I do not want this issue to be buried and forgotten due to the rancor that now exists in Congress and this administration. The election of Donald Trump is tainted by this scandal and Trump's overt support of Putin is most troubling.

An 18-year-old can buy a home, for example, but can’t run for office to represent the districts in which they vote and pay taxes. Nearly all state constitutions have included age qualifications of their own, some closely to those outlined in the Federal Constitution. Many do not. Consequently, the right of a young person to run for office in the United States is determined by a nonsensical patchwork of statutes that is plainly indefensible for its arbitrariness, even if one genuinely believes that young people, by and large, can’t be trusted with elected office

President Trump has stated that no one cares about his conflicts of interest or his financial status. As the Commander in Chief, President Trump's financial debts to foreign organizations, Deutsche Bank and the Bank of China, is a vulnerability and expose him to influence. An explanation of the conflicts of interest is available here: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/12/guide-donald-trump-debt The Director, Office of Government Ethics has stated: "A conflict of interest is anything that creates an incentive to put your own interests before the interests of the people you serve. The Supreme Court has written that a conflict of interest is, and I’m quoting here, “an evil which endangers the very fabric of a democratic society, for a democracy is effective only if the people have faith in those who govern, and that faith is bound to be shattered when high officials and their appointees engage in activities which arouse suspicions of corruption.” That same Court referred to what it called a “moral principle” underlying concerns about conflicts of interest. The Court cited, and I’m quoting again, “the Biblical admonition that no man may serve two masters, a maxim which is especially pertinent if one of the masters happens to economic self-interest.” A President is no more immune to the influence of two masters than any subordinate official. In fact, our common experience of human affairs suggests that the potential for corruption only grows with the increase of power." https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/0/6E08189CF6AF742B852580A500799063/$FILE/Remarks%20of%20W%20M%20Shaub%20Jr%20(1).pdf 5 USC 1100 PART III Subpart J CH 110 states: The enhanced personnel security program of an agency shall integrate relevant and appropriate information from various sources, including- .... information relating to any criminal or civil legal proceeding; financial information relating to the covered individual, including the credit worthiness of the covered individual; .... including relevant security or counterintelligence information .... that may suggest ill intent, vulnerability to blackmail, compulsive behavior, allegiance to another country, change in ideology, or that the covered individual lacks good judgment, reliability, or trustworthiness... Title 3 The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 Disclosures of financing and personnel; limitation on acceptance of donations: "Sec. 6. (a)(1) The President-elect .... shall disclose to the Administrator the date of contribution, source, amount, and expenditure thereof of all money, other than funds from the Federal Government, and including currency of the United States and of any foreign nation, checks, money orders, or any other negotiable instruments payable on demand, received either before or after the date of the general elections.... Please read https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/how-to-build-an-autocracy/513872/

U.S. Senator Feinstein has introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate that would immediately rescind Donald Trump's Muslim Ban executive order. U.S. Representative Lofgren has also introduced the SOLVE Act in the House of Representatives to defund and rescind the ban. The United States Constitution expressly protects individuals from persecution perpetrated by their own government. This includes discrimination based on faith, on national origin, and on skin color. The executive order ban on travelers from Muslim-majority and Middle Eastern nations is one of the first steps in a Trump-era agenda that criminalizes faith, nationality, and people of color. The Muslim Ban is an attempt to illegally legislate discrimination -- and is not about safety at all. That’s why more than 16 State Attorneys General signed onto a letter saying the ban is unlawful and un-American; many states are suing; and it’s also why several federal judges have already ruled the same. In short, Trump’s ban is putting our nation on the verge of a Constitutional crisis. Together, we can stop the Muslim Ban. Sign on now!

Trump has been in office for over a week and has not provided his tax returns or divested from his businesses. We have no idea as to who he gets his money from and he is enriching himself due to his presidential power. He doubled the initiation fee for his club in Florida from $100,000 to $200,000 since he became president ! No one seems to be talking about this or doing anything about it!

In South Windsor, we celebrate our diversity and value a police department that keeps our town safe. Our Police Department should NEVER participate in ripping our community and families apart. We call on the South Windsor leadership to clearly Say NO to Trump's plan to use our police as a deportation force.

