COLOSSAL AND DANGEROUS STUPIDITY IN EUROPE AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS Part Two

Dr. Common Good

This is going to be a very short post, on a few more of the egregious Trump debacles on the global stage:

As for Gaza and his hallucinatory proposal to “take it over” and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East” – What exactly rattles around in Trump’s head to think that this is an idea that should even be verbalized? Gaza, and the West Bank, are Palestinian homelands. Period. They are not Trump’s to take, nor Israel’s to take for that matter. Nullifying the homelands of a people for some real estate fantasy is a detestable violation of basic human rights and mind-numbing in its narcissism – not to mention stupid beyond words and a prescription for anti-American hatred. 

As for “taking over” the Panama Canal – The canal belongs to Panama. Period. Any attempt to “take it” would amount to unilateral aggression. Whatever childish fantasy Trump has about this, maybe gleaned from some comic-book version of Teddy Roosevelt, is just that. If the US has concerns about Chinese influence in a strategic location, that’s different. That is a legitimate issue, something the adults can talk about. But Trump should just be confined to his playroom.  

As for “taking over” Greenland – Greenland is an autonomous country, and also part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Period. Any attempt to “take it” would amount to unilateral aggression against one of our own allies. No respected, intelligent American diplomat would ever consider such an idiotic folly. Oh, my apologies – Trump and Musk have fired all the intelligent, respected diplomats.

As for re-naming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” – Seriously, what is wrong with Trump and his MAGA cronies? How petty and puny can one be? It has been the Gulf of Mexico for eons, and that is what it will stay. Anyone or any organization (yes, meaning you Google) that kowtows to such nonsense has chicken livers for a heart and Jell-O for a brain. For Dr. Common Good, it is the Gulf of Mexico. Siempre.

Disparaging Federal Workers – Just a Cynical Smokescreen for Seizing Power

Dr. Common Good

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s recent comments excoriated federal workers, claiming that those are “not real jobs, producing federal revenue,” that “they do not deserve their jobs” and are just consuming taxpayer dollars.  As usual, these comments are wildly ignorant and disgusting. Might we remind Ms. Greene that she is also paid by taxpayers (thus she “consumes” taxpayer dollars). And federal workers, by the way, pay taxes. I would much rather see my taxes go to the thousands and thousands of federal workers who work hard to inspect food, enforce transportation safety regulations, operate our national parks, administer social and health programs, provide veteran’s health services, manage the cleanup of nuclear waste sites, process tax returns and social security payments, administer federal school lunch programs, and so much more. The taxes I pay to cover Marjorie Taylor Greene’s salary are the true waste. What do we get in return? She produces nothing and does nothing to help the lives of American people. She is getting paid to be a self-indulgent blowhard, a purveyor of lies, and a party to the destruction of the American system.

Beyond that, these disparaging and often nasty comments about federal workers are yet one more chunk of malicious disinformation. Most federal government workers are part of the civil service workforce, which means they have to pass competitive examinations to get their jobs. They form the backbone of what the government does. Importantly, most become part of the federal government because they are motivated to serve the public. They are certainly not in it for the money. I have worked with multiple federal agencies over the years, and personally seen the dedication and drive to serve that these individuals have. But Trump, Musk, Marjorie Taylor Greene and their wrecking-crew cronies have no concept of public service at all, and would not recognize it if it were handed to them on a golden platter.  

Is all this destruction about efficiency? No, it isn’t. Don’t even pretend that it is. Firing thousands of federal workers who provide critical services is not about efficiency. It’s about taking control, with a goal of clearing out anyone who might treat their jobs, agency missions, and constitutional duties as more important than the whims, often illegal if not unconstitutional, of an ignorant and malicious autocrat. And it is about blindly cutting away any government expenses that would get in the way of a massive tax cut that will only benefit a wealthy few. No wonder Trump is so enamored with Putin, who is able to maintain power in part by enabling a small group of oligarchs to fleece the country. Trump wants his own oligarchs, and he is only too happy to desecrate the American government system to achieve that aim. For a real example of an attempt to improve government efficiency, we might have to go back to the 1990s. In 1993, the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) was passed and signed by President Clinton (it was the brainchild of Vice President Al Gore), requiring agencies to develop strategic plans, with goals and objectives and performance measures to monitor achievement, and to prepare annual reports to Congress showing the results of their work against their goals and objectives. That was a rational policy, and it did not involve the kind of gross disrespect that Trump/Musk have exhibited.

