executive order

The Ethics Of Transgender Military Service

It’s made the news — of course.  It was designed to, the which itself is no news; Trump has long made a habit of doing something obnoxiously distracting on a divisive issue whenever it suits him.  We, apparently knowing no better, follow right along with him.

Because this was so evidently staged, I’d planned to give the entire issue a miss.  I mislike being manipulated.  The topic is nothing I’m particularly expert at; moreover, it’s not a subject with which our society as a whole is even comfortable enough to have developed (more…)

Free Speech Ain’t

Okay, this one is bad, folks.

A lot of my readers on the religious side of things may be excited today, but take it from me, people:  This is nothing to celebrate.

In case you missed it, President Donald Trump signed an executive order which relaxes enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, that portion of the tax code (more…)

Another Travel Ban: Your Laptop

On the 21st of March, the Department of Homeland Security quietly released a travel notification update:  On flights from a handful of few foreign airports, no laptops or large electronic devices would be permitted.  For those of you worried about upcoming business travel, no domestic flights will be impacted, but the order can be changed without notice for foreign travel.

It took almost two weeks for major media outlets to pick up on this and dig deeper; CNN was the first, but many others followed their lead.  And the story that’s emerging is that the recent alert is largely (more…)

What You’re Missing (Again)

I’m on vacation, folks, so this will be a quick one.  But then again, stop and consider:  How important is this that I’d interrupt my fun in the sun to talk to you?

It’s not urgent, mind.  I want to say that up front.  But it IS important. (more…)

The Fake News Doesn’t Tell The Truth

“The Fake News doesn’t tell the truth.”
-President Donald Trump, CPAC speech, 24 Feb 2017

Once again, President Trump spoke out against the Fake News, this time at the CPAC conference at National Harbor.  To be fair, it sounded a lot more powerful when he was talking.  It sounded impressive, deeply meaningful, profound even.  And then I read the words.

Trump sounds great in person.  When you’re watching him with an open mind, he’s an incredibly powerful speaker — but he doesn’t say much.  He’s a skilled orator who uses a third-grade vocabulary to convey simple ideas and make them seem powerful.

The comparison has been made (more…)

Travel Ban — Justified?!

Warning:  Not for the sensitive.  Stop reading right now if you’re not a jaded cynic; there’s no shame in it.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware of the chaos caused by the recent seven-country immigration ban.  Of particular interest to those pillars of rectitude, the unbiased press, was a picture of a five-year-old in handcuffs.  Which, while indeed horrific, was only one of many stories told about the events (more…)

The War On Bureaucracy Has Begun

It is now required that every new government regulation will require two to be marked for removal.

This is intended to reduce government bureaucracy and interference in existing systems.  In principle, it’s perhaps a good thing; we do, after all, have far too many laws and regulations on the books.  But in practice, this will be disastrous — which is why it’s never been successfully done before. (more…)

On Pipelines And Oil

It’s been half a week since the Inauguration, and I for one am finding it hard to keep up.  Eventually, I hope to post an ongoing log of executive actions, signed bills, and other notable events, but for right now it’s still one by one, dealing with the most important things first.

And this is pretty important.

So it looks like the DAPL review is going forward at speed, and Keystone XL is semi-authorized.  That’s thanks to three executive actions yesterday.  They are three distinct (more…)

Obama Is Not Taking Your Guns

I should have started this with “Spoiler Alert”.  ‘Cause nobody’s seen this movie yet.

A couple of days ago, President Obama announced on national television that he was taking executive action about gun violence.  He invoked memories of tragedies, from Newtown and Aurora through Ford Hood and San Bernardino, and at one point he broke into tears.

I’m going to (more…)

On Banning Assault Rifles

It’s said even Reagan was against every Tom, Dick, and Harry owning an AK-47.  And that may well be true; on the other hand, what difference does it make?  We should keep this discussion to the essentials, and reduce whatever we can to its core.

There exists a philosophical difficulty with banning “assault rifles”; it can be (more…)