Judgment of the Nations

 

Reverend Dustin Bartlett

Judgment of the Nations

by Rev. Dustin Bartlett

Our nation’s budget is a moral document.  It reflects the values of the country.  It demonstrates where our priorities lie.  It tells the story of who we are, and who we want to be.

The budget proposed by the White House this week tells the story of a country that cares very little about science, the environment, diplomacy, the poor, and the elderly.  Between the cuts in our diplomatic corps and foreign aid and the increase in military spending, it’s a budget that seems eager for war.

So we must ask ourselves, “Is this who we want to be?  Is this what our country should look like?”

Do we really want to completely eliminate all government grants for the arts and the humanities?  Have we decided that we no longer value art and literature, music and sculpture?  Shall we cut funding for the educational programming on PBS, and have our kids watch cartoons filled with violence and toilet humor instead?

Speaking of our kids, do we really want to cut all funding for researching and fighting global climate change?  What kind of world are we leaving our children and grandchildren if we abandon all efforts to slow climate change, and eliminate funding to keep our air and water clean?

Have we become so calloused to the plight of the poor and the elderly that we will eliminate funding for Meals on Wheels?  Meals on Wheels!  We’re talking about feeding poor, home-bound senior citizens!  If the budget is a moral document that shows what we, as a nation, care about, then what does this say about us?

And for what purpose are we cutting funding for the arts, and for alleviating poverty, and for health research, for low-income energy assistance and low-income housing?  These cuts are being made to allow us to increase military spending by $54 billion dollars a year.

Never mind that the United States already spends significantly more on its military than any other nation.  In fact, our military budget is bigger than the budgets of the next eight highest-spending countries combined – and of those eight countries, we have formal alliances with six.  We have 19 aircraft carriers; the other countries of the world have a combined total of 12.  Do we really need to be more poised for war than we already are?

As Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”  This budget is definitely a step away from helping the poor and vulnerable in favor of violence and war.  It’s up to us to decide if that’s the kind of country we want to be.

In a democracy, we get to decide.  Our elected leaders are accountable to us.  This is certainly not the kind of country I want the United States of America to be, but maybe most of my fellow citizens want exactly that.

Only, if you do, don’t also tell me you want this to be a country that is built upon Christian values.

In the 25^th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus describes a scene in which the nations are judged by God, and this is how they will be judged:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.  All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.  Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?  And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’  And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

“Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’  Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The White House wants to cut Meals on Wheels.  That’s a reflection of where their morals are.  Jesus said when we feed the hungry, we’re feeding him.  That’s where Christ’s morals are.

Where do our morals lie?  What kind of nation do we want to be?

KellyAnne Conway Kneels on Couch and Tweets in Oval Office Ignoring HBCUs Representatives . An Opinion

By Herb Ryan
February 28,

In an act typical of the Trump administration, KellyAnn Conway, senior advisor makes herself comfortable on the couch in the White House Oval Office to look at what, a few selfies?  The Three Stooges, Conway, Bannon and Priebus have set their own rules on White House protocol and have essentially declared that there really are no sacred protocols. They can do whatever they want, whenever they want, subject to occasional interference by Trump, providing he is not busy traveling to his Florida retreat to play golf,  holding state security meetings on the patio of a public restaurant or yet another “Trump” rally to massage his low self-esteem and repair the damage to his thin orange skin.

Tonight will be Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress and there is no reason you can not watch or listen to it. If he can find a way to increase military spending without turning the country into an armed camp and leave Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security alone, that would be acceptable to most reasonable people, even Bannon is for that !

I will listen to Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress tonight and hope for the best. This administration will implode in six months, if not sooner. Once the cards are on the table, even the blind will see. The “Christian Republicans” will finally regain their moral ground and duty to country. And, with mid-term elections less than a year away the desire to be re-elected grows stronger along with the realization that   there is no point in supporting  an administration that is in constant turmoil and sinking like a rock. .

