EL SEGUNDO HERALD August 3, 2017 Page 7 Politically Speaking One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion Revoking Jared Kushner’s Security Clearance Is Long Overdue By Cristian Vasquez President Donald Trump’s senior advisor should step down from his position and face prosecution for lying on his security clearance. Aside from the fact that Jared Kushner has no legitimate political experience to serve as a senior advisor to any politician, let alone the president, let us not forget that he committed perjury on his security clearance form. Back in May it was reported that Kushner failed to mention that he had contact with Russian envoys in the United States in the months leading up to, and following, the election. Furthermore, recent information provided by Donald Trump, Jr. himself confirms that he, along with Kushner and President Trump’s campaign chairman Paul J. Manafort had a meeting with a Russian lawyer prior to the election. While Kushner’s lawyer Jamie Gorelick called the omissions an honest mistake, that does not make Kushner’s actions any less illegal. The SF86 Form states that “intentionally withholding, misinterpreting, or falsifying information” may result in denial or revocation of a security. Kushner and his lawyer are going to use “intentionally” as the key word in their defense, but it is insulting that these two expect anyone to believe that these gatherings with foreign powers, during and after a presidential election, would simply slip Kushner’s mind. Yes, Kushner fixed his “mistake” which up until last June could have been chalked up to a simple omission due to a hectic schedule. However, given the information obtained through the emails Donald Trump, Jr. provided regarding said meetings, Kushner should be prosecuted. The president’s son-in-law was required to disclose information regarding all meetings during the past seven years with any foreign government, and he failed to do so. As Donald Trump, Jr.’s emails would reveal, Kushner had contact with Russia as far back as June of 2016. Meaning, he met with these people in the heat of the election. Now believing that Kushner has any credibility left, or that he ever had any integrity…maybe, just maybe, he was lured to the meetings through non-political context. Perhaps Kushner’s willingness to attend was because it would have nothing to do with the election and his father-in-law’s opponent. Then he should just have mentioned the meetings on his security clearance form. The fact is that Kushner lied. He committed perjury and should not only be removed from his position, but should be prosecuted. It does not matter why the senior advisor left that information out, but there is enough evidence provided by Trump’s son to tell us why Kushner committed perjury. Trump supporters can lie to themselves and justify the lies and crimes of this unqualified advisor. People lie to themselves all the time. However, Kushner lied on a federal form, making it a federal crime, which disqualifies him his current position. And yes, we know, Kushner’s not the only one who has lied, and crooked Hillary this, and Obama that. But Kushner has been caught in the lie through information provided by his own brother-in-law. Kushner might be willing to commit a federal crime for his in-laws, but it seems the in-laws don’t feel the same. • Trump Turmoil and the Shuffling of the Roster in the West Wing By Duane Plank Kelly in as chief of staff. Priebus kicked to the curb. Scaramucci unleashes a profanityladen tirade against members of his own White House team. Just another amusing week on the national political canvas. It appears that that the repeal and replace of Obamacare is dead. Senator John McCain, a great American patriot, made a dramatic appearance on the floor of the Senate last week to initially support the plan Republicans had crafted after seven years of griping about Obamacare. Guess that is what happens when you, as a privileged Senator, “work” a short week and then have a “recess” like we did as children when we attended elementary school. You craft a paltry healthcare plan. When the do-nothing Senate breaks in August, they are allegedly returning to their homebases to “spend time with their family, meet with their constituents, and catch up on their summer reading.” Really? And then the 80-year-old McCain, ravaged by just diagnosed stage-bad cancer thumbed the “skinny plan” down late in the early hours of Friday morning, sending the CNN folks into ecstasy. McCain then hightailed it back to Arizona to seek treatment for his very aggressive cancer. McCain has Chutzpah and is at the point in his life when he probably posits the attitude of “what the…heck” when he votes his conscience, letting the chips fall. Back to square one in replacing Obamacare. Have any of you benefited from OB Care? Keep your own doctor, affordable coverage for all. At least that is what Obama promised. Didn’t seem to work out that way for most. All prevarications. I considered signing up for Obamacare. Full disclosure…always trying to figure out a way to spend less, get more, grind, from all my providers. Looming retirement, and less income, is approaching, so I am looking to cut costs. When I called the local ACA representative, she was very gracious. Answered the phone on the second ring. No hard-to-navigate, annoying phone tree. I said I was considering affordable healthcare. I had a quote on a specific coverage and let her know what I was paying. She immediately said that I should take the other coverage--what the “affordable” Obamacare could offer me was at least at double the price. I thanked her for her candor and kept the coverage I have. Apparently, the Affordable Care Act works best if you are in a specific income group that would be granted government subsidies. Speaking of health issues, Trump came under scrutiny last week because he nixed transgenders in the military. I believe anyone who wants to serve our country in the military--man, woman, in-between--should