RIGHT SPEECH

30 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Right Speech

My Facebook “friend,” the distinguished painter Eric Fischl—you may know of him?—posted a request yesterday regarding that speech your president gave last week to a graduating class of police cadets on Long Island. I watched that speech with as much dismay as did the artist. Here’s what he asked his many friends to communicate to their congressional representative:

It was foolish and irresponsible for President Trump to have so cavalierly joked that police shouldn't worry about being so careful with their suspects when physically arresting them. He is tone deaf to the hyper-sensitive issues that have been swirling around police brutality against the black and latino communities for years. You need to distance yourself from him on this issue. Unless, you actually believe that it is OK?

For myself, I don’t think it’s OK. First, I don’t think it’s OK for the president* of the United States to engage in this kind of rabble-rousing. Like the infamous Boy Scout speech, it’s a particularly venal use of the so-called bully pulpit. It’s the way Trump goes about begging for the approval, if not the adulation of large crowds of people, as he did so successfully in his campaign rallies. It is certainly beneath the dignity of the office that he occupies.

As to the content of the speech, it reflects the cynicism and the cruelty that lie at the heart of this man’s character. We are a nation built, as we so constantly reiterate, on the rule of law. It is not simply immoral but unlawful for police officers to treat suspects—even proven criminals—with anything but restraint. Your Trump, as I recall, in the same tone, called for the resumption of torture in a campaign speech. This is not only un-presidential, it is fundamentally opposed to all the values that we Americans claim to hold dear.

"Right Speech" is a Buddhist concept. It means, essentially, "speak no evil." The president makes a mockery of such common decency  My Facebook friend is right: you must distance yourself, publicly, from the president on this issue.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

NOT A LETTER, TODAY...

... but a reminder:

There can be no rest for those of us who rejoice at the vote against repeal of Obamacare. Now Tr*mp threatens openly--and with apparent glee--to use his office to sabotage it. We must not let this happen. 

Even though based on the conservative, market-based approach with which I fundamentally disagree, the Affordable Care Act succeeds in bringing us one step closer to a recognition of the basic human right to health care in this country. I like to think that our outrage has played an important part in protecting it against 7 years of unrelenting, vitriolic assault from Republicans. Their fury, it seems to me, is explicable largely by the fact that it was the accomplishment of a Democratic and, um... African American President. Oh, and it's a new "entitlement."

As today's NYT editorial points out, it lies entirely within Tr*mp's power to do exactly what he says he plans to do. He MUST be stopped. Republicans in Congress won't do it. Nor will Rohrabacher. It's up to those of us who care about the health and welfare of our fellow citizens.

KISS!

28 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Your KISS solution

I’m sure the sense of utter relief I feel on the (I hope final) death blow to “repeal and replace” is shared by the vast majority of my fellow Americans, if not by you. We have been left twisting in the partisan political winds for far too long. Senator John McCain’s vote, late last night, put paid to the “skinny” version—which was in fact so skinny as to be invisible. It was simply a ruse to throw the already stinking corpse back to the House for you members of Congress to resuscitate. You must be happy, I assume, to be relieved of that responsibility. But who knows…

A propos of which, I read your KISS (the sainted Ronald Reagan’s “Keep It Simple, Stupid”) op-ed piece on the health care piece in USA today. Your solution is to shift responsibility for pre-existing conditions over to Medicare and leave everyone else to fend for themselves, so far as health care insurance is concerned. I’m afraid your solution is too simple. Even Trump had begun to notice what “nobody knew before”, that health care is a thorny issue. I think, first, you’d have trouble persuading your Republican colleagues to add massively to the costs of Medicare. And then, what happens to all those who in their infinite (and probably juvenile) wisdom opt out of insurance altogether, only to be hit by a disastrous accident or serious illness or disease? Do we just let them die? Or force them and their families into financial ruin, in view of their irresponsibility?

So what happens next? It’s unconscionable to “let Obamacare fail”, as your dear leader suggests. You Republican members of Congress, along with the Senate, must now work together with Democrats to improve the health care system that we have. In many ways, it is working well for the American people. It needs good faith efforts to make it work still better.

And of course, as you’re by now tired of hearing me say, there’s always single-payer… (KISS!)

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

TOWN HALL!

 28 July, 2017

  

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: TOWN HALL—YOUR DISTRICT!

I know that many others are asking you to attend the District 48 Town Hall meeting scheduled for August 1^st at Aliso Niguel High School. Let me add my voice to theirs. I recognize that it is being organized by others than your own staff and supporters but you are, after all, the representative for all of us in the US Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike. It is incumbent on you to meet with your constituents—even those, perhaps particularly those, who disagree with you.

