O Say Can You Please Entry 4: Don’t Go Chasing Border Walls
    Valentine’s Day was an interesting day for the world of politics this year with the confirmation of a new (for a second time) Attorney General and the prevention of another shutdown, albeit with a price. To begin, we will talk about the confirmation of William Barr, who is now Trump’s new AG. According to the Politico article that is my source, he was confirmed by a 54-45 vote with three Democrats supporting him and one Republican (Rand Paul) opposing him. He seems like an honorable enough guy though, with him allowing Mueller to finish his investigation… (Whispers from an associate)… Oh sorry! I take back what I just said, as the Democrats have apparently expressed concern that he would not be impartial and/or release the concluding report of the investigation publicly. This is over a memo that Barr wrote to current Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein that decried Mueller’s attempts to look into potential obstruction by President Trump.
    Granted, he is an improvement over the last two Attorney Generals, those being Jeff Sessions and Matt Whitaker, but that’s not saying much. I bring them up not just to prop Barr up, but because both of them were controversial figures, and it doesn’t help that both of them sucked at the job. However, Barr also has his problems, such as an extremely broad view of executive power, and he’s also said very little about how he will respond to Trump’s inevitable attacks on him and the rest of the Department of Justice. This is important because Trump has responded to DOJ investigations into him by incessantly attacking them, leading to an erosion of trust that may damage our democracy. To conclude, the “Barr” is raised, but only slightly. I apologize for that awful pun.
Before I continue, I have found my first associate writer for this series, and he will help this publication by ramping up the sarcasm to Bill Maher levels. Don’t worry, we will not be as controversial. The writer’s name is Dennis, and we both hope that you enjoy his perspective.
With that obligatory introduction out of the way, let’s talk about a hilariously misguided abuse of Presidential power. That’s right, Trump just declared a national emergency over the situation at the Southern border. There are many problems here, and the two of us will rip this apart. This feature is called Poli-Ticks, and in this feature, two or more writers relay facts and jokes about a political event. Simple as that.
Ethan: To begin, Trump called this “a great thing to do,” according to NPR. Does this decision make sense, or is it a big mistake?
Dennis: I think it would require a certain level of delusion to believe that this is a “great thing.”
Ethan: I have to agree because of the fact that he waited ages to declare this emergency. If you have to do that, it’s no emergency. It’s like removing a gangrenous leg after the disease has already spread. And no, I cannot show an image of that.
Dennis: Yes but it’s not like faux problems have stopped his support base from falling in line in the past.
Ethan: So true. They’d throw out their own baby with the bathwater if they were told to do so by him. Plus, he waited weeks (if not months) to declare this emergency. If it were an actual emergency, I’m sure he would not have waited this long to declare it. Therefore, I doubt this “emergency” is as bad as he is making it out to be.
Dennis: Oh, how powerful the fear of the “criminal, job-thieving” immigrant is. Even without the statistical evidence (which I can refute)… (https://cis.org/Report/Examination-US-Immigration-Policy-and-Serious-Crime)
Ethan: According to that source (and the Washington Post), undocumented immigrants commit less violent crime than native-born Americans, so Trump’s argument of a criminal wave coming from the border holds less water than a bucket with a giant hole where its bottom should be.
Dennis: Although I will admit, it is an impressive testament to the Trump Administration’s ability to create fear out of thin air.
Ethan: Agreed. Democrats are suing over this, arguing it erodes Congress’s power of the purse. What do you say to that?
Dennis:  I agree with them. By circumventing congress and avoiding the checks and balances system, not only is Trump forgoing a key part of American government, but he is also setting a dangerous precedent.
Ethan: I also have a fact-check from CNN (Fake News!) about the speech in which he declared the emergency, and it is filled with the usual mistruths by Trump. I’m not surprised. (https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/15/politics/fact-check-trump-national-emergency-immigration-speech/index.html).
Dennis: I have a quote from William C. Banks, a Syracuse University law professor, which I think describes this situation well. “This is a real institutional threat to the separation of powers to use emergency powers to enable the president to bypass Congress to build a wall on his own initiative that our elected representatives have chosen not to fund,”. However, I think it’s important to note that institutional threats to American democracy is President Trump’s forte.
Ethan: Nailed it! I have my own two cents on this matter, by the way. Here they are!


Dennis: Perfect! In my opinion, this sums up not only this situation, but the whole presidency. Ethan: Don’t go chasing border walls.
    Anyway, that’s all for today. Special thanks to Dennis for stepping up to the plate in this entry, and all of us at O Say Can You Please wish you all a great President’s Day break!