Category: Politics

Amid the chatter of anti-Semitism and the white supremacist problems within the Trump administration, Sebastian Gorka remains on the tax payer’s payroll.

In a letter to the President on May 2, 2017, members of Congress ask for the immediate dismissal of Trump’s senior White House counterterrorism advisor.

The letter begins:

As Members of the U.S. Congress who care deeply about fighting anti-Semitism at home and abroad, we urge you to immediately dismiss senior White House counterterrorism advisor Sebastian Gorka. Based on recent revelations about Mr. Gorka’s public support for and membership in several anti-Semitic and racist groups in Hungary, he is clearly unfit to serve in any position of responsibility in your Administration. [1]

References:

1. Letter to President, May 2, 2017 (PDF)
2. Wikipedia – Sebastian Gorka

Kind Acts

My daughter’s friend made the following post on Facebook. The message is so good and so timely, I felt compelled to share it with you. “When I became a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, I thought I’d be dealing with nothing but jerks, unruly passengers and so forth, but I soon came to realize, those are just the highlighted stories you hear about via the media. In reality, those types of incidents only happen every few months or even longer after having dealt with tens of thousands of good people who are also nice. I was surprised by this ratio—with how many kind acts I witness everyday I’m at work compared to the unkind acts that get reported in the media. Passengers regularly bring us thank you notes, candy and gifts. In addition, they help each other with their bags, giving up their seat without being asked for a couple or a family, buying their neighbor’s drinks, making new friends and so forth. I honestly feel like I’m seeing kind behavior MORE often lately and it makes my heart so full. I was getting a little overwhelmed with all the negativity on my Facebook feed, but after seeing so many kind acts during my recent trip for work, I was reminded that I have a major crush on this world and all the kind people in it. Let’s stop giving the hate and fear any mention or fame at all and focus on all the kind acts that are continually going on around us.”  [1]

References:

1. RossReck.com
2. People Remember Acts of Kindness

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While Trump empowers extreme right-wing through his words, tweets and press conferences, his administrations ends funding to fight such groups.

WASHINGTON ― Weeks before a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, led to three deaths and 19 injuries, the Trump administration revoked a grant to Life After Hate, a group that works to de-radicalize neo-Nazis.

The Department of Homeland Security had awarded the group $400,000 as part of its Countering Violent Extremism program in January, just days before former President Barack Obama left office. It was the only group selected for a grant that focused exclusively on fighting white supremacy. But the grant money was not immediately disbursed. [1]

Trump’s Two Faces

The Trump administration’s decision to cut federal funding for groups fighting right-wing violence has come under new scrutiny following the president’s controversial response to violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend.

Trump, who faced a firestorm of criticism for not initially calling out white supremacists, the KKK and neo-Nazis on Saturday, explicitly denounced the hate groups by name on Monday and vowed to fight against violent extremism.

But the botched immediate response has some critics questioning the White House’s commitment to the issue, and they point to the funding cuts as evidence. [2]

References:

1. Huffington Post, August 15, 2017, Jessica Schulberg – Controversial Trump Aide Katharine Gorka Helped End Funding For Group That Fights White Supremacy – Life After Hate works to de-radicalize neo-Nazis. The Trump administration decided it wasn’t a priority.
2. The Hill, August 14, 2017, Melanie Zanona – Trump cuts funds to fight anti-right wing violence
3. Life After Hate