yeah, I went there....

[woodsprite]

11. My 16yo son went there a few weeks ago for a high school history assignment. Here's his paper:

Time Magazine’s "Person of the Year"

On the election day, November 8th, 2016, a minority of Americans succeeded in voting to turn back the clock on their country. Many people took Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as a hoax. He was a millionaire reality show host and real estate mogul with no political experience or background. Most of the United States as well as the rest of the world woke up in shock on November 9th to find that Trump did in fact win enough electoral votes to take the Presidency. Many people are just beginning to comprehend what the next four years will bring if he is allowed to carry forth the agenda he promoted: deportation of over 3 million people, the killing of families of terrorists, registering Muslim Americans and barring any Muslim that wants to enter the US whether on business or pleasure, building a wall of separation. To accomplish his goal, he is bringing with him a cadre of just as equally polarizing advisors and cabinet appointees. Donald Trump influenced the entire country, connected with Russia, and planned to make global changes.

Since the election, he has claimed he wants to unify the nation. The real problem with a Trump presidency is not Trump himself, but the people he brings with him and surrounds himself with to advise him in a job that he is not qualified to do. One of his most surprising supporters is Russia’s Vladimir Putin. It should be no surprise that Russia played a role in getting Mr. Trump elected to the office of the President helping to ensure that he will be friendly to Russia during his tenure. Trump hopes to restore and strengthen ties with Russia and to overhaul NATO. Many could say there is a conflict of interest concerning his financial ties to that country but it does not appear to be of concern to him or his advisors.

During his campaign, Trump’s platform was primarily based on instilling fear and hatred in his supporters -- fear and hatred of minorities, immigrants, and refugees. There were incidents of violence at his rallies which he encouraged. His speeches included rhetoric that called Mexicans rapists and classified all Syrian refugees as terrorists and extreme radicals. The Ku Klux Klan endorsed him and their former Imperial Wizard David Duke claims responsibility for some of Mr. Trump’s popularity. Indeed one of the first appointments that Mr. Trump made was to appoint Steven Bannon, a neo-Nazi “Alt-Right” supporter and white nationalist, as his chief advisor.

One of the first items of business according to Mr. Trump is to cancel the Paris Accords climate deal. Over 195 countries signed on to reduce carbon emissions. He does not believe that global warming is real or that humans are responsible for climate change. According to his agenda, he is calling for more drilling, more coal, and fewer regulations. His plan is to get rid of any regulation that he deems outdated, unnecessary, or too expensive for business. He has personal investments and ties to the fossil fuel industry, including over $500,000 invested in the Dakota Access Pipeline project. As of this moment, his cabinet picks for EPA head and Secretary of the Interior are Myron Ebell (climate skeptic) and Sarah Palin (former half-term governor of Alaska who is famous for her “drill, baby, drill” statements).

Donald Trump, as 45th President of the United States, stands to be the most influential and polarizing figure in 2016, not only for the United States, but for the whole world. His presidency will be defined by his ability to heal the nation after a divisive and at times violent campaign. To beat back the schoolyard bullies, white supremacists, and KKK followers that his campaign has unleashed and empowered. Considering how he is starting off and who he is choosing for his cabinet, he is not off to a unifying start.



Sources:
Baylon, C. (2016, November 12). Did Russia Install Donald Trump as the Next US President? Retrieved November 13, 2016, from http://www.newsweek.com/did-russia-install-donald-trump-next-us-president-520272

Birnbaum. (2016, June 17). Inside Trump's financial ties to Russia and his unusual flattery of Vladimir Putin. Retrieved November 12, 2016, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-trumps-financial-ties-to-russia-and-his-unusual-flattery-of-vladimir-putin/2016/06/17/dbdcaac8-31a6-11e6-8ff7-7b6c1998b7a0_story.html

Coleman, J. (2016, October 04). In Case You Were Wondering, Donald Trump Has Multiple Ties to the Dakota Access Pipeline. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/in-case-you-were-wondering-donald-trump-has-multiple-ties-to-the-dakota-access-pipeline/

Donald Trump would 'cancel' Paris climate deal. (2016, May 27). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-36401174

Landler, M. (2016, November 12). Trump’s Hires Will Set Course of His Presidency. Retrieved November 13, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/13/us/politics/donald-trump-administration-appointments.html

Shear, M. D., Haberman, M., & Schmidt, M. S. (2016, November 14). Critics See Stephen Bannon, Trump’s Pick for Strategist, as Voice of Racism. Retrieved November 14, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/us/politics/donald-trump-presidency.html

The Editorial Board (2016, November 10). Denounce the Hate, Mr. Trump. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/opinion/denounce-the-hate-mr-trump.html