnson (Indivisible of Central Florida)

Impeachment History: Richard Nixon (Indivisible of Central Florida)

President Clinton Impeached (History.com)

Removal of a President Under the Constitution (Indivisible of Central Florida)

The Case for Impeachment (HarperCollins Publishers)

 

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Indivisible Central Florida

Metro Orlando’s best Trump Resistance Organization. # resist movement, group, guide, organization.

Had enough of Donald Trump’s horrible, destructive shenanigans? Want to connect with other like-minded people and make a difference for the future of the United States and the world? If so, now is the time to take action.

Join us @ Indivisible Central Florida. We cover Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Osceola, Brevard and Polk counties.

 

Check out our info.-packed website @��Indivisible Central Florida��

See what’s happening on our Facebook page @��Indivisible Central Florida on Facebook

Link with us on Twitter @��Indivisible Central Florida on Twitter

Keep up with the news on our blog @��Indivisible Central Florida articles��. Find my articles listed under “Doug” – one of my contributions to the movement. You can find your niche as well.

Look into the national Indivisible organization @ Indivisible

Get the national Indivisible handbook for action @��Indivisible Guide

Join more than one Indivisible organization. Find other groups in your area @��Indivisible Directory

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100 Words to Describe Trump & His Presidency?

Words matter about Donald Trump, his demeanor, actions, administration and potential.

As the deep distaste and alarm with which the presidency of Donald Trump is viewed by a majority of Americans grows in intensity, more and more people are joining them in their outlook. Polls reflect this trend and a closer look at a collection of words swirling around this administration like the arms of a hurricane paint a most unflattering picture.

Some of those words, taken by themselves, and in other contexts, might well be innocuous, but given what things this president has said and done, color them in very interesting ways.

Words matter, and in the case of Donald Trump and his administration, those words flow not only from a dissatisfied public but also from solid segments of the United States government, highly knowledgeable former government officials, academia, think tanks, public service organizations, civil rights leaders, the media, and even world leaders.

Fair or not, in some instances, it is the impression these words leave on the mind when taken as a whole. And within such a developing negative collective consciousness might well lie a restlessness that could eventually change the political landscape in the United States in ways yet to be imagined. Time will tell.

But until then, listed below are 100 such words, out of countless others, that indicate a strong Trump presidency related focus in the minds of many. See what your reactions are to them, first, individually, and then as a complete package.

Finally, regardless of your political persuasion, or whether or not you voted for Donald Trump, ask yourself this question: where do I see all this taking us in the future if left unchecked?

NOTE: Some words are linked to online sources, mostly Meriam-Webster Dictionary, for purposes of clarity and even in a couple of cases, as an aid to pronunciation.

��

Alarming
Alienation
Alt-right
Appeasement
Authoritarian
Arrogant
Autocrat
Bellicose
Belligerent
Bigot
Blowhard
Bombastic
Breitbart
Buffoon
Bully
Chaos
Charlottesville
Clueless
Collusion
Complicit
Conspiracy ��
Corrupt ����
Cover-up
Crazy
Dangerous
Delusional
Demagogue
Destructive
Dictator
Disarray ����
Discord�� ����
Disgusted
Disheartened
Dishonest
Distraction
Distrust������
Egocentric
Embarrassing
Emoluments
Erratic
Fascist
Facts
Grandiosity
Groupthink ������
Hyperbole
Idiot
Ignorant
Immigration
Impeachment
Inappropriate
Incompetent
Infighting
Inflammatory
Instability
Intolerant
Investigations
Isolation
Judgement
Klan
Kleptocracy
Leaks
Liar
Loyalty
Meddling
Megalomaniac
Misdirection �� ��
Misogynist
Morality
Mueller
Muslims
Mussolini
Narcissist

Nepotism
Oligarchy
Outrageous
Pardon
Populist
Racist
Russia
Sexist
Shocking
Sociopath
Sycophant
Tantrums
Treason
Turmoil
Tweets
Tyrannical
Unbalanced
Undisciplined
Unethical
Unfit
Unhinged
Unraveling
Unqualified
Unstable
Volatile
Xenophobic
War

For further reading:

Asked to describe Trump, America���s most common replies are ���idiot��� and ���incompetent��� (Washington Post.com)

Big Company CFOs Call Trump���s Management Style ���Volatile,��� ���Terrible��� and ���Clueless��� (Fortune.com)

���Racist,��������ignorant,��������strong�������� The words you used to describe��Donald Trump (LA Times.com)

The Words We Use About Donald Trump (the New Yorker.com)

 

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President Richard Nixon’s Near Impeachment

Nixon’s high crimes and misdemeanors that forced him to resign.

Richard Nixon was nearly impeached, convicted and removed from office, but he resigned before any of that could happen. His illegal activities while president, and his involvement in the Watergate cover-up, are indelibly etched in the annals of U.S. History.