be allowed to do so. I respect their service, their protecting our way of life when faced with 21st Century threats, including the latest missile launch instigated by the corpulent lunatic in North Korea. Everyone should be able to serve, God bless them. But I don’t think we should pay for their transgender sculpting, so help me, Bruce/Caitlin Jenner. • School Board from front page DISH DEALS!! $49./99 mo. for 24 months ADD HIGH-SPEED INTERNET $14./mo. Switch to DISH and Get a FREE Echo Dot Control your TV hands-free with DISH Hopper + Amazon Alexa “Alexa, go to HGTV.” LIMITED TIME! Mention oer code FreeEchoDot Requires internet-connected Hopper® or Wally® and Echo, Echo Dot or Amazon Tap device. CALL TODAY - PROMO CODE: FreeEchoDot 1-855-900-9024 95 where available 190 Channels Now only ... Requires credit qualication and commitment for the project, had defaulted earlier in the construction cycle. RDM was selected to replace Gould, and while Johnstone said RDM was “doing a great job, there are little things the contractor found that don’t really affect electricity, but do impact what is termed in the construction trade as “fire/life/ safety.” The fire/ life/safety concerns must meet and adhere to strict guidelines established by the Division of State Architects (DSA). These issues revolve around student and staff safety concerns, and “those construction, protection, and occupancy features necessary to minimize danger to life from the effects of fire, including smoke, heat, and toxic gases created during a fire.” Johnstone laid out what is a tentative timeline for the occupancy of the building, with the hope being that when all the Is are dotted and Ts crossed, the three Da Vinci campuses would have their classroom materials packed up and be able to vacate their current buildings probably over a weekend. After the physical move has been made, Johnstone foresees allowing the teachers a couple of days to unpack and set up their classrooms before opening the new high school’s doors to incoming students. “We live in an imperfect world,” Johnstone said. “We have really been blessed on this project. Everything is going to turn out beautifully…it is just five or six weeks later than we wanted it.” WUSD District Facility planner Vince Madsen, the point man at the high school site, was front and center at the three-hour meeting, which was chaired by Board Vice President JoAnne Kaneda in the absence of President Israel Mora. The meeting predictably focused on the construction project and the implementation of “change orders” for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the multi-milliondollar structure. Madsen said that the change in electrical contractors was part of the delay, as were what he termed “soil compaction challenges” in the new main parking lot, plus some issues related to the heavier than expected rains that visited the South Bay earlier this year. All in attendance at the Board meeting agreed that it was well worth taking the extra six weeks or so to ensure student safety and the success of the transition for Da Vinci students to the new facility. Late last week, the District rolled out a construction update to the Wiseburn and Da Vinci stakeholders and community. It read, in part, “The WUSD and the Da Vinci schools will not put students or school staff into the building until all systems have been thoroughly tested and cleared by the building commissioning agents. We are committed to opening the building in all three schools as soon as it is certified as safe for occupancy.” So that means that, at least for a short while, the current sites for the Da Vinci schools--the Del Aire and Aviation campuses--will again house the first-part of the 2017/18 school year. The Phase II construction timeline is not affected. Johnstone said he mandated to the construction company that the Phase II part of the project, which includes the pool, gym and playing field, is going to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 23, 2018. Of course, that could change, according to other “curveballs” that may arise during construction. “When you look at the magnitude of the project, on any given day you have over 200 people working [onsite] and coordinating that has been a challenge,” Johnson said. He also likened the coordination of the many moving parts at the new school site with the precision needed to send a rocket ship to and from the outer limits. Board member Neal Goldman thanked all of those involved in moving the colossal project forward. “We appreciate you guys busting your behinds, “he said. “We really do appreciate it.” During the action item portion of the meeting, the Board ratified an agreement between Travis Allen, the founder of the iSchool initiative program, for an amount not to exceed $9,000 to be paid to Allen, who will be the keynote speaker at the State of the District event on August 31. Allen’s proposed topic will be “Becoming a Mobile Learner.” Allen has gained popularity in educational circles, positing his iSchool initiative, which looks at how schools must update their teaching parameters in the 21st Century by “embracing technology and creating a positive culture of life-long learning.” Other items passed by the Board included the Dana Middle School’s Writers Workshop program; a partnership agreement with the Wiseburn Education Foundation; an agreement with nearby Loyola Marymount University to provide LMU student-teachers to work in the District; and a slight increase (10 percent) in the fee structure for the upcoming school year for the Dana Extended Day Care program. Summing up the consensus on the slight delay in occupancy at the Douglas Street facility, Madsen said, “We are building a building that has a 50- to 100-year life span, and these six weeks will make the difference in the final quality.” The next regularly scheduled Wiseburn School Board meeting is slated for Thursday evening, August 24. •
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