Vote on War Powers Act restores Power to Congress

Photo: WCF Courier

The uncertainty inside and surrounding the White House has caused high anxiety in Washington, D.C., along with the world at large.  The Trump administration has attempted to act without restraint and been reeled back in each time -- thank goodness.  There has been a buzz over the last few years about our current President attempting to start a war.



Based on his handling of the Coronavirus, the world, along with the U.S., have a lot to be concerned with.  If the President has this much difficulty handling a virus without enacting the Defense Production Act of 1950 for so long, how would he ever be able to guide the country through a war?  The result would be a blood bath.  Americans live all over - dead.



Which is why the recent news coming out of Politico Defense regarding a vote that occurred which took power to start a war out of the President's hand was very comforting:

NORTH KOREA WAR POWERS BILL: In the latest effort to check presidential war powers, Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Ro Khanna on Tuesday introduced legislation that would require congressional authorization before launching hostilities with North Korea.

“The president must come to Congress before starting a war, period,” Khanna, a California Democrat who has played a signature role in similar attempts to rein in Trump’s war powers in Yemen and Iran, said in a statement. “The current state of world affairs only underlies the importance of Congress reclaiming its constitutional authority over matters of war and peace.”

Markey said the bill, which is almost guaranteed to be vetoed if it passes, is particularly important at a time when the fate of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un remains a mystery. “While developments inside North Korea are unclear, the United States must be absolutely clear in signaling that we do not seek war with Pyongyang, regardless of who heads the country,” said Markey of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the East Asia Subcommittee of the Foreign Relations Committee.

With the threat of the Coronavirus spreading throughout the world, the last additional risk needed would be for the United States to go to war.  Thank you, Congress, for taking back the power.  Since Congress controls the purse strings (a.k.a. Funding/Spending power), the right to send U.S. troops into combat should also reside in their hands.  The power would be distributed over the voting power of the states (Congressional Elected Official).



The step taken by Congress to shift power from the President to the Congress reassures the American people (and the world at large) that Congressional officials are working in their favor.  Thank you to all of the elected officials who voted for the shift in power.

Ralph Nader: Calls Out Congress on a Poor Job Helping Americans During Coronavirus Pandemic

Photo: Pew Research Center

The Coronavirus continues to destroy the United States of America.  At least from an economic standpoint.  And what is Congress doing to help Americans?  Passing a $2 Trillion relief package that helps large businesses such as 'Shake Shack' rather than small mom and pop businesses is laughable.  The state of government is truly terrible.  Congress is out to lunch.

Recently, the activist Ralph Nader called the situation is as terrible as I said above.  Congress is out to lunch:

Cowardly Congress Chooses to be AWOL: Shouldn’t Our Elected Representatives be on the Job Providing Essential Services?

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic a careening, confused President is fibbing, flailing, breaking laws, and mishandling money. As the domino effect of this crisis mounts, the public is asking: “Where is the Congress?” Our Senators and Representatives have been home since March 20 and won’t be back until May 4th, not on the job inside the Capitol. Shameful!

Worse, some lawmakers want a remote Congress so they can remain AWOL and pretend to deal with the many crises remotely.

Why? Fear of the pandemic? Escaping rollcall responsibility? No matter that Congress can follow all the CDC guidelines and more for personal protection. No matter that millions of essential workers – some a few blocks from Congress, bravely go to work to perform their critical duties. Healthcare, transit, grocery, police, maintenance and sanitation workers, many executive branch civil servants and others are faithfully on the job.

Congress should be working harder than ever – 6 days a week, not its usual 21/2 days. Congress should be monitoring the spending of trillions of dollars it approved for recovery, and passing improved rescue legislation that puts the people first. Congress should also be anticipating and preventing the ugly greed of commercial lobbyists who will cravenly push for more giveaways for their fat-cat big-business clients. The devil is in the details and in the fine print of new and upcoming bills. Scams, gouging, waste, and corruption are exploding already in a corporate crimewave while the President pulls the federal cops off their beats.

Thirteen million people will lose their health insurance between March and July of this year. Over 25% unemployment is bringing untold fear, dread, and deprivations to millions of families. Where are the indispensable 535 lawmakers? Back at home ignoring their duties.