 

The people gathered around Trump’s desk are all representatives of historically black colleges and universities, HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities). They were at the White House for a “listening session,” in the formulation of the White House press office, there to share “expert insights on policy issues impacting their individual campuses.” A readout from the event suggests that they discussed “how to create a better partnership between the Trump Administration and HBCUs.” (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

Executive Order 13490 – Ethics Commitments By Executive Branch Personnel – Food For Thought

THE WHITE HOUSE
EXECUTIVE ORDER
January 21, 2009

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and sections 3301 and 7301 of title 5, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1.  Ethics Pledge.  Every appointee in every executive agency appointed on or after January 20, 2009, shall sign, and upon signing shall be contractually committed to, the following pledge upon becoming an appointee:

“As a condition, and in consideration, of my employment in the United States Government in a position invested with the public trust, I commit myself to the following obligations, which I understand are binding on me and are enforceable under law:

“1.Lobbyist Gift Ban.  I will not accept gifts from registered lobbyists or lobbying organizations for the duration of my service as an appointee.

“2.Revolving Door Ban — All Appointees Entering Government.  I will not for a period of 2 years from the date of my appointment participate in any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients, including regulations and contracts.

“3.Revolving Door Ban — Lobbyists Entering Government.  If I was a registered lobbyist within the 2 years before the date of my appointment, in addition to abiding by the limitations of paragraph 2, I will not for a period of 2 years after the date of my appointment:

(a)participate in any particular matter on which I lobbied within the 2 years before the date of my appointment;

(b)participate in the specific issue area in which that particular matter falls; or

(c)seek or accept employment with any executive agency that I lobbied within the 2 years before the date of my appointment.

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“4.Revolving Door Ban — Appointees Leaving Government.  If, upon my departure from the Government, I am covered by the post-employment restrictions on communicating with employees of my former executive agency set forth in section 207(c) of title 18, United States Code, I agree that I will abide by those restrictions for a period of 2 years following the end of my appointment.

“5.Revolving Door Ban — Appointees Leaving Government to Lobby.  In addition to abiding by the limitations of paragraph 4, I also agree, upon leaving Government service, not to lobby any covered executive branch official or non-career Senior Executive Service appointee for the remainder of the Administration.

“6.Employment Qualification Commitment.  I agree that any hiring or other employment decisions I make will be based on the candidate’s qualifications, competence, and experience.

“7.Assent to Enforcement.  I acknowledge that the Executive Order entitled ‘Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel,’ issued by the President on January 21, 2009, which I have read before signing this document, defines certain of the terms applicable to the foregoing obligations and sets forth the methods for enforcing them.  I expressly accept the provisions of that Executive Order as a part of this agreement and as binding on me.  I understand that the terms of this pledge are in addition to any statutory or other legal restrictions applicable to me by virtue of Federal Government service.”

Sec. 2.  Definitions.  As used herein and in the pledge set forth in section 1 of this order:

(a)”Executive agency” shall include each “executive agency” as defined by section 105 of title 5, United States Code, and shall include the Executive Office of the President; provided, however, that for purposes of this order “executive agency” shall include the United States Postal Service and Postal Regulatory Commission, but shall exclude the Government Accountability Office.

(b)”Appointee” shall include every full-time, non-career Presidential or Vice-Presidential appointee, non-career appointee in the Senior Executive Service (or other SES-type system), and appointee to a position that has been excepted from the competitive service by reason of being of a confidential or policymaking character (Schedule C and other positions excepted under comparable criteria) in an executive agency.  It does not include any person appointed as a member of the Senior Foreign Service or solely as a uniformed service commissioned officer.

(c)”Gift”

(1)shall have the definition set forth in section 2635.203(b) of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations;

(2)shall include gifts that are solicited or accepted indirectly as defined at section 2635.203(f) of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations;

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(3)shall exclude those items excluded by sections 2635.204(b), (c), (e)(1) & (3) and (j)(l) of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations.

(d)”Covered executive branch official” and “lobbyist” shall have the definitions set forth in section 1602 of title 2, United States Code.

(e)”Registered lobbyist or lobbying organization” shall mean a lobbyist or an organization filing a registration pursuant to section 1603(a) of title 2, United States Code, and in the case of an organization filing such a registration, “registered lobbyist” shall include each of the lobbyists identified therein.

(f)”Lobby” and “lobbied” shall mean to act or have acted as a registered lobbyist.

(g)”Particular matter” shall have the same meaning as set forth in section 207 of title 18, United States Code, and section 2635.402(b)(3) of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations.

(h)”Particular matter involving specific parties” shall have the same meaning as set forth in section 2641.201(h) of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, except that it shall also include any meeting or other communication relating to the performance of one’s official duties with a former employer or former client, unless the communication applies to a particular matter of general applicability and participation in the meeting or other event is open to all interested parties.

