2017 Feb 10^th

Six is the current magic number! It will probably increase in the next few days. At this writing, there are six members of the national champion New England Patriots football team who will not go to the White House to be congratulated by President Donald Trump. There is an interesting history here: The team’s owner, Robert Kraft and the head coach Bill Belichick, were devoted Trump supporters. Last year, when they were all invited to the Obama White House, their quarterback, Tom Brady made quite a show of refusing to go. This year some of the rank and file players offer Brady’s snub as justification for their refusal to attend President Trump’s event.

Kellyanne Conway who quite forthrightly pumped for Ivanka Trump’s line of clothes and accessories while she got airtime on Fox News was in clear violation of ethical regulations governing White House employees. Even Sean Spicer Trump’s mouthpiece said Kellyanne would get counselling. Trump, however, is just fine with Kellyanne’s performance. The president says that his daughter “was treated very unfairly by Nordstrom.”

As far as Trump is concerned, if he believes a family member has been treated “unfairly” he, or a confederate, can weigh in with the full power of the executive branch to make matters right again. He has no problem with the ethical challenges this produces. The Republicans have so little backbone that they surely will not risk it confronting Trump on silly ethical issues.

Steve Bannon Trump’s senior consiglieri, has hired a really vicious hit writer from Breitbart News. Julia Hahn is the woman’s name and she had become very famous for her pieces raking poor Paul Ryan over every hot coal in sight. She is virulently anti-immigrant and accuses standard Republicans, typified by Ryan, as disregarding the crime produced by these immigrants to the detriment of the country. Once again we have a top fear monger joining all the other fear mongers. Just so you know this woman also claims that she is an expert shot.

(Well, so am I. When I was on the pistol range in WW 2, I made marksman because the guy beside me was also shooting at my target. There were 16 holes in my target and I had been given only 15 rounds to fire. Hey, skill will out.)

Then we have new news about General Flynn. He has apparently been in touch with the Russians about the sanctions. There is considerable uncertainty about just what Flynn did and just what he has admitted doing. He does not have many supporters in Trump’s inner circle and there are those who see his tenure time as very limited. Keep in mind that Flynn was cashiered by General Mattis, now Secretary of Defense, when he served in Afghanistan. There is little job security in this administration. Thi is particularly true when Flynn has apparently deliberately lied to the Vice President about his conversations with the Russians.