Small businesses and family farms, lacking the reserves and political privileges of big business, are suddenly experiencing a deadly freefall in sales with slow arrivals of temporary federal assistance. Many will face ruin and bankruptcy. Lifetimes of work smashed.

Trump has encouraged the EPA to stop enforcing violations of prohibited pollution laws. Trump’s FDA announced that it was suspending inspections of foreign plant exporters of food and drugs to the U.S. The President is even threatening the existence of our post offices.

Where is the Congress? It’s halls and committee rooms are empty!

With knowing criminal intent, the Trumpsters are running the life and health saving Federal agencies into the ground. Under Trump’s puppet Andrew Wheeler, the EPA has become the environmental pollution agency. OSHA has been turned upside down. Trump is even weakening nursing home safety regulations in our pandemic. Scientists and other civil servants are being muzzled or pushed out.

Where is Congress? It is looking for how it can push button constitutional duties from perches back home. Can Congress truly believe that it can run our national legislature from home? There is no substitute for members of Congress convening in real time in the nation’s capital. Article 1, Section 7 of the Constitution requires a quorum to conduct Congressional lawmaking. The full Senate voted in person in March to pass the $2.2 trillion relief/bailout package.

Now, Congress agrees another large assistance law is needed. It has to be preceded by hard work, the best ideas, public hearings, tight drafting, and intense deliberation over long days.

So far Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is on the job, is resisting remote voting. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said he agrees, but he led the flight out of Congress back to Kentucky a month ago.

Many of these pampered politicians, comfortable at home in their safe gerrymandered districts, drawing their regular salaries and benefits while watching or reading the stories of courageous workers risking their lives daily for pittances, will go down in history as cowards. Historians will not treat them kindly.

Meanwhile these so-called guardians of our crucial constitutional separation of powers are having a mock video hearing to try to show Congress can go online. This is indefensible when we have a Constitution-breaking monarchical president who says: “I have an Article 2 where I have the right to do whatever I want as president.”

Sovereign people – give your Senators and Representatives, who have fled Washington and are back home, a galvanizing piece of your mind. Just pick up the phone and dial your member or the Congressional switchboard (202-224-3141) and make your needs known. Remind them that if they don’t get back to work, you’ll remember in November.

Take action and call your elected representative to say wake up and save Americans!

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Unscientific Advice from the Highest Office in the United States of America

Photo: KNBN Newscenter

If the last three and a half years of President Trump's administration could be summarized into 12 minutes of video, then Morning Joe has captured that video.  Yesterday marked an all-time high for the need for science communication to the public.  The misinformation came from the highest office of the land -- the President of the United States of America.



The information was so dangerous to the health of Americans that the manufacturer of Lysol cleaning brands had to issue a comprehensive statement to save the citizens of the world.  Citizens who might choose to follow the directive of the most dangerous President that the United States has seen in its history.


Warning: Do Not Ingest or Inject Lysol or other cleaning agents into your body.  The result could kill you.



In the following video from the MSNBC show Morning Joe, a clip of President Trump's daily COVID-19 video is shown.  The clip of footage from the President's briefing disseminates misinformation about possible cures for the COVID-19 virus (a.k.a. Coronavirus).  Do not take the President's advice seriously -- the result could be death.

The misinformation spread by the President of the United States of America has resulted in the chemical manufacturer RB - maker of Lysol to release the public press release after:

Improper use of Disinfectants

Due to recent speculation and social media activity, RB (the makers of Lysol and Dettol) has been asked whether internal administration of disinfectants may be appropriate for investigation or use as a treatment for coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).  As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information.

We have a responsibility in providing consumers with access to accurate, up-to-date information as advised by leading public health experts. For this and other myth-busting facts, please visit Covid-19facts.com.

For more information on our response to COVID-19, visit this link: Coronavirus information

In the statement above, near the end are two hyperlinked webpages that contain information on COVID-19 by RB -- the maker of Lysol.  An example of the information provided is shown in the video below about the Coronavirus:

The second link is to an RB webpage with frequently asked questions about the Coronavirus and can be found by clicking here.  The damage done by spreading misinformation from the mouth of the most powerful man in the world is hard to squash.



Although news agencies such as NBC News, along with CNN, have been busy spreading the correct information regarding the suggestion of ingesting or injecting Lysol into the human body to treat COVID-19: Do Not Inject or Ingest Any Lysol Into The Human Body To Treat COVID-19.  The Act Could Result In Death.



