Musings from the Bunker

The following are brief overviews and comments on matters that have appeared in the media recently or just things I want to get off my chest. Here goes…

Can’t Trust Trump to Do the Right Thing With Nuclear Arms Control

The Trump administration is negotiating a three-way nuclear arms control agreement with China and Russia. Under the circumstances, I question the wisdom of any agreement Trump comes up with for several reasons. It’s been disclosed that Trump has at least $100 million in business loans from the Bank of China, an extension of the Chinese government. His personal finances have put the U.S. in a weakened negotiating posture. As far as Russia is concerned, it’s indisputable evidence that Trump is fully beholden to Putin’s desires. No deal is better than a bad deal.

A Look at the Ongoing Litigation to Stop Trump’s Shredding of the Constitution

The U.S. Supreme Court has signaled it might be supportive of Trump’s argument that he does not have to provide his subpoenaed financial records to congress. SCOTUS is looking for an excuse not to rule on the merits of the case but rather wishes to dodge its responsibility by determining that it’s too political an issue for them to handle. If the Court eventually decides to so rule, then cases involving presidential corruption or criminal violations will never be in order, effectively ending congress’s oversight function, hollowing out the Constitutional impeachment clause and ending our democracy while making the president an unaccountable dictator.Two other cases are being decided by the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia.

One case arises out of the impeachment process during which Trump and his aides stonewalled Congress, refusing to honor subpoenas issued by the House and requiring the aides to testify. If the courts were to decide this matter in favor of the president and approve of this so-called “absolute immunity” from the Congress, the Courts and law enforcement officials, then it will be the end of our democracy as we have known it for over 230 years.

The other case will decide whether it’s appropriate for the House of Representatives to challenge Trump’s decision to build a wall on the southern border with funds not appropriated for that purpose? Other than the power to declare war, Congress’s most important power is the power of the purse. This fundamental constitutional separation of powers and a check on the executive is now under assault by President Trump.

China, China, China!

I have previously written about our dependence on the Chinese for what are called rare-earth minerals. These metals are essential for electronics, lasers, magnets and other applications in weapon systems. The Defense Department has finally taken note of our dependency and has provided financial support for a U.S. firm to process the minerals that are now exclusively mined and processed in China. The partnership between the government and private firms has taken on new importance because of the coronavirus pandemic and Trump’s retaliatory tariffs on Chinese products entering the United States.

Is Globalization Dead or Just on Life Support?

The coronavirus has precipitated much speculation that it might have ushered in a reverse of the globalization of business, trade and multilateral alliances between nations. Much of this belief is being fueled by the breakdown of various global supply chains along with the realization of a dearth of medications being produced entirely within our borders.

After WWII, America led the effort to establish the modern global institutional framework that has served the world at large, well for over 70 years. Included are the financial institutions like the World Bank, and International Monetary Fund, as well as international political alliances including the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Upon this architecture has rested the World Trade Organization the formation of the European Union and our own North American Free Trade Area with our Canadian and Mexican neighbors.

Even before the current pandemic circled the globe, there were cracks beginning to appear. When voters selected Donald Trump as president in 2016, not surprisingly he quickly offended then weakened NATO and NAFTA, and withdrew from the Asian-Pacific trade agreement. Trump, who became the personification of a new nationalism, was not alone. The UK voted to leave the EU and its new leader, Boris Johnson, like Trump, is a self-identified populist/nationalist. Little wonder as the virus took hold world wide, many of these institutions were unprepared for nations deciding to go it alone in combating the pandemic.

Of course there are limits as to what one nation, alone, can do to defend their citizens from the virus in the short run. Perhaps the recognition that the entire world is in this together will result in cooler heads prevailing that will seek strong international coordination to fight against the coronavirus. After all, viruses don’t recognize borders.

Dr. Trump’s Coronavirus Treatment

By now you have seen, heard and fully absorbed the president’s crazy idea that injecting a disinfectant into the human body might just cure Covid-19. Of course this is not true and could be fatal if one were to follow Trump’s suggestion.

I thought Speaker Nancy Pelosi came up with the best description of Trump’s reckless and unbelievably stupid Lysol advice. She called it “embalming.” It’s the perfect encapsulation of a president whose defects make him not simply useless but a menace to America.