This is what happens when the warnings are not heeded, and voters accept this cruel disinformation that is primarily designed to justify power, ultimately at the expense of those same voters along with everyone else.

COLOSSAL AND DANGEROUS STUPIDITY IN EUROPE AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS

Dr. Common Good

Let me just start with Europe. If the 400,000-plus American military members who perished in WWII could see the recent, ignorant and nauseous behavior of Trump, his chief minion JD Vance, and his flack Pete Hegseth in Europe, their souls would surely rebel. The United States once fought to defend Europe – and ultimately ourselves – from Nazi tyranny. Now, Trump caves in the most obsequious way to Putin, accepting his casus belli for invading Ukraine, and more or less giving him all that he demands before even beginning any negotiation to end the war. On top of that, Trump has thus far excluded Europe, and even Ukraine, from such discussions, even though (must I repeat the obvious?) it is Europe and Ukraine that have the most at stake. But he prefers to have his own cozy tête-à-tête with the dictator he wants to be. That is thoughtless, contemptible behavior towards our allies of more than 80 years, and demonstrates yet again his astounding ignorance of history and his sociopathic lack of decency. Neville Chamberlain looks like a visionary and tough guy compared to Trump. And the so-called Republicans in Congress who could put the brakes on some of this have abdicated their roles so profoundly it defies understanding, other than to acknowledge its rank cowardice.

Then there is JD Vance, the callow, undeservedly pompous little Trump spokesperson, lecturing Europe on true democracy and on their “real” problems. Nauseating. The countries who are at the front line of any further Russian incursion being told that their real problems were not Russia, or China, but from within – i.e., their attempt to exercise some control over pro-Nazi hate speech, and illegal immigrants. To rub that in their face, his only direct meeting in Germany was with the extremist right-wing AfD party. There’s more. Adding yet another layer of preposterous ignorance to all of this, so-called Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified Vance’s comments in a CBS interview by saying that “free speech was not used to conduct a genocide,” a sentiment soon echoed by Vance who doubled-down, repeating that indeed free speech didn’t cause the Holocaust.

The ignorance and arrogance of these comments is just staggering. Speech, and public speech, did indeed foment antisemitism and contribute to the Holocaust. Who, I ask, was Joseph Goebbels? What was his role? Do you, JD Vance, or Marco Rubio, not know this? Public speech is often used in this way. There are too many examples to list, but just think of what happened in mass radio broadcasts before the Rwandan genocide of 1994. That, too, was “free speech.” And right here, we saw Trump’s own public words that egged on the violent January 6 insurrection. There is just no question that public speech can be used to legitimize hatred and violence, and Europe – especially Germany – has every right and reason to be concerned about this. But Vance, for all his ivy-league law school education clearly has no worldly experience or plain common sense, only blind ambition. And Rubio? He should know better. He does have experience. But time after time, Rubio has shown that he has no courage whatsoever. He can be blown around like a cheap kite. And so it goes.