The daily COVID-19 briefing from the White House represents yet another example of why the need for science communication to the public at large is so critical.  We are living in unprecedented times.  Never before have the American people ever been instructed to drink or inject chemicals that could kill them.  Please do not mess around with Lysol or other cleaning agents.  This is not sound science.



Hopefully, in the future, science will play a more significant role in policymaking at the federal level (and state along with local). Only spending more money on science funding will not accomplish the job alone.  There is a great need for the dissemination of science at every level of society.  The time has come.  The demand has been growing over the past few decades.  Educate yourself.  Your life is potentially at stake!



Stay safe!

Politico: "How should the U.S. address cybersecurity risks exposed by the broader move to telework?"

Photo: CSO Online

There is no doubt that after the coronavirus pandemic dies down, life will not be the same.  I wrote a blog post which discussed some changes at the outset of the end of the epidemic - lines, testing, paperwork to enter places of business -- which depends on the country.   My mother works in the healthcare industry.  She now works from home by 'teleworking' or 'telecommuting' via the internet.  How does this change of venue for her and others impact the United States Cybersecurity as a whole?



Recently, reporting from Politico Nightly has a short paragraph response from two elected officials shown below:

How should the U.S. address cybersecurity risks exposed by the broader move to telework?

"In the Armed Services Committee we use a term, 'attack surface.' This has massively expanded the attack surface, the target areas for malevolent actors. Particularly in the private sector, it opens up new avenues for penetrating private networks. I'm talking about businesses all the way from retail to national defense. Our commission found something like 90 percent of private sector cyberattacks can be prevented by simple cyber hygiene. It's a serious problem that just got a lot more serious." — Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, as told to cybersecurity reporter Tim Starks

"One of the many things we've learned from this crisis is that the federal government was unprepared for a massive and sudden shift to work remotely. That can't happen again." — Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), also co-chair of that commission

As Americans consider returning to civilized life after a pandemic, changes are inevitable.  The United States, along with the rest of the world, has been caught off guard.  At the very least, serious consideration into changes at the infrastructure will be a high priority in both chambers of Congress, to begin with. 



Otherwise, we (as a nation) will find ourselves back in the same vulnerable position that we were at the beginning of the year and the pandemic.  Change needs to occur.  When will our elected officials take hold of the steering wheel from the Trump administration and start making changes to protect us?  Time will tell.




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EPA Mercury Rule is Changed Due to New Cost Benefit Analysis

Photo: LA Times

The Trump administration has been seeking over the last few years to undo or "rollback" any environmental regulation which was enacted during the Obama administration.  As I have previously mentioned, any change in management must be fought in the courtroom.  Simply because to change the law (in Congress), any new regulation must be better (safer) than the previous one.  Unless, of course, in a court of law, it can be shown that benefits to society are outweighed by the cost to society (cost burden).  That appears to be the case concerning mercury pollution in power plants.



Recently, the Trump administration won a court battle changing the calculation (parameters/conditions for the computation) which dictate the limit for mercury pollution as reported by Politico Agriculture:

MERCURY RULE WOBBLING: EPA released its final revisions to the Obama-era Mercury and Air Toxics Standard, and as expected, the revisions keep in place the pollution limits set in 2013, though the agency says its update of the cost-benefit analysis indicates the regulation should never have been enacted in the first place, Pro's Alex Guillén reports.

The move is one of the most significant regulation rollbacks yet issued by the Trump EPA, as it could make it more difficult to create future environmental regulations. The action cements a critical change to EPA's regulatory math that could limit the use of some public health benefits to justify environmental rules, as Alex reports.//

The fight comes down to co-benefits: The Obama EPA was only able to quantify a few million dollars' worth of direct benefits from mercury reductions when it first finalized the rule, which were dwarfed by the estimated $10 billion compliance cost. However, the Obama EPA counted tens of billions of dollars' worth of "co-benefits" from the rule's reduction in particulate matter pollution, which outweighed the costs.

The Trump EPA agreed to revisit the matter, and removed those co-benefits, which it said changed the balance and meant it was never "appropriate and necessary" to regulate mercury from power plants.