When culled down to the basics, however, the Nixon saga can be very instructive in the current Trump era. Comparisons between Nixon���s attitudes/actions and Trump���s show some similarities well worth scrutinizing.

So without further excess verbiage, what follows is a highly condensed chronology of the Nixon/Watergate/impeachment story. Following that will be a few extra facts and observations. In the meantime, see what you think.

The Nixon/Watergate Chronology

June/July 1971:

The New York Times, Washington Post and other media outlets publish the ���Pentagon Papers,��� a secret history of the Vietnam War up until 1967, created by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). That information was leaked to the press by Daniel Ellsberg, a former DOD analyst who helped to create the documents.
Because the FBI wouldn���t do his bidding and commit illegal acts, Nixon creates a covert special operations unit called the ���Plumbers.��� Working under the cover of The Committee to Re-elect the President, the ���Plumbers��� overall mission was to stop leaks within the Nixon administration and to discredit Nixon���s enemies.


September 1971:��Under the direction of the White House, the ���Plumbers��� burglarized the office of Daniel Ellsberg���s psychiatrist. Their intent was to find incriminating evidence about Ellsberg.

The Watergate complex

May 1972:��Undetected, the ���Plumbers��� burglarize the offices of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) at the Watergate complex in Washington DC where they photograph documents and install electronic eavesdropping equipment.
June 1972:��Five ���Plumbers��� return to the DNC but are caught by a security guard and arrested by the police. Initially, the five burglars are not connected to ��the White House.
August 1972:��In the bank account of one of the Watergate burglars, investigators discovered a $27,000 deposit by way of a check intended for the Nixon re-election campaign. The connection between the ���Plumbers��� and the White House begins to take shape.
October 1972:��Revelations show that the FBI had found clear evidence of how operatives of the Nixon Campaign not only directed the Watergate break-in but also was deeply involved in an extensive effort to spy on and sabotage any persons or groups opposed to the president.
November 1972:Despite the damaging FBI information, Richard Nixon is re-elected in a landslide.
January 1973:��The Watergate five go on trial. Two are convicted of burglary, wiretapping and conspiracy. The other three plead guilty.
April 1973: Four of Nixon���s inner circle leave the White House. One, John Dean, is fired. The other three, Attorney General Klinedienst, John Earlichman and H.R. Halderman, resign.
May 1973:

Senate televised hearings into the Watergate incident begin.
Archibald Cox is assigned by the U.S. Attorney General as the Department of Justice���s (DOJ)��Special Prosecutor to investigate the Watergate situation and anything related to it.


July-October 1973:

A federal judge, Cox, the DOJ Special Prosecutor and the Senate investigating committee demand the tapes be turned over for review. Nixon refuses but suggests he submit a summary of the tapes. His offer was rejected.
Because Special Prosecutor Cox won���t back off, Nixon orders Attorney General Richardson to fire him. Richardson refuses and resigns. And when Deputy Attorney General Ruckleshouse also refuses to fire Cox, he too resigns. Next in the DOD chain of command, Solicitor General, Robert Bork, does fire Cox. This series of events becomes known as The Saturday Night Massacre.
Leon Jaworski becomes the new DOJ Special Prosecutor.
�� Through the Watergate hearings, it comes to light that President Nixon had been secretly recording all of his conversations in the White House.


February 1974:��By a 410-4 vote, the House of Representatives passes Resolution 803 authorizing the House Judiciary Committee to consider impeachment proceedings against Richard Nixon.
March-April 1974:

A grand jury for the new DOJ Special Prosecutor, Jaworski, indicts seven Nixon aides for criminal activity related to Watergate and it names Nixon as an unindicted co-conspirator.
Nixon submits over 1,200 pages of White House tape transcripts to authorities.




July 1974:

Nixon finally releases specified recordings to Special Prosecutor Jaworksi after a unanimous Supreme Court rules that he must do so.
Three Articles of Impeachment are approved by the House Judiciary Committee and are sent to the full house for a vote: Obstruction of Justice, Abuse of Power and Criminal Cover-up.




August-September 1974:

Nixon releases the transcripts of several recordings that prove his involvement in the Watergate cover-up. This made his impeachment in the House and conviction in the Senate a certainty.
Three Republican Senators, including Barry Goldwater, visit Nixon and suggest he leave office voluntarily instead of suffering defeat in Congress.
Nixon resigns on national TV, negating a need for an impeachment vote in the full House of Representatives.

Gerald Ford

Vice President Gerald Ford immediately becomes President and eventually pardons Nixon from any prosecution he might face for his actions now that he had become a private citizen.

There you have it, Nixon at a glance. Ring any bells with regard to the current occupant of the White House? Now, even though Nixon got off scot-free, 40 of his aides, associates or collaborators were indicted, convicted or plead guilty to breaking the law. Many ended up in prison.

