Neon Leon: On Holding The Past, Present and Future in Your Ha...

Neon Leon: On Holding The Past, Present and Future in Your Ha...: Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interru...

On Holding The Past, Present and Future in Your Hand

Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we're too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone.  Steven Spielberg

On April 3, 1973, Martin Cooper, a Motorola researcher and executive, made the first handheld mobile telephone call, placing a call to Dr. Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs. The handset, called DynaTAC, weighed 2 1/2 lb. and measured 9 1/2 inches long, 5 1/8 inches deep and 1 3/4 inches wide. That phone offered a talk time of just 30 minutes and took 10 hours to recharge. 

For a geezer like myself, who is still only marginally successful with all things digital, Cooper's plastic brick has evolved into nothing less than the most notable invention of the 21st Century.  But for Generation X (post boomers) and Millennials, it's no big deal because they came  of age when landlines became a mere novelty.  I agree with Rosalind Wiseman (an American parenting educator and author) who says "Advancements in technology have become so commonplace that sometimes we forget to stop and think about how incredible it is that a girl on her laptop in Texas can see photos and cell phone video in real time that a young college student has posted of a rally he's at in Iran." 

According to The Statistics Portal  , "The number of mobile phone users in the world  is expected to pass the five billion mark by 2019.  In 2016...[some] 62.9 percent of the population worldwide already owned a mobile phone...[and] mobile phone penetration is forecasted to continue to grow...to 67 percent by 2019."

"Most of the mobile market growth [is due to] the increasing popularity of smartphones. By 2014, around 38 percent of all mobile users were smartphone users. [In] 2018, this number is expected to [be] 50 percent. ...worldwide [usage] is expected to grow by one billion in a time span of five years, which means the number of smartphone users in the world is expected to reach 2.7 billion by 2019."

In their ground breaking report  (Feb. 26, 2015) entitled "Planet of the Phones",  The Economist magazine noted the following:  "The average American is buried in one for over two hours every day. Asked which media they would miss most...teenagers pick mobile devices over TV sets, PCs and games consoles. Nearly 80% of smartphone-owners check messages, news or other services within 15 minutes of getting up. About 10% admit to having used the gadget during sex."

"The...power of smartphones comes from their size and connectivity. Size makes them the first truly personal computers. The phone takes the processing power of yesterday’s supercomputers—even the most basic model has access to more number-crunching capacity than NASA had when it put men on the Moon in 1969—and applies it to ordinary human interactions. Because transmitting data is cheap this power is available on the move. Since 2005 the cost of...one megabyte...has dropped from $8 to a few cents.  The boring old PC sitting on your desk does not know much about you. But phones travel around with you—they know where you are, what websites you visit, whom you talk to, even how healthy you are."

   

The enormous changes in increasing ownership and the ever growing list of applications (apps) for increased usage has occured at warp speed in the past 20 years. This writer thinks it is time to step back and evaluate the myriad of effects, good and bad, which have come to light from the wealth of research now available about our phenomenal phones.
                                                 
                                                PRO
                                         
Cell phones, of course, have evolved far beyond that first call by Cooper.  Millions of people find great joy in their ability to take  photos, send text messages, listen to music and finding their way to destinations near and far. Access to the internet means one can search for information about anything on Earth and beyond.  Much to the chagrin of many brick and mortar stores, people can buy a vast array of products without leaving home. 

"There's an app for that" has become a bit of a cliche' but there are indeed thousands of apps available, often at little or no cost. There are a wide range of weather related mobile phone apps. If you're hungry, you can locate restaurants of all stripes and check out  reviews of the cuisine by patrons. There are also mobile phone apps that provide people with access to electronic telephone directories or even find residential contact information.
    
There are also a wide range of mobile phone apps for calculating various costs. It has become a common sight to see folks comparing prices of  food and merchandise while they shop. Some of these calculate the tips given for services. There are applications that can calculate interest before you invest.  Conversion sights for language, measurement and currencies are popular.

In a surprising report  click here  by the World Bank in 2016, their research found that eighty percent of the population in developing countries owns a mobile phone. In fact, the poorest households are more likely to have access to mobile phones than to toilets or clean water. Those basic needs are increasingly being met as economies are able to grow as the digital revolution, including mobile phones, takes hold.  The phones play a pivotal role as farmers increase yields with wireless access to banking, seeds and new agricultural practices. Many are able to engage in e-commerce by communicating with entrepreneurs eager to sell local arts and crafts on the internet. They also noted that   "The world’s 1 billion persons with disabilities—80 percent of whom live in developing countries—can lead more productive lives with the help of text, voice, and video communication."  I would add that, starting with the Arab Spring,  political protesters worldwide have relied on their mobile phones to summon people to the streets.