Let’s move from the Europe debacle to our foreign aid role, specifically USAID. Now we have Elon Musk, the unelected, Trump hatchet-man, reveling in his unchecked (and illegal) ability to chop away at government functions as he sees fit, never mind that he has almost $4 billion in contracts with federal agencies, which by itself is a disqualifying conflict of interest, and notwithstanding the fact that he has no knowledge of federal government, and no experience with the complexities of foreign affairs. So, on a whim, he decided to run USAID “through the wood chipper.” USAID is the primary agency managing our foreign assistance programs to the poorest and most needy of populations, whether through disaster and humanitarian relief, HIV/AIDS and other disease prevention efforts, the promotion of education, support for human rights, or support for climate change mitigation. The entire USAID budget is less than 1% of the total US budget, and yet USAID plays an essential role in maintaining positive relationships around the world, and, among other things, in preventing crisis situations from becoming generators of hostility or even terrorism. Sure, USAID has been criticized over the years for how it performs its mission. But those are typically critiques of the “how,” not of the “what.” Only fools would deny the importance of what has often been called “soft power.” Even in the sense of pure realpolitik, in a world where China, as one example, is all over the globe supporting development projects, the presence of some countervailing options is necessary. Dr. Common Good has seen this up close. For the US, USAID has provided much of that soft power capability, for relatively little cost to the American taxpayer. So where is all the “criminality” that Musk alleges? He has shown us nothing, and while cavorting in his impish playground, has gutted an essential element of US foreign relations. All the “America firsters” out there should know, by the way, that weakening our web of alliances and ties to the global world out there actually weakens the US. No country can stand on its own.

There will be more posts to follow on other Trump administration disasters and debacles, including Gaza plans, threats against Panama’s sovereignty, the absurd threats to take Greenland from Denmark, and the ludicrous renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.

A DERANGED MADMAN AND A DISGRACE TO THIS COUNTRY

Dr. Common Good

This is going to be a brief post. Donald Trump is absolutely deranged, period. Combine this with ignorance, child-like petulance, greed, and malice, and you have a dangerous recipe. His proposal to take over Gaza, turn it in to a “Riviera,” and just push the Palestinians out is so flat-out crazy that it shouldn’t deserve a response. Except, alas, he is president. It is ethnic cleansing in pursuit of a real estate deal. A complete disgrace to this country and to the global community. A boot-kick in the face to generations of Palestinians who have made Gaza their home, after being kicked out of their first home in Palestine by the Israelis. Oh, and the hardline right-wing Israelis love this, because they can appear even less crazy and inhumane than Trump.

The 25^th amendment needs to be invoked. Trump is too unhinged to carry out the duties of president.

Add to this the actions of his manic sidekick Elon Musk, and his band of junior data crunchers. Musk knows nothing about what federal agencies do, and yet he is out there slashing and eliminating thousands of employees who provide essential government services. His contemptuous treatment of USAID is an outrage. Calling USAID a criminal organization? He knows nothing. This is an agency that has been the bedrock of our foreign assistance programs since 1961, and a key player in spreading goodwill and forming relationships with countries worldwide — which, by the way, is in the US national interest, especially in the current environment of competition with China and others. Those who work for USAID are not in it for the money, but to do something positive for people in the world who are poor, starving, disenfranchised, and in the midst of humanitarian and public health crises. And they do so in the name of the United States, which sends a strong message of good. That is a helluva lot more than I could say for the likes of Trump and Musk, who are in it for themselves and have no concept of public service.

Making America great? Not in any way, shape or form. Making America a disgrace.  

TODAY’S TRUMP LIES AND STUPIDITIES

Dr. Common Good

At Dr. Common Good we will do our best to counter the numerous lies, distortions and flat-out ignorance as these roll in. We can’t address them all, so we’ll pick out what we can. For today’s list:

Trump’s blatant lies about the Panama Canal: At a press conference today, and previously, Trump cited a completely made-up number of “38,000 American workers” who died digging the canal. According to the Smithsonian Institution, somewhere around 6,000 actually died, though the death toll is likely to have been higher than that. Importantly, most of these workers were not American, but Black Caribbean workers from the colonial plantation economies of Jamaica, Barbados and others. On top of that, the Black Caribbeans were segregated in terms of working conditions, pay and benefits. And how did the US acquire control of the canal territory in the first place? Originally, the territory was part of Colombia, but the US backed a group that wanted to secede from Colombia, in part through the use of our naval power (“gunboat diplomacy”). When that territory became Panama, the US signed an agreement in 1903 to build the canal and control the newly established Panama Canal Zone (for 99 years). The canal zone was then handed back to Panama in 1999, via treaty signed under the Carter administration.