Thursday's rulemaking effectively creates a game of regulatory Jenga, public health advocates argue. The numeric limits on mercury pollution are still sitting atop the tower, but a coal company or other interested party could topple the whole thing with a legal argument that the standards are no longer justified. "This deeply irresponsible finding seeks to sabotage the rules by inviting court challenges from Wheeler's former clients and the Trump administration's current donors and allies," said Earthjustice attorney James Pew.

Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Thursday however waved off concerns from electric utilities that the agency's revisions could cost them billions of dollars, calling it an exaggeration, Alex reports. "I always find it interesting when some groups say, 'Oh this is going to create legal uncertainty because people are going to sue.' And they're going to sue. And they sue in every other instance," he added. "So I don't really buy that. I think our regulation is grounded in the science, is grounded in good cost-benefit analysis."

The move above by the Trump administration goes against the tide of change sweeping across the world right now.  Only the cabinet members and individual coal power plants believe that the ruling is good.  The remainder of power plant owners/operators is clear on where the future is taking the renewable energy sector.  And with the rise of renewable energy comes cleaner energy.  Including overhauling power plant technology, which is outdated and replacing that technology with new or better (cleaner) energy sources.  The future is here.  Our current President is out of touch with technology and the drive toward more modern (and cleaner) energy.  Join the bandwagon or be left behind.


Have a good weekend.

Pork Industry Takes Another Large Hit With the Coronavirus

Photo: AgNet

Over the past few years, the Trump administration has screwed over the farming industry.  With the Trade War started and continuing on (despite the coronavirus), the farming and agriculture business continues to take massive hits to their local and global economy.  I have written about this over the past few years (see blog indexes -- here and here).  The importing and exporting of goods has taken a toll on the industry.  From the swine flu in China to the coronavirus, the industry has taken hits that have questioned the continued existence looking into the future.  How bad is it? Keep on reading.



Reporting by Politico Agriculture highlights the current times for the Pork Industry:

CORONAVIRUS HITS HOG FARMERS, PORK PROCESSORS: The National Pork Producers Council said Tuesday that the loss of foodservice customers, a drop in pork exports and a series of slaughterhouse closures across the country is wreaking havoc on the industry, writes Pro Ag's Liz Crampton.

Farm economists with Kerns & Associates and Iowa State University estimate that hog farmers will lose nearly $37 per pig because of the market turmoil, adding up to about $5 billion for the rest of 2020. The shutdown of major processing sites like the Smithfield site in Sioux Falls, S.D., has caused a surplus of hogs, driving down their value.

"We are taking on water fast. Immediate action is imperative, or a lot of hog farms will go under," said NPPC President Howard A.V. Roth. For example, the group is asking USDA to buy up more than $1 billion in pork products, helping to clear out the backed-up meat supply and to lift the financial pressure on producers. Those goods could be redirected to food banks, where demand is surging.

NPPC also wants "equitable" treatment for pork producers, without eligibility restrictions, under USDA's upcoming farm stimulus program, which the department is expected to unveil as soon as this week.

The pork industry is just one of many sectors hit hard by the coronavirus.  As enterprises across the world lose massive amounts of money daily, one cannot help but wonder what is holding back the Trump administration from enacting legislation on a federal level to save the nation from decline.



States have done a fair amount on their own.  Although, as the numbers of coronavirus deaths start to decline with no testing done, what will happen when people go back to work?  Especially with the fact that extensive examination would reveal the population with antibodies that are linked to the coronavirus.  With the significant losses happening daily, the nation needs federal action now.  Industries like the pork industry should not be bearing the entire crux of the coronavirus and the Trade War with China.




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Ralph Nader: The Week We Should Not Forget for Our Own Sake

Photo: Image by cromaconceptovisual from Pixabay

Last week was a whirlwind of news bites that might have passed quickly by a reader or listener's ear if not paying attention continuously to the news.  Of course, there is only so much information that each of us can withstand over a given time.  Recently, information (mostly misinformation) overload is becoming a big problem quickly.  That is resulting in a large amount of Americans ignoring the news altogether.  Which is dangerous in some cases.  

A healthy course of news daily is good to keep the mind actively questioning where the world is going.  Too much can be problematic in some cases.  Each of us should evaluate our own consumption based on need.  Why am I carrying on about the news?  Because events have been happening which might have been missed.

Believe me?

Why not?