I’m particularly sad to say that I myself unable to attend, due to a vital, long-scheduled and impossible-to-postpone medical appointment in Los Angeles. August 1st also happens to be my birthday, which I would otherwise be only too happy to celebrate in your distinguished but elusive company. I trust that others will be able to do so in my stead.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

Letter #114

RUSSIA SANCTIONS

27 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Sanctions, et al.

I note that you voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act, even though it included further sanctions against Russia. Your reason, it seems, was that the bill also proposed sanctions against North Korea and Iran.

The 491 – 3 vote was a rare instance of bi-partisan action, and I suppose that’s grounds for some kind of applause. I could have wished, myself, that it had come on some more urgent issue—like, say… health care? Too much to hope for? The current kerfuffle in the Senate on this matter would be comic were its implications not so grave for millions of Americans. As I said in an earlier letter, should any “repeal” of the Affordable Care Act be approved in the Senate and come back to the House, this one of many of your constituents wishes you to voice your opposition.

Meantime, we all fall deeper into the nightmare that is the Donald Trump presidency. His gross narcissism, his ignorance, his crass, self-serving actions, his tweets, his every speech (even to Boy Scouts) another arrogant assertion of his campaign vanities… it’s all too much, Congressman. How you would stand out, a profile in courage amongst your fellow craven Republican representatives, if you were to take a public stand against this now indisputable and outrageous behavior coming from our house, the White House!

DO something! SAY something! Do not sit idly by and watch, and by your silence, condone.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

MARTIANS?

26 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

I know others have teased you already about your interest, in a congressional hearing the other day, in the possibility of Martians having existed on the Red Planet “thousands” of year ago. When the testifying scientist expressed skepticism and opined that it would have to have been at least millions of years ago, it seemed you persisted in your questioning.

Well, Congressman, while I share your fascination with the cosmos and our possible fellow travelers in this old universe, I continue to request from you a more compassionate approach to your fellow human beings here on this Earth, specifically here in America and more specifically still in the district that you represent.

It was a depressing spectacle, yesterday, to see Republican Senators rushing to deprive everyone but themselves of access to health care—generously paid for, in their case and yours, by the taxpayers whose interests you are all supposed to represent—in order to benefit the drug companies, insurance companies, and others who profit from disease and illness.

If and when a bill returns to the House from the Senate, I ask you to listen not to your lobbyists but to those hundreds of people who have gathered at your office to protest, to those millions who have demonstrated nation-wide, to those less fortunate Americans who will suffer financial disaster or worse, needless death in consequence of a “repeal” of the Affordable Care Act.

Senator McCain, even as he cast a vote in favor of debate, begged his colleagues to set aside petty partisan spite and work together. I ask the same of you. Do not “repeal.” Improve.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

SILENCE

24 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

You might be wondering what’s been happening to me, these past few days. But then again, probably not. I’m sure you have better things to do. Still, I thought I’d at least drop a line today to explain my silence. My wife and I have had our five-year-old grandson staying with us at our Laguna Beach cottage, while his mom took a well-deserved weekend of rest and relaxation. I had no idea, before little Luka’s arrival on this planet, what a job it is to be a single mother with a demanding full-time job and an indefatigable son to take care of. No wonder she’s exhausted and needs a little time off.

As for us grandfolks, we’re exhausted after just a couple of days. Our grandson will be with us until Thursday—though his mom will be joining us later today to help out. So it might be a couple more days before I resume my regular communications. Believe me (as Trump would say!) it’s not for lack of passionate concern for the affairs of this country and the world!

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

THE NYT TRUMP INTERVIEW

20 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: The NYT Trump interview

I wonder if you read the excerpts of the interview with Trump (sorry, I still refuse to think of him, let alone refer to him as president)? Any honest assessment of that interview would surely conclude that the man is severely limited intellectually, if not actually demented. He whines, he waffles, he blames, he lies, he oversimplifies, he indulges in needless self-aggrandizement… The interview is mostly painful to read, but I especially enjoyed the part where he waxed on about the French president liking so much to hold his hand. The little boy finally emerged, innocent and undisguised.

One line caught my attention. At one point, when he is talking about his meeting with US Senators about the health care bill, he declares: “Believe me, do I know bad people.” And on this point, yes, I do actually believe him. I believe that he is where he is, a purported billionaire, precisely because he knows bad people. I believe, despite his frequent denials, that he has had dealings with bad people. He may have no buildings in Russia, as he once again claims in this interview, but he has surely enabled the money-laundering needed by Russian oligarchs to protect their assets. He has surely profited obscenely from abetting these “bad people.” Remember, Junior boasting about how all that money was flooding in from Russia? Oh, yes, I do believe he knows them.