(i)”Former employer” is any person for whom the appointee has within the 2 years prior to the date of his or her appointment served as an employee, officer, director, trustee, or general partner, except that “former employer” does not include any executive agency or other entity of the Federal Government, State or local government, the District of Columbia, Native American tribe, or any United States territory or possession.

(j)”Former client” is any person for whom the appointee served personally as agent, attorney, or consultant within the 2 years prior to the date of his or her appointment, but excluding instances where the service provided was limited to a speech or similar appearance.  It does not include clients of the appointee’s former employer to whom the appointee did not personally provide services.

(k)”Directly and substantially related to my former employer or former clients” shall mean matters in which the appointee’s former employer or a former client is a party or represents a party.

(l)”Participate” means to participate personally and substantially.

(m)”Post-employment restrictions” shall include the provisions and exceptions in section 207(c) of title 18, United States Code, and the implementing regulations.

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(n)”Government official” means any employee of the executive branch.

(o)”Administration” means all terms of office of the incumbent President serving at the time of the appointment of an appointee covered by this order.

(p)”Pledge” means the ethics pledge set forth in section 1 of this order.

(q)All references to provisions of law and regulations shall refer to such provisions as in effect on January 20, 2009.

Sec. 3.  Waiver.  (a)  The Director of the Office of Management and Budget, or his or her designee, in consultation with the Counsel to the President or his or her designee, may grant to any current or former appointee a written waiver of any restrictions contained in the pledge signed by such appointee if, and to the extent that, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, or his or her designee, certifies in writing (i) that the literal application of the restriction is inconsistent with the purposes of the restriction, or (ii) that it is in the public interest to grant the waiver.  A waiver shall take effect when the certification is signed by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget or his or her designee.

(b)The public interest shall include, but not be limited to, exigent circumstances relating to national security or to the economy.  De minimis contact with an executive agency shall be cause for a waiver of the restrictions contained in paragraph 3 of the pledge.

Sec. 4.  Administration.  (a)  The head of every executive agency shall, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Government Ethics, establish such rules or procedures (conforming as nearly as practicable to the agency’s general ethics rules and procedures, including those relating to designated agency ethics officers) as are necessary or appropriate to ensure that every appointee in the agency signs the pledge upon assuming the appointed office or otherwise becoming an appointee; to ensure that compliance with paragraph 3 of the pledge is addressed in a written ethics agreement with each appointee to whom it applies, which agreement shall also be approved by the Counsel to the President or his or her designee prior to the appointee commencing work; to ensure that spousal employment issues and other conflicts not expressly addressed by the pledge are addressed in ethics agreements with appointees or, where no such agreements are required, through ethics counseling; and generally to ensure compliance with this order within the agency.

(b)With respect to the Executive Office of the President, the duties set forth in section 4(a) shall be the responsibility of the Counsel to the President or his or her designee.

(c)The Director of the Office of Government Ethics shall:

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(1)ensure that the pledge and a copy of this order are made available for use by agencies in fulfilling their duties under section 4(a) above;

(2)in consultation with the Attorney General or the Counsel to the President or their designees, when appropriate, assist designated agency ethics officers in providing advice to current or former appointees regarding the application of the pledge; and

(3)in consultation with the Attorney General and the Counsel to the President or their designees, adopt such rules or procedures as are necessary or appropriate:

(i)to carry out the foregoing responsibilities;

(ii)to apply the lobbyist gift ban set forth in paragraph 1 of the pledge to all executive branch employees;

(iii)to authorize limited exceptions to the lobbyist gift ban for circumstances that do not implicate the purposes of the ban;

(iv)to make clear that no person shall have violated the lobbyist gift ban if the person properly disposes of a gift as provided by section 2635.205 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations;

(v)to ensure that existing rules and procedures for Government employees engaged in negotiations for future employment with private businesses that are affected by their official actions do not affect the integrity of the Government’s programs and operations;

(vi)to ensure, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, that the requirement set forth in paragraph 6 of the pledge is honored by every employee of the executive branch;

(4)in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, report to the President on whether full compliance is being achieved with existing laws and regulations governing executive branch procurement lobbying disclosure and on steps the executive branch can take to expand to the fullest extent practicable disclosure of such executive branch procurement lobbying and of lobbying for presidential pardons, and to include in the report both immediate action the executive branch can take and, if necessary, recommendations for legislation; and

(5)provide an annual public report on the administration of the pledge and this order.

