Trump and the rush to judgment

For those of us old enough to remember, many years ago there was a book titled “Rush to Judgment,” and it dealt with the Warren Commission dealing with the assassination of President Kennedy. History does not offer itself up to introspection for the most part, until at least 10 generations have passed, and the Kennedy assassination will remain somewhat obscure until that time. For by that time, anyone who was alive during that tragic event, will no longer be around to dispute any findings.

What is taking place today in the realm of politics, is somewhat similar to what took place in the realm of politics in 1963. A lot of speculation surrounded by a few facts and over-looked by both political parties trying to remain relevant to their base.

These past eight years of the Obama administration has set the United States on a completely different course than what was taken by previous administrations of both parties and dramatically changed the attitudes in this country. Not since the 1960s and the Vietnam War have there been so many riots and demonstrations out in the street and on the colleges campuses. Some perhaps justified in the eyes of the beholder and some just sheer insanity seeking justification for their actions. Blacks demanding “segregation” on the basis of “white superiority” on universities and college campuses and young and old alike females marching out in the streets in make-believe “vagina” outfits demonstrating against the newly elected president.

Today, there is a flurry of activity in a negative sense surrounding President Trump and some statements he has made. Couple that with the release of classified materials and conversations between heads of state and the dumping now of Wiki-leaks with regards to the CIA and other intelligence agencies’ procedures in dealing with surveillance and spying and you have one hell of a mess.

Pundits from both sides are pointing fingers at one another and very little is being done in the way of a constructive agenda for this brand new Congress. Both political parties have squared off with the attitude of “Us against Them” and therefore nothing really ever gets done except a lot of bloviating on both sides of the aisle. For example: President Trump’s Cabinet appointments can be held up according to the Senate rules, and of course the opposition party is going to do just that. In the meantime, April will roll around and the Congress will be out for a two-week Easter vacation.

Much speculation has surrounded the firing of Gen. Flynn as National Security Advisor and the bottom line to all of that is simple; he was fired for lying to the vice president and the president. But how that firing came about should be the crux of the matter and somehow or other that is being completely overlooked. The conversation between Gen. Flynn and the Russian ambassador was leaked to the press and that in itself is a felony just the same as the conversation between the Mexican president and President Trump or the Australian prime minister and President Trump is classified material and a felony if leaked because it falls under the Espionage Act.

To many in government and in the news media this is a serious situation regarding our national security, and the leaks that are now coming out from various agencies within our government, pose a tremendous problem for President Trump and his administration to accomplish anything. Spying, surveillance or wiretapping is a serious business and should not be taken lightly, and the previous administration has shown it has no problem with bending the law to suit its own agenda. The chancellor of German Angela Merkel’s cellphone was tapped by the Obama administration, the prime minister of Israel’s cellphone was tapped by the Obama administration and even the cellphone of Fox News reporter James Rosen was tapped by then Attorney General Eric Holder, under the direction of the then president of the United States, Barack Obama. So one has to wonder about the tapping of the conversation of Gen. Flynn and the Russian ambassador under the previous administration. Was the purpose of it for political reasons and who signed off on the authorization for the tap in the first place?

One can only speculate and wonder about recent events surrounding our previous president and his intention of staying in the D.C. area to let his youngest daughter finish her schooling, or is there another agenda on the horizon, now that Valerie Jarrett has moved into the Obama residence?

These are certainly the times that try men’s souls and global events certainly bear that out. Trouble throughout the Middle East, trouble in the South China Sea and trouble on the Korean Peninsula and we need a steady hand on our ship of state, and this certainly cannot be done today with all the snipping and back-stabbing that is going on in D.C. at the moment.

Garvey is a resident of Kalispell.