I see no other explanation, quite frankly, for his adamant refusal (again, in this interview) to reveal information about his personal finances; he makes it clear that he would seriously consider firing special counsel Mueller if he crossed what Trump calls this “red line.” And yet… this is what it’s all about, isn’t it? In what ways is he obligated to the Russians, that they worked so hard to assure his election?

I hope we find out, don’t you? Is that not the patriotic course, to defend our country against the aggression of hostile nations? Or perhaps, given your documented friendship with our adversary, you have a different view?

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

THE RUSSIA CONNECTION

19 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

A thoughtful correspondent forwarded me the link to this article in The Daily Beast: http://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-lawmaker-got-direction-from-moscow-took-it-back-to-dc?source=facebook&via=desktop. I must say that I was surprised and appalled by the story, which portrays you as a willing puppet in the hands of Russian officials—some of them the same as those involved in the now infamous Trump Jr. meeting last June.

Another thoughtful correspondent drew my attention to the Dutch documentary, “The Dubious Friends of Donald Trump.” It’s a persuasive look at the history of Trump’s relationship with Russian oligarchs, the Russian mafia, and shady deals involving blood diamonds and the construction of the controversial Israeli settlements that are so destructive to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. It also casts a clearer light on Trump’s (to date) puzzling fealty to Vladimir Putin.

It seems that you, Congressman, are in deep with the Russia connection. I’m a skeptic when it comes to conspiracy theories, but I am now convinced that Trump is little more than a tool in the hands of Putin, who sits like a spider at the center of this web that involves a long history of money-laundering through the construction projects and other shady deals that made Trump and his family rich. I am convinced that his refusal to acknowledge, let alone punish Russian interference in our last year’s election stems from his own complicity, and that of his family, in a long-standing plot to seat him in the Oval Office. I believe that he is so deeply in debt, both morally and financially, to corrupt and powerful Russians that they are able to control his actions and his words.

This is a terrible admission. It pains me to think that you, too, are complicit. I think that the Daily Beast article is serious and well-researched enough to demand a public explanation of your ties to the Russian government.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN

18 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Your Senator McCain

I’m sure you’ll join me in sending good thoughts to Senator John McCain for a speedy recovery from his surgery. I had been worried about him since his strange and rambling questioning of James Comey a few weeks ago—it seemed almost like the onset of dementia. I have always admired the man, though I have generally disagreed with his positions; and truthfully my respect for him began to wane at the time of his run for the Presidency. His choice of Sarah Palin was, in my view, a serious lapse in judgment.

But I surely wish him well. He had not yet clarified his position on the cruelly misnamed Better Care Reconciliation Act, but his yes vote would surely have been the sharpest of ironies. The cost of his recent surgery and post-operative care has amounted, I read, to nearly $80,000. He was fortunate, indeed, to be protected by the kind of insurance his party and his president seem intent on putting beyond the reach of millions of Americans.

I am glad that zombie bill has been finally (???) pronounced dead. Now it seems the Republican effort will be to repeal Obamacare without replacing it. Good luck with that! The ire of the American people has been aroused, and will not easily be pacified—especially not by an even more brazen attack on something they now recognize to be a right.

A modest suggestion: Obamacare is now popular. It works. It can be made to work better with good faith and a willingness to compromise on either side. So get to it!

(And of course, the obvious choice is still for a single payer system that dumps the whole “free market”, profit-motivated approach to health care for all. Will we ever get what every other advanced nation already has?)

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

RUSSIA

17 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Russia

I find you defending the June, 2016 Trump Jr. meeting with assorted Russian folk in an online article by Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times. She quotes you as saying the following: “If someone says to you that they want to give you information, there is nothing wrong with that. It is not illegal to receive information from someone, especially if you are engaged in an activity that’s aimed at trying to secure understanding for policies that you plan to implement as a leader in the United States.”

I know that you are an ardent supporter of better relations with Russia, but…

One, the “information” you refer to (rather glibly, if I may say) was expressly intended to damage a rival candidate in an American election. It purported without shame or excuse to be offered by a hostile foreign government, the result of activity that any reasonable person would assume to be spying.

Two, the meeting in question was in June of 2016, not a moment at which Trump was designing “policies to be implemented as a leader in the United States.”

Three, almost as disturbing as the meeting itself are the multiple denials and lies that have been told, not just in the past few days but over several months. Why is it that the Trump campaign and, now, the Trump administration, can’t simply come out and tell the whole truth? Why are they not as keen as the rest of us to expose the facts of Russian intervention in our election? Does it not amount to a violation of our national sovereignty? Do we not need to understand—and perhaps punish them—for what they did? Do we not need to know the facts, in order to be able to prevent such action in the future?

