Another Unconstitutional Executive Order

It's hard to keep up with the number of executive orders that explicitly violate the Constitution and/or just skirt its meaning. Which, of course, is the point of this administration. Chaos, suffering, massive upheaval. Whether it is because Trump just wants to push the limits as far as possible until there are no institutions left to counter his power grab, or because he doesn't really care which unconstitutional executive orders are struck down by the courts as long as he can continue to make money from being president (do we really know if all the classified documents he stole were returned), it doesn't matter. America may never be the same again.

So my big issue this week is Trump's duel executive orders which seek to make Americans who identify as transgender non-existent.  

First, just think about that. People, created by God with a different perspective of their gender identity, have been told by the president of the land of the free, that there is no such thing as their life situation. And, any parents of such a person, are, by association, either violating his executive order by encouraging their child's beliefs, or outright child abusers who may be subject to incarceration and loss of custody of their children if they live in states like Texas where the attorney general has made it a priority to seek medical records of his own constituents.

Of course, there have always been people who struggled with their sexual identity. One might even say that a sizable percentage of all people have experienced difficulty of some kind as they traversed the murky years of puberty. But let's not address reality, let's not address any of the reasons why Americans, children as well as adults, struggle with their self worth, turn to drugs and alcohol, or commit the ultimate act of self destruction, suicide, let's just blame those who manufacture the drugs we demand, or the countries which provide that demand, or just pretend that a certain demographic of Americans just don't exist.

Studies indicate that about 1/2 of 1% of people in America identify as transgender. Not even 2 million individuals, yet one would think that they are responsible for all of the problems of our times, and that with a stroke of the pen, those problems will disappear just as they do.

Which is the point of someone like this current president. Demonize a population that is not understood and exists in small numbers as a distraction away from the real problems of today. Not unlike sacrificing a virgin to appease the gods, except in this case the virgin is one of the most bullied and discriminated against populations in our country, and the gods are the super rich who drive the narratives that transgender people want to creep into women's locker rooms and excel at women's sports.

The fourth Amendment of the Constitution guarantees

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

To me, requesting medical records .of transgender patients could be interpreted an unlawful search and seizure. Unless one believes that transgender people don't exist and therefore have no rights under the Constitution. Keep an eye out for that interpretation in the courts who bend the knee to Trump.

And then there is Section One of the 14th Amendment

All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws

Perhaps this a stretch, since this amendment seems to indicate that no state shall deprive a person born in the United States life, liberty, or property, but then again this amendment has been interpreted to protect all naturalized Americans from violations by the federal government as well, hence the current arguments about children born of non citizens, so it is certainly conceivable that transgender people have a case that an executive order, or any federal or state law, that declares them not real, could be considered evidence that their due process has been violated and that their are not being granted equal protection of the laws.

When the gay community was ravaged by AIDS, there were millions of Americans who shrugged their shoulders and blamed the victims for the disease. It was easy to do since they were "different", even easier when the "religious" right declared them to be at odds with God's will. Funny how those who die from illegal use of fentanyl aren't graded with a similar yardstick. And how children experiencing confusion with their gender identity aren't given even a modicum of empathy by those same religious people.

Whether you believe that the current president has violated the Constitution by signing executive orders that declare that transgender people don't exist, or whether you believe it is just another distraction foisted upon America by someone who is the master of telling us where to look, so he can loot our government of money, our national self respect, and the ideals of "all men are created equal", in the end such executive orders are simply mean spirited, and not worthy of a self proclaimed Christian nation.   

And, since the Constitution seems no longer viable, we might as well take down the Statue of Liberty as we clearly no longer believe the  sentiment engraved on the pedestal:

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free".

And so, the decline of America continues.