Trump’s (and Musk’s) blatant lies about USAID: The fantastical lying about USAID is almost too much to grasp. USAID was established by President Kennedy in 1961 as an outgrowth of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and similar in spirit to the creation of the Peace Corps. It now has offices in some 100 countries and has become a major provider of foreign aid in multiple areas, including disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, poverty relief, technical cooperation on global issues including the environment, socioeconomic development, and health. It is also an important arm of foreign policy and bilateral interests, the primary agency through which the US projects “soft power,” which is critically important for maintaining alliances, for countering global efforts by the Chinese to bring countries into their orbit, and so on. In their absolute ignorance, Trump/Musk charge that it is run by a “bunch of radical lunatics” and that, for example, it sent $50 million in condoms to Hamas.

Trump’s colossal stupidity about a US “Iron Dome” missile defense: Trump has boasted that he wants to build an “Iron Dome” missile defense across the entire US, just like Israel’s missile defense system. This, like almost everything that comes from Trump, reflects his complete ignorance. The Israeli Iron Dome system is designed to defend against short-range missiles and artillery, and it covers a territory that is about the size of New Jersey. Any missile defense system for the US would not be aimed at short range missiles and artillery, but primarily at long range inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which travel into sub-orbital space where they are maneuvered to fire multiple warheads down on their targets. Defending against such weapons, over the entire United States, is an entirely different task than an Iron Dome faces. But of course, Trump has no idea.

Trump’s boast that he has done more in a few days than Biden did in four years: This is such a massive lie that we don’t even want to repeat it and add to its credulity. See the Dr. Common Good blogpost of January 21 for details on Biden’s major accomplishments, which Trump has never come close to matching. Trump is all about show and scams, not real policy change for the betterment of Americans.

And…where is the press? At a press conference today, by the way, Trump spouted several of these and other lies with impunity. Not one journalist challenged him. That has to stop.

DEI – As American as Apple Pie

Dr. Common Good

I am truly fed up with the constant barrage of DEI demonizing and (to borrow a certain person’s language) “DEI derangement syndrome.” Efforts to implement DEI, or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, have become a primary punching bag for the so-called “anti-woke” crusade of the MAGA folk.

And why is that? Like so much of this blowhard rhetoric, the reality is far different than the MAGA media hype. Actor Whoopi Goldberg summed this up passionately and concisely in a retort to Trump press secretary Karin Leavitt’s strident anti-woke comments at her first press conference on Jan 28, at which she asserted, “there will be no wokeness here.” In response, Goldberg said “Let me explain something to you, because without that wokeness, you might not have that job”…”because women were not invited to that table. Women were not invited to many tables in this nation.” “The reason we fought and busted our behinds [was] to make sure that you didn’t have to worry about this. And now to hear you talk about it, and to hear anybody talk about ‘the wokeness,’ the wokeness was put in place for a reason: because Black people couldn’t get into colleges, because women could not get into the colleges they wanted to go to. This is all women, see. This is not Black, Asian women. This is all women. Women were not invited to this party. It was a man’s world, and we busted our a**es to make sure that this was a person’s world. So please, please stop using that phrase and talking about this because you don’t understand what you’re saying.”

QED.

In short, “wokeness” (including DEI efforts) is actually a hyperbolic, pejorative term for what Martin Luther King described as the “arc of justice,” the gradual progress of American society towards the ideals expressed in the founding documents and so many of our most essential statements of American values. In the Declaration of Independence, equality of all is a self-evident truth, the 14^th Amendment guarantees equal justice for all, and principles of equality are enshrined in the 19^th Amendment (women’s right to vote), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, among other laws and Supreme Court decisions. These were all reactions against threats and barriers to those founding principles of equality. The vocal detractors of DEI and related approaches cannot deny the historical truth of those threats and barriers, so what is the real issue?

