The Valley Chronicle - Looming Constitutional Crisis at the White Hous

■ Richard S. Flores / The Latino Political Organizing Committee An article submitted by Ms. Shellie Milne seems to be representative of a political surrogate and in-line supporter of the alternative reality worldview that now is present in the White House. Mr. Trump, by his actions, has shown himself to not only be a divider of the American People, but of the world, has expressed attitudes of a white supremacist and has become a violator of our democratic values and principles of the constitution of this country. Ms. Milne seems to have embraced the worldview of Mr. Trump by spreading his false information and his concept of an alternative universe. In her article she stated: I am thankful that I live in a place that permits the peaceful transition of power. Did she conveniently forget it was Trump who was refusing to accept the presidential vote results if Hillary were to be elected? It was he who was refusing to accept that the voting was legitimate if he lost. Even today he is stating (falsely and without proof) that 3 million people voted illegally. She also remarked that: We are transferring power from Washington, D. C. and giving it back to you, the American People. My question is what sector of the American people is Ms. Milne talking about, since it is clear that Mr. Trump did not win a majority of the American vote; he won the electoral vote. Which vote do the people think is more important? Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign and now his recent statements, policies, selection of the administrative cabinet and his recent executive orders seem to reflect an appeal to racial overtones, bigotry and white nationalism. His confrontation with the country of Mexico and his ban of Muslims entering the United States from seven countries that have nothing to do with the terrorist acts committed inside the United States are but a small example. Ms. Shellie Milne also attacked our Congressional Representative, Mr. Raul Ruiz, for boycotting the presidential inauguration. Maybe she has forgotten that every American is guaranteed under the First Amendment of our U. S. Constitution the Right to Free Expression and the Right of Freedom of Speech? Is it her desire to deny Mr. Ruiz said protection as an American citizen? Is it her wish that he blindly follow, support and give credence to the attributes of an authoritarian Commander in Chief? Our American Political Parties, by their very nature, are special interest groups. But they do not have the right to supersede or supplant the American Constitution and its American guaranteed rights, liberties and protections. The parties are not afforded the right to work outside the values and principles of the American Constitution. I am appalled at the silence of the Republican Political Elites in Washington and the collaboration of most of them on the attitude, actions and policies of an authoritarian individual. They are acting like they will tolerate such a dangerous individual as long as they get their personal agenda passed. They are playing a dangerous game. By doing so, they are not representing the best interests of America and the American people, a duty that they inherited when they took the oath of office to protect and defend the American Constitution to the best of their ability. The appeal of Mr. Trump to hatred and bigotry are not American values and can only result in division among the different sectors of the American people and hurt the stable future of America, its health and safety. An example of Republican hypocrisy would be the fact that when President Obama introduced a bill to fund infrastructure development, the congressional republicans opposed it. Now that Trump is proposing the same bill, the republicans from both the House and the Senate are supporting it. They accused Mr. Obama of acting like a king when he signed executive orders and accused him of acting illegally. Now that Trump is doing the same thing, but with a faster pace and more questionable orders, the Republican Congress, especially Mr. Mitch McConnell, speaker of the senate, are keeping their mouths shut. Can somebody spell hypocrisy? And when Trump signs an executive order banning Muslims from certain countries that is considered by legal experts to be unconstitutional and illegal, the majority of the Republicans are silent and some even supportive. Our nation is in the grasp of a new worldview, an alternative reality, which is dangerous to our democracy, our constitution and our way of life. Mr. Trump’s closest advisor, an alt-right person by the name of Steve Bannon, who believes in the clash of civilizations, has been quoted as saying that he believes in tearing down the system and rebuilding it according to his ideology. Trump recently appointed him to a very sensitive and important post, the National Security Council; never mind that he has no history of experience in the field. He has also been known to say that he is an admirer of the Stalinist form of government. It is no wonder that Mr. Trump has established a cozy relationship with the dictator of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Trump has stated that he admires Putin and that he considers him to be a strong leader. He doesn’t mention that Putin has wiped out the independent media of Russia, jailed or killed his opposition, and threatens his neighbors with military force if they don’t submit. Trump, during the campaign, publically asked Russia to hack Hillary’s private email server and disseminate them among the American people to alter the election results. He has attacked NATO as obsolete. He has attacked our own government institutions, including the National Security Departments, and he has labeled the fourth estate of our government, the media, as his opposition party. And he attacks his political critics and people that question his policies, such as the firing of Acting Attorney General Sally Yates this week. Now, let’s review the 14th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution that states that no elector of President that has taken the oath of office shall engage in insurrection or rebellion against the same or give aid or comfort to the enemies of the United States. The President of the United States, the Republican Party and his hard core supporters represent a danger to our democracy, our Constitution and the American way of life. America is rapidly headed toward a constitutional crisis of the likes that we have never seen before. If the American people don’t wake up and take action to protect the values and principles of our country and its Bill of Rights, then America will be experiencing a Constitutional crisis that will undermine the foundation of our nation and the American people will not have a country to speak of.