Well, don't believe me, ask the consummate activist Ralph Nader.  In his weekly newsletter which I often post to draw readers' attention toward, he highlights the important events which have transpired over last week.  Sometimes hearing important events out of a respected activist sounds better than from a scientist.  Therefore, without further ado, read on and enjoy!

Ralph Nader has summed last week's historic events while highlighting the importance of each in his weekly newsletter shown below:

The Week We Should Not Forget for Our Own Sake

Much happened this week and we can’t afford to ignore any of it. The events of the last seven days provide significant opportunities for civic action.

1. Bernie Sanders suspended his peoples’ presidential campaign while staying on upcoming primary ballots to acquire more delegates to take to the Democratic convention. He concedes the nomination to Delaware corporatist Joe Biden. But he is determined to use his leverage to get Biden to adopt many important and practical reforms and redirections that would benefit the people instead of greedy big business CEOs. The unsteady Biden needs Sanders voters more than ever in several swing states.

2. The seriously unstable, ill-informed Trump is consumed by his destructive, all-consuming ego. This is no time to have a mindless madman at the helm of our careening ship of state. Each day, Trump spreads lies and misleading information and regularly and repeatedly contradicts himself as well as his honest government scientists and doctors. His delusional fantasies about the COVID-19 pandemic and his boastful role, combined with medical quackery, has led some media to stop broadcasting live his deceptive news briefing to protect the public. He nastily lashes back at criticism, blames, scapegoats and he flatters his easily manipulated sycophants. His delusions of grandeur know no bounds—on a scale of one to ten, he shamelessly rates his efforts to address the deadly pandemic a “Ten.”

When will influential Americans— in and outside of Congress—call for his resignation for the sake of the country? For far less erratic behavior, Senate Republicans, led by Barry Goldwater, visited President Nixon in 1974 and told him his time was up. Even stubborn Nixon quit, as do failing prime ministers in other countries.

3. The so-called Republican Party, which has long suppressed voters in minority, low income districts, is seizing on the coronavirus crisis to block more voters they don’t like from the polls. Republicans insisted on holding Tuesday’s chaotic and health-threatening Wisconsin primary.

Get this: only 5 of 183 voting precincts in Milwaukee were open. The regularly fascistic, gerrymandered Republican legislature refused to heed the Governor’s request for postponement, and shopped for Republican judges to support this criminogenic sham enterprise. Get ready for more tyranny in Republican controlled states, like Florida, Ohio, and Arizona in November.

Republicans falsely claim that mail-in voting opens the door to widespread voter fraud. Voting fraud is as rare as whooping cranes. Trump lies about mail-in voting fraud because he knows the higher the voter turnout, the more likely it is he and the Republicans could lose (See: A Short History of Presidential Election Crises: And How to Prevent the Next One by Alan Hirsch, Chair of the Justice and Law Studies program at Williams College).

4. Trump and the Federal Reserve’s multi-trillion dollar bailout of recklessly indebted corporations, from Wall Street to Houston, invites waste, commercial crimes, and price gouging. This bailout also opens the door to all sorts of scams harmful to consumers, workers, and the poor. Trump is busy firing his watchdogs and defiantly blocking Congressional efforts to shine bright lights on these massive hand-outs.

The big question is whether smug, profiteering corporate capitalism will come out of the pandemic with an even more control of local, state and federal governments. Will stock buybacks and other reckless practices continue unabated? Will Wall Street be able to avoid accountability for its crimes and misdeeds which triggered the 2008-2009 great recession? Will the taxpayers again be forced to bailout the business fat-cats at the expense of the American people on Main Street?

Less accountability, unrelenting crony capitalism, and weakened labor and consumer rights are on the horizon. It looks as if the voices of the people may again be ignored. Dear citizens, you must politically mobilize to ensure that the 535 members of Congress use their awesome constitutional powers for the public good.

Bernie Sanders is right to call for a people’s political revolution to roll back the silent corporate coups d'état. Corporatism has taken over public budgets, destabilized the tax system, and undermined the checks and balances that came out of the American Revolution against monarchical despotism. Corporate control left us totally unprepared and defenseless against pandemics that our public health officials, scientists, and yours truly warned about for years.

The problem is that too many voters have lost confidence in themselves as the sovereign authority in our constitution (“We the People”) and did not listen to Bernie Sanders, an honest and dedicated elected U.S. Senator, who has been so truthful and right for forty years.

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