Disagreement with the MAGA distortions of DEI also comes from another quarter — American business. In late January, 98% of Costco shareholders voted down a proposal to question DEI policies at the company, in a testament to the value of these policies. A recent CNN report (January 31) found that many businesses consider DEI practices, which focus on recruiting strategies and employee training, as a way to broaden the talent pool and qualifications of potential employees. The CNN report also cited a study, based on data from 16 countries and 27,000 employees, showing that DEI initiatives boost profits, reduce employee attrition and increase employee motivation. All of this, of course, makes sense. In a globalized economy, where products and services are often developed for a broad and diverse market, wouldn’t a smart business want its employees to reflect and understand that market?

The anti-DEI, anti-woke and, for that matter, anti- “critical race theory” crusades are, sadly, yet another threat to American progress and essential principles. You may dislike how a particular DEI policy or approach is implemented. Fair enough. Criticize and fix it. But to disparage the basic essence and goals of DEI and related movements, to use them as targets of vitriol and retrograde policy, is not only ignorant but deeply un-American in spirit.

So I say to all those anti-woke and anti-DEI crusaders, don’t wrap your hate and your bigotry in the American flag, because that just won’t fly.

UNDER THE RADAR: TRUMP’S ABHORRENT MIDDLE EAST POLICY EMERGES YET AGAIN

Dr. Common Good

While we have been distracted by the shotgun blast of craziness during the Trump administration’s first week, Trump’s stance and emerging policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict represents a disgraceful approval of the extreme right-wing takeover of Palestinian land, rejection of a Palestinian state, and the ongoing, forced removal of Palestinians from land and homes that have been theirs for generations, long before the influx of Jewish settlers via the Zionist movement beginning around the turn of the 20^th century, and well before the existence of Israel as a state.   

Let’s start with two key Trump officials up for nomination. Former Representative Elise Stefanik, up for UN Ambassador, testified in a January 21 confirmation hearing that she agreed with Israeli hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s and former Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir’s claims that Israel has a biblical right to the entire West Bank. She also dodged and did not answer a straightforward question about Palestinian self-determination. Trump’s nominee for US Ambassador to Israel, millennialist, evangelical Christian Mike Huckabee, has regularly supported Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the biblical justification for such settlements, calling the West Bank Judea and Samaria. He has also stated that “there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.”

The flurry of executive orders on Trump’s first day included one that rescinded Biden’s sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have committed violence against Palestinians (Why, we ask, would he do that?). This early action, combined with his choices for UN and Israeli ambassador, signal a rapid return to Trump first-term policies, which included moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Jerusalem – a unique, multi-denominational city — as Israel’s capital, deciding not to recognize the repeated UN declarations and legal rulings that settlements are illegal under international law (also the conclusion of a 1978 State Department legal opinion), cutting aid programs to Palestinians, and recognizing Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.

While we cannot say that Biden’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been either productive or admirable, with virtually no attempt to restrict Israel’s grossly disproportionate destruction of Gaza, at least there was some recognition of the need for a two-state solution and acknowledgment of the terrible toll exacted upon innocent Palestinians – a toll that now stands at about 46,000 fatalities, along with 1.9 million displaced from their homes. [Who can possibly claim that such a toll is a rational military response or justifiable retribution for the Hamas attack, as brutal as that attack clearly was?]

Thus, the second Trump administration brings back, once again, an appalling ignorance and disregard for history and human rights. Dr. Common Good supports the safety, security, and self-determination of both Palestinian and Israeli peoples, which is the only route to peace. Both peoples have long histories in these lands and no claim to exclusivity has any merit whatsoever. This cannot happen with Trump administration endorsement of current Israeli right-wing, bigoted and nationalist aims under the Netanyahu government. Right now, these actions are being overshadowed by the barrage of outrage in Trump’s first week. So, pay attention, because the United States should not be party to such injustice.   

