My Letter to the Electoral College

Dear Elector,

As a concerned citizen and true patriot, I am writing to you in your capacity as a presidential elector.  Our presidential election system empowers the electors to use their wise judgment to choose our president.  As Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist Paper 68: “The process of election affords a moral certainty, that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.” Donald Trump continues to demonstrate that he lacks the requisite qualifications. He has continually demonstrated behavior that is contrary to the principles of our Constitution.

            The 1st Amendment. Regarding freedom of press, Trump has continually expressed disdain for the Press, and has threatened to weaken libel protections and has threatened lawsuits against journalists. He blacklisted news organizations from covering his campaign if they reported stories that were not flattering to his persona. Regarding the right of the people to peaceably assemble, Trump’s opinion of the Chinese government’s brutal response to the peaceful prodemocracy Tiananmen Square protest of 1989, was to praise the government for its “strong” response, a response that killed 500 to 1000 protesters.

            The 8th Amendment. Regarding cruel and unusual punishments inflicted, Trump has endorsed bringing back waterboarding, and he has endorsed killing the families of those who he regards as terrorists.

            The Declaration of Independence. Regarding all men are created equal, Trump has mocked the disabled, humiliated women, slandered Mexican Americans, and exploited undocumented workers.

            The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Regarding baring officers from receiving profit or gain from foreign powers, there are many ways in which Trump would potentially violate this clause, from his hotel in D.C. to his continued involvement in his global Organization. He still refuses to release his tax returns so we don’t know the full range of his international investments. He has so far refused to place his companies in a true blind trust, so we cannot have confidence that Trump would not use the presidency to enrich himself.

            Federalist Papers: free of foreign force and influence. Trump’s favorable opinion of Putin, his financial ties (and those of his proposed cabinet) with Russia, and his use of Russian-hacking data during the campaign are extremely alarming. Trump intimated before the election that he might not defend NATO countries in Russia’s path of invasion. Now, after the election, Russia continues its military buildup along the NATO border. During the campaign, he used the hacked data to his benefit. He dismissed suggestions he had anything to do with the Russian government, but Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said there had been communications with influential people in Trump’s circle. Now the CIA has determined that Russia was actively attempting to sway the American election to Trump. Trump’s response is to ignore such intelligence and impugn the integrity of U.S. intelligence officials, stating the claim is ridiculous and partisan.

            Federalist Papers: presidency to not fall to man not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications. Trump’s temperament and habits of communication are of great concern. He has lashed out via Twitter against those who have expressed disagreement with him or have challenged him. He is prone to impetuous and vindictive behavior. How can he be trusted to communicate with Heads of State? Before even taking office, he has caused havoc with our international relations with China through his provocative communications with the president of Taiwan. He continues to decline most intelligence briefings, which leaves him ill prepared to handle threats to our country.

If you have supported Donald Trump previously, I urge you to reexamine your position based on all the above reasons. It is not hyperbole to say that our democratic system may not be able to withstand a Trump presidency. I urge you as a Patriot to put country above party and block Donald Trump from the presidency by denying him the 270 electoral votes required. Use the power intended for the Electoral College to preserve our Republic; save it from the possibility of an authoritarian and treasonous Trump presidency. Vote for a qualified alternate person who will have a chance of winning the vote for presidency in the House of Representatives.

Sincerely,

Margaret Lange

AUNT MARGARET’S VERY-IMPORTANT NOT-TO-BE-IGNORED DRIVING TIPS

In June 2016, my niece turned 18 and started driving. Before she was handed the keys to a car, I handed her my very-important-not-to-be-ignored driving tips. I thought I would share them here with other beginning drivers. Even those who have been behind the wheel for years may find a few of them useful.

1. Always turn your head and check your blind spot when changing lanes.

Turn your head every time, especially when you think you don’t need to; you’ll be glad you did.

2. Always leave 4 seconds of time in between you and the car in front of you.

That means, look at the car in front of you and watch for a marker such as a tree or pole that the car has passed. It should take you 4 seconds to pass the same marker. If it does than you are driving far enough back; if it doesn’t, then back off.

3. Always assume that the other drivers are idiots.

Assuming all drivers are idiots will help you be prepared for when they turn in front of you when there is no way enough time, or when they scoot through the last shade of yellow on the light and it is actually orange/red by the time they get to the intersection, or when they have no clue what to do at a four-way stop and they figure, WTF I’ll just go.

4. Always keep your eyes on the road.

This means don’t reach down to the passenger floor to retrieve the skittles that just spilled, and don’t look at your phone to see if someone texted back, and for God’s sake don’t try to text anyone, and don’t get spaced out on the scenery, and don’t look too long at the cute boy in the passenger seat.

5. Always be alert when driving.

If you feel drowsy, pull off the road to a 7-Eleven and get an energy drink, or be like a dog and roll down the window and stick your head out, or eat an apple, or pinch yourself. If you haven’t had enough sleep, don’t try driving long distances.

6. Always put your car in “Park” and put the brake on.

Don’t do like I did once at work where I didn’t do the above, and my car rolled out of the parking lot, across the street, and into the airport fencing. No, definitely don’t do that.