Nixon didn���t pardon any of them before his resignation and Gerald Ford didn���t pardon them after Nixon left. That was then. What about now?

So the question arises as to what might eventually await Donald Trump���s aides, associates and collaborators even regardless of an impeachment proceeding, if, indeed, crimes were committed by any of these people. Would Trump pardon them selectively, en masse or not at all?

Or, if Trump were impeached and removed from office, would the new president, Pence, pardon anyone, including the president? Can the President pardon himself as he claims?

One last thing before closing. During the Nixon years, the importance of a free press, as enshrined in our constitution, became vividly apparent in ways it never had before. It was Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post who most helped expose Nixon���s shenanigans to the world and blazed a trail leading to Nixon���s resignation.

And in that light, it will be today���s free press that will continue to help uncover the truth of what has been going on with Trump and crew. And then the facts will speak for themselves, whatever they may be.

 

For further information:

Videos:

Nixon���s Resignation Speech (History.com 3 min.)

Watergate Scandal (History.com 2:33)

Time Magazine���s Take on Nixon ��(CNN.com 1:33)

Articles and books:

A Short History of Impeachment: Johnson, Nixon and Clinton (Infoplease.com)

Impeachment History: Andrew Johnson (Indivisible of Central Florida)

Nixon Impeachment (Watergate.info.com)

Removal of a President Under the Constitution (Indivisible of Central Florida)

The Case for Impeachment (HarperCollins Publishers)

Watergate Fast Facts (CNN.com)

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Trump, Charlottesville and White Nationalism

The alt-right, KKK neo-Nazis and other groups perpetrate violence and terror on U.S. citizens.

Right wing extremists representing a multitude of U. S. white nationalist organizations descended on the quiet college town of Charlottesville, Virginia over last weekend sparking extensive violence that sadly resulted in 3 deaths and many more injuries. That rally was advertised as ���Unite the Right��� and promoters used the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in the city as a focal point of attention.

It began Friday night, August 11, with a highly provocative torchlight parade through the University of Virginia campus, a scene startlingly reminiscent of similar events in the pre-World War II era Nazi Germany:

The Parade (CBS News 0:41)

On Saturday, August 12, helmeted white nationalists carrying shields and even firearms, attacked counter-protesters with clubs, racial insults, chemical sprays and even a car that killed one person.

The violence (CBS News, 4:11)

Welcome to the Worlds of Doug Dillon.

Violence in DC During Trump’s Watch

The street fight that erupted in DC and ignored by Trump. Is this what’s in store for America?



It happened on Tuesday, May 16, 2017, a short time after President Donald Trump officially greeted strongman President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House ��� a warm greeting despite Erdogan���s recent suppression of his own people. The Turkish president has just arrived back at his ambassador���s DC home when a mass brawl broke out between Erdogan���s people and those who were protesting him outside of the residence.

In fact, as clearly shown in video clips, Erdogan even watched the event unfold when members of his security force, along with several armed supporters, charged through a DC police line and violently attacked peaceful protesters. The scuffle was brief, but authorities had to struggle to regain order. In the end, 11 people were injured, 9 of which went to the hospital. Among the injured was one police officer and 2 Secret Service agents.

According to Metro Police Chief Peter Newsham, the incident ���appeared to be a brutal attack.���

His officers arrested two of Erdogan���s security people but they were released soon after.

A State Department official called the violent event an attack on free speech and said,

���We are communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest terms possible.���

Arizona Republican Senator, John McCain condemned the attack and demanded that the Turkish ambassador be asked to leave the country.

So far, however, there has been no condemnation of what occurred, not only on American soil but in Washington DC itself, by the White House. And this is the second time on an Erdogan U.S. visit that his bodyguards have used violence against peaceful protesters.

Erdogan & Trump

Perhaps the lack of response by Trump and staff shouldn���t be surprising given the President���s well-known admiration for autocratic leaders while ignoring their anti-democratic actions.

But one of the protesters in the most recent violent Erdogan DC event, an American citizen, had no such reluctance. After being thrown to the ground, kicked repeatedly, bloodied and losing a tooth in that conflict, he said, ���This is not acceptable. This is America! This is not Turkey.���

Sources for further information

Videos + articles

A violent brawl outside the Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C. (ABC News 1:54)

Demonstration at Turkish Embassy in DC Turns Violent (VOA News 1:34)

Erdogan Security Forces Launch ���Brutal Attack��� on Washington Protesters, Officials Say (NY Times 1:55)

MASS BRAWL IN WASHINGTON AS ERDOGAN SECURITY TEAM CONFRONTS PROTESTERS AFTER TRUMP MEETING (Newsweek.com 1:16)

New footage shows Erdogan watching Washington brawl (CNN.com 55 sec.)

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