Letter to Rep. Upton, and the President’s punching bag
I had not intended to post another blog article so soon. But the President’s video tweet on Sunday has compelled me to do so. Please note that he posted this tweet on the eve of the G-20 summit this week which focuses on international cooperation, international trade, and climate change, issues that are central to Mr. Trump’s agenda and standing with other world leaders. I thought that he would have been studying briefing material and preparing for this important summit rather than tweeting an out-dated video of himself in a wrestling match.
The First Amendment of the US Constitution states in part, “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…” Congress has not passed such a law, but the President’s video suggests that abridging or curtailing freedom of speech is an acceptable behavior. In my opinion, the video that he posted violates the oath of office that he took to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Following this introduction you will find the text of a letter that I am mailing tomorrow to my long-term Congressman, Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI). Yesterday I left a nearly identical message on his personal voice-mail in his Kalamazoo office.
In my November 18 letter to the President-elect, I pledged to do what I can to make his presidency successful. I am seriously reconsidering that pledge. Unless there is a marked change in Mr. Trump’s behavior in the near future, my goal will be to hasten his legal removal from office, by lobbying those in positions of authority, participating in protest marches, joining with other legitimate groups calling for him to step down, and/or encouraging my friends and readers to take similar action.
Some will think that I am an alarmist in my view of this situation. However, if you read through my blog posts dating back to the Presidential campaign, you will find that my observations and predictions have been fairly accurate. I sincerely hope that I am wrong this time. Meanwhile, I urge you to consider taking similar action. Jim
July 3, 2017
Rep. Fred Upton
350 E. Michigan Ave.
Suite 130
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Dear Fred,
I am writing about the President’s video tweet yesterday of him physically assaulting a person meant to represent CNN, or the “Fake News Network,” now the “Fraud News Network,” as he calls it.
Despite the efforts of his staff to explain this latest bizarre behavior, it shows the President inciting violence against those who disagree with him, in this case the press, or at the very least, condoning such violence. I am sure that the action that he displayed in this video does not rise to the level of a crime. However, I am also sure that if I posted a video of me beating my fists against the White House door, I would be immediately arrested and charged with the Federal crime of threatening harm to the President.
This latest tweet greatly increases my level of concern about Mr. Trump’s fitness to serve as President. Thus far, his tweets have been mostly sad in their content and context, sometimes amusing, and nearly always indicative of his extreme need for acclaim. This latest tweet is different. I am now scared. His vitriol seems to increase each week. Next time I fully expect him to tweet or say that some reporter should be “silenced,” or “removed,” or words to that effect. Such words can easily be misinterpreted by those prone to solving grievances with violence.
The leadership in Congress MUST reign the President in, especially those of you in the Republican Party. Given your length of service in Congress, I consider you to be one of those leaders. I urge you to confront the President regarding his behavior and to carefully consider his future behavior to determine if any of if constitutes “high crimes or misdemeanors.” I urge you and the members of the House of Representatives to be prepared to impeach the President if it does.
This man is no longer just an incompetent President requiring a long “learning curve” due to his novice status and lack of political experience. He is a danger to our country and our citizens!
Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns.
Jim Loomis 
Hi Jim, Being here at Silver Lake does a couple of helpful things for me. We have problems getting any tv news here so I have no idea about the video you reference. Also, while life seems to be unraveling in Washington it seems to be doing just fine so far here at the lake. In addition it is rare that I can even get on the internet via my iPhone to check emails, text messages, etc. living in solitude and distance from everyday news is actually quite liberating. Sounds like you may need such a break as well. Will share more when and if we decide to return to the civilized world of Hudsonville. 😋
Sent from my iPhone
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You may be right, Jack. We are planning a short get-away next week. If you ever get back on-line, just click on the highlighted words in the post for the link to the video. Enjoy the lake.
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I found this opinion piece by Charles Blow, very well written. I agree with his conclusion that there was Russian interference, but we do need to of course, wait for the Special Prosecutor to end his investigation, if it happens during the next 4 years. I think we are just going to find more and more rot to deal with and it isn’t going to get any better.
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Good morning Jim, Internet connections at Silver Lake are not always great especially during holiday weekends. Wanted to let you know I read both of your recent posts with increasing concern. Maybe you need to get away from the daily news for a while. 😋. I find that when I am out of touch with all the dysfunction in our national government these days but my life continues to feel somewhat normal I actually feel much better as well. Give yourself a break today. Refuse to watch or read any news coming out of Washington. You just might feel a little better about life in general, maybe even being a citizen of the USA. Pastor Jack Sent from my iPhone
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