7. Always remember you are a carbon-based life form contained within a metallic/plastic rolling cube.

Keeping the above in mind will help you to never take your safety for granted as you compete with the other carbon-based life forms (who we have already established are idiots) who are driving in their own metallic/plastic cubes.

The Russians are Here! The Russians are Here!

 

The US and Russion flags superimposed. The US flag fades behind the Russian flag

When asked during a 2012 presidential debate which country posed the biggest threat to the United States, Mitt Romney answered that Russia posed the greatest geopolitical threat. He was mocked for this at the time: the cold war is over, what about Iran and North Korea, etc. Well, it turns out Polite Mitt had some prescient insight back then. At the time, Russia seemed to be hibernating, but Nice Mitt understood the threat of an awakening Russia. Unfortunately, Respectful Mitt wasn’t the Republican nominee for President in 2016. Instead we have Nasty Trump as President-elect, a man who has repeatedly stated his admiration for the cruel Russian president/dictator, Vladimir Putin. Trump intimated before the election that he might not defend NATO countries in Russia’s path of invasion. Now, after the election, Russia continues its military buildup along the NATO border. Trump invited Russia to hack into his opponent’s records, and he took full advantage of the Russian hacking into and altering of records that were leaked through Wikileaks, giving Trump skewed ammunition against Clinton during the campaign. Now the CIA has determined that Russia was actively attempting to sway the American election to Trump. Trump’s response is to belittle the American intelligence agencies and dismiss as false or politically partisan the possibility that a foreign power interfered with our U.S. election process. As one U.S. intelligence official put it, “The inclination to ignore such intelligence and impugn the integrity of U.S. intelligence officials is contrary to all that is sacred to national security officials who work day and night to protect this country.” A true patriot would want to investigate this threat to our democracy, but Trump sees the CIA finding as a threat to his grasp on the presidency.

Our democracy stands at crucial crossroads. Our system of government has been weakened by politicians with extremist positions who have forgotten or never learned how to compromise. It has been weakened by the myth that “government is broken” and therefore it should be junked in favor of the vague idea of something new. It has been weakened by the complacency, cynicism, and detachment of so much of the electorate. It has been weakened by the backlash to true democratic change in the persons of a Black president and a potential female president. Russia sees our weaknesses, and through their hacking has attacked our territory. Trump is sympathetic to Putin because he sees the world through the lens of his own power, and power is attracted to power. But power unchecked is dangerous. Trump refuses to create the blind trust for his businesses that would prevent him from violating the Constitution’s emolument clause. He continues to act as if he is above the requirements of the office of president, claiming falsely that the emolument clause doesn’t apply to him as president. During the campaign Trump claimed that he could do anything, stand in the street and shoot someone, and the people would still vote for him. Now he is poised to become president. How much more emboldened will he be to abuse and endanger the populous for his own profit and empowerment when he holds the reins of power? Will our democratic system be able to withstand the threat of a Trump presidency combined with the potential for continued Russian involvement through collusion or blackmail? Will enough Patriots stand up now before it’s too late and vote on December 19th for a different president. Like Nice Mitt. Sane Mitt. I so forgive him for putting his dog on top of the car, and even his 47 percent comment — meh, at least he was upfront. Come back to us, Nice Mitt! #HamiltonElectors #electorschoose #supporttheelectors

Trump Peddles Falsehoods and Carries Kremlin Water. And unless the Electors Intervene, he will be POTUS and Commander-in-Chief.

On December 7th, Rep. Schiff’s, ranking member of the Intelligence committee, responded to Trump’s comments regarding Russian involvement in DNC and Clinton email hacks on MSNBC. Trump denies the Russian involvement, saying “I don’t believe they interfered.”  Here are excerpts from the interview with Rep. Schiff.

Schiff: “He has gotten an intelligence briefing so he knows better… He ignores the intelligence communities’ best assessments. There is overwhelming evidence of the Russian involvement in these hacks. By continuing to deny it, he is essentially becoming a propaganda piece for the Kremlin. They would love to sow doubt about their involvement in our campaign and the president-elect is giving them the most phenomenal cover. I find this so deeply disturbing, if during and now after the campaign, his is still willing to disregard the plain intelligence, it means that when it doesn’t suit him he will ignore it, he will decide to choose his own facts, and you simply can’t have that in a commander-in-chief. There’s going to come a time in this country where we are going to have a national security crisis and the American people are going to need to believe him and this makes that very difficult.”

Question: Tell us about the overwhelming evidence?

“… here there is no question that the Russians were involved in hacking our institutions. The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence they came out with an extraordinary public statement a couple of weeks ago not only attributing the hacks to the Russian government but saying that they could not have taken place but for approval at the highest levels of the Kremlin. For the president-elect to say this … It tells us that the facts don’t matter to this president-elect. It’s more important for him to say what he thinks that he can sell to the American people or what’s in his personal benefit and those are not qualities you want to see in a commander-in-chief.”

Question: Is it a function of him not trusting the intelligence briefings or is it willful on his part?

