The Supreme Court: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Donald Trump Flag-Burning Tweet Inflames, Distracts, Offends the Constitution

by Alex Emmons

 In an early morning tweet, Donald Trump declared that there “must be consequences” for people who burn the American flag, and proposed they should face a year in prison or even be stripped of their citizenship.

Donald J. Trump Verified account ‏@realDonaldTrump

Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag - if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!

Given Trump’s history of manipulating the news cycle with intentionally provocative tweets, it is difficult to know whether the tweet was a serious sign of his intentions to crack down on political dissent – or simply an attempt to incite left-wing critics and distract from other stories, like the recent coverage of his and his son-in-law’s extraordinary conflicts of interest.

But the tweet combines two deeply unconstitutional ideas long repudiated by the Supreme Court: criminalizing flag burning and stripping Americans of citizenship without their consent.

The Supreme Court struck down Texas’ prohibitions on flag burning in 1989, ruling that flag burning was a protected form of expression under the First Amendment.

Writing for the majority, Justice William Brennan wrote “If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the Government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.”

In response, Congress passed a federal law banning flag burning. And the Supreme Court struck it down in 1990.

Despite all this, prohibitions on flag burning have continued to enjoy support among members of both political parties, including former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. While a senator in 2005, Clinton co-sponsored a failed bill that would have made flag burning a crime, punishable by up to a year in jail or a $100,000 fine.

The Supreme Court also ruled in 1957 that citizens cannot be stripped of citizenship as punishment for a crime, and in 1967 ruled that citizens cannot be stripped of citizenship at all without their consent.

Again, despite that, expatriation proposals have drawn support from members of both parties.
In 2010, former Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, who caucused with the Democrats, drafted a failed bill that would have stripped terror suspects of their citizenship — as a means of questioning them without their Miranda rights.

During his presidential run, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tried to advance a bill that would strip Americans of their citizenship for the vague offense of providing “assistance” to a terrorist organization. An earlier version of Cruz’s bill in 2014 has a Democrat co-sponsor: Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

Trump was possibly reacting to Fox News coverage on Monday of a protest at Hampshire College in Massachusetts earlier this month, where students allegedly burned a flag to protest Trump’s election victory.  Similar campus protests have taken place across the country. On November 9, for example, students at American University in Washington, D.C., burned a flag while carrying signs that said “Stand up to racism,” and “stand against anti-Muslim bigotry.”

Flag burning has a long history in the country as a form of protest, having being used to protest such things as the inauguration of Richard Nixon, and American intervention in Vietnam and El Salvador.
“One of the founding principles of American democracy is that we tolerate all peaceful forms of expression and dissent, said Lee Rowland, a First Amendment attorney with the ACLU. “That includes the right to desecrate and even burn the U.S. flag, as the Supreme Court has also held.”

Rowland added: “Our democracy is strong precisely because we tolerate dissent and peaceful expression of all kinds. The idea that not only would the government criminalize that but actually strip you of your citizenship is so very far from the ideals that are the firmament of our democracy that it’s an appalling suggestion.”

Trump Targets the Essence of America

To be American means to believe in the Constitution: This narrative, despite its obvious flaws, has kept the country together over the centuries. Now, though, Donald Trump is presenting an altogether different identity for the United States. And the consequences are potentially horrific.

An Essay by Charles Hawley

Every country has a founding myth, a narrative that serves as the foundation of its national identity. Often, such stories don't hold up to historical scrutiny, but that is beside the point. Such stories help nations determine who belongs -- and who does not.

For many countries around the world, particularly in Europe, such narratives are based at some level on race, ethnicity, tribe or some other attribute allegedly inherent in the population in question. In Germany, for example, it is the battle in 9 B.C. in the Teutoberger Forest, where Germanic tribes led by Arminius joined together to defeat the Romans, securing both their independence and territorial ownership. In Romania, it is the notion that they are somehow descendants of the Romans and settled the area before any of the other present-day minorities appeared on the scene. Nineteenth century Irish nationalists sought to trace the country's origins back to the Celts.

The US has always been an outlier. In America, the founding myth does not focus on a particular ethnic attribute, rather it centers on a single document: the Constitution. All it takes to be an American is to believe in the democracy outlined in the Constitution, no matter where you come from. Race, religion, ethnicity: All of that is, according to the narrative, unimportant.

American history, of course, very clearly shows that identitarianism runs deep in the country, particularly when it comes to the racial divide. But American Exceptionalism, flag-waving, overt patriotism, the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools and the peaceful transition of power: All are very clear expressions of the belief that America, the world's oldest democracy, has figured something out that the rest of the world isn't quite enlightened enough to understand. And it's all rooted in what the oft-invoked Founding Fathers wrote in the Constitution.

  

One of the great shocks of our current election cycle has been the discovery that the American national myth -- that American democracy -- isn't as robust as we thought. Donald Trump is threatening to destroy both.

To be sure, he is merely the extremely grotesque manifestation of the growing disdain for democracy that has developed in recent years on the American right wing, fostered by a Republican Party that never truly recognized Barack Obama as the rightfully elected president of the United States. (Indeed, at a campaign appearance on Saturday, Trump referred to Obama as the "quote 'president.'") He is the product of government shutdowns, of radio talk show hosts who have spent years spouting conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory, of Tea Party Republicans who rejected the notion of democratic consensus and of the opportunistic anti-intellectualism that has become so entrenched in the Republican Party that anyone with any kind of expertise, particularly journalists, is automatically viewed with suspicion and outright hostility.

