Putin owns Trump and Trump owns Enzi, Barrasso, and Cheney

Mike Enzi, John Barrasso and Liz Cheney took an oath. All three placed their hands on a Bible and “solemnly” swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” promising to “well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter,” adding, “So help me God.” 

Each has violated that oath.

Every day it becomes clearer that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians to win in 2016. Trump’s otherwise inexplicable comradeship with Putin is starting to make sense.

Our government says the 2016 cyber-attacks continue to pose a threat to the 2018 election. Trump does nothing to protect us. Our congressmen raise no concerns about these matters nor have they criticized the President’s refusal to impose statutorily-imposed sanctions on Russia. They turned their partisan cheeks as Jared Kushner and others in the White House were unable to obtain security clearances while given access to top secret documents.

There are credible allegations that Putin blocked Mitt Romney’s appointment as Secretary of State, encouraging Trump to choose a more Putin-friendly Rex Tillerson. Tillerson stepped over the Trump line, adamantly criticizing Russia for the Putin-ordered assassination in England. For that he was fired.

Enzi, Barrasso, and Cheney ignore such weighty matters in violation of their oaths to “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

Wyoming’s delegation demonstrates little curiosity about Kushner and Ivanka Trump using their positions for private gain with America’s national security as their bargaining chip. Not one raised concerns when Kushner surreptitiously attempted to establish a “secret back channel” between his father-in-law and Putin. Wyoming’s congressmen said nothing, did nothing when they learned Donald Trump, Jr. and Trump campaign operatives met with Russians after receiving word that Moscow had dirt on Hillary Clinton and wanted to use it to help Junior’s father get elected.

Even Corey Lewandowski, a Trump confidant, said that anyone who colluded with Russians to affect the outcome of the 2016 election should “spend the rest of their life in prison.” Yet, never is heard a discouraging word from Enzi, Barrasso, or Cheney. 

Senator Barrasso, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired the GOP National Convention Platform Committee and was a disinterested spectator when Trump’s campaign manager successfully amended the Party platform to take a pro-Russian stance in Ukraine.

Senator Enzi voted to remove President Clinton from office for perjury but has no interest in Trump’s lies, as members of his inner circle plead guilty for lying about national security matters, one after another. He, Barrasso, and Cheney embody the Three Monkeys of Mizaru. They can “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.” Our three representatives in Washington refuse to see, hear, or speak as the situation worsens. The refusal of congress to act before a the inevitable Trump apocalypse constitutes a breakdown in the system of checks and balances foundational to our system of government.

They are members of the President’s party and of the tribe to which most Wyomingites belong, but they cannot ignore their oaths to faithfully discharge the duties of their offices and to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution. They behave as though the oath they took was to preserve, protect, and defend their Party. Enzi, Barrasso, and Cheney act as though they signed one of Trump’s non-disclosure agreements instead of taking an oath.

For unfathomable reasons that raise suspicions, Trump won’t risk offending Putin. For a reason more apparent, these three don’t want to offend Trump. The Founders could not have envisioned the nation they created would become so paralyzed by partisanship that oaths of office could be ignored.

For some reason, Putin owns Trump and Trump owns Enzi, Barrasso, and Cheney.

Our system of government is at stake. It does not protect itself. By virtue of the oath, the faithful discharge of the duties of their office obligates Congressmen to defend the U.S. from foreign threats. Wyoming voters must shoulder responsibility for electing men and women who take their oath of office seriously.

  

B4 giving up on church, try Highlands

My good colleague in ministry at Highlands, Rev. Duane Ferchen has a provocative response when someone tells him they don’t believe in God. With genuine curiosity, Duane asks, “Can you tell me more about the God you don’t believe in?”

I’d like to expropriate his question in response to those who tell me they’ve had it with church. “Can you tell me more about the kind of church you’re fed up with?”

If your image of “the church” includes preachers like Pat Robertson and his 700 Club or the Joel Osteen-types, I get it. I’m fed up with those so-called churches as I am fed up with the hypocrisy that has gripped much of the Evangelical Christian movement.

I left the church as a teenager because of men like Oral Roberts, Jerry Falwell, and their ilk. I remember when Roberts told his followers that God had warned him that if they didn’t send enough money, God was going to take him home. Falwell was far worse.

Rev. Falwell once said, “The Negro does not want integration, he realizes his potential is far better among his own race.” Falwell’s preaching was even more hateful when he spoke of the LGBTQ community. AIDS, he said, was not only a punishment for homosexuals but also for the society that tolerates them. Now the same stained mantel has been taken up by Falwell’s son.

I too am fed up with pastors like Joel Osteen who found his 2.9 million-dollar bungalow too shabby and used the tax-deductible contributions provided him by the believers to exchange it for a 17,000 square foot mansion costing $10.5 million. Unfortunately, Pastor Osteen doesn’t even top the list of those who have figured out how to monetize the Gospel.