The exculpation that you offer is ingenuous. I beg to disagree.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

LE QUATORZE JUILLET

14 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Bastille Day

I honestly think the only reason they sent Trump over to France was to let him bask in the illusion of a little glory. He’s happy as a clam with soldiers in uniform, solemn marches, a visit to Napoleon’s tomb (must have made him swell a bit!) and a trip up the Eiffel Tower. What a child!

Bastille Day, of course, is the French celebration of freedom from an indulged and hapless monarchy. With the Trump family acting like much the Bourbons in the bad old days, could we hope for the same now?

A bientot,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

UP IN ARMS

13 July, 2017

 Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Up in Arms

I neglected to ask this earlier, when I spotted the article in the New York Times about an effort to pass legislation allowing (requiring?) all congressional representatives to carry a weapon. It was, I believe, in part a response to the shooting of several representatives and aides at baseball practice a few weeks ago.

My question: where do you stand on this issue? Perhaps you already “pack heat,” as they say here in America? If so, I trust you’re properly trained in the weapon’s use. Or do you agree with Rep. Brian Babin of Texas (!) who introduced the legislation permitting members of Congress to carry concealed weapons? How do you plan to vote, I wonder, if it comes to that? I’d be interested to hear.

You’ll not be surprised to know that I am not a fan of the widespread ownership of guns in this country. If you throw the Second Amendment at me, I’ll argue that the men who wrote it could never have foreseen, and would never have approved, the bloodshed that results from the kind of careless, irresponsible or criminal gun ownership sanctioned by the senseless influence of the National Rifle Association. Nor could they have foreseen the firepower of today’s weaponry.

I’m not asking for prohibition—though I admit I’d like it. I’m asking for reasonable rules and regulations to prevent the most avoidable of abuses.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

WITCH HUNT?

12 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: The Witch Hunt

Your Trump does himself too much honor—and witches too much disrespect—in referring to the Russia investigations collectively as a “witch hunt.” This pursuit of the simple truth pales in comparison to what was done to innocent women, all those centuries ago.

That the Russia investigations are no witch hunt was also stunningly revealed in yesterday’s release of Donald Trump Jr.’s email exchange, in which he exulted in the prospect of receiving “dirt” on Hillary Clinton from what he had every reason to suppose was a hostile foreign government.  To call his son “open, innocent, and transparent,” as the president did in a recent tweet is to ignore months of silence, even outright lies, not only from his son, but also his son-in-law and others in a position to know of this outrageous subversion of both law and political decency.

I know I write this all too often in my letters to you, Congressman, but is it not well past time for Republicans to stand up in opposition to what they must know, by now, to be the lies and obfuscation of the Trump administration? Will there not, eventually, be some come-uppance for those who lack the courage and political fortitude to speak the truth, and act upon it?

I ask of you only to give us what you promised when you ran for office: service to your constituents and, in your oath of office, defense of this country’s Constitution. Which should not be too much to ask of my representative in the US Congress.

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.

PRIVATE ARMIES

11 July, 2017

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher,

101 Main Street #380

Huntington Beach, CA 92648

Dear Congressman,

Re: Private armies

The scariest story (amongst several, sadly!) on the front page of the New York Times today? In my view, it’s “Businessmen get a Say on Afghan War Strategy.” That Erik D. Prince, of Blackwater infamy, should be invited by the Trump team (to wit, Stephen K. Bannon) to consult with the U.S. military on the conduct of that never-ending and, to my mind, historically unwinnable war is both preposterous and dangerous.

Remember, Congressman, it was men from Prince’s private army who stormed into a public square in Iraq and shot up everything in sight, killing 17 innocent civilians?

Two obvious problems here. First, privatization. It’s a Republican obsession. You people seem to want to privatize everything, from the public education system (with Prince’s sister, Betsy at the helm of the Department of Education) to the national infrastructure—roads, bridges, tunnels, the whole lot—to the prison system, and so on. Everything for profit. Even government it seems, these days, has been co-opted as a for-profit branch of the Trump empire. By ostensibly making government “smaller” and “cutting taxes,” you are opening the door for Americans to be paying more out of their pockets, except to greedy private corporations instead of public-minded government agencies. Something wrong there. Especially when it comes to our military presence in the world.

Second, yes, because of the profit motive, in re-assigning responsibility for military action to the private sector, there’s the problem of conflict (excuse the term! The pun is appropriate here!) of interest. When corporate chiefs have a vested interest in sending men off to their deaths—and to inflict more death on their targets—their decisions become questionable to say the least.

May I know your opinion in this matter, Congressman? Would you support paying taxpayer to private, for-profit corporations, to have them fight our wars for us?

Respectfully,

Peter Clothier, Ph.D.