Today, on May 9th, 2017, James Comey, FBI director, was fired from his position by President Donald Trump. Why is this significant? Just hours earlier, Federal Prosecutors issued "Grand jury subpoenas to associates of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn seeking business records, as part of the ongoing probe of Russian meddling in last year's election" (1).
A subpoena can be simply defined as a court order to testify. It would be illegal to not show up in court if you have a subpoena. Chew on that for a minute. I'm not here to tell you my opinion on whether or not Russia meddled in the election, however, this is indicative of something serious, especially when you consider the subpoenas and the ongoing investigation. The firing of an FBI director has only happened one other time in history. James Comey is a good man, who doesn't deserve to be fired. As a lawyer, he has been appointed to positions by both Democrats and Republicans. Even Senate Republican John McCain said he was "disappointed" by the decision to fire Comey. Please watch your choice of news station for further updates regarding this situation. 1: Perez, Evan, Shimon Prokupecz, and Pamela Brown. "CNN Exclusive: Grand Jury Subpoenas Issued in FBI's Russia Investigation." CNN. Cable News Network, 09 May 2017. Web. 09 May 2017.
0 Comments
So, I did say I was going to wait until 2017 to post again, and although we're just hours away, I couldn't wait. Since I last posted, we've lost three more amazing people: George Michael, Carrie Fisher, and Debbie Reynolds.
George Michael was a great singer, a pop icon, known throughout generations. Some of his best works include Careless Whisper, Faith, Wake Me Up Before you Go-go, with Wham!, and Last Christmas. I was raised on Classic Rock and old pop, and George Michael had such a profound impact on my life. Like when I heard Glenn Frey had died, at the time, I didn't realize how much of an impact he had, since I never know the names or singers of songs. Then, older members of my family mourned, and listened to a lot of their music, and I slowly realized, an important part of my life was gone. Carrie Fisher was both an actress and author, and someone whom I hold deep admiration for. Known most for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars and its sequels, she left a lasting impact on many generations to come. Her comedic wit and life story will also be remembered for a long time. Debbie Reynolds was another example of how only after someone leaves this Earth, I realize what an impact they had. She had many famous roles, most notably, her character Kathy from Singing in the Rain. Her son, Todd, spoke about her death, just a day after Carrie Fisher. He said, "She didn't die of a broken heart, she just went to be with Carrie." All three of these deaths, so close together are sad, and I send my wishes and prayers to their families today. On a related note, here's to 2016, and let's hope there aren't quite as many tragic deaths next year, in 2017. Well, if I haven't made this clear before, I'm into history. Especially government and unique things in history, along with historic firsts. So, naturally, this election was very fun for me to watch.
Today, the electoral college voted. And, a lot can be said about 2016 by simply looking at who the electors voted for. No, I'm not talking about how Trump won the electoral vote. That was expected. I'm talking about how a Native American Woman had a vote cast for her. She strongly opposed the Dakota Access Pipeline, which is certainly still a defining topic for debate in 2016. Both Bernie Sanders and John Kasich received one electoral vote each. The two last people from each of the major parties to drop out... Interesting... This is also the first presidential election in over 100 years that there has been more than one "rogue" elector. This certainly shows 2016 was a year full of difficult politics. There were other "faithless" votes, however, I want my final argument about this post to be somewhat humorous. Here it goes: Considering we've seen trends from 2016 show up in how the electors voted, I am slightly surprised a certain gorilla received 0 electoral votes. I mean, he deserved at least one, considering he received a tenth of a percent of the popular vote, right? Wrong: you have to be 35 and human to assume office. Well. Since we last talked, or rather, since I last posted, whether you like it or not, Donald Trump was elected our next president. It is history making. He will be the first president to never have held any public office or been in a military position. Even the Bush's had been governors, and so had Ronald Reagan. Additionally, he will surpass Ronald Reagan as the oldest president to take office, by almost a year.
However, Election 2016 was historic for many more reasons, including a petition for statehood, the approval of ranked-choice voting, and marijuana, both recreational and medical. It was also the 5th time in history when the Electoral College differed from the popular vote, if you include the 1824 election, when no candidate received a majority of the vote. Within the next couple of weeks, I will be posting an article on my "Essays & Writing" page, detailing a few of these topics in detail, and how they really are a historic change. I will keep you updated, and put up a very short post when the article is up. With the election season almost over, relief is just around the corner. No more angry, non-factual political ads; no more cable news ignoring U.S.-Russian Relations plummeting; and of course, no more stupid comments like, "They're rapists", "What is Aleppo?", and "The Basket of Deplorables". But, in these last Nine Days, we have important decisions to make, on the local, state, and federal level. Since all of the people running for president this year have, to put it lightly, flaws, perhaps try and focus more on the congressional elections taking place in your state. Let's be honest, Congress has hardly gotten anything done over the past several years. They are gridlocked politically. Unless we start paying more attention to those many elections, compared to the election of one individual, we will run our country into the ground. Congress has the power to write laws, declare war, and overrule the president. So why does it matter if we get a criminal or racist into the White House? Even if the President vetoes a bill, Congress can overrule the veto with a 2/3 vote. So please, elect a congressman or congresswoman that will do what you want, not what the future president wants. As Ted Cruz put it, whether you agree or not, please, "Vote your conscience". So this November 8th, I urge you to do two things. 1) Do some research on your state's candidates for the House and the Senate, and make wise choices to vote for more independent individuals. 2) Duck and Cover!!! |
AuthorMy Name is Eddie Schweikert. I am an animator, author, artist, and friend. You will hear about many of my latest ventures here. Archives
November 2018
Categories
All
|