I want a democracy. Trump is evidence that it is rapidly disappearing.

To: All Senators / Senate VA Committee: On behalf of the 20 million plus Veterans nationwide we are requesting that you utilize your discretion to challenge the the nomination of Dr. David Shulkin from being confirmed as our Nation's next VA Secretary for the following reasons ... As illustrated in this video link Dr. Shulkin demonstrated his inability to properly and convincingly address Congressman Zeldin's concerns that after 2 years from the original Phoenix VA scandal, followed by the damning 2015 IG Report, the VA has yet to address nor corrected the obvious number nationwide of personnel incompetence and other procedural changes that the VA should have enacted but has not to corrected this National Travesty against the health and welfare of all US Veterans.... Instead of Dr. Shulkin being bold and saying why he and Secretary McDonald were unsuccessful in implementing these required changes, he just tap danced and gave excuses versus stating that the VA did not institute these changes, as he was appointed along side Secretary McDonald to correct, was due in fact to AFGE (Union) interference....... #NoAccountability As you all will quickly deduce from this video below, Dr. Shulkin was unable to state here again the obvious as to why he has not enacted any measurable corrections to Veteran healthcare procedures nor removed incompetent personnel at all levels.... Instead he dodged tapped dance around taking ownership for the VA's failures to do so .... #Weak .... #NotMyVASecretary ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv2ynCiZzrw In summary Dr. Shulkin should be not confirmed because 1. he is not a Veteran; 2. does not possess the full depth of operational knowledge of policies that is necessary to reform /or eliminate; and, 3. for being endorsed by the AFGE (VA Unions) #RedFlag... However, in partial defense of Dr. Shulkin he did miss the opportunity to state the obvious as to why he didn't take charge of the situation and challenge the Unions due to President Obama's support for the AFGE but at the same time he should have also chastised the Senate GOP for not using the nuclear option to force a floor vote on the VA Accountability ACT.... A key point that I and many other Veteran Advocates had raised with our respective Senators....That such a legislative mandate could have given Dr. Shulkin and Secretary McDonald the authority to make these necessary HR decisions.... A mandate to negate any Union blockage to remove immediately those VA employees at all levels for their incompetence and worst yet for their fraud in altering patient records / the real wait times as was discovered by the IG and VA whistle blowers who have as yet to be held accountable nor their performance bonuses taken back to date. This factor is where Dr. Shulkin should be held accountable and no excuses accept for not taking action to reverse these performance bonuses especially when we still have 22 plus daily Veteran Suicides happening still with no relief in site. In the email below Dr. Shulkin did acknowledges our concerns and recognized that many Veterans would have their backs arched against his nomination for the reasons sited above. However, in the same breathe Dr. Shulkin did acknowledge that Cmdr John Wells, who we are still lobbying the Trump Transition Team to be interviewed to be Deputy VA Secretary but also as their plan B if what this email is calling for is successful. Cmdr Wells should be placed in nomination for VA Secretary instead of Dr. Shulkin and/or made Dr. Shulkin's 2nd in command as his Deputy Secretary so if confirmed Dr. Shulkin had competent and in-depth leadership surrounding him to make up for his leadership and knowledge deficiencies needed to transform and deliver President Trump's promises to reform / transform the VA. Cmdr John Wells is our primary choice to fill the post as VA Deputy Director. See our press release on nominating Cmdr Wells .... https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/veterans-nomination-va-secretary-press-release-len-swanson Senators we hope you will stand up for our concerns as we can not afford to have another ill suited VA Secretary appointed ... Someone who is in the end incapable of delivering the reforms and transformations that all Veterans like myself know is needed to end this National Travesty against all Veterans nationwide. Warmest Regards, Len Swanson, Vietnam Veteran - Agent Orange Victim

The Republican Party has fallen in line with and normalized a radical conservative agenda set on dismantling our democracy. Our country needs a Senate that can check the ever increasing power of the Executive Branch. Moderate Republicans must be courageous and disavow their party by becoming Independents or Democrats.

