#flaweddemocracy

[sfcny]

From a functioning democracy to a #flaweddemocracy @dambisamoyo talks about capitalism’s impact on our government and our economic future #thomasjvolpelecture (at St. Francis College Brooklyn)

[progressive-patriot-blog]

January 29, 2017 (Day 10 - In Which the United States is Demoted to “Flawed Democracy” Status)

Dear Diary, in today’s sh*t-blizzard known as the Trump “Presidency”…

Protests continued at airports and cities across the nation as perfectly legal residents, business people, tourists and visiting family members of Muslim-Americans were detained in the wake of the P-word’s ill-conceived and unconstitutional executive orders of the past week. His orders suspended entry by refugees and those coming from an odd array of Middle-Eastern countries where none of Trump’s businesses would be harmed by a ban. (1) The P-word responded to humanity at large his critics by saying “this is about terror and keeping our country safe” -- but I’m more inclined to think it’s about pandering to an ignorant and fearful base.

San Francisco International Airport endorsed the “brave stand” of the protesters who had gathered at the airport on behalf of those denied entry by the P-word’s immigration debacle. Tech Execs in the area who had toadied up to Trump in the weeks since the election were conspicuously silent about the chaos, with the exceptions of stand-up guys Elon Musk (Tesla) and Tim Cook (Apple)..and the somewhat more morally-ambivalent Travis Kalanick (Uber).

John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who appear to have larger stones than anyone else in the Republican congress, joined forces to issue a statement condemning Trump’s “improperly vetted” executive order, pointing out that the administration had failed to consult with the agencies that would have to enforce the order, and expressing the fear that the order would “become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism.” They mentioned that border enforcement methodology must be done in a way that “upholds all that is decent and exceptional about our nation.” Because apparently this new administration has to be told that.

The Governor of Washington State issued a blistering rebuke to the P-word on behalf of those detained at Sea-Tac. He minced no words when describing the “manifest and unjustifiable chaos and cruelty caused by P-word Trump’s executive order.” I particularly enjoyed the use of the phrases “gross incompetence,” “demagoguery and fear,” and “incompetent, ineffective, unconsciously provocative, and dangerous” when referring to P-word’s government. But the real pièce de résistance came when the Governor asserted that “[the Trump administration] couldn’t run a two-car funeral, and it’s very disappointing to see our federal government create chaos in our nation.” I confess I cannot help but smile when I envision the panic among the Republican party as they watch what was left of their ill-deserved claim to the moral high ground melting away.

The Emperor's National Security Council has a new member - Darth Bannon, formerly of the planet Breitbart. He will be in company with Lt. Gen. Mike “Tinfoil Hat” Flynn whose penchant for fake news has been much discussed.

Two cars “plowed” into peaceful protesters in Nashville today, the hit-and-run drivers perhaps anticipating the passage of Republican-sponsored anti-protest laws which would make it legal to “accidentally” kill a protester with a car. (2)

Shockingly, the United States was downgraded from a “full democracy” to a “flawed democracy” by The Economist Intelligence Unit. Revenge of the Deplorables (BloombergView Nov 11, 2016) lays out some of the reasons behind our country’s fall from grace. We now keep company with other flawed democracies like Poland, Botswana, Estonia, India, Panama, Ghana, Romania and Mongola. Meanwhile Canada, all of Scandinavia, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Spain, and Urugay (Urugay, for God’s sake!) look on with pity. So yeah. That happened.

Footnotes: (1) For some odd reason Trump blocked entry for citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somolia, Sudan, Syrian and Yemen. “Foreigners from those seven nations have killed zero Americans in terrorist attacks on U.S. soil between 1975 and the end of 2015,” Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy analyst at the libertarian Cato Institute. Trump’s Immigration Ban Draws Deep Anger and Muted Praise, The New York Times, Richard Perez-Pena, Jan. 28, 2017

(2) Abby White @fabigailwhite “Two cars plowed through the crowd at peaceful protest at West End & 31st in Nashville. One caught and one fled. Police looking for footage.” 2:30pm 29 Jan 2017

[redphoenix13]

#dumptrump #flaweddemocracy #unitedstates #usa #whosnext