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Trump’s Disturbing First Week In Office |
By
Stephen Lendman |
| After responsibly pulling America out of the TPP, it’s been all down
hill. His top priority should be do no harm, not America first. Disturbing anti-China, anti-Iran saber rattling by him and key administration officials bodes ill if not curbed. Promising to cut regulations by 75% or more means eliminating vital public protections, freeing business to do what it pleases with little or no oversight. Authorizing construction of Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline virtually assures major environmental damage to land, waterways and human health - based on the disastrous past history of these projects. His war on Islam risks continuing the worst of Bush/Cheney/Obama horrors, including saying torture is OK with him, outrageously claiming it works, ignoring fundamental rule of law principles. His ill-conceived great wall is a lunatic scheme, doomed to fail. Instead of turning skeptics to allies, he’s making more enemies. Saying he’ll “absolutely do safe zones in Syria” risks direct confrontation with Russia - an illegal scheme without Damascus permission. His proposal to impose a 20% import tax on Mexican products, if implemented, could start a trade war, especially if he targets China and other countries the same way. Now comes word he’s preparing executive actions to cut UN funding by at least 40%, end it entirely for any UN agency or other international body doing the following: recognizing Palestinian statehood, granting it full UN membership - what it should have had decades ago; supporting abortion funding programs; or circumventing sanctions on Iran and North Korea - illegally imposed except ones by the Security Council. On January 16, 2016, UN sanctions on Iran were lifted. SC ones on North Korea remain in force. If information on his executive action is accurate, it also terminates funding for any organization “controlled or substantially influenced by any state that sponsors terrorism” or commits human rights violations. America and its rogue allies are the leading perpetrators of these high crimes - what Trump, his administration officials, Congress and the Supreme Court won’t admit. America funds 22% of the UN’s budget. Severely cutting its contribution would hamstring the world body, including its humanitarian operations. Is cutting UN funding prelude gutting remaining US social services, accelerating neoliberal harshness, making America more dystopian than already? Was Trump’s pledge about serving all Americans smoke and mirrors bluster? Is his real agenda serving business at the expense of the general welfare? It’s way too early to draw conclusions based on seven days in office. Yet what he’s done and proposed so far gives great cause for concern. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |
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