Day 21: Roosters come home to nest

It's a snow day in New England, so I'm on top of things early! Of course, we're only halfway through the day, and already so much destruction is occurring. Let's wade into it...

Along with the usual bucket of excrement today, there were three new executive orders.

• One was a national version of the "Blue lives matter" law, which basically took a group of people (law enforcement) who are already highly protected by the law (remember that these guys are almost untouchable in the court system), and significantly increased penalties for "attacks" against them. "Resisting arrest", which the police apply indiscriminately, is now a felony in Louisiana, for example. This is a big step towards turning America into a police state. There was, of course, no mention of the hundreds of people killed by police each year.
• Another tasks the Attorney General with creating a task force to reduce crime in America.
• The text of the third hasn't been released, only its title: "Enforcing federal law with respect to the transnational criminal organizations and preventing international trafficking". [Update: Here is the text.]

I haven't found any analysis of the second or third yet. I expect them both to be terrible. The third appears to be a thinly-veiled crackdown in immigration. While not explicitly mentioned, one gets the strong sense that that's going to be the end result.

In other news:

• In his first speech as Attorney General, Sessions made the following remark: "We have a crime problem. I wish the rise that we're seeing in crime in America today was some sort of aberration or blip. We need to end that lawlessness that threatens the American people." This is manifestly untrue. Once again, the administration is actively manufacturing crises to justify the suppression of people's rights.
• Kellyanne Conway wades into the Nordstrom debacle by breaking the law. We have those laws for a reason. I expect them to be upheld. The administration is not above the law. [Update: Republicans are pushing back! Wow!]
• Construction at Standing Rock is underway. This country needs to stop prioritizing oil over people.
• In bad news for nuclear non-proliferation, Trump proposed to Putin that we do away with the New START treaty. This guy doesn't even know what the treaty does, he just thinks that Obama negotiated it, so it has to be bad. This guy has absolutely no idea of the havoc he is wreaking on the world stage.
• Trump's deportation orders are starting to hit home. A Mexican woman who's lived in the US more than 20 years, with two children in the country, is being deported. Tearing apart families in this regard is so completely fucked up. Her crime? Using a false social security number so she could have a job. Graphic evidence from protestors against the deportation. I am ANGRY.
• Trump has no idea what civil forfeiture is (hint: it's terrible), but he's all for it because his police buddies like the money it brings them!
• Those calls you're making? Keep it up! Republican senators complain about phone jam.
• Trump is so busy being terrible that the Trump-Russia scandal isn't getting talked about.

 I'll update this page below if I see anything else from today.

• Trump held his first meeting on Veterans Affairs. Nobody from VA was invited, only those who stand to profit from privatizing "healthcare" for veterans. This administration does not care about the people.
• States are taking after Trump's attack on sanctuary cities. This is just awful. A speeding ticket is no justification for deportation.
• BREAKING: The Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has refused to overrule the Seattle court's stay on the immigration order. The ruling contemptuously shuts down every government argument. "It is beyond question that the federal judiciary retains the authority to adjudicate constitutional challenges to executive action." (Text of the order)

If you're interested in reading why DeVos was such a bad candidate for Secretary of Education, here is an excellent writeup.