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Page 2 The Skanner February 22, 2017 Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Melanie Sevcenko Reporter Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2016 MERIT AWARD WINNER The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 info@theskanner.com Opinion The Art of the Deal: Trump Loves Confusion and Chaos I n politics, I have been told that you pick your bat- tles, but President Donald Trump has a different the- ory. He has decided to fight everyone that does not agree with his opinion, and it’s probably the worst way that he could have started his ad- ministration. There are over 600 admin- istrative positions that must be filled, and staffers who have been hired are having meetings in the dark, because they don’t know how to turn on the lights. There are leaks coming from aides who are questioning if the top staff understands the processes of the White House and/or the federal government. At this point, Trump’s most significant political setback in his new administration is the 9th Circuit Court rul- ing against reinstating the president’s travel ban. The unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel means that citizens of seven major- ity-Muslim countries will be able to continue travel to and from the U.S., despite Trump’s executive order last month. Trumps immediate re- sponse was an angry tweet: “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SE- CURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” So, now Trump’s top staff Roger Caldwell NNPA Columnist will hold numerous meetings trying to determine how they can circumvent the Circuit Court’s decision and fall fur- ther behind in organizing the administration. Instead of presenting evi- dence to explain the need for the executive order, Trump’s “ happen every day. Trump, the reality TV star, loves confusion, and believes chaos produces the sort of re- sults he likes. “Read any of those stories and the word ‘chaos’ jumps to mind. Or ‘turmoil.’ Or ‘dissen- sion.’ All of them convey the same thing: “Less than three weeks into his presidency there is a knife fight happen- ing daily among Trump’s top aides.” wrote Chris Cillizza for “The Fix,” a politics blog for “The Washington Post.” Then National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was An environment of chaos is not new for Trump, and he appears to thrive on disorder legal team came to the hear- ing unprepared. This is sig- nificant, because it raises questions about how his oth- er executive orders will be defended in court, as lawyers across the nation begin to file lawsuits. An environment of chaos is not new for Trump, and he appears to thrive on dis- order. During the campaign, then- Republican presidential candidate promised that he would drain the swamp and now people are watching it forced to resign after it was reported that he had contact with Russian officials after the election. Trump’s La- bor Secretary pick Andrew Puzder withdrew from con- sideration for the post amidst decades-old domestic abuse claims, which his wife later recanted, and shortage of support among Republican senators. The West Wing is basical- ly empty, and there are small cracks of disappointment and disapproval with the dysfunc- tion of the administration. As the aides support different factions in the administra- tion, someone from the senior staff will become the most powerful. Many think that Stephen Bannon, Trump’s senior advi- sor, is the architect of many of the executive orders and the top staff person in the Trump Administration with all the power. Bannon’s appointment to the National Security Council has upset America, because now he has unlimited pow- er. With Bannon on the Na- tional Security Council, he has a political platform for hateful ideologies instead of the council making critical decisions based upon facts from experts on the ground. Things are a mess, and nearly a month into this presidency, very little has actually been accomplished. There are still hundreds of jobs to be filled and very few bills have been passed by Con- gress and sent to the White House. Most con men give the im- pression that they are rolling, but in this administration, when you roll back the fluff, there is no substance and no one knows what they are do- ing. www.TheSkanner.com The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. ©2017 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar RSS feeds BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION @theskannernews Building the Movement to Fight American Extremism M oral resistance, Amer- icans are quickly learning, is a civic duty under President Trump. But even as mass protests remind us that the Constitu- tion was not un-elected last November, history suggests that our resistance must pre- pare for a long-term move- ment. Things are going to get worse in America before they get better. We will win, but it’s not going to be fast and it’s not going to be easy. Lest we lose perspective, we need to soberly face the challenge before us. From Hitler to Franco to Suharto, fascist regimes in the 20th century seemed im- plausible in their beginnings. Nevertheless, their strong men defied the political es- tablishment and appealed to “the people,” even as they undermined the democratic process, a free press, orga- nized labor and the arts. In no instance, did this happen all at once, and in every case there were opponents who ex- pressed outrage at some point (Eighty percent of Germans disapproved of the Kristall- nacht attack on synagogues). But outrage did not stop fas- cism. The consistent scape- goating of some minority group inevitably turned na- Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II President, NC NAACP tional attention to security, law and order. Every fascist regime has blessed its cor- porate leaders and invested in infrastructure projects; in turn, so-called religious “ outraged. But when 17 moral leaders were arrested in an act of civil disobedience on the first “Moral Monday,” we committed ourselves to a fight with every nonviolent tool available to us in the courts, in the streets, in the legisla- ture and at the ballot box. We spent some long nights in jail, and we suffered some hard defeats in the midterm elec- tions. But this past November, when Trumpism swept the South, extremists in North We are building a movement of people who are not only deter- mined to fight extremism, but also to build the America that has not yet been leaders consistently bless the marriage of God and country. The only thing that can stop fascism is a broad coalition of people determined to stand together against extremism. What will protect us, four years from now, from a fas- cism that delays normal elec- tions during war time? When extremists took over state government in North Carolina in 2013, we had to face the reality of anti-dem- ocratic populism in 21st-cen- tury America. Yes, we were Carolina lost control of two of the three branches of govern- ment. In addition to that, a fed- eral court has ordered special elections in 2017, because the racially gerrymandered leg- islative districts, which gave extremists a supermajority in the legislative branch, were deemed unconstitutional. We need a sustained mor- al resistance. We cannot let this debate be about party. Some things aren’t left or right. They’re right or wrong. Democrats and Independents must link up with Republi- cans who are moved to resist, even as political differences remain (11 percent of Mor- al Monday supporters were Republican in 2013). Second, we have to build cross-racial, cross-class coali- tions that put a face on policy changes that hurt real people. Third, we must be willing to put our bodies on the line in nonviolent direct action and escalate our campaign until the cost of oppression is greater than the willingness of oppressors to continue. Finally, we must be com- mitted for the long haul. Our protest cannot be about a moment. We are building a movement of people who are not only determined to fight extremism, but also to build the America that has not yet been. We are working for a Third Reconstruction, and we know our history well enough to know that this work will not be fast or easy. With the ascent of Steve Bannon to the White House, we are closer to fascism than America has ever been be- fore. But we also know what can beat fascism. Others fought before us; it’s our time now. We needed a movement of moral resistance in every community, holding elected officials accountable for the extremism that is fast becom- ing U.S. policy.