                                          CON 

The list of good deeds seems endless, but then you knew that, didn't you?  However, there is also a picture emerging of cell phones which is colored in darker shades. Herein is a synopsis of what I found.
               Concerns About Physical Health  
             

The possibility that radiation from cell phones can cause cancer and lower sperm counts (among other ailments) has been the subject of debate for years.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) states that people could reduce exposure to radiation by using an earpiece or headset when they talk and by keeping the device away from their bodies.  In 2015, Consumer Reports click here said they "focused on five large...studies...which included more than a million people worldwide, comparing cell-phone users with nonusers."

"Though some findings were reassuring, others do raise concerns. Specifically, three of the studies—one from Sweden, another from France, and a third that combined data from 13 countries—suggest a connection between heavy cell-phone use and gliomas, tumors that are usually cancerous and often deadly. One of those studies also hinted at a link between cell phones and acoustic neuromas (noncancerous tumors), and two studies hinted at meningiomas, a relatively common but [rarely] deadly brain tumor."

"Though those findings are worrisome, none of the studies can prove a connection between cell phones and brain cancer, for several reasons:  (1)  Cell-phone use in certain studies was self-reported, so it may not be accurate. (2)  Findings might be influenced by the fact that the study subjects owned cell phones that were in some cases manufactured two decades ago. (3) The way we use cell phones and the networks they’re operated on have also changed since then. (4) Cancer can develop slowly over decades, yet the studies have analyzed data over only about a five- to 20-year span."  So, the jury is still out and further research is ongoing by health agencies worldwide.  A note: California's Department of Public Health click here has issued broad guidelines on how to reduce radiation from phones. Apparently, the department feels that the only way to guarantee safety is to text. 

                                                                   

In contrast, there are piles of data and little debate  about the effects on our hands and neck with heavy usage of handheld devices and are becoming more frequent. For example, "texter's thumb" (aka "gamer's thumb") develops as a result of using the thumbs for sending text messages. It is a form of  tendinitis. "Texter's neck" is the term used to describe neck pain that results from prolonged poor posture while using a smartphone.  

Finally, you tempt the grim reaper if you are stupid enough to use that beloved phone while driving. The National Safety Council reports that cell phone usage while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving.

                Concerns About Mental Health

In my opinion, the biggest problem with HHD (computers also) is the powerful negative effects on mental health, particularly with middle and high school students. Their brains are still growing. Consequently, their ability to make rational decisions and control their emotions is limited. It's a tough time because they are also trying to figure out where they belong in school and society in general.  Having a circle of friends is very important and becomes even more paramount in adolescence as they mature sexually.

Those conditions have been the basis for predictable behavior in the young for centuries. 

However, I think some unique factors have come to bear on the behavior of our young these days.  Many saw the 9/11 attack on their TV.  They witnessed the slaughter of their peers in Columbine and Sandy Hook. And some were without a father for long periods while they fought nasty wars in the middle east. 

Perhaps that troubled history solely accounts for the rate of reported suicidal thoughts doubling in the last decade, according to the National Hospital Association. More importantly, their numbers also show that the suicide rate for 15-to-19-year-olds shot up between 2007 and 2015, increasing by 1/3 for boys and doubling for girls.  

Perhaps not.  Youth, and teenagers in particular, live in a unique environment with hormones raging and an intense desire to form friendships. However, it is hard to deny that the digital age has also contributed to the loneliness and depression manifested in our children's behavior.  

In a big new report, The Economist magazine (11/23/17) said..."the study suggests a different explanation for teenage melancholy—the many hours young people spend staring at their phone screens. That might be having serious effects, especially on young girls, according to the study’s author, Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and author of  iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy."

"By scrutinizing national surveys, with data collected from over 500,000 American teenagers, Ms Twenge found that adolescents who spent more time on new media—using Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram on a smartphone, for instance—were more likely to agree with remarks such as: “The future often seems hopeless,” or “I feel that I can’t do anything right.” Those who used screens less, spending time playing sport, doing homework, or socialising with friends in person, were less likely to report mental troubles."                     

Twenge does not suggest that the amount of screen time alone is the only variable at play here.  A review of other pertinent studies points to another "villain"--social media.  Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram have been found to increase youthful angst and clinical depression. Many sad teenagers seek safe harbor in their phones.  