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(d)The Director of the Office of Government Ethics shall, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Counsel to the President, and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, or their designees, report to the President on steps the executive branch can take to expand to the fullest extent practicable the revolving door ban set forth in paragraph 5 of the pledge to all executive branch employees who are involved in the procurement process such that they may not for 2 years after leaving Government service lobby any Government official regarding a Government contract that was under their official responsibility in the last 2 years of their Government
service; and to include in the report both immediate action the executive branch can take and, if necessary, recommendations for legislation.

(e)All pledges signed by appointees, and all waiver certifications with respect thereto, shall be filed with the head of the appointee’s agency for permanent retention in the appointee’s official personnel folder or equivalent folder.

Sec. 5.  Enforcement.  (a)  The contractual, fiduciary, and ethical commitments in the pledge provided for herein are solely enforceable by the United States pursuant to this section by any legally available means, including debarment proceedings within any affected executive agency or judicial civil proceedings for declaratory, injunctive, or monetary relief.

(b)Any former appointee who is determined, after notice and hearing, by the duly designated authority within any agency, to have violated his or her pledge may be barred from lobbying any officer or employee of that agency for up to 5 years in addition to the time period covered by the pledge.  The head of every executive agency shall, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Government Ethics, establish procedures to implement this subsection, which procedures shall include (but not be limited to) providing for factfinding and investigation of possible violations of this order and for referrals to the Attorney General for his or her consideration pursuant to subsection (c).

(c)The Attorney General or his or her designee is authorized:

(1)upon receiving information regarding the possible breach of any commitment in a signed pledge, to request any appropriate Federal investigative authority to conduct such investigations as may be appropriate; and

(2)upon determining that there is a reasonable basis to believe that a breach of a commitment has occurred or will occur or continue, if not enjoined, to commence a civil action against the former employee in any United States District Court with jurisdiction to consider the matter.

(d)In any such civil action, the Attorney General or his or her designee is authorized to request any and all relief authorized by law, including but not limited to:

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(1)such temporary restraining orders and preliminary and permanent injunctions as may be appropriate to restrain future, recurring, or continuing conduct by the former employee in breach of the commitments in the pledge he or she signed; and

(2)establishment of a constructive trust for the benefit of the United States, requiring an accounting and payment to the United States Treasury of all money and other things of value received by, or payable to, the former employee arising out of any breach or attempted breach of the pledge signed by the former employee.

Sec. 6.  General Provisions.  (a)  No prior Executive Orders are repealed by this order.  To the extent that this order is inconsistent with any provision of any prior Executive Order, this order shall control.

(b)If any provision of this order or the application of such provision is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and other dissimilar applications of such provision shall not be affected.

(c)Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(1)authority granted by law to a department, agency, or the head thereof; or

(2)functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budget, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(d)This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(e)This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

(f)The definitions set forth in this order are solely applicable to the terms of this order, and are not otherwise intended to impair or affect existing law.

                             BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
January 21, 2009.

White House will host United State of Women Summit June 14, 2016

A wise woman once said that one is not born a woman, but rather becomes one. What makes a woman? Strength. Resilience. Compassion. Beauty from within. When I think of what it means to be a woman, I stand a little taller because I know I stand on the shoulders of women who came before me and paved the way.

My mom, Diana Ross, is one of those women. She’s both nurturing and fierce, graceful and courageous. She set an example for me to be empowered, to have a voice, and to build a full life for myself. And there are countless other women who inspire and remind me of the individual and collective power of women.

Women are always breaking new records and forging new paths. We build on the accomplishments of those who came before us.

On June 14, the White House will host women from all over the country at the United State of Women Summit. We will celebrate extraordinary women who are creating change and growth in our world — women who are doing great things.

If there’s a woman in your life who inspires you like my mom has always inspired me, somebody who strives to help everybody around her achieve their greatest, we want her to be there. We want her to stand with President Obama and the First Lady.

Nominate someone you know to join the United State of Women Summit in Washington, D.C. on June 14. (You can even nominate yourself!)

I know there are so many women out there who are lifting up their friends, their neighbors, and their communities. We want to meet these incredible women.

Every woman who carves out a space for other women in her community or profession and every woman who raises her voice to fight for an issue she cares about is changing what it means to be a woman in America.

Together, we are so powerful.

So hit us up: Tell us about someone in your life who should be at the Summit. And make sure to do it before nominations close at midnight!

Thanks!

Tracee Ellis Ross