Kenneth Copeland moves around the country in a $17.5 million-dollar jet, Charles E. Blake rests from his labors in the church vineyard in a Beverly Hills mansion, and then there is Rev. Creflo A. Dollar (that is really his name). Rev Dollar has enough of them to afford a Rolls Royce as well as expensive homes in Atlanta and New York City.

Is that the church you are fed up with? Is that the church you want nothing to do with? Me too. For many years, I thought I saw the face of Christianity in the faces of preachers like them. I heard their bigoted comments and self-serving appeal for dollars. I equated them to “the church,” and wanted nothing to do with that.

Before you give up on church altogether, let me tell you about an alternative; Highlands of Cheyenne. This vision statement tells you something about our little church. “Highlands is an inclusive faith community that gathers, shares, and acts on the ideals of Jesus’s teachings.”

These are our Core Values.

v We value diversity and accepting God’s children without judgment. We welcome all persons regardless of race, sexual orientation or identity, immigration status, or other characteristics that may define cultural differences.

v We value diversity of faiths. We recognize and honor our commonalities and believe an interfaith dialogue is critical to bringing about a just and compassionate world.

v We value fellowship and building relationships. We seek to be strengthened through authentic, trusting friendships among the people within our faith community.

v We value generosity.  We share our spiritual gifts and resources with the church and our community.

v We value God’s creation. We strive to be good stewards of the environment and advocates for a livable and sustainable world.

v We value social justice. We serve and advocate for the least of these our brothers and sisters.

v We value spiritual wellbeing.  We worship to feel God’s presence in our lives and strengthen our community. 

v We value thoughtful, honest, and discerning study of the Christian faith. 

Highlands is an alternative to what you have heard about Christians that may have kept you away from church. Before you give up altogether, I invite you to give us a try. Learn more at highlandsofcheyenne.com

WYO Legislature: Twisted arms and twisted rules

“Those who respect the law and love sausage should watch neither being made.” Turns out Mark Twain’s oft-quoted admonition is a poor analogy. In order to protect the public, there are ethical guidelines that must be followed when sausage is being made. Not so, when laws are being processed.

Take for example, SF74, titled “Crimes Against Critical Infrastructure.” It wasn’t drafted by Wyoming legislators, but by international energy corporations like Exxon and Peabody Coal, members of the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC invites state lawmakers to pricey resorts. They are wined and dined on ALEC’s tab. That kind of luxury is not dispensed without expectations. ALEC hands these lawmakers so-called “model bills.” They take them home and toss them in the hopper as if they had dreamed up the idea.

This ALEC bill renders demonstrations like that at Standing Rock felonious. Multi-national corporations don’t go to the public arena for debates over whether their proposals advance or harm the public good. They go to pandering state legislators.

While Matt Meade vetoed the bill, how it made its way through the legislative process is a twisted tale.

It started when Laramie County Republican Representative Bill Henderson’s arm was twisted. Then the operating rules of the House were twisted.

The opening act was a tie vote in the House Minerals Committee, seemingly killing the bill.

As legislators left the committee hearing, they were set upon by predatory lobbyists. Henderson proved the easiest prey. Rep. Henderson had voted no. When those lobbyists got through with him, Henderson went from “no” to “yes, sir.”

There were barriers to the scheme. Once taken, a vote is presumed final. But these lobbyists know people who know people. They got to Committee Chair Mike Greear who agreed not to sign the committee report so that Representative Henderson could bob and weave.

There were two other problems. The Legislature’s calendar decreed that Monday, March 5, was the last day for a standing committee to vote on bills. Reconsideration could not take place until March 6. Resurrecting the corpse required a committee hearing, which, by virtue of House rules could not be held in time to pass the bill.

That pesky rule reads, “No standing committee shall meet to consider any bill referred to it unless notice of the date, time and place of the meeting and the bills to be considered has been posted in the State Capitol at the place designated for posting of meeting notices by 3:00 p.m. on the day before the meeting is to be held.”

When the energy lobby wants something, they don’t concern themselves with small things like the rules of a democratic institution. The House Rules Committee convened in secret on the House floor. It was safer there. The public couldn’t eavesdrop on their plotting. The meeting, which took place after the 3:00 PM deadline, resulted in a decision to ignore the rules and give the big boys what they wanted.

The Rules Committee has 13 members. Chaired by Speaker Steve Harshman, the committee is comprised of 11 Republicans and two Democrats. Those two were joined by GOP Representative Sue Wilson in taking a stand for the integrity of the legislative process. The other 10, including Laramie County Representative Bob Nicholas, voted to discard the rules. The lobbyists went home with what they came for.

Why was this bill so critical to the special interests that they would cast all ethics to the Wyoming wind? Could it be the proposal pending before federal agencies to authorize 1500 oil and gas wells in Western Wyoming, some of which will, if approved, impact sacred burial grounds of Native Americans and negatively impact air and water quality?

In the end, a majority of your legislators did what they do best, give priority to energy interests over your rights and aspirations as a citizen. As Rep. Jared Olsen, an energy company apologist said, “They (energy companies) are critical to Wyoming.” Well, that certainly puts the rest of us in our place.