Adults are also subject to this malaise,  according to numerous reports.  The Economist continues: "One study published in 2016 asked a randomly selected group of adults  to quit Facebook for a week; a control group continued browsing the site as usual. Those who gave up Facebook reported feeling less depressed at the end of the week than those who continued using it. Another experiment published in 2013 found that the more participants used Facebook, the gloomier they felt about their lives. Additionally, it showed that feeling blue did not lead people to increase their Facebook use."

"Not all studies are so damning. Past research suggests that social-networking...promotes happiness if used to engage directly with other users, rather than just to covet glossy photos of someone else’s exotic holiday or lavish wedding. This distinction is a reminder that social media is what users bring to it—their attitudes shape their experiences, both on and offline."

Addiction to cell phones is also a real problem for many.

From Forbes Magazine: "A lot of us must be wondering if we're hooked on our tech: Searches for “phone addiction” have risen steadily in the past five years, according to Google Trends, and “social media addiction” trails it closely...they are closely intertwined, especially younger people,  who often aren't even talking on their phones —they’re on social media. And according to a growing number of studies, it’s looking more and more like this pastime is addictive. Even more concerning is the fact that this addiction is linked to some serious mental health risks." 

And according to a growing number of studies, it’s looking more and more like this pastime is addictive. Even more concerning is the fact that this addiction is linked to some serious mental health risks. 

Experiments abound on what happens when students are denied their phones for just one day.  Most of the students reported they felt some degree of anxiety. They didn’t know what to do with the extra time, from eating breakfast to riding the subway. 

They also noted how often people who did have phones checked their phones—one student pointed out that his friend checked his phone four times in a 10 minute period—and that that was probably what they did themselves. They also felt a sense of loss, or lessening, of their extended self—their phones.

Their quandary is magnified by their equally addicted parents.  I have seen little kids eager to share with their parents what for them is an amazing discovery (a pile of ants or a dinosaur in their new book) or a new skill (a new word or standing on their hands).  It is so sad to see Mom and Dad ignore them completely because they are glued to their phone.

For Seniors, however, the benefits of a cell phone, if you can convince them to use one, are tremendous because they have a life line to medical emergencies, their far-flung families and to new friends and groups who can alleviate boredom and loneliness.

The right to be left alone-- free from the prying eyes and ears of  Big Brother--is  a growing and complicated battle.  For

me, the battle has been lost.  I just assume that any and all of my digital communications are easily available to governmental agencies and hackers galore. I have become increasingly careful of what I say and do on my phone and computer.

Love him or hate him, Edward Snowden, the infamous NSA (National Security Agency) whistle blower, has issued a statement in 2014 that is still relevant:  "If an NSA, FBI, CIA, DIA, etc analyst has access to query raw SIGINT (Signals Intelligence Directorate) databases, they can enter and get results for anything they want. Phone number, email, user id, cell phone handset id (IMEI), and so on - it's all the same."

"The reality is that due to the FISA Amendments Act and its section 702 authorities, Americans’ communications are collected and viewed [daily] on the certification of an analyst rather than a warrant. They excuse this as “incidental” collection, but at the end of the day, someone at NSA still has the content of your communications."

Some degree of change in reducing cell phone content capture by law enforcement may be forthcoming, however.  Consider this from Wikipedia: Carpenter v. United States is a pending case before the United States Supreme Court and raises the question of whether the government violates the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution by accessing an individual’s historical cell phone locations records without a warrant.  The Court will announce its decision prior to the conclusion of the October 2017  Term, which ends in June 2018. The decision is expected to clarify the Fourth Amendment’s influence upon the ability of law enforcement agencies to obtain smartphone data collected by third-party communication providers. Some consider Carpenter to be the most important Fourth Amendment case that the Supreme Court has heard in a generation.
                                 

Unless you have been living under a rock or an alternate universe (and this writer believes that a third of our electorate is quite happy there), the influence of Russia on the elections in multiple countries, especially America's, via Facebook and other social media sources, has been documented ad nauseum.  Suffice it to say that millions of people fell for fake news sites, bots, and routinely shared utter fantasies with friends and kin. In a flurry of better-late- than-never changes by media sites and Congress, perhaps a better degree of transparency will be forthcoming.  