“I think it is completely willful. I think this is someone who can’t accept that fact that he lost the popular vote and therefore has to fabricate millions of illegal immigrants voting, who can’t accept that fact that the Russians interfered and that those hacks and disclosures may have helped his campaign. He can’t accept that and so he’s going to deny it. Essentially, anything that is critical of him or doesn’t reflect well on him he will simply refuse to accept. And this is quite frightening, because it means this man is not growing into the office. We only have a matter of weeks before he becomes the president of the United States and you would hope that he is now impressed with the seriousness of this office but the fact that he is willing to continue to peddle falsehoods and carry Kremlin water is really alarming.”

Electoral College, please do the right thing; vote your conscience; stand up for truth; fulfill your role to preserve our Republic. The time is now. #HamiltonElectors

 

In Support of the Hamilton Option, #HamiltonElectors

On December 19 the Electors will meet in their States’ Capitals to cast their votes for President of the United States. The Electors have the obligation to ensure that the person holding the office of President is qualified. Now is the time for Electors to use their constitutional powers to protect our Republic from an unqualified and dangerous president. The Republican electors can do this by denying Trump the majority of electoral votes by voting for a different Republican. (It is not realistic to expect the Republican electors to vote for Clinton.) Then Congress will have the option of electing that alternate person; the Constitution details this process. That this option has never been taken is no argument for it not being used. Everything ever done was once unprecedented. The Founders gave the Electors the power to choose an alternative knowing that someday it would be needed, and that time is now.

Trump has shown himself to be unqualified for the office of President, he has refused to eliminate conflicts of interest, he has acted in a potentially treasonous manner, and he has not upheld the principles of the Bill of Rights. Before even taking office, he has already cast doubt on whether he can uphold the oath of office, to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Lack of Qualifications. Trump has refused intelligence briefings, and he has refused to consult top diplomats before conversing with foreign government officials. His preferred mode of communications is via Twitter, and he has used this platform for petty and vengeful attacks. If he cannot be trusted with the post button on his phone, how can he be trusted with nuclear buttons of our military?

Potential Violation of the Bill of Rights. Trump continues to show disdain for the Press and has repeatedly threatened the freedom of the press by expanding libel laws. He has conducted himself since November 8th in a secretive manner, refusing a press poll and not engaging in press conferences. He has supported the use of waterboarding and of using Guantanamo for holding and trying US citizens. He supports registering immigrants based on their religion, which could easily develop into such a registry for US citizens.

Potential Violation of the Constitution’s Emolument Clause. The Trump Organization is a global investment conglomerate. Trump has refused to eliminate conflicts of interest by establishing a true blind trust for his Organization and investments, and he has still not released his tax returns, which would give a clearer picture of his finances. Trump has intimated that he thinks he is exempt from the Emolument clause; he incorrectly thinks it only applies to the Legislative Branch. Without a real blind trust, we cannot eliminate the possibility that Trump will conduct foreign policy in a manner that would be advantageous to his global investments, thus using his office to increase his wealth.

Possible Treasonous Acts. Trump has said that he might not defend NATO countries in Russia’s path of invasion. How close this is to “giving Aid and Comfort” to the Enemy. Trump encouraged Russia to attack his political opponent, Clinton, during the campaign, and he took full advantage of the Russian propaganda being leaked via Wikileaks. He has recently discouraged the investigation into the intrusion by hacking of Russia, and he has disparaged our government’s intelligence officials who have concluded that Russia was behind the Clinton email hacking and the hacking into states’ voter records.

The Hamilton Option is not about placing a Democrat in the White House. It is about placing a qualified president in the White House. Even though the popular vote went to Clinton, the election is determined by the electors. For the record, I am a Democrat, yet my love of country leads me to support the realistic option of an alternative Republican for president. There are many qualified and dedicated Republicans who I would support as my President.

Following are links to articles that further spell out the potential danger of a Trump presidency, and support the actions of the electors to choose differently.

From the NY Times Op Ed, Why I Will Not Cast My Electoral Vote for Donald Trump, by Christopher Suprun

From The Atlantic, Trump Could be in Violation of the Constitution His First Day in Office, by Norman Eisen and Richard Painter

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/12/trump-could-be-in-violation-of-the-constitution-his-first-day-in-office/509810/

The Electoral College Should be Unfaithful, by Kathleen Parker

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-electoral-college-should-be-unfaithful/2016/12/06/360f8f2c-bbfb-11e6-ac85-094a21c44abc_story.html?utm_term=.250fe4375c6c

 

And some references:

Oath of Office

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Applicable Clauses of the Constitution

AI, S9, C8: No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

AIII, S3, C1: Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.

1st Amendment. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

6th Amendment. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

7th Amendment. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

8th Amendment. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Trump Quotes

“Would you try to get the military commissions, the trial court there, to try U.S. citizens?” the Miami Herald reporter asked.

Mr. Trump responded: “Well, I know that they want to try them in our regular court systems, and I don’t like that at all. I don’t like that at all. I would say they could be tried there, that would be fine.”

 

“Would I approve waterboarding?” Trump said in November 2015. “You bet your ass I would. In a heartbeat. I would approve more than that. It works,” he added. “And if it doesn’t work, they deserve it anyway for what they do to us.”