I had a revelation about President Trump back in October of 2019. I said, "give it time, and this President would cost Americans their lives." What made me think that was a decision Trump made in the Middle East. During a phone conversation on October 7th with the President of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan, President Trump greenlit Erdogan's desire to go into Northeastern Syria to drive out the Kurds (who Turkey considers terrorists) and create a safe buffer zone between Turkey and the rest of Syria. This invasion would keep the Kurds who were enemies with Turkey away from their border.

For many years, the United States worked hand in hand with our Kurdish allies against the Islamic State militant group and ISIS in Syria. The Kurds did the heavy fighting against ISIS, which lead to their defeat. The Kurd's relationship with the United States worked well. For example, we had minimal troops in Northeastern Syria that served multiple purposes, including offering logistics to the Kurds and tripwire protection to them to prevent the Turkish Army and Turkish Militias from coming into Syria. Just think, a thousand soldiers in an entire region stopped an invasion from Turkey because of the power and prestige of the United States. When Trump pulled those troops out of the Northeastern region of Syria after his conversation with Erdogan, all hell broke loose. We abandoned our Kurdish allies, which resulted in the Turkish military and militias crossing the border and causing havoc. The killing of civilians and Kurdish forces was tragic. It didn't have to happen. It shouldn't have happened, but it did because of President Trump. One killing by a Turkish backed militia that particularly disturbed me was the brutal murder of a 35-year-old Kurdish-Syrian human rights activist and politician named Hervin Khalaf, who was a  real go-getter.  According to an article in Foreign Policy Magazine, Khalaf would wake up at five in the morning and not stop working until midnight. Her work involved traveling to the Deir Ezzor region [of Syria], to tutor children and teenagers there in math, or meeting with Arab tribal leaders and helping resolve their many disputes in her role as the secretary-general of the Future Syria Party." 

However, all of that work came to a brutal end because of a wrong decision that President Trump made. He was warned by experts to leave the existing American policy in Northeastern Syria in place because it was working. Still, he ignored the calls and made an off the cuff decision that surprised the U.S. military and his government officials. The result was the death of over 700 civilians and the displacement of over 300,000 people from the area.

Now, we are yet again at a crossroads with President Trump. I'll be clear, the President is not responsible for the Coronavirus, but he is responsible for NOT taking appropriate actions early on to protect the American people. He referred to the virus as an "invisible enemy" when right before our eyes, it ravaged China and is still devastating Italy. There was a total lack of preparation on the Trump administration's part even disregarding its own intelligence agency's warnings in 2019 that we were NOT prepared for a Pandemic. Trump's denials about the Coronavirus on TV, social media, and in interviews during the early days of the virus will be judged harshly by history. His inadequate preparation has COST AMERICAN LIVES. For example, there were not enough Coronavirus tests, not enough protective supplies for healthcare workers, and they're still aren't enough ventilators for Americans who can get potentially sick from this virus. He said in today's press conference that "we will have plenty of ventilators in the next 100 days." In the meantime, what do you tell an American citizen who may need one during this time when we may run out? Tough luck? Trump declared himself a "Wartime President," which entails planning in advance for supplies and equipment NOT as you go.

Now, with little regard to the recommendations of experts and even Bill Gates, Trump is preparing to open segments of our country to jumpstart our economy. The change in policy would go against facts and science. Both of which Trump has ridiculed during his tenure as POTUS. This action, along with Trump's incompetence and his administration's lack of experience, will only add fuel to the fire that will contribute to more American fatalities.

After resisting to utilize the Defense Production Act fully, the President relented and is now using the full authority of the act, after immense pressure from U.S. governors from across the nation. What does this mean? Hopefully, no more of the states will be bidding against each other to get supplies. Our industry will reconfigure manufacturing to produce supplies for the Coronavirus effort. The federal government will contract with industry directly and make sure the states get the supplies needed. In the meantime, the Coronavirus will continue to get worse as there is still an evident lack of leadership and confusion from President Trump. 

I'm not a constitutional expert, but I wonder if there are any other plays left in the law besides the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump before he endangers the country any further. I'm waiting for the "Tom Brady" of Congress to stand up to Trump and lead a revolt. However, that would be highly unlikely to happen because, in this cockamamie world of Trump, his poll numbers have risen during this crisis.