Herein is a report on the ongoing discussions:   One suggestion, that of a "paid for by" notice, similar to TV ads, may be helpful.  Ditto the idea to begin hiring people capable of identifying bad actors and pull their digital plug.  However, virtually all nations are aware that the threat is ongoing and will continually need to update their technological and political fixes.

Like it or not, your digital universe is poised to go on steroids, due to the introduction of 5G (fifth generation), which is a new network system that has much higher speeds and capacity than existing cellular systems. 

Here is an overview from my research: The new networks will use very high frequencies that will be able to boost capacity by four times over current systems  The standard will work all the way from low frequencies to high, but it gets the most benefit over 4G at higher frequencies. 

Without getting too deep in the weeds here, my take on the situation is that a lot of agreement needs to be reached by national carriers, telecom firms and equipment standards, but apparently many issues have been resolved as the system's debut is set to occur at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Futurists are predicting that a new, global standard will enable travelers to use their phones anywhere in the world, without switching their SIM cards when they arrive.   

OK, let's get real here.  While our lives are richly enhanced by the digital universe and have become an integral part of our business and social lives, the dangers outlined in this posting simply cannot be ignored.  Here are a few solutions:  

Due to time and space limitations, I will not list the readily available ways to alleviate the physical pain in your body.  An internet search will yield oodles of simple methods of exercises, posture improvement, etc. Nor can I add any miraculous means to cure hacking or reduce Big Brother's access to your thoughts and actions. 

Concerning smartphone addiction, there are, of course apps for that, here are six:  Generally, the apps calculate your addiction level and reminds one to take breaks from time to time. Many offer phone management tools such as disabling the internet, rejecting phone calls and sending auto text messages.  

Useful tools, to be sure, but we also need ways to control all the screens we gaze at ad nauseum also. The single most powerful source that I can recommend is  a new book, The Power of Off,  by Nancy Colier (a psychotherapist, interfaith minister, author, public speaker, mindfulness teacher and relationship coach) whose wise consul can be summed up in these words: " If we can resist the urge to turn to our phones, we'll gain the strength, confidence, and wisdom that comes from being interested in your own company."  She offers some quick tips and "detox" plans. She says it is a means ”...for navigating the increasingly complex ways in which technology is affecting our relationships—with ourselves, others, and our devices themselves."  It's also a great philosophical read to boot.

Finally, let me just say this:  Turn off your digital device. Now.  Step outside, go for a walk, the longer the better.  Find a quiet place--perhaps an old tree, babbling brook or the crest of a hill.  Sit down and be still. Take several long, deep breaths; close your eyes awhile and listen.  Really listen.  Feel the wind, rain and sun on your face. Then open your eyes and gaze at the sky.  Repeat every day you possibly can.  Know that your life is a true miracle and that you are loved.

You're welcome....... 

To Impeach or Not to Impeach--Double Trouble in America

Even before Lady Liberty began lifting her "lamp beside the golden door",  America had lit the torch of freedom, eventually providing a path out of the darkness of wars over fascism, communism and the sovereignty of  Kings. We also made heroic efforts to feed a hungry world, educate the illiterate and welcomed waves of  "huddled masses yearning to be free."

The history of our actions at home were, like most countries, not always so illustrious, to wit:   We  killed 620,000 of our own people in a  civil war over race. Labor strife was the cause of bloody encounters like the 1886 Haymarket Massacre in Chicago and the government sponsored suppression of miners in the Colorado Labor Wars in 1903 and 1904.  And our genocidal attempts to obliterate Native Americans remains a dark stain on our history.

However, our history shows how we have overcome our differences, eventually recognizing the worth and needs of our uniquely diverse population with bipartisan legislation and a strong judicial system.  We trusted our government.  

But we lost that political virginity in Vietnam, when we learned that our government lied to us for fifteen years as they led us into a no-win civil war, costing the lives of 57,000 Americans  and 3 million Vietnamese.  And, of course, Bush 43 managed to convince us that war was necessary in Iraq to remove Saddam's atomic bombs, which simply did not exist. 

From  2000 to 2015, despite a stubborn streak of political polarity and a Great Recession, Americans once again returned to a degree of civility with a growing economy, an urban renaissance, and a  higher degree of social connection to each other via the internet. 

Today, we are once again a deeply divided nation.  In a mere two years time, Trump has split the country into three tribes.  One tribe thinks Trump is the greatest president ever, another is ambivalent or simply don't care about politics in general, while a third group views the president as a child-man with a narcissistic ego who often chooses to ignore or belittle our long standing international allies while gutting the agencies that are the framework of American democracy.  This writer is in the latter camp, as I noted in my last blog. 

