“The museum, which memorializes Kentucky’s history in coal mining, is modernizing with a new form of cheaper energy.”
There’s a definite irony here
(that is wasted on POTUS, I fear)
A museum for coal’s
vast historical roles
will be powered by solar this year.
© 2017 Susan E. Eckenrode
“A Russian government-controlled think tank had outlined plans on how to swing the 2016 U.S. election toward Donald Trump, according to a Reuters report Thursday. New documents reveal a strategy of using social media to bolster Mr. Trump and undermine faith in America’s electoral system. ”
Russian think tank planned to influence the U.S. election, new documents reveal
PBS News Hour
It’s apparent there’s now no disputin’
that a think tank enabled by Putin
launched a devious plan
promoting a man
whose primary interest is lootin’.
© 2017 Susan E. Eckenrode
Read the article in full for a list of 12 actions Trump has taken against the planet while claiming to care for the environment.
“My Administration is committed to keeping our air and water clean, to preserving our forests, lakes, and open spaces, and to protecting endangered species,” the statement read.
Trump releases statement on Earth Day as his administration continues repealing environmental regulations
Business Insider
When he speaks of the good he will do
for environment, the opposite’s true.
His sole focus is wealth
not our habitat’s health.
So beware his rhetorical stew.
© 2017 Susan E. Eckenrode
“Toward the end of his presidential campaign, Trump embraced the 100-day marker he is now questioning. In a ‘Contract With the American Voter’ issued by his campaign, Trump promised that, among other things, he would introduce and ‘fight for’ 10 specific pieces of legislation in his first 100 days.
Those included bills to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, dramatically cut taxes, spur $1 trillion in infrastructure investments and significantly expand school choice.
The only one of those 10 legislative items introduced to this point is the House health-care bill.”
Trump says 100-day marker is ‘ridiculous.’ But he’s scrambling to show progress by then on taxes, health care.
The Washington Post
He’s approaching his one hundred days
and the POTUS is scrambling for praise
of each dubious win
that’s been polished by spin,
while he pushes his tax reform phase.
© 2017 Susan E. Eckenrode
“Trump’s inartful retelling of Sino-Korean history sparked widespread outrage among Koreans, who are particularly sensitive to the U.S. president’s rhetoric amid heightened tensions between North and South Korea. Leaders across the political spectrum criticized Trump’s characterization, calling it a clear distortion of history and an attempt to undermine Korean sovereignty.”
Trump’s claim that Korea ‘actually used to be a part of China’
Fact Checker, The Washington Post
To be perfectly clear from the start,
South Korea was never a part
of China… who knew?
Not the POTUS… no clue.
He’s honed ignorance into an art.
© 2017 Susan E. Eckenrode
“That business has become more responsive to public outcry than elected officials isn’t anything to celebrate, but it is an opportunity for activists.”
Sadly it was money – not morals – that forced Fox to boot Bill O’Reilly
Lucia Graves, The Guardian
“We know whose back you have [Mr. President] and it’s not our half of the population’s. But hey, thanks for proclaiming April as National Sexual Assault Prevention Month. It helps draw attention to the widespread phenomenon of sex abuses in our cities, villages, schools, work places and homes.”
We know whose back you have, Mr. President: Not ours
Rehka Basu, The Des Moines Register
To be clear, so there’s no more confusion,
Fox’s settlements smack of collusion
but when sponsors pull out
and the star’s lost his clout,
then O’Reilly-dom spins to conclusion.
As O’Reilly-dom spins to conclusion,
will the POTUS promote his illusion
that “Bill’s a good guy
and both he and I
are just victims of women’s delusions.”
© 2017 Susan E. Eckenrode
“Trump’s success has demonstrated the potential for an illiberal democracy predicated on denial of unwelcome truths. Liberal democracy cannot endure if such denial goes unchallenged. But first we must reckon with our own denial. We refused to believe that this could happen. We too were blind; disaster has forced us to see. To cope with this catastrophe, we will need an amazing grace, which I am not at all sure we are capable of mustering. For all our misgivings, we believed that, in the end, truth would overcome. It did not.”
Can Truth Survive Trump?
Democracy Journal
The election of President Trump
is America’s latest speed bump.
Hit the pedal too hard
and we’re bound to be jarred
and perhaps even towed to the dump.
© 2017 Susan E. Eckenrode
“Trump’s election is likely to feed the swamp monsters. For an industry premised on dealmaking, the return of one-party rule in Washington offers the welcome end—at least temporarily—to political gridlock. That means major policy changes are in the works, which promise to fundamentally alter billion-dollar industries. And precisely because so few people or companies had anticipated a Trump White House, there is all the more need for trusted guides to help navigate these murky waters.”
THE ‘SWAMP’ DONALD TRUMP PROMISED TO ‘DRAIN’ IS GROWING AGAIN
Newsweek
“President Trump is populating the White House and federal agencies with former lobbyists, lawyers and consultants who in many cases are helping to craft new policies for the same industries in which they recently earned a paycheck.”
With Trump Appointees, a Raft of Potential Conflicts and ‘No Transparency’
The New York Times
One promise on which he campaigned
insisted the swamp would be drained.
That was then, this is now
and he’s buried that vow
while he’s mucking about unrestrained.
© 2017 Susan E. Eckenrode
“Officials in North Korea today warned that President Donald Trump’s ‘troublemaking’ and ‘aggressive’ tweets have led to the ‘extremely tense’ situation on the Korean Peninsula.”
Fears of war as North Korea to test nuclear weapons despite Trump warning
Metro.co.uk
Though there’s always been plenty to fear,
Forty-five has it upped to high gear.
Will his war machinations
make him known as our nation’s
first commander and chief profiteer?
© 2017 Susan E. Eckenrode
“Uh, what? Haley seemed to be quite clearly announcing that regime change was a priority in Syria. Tillerson pointedly said it was not and that nothing at all had changed in terms of America’s policy and priorities in Syria.
Why the confusion? My guess is that it’s not confusion at all. It’s two factions within the foreign policy wing of the Trump White House trying to convince the president of the rightness of their positions on Syria via public channels.
At first blush that might seem odd. Wouldn’t these sorts of debates be better hashed out in private so as to show a united front to the political world and the American people once a decision is reached?
In a traditional White House with a president who plays by the political rules, sure. But this not a traditional White House. And Trump loves breaking the rules much more than he likes adhering to them.”
Nikki Haley says ‘regime change’ in Syria. Rex Tillerson doesn’t. What gives?
Chris Cillizza, CNN Politics
Now that Nikki is fully on board
With distract and retract in accord
We won’t know what we know,
‘cause she spins like a pro
Her investment will reap her reward
© 2017 Susan E. Eckenrode