TRUMP AND AMERICA THE UGLY

Dr. Common Good

It is only two days into the administration of this travesty of a president, and here is just a tiny sampler of the ugliness he has wrought:

• He blanket-pardoned 1500 people who were charged with crimes in relation to the January 6, 2021 insurrection, including at least 200 who were convicted of violent attacks on capital police officers.
• He is attempting to change the language of the 14^th amendment to the Constitution by executive fiat, stripping it of the birthright citizenship provision.
• He issued an executive order rescinding the order signed by President Biden that would have lowered prescription drug costs for patients on Medicare and Medicaid. (I ask, what possible reason would prompt that other than a big wink and nod to Big Pharma?)
• He pulled the US out of the World Health Organization – a completely stupid and malicious move, since our participation in WHO helps prevent, among other things, future pandemics.
• He issued an executive order overturning Biden’s sanctions on Israeli settlers who are committing violent acts against Palestinians and blatantly stealing their property.
• In a petty, spiteful move, he pulled the security detail that had been assigned to former Trump national security advisor John Bolton, who has received threats from Iran (Mr. Bolton is not a favorite of this blog, but this is completely uncalled for).
• He has ordered ICE to go into churches and schools to find undocumented immigrants. Churches and schools!

And that’s just a few. In summary, Trump, in very short order, has covered this country in a coat of slime. He is utterly incapable of making America great, and his single-minded pursuit of retribution, vengeance, and unchecked power is driving this country right into the gutter.

To you who voted for Trump – Is this what you voted for? Do you know he is doing these things? You may not, because it won’t be reported on Fox or Newsmax. But these are the things he is focused on. The economy? Well, as he said even to Sean Hannity yesterday in an interview on Fox News, “I don’t care.”

How’s that vote looking now?

THE LYING PREMISE IN TRUMP’S NEGATIVE PORTRAYAL OF THE BIDEN YEARS

Dr. Common Good

In his farewell address and final remarks, President Biden noted the long list of achievements during his presidency. Whatever your views are of his administration, or of specific policies, much was indeed accomplished. This stands in stark contrast to Trump’s bleak portrayal of decline in his inaugural address, which primarily served as a justification for his claim to be “restoring” or “saving” the country. Some of these Biden-era achievements include:

• Basically, saving the country from Trump’s disastrous neglect of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to distributing masks and vaccines (the largest mass vaccination campaign in US history), and facilitating testing for millions, the US was one of the only nations in the world to rebound economically after COVID-19 (via the American Rescue Plan Act). The US, in fact, reached a record low child poverty rate in 2021.
• In contrast to Trump, restoration of US alliances in the EU, NATO and around the globe, and rejoining the Paris Climate process.
• Marshaling allies in Europe to coordinate sustained support for Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion.
• Securing the first bipartisan infrastructure deal in a generation – something Trump promised, but never delivered.
• Creating the most jobs ever in a single term, and dropping the inflation rate from around 9% in 2022 to under 3% when he finished (though the cost of many goods has remained high).
• Making the largest investment in climate and green energy in world history (Inflation Reduction Act).
• Allowing Medicare to negotiate drug costs for the first time in US history (Inflation Reduction Act).
• Passing the first major gun violence prevention bill in a generation.
• Passing the first bill to ramp up production of semiconductors and computer chips here in the US (The CHIPS and Science Act).
• Protecting and preserving the largest amount of land of any President.
• Insuring a record number of Americans through the Affordable Care Act.
• Confirming almost 250 Federal judges, including the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.
• Recognizing, for the first time, the Equal Rights Amendment as law of the land.

In short, and to be blunt, decline my arse. There were certainly some less-than-stellar moments during Biden’s time, but I challenge Trump and MAGA to top this list, or even come close.

TRUMP’S CLOWN SHOW – EXCEPT IT’S NOT FUNNY

Dr. Common Good

I ask, is this the United States of America? One wonders. A brief look at the roster of Trump’s bizarrely unqualified or at least inappropriate, undemocratic, dangerous, and sycophantic nominees cannot help but raise the question. Here are a few of his “gems”:

Pam Bondi for Attorney General?