The calls for impeachment are growing inside the corridors of power and in the streets of a thousand cities.  The source of impeachment, the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, was put in place in 1967, in the wake of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It details the succession procedure should the president die, resign or have an “inability to discharge the powers and duties” of the office.

Section 4 of the amendment allows for the vice president and a majority of the executive branch to provide a written declaration to the president pro tempore of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives when they determine that the president is unable to perform his duties. Congress must then decide with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers that the president is unfit for office.  

"Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office." 

"Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office."   

The amendment has been used six times, three times during the Watergate scandal under President Richard Nixon and three times when presidents have undergone colonoscopies, once involving Ronald Reagan and twice for George W. Bush. But Section 4 has never been invoked and never seriously proposed for the type of situation now surrounding Trump. Let us look at the pro and con arguments.

PRO:  Conor Friedersdorf set forth a proclamation in the October issue of Atlantic magazine  seen here  which focuses on his attacks on the first amendment, citing a number of his Twitter comments such as:   

• “It’s frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write and people should want to look into it.”
• “Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!”
• “With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!”
• “Why Isn’t the Senate Intel Committee looking into the Fake News Networks in OUR country to see why so much of our news is just made up-FAKE!”

Democrats in Congress  click here  has chimed in with five more reasons for impeachment including:  obstruction of justice by firing FBI director James Comey, violation of the emolument clause because of the profits flowing into his companies since his election, repeatedly undermining the court system, and provoking racial and ethnic divisions.  Of course, no list of possible impeachable offenses would be complete without the Russian Connection saga which prompted an ongoing probe by Special Counsel Robert Muller into the possibility of collusion and money laundering.

CON:  In October, Briana Renix wrote an article in Current Affairs magazine which outlined the case for not impeaching Trump:   "Surely, somewhere in Mueller's investigation of Russian election interference, or somewhere in the complex international entanglements of Trump's business empire, an...impeachment worthy offense can be identified."  However, she does not advocate for impeachment because of her fears of a Mike Pence presidency:

"The first and most important consequence of a Trump removal is a Pence presidency. Some commentators are sanguine about this outcome, regarding Pence as a run-of-the-mill Republican politician who will likely be a steady hand at the wheel. In a Chicago Tribune article... Francis Wilkinson writes that “the Indiana Republican is as dull and serviceable a politician as Trump is bizarre and broken,” adding that “I’m consistently perplexed when others don’t share my enthusiasm for the humdrum Hoosier. 
But we’d be stupid to underestimate the amount of damage a 'humdrum' conservative can do...the fact that he is cool, collected, and apparently on more or less good terms with his Republican colleagues—make him, in other senses, much more dangerous than Trump. 

A recent New Yorker profile of Pence...describes him as “the corporate right’s inside man,” [and] a savvy and ambitious politician. He was the Koch Brothers’ anointed candidate before Trump’s [eventual] nomination, and a prime specimen of the sort of heartless conservative fundamentalism that was, prior to the Trump era, viewed as the greatest enemy to left values. ... Pence has made no particular secret of despising the LGBT community: Trump recently made a joke to the effect that Pence wants to “hang” all gay people, which had a chilling [kind] of truth to it...[and] during his decade in Congress, had a consistent track record of voting against environmental legislation, anti-pollution measures, and clean energy. He has been centrally involved in efforts to repeal Obama Care.... As governor of Indiana, Pence moved to ban the resettlement of Syrian refugees, long before Trump had proposed his Muslim Ban. Given these facts, do we think Pence is likely to continue the same policies that have made Trump’s presidency reprehensible? It seems almost certain. Will Pence, by virtue of his more amicable relationship with [Republicans], ..., and the goodwill he will buy from Democrats in Congress by presenting a civil... contrast to Trump, be more likely to actually implement these dangerous policies successfully? This also seems highly plausible."

On the conservative side of the argument, the venerable National Review Magazine published an article written by Andrew McCarthy in June which shows little concern about impeachment:  "This is a very straightforward argument. First, Trump may not be prosecuted for obstructing investigations because he did not act corruptly – he had the authority to take the actions he did; and these actions, even if one finds them inappropriate, were not unreasonable. Second, Trump may not be impeached because his actions, even if one finds them inappropriate, do not approach the abuse-of-power predicate for high crimes and misdemeanors. But it is not enough to make the first part of the argument and pretend that the second need not be addressed. If Team Trump is to defend the president [they] must concede that he is not above the law, and that the Constitution holds him accountable."

