AND I HOPE MORE OF AN ISSUE IS MADE of the fact that while he held down the office of president of the United States, that alone gave him no jurisdiction over international law. Other countries are …
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AND I HOPE MORE OF AN ISSUE IS MADE of the fact that while he held down the office of president of the United States, that alone gave him no jurisdiction over international law. Other countries are not required to obey his idiosyncrasies just because his name is Trump.
“GENEVA (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s pardon of four American men convicted of killing Iraqi civilians while working as contractors in 2007 violated U.S. obligations under international law, U.N. human rights experts said on Wednesday.
“Nicholas Slatten was convicted of first-degree murder, while Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were convicted of voluntary and attempted manslaughter, over the incident in which U.S. contractors opened fire in busy traffic in a Baghdad square and killed 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians.
“The four contractors, who worked for the private security firm Blackwater, owned by the brother of Trump’s education secretary, were included in a wave of pre-Christmas pardons announced by the White House . . .
“Pardoning the Blackwater contractors is an affront to justice and to the victims of the Nisour Square massacre and their families,” said Jalena Aparac, chair of the U.N. working group on the use of mercenaries, said in a statement. The Geneva Conventions oblige states to hold war criminals accountable for their crimes, even when they act as private security contractors, the U.N. experts said.
The pardons were criticized by many in the United States. General David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, respectively commander of U.S. forces and U.S. ambassador in Iraq at the time of the incident, called Trump’s pardons ‘hugely damaging, an action that tells the world that Americans abroad can commit the most heinous crimes with impunity.’”
It’s interesting to couple that report with an Erin Richards USA Today story of Dec. 29 (Betsy DeVos, of course, being the heavy campaign donor and anti-public education supporter appointed education secretary by Trump shortly after his 2016 election). “In her final weeks as education secretary, Betsy DeVos may have found a way to send more federal money to private and religious schools during the Covid-19 pandemic — a goal that’s eluded the billionaire school choice proponent during her tenure.
“According to an executive order Monday by President Donald Trump, low-income families without access to in-person learning in their schools could use federal funds to attend private or religious schools offering in-person classes,
“Disadvantaged families could use the ‘emergency learning scholarships’ to pay for home-schooling expenses, to join a private learning pod or to purchase special education services or tutoring services, the order says.
“Officials confirmed DeVos worked on the plan with the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services, which would provide families with the money through block grants according to Trump’s order. Details are scarce, including how much money would be available, when families could access it and whether the plan could even launch before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office — at which point he could presumably undo the executive order . . .”
Personally, I found it quite interesting that the apparent international murderer paroled by Donald was working for the U.S. government — as a member of a civilian firm owned by the brother of his wealthy secretary of education.
One of the greatest moves so far made by President-Elect Biden has been the nomination of Miguel Cardona, a former public school classroom teacher and one of Puerto Rican ethnic background, as his secretary of education. I see this as the salvation of public education.
As for Donald Trump’s own education, or lack of same, it’s all over the Internet. I found interesting recently this late September 2019 New York Times article by Jonathan Valania: https://www.phillymag.com/news/2019/09/14/donald-trump-at-wharton-university-of-pennsylvania/
Or there’s my all-time favorite, found here in one of its many sites: https://www.truthorfiction.com/trump-was-the-dumbest-gddamn-student/
THE LATEST DESCENT INTO DOWNRIGHT IDIOCY, of course, was Donald’s recent phone call. On Saturday, Donald spoke by phone with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger about November’s presidential election outcome. Trump, who has refused to concede the election he lost to President-elect Joe Biden, repeatedly argued that Raffensperger could change the certified results. Here is one report of that hour-long call: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/03/opinions/donald-trump-phone-call-georgia-election-dantonio/index.html
I’m with those who view Trump’s self-absorbed assault on our long-standing democratic form of government as criminal. And I also believe the worst is still to come prior to the inauguration of Joe Biden on Jan. 20.
See also: https://www.yahoo.com/news/georgia-election-trump-conspiracy-theories-voter-fraud-gabriel-sterling-215211604.html
Or https://news.yahoo.com/recorded-call-trump-pressures-georgia-194033000.html
(This blog was submitted before the polls closed in Georgia Tuesday.)
9 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
garynovak418
The dogs of war stick together. After hearing how uniformed officers may have assisted the mob to storm the Capitol I now understand why Biden wants to purge his security detail of possible Nazi sympathizers. Strange times!
Thursday, January 7, 2021 Report this
Justin Hale
Regarding Trump's pardoning the Blackwater contractors and the Nisour Square event, the convoy was under attack, in the heat of war S-happens. They were found guilty and have served 12 years in prison, so be it. Lt. James Calley was found guilty of killing 22 civilians at My Lai Viet-Nam, he served 3 years of house arrest. There's nothing stopping Iraq or the World Court from trying the Blackwater contractors. I don't have a problem with Trump's pardons, but then I don't hate the man like you do.
Regarding Trump's executive order to provide funds for low-income families to send their children to private or religious schools. What's wrong with that? My Daughter manages a Church School in the Seattle area, this will help them keep their program open during these tough times.
Thursday, January 7, 2021 Report this
MargeS
I for one do not care what you think Just In Hale. Trump is a traitor. He should be behind bars with the rest of his mob.
You don't have to keep supporting him. If people hate him it's because of what he has taught them. The mob that went into the Senate to disrupt the voting process are also traitors and I hope they will get life in prison. This was no joke, Trump cannot keep thinking he is a dictator. It's time to be rid of him once and for all.
Thursday, January 7, 2021 Report this
Justin Hale
" If people hate him it's because of what he has taught them.".....Nonsense Marge. Most people who hate Trump are too stupid or lazy to realize they have been played by the biased agenda-driven MSM.
Thursday, January 7, 2021 Report this
MargeS
Trump has been inciting hate since he took office. Try to cover it up with your "oh, they just hate him." The people who were played by him are his MAGA supporters, violent Proud Boys, groups that have no problem attacking our country. They are all traitors and should as such be locked up for the rest of their lives. They don't deserve to live in America and neither does Trump!
Friday, January 8, 2021 Report this
Justin Hale
Welcome to Marge's America, if you don't share her politics you should go to jail.
You and Tom have been spreading hate ever since he won in 2016.
Friday, January 8, 2021 Report this
Thomas Camfield
Hard to believe there are still people around who stand up for that jerk. He's destroyed a lot in four years.
Friday, January 8, 2021 Report this
Justin Hale
Newsflash to Tom, there are 70M.+ who voted for Trump. Not everyone in this country hates the President. And exactly what has he destroyed? I don't see anything in my life that has been "destroyed" in the last four years. Actually there is one thing that has been "destroyed" in my life, my trust in the MSM to be a source of unbiased/fair reporting.
Friday, January 8, 2021 Report this
garynovak418
Justin Case, I don't understand the continual whining by you right wingers about the media. Why should the New York Times carry the stories you want on their front page? Go read the Washington Examiner. Do you go to the grocery store and cry because your flavor of ice cream is not on the shelf? The Washington Post is not a public service, it is a business in a competitive, capitalistic, environment. We read or listen to Fox media and laugh. I invite you to do the same.
Republican friends complain to me all the time that the MSM is keeping secrets. If you know about it is not a secret being kept from you, is it?
Don't make me explain to you why Facebook does not want evil spread on their pages. Go over to Parler.
Justin Place your New Year's resolution should be to stop weeping about the unfairness of capitalism.
Saturday, January 9, 2021 Report this