Rhetoric of a Dictator
 
All it took to reveal the lengths to which Trump is prepared to go was the half-hearted retreat of a few leading Republicans when it became no longer possible to ignore that their nominee was a sexual predator. But now that he has been "unshackled," as he himself has said, it is becoming apparent that Nov. 8 will very likely not be the end of what he has taken to calling his "Patriotic Movement."

The rhetoric that Trump has begun using with ever increasing frequency -- that he would lock up Hillary Clinton if he won, that the election is rigged, that his followers should monitor the polls and "watch other communities," that he would rein in the "corrupt" media -- is the rhetoric of dictatorship. But it also appeals directly to a significant chunk of the population, one that feels abandoned by the country's leadership, left behind by globalization and threatened by demographics.

Trump's campaign slogan "Make America Great Again" might suggest that he is adhering to the American exceptionalism narrative and, thus, to the American founding myth. But much of what he says -- banning Muslims from entering the US, stepped up domestic surveillance, expanded use of torture -- is in direct opposition to the Constitution. Indeed, the "greatness" that Trump wants to return to, it has become clear, is one free of immigrants and blacks. One where white American men need not encounter adversity, allowing their supposed natural superiority to shine through.

Trump is suggesting an altogether different narrative of American identity, one based on race and religion.

As his campaign has progressed, it has become apparent that Trump's intended audience has gotten the message. Many Jewish journalists and intellectuals have noted in recent months that the degree of overt anti-Semitism in the United States is of an intensity that they have never before experienced. On social media, Jewish names are bracketed with triple parenthesis, the Twitter version of the yellow star, and Trump himself tweeted out a picture of Clinton against a backdrop of cash, the message "most corrupt candidate ever" printed inside a Star of David.


Unhinged
 
That image originated on the extreme right, and it is far from the only time he has retweeted or tweeted such messages and memes. He has several times, for example, passed along supportive missives from alt-right activist Jason Bergkamp, who writes for the online publication Vanguard 14, which frequently addresses "white genocide" and nationalism.

Trump has likewise retweeted a montage of himself as Pepe the Frog, a comic character that has been adopted by the alt-right and is increasingly making appearances at Trump campaign rallies on T-shirts and hats. His son, Donald Trump Jr., has also tweeted out images of Pepe the Frog several times.

As revealing as it is, however, decoding such symbols is hardly even necessary anymore as the campaign reaches its disgusting conclusion. On October 13, Trump held one of his most unhinged campaign speeches yet. At an event in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said that there is a "global power structure" that has robbed the American working class. He also said that Clinton "meets in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of US sovereignty" and that the election may be "in fact controlled by a small handful of global special interests rigging the system."

Such anti-Semitism-tinged claims are common on the alt-right and it's no accident they made it onto Trump's teleprompter. Buzzfeed reported that the speech was co-written by Stephen Bannon, the Trump campaign's CEO. To join the Trump campaign, Bannon took a leave of absence from his position as chairman of Breitbart News, a website that, as Bannon himself has said, is a "platform for the alt-right."

Another influential member of this white-supremacist cabal is Alex Jones, the widely followed right-wing conspiracy theorist/radio host who recently gained a bit of mainstream notoriety for claiming that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are demons and smelled of sulfur. In December 2015, Trump appeared on Jones' show and said his host has an "amazing reputation."


A Warped Vision of America
 
That visit was arranged by Roger Stone, a GOP strategist who was an advisor to the Trump campaign until last August, and who remains affiliated with the campaign. Stone helped organize the "Stop the Steal March" at the GOP convention to prevent the Republican establishment's alleged effort to rob Trump of the nomination. Stone made headlines in February of this year by referring to a Hispanic CNN personality an "Entitled Diva Bitch" in a tweet and referring to another as a "stupid negro."
And then there is Trump's most recent claim that Hillary Clinton was "pumped up" on drugs during the second debate. Again, it is a notion that originated on the alt-right, appearing well before Trump's absurd assertion on the right-wing website Mad World News, the same site that recently revisited the racist right's pet theory that Michelle Obama is actually a man.
 
The list, of course, could go on. But the evidence is clear: Donald Trump's vision of America is not one rooted in the Constitution, but one rooted in the notion that White America is under fire from all sides and must be rescued from the establishment. His Patriotic Movement is an identitarian crusade, open to those who dream of an America not for freedom loving democrats, but for those who seek a white male revolution to take the power back.

And he has rhetorically armed the movement to continue beyond the election on Nov. 8. His utter rejection of Hillary Clinton as a legitimate candidate democratically chosen by a political party representing half or more of the American electorate, combined with his repeated warnings that the election is rigged, provides all the excuse necessary for the white right to carry on the fight after Election Day. It is difficult to view the recently exposed plot by a group calling itself The Crusaders to blow up a Somali housing complex in Kansas the day after the election as anything other than a response to Trump's hardly veiled call to arms.


Will He Concede?
 
In 2000, after the bruising campaign pitting Al Gore against George W. Bush ended in a recount in Florida and a Supreme Court decision essentially awarding the presidency to Bush, Gore held a speech. He said: "Now the US Supreme Court has spoken. Let there be no doubt, while I strongly disagree with the court's decision, I accept it. I accept the finality of this outcome.... And tonight, for the sake of our unity as a people and the strength of our democracy, I offer my concession."

Polls indicate that the outcome of this election won't be nearly as close. But for Trump and his followers, his defeat will only be more proof that true Americans -- white Americans -- are once again being robbed. His shifting of the American narrative from a country based on the Constitution to a newly imagined homeland for downtrodden whites will not allow him to hold such a speech.

Having unleashed the promise of a white-power America, it seems doubtful that his followers will slide back into the background after this election. Even if Trump declines the strongman roll he has developed for himself, the movement, the alternative definition of America, will continue.

History has taught us that changing definitions, altering national myths, is an extremely difficult and often bloody proposition. That though -- that and the consequences such a shift necessarily engenders -- will be the true Trump legacy. And it is a horrifying one to contemplate.

America's Election Shame

By Markus Feldenkirchen
US political culture long served as an example to others. But the political culture on display in the Republican primaries has been a mixture of primary school, mafia and porn industry.

America wasn't the world's first democracy, but for a long time, it was its proudest. No other country spoke as passionately or confidently about its system of government. If things continue as they have in this primary election, those days will be numbered.

The United States' political culture served as a model for others, one that was worthy of emulation and exported worldwide. Today, however, US diplomats look ridiculous when giving lessons in democracy to others.

Much of the blame lies squarely in the Republican camp. More than merely an embarrassment for the party of Abraham Lincoln, it is also a stain on the entire nation. Just over two weeks ago supporters of presidential hopeful Ted Cruz published an old photo of Melania Trump, once a model and now the wife of Republican candidate Donald Trump, in which she posed naked for the camera. It was accompanied by the sardonic caption, "Meet Melania Trump. Your next first lady." In retaliation, Trump shared a collage of photos portraying Cruz's wife as rather unattractive and Trump's wife as quite good looking. The line preceding it read, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Then an article appeared in the sleazy National Enquirer, whose editor is a close friend of Trump's, alleging Cruz has had five extra-marital affairs. Cruz suspected Trump's team was behind the story and consequently referred to Trump as a "rat" in his response. In the meantime, Trump, who called Cruz a "fraud," a "maniac" and a "world class liar" during the campaign, had to jump in to defend his campaign manager, who was arrested for battery after being accused of violently pulling a reporter out of a crowd. Physical violence is not objectionable for Trump. He has offered to pay the legal costs of supporters who beat protesters at his rallies should the victims sue.

Trump had previously exclaimed during a TV debate, unprovoked, that he had a large penis ("I guarantee.") He claimed a TV journalist's critical questions were a consequence of menstruation problems. He also mockingly acted out another journalist's physical disability live on television.

The political culture that is emerging here is a mixture of primary school, mafia, and porn industry. It alternates between cries of "He started it!," brawls, misogyny, and penis size comparison. It's almost as if guests at a formal dinner, where basic table manners were a given, suddenly began to belch and break wind without restraint. America is currently experiencing not only political but also moral bankruptcy. Dirty tricks are not new in US election campaigns, but the new lows to which the candidates are currently stooping are unprecedented.

It's not just the two bullies at the top who are to blame. Their rise was made possible through a decline in values such as decency, honesty, tolerance and fairness -- a process that has been hastened by the Republican Party more than anyone else. For too long, it has pursued fiscal, economic and social policies that served only companies and the rich, the financial backers of their election campaigns. At the same time, millions of Americans slid into precarity. Cultural declines are often the consequence of real economic decline. Propriety isn't the primary concern of those with financial worries, those who are embittered and living without hope. Instead, the neglected long for a culture of radicalism and coarseness. Destruction, they believe, may presage something better.

 Over the course of decades, the Republicans have likewise built up a culture of contempt for public goods and services. They argue for educational policies that exclude the non-privileged, instead pushing them towards stultification and barbarization. They allow billionaires like the Koch brothers to direct the party's policy and appoint it's key candidates. A few years ago, Republicans furthermore embraced the radical and destructive Tea Party movement, thus marking the party's departure from any semblance of moderation.

It is too late to turn back the clock. Attempts to block Trump's nomination at the Republican National Convention in July won't help either. Trump already has too many votes and his millions of voters would feel justifiably betrayed. Trump himself has already predicted "riots." The Republicans have no choice but to make fools of themselves with Trump as their candidate in the general election.

Only then, in the face of an implosion following a -- hopefully -- substantial electoral defeat will the party be able to take stock of its situation. It will then have to investigate what led to this state of neglect. The changes made must be so far-reaching that they amount to a refounding: the founding of a civilized, sincere party with close ties to its constituents. Fans of America should wish for nothing less.

President Obama Holds a Press Conference (Video)

People have been angry with the American Politics

People have been angry with the American Politics.

However, as we have seen with President Barack Obama, no matter how well intended a President might be, he/she still is dependent on the Lawmaking Body, the Congress.

As long as Representatives as well as Senators are reelected over and over again, and are more concerned with keeping their job, rather than representing the people, nothing will change in the U.S. Politics. 

So what would possible change this gridlock?

Limit the terms a member of the Congress can be reelected, similar to the two terms of the President.

Make the popular vote count instead of using the old system of the U.S. Electoral College!

Mozilla founder becomes ‘free speech’ martyr

By Adam Serwer

 Source:msnbc

Five years ago, former Mozilla Corp. CEO Brendan Eich made a political donation. Thursday it cost him his job, leading to cries that his right to free speech had been stifled.

Eich, one of the founders of Mozilla, which created the Firefox web browser, contributed $1000 to the 2008 campaign for Proposition 8 in California, a ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in the state. After Eich was chosen as CEO 10 days ago, members of the Mozilla’s board resigned, several Mozilla employees denounced his selection, and the dating website OK Cupid blocked access from the Firefox browser.

Eich initially tried to stay on, telling CNET that “if Mozilla cannot continue to operate according to its principles of inclusiveness, where you can work on the mission no matter what your background or other beliefs, I think we’ll probably fail.” Eich expressed sorrow for causing “pain” to gay and lesbian friends but said that “I don’t think it’s good for my integrity or Mozilla’s integrity to be pressured into changing a position.”

Both Eich and Mozilla reaffirmed their commitments to inclusiveness for all Mozilla employees, but it wasn’t enough to quell the firestorm. Thursday afternoon in a blog post, Eich said he had resigned.

Eich’s resignation provoked an outcry from some on the right who are comparing his treatment to a blacklist and accusing gay marriage supporters of trying to smother free speech. The Heritage Foundation’s Ryan T. Anderson wrote that “For some who favor the redefinition of marriage, tolerance appears to have been a useful rhetorical device along the way to eliminating dissent.” Conservative writer Andrew Sullivan, one of the earliest supporters of same-sex marriage rights, wrote that “If we are about intimidating the free speech of others, we are no better than the anti-gay bullies who came before us.” Some are even citing Eich as a reason to make political donations anonymous so the wealthy can influence the outcome of elections insulated from public criticism.

That some conservatives now speak of tolerance in the context of gay and lesbian rights is ironic.

While holding the religious belief that marriage is between a man and a woman is not synonymous with bigotry, demanding the state enforce that view is another matter. Even some former opponents of same-sex marriage, like President Barack Obama, opposed Proposition 8, which did more than merely ban same-sex marriage in California. It also rendered invalid the unions of 18,000 couples who were able to marry in the state before Proposition 8 passed. That’s one of the reasons judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that the measure ”serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California.” Gay and lesbian Mozilla employees in particular would certainly be within their rights to be concerned about working for a boss if they felt he didn’t respect their human dignity.

Many conservatives now preaching tolerance have supported using the coercive power of the state to criminalize gays and lesbians, block their unions from state recognition, and prevent them from adopting children. The Heritage Foundation has spent years supporting the criminalization of homosexual intimacy, opposing allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, and facilitating bogus social science alleging that same-sex couples make inferior parents. The current president of the Heritage Foundation, former South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint, said in 2010 that gays and lesbians (and unmarried pregnant women) should be barred from teaching. In 2011, Heritage martyred itself for free speech when it boycotted the Conservative Political Action Conference over the inclusion of a gay conservative group, GOProud.

Free speech is something of a red herring here. Contrary to some conservatives making the comparison, this is not like blacklisting during the Red Scares, where left wing views were essentially criminalized and such an association was tantamount to an accusation of treason. There is no campaign, backed by the authority of the state, to purge regular people who hold anti-gay rights views from their jobs. This is not even comparable to the reprehensible campaign to block construction of Chik-Fil-A restaurants because of their donations to anti-gay rights causes.

What happened to Eich may indeed have a “chilling effect” on others expressing similar views, but it’s crucial that the chilling effect is not coming from tacit or explicit government influence. Political arguments work in part by persuading people that certain views are wrong or unacceptable. Eich had a First Amendment right to give money to the Proposition 8 campaign. His critics had the same right not to use Mozilla’s products, or to criticize them for choosing Eich as CEO. Supporters of Eich now have the right to attack Mozilla over his resignation. This is, in part, how the marketplace of ideas functions.

Still, it’s worth asking what Eich’s resignation has accomplished. The Supreme Court essentially legalized same-sex marriage in California last year. The couples whose unions were severed by Prop 8 have been made whole. Eich’s resignation does nothing for them, and little for the same-sex couples around the country who are seeking the right to marry or remain in legal limbo because of states that refuse to recognize their unions. Retribution against Eich probably won’t do much for the cause of equal rights.

It may even alienate potential supporters justifiably concerned that Eich’s resignation could lead to a society in which people can lose their jobs and careers because of their unrelated political views. Firing say, a school bus driver or a waiter for being a Democrat or a Republican would certainly be disturbing. As a practical matter, many employees are already pressured to support their bosses’ political views – a restriction on speech many conservatives might defend as an exercise of the employer’s free expression.

Eich’s circumstances however, are quite different from those of a rank-and-file employee.

Mozilla has products it wants to sell. Having Eich as the face of that brand could have harmed Mozilla’s ability to attract talent or customers. This is one of the reasons corporations often try to avoid expressing controversial political views – they don’t want to alienate potential clients. If Mozilla had hired a CEO who had made donations to groups that expressed prejudice on the basis of race or religion, the outcome probably would have been similar.

Some of Eich’s defenders undoubtedly feel the world would be a better place if everyone could express controversial views without ever having to worry about losing their jobs. But that’s not the world we lived in before Eich’s resignation, and it won’t be the world we live in anytime soon. Despite what many of Eich’s supporters are saying now, most of them don’t really want to live in that world either.

Watch the LGBT wrap-up: A tech CEO steps down; a gay rights pioneer gets his own stamp 

European Parliament: Snowden Will Make Video Appearance

By Gregor Peter Schmitz

Leaders in the European Parliament have agreed to allow NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to answer questions by video, despite efforts by some conservative parliamentarians to block the testimony out of fear it could further harm trans-Atlantic relations.

Parliamentary leaders of the European Parliament voted Thursday to allow the planned video appearance of the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to take place despite an attempt by conservative members of the European People's Party (EPP) to block it.

The American former intelligence contractor will answer questions that had been submitted by members of the parliament in a pre-recorded video message that will be shown at a sitting of the interior and justice committees.

