This week has been quite literally a week straight out of a dystopian novel. I really, really wanted to give President Trump a chance, really I did, but after his actions this week I just can't anymore. Instead, I will find ways to fight against his discriminatory administration and find ways to make America a place for everyone no matter who they are. If you haven't been as furious as me or just simply haven't been paying attention (I get it, it's hard to do when all you want to do is turn away from the news) here are five big things you might have missed this week in the news.
1. President Trump signs executive orders to revive the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline projects
Incase you really, really haven't been paying attention in the news for a while, allow me to give you the rundown on these pipeline projects. Both of these projects will create jobs, yes that's true, but these jobs are only temporary. Yes, I know that the New Deal did the same thing by giving people temporary jobs to help spur the economy and blah blah blah but here's the deal of the 28,000 jobs the construction of the pipeline will create under 100 will remain permanent. Job security? I don't think so. Yes, the jobs themselves will possibly help spur the economy but what about afterwards? What happens to the families after the construction is over? Besides that, the economic climate between now and back when the New Deal was needed is vastly different which could mean that the economic results will not necessarily be the same. Furthermore, these pipelines are not good for the environment. They increase our reliance on unsustainable fossil fuels when we really should be focusing on sustainable energy like solar and wind power. During his first week in office, Trump has assured the American people that he could care less about the environment. Lastly, the Dakota Access Pipeline runs through Native American territory which if you don't understand why that's literally terrible then we have a problem.
2. VP Mike Pence and Kellyanne Conway address the March for Life in Washington D.C.
Like I have said in a previous article, if you are pro-life that is fantastic and by all means you have the absolute right to be but the fact of the matter is that given the social climate of today the VP and Counselor to the President should be supporting the majority of the people who are pro-choice. Let it be known that what I just said is MY PERSONAL OPINION. Just like you are allowed to have one, so am I. I believe that the VP and Counselor to the President are allowed to have their own opinions on abortion but that doesn't meant that they should be pushing legislation in the White House that limits access to abortion not only here but around the world (Global gag rule!!!).
3. Steve Bannon says that the media needs to 'keep its mouth shut.'
I have a huge, huge problem with this. The media should not 'keep its mouth shut' because the American people have the right to know what's happening within our government and it shouldn't be stifled just because our childish President doesn't agree with what the media says about him. I've said it before and I'm saying it now, President Trump needs to grow up and face the criticism that is inevitable given his position.
4. Trump orders construction of 'The Wall'
I don't even know where to start with this. Trump has signed an executive order that orders the construction of the wall between the United States and Mexico. Not only that, he is vowing that Mexico will pay for it, an incredibly unlikely outcome considering Mexico has said numerous times that they won't pay for that wall, and they shouldn't. His plan so far for paying for his outrageous wall is to impose a 20% tax on Mexican imports meaning that when all is said and done the average American will just have to pay more for consumer goods from Mexico, but don't worry, he will find a way to claim that Mexico paid for the wall. Fantastic, right? This wall has been estimated to take 16 years to build, quadruple the amount of time President Trump will spend in office (double the amount of time if he somehow miraculously gets elected again).
5. Trump signs executive actions barring the entrance of refugees and immigrants from seven majority Muslim countries.
Perhaps the most disgusting thing that he has done this week is sign that executive order. What makes it even worse is that he signed it on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Plain and simple, this is a ban on Muslims from entering the country. What makes it even more obvious is that Trump is allowed Christian refugees to be expedited into the US because they have suffered the most. I don't dispute that any one person has suffered more than another because thankfully I don't know what their life is like where they are right now but I do know that one religion shouldn't be valued over another just because Trump is scared of a group of people. Muslim refugees are scared. They are willing to risk everything including their lives to come to America and to be turned away is horrible in every sense of the word. I don't care if you are Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish, Sikh or any other religion, you belong in this country. You deserve to feel safe and you deserve to be here just as much as I am here. We are fighting for you to be welcome in this country and we will not stop fighting until you are safe.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of what has happened this week. There are about a dozen more things that I could probably include in this article but then you would be reading forever. I'll end with this though: if you aren't pissed off and ready to fight, then you aren't paying attention.