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 |  While distracted by Trump, tweets, and shiny objects, the real danger lies in the shadows. |
| June 29, 2018 Day 13. Sorry about my absence. No, I havenāt given up but just needed a sanity break. š It seems that every day some new erosion of America takes place. The one that disappointed me most was the Supreme Courts upholding of the Trump Muslim Ban. It felt as if they were asked one question but answered another: Q: Can you ban travel based on religion? A: The President has the right to ban travel. WTF? I know weāve heard (until our ears are bleeding) that the real crimes will show up when we āfollow the money.ā It seems to have worked that way with Manafort and Cohen and ā¦ the list goes on. Hereās an interesting tidbit that I picked up on while scanning the web today. Please note: Iām not saying that thereās anything wrong. Iām just saying that if it walks like a duck, talks like a duckā¦ š š¤£ The What: Justice Anthony Kennedy's son, Justin, worked at Deutsche Bank for more than a decade, helping loan Trump more than $1 billion at a time when other banks wouldn't. Since 1998, Deutsche has helped loan Trump at least $2.5 billion, of which at least $130 million is still owed to the bank. In 2017, Deutsche Bank AG agreed to pay $425 million to New York's banking regulator over a money laundering scheme that helped Russian investors move $10 billion out of Russia. Trump later waived the fines for the bank after Robert Mueller issued a subpoena to Deutsche for the banking records of people affiliated with him. Following Trump's first address to Congress in February 2017, he stopped to tell Justice Kennedy: "Say hello to your boy. Special guy." The Impact: Who knows ā but, the most conservative rulings by the Supreme Court this term have all been 5 ā 4 with Kennedy acting as the swing vote ā including:  Upholding the travel ban Public-sector employees who donāt belong to unions canāt be forced to pay union contract-negotiating fees even though they benefit.and my personal favorite: In Masterpiece Cakeshop, the Justices tried to decide if Colorado's public accommodations law violated the First Amendment religious rights of a cake maker who declined to make a cake for a same-sex marriage event. In its ruling, Kennedy said the baker, Jack Phillips, was āentitled to a neutral and respectful consideration of his claims in all the circumstances of the case,ā but the statements of some commission officials cast doubts on the neutrality of their decision.So, why didnāt Trumpās statements, tweets, campaign rally cries, and public interviews cast doubt on whether or not his travel ban was religiously motivated? Iāll leave you with a final thought: āThe Supreme Court needs jurists, not politicians.ā ~ Timothy Noah Now that Justice Kennedy as announced his departure, I guess itās up to Trump to decide. I cringe at the thought. |
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