"We now have a clear mandate to send written questions to Snowden, and I hope that he can answer this with a video message by mid-January," said Jan Philipp Albrecht, who, as a representative of the German Green Party in the European Parliament, is coordinating the body's NSA investigation. Snowden's video message was originally planned for Dec. 18, but the dispute over his questioning necessitated a postponement.
Snowden is expected to answer the questions on pre-recorded video because he would risk arrest by US authorities if he were to leave Russia, where he is living under temporary asylum. A live video feed could also enable the Americans to pinpoint his whereabouts.

Different Take
 
Axel Voss, a European Parliament representative from Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who has maintained that such a questioning could damage trans-Atlantic relations, sees the decision differently.

"The parliamentary group leaders and the president decided that an appearance by Edward Snowden should be live or interactive," he said. "The responsible representatives from the parliamentary groups will decide on the details in January."
The parliamentary groups have been tasked with checking to see if direct or interactive testimony would be possible. But Albrecht, the Green Party representative, says: "Both options have long been rejected for being impractical. Therefore, this will be quickly resolved and we can move on."

Representatives from different groups in the European Parliament have already compiled more than 20 questions for Snowden. These range from "How are you?" and "Can we help you?" to a detailed exploration of whether and how European intelligence agencies also collect private data.

Snowden already addressed the European Parliament once in September, but only in writing, and his statement was read aloud by a confidante. "These are not decisions that should be made for the people, but only by the people after full informed and fearless debate," the statement read, referring to discussions over civil rights within a democracy.

Washington, too, has been closely following the ongoing debate. Influential US Senator Dianne Feinstein of California wrote a letter to European Parliament representatives Elmar Brok and Claude Moraes, assuring them that the US is taking Europe's data-protection concerns seriously. It has been announced that a delegation of members of the US Congress will go to Brussels on Dec. 17 to discuss how to restore trust after the revelations of NSA surveillance of EU citizens.

President Barack Obama at the 2012 Democratic National Committee

President Obama Holds Labor Day Rally

Despite all negative rhetoric of the Republican Party and the attempt of some Republican Governors to eliminate Unions, President Obama still cares about workers. 

And yes, he was not able to create as many jobs as many had hoped for and expected, he has still helped to create many jobs despite the total block of the Republicans in Congress. If Romney will take over as a President in November, Unions will disappear.

So watch what  President Obama as to say and judge yourself.

Fort Bliss Main Hangar

Fort Bliss, Texas

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Team Bliss! (Applause.) Hooah! Thank you so much, everybody. Hooah!

AUDIENCE: Hooah!

THE PRESIDENT: To General Lloyd Austin, thanks for the introduction and your leadership, leading our troops in Iraq and taking care of our soldiers now that they are at home. 

And right at the top, let me say that our hearts are obviously with all the folks who are down in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, who are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac. Our prayers are with those who've lost loved ones. And I've directed the federal government to keep doing everything that it can to help our partners at the state and local level. As a country, we stand united with our fellow Americans in their hour of need. 

I want to thank General Pittard and all your great commanders for welcoming me here today. I want to give a shout-out to the Sergeant Major of the Army, Ray Chandler. (Hooah!) And Command Sergeant Major Ronnie Kelley. (Hooah!) These guys remind us that our noncommissioned officers are the backbone of our military -- (applause) -- leading the finest enlisted force in the world. (Hooah!) 

It is great to be back at Fort Bliss, home to the Army, Air and Missile Defense Command -- "Swift and Sure." (Hooah!) We've got Guard and Reserve here. (Hooah!) Of course, it's home to the legendary 1st Armored Division, "Old Ironsides." (Hooah!) We've got a lot of brigades here, including the "Iron Eagles," "Iron Brigade," "Bulldogs," and "Ready First." (Hooah!) 

And I also want to salute Lucille Pittard and Alice Kelley and all the extraordinary spouses and military families who are here. Give them a big round of applause. (Applause.) 

 I know that all of you are grateful for the incredible support you receive from your civilian neighbors. So I want to acknowledge two champions of Fort Bliss -- we've got Congressman Silvestre Reyes and we've got Mayor John Cook. And we've also got all the great folks in El Paso and New Mexico. Give them a big round of applause. (Applause.) 

I've come back to Bliss for a simple reason. Two years ago, I was here to mark a historic moment in the life of our nation and our military -- the end of major combat operations in Iraq. It was a chance for me to say on behalf of the American people to you and all who served there -- welcome home, and congratulations on a job well done. 

AUDIENCE: Hooah!

THE PRESIDENT: In every major phase of that war, you were there, the Iron Soldiers. Because of your speed and strength, American troops toppled a dictator in less than a month. Because of your commitment, you stayed on extended tours and went back, tour after tour, year after year. Because of your determination to succeed, you turned back an insurgency. You stood firm against sectarian strife. You helped pull Iraq back from the abyss and you trained Iraqis to take the lead. That was the progress you made possible with your service and your courage. 

And so, two years ago, I was able to come here to Bliss and mark the end of our combat mission. And that night I told the American people that all our troops would be out of Iraq by the end of the following year. At the time, I know some folks didn’t believe me. They were skeptical. Some thought the end of combat was just word games and semantics, but I meant what I said. (Hooah!)

So you kept training up those Iraqi forces. We removed nearly 150,000 troops, and this past December, under General Austin’s leadership, the last American troops came home, including the 4th Brigade Combat Team from Bliss. (Hooah!) (Applause.)

You left Iraq with honor, your mission complete, your heads held high. After nearly nine years, our war in Iraq was over. And today Iraq has a chance to forge its own destiny, and there are no American troops fighting and dying in Iraq.

On this anniversary, we honor the memory of all who gave their lives there -- nearly 4,500 American patriots, including 198 fallen heroes from Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division. And we salute all who served there.

When I was here two years ago I told you something else, though -- that we had more work to do, including taking the fight to al Qaeda. (Hooah!) And there, too, I meant what I said. With allies and partners, we’ve taken out more top al Qaeda terrorists than at any time since 9/11. And thanks to the courage of our forces, al Qaeda is on the road to defeat and bin Laden will never again threaten the United States of America. (Applause.)

Two years ago I also told you that we’d keep up the fight in Afghanistan. And I know that some of you recently got back. On behalf of a grateful nation, welcome home. 

Some of your buddies are in Afghanistan right now -- (Hooah!) -- and our thoughts and prayers are with all the troops from Bliss deployed around the world, including Afghanistan -- the "War Eagles" and the "Highlanders." 

And I know that some of you will be deploying later this year. (Hooah!) And I’ve got to tell you the truth -- this is still a very tough fight. You know this. You carry in your hearts the memory of comrades who made that ultimate sacrifice, including six heroes from Bliss who gave their lives on that awful day last month. 

I just had the opportunity to meet with some of our Gold Star families, and our message to them is this: Your loved ones live on in the soul of our nation and we will honor them always. 

Because of their sacrifice, because of your service, we pushed the Taliban back. We’re training Afghan forces. The transition to Afghan lead is underway, and as promised, more than 30,000 of our troops will have come home by next month.

Just as in Iraq, we are going to end this war responsibly. Next year, Afghans will take the lead for their own security. In 2014, the transition will be complete. And even as this war ends, we will stay vigilant so Afghanistan is never again a source for attacks against America. Never again. (Hooah!) (Applause.)

So we’re not just ending these wars. We’re doing it in a way that keeps America safe and makes America stronger. And that includes our military. 

Think about it. Just four years ago, there were some 180,000 American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. By next month we will have cut that number by nearly two-thirds. So most of our troops have come home. And as more Afghans step up, more of our troops will come home. 

And what does that mean for you? Well, after 10 years of continuous operations, it means fewer deployments. It means more time for training. It means more time to improve readiness, more time to prepare for the future. And it means more time on the home front with your families -- your spouses and your kids. (Hooah!)

THE PRESIDENT: So make no mistake -- ending the wars responsibly makes us safer and it makes our military even stronger. And ending these wars is letting us do something else -- restore American leadership. 

If you hear anyone trying to say that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, don’t you believe it. Because here's the truth -- our alliances have never been stronger. We're leading on behalf of freedom, including standing with the people of Libya that are finally free from Muammar Qaddafi. (Hooah!)

Around the world, there's a new attitude toward America, new confidence in our leadership. When people are asked, which country do you admire most, one nation always comes out on top: the United States of America. (Hooah!) (Applause.) 

And that’s the progress that we've made, thanks to your incredible service. We're winding down a decade of war. We're destroying terrorist networks that attacked us. And we've restored American leadership. And today, every American can be proud that the United States is safer, the United States is stronger, and the United States is more respected in the world.

Now, when I was here last, I made you a pledge. I said that, as President, I will insist that America serves you and your families as well as you've served us. And there again, I meant what I said. Because part of ending wars responsibly is caring for those who fought in it. That’s why I wanted to come back to Bliss on this anniversary to reaffirm our solemn obligations to you and your families.

You see, we may be turning a page on a decade of war, but America's responsibilities to you have only just begun. (Baby shouts.)

THE PRESIDENT: Hey! (Laughter.) I hear you. 

So here's my pledge to you. In a world of serious threats, I will never hesitate to use force to defend the United States of America or our interests. (Hooah!) At the same time, I will only send you into harm's way when it is absolutely necessary. And when we do, we will give you the equipment and the clear mission and the smart strategy and the support back home that you need to get the job done. We owe you that. (Applause.) 

With the end of the wars, our military will be leaner, but we'll keep making historic investments to keep you the absolute best military in the world -- bar none. The United States will always maintain our military superiority. (Hooah!) In you, we've got the best-trained, best-led, best-equipped military in human history. And as Commander-In-Chief, I'm going to keep it that way. (Applause.) 

And by the way, you've been hearing some folks out there trying to talk about the budget and trying to scare you. Last year, Congress pledged to find a plan to reduce the deficit, and they said if they couldn’t agree there would be big cuts across the board, including defense. But understand, nobody wants these cuts, and that’s why Congress threatened them, to force themselves to make hard decisions. 

Here's the thing. There’s no reason those cuts should happen because folks in Congress ought to come together and agree on a responsible plan that reduces the deficit and keeps our military strong. (Hooah!)

That's what needs to happen. That's what you and your families deserve. And that's how we’re going to keep America safe and strong and grow our economy all at the same time. (Applause.) That's a pledge that we need to make to you.

And just as we give you the best equipment and technology on the battlefield, we need to give you the best support and care when you come home.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I say hooah!

THE PRESIDENT: Hooah!

AUDIENCE: Hooah!

THE PRESIDENT: We just had a roundtable with some soldiers and their families, talking about how coming home can be its own struggle, especially for our wounded warriors. So we’ve poured tremendous resources into this effort, unprecedented support for our troops with Traumatic Brain Injury, for our troops and veterans with PTSD -- more counselors, more clinicians, more care, more treatment. 

And I know you’ve been a leader on this here at Bliss, making it clear that everyone has a responsibility to help a comrade who's hurting. So today we’re taking another step. I’ve signed a new executive order to give our troops, our veterans, and our families better access to mental health care. (Hooah!) (Applause.) 

We’re going increase the number of folks manning those crisis hotlines so help is there when you need it most. We’re going to add even more counselors and mental health providers. We’re launching a new awareness campaign, starting tomorrow, and I’m directing a new task force to find out what works best so we’re doing everything we can to help those in need and save lives. And I know that you join me in saying to everyone who's ever worn the uniform: If you’re hurting, it’s not a sign of weakness to seek help; it’s a sign of strength. (Hooah!) 

We are here to help you stay strong -- Army Strong. (Hooah!) That's a commitment I’m making to you. 

And we’re going to keep taking care of our remarkable military families, too. (Hooah!) This is something I care deeply about, but even if I didn't, I’d have no choice because Michelle would tell me what to do. (Laughter.) And along with Michelle and Dr. Jill Biden, they have been doing everything they can to get civilians involved in this process, not just our government. So today more people all across America are joining forces to give our military families the respect and the support that they deserve, and that's especially important right now.

Now, this may be a political season, and folks may be arguing about all sorts of things. But one thing that we Americans are united on is our support for you. Only 1 percent of Americans may wear the uniform -- (Hooah!) -- but 100 percent of Americans need to be supporting you and your families 100 percent. (Hooah!)

And so this brings me to the final pledge I made here at Bliss two years ago. When you take off the uniform, we are going to help you fully participate in our economy. Every single one of you has defended the American Dream for the rest of us, and every single one of you deserves a chance to live the American Dream yourselves. (Hooah!) And that includes jobs worthy of your incredible talents. 

And by the way, it’s not just good for you. It’s good for the country -- because after a decade of war, the nation we need to be rebuilding is the United States of America. (Hooah!) (Applause.) And all of you have the skills that America needs. 

So with a million more of you rejoining civilian life in the years ahead, we’re upping our game at every stage of your careers. We’ve overhauled the Transition Assistance Program, creating a kind of reverse boot camp as you leave service, to help you find a job, or pursue that degree, or start that business. And hopefully this will be one boot camp you actually like. (Laughter.) 

We’ll keep helping you and your families pursue your education under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. (Hooah!) And by the way, we’re cracking down on those schools that have been trying to take your money and then rip you off by not giving you the education that you paid for. That needs to stop. We’re going to bring an end to that. (Hooah!)

We’re going to keep hiring our newest veterans in the federal government, and in communities as police officers and firefighters and first responders. Because we passed tax credits, more businesses can hire our veterans and wounded warriors. 

We’re making it easier for you to transfer your outstanding military skills to the licenses and credentials that you need to get that civilian job. If you’ve been a medic in theater, you shouldn’t have to start at nursing 101 if you decide you want to go into the medical profession here in the United States. (Hooah!) (Applause.) If you’ve been a mechanic on a multimillion-dollar piece of equipment, you shouldn’t have to come back and start all over again in getting credentialed to work on a car here in the United States. (Hooah!)

And maybe you’ve heard -- last year I challenged the private sector to hire or train 100,000 veterans or military spouses. Well, last week Michelle was able to announce that patriotic companies across America have actually exceeded that goal ahead of schedule with 125,000 jobs. (Hooah!) (Applause.)

But we’ve still got more work to do. So today I’m again calling on Congress to act. They’ve got some work they need to do. Pass the Veterans Jobs Corps so we can put more vets to work protecting and rebuilding America. Extend tax credits to businesses that hire our veterans. (Applause.) And I say to every company in America: If you want somebody who knows how to get the job done, if you want somebody who is going to make you proud, just like they made America proud -- then hire a vet. (Hooah!) Hire a vet. (Applause.) Because after fighting for America, you shouldn’t have to fight for a job in America. (Hooah!)

So, Team Bliss, these are America’s commitments to you and all who serve -- because we need to be there for you just like you were there for us -- not just this year or next, but for all the years to come. 

That’s the lesson of a soldier I had the honor to meet the last time I was in Afghanistan, visiting some of our wounded warriors in the hospital at Bagram. Sergeant Chase Haag is 22 years old. This past spring he was with his team when their vehicle got hit by an IED the day that I flew in. So when I arrived at his hospital room, he and his buddies were all in pretty bad shape. And he was certainly in bad shape -- his leg was broken, his back was fractured. He was laying there on his bed. He was under a lot of medication, face was swollen, his eyes were shut.

And at first, my attitude was I didn’t want to disturb him because I thought he was sleeping. And the doctor said, no, I think he can understand what you’re saying even if he can’t acknowledge it, and I think he’d appreciate knowing that you’re by his side. So I leaned in and I told Chase how proud I was of him and how proud the country was of him, and how we’d be praying for his recovery. 

And I was turning to leave and then something happened. There was a rustling under his blanket. And Chase never opened his eyes, couldn’t make a sound, but suddenly you saw the blanket lift and his arm came out. And he shook my hand -- a firm Army handshake. (Hooah!) And I don’t think there was a dry eye in that room.

And then a few months later I was visiting our wounded warriors at Walter Reed, and I walk around the corner and who’s there but Chase. He had endured multiple surgeries. He was persevering through physical therapy. But this time he was on his feet. He was walking again. And he had his dad next to him. And today he’s back where every soldier wants to be -- back with his unit. (Hooah!) (Applause.)

And it made me think, that’s just one moment in the life of one American soldier. But it captured the spirit, the resilience, the tenacity, the discipline, the resolve, the patriotism of all of you. 

