Liberty Enshrined

With two Executive Orders, President Trump and his advisers are creating a 'shock event' (I confess that I didn't know they were doing this until I read the News and Guts post linked below).  A 'shock event' is cover for some ultimate goal. It stands to reason that if this goal was for the benefit of the country, cover, and therefore shock events, wouldn't be needed.

Our system of government has checks and balances which, in order to work, will require bi-partisan collaboration. It is the early days of President Trump's administration and expecting Congress to work together to see through these 'shock events' and act to benefit the American people is naive on my part.

News and Guts: 'shock event'

Senator Chuck Schumer: "Tears are running down the cheeks of the Statue of Liberty . . ."

Jake Fuentes: The Immigration Ban is a Headfake, and We’re Falling For It

Patriotic Devotion

Inspired by Andrew McGill's article in The Atlantic:

What Does Trump's 'Day of Patriotic Devotion' Really Mean?

"Alternative Fact"

Inspired by:

The traditional way of reporting on a president is dead. And Trump’s press secretary killed it.

Kellyanne Conway says Donald Trump’s team has ‘alternative facts.’ Which pretty much says it all.


Here is a 2014 Rolling Stone article by Reid Cherlin that provides a sketch of media's metamorphosis and an insider's view of The Presidency and the Press

BackBone

Inspired by:

Where was Donald Trump when John Lewis was fighting for civil rights? Let’s compare.

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers now skipping Trump’s inauguration

Auntie Nepotism

Inspired by:

Trump names son-in-law Jared Kushner as senior adviser, testing anti-nepotism law

. . . and NPR's Ailsa Chang reported on this issue in November

Jared Kushner And The Anti-Nepotism Statute That Might Keep Him From The White House

shadow cabinet

inspired by:

Trump confidants serving as presidential advisers could face tangle of potential conflicts

FOLLOW-UP: Shadow Government

White House installs political aides at Cabinet agencies to be Trump's eyes and ears by Lisa Rein and Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post, Mar 19, 2017

spread offense

inspired by:

Republicans run the spread offense to ram through Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees

Ethics reports lag for Trump nominees facing confirmation hearings this week

ethics

inspired by:

House Republicans vote to rein in independent ethics office

Norman Eisen and Richard Painter Statement on House GOP Vote to Gut Office of Congressional Ethics

Trump's unprecedented war on ethics by Norman Eisen and Richard Painter, USA Today, Mar 20, 2017

2 Months In, Trump May Already Own a First: Most Corrupt POTUS. Ever. by S V Date, The Huffington Post, Mar 20, 2017

The Trump Administration Clears Trump's Washington Hotel, by editorial board, the New York Times, Mar 24, 2017

https://www.wsj.com/articles/icahnt-believe-its-an-ethics-conflict-1491000591?mod=cx_picks&cx_navSource=cx_picks&cx_tag=poptarget&cx_artPos=6#cxrecs_s