President Trump's anti-Muslim immigration executive order has sparked outrage worldwide. But one government has kept strangely silent: the government of Saudi Arabia. The New York Times reported: "King Salman of Saudi Arabia, home of Islam’s holiest sites, spoke to Mr. Trump by telephone on Sunday but made no public comment...Even the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a group of 57 nations that considers itself the collective voice of the Muslim world, kept quiet." The Times noted that in issuing is order, "Trump invoked the Sept. 11 attacks three times. Yet Saudi Arabia, which was home to 15 of the 19 attackers, was not included on the list of countries whose citizens would be shut out." [1] The Organization of Islamic Cooperation is based in Saudi Arabia, which might have something to do with the silence of this purported "collective voice of the Muslim world." The Saudi government markets itself in the Islamic world as "protector of the Muslims," even as it bombs and blockades Muslim civilians in Yemen with U.S. participation. Urge Members of Congress to demand the Saudi government end its silence on Trump's #MuslimBan by signing our petition. References 1. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/29/world/middleeast/donald-trump-muslims-reaction.html

In the course of the most disastrous and alarming first days of any presidency in our nation's history, Donald Trump's administration has ... - blocked health care to millions of women around the world, - threatened to close down all federal domestic violence programs, - appointed an apparent white nationalist to the White House staff and the National Security Council, - on Holocaust Remembrance Day, failed to mention the Nazi regime's Jewish victims, - also on Holocaust Remembrance Day, issued a blanket travel ban against citizens of majority Muslim countries, causing panic around the world and affecting around 90,000 refugees, dual passport holders, and U.S. permanent residents, then firing the acting Attorney General when she refused to defend the ban, - carelessly turned the goodwill of the Mexican and Chinese governments into animosity, - been in violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause, which forbids elected officials from accepting any kind of payment or consideration from foreign governments, from his first day in office, - used legislative branch staff do work for the executive branch without telling Congress, - rolled back an interest rate cut for homeowners, - gone back on his promise to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, - forbidden civil servants from communicating with the media or the public regarding their work and research, - threatened the media and called for journalists who report on the administration's dishonesty to be fired, - and directed the Department of Homeland Security to begin construction of a wasteful, destructive wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. That's only the beginning, and it's not even a complete list of this administration's offenses against decency. Donald Trump's administration is a disgrace, even without considering his extensive known and suspected ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and other white nationalists at home and abroad. The administration is a disgrace even without considering Trump's praise of brutal authoritarian leaders in Turkey, India, and the Phillippines, on the basis of their murderous crackdowns on ethnic and religious minorities, the press, peaceful demonstrators, and the poor. Resign, Mr. Trump. Go home. And take your friends with you.

Can you imagine barging into the clergy study to muzzle a minister offering spiritual guidance to someone in their critical moment of decision? But some Kentucky lawmakers are preparing to do just that with HB 149. HB 149 would prevent public funds from being “used, granted, paid, or distributed to any entity, organization, or individual that provides abortion services or that is an affiliate of an entity, organization, or individual that provides abortion services.” In other words, if an organization were to provide “abortion services,” that organization would forfeit any right to local or state funds. The problem with this bill is that it would make possible the designation of clergy who provide referrals or information about abortion services, or who promote or encourage abortion, as abortion providers. The designation of abortion provider could jeopardize public funding sources, and leaves open the possibility of further legislation that could jeopardize a faith community’s non-profit status. Prohibiting certain kinds of speech by clergy, regardless of how one thinks about the issue of abortion, is profoundly troubling for at least one relatively obvious reason: Allowing the government to interpose itself in the pastor/parishioner relationship is a dangerous precedent to set, not only because it abridges free speech and the free exercise of religion, but also because it raises the obvious question: What pastoral speech gets outlawed next? This issue is one that all Kentuckians of faith ought to be able to agree on: The government has no place telling clergy what they can and cannot say in the context of their pastoral counseling relationships. To argue otherwise is to abandon the call of clergy to be both prophetic and pastoral, not to mention to abandon some fundamental American values around what it means to live in a democracy.