A Clear and Present Danger

While I try to focus my attention on charting a path through the chaos, it is difficult to ignore the levels of chaos which now consume US domestic politics, in addition to the geopolitical calamities swirling around us.

If my readers are inclined to try to look the other way from what is happening domestically in the US, I understand completely. But, what is emanating from the White House, the Congress and the judiciary is the most consequential challenge to a once great democracy since Adolf Hitler. This is not an understatement. Trump said his Presidency would be "consequential" - it is just not consequential in a positive sense of the word.

Normally we could take some comfort in the fact that Executive Orders from a President's pen do not usually mean that the orders will be enacted. Under the Constitution and the checks and balances contained within it, one branch of government cannot dictate new or alter existing legislation without the support or agreement of the other. The US system of government is a delicate balance between the Executive Branch, which can issue orders, and the Congressional branch which has the authority to pass or alter legislation. This is at the core of the "checks and balances" concept in the US Constitution.

A better and more detailed explanation of how the system is supposed to work is provided by the American Civil Liberties Association:

"Article II of the Constitution vests the president with executive power over the government, including the obligation to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” An executive order is a written directive, signed by the president, that orders the government to take specific actions to ensure “the laws be faithfully executed.” It might mean telling the Department of Education to implement a certain rule, or declaring a new policy priority. Executive orders, however, cannot override federal laws and statutes.

Statutes have to be passed by Congress and signed by the president. Or, if vetoed, then Congress must override the veto for the bill to become law. Executive orders can’t preempt this process. Furthermore, the Constitution gives Congress control over things like taxation, spending, and certain war powers. Most things we think of when we think of laws come from Congress: what counts as a criminal offense, how much the federal government can tax our income, and declaring war or making treaties."  ( https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/what-is-an-executive-order-and-how-does-it-work)

One complicating factor in what is happening now is that the current Congress is dominated by a compliant and fearful clan of Republicans who, without conscience, are inclined to support everything the President "orders". 

The only remaining "check" is the judiciary - or the court system in the United States. Given what is happening at the moment in US domestic politics,  cases are now beginning to be filed.  The legal challenges to these Executive Orders will have to run their course in the court rooms of the country and their outcomes remain to be seen.

Another complicating factor is that Trump has replaced most senior civil servants who would normally be able to block or challenge these orders with supplicant minions who will do his bidding without question (take Robert Kennedy Jr. in Health  or his former personal lawyer Pam Bondi as Attorney General).  In an outright circumvention of the "system" he has created the Department of Government Efficiency, outside of the scrutiny demanded by the Constitution to dismember the organs of government that have been charged with responsibilities to serve the people of the country. 

Furthermore, the courts of the United States are highly politicized with elected officials carrying the card of one political party or the other - which more often that not influences their decisions.  More importantly the Supreme Court has been stacked with conservative-minded judges who have already ruled in landmark cases in a manner that reflects a right wing orientation.

Within the preceding context we see in the behaviour and actions of a President, who has sworn to " preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" the exact opposite. In a post his Truth Social platform Trump quoted Napoleon Bonaparte " He who saves his Country does not violate any Law," clearly suggesting he is above the law, and the law  that essentially resides within and is protected by the Constitution. 

We need no other evidence of his intentions when we recount  just a few of the actions taken thus far in his crusade:

- The stacking of the civil service and the courts with lackeys who will do his bidding;                                                   - The stacking includes the selection of unqualified, sometimes criminals and conspiracy theory apologists to lead important and key government departments;                                                                                                                           - Firing public employees outright and ordering the closing of whole departments;                                                        - Pardoning of all  (approximately)1500 of the January 6 insurrection;                                                                                                            - Putting anyone who attempted t o hold him to account in his legal crosshairs and eventual imprisonment;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  - -Black listing or excluding journalists who ask questions and seek the truth rather than fabrications from the White House press corps and reloading that corps with only news outlets that lob soft inquiry and/or promote his line of thinking;                                                                                                                                                             - Defending Putin as having been "unfairly accused" of interfering in the 2017 election;                                         - Mouthing the Russian narrative that Ukraine started the war and cutting off aid to fight the aggressor;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       -Declarations challenging the sovereignty of Canada and Greenland, against all norms of international law.

The previous list is incomplete and will grow, and with Trump's effort to circumvent the Constitution we will witness more of the same. The list does not include all the nonsense he foists upon the international community from moving the Palestinians to some unknown locale to regaining control of the Panama canal - along with waging economic warfare with most of his country's trading partners.

We know Trump is a liar. We know he repeats the lies over and over again so that they become his "truth". But he is far worse than a liar.  Aside from every other reprehensible aspect of his character he is a fascist who has emerged from the closet  with the same autocratic and dictatorial behaviour as other dictators - from Mussolini , Hitler and Pinochet to Xi and Putin.

All of this is to say that we cannot, and should not ignore what is happening in our neighbourhood and US domestic politics. It may be chaotic and appear to be just a bunch of noise, with no immediate effect on our country.  To think in this manner is dangerous complacency. In this chaos there is a clear and present danger to Canada and every civilized nation. All the actions that are emitted from the US should be taken seriously and inform every decision we make in the coming years to protect and strengthen our democracy and way of life.