This committed Trump loyalist and personal lawyer offered some stunning testimony in her confirmation hearing:

• She still does not admit that Biden won election and still claims there was fraud.
• She seems either strangely unaware of well-known facts about Trump’s election manipulation attempts (especially for a lawyer) or is falsely denying knowledge – for example, claiming that she was not aware that Trump asked the Georgia Secretary of State to “find” votes that would overturn the election results in his favor, or that he had any role instigating the January 6 insurrection attempt. How could she not know this? She even claimed that there was a “peaceful transition to power” in 2021.
• She says she will “look into” birthright citizenship. Really? It’s in the 14^th Amendment to the Constitution, clear as day.  

On top of all that, she made over $3 million from the creation of Trump’s Truth Social parent company and has invested millions in Trump Media. Last year she earned over $1 million lobbying for companies that have a direct interest in Justice Department affairs or have been the subject of recent DOJ investigations (Pfizer). She also earned over $500,000 consulting for the Trumpist America First Policy Institute. How can she possibly serve as an independent AG?  

Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary?

In addition to all the significant allegations of sexual abuse and alcohol abuse, even while on the job, Hegseth is patently unqualified:

• He has no experience with global organizations, regional organizations, security organizations, or managing any government agency. He was even kicked out of several small nonprofit veteran’s organizations for mismanagement. And during his hearing, he could not even name a single member of ASEAN, or the range of security arrangements to which the U.S. is a party.
• He has no apparent commitment to the US Constitution — refusing to say whether or not he would order troops to shoot protesters if Trump told him to, and stating that he would not rule out using invasion forces to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal in line with Trump’s expansionist fantasies. Generally, he would not answer whether or not he would obey an illegal order from Trump.

How can this man be Defense Secretary?

Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence (DNI)?

Although this born-again Trump loyalist and new MAGA star served four terms in the House, she has never held any senior government role and has no intelligence experience. And even more troubling:

• She was a public supporter of brutal Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad, even meeting with him in 2017 and denying that he was responsible for the atrocities so clearly linked to his regime.
• Russian media have praised the choice of Gabbard for DNI, hailing her public rationalizations for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and her opposition to the Biden Administration’s support for Ukraine’s resistance.

Our allies are not likely to share intelligence with the US if she is DNI. So, what possible reason is there for her to hold this office?

RFK Jr. as Director of HHS?

There is just too much here to cover. He is so flagrantly inappropriate and unqualified for HHS Secretary it defies explanation:

• He has no science or public health background, and does not apparently understand the nature and process of scientific research, and he has no experience in government.
• He has been a leading promoter of misinformation and lies about vaccines and their consequences – promoting the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism, the purported danger of COVID-19 vaccines, and that there are generally no safe vaccines, ignoring the vast body of medical studies that have demonstrated that the opposite is true and that vaccines have been one of public health’s greatest success stories.  
• He has dangerously promoted numerous unproven and demonstrably ineffective alternative therapies, including raw milk (a transmission vector for H5N1/avian flu) and the use of Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19.
• He even promoted the racist and antisemitic theory that the COVID-19 virus targeted white and Black people but not Chinese or Ashkenazi Jews.
• He has stated that he would shut down infectious disease research for eight years and fire 600 NIH employees on Day 1.

HHS is a massive organization overseeing 13 agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and others – all highly important for the nation’s health.  RFK Jr. has no business whatsoever leading this agency.

Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary?

While he does have some of the background common to Treasury Secretaries, his policy positions are clearly oligarchic:  

• As a billionaire hedge-fund manager, he supports extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which are estimated to increase the deficit by $ 4 trillion over the next ten years (per the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget).
• He opposes raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25/hour, a rate that has stayed the same since 2009. A person earning that amount makes just over $15,000 annually. It is not a living wage.
• He opposes raising taxes on high income earners at any level as a means to pay down the deficit, making the age-old and many times debunked claim that these are job creators.