For this writer, the reality of impeachment proceedings occuring any time soon is highly unlikely because If Trump were to object to this action, the decision would be left up to a two-thirds vote in Congress, and Democrats are in the minority.

There are those who are busy gathering petitions for impeachment, and the first amendment guarantees that right.  As this post is written, the well publicized petition by Tom Seyers  click here  has almost 5 million signatures for impeachment. However, it is important to remember that people can petition the President to do whatever they want, but there is no way to force him to honor the petition. 

Further, there is no constitutional or current legal  process for the people to remove a president who has not been impeached and convicted by Congress. And, with my tongue deeply tucked in my cheek, I would add that petitioners need to ensure that Trump does not get away by tweeting "This is a FAKE PETITION!"

As the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller III has progressed in recent weeks, Republicans have responded with attacks on Fusion GPS, Christopher Steele the FBI and the Justice Department.

Here's my take on the  surprising (and, in my opinion, brave) release by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Cal) of the 321 page transcript of the testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee by Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simmons on January 9th:

The transcript reveals that Fusion's policy has always been to require their clients to sign contracts which insures that their investigations will be independent and free from any control by clients.  The pages show that Steele is and has always been a  man with a proven history of honorable relations with the FBI, and came forth with his dossier draft because he was alarmed about Russian influence on America's elections and the possible blackmail of Trump (the FBI didn't initially consider Steele's drafts since it had leads of its own.)

Sadly, similar actions have become part of the Republicans who have majority control over the Senate and House Intelligence Committees looking into Russian collusion in American elections, which is continuing unabated.  A  report issued on January 10 by the Democratic staff on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, alleges a range of aggressive Russian behavior abroad that employs military invasions, cyberattacks, disinformation, support for fringe political groups and the manipulation of energy resources, organized crime and corruption across Europe. The also warned that "if the United States fails to work with urgency to address this...threat, the regime in Moscow will become further emboldened.  It will continue to develop and refine its arsenal to use on democracies around the world, including against U.S. elections in 2018 and 2020."

There have long been whispers about Trump’s property sales to wealthy Russians, and his hundreds of millions in credit from Deutsche Bank, made just as the bank was conducting a massive Russian money-laundering operation.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s separate investigation seems to already be tracking the money trail. In December, German newspaper Handelsblatt and other US outlets reported that Mueller had subpoenaed Deutsche Bank for information on dealings “linked to the Trumps.” Trump’s legal team have denied that a subpoena has been issued, but the publications stood by their stories (the Wall Street Journal corrected (paywall) its report to say it related to “people or entities close to” Trump, rather than Trump or his family directly.)

The denizens of Foggy Bottom may try ignoring charges of obstruction and collusion.  But money laundering is a crime which, if proven, is legally impossible to deny or sweep under the proverbial rug. The constitution does not say whether a sitting President can be indicted. Perhaps the Supreme Court would issue a decision to support such an indictment, perhaps not.  More importantly, would members of Congress  still support a man convicted of fraud?  Would President Pence give him amnesty?

In summation, there simply is no exit from the reality of Trump hanging on until 2020.  Equally implausible, in my opinion is the possibility of his reelection, especially considering the Democratic "Blue Wave" widely anticipated in the midterm elections in 2018.  

This writer is heartened by the millions of Americans who have risen to condemn this presidency from every state in the nation.  The Women's March Against Trump on the day after Trump's inaugural, dwarfed the numbers of Trump supporters in Washington D.C., according to National Park Service's aerial photographs.  Millions of people across the world also joined their ranks.  

Since that time, a sort of Anti-Trump Industrial Complex has emerged with a passion that rivals the Civil Rights and Vietnam era. Well funded, new progressive groups  such as Resist  click here  and  The Indivisible Project  click here  have blossomed into a mega force with thousands of chapters fighting Trump's agenda. It is truly ironic that Trump may end up helping to create a  grass roots, progressive movement that lasts for many years.  But, as history has shown time and time again, the ultimate success of any movement, in any democracy, depends on those who decide to Vote!

NEON LEON PUBLICATION NOTIFICATION

Please be advised that due to Holiday travel hassles and a nasty computer glitch, I will not post my blog until Jan. 13th.  I will resume my posts on a new schedule in 2018:  The  Second Sunday and the last Sunday each month.  Next up:  "A Call to Arms--Impeach, Isolate, Resist and Vote. Do Whatever You Can To Save Our Democracy."