For a decade, you have served under the dark cloud of war. You've endured great loss, and good men and women have given their last full measure of devotion. But we Americans are strong, and we are resilient, and we have resolve. And now, we can see a light -- the light of a new day on the horizon. And that’s because of you.

The war in Iraq is over. The transition is underway in Afghanistan. Our troops will keep coming home. And we are keeping our military ready for whatever the future may hold. But know this, Bliss -- we are moving forward stronger and more confident in knowing that when faced with great trials, we Americans do what we always do. We don’t just endure; we emerge stronger than before. 

And as we go forward as one nation, if the American people ever need inspiration, they just have to look at Bliss. They need only to look at you. For in you, we see the best that our country has to offer -- the virtues that have made America great for more than two centuries, and the values that will keep us great for centuries to come. 

It's the belief that all men are created equal; that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's the sense of duty that says our country and our freedoms are worth fighting for. It's the selflessness that says I don’t care who gets the credit, but I'll do my part and we'll get the job done. The trust in one another, knowing that when the chips are down, the person next to you has got your back and you've got theirs. (Hooah!) The strength you draw from every part of our American family, every color, every creed, every background, every faith coming together, succeeding together as one American team. 

That’s who you are. That’s who we are. We are Americans. We pledge allegiance to the same proud flag. And we all love this country and all it represents to the world -- the hope, the opportunity. And we stand united in support of our troops and your families. And when we stand together and when we work together, when we take care of each other, we remind ourselves there's nothing we can't do, America's greatest days are yet to come, and that we remain the greatest force for freedom that the world has ever known.

So God bless you. God bless all our men and women in uniform. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.) 

 

Lies On Parade

By Kevin Baker
Published on harpers.org
 
How do I lie to thee? Let me count the ways.

There were so many last night at the Republican National Convention—and I don’t mean just the usual convenient, half-apologetic, hey-what-do-you-expect-it’s-politics lies that conventions have been delivering by the bushel ever since the Anti-Mason Party convened the very first national political convention in America in 1831 (to nominate William Wirt, a Mason).

Nor do I mean the sort of standard, jingoistic, chest-thumping lies that all powerful nations have to feed themselves to keep the dreadful business of nationalism staggering forward until it collapses in a heap of Soviet-style self-contradictions and inanities.

No, I mean really imaginative, mind-boggling, pure-evil-genius lies, almost exquisite as an example of the genre. The bad news for America is that after a night of alarming drift and dysfunction, the Republican Party is back on its game, presenting a lineup of political professionals in the tried-and-true Donald Segretti-Lee Atwater-Karl Rove ratfucker mode. This dream team relentlessly hammered home the three or four agreed-upon talking points—over and over and over again—and thereby crafted a shiny new assault-rifle clip of meretriciousness.

How shall I count the ways?

The biggest lie by implication, the one that the mainstream media has focused on, was tossed out last night by the new Blue-Eyed Mr. Death of the right, Paul Ryan. In a meticulously crafted bit of legalese, he managed to blame President Obama for the GM plant shuttering in Janesville—an act that completed the long, sad deterioration of another small American city into a festering ruin, all under Ryan’s utterly indifferent watch. (Take a look at Danny Wilcox Frasier and Charlie LeDuff’s superb Mother Jones photo essay.)

The plant actually closed down in December 2008—when sitting president George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, and the entire Republican Party were still advocating that the American auto industry curl up and die. But Ryan suggested that Obama had broken a “promise” made when, during a campaign stop in Janesville in 2008, the candidate expressed the “hope” that the plant would remain open for another hundred years. (Later on last night, in a brazen MSNBC interview, the same point was made by Ryan’s tag-team pal, Scott Walker.)

But never mind. This was hardly the most outrageous lie last night. We also got to hear amazing lies of omission, lies of commission, lies with statistics, the Big Lie, and any number of small, needling, sociopathic lies that even the Republican handlers probably can no longer discern from reality.

Some examples? Sure. How about Senator John McCain, in the most grotesque speech of his life, asserting that “an American president always, always, always stands up for the rights, and freedoms, and justice of all people”—or at least did, until Barack Obama.

How about Senator John Thune condemning “the arrogance of a president whose first instinct is to condemn achievement.” That’s right, Barack Obama goes about “condemning achievement.”

How about Ohio businessman Steve Cohen, a prime-time speaker, condemning the president’s “war on coal”? Or Tim Pawlenty asserting that Joe Biden is not “a real vice president”?
Want sloppy, uncaring, historical lies from the party that talks incessantly about its love of the American past? Well, here’s Mike Huckabee sounding off on the “Founding Fathers of our great nation” and crafters of our “magnificent Constitution,” many of whom “died to pass on that heritage.”

Sorry, save for Alexander Hamilton, who was shot dead in a duel because he considered the sitting vice president to be a devious, lying asshole, all of those Founding Fathers died peaceful deaths. (Something tells me that today’s G.O.P. leaders would’ve been fighting duels almost continually if they had been around in 1804.)

Want a geopolitical lie?
Here’s Condi Rice claiming that “our friends and allies” abroad, “from Israel to Colombia, from Poland to the Philippines,” no longer “trust us.” A domestic lie? Here’s New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez claiming that Democrats “have not even passed a budget in Washington, D.C., in three years.”

Martinez, easily the most obnoxious speaker on a night that was a nonstop battle for that distinction, also strongly implied that to request Mitt Romney’s tax returns is to “demonize the American dream.” No doubt that was the implicit dream of our Founding Fathers as they fell dying on the battlefield: a world in which nobody would fight a fossil fuel, condemn achievement, or close the Janesville GM plant.