An open letter to my friends, neighbors and relatives who voted for Trump: Happy now? This is what you voted for.
Yes, this is what you voted for.
Leonard A. Johnson of Seattle had $5,000 clawed out of his bank account because a Leonard A. Johnson somewhere died. How many dead people share your name? Or your mom or dad or grandparents?
James McCaffrey of Oklahoma City got a bill for his Medicare because his Social Security was suspended since mid-February. He believes he might have been flagged because he was born on a military base in Germany. Any of you or your loved ones born overseas? Or naturalized? The Social Security Administration announced it plans to eliminate 7,000 jobs (a 12% decrease) from its already understaffed workforce. Also under consideration is Internet ID proofing (aka data harvest) which is expected to increase office visits by 75,000 to 85,000 per week (14 percent increase).
So, what are the chances of more “mistakes” and what are the chances of resolving them?
The United States Marine Band had to cancel a May 4 concert featuring 22 students. The students were chosen from 60 who auditioned for Equity Arc. The Marine Band initiated the contact with Equity Arc and this program for high school and pre-college students.
That’s what your hated DEI looks like. Allowing talented people an opportunity. They still performed, and you can watch their concert with retired Marine Band members.
Dr. Rasha Alawieh, one of only three kidney transplant experts in Rhode Island, was denied entry on her H1B visa. She had previously lived in the U.S. and worked at Brown University and has held fellowships and residencies at three other American universities.
The three physicians, of which she was one, oversee regular evaluations for 300-400 patients awaiting transplants. A judge ordered that an in-person hearing be held for Alawieh, but, oopsie, they didn’t get the word in time before shipping her back to Lebanon.
One hundred thirty-seven Venezuelan immigrants were shipped to work camps in El Salvador and Honduras under the Alien Enemies act which was last used to intern Japanese-Americans during World War II. This happened despite a judge’s restraining order prohibiting the deportation.
Their degrading treatment is showcased in a slick video of uniformed balaclava-masked officials manhandling the shackled men as they had their hair and bodies shaved. Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and legal permanent resident of the U.S., was arrested without a warrant for having the audacity to protest a genocide and believe that Palestinians and Israelis could live in peace. He has not been charged with any crime and has been shipped to Louisiana.
A judge has blocked his deportation but we’ve already seen how much weight the regime gives to legalities.
The USDA cut $1 billion from the Local Food for Schools program depriving students of wholesome, locally grown food and farmers of a lucrative market, a collaboration similar to SNAP, formerly referred to as food stamps. George McGovern wanted to feed people and Bob Dole saw the benefits of SNAP to the nation’s farmers. The USDA’s cut to the food for schools programs denies consumers and producers those mutual benefits.
Alas, this is only today’s news. Need we talk about NOAA, NWS, the National Park system, the EPA, NIH, etc., etc., etc. How many have I forgotten in this tsunami of excrement?
This is long past a difference of opinion. It’s a matter of morality. Do you have any left?
Kathy Gustafson, a lifelong South Dakotan who lives in Brookings, is a mother and grandmother who is now retired and concerned about the "Balkanization" of our country. It takes a lot for her to speak out, she said, but she has reached that point.